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ALASKA
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HYDER WEEKLY HERALD
DEVOTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OP ALASKA AND THE PORTLAND CANAL MINING DISTRICT.
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VOL 5, NO. 44
HYDER, ALASKA, SATURDAY, AUGUST 10,1929.
PRI CE TEN CENTS I
FREE GOLD STRIKE
ON TEXAS CREEK
LOOKS IMPORTANT
The discovery in recent days
of a vein of free milling gold
ore on the north slope of Band
ed Mountain, situated along
the southerly border of Chicka
min Glacier, has created some
thing of a sensation in local
mining circles and also has re
sulted in a veritable stampede
of practically all the miners
and prospectors along the west
fork of Texas creek, according
to reliable reports from that
section.
The discovery vein is said to
carry high values on the sur
face, samples assaying nearly
$12,000 per ton having been
obtained by the discoverers,
Messrs. W. W. Metcalf and
Joseph Fendley, during their
prospecting activities..
i ne property on wmcn me
strike was made is situated on
the northerly slopes of Band
ed Mountain, about 3 miles:
from the projected end of the
new government highway now
under construction up the west
fork of Texas Creek and about
midway between the head of
that stream and the Chicka
min River. The property is
said to be easily accessible by
way of the Chickamin trail.
From the meager details so
far obtainable it appeers that
the discovery was made near
the lower end of a great quartz
zone which extends up the
slope of the mountain several
thousand feet. Messers Met
calf and Fendley, according
to statements made by them
to several parties, failed to
find ore of value in the higher
extensions of this zone, but
lower down they encountered
a section of the outcrop show
ing narrow stringers and veins
of ore carrying perceptible
quantities of free gold. At the
point of discovery the vein is
reported to have been stripped
over a width of eleven feet.
According to statements made
by the discoverers to other
prospectors in the locality,
samples taken from this area
have yielded assay returns
running over $11,500 per ton.
In addition to its possible im
portance as a source of gold
production, the strike is given
an increased interest owing to
being the first discovery of free
gold ore in place that has been
made up to this time in the
Texas district, where the ores
heretofore found have been
uniformly of typical silver
lead-zinc type. These ores car
ry usually moderate gold val
ues but so far as known none
have been found carrying gold
in sufficient quantity to be
seen. Occasional finds of float
gold ore have been reported,
as in the case of the large piece
assaying over $13,000 per ton
found on the Marietta group
last year. These, however, have
been entirely dissimilar to the
prevailing ores of the district
and no success was found in
attempting to locate their
source.
It is the general opinion in
mining circles that the discov
ery presents possibilities for
MONARCH VEIN
SHOWING STRONG
IN NEW TUNNEL
From a few stringers at the
surface to a heavily mineral
ized ore body four feet in
width within a distance of 19
feet from the portal of the new
prospect tunnel is the interest
result attained under the de
velopment program launched
in recent days by the Hyder
Monarch Gold Mining Comp
any on the Monarch group, lo
cated between the Riverside
mine and the Fish Creek prop
erties of the American Mining
and Milling Company.
The vein is clearly defined,
with both walls free, and is
strongly mineralized across the
entire four Teet of width, al
though the heaviest concen
tration occurs along the foot
wall, according to Arthur Moa,
general manager of the comp
any.
Values at the new level have
not been determined but ore
appears of good commercial
grade. Samples taken from the
surface exposures a short dist
ance beyond the present face
of the tunnel have given assay
returns running over 1,000
ounces in silver per ton and
high values are expected when
this area is reached. The tun
nel is now in 27 feet and is ex
pected to reach the lower ex
tensions of the high grade
zone within a short time. The
ore is galena and carries con
siderable gold in addition to
the silver and lead values, ac
cording to the surface assays.
---o
COL. STIVERS ELECTED
SECRETARY CHAMBER
OF COMMERCE
Col. E. R. Stivers, local rep
resentative of the Customs
Service, was elected to fill the
office of secretary of the Hy
der Chamber of Commerce at
the monthly meeting of the or
ganization held in Chamber of
Commerce Hall Tuesday even
ing.
Col. Stivers, whose selection
is a happy one, will fill the un
expired term of Rev. S. V. War
ren, who has resigned in an
ticipation of departure for the
south next week.
FORMER GOVERNOR
STRONG DEAD
Major J. F. A. Strong, former
governor of Alaska, passed
away in Seattle July 27, after
a short illness, death being due
to agina pectoris. He was aged
69 years and is survived by his
wife.
Major Strong, who was for
many years the foremost news
paper man of the North, was
appointed governor of the terr
itory in 1913 an$l served until
1918.
becoming one of the most im
portant made in the Hydei
j district and further details are
being eagerly awaited.
DELEGATE ENDORSES
LOCAL PROTEST OF
COMPENSATION ACT
Efforts of the Hytler Cham
ber of Commerce to direct at
tention to the need for drastic
alterations in the present Alas
ka workmens compensation
law is now attracting the at
tention of other territorial com
mercial organizations and the
various officials and newspap
ers to whom copies of the re
cent vigorous resolution of pre
test passed by the local body
were sent some days ago.
Judging from comments ap
pearing in the press and in let
ters received from individuals
and organizations it is very
probable that the local protest
against the distinctly inhibitive
and highly discriminatory pro
vision of the act will be strong
ly supported during the next
legislative session.
Included among the answers
so far received is the following
communication from Dan.
Sutherland, Alaska delegate to
Congress, in which he sets
forth in no uncertain terms
his views regarding the law.
The communication, dated
July 11, reads as follows:
Your communication of July
2nd transmitting a copy of the
resolutions passed by the Ily
der Chamber of Commerce on
June 4th with reference to 4he
Alaska Workmens Compensat
ion Act is at hand.
Although action to correct the
most unusual and unsound
features of the compensation
act of the 1929 legislature
does not lie within my province
as Congressional Repx-esent
ative but is strictly a matter for
the Alaska legislature to hand
le, I feel that I am warranted
in saying to you that for sever
al past sessions of the legislat
ure proposals have been made
to adopt a workmans compen
sation for the Territory that
would be based upon the mod
ern ideas of some of the pro
gressive states but invariably
the proposal has been rejected
and we still cling to the anti
quated form of the original
Alaska Compensation Act.
During the last political cam
paign in the Territory I called
public attention to the ridicu
lous feature that was enacted
in the session of 1927 whereby
a premium was placed upon
the employment of alien work
men in Alaska industry. Sever
al candidates for the legislat
ure announced that they would
try to have that objectionable
feature otf thej }aw repealed
but it is evident that nothing
was done to correct it at the
recent session.
Thus an alien has every advan
tage over a citizen when seek
ing employment, particularly
in the mines.
This feature was placed in
the law simply because a large
number of young aliens are
employed in some of the larger
quartz mines of the Territory.
Certainly a mine operator is
going to employ an alien in
preference to a citizen when
under the law it costs twice as
much to compensate for the
loss of a citizen’s life as it does
i
PRELIMH WORK
ON POWER PROJECT
WELL RIDER WM
Activities on the new Ameri
can Creek power development
project of the Power Corporat
ion of Canada are now well un
der way. A crew of about 20
men is engaged in clearing a
road from the Bear River high
way to the site of the proposed
power plant and in clearing
the timber from the site of the
projected dam and power
house. A large amount of pre
liminary investigation work is
necessary before actual con
struction work is started, ac
cording to the Corporation rep
resentatives. This will include
examination of the rock found
ations of both the power and
dam sites.
to compensate for the loss of
an alien’s life.
There is a trite saying of Pres,
ident Wilson to the effect that
“legislation is generally con
ceived for the benefit of the
few and not in the interest of
the many” and it certainly ap
plies to some of the actions of
the Alaska legislature. Why
on earth a body of men select
ed to represent the people of
the Territory should incorpor
ate in their compensation act a
feature so unjustly adverse to
citizenship is beyond my com
prehension.
There were several men in the
1927 session who vigorously
opposed this feature of the
compensation law but there
were also several slick fellows
who were working for their
i masters—the large mine oper
ators— and they were able to
secure a majority of votes for
the measure.
I, of course, would have you
understand that I am in favor
of a workmans compensation
act for Alaska and I raise no
question regarding amounts
fixed in the present law for in
jury or death but I believe the
whole act a most unscientific
hodge-podge and should be
changed to conform with the
co-operative methods that have
been adopted by many of the
States. I believe the revenues
of the Territory are ample to
allow participation by the Ter
! litory in the payment of com
; pensation to injured workmen.
I
It is possible that other busi
j ness organizations in Alaska
I may take this matter up and
I make it an issue for the next
i election of legislative mem
j bers. It seems to me that la
boring men throughout Alaska
should be informed regarding
the strange compensation law
they are now working under
j and they might make some ef
fort to have it changed.
At least a citizen of the Unit
ed States resident in Alaska
ought to be informed that his
legislative representatives have
discriminated against him in
securing employment, and
have by law made aliens pre
ferred employees.
Sincerely yours,
Dan. Sutherland
HEWST JOTTINGS
BEHRING ON LOCAL
MINING ACTIVITIES
C. C. Starr, M. E., arrived
Tuesday from the States to
make an examination of the
Woodbine property on behalf
of Hugh B. McGuire and oth
ers. Mr. Starr holds an emi
nent place in the mine engi
neering profession and has
been associated with the Tono
pah Comstock and other large
eastern and western mining in
terests.
Indications pointing to poss
ible acquisition of the well
known Indian property by the
Consolidated Mining & Smelt
ing Co. are disclosed by re
ports from the upper Salmon
that Consolidated representat
ives are engaged in sampling
the mine.
A cable report covering de
velopment progress on the B.
C. Silver, issued by the London
office of the Selukwe company
July 13, provides an interest
ing insight from official sour
ces regarding the recent high
ly promising ore discovery on
that property in the announce
ment that the ore body encoun
tered in drift 63G on the Gth
level had been opened for a
distance of 120 feet, with the
ore continuing in the face. The
average value for the whole
120 feet was given as $22 per
ton across a width of 7 feet.
As ore was still to be seen on
both the hanging and foot
walls, indications pointed to
the ore body being of some
what greater width, the esti
mate being around ten feet.
Some of the cut samples were
said to have given assays rang
ing between $60 and $100 per
ton.
The ore body is considered
the downward continuation of
the rich 4H Premier stope, ac
cording to the report.
-■-o
NOTED PUBLISHER
VISITS CAMP
J. J. Harpell, president and |
founder of the Garden City
Press, of Toronto, spent sever
al days in camp this week, as a
result of missing the C. N. R.
steamer Saturday morning. Mr.
Harpell was accompanied by
his three daughters and also a
niece.
During the course of his stay
Mx*. Harpell visited the Pre
mier mine and other proper
ties and expressed the view
j that both the Stewart and Hy
j der districts are certain to wit
ness an immense commercial
and industrial expansion with
in a very few years.
“I forsee a great future for
both Hyder and Stewart with
the coming of the C. P. R. into
| the district,” Mr. Harpell said
during a visit to the Herald,
‘‘There is no doubt now that
the two towns will become the
western gateway to a vast area
of central and northwestern
Canada,” he continued, “ and
with such powerful mining in
terests as the Consolidated
noil CREEK
MINING CflMPKNf
SURVEY COMPLETE
The work of surveying the big
mineral holdings of the Ameri
can Creek Mining Company, on
American Creek in the upper
Bear River section, has been
completed by Dalby B. Morkill,
B. C. Land Surveyor, according
to Oren F. Hill, president and
managing director of the com
pany, who returned to town
Tuesday, after spending most
of the past week on the prop
erty. Mr. Morkill is now en
gaged in survey work in the
Marmot River section.
Mr. Hill informed the .Herald
that work on the company
property, comprising fifty-two
claims and fractions, is prog
ressing steadily under the di
rection of A. Pasco, local met
allurgist and assayer. Between
10 and 12 miles of trail has
been built leading to the many
different known ore bodies and
showings, from which hun
dreds of assays have been
made during the past four or
five years. The work now in
progress is confined entirely to
systematic development of the
surface showings. The com
pany is also constructing a
good camp, so located that the
various and widespread ore ex
posures can be reached by the
shortest route possible to at
tain.
No more convincing evidence
of the confidence of local min
ing men in the future of the
American Creek Mining Co.
property could be found than
is presented in the authoritat
ive statement that William H.
Tolin, manager of the Mount
ain Boy Mining, has purchased
a very large block of stock in
the former company, the prop
ties of which adjoin the Mount
ain Boy.
The Mountain Boy is already
a proven mine and sensational
developments on the property
are expected to be announced
in the very near future, accord
ing to those in a position to
know the inside facts regard
ing recent operations.
-o
Hon. R. B. Bennett, leader of
the Conservative party in Can
ada, arrived in Stewart Satur
day on a tour of the Dominion.
Mr. Bennett was accompan
ied by J. C. Brady, represent
ative of the Stewart district in
the B. C. parliament, and other
notables.
—-O
J. K. Green returned Saturday
after an extended visit in the
south.
taking such an extensive inter
est in the camp, the develop
ment of the great local min
eral resources is a certain
eventuality. As the terminus
of a great transcontinental rail
road, Hyder and Stewart are
assured of a great future. Ow
ing to their peculiar situation,
both towns are certain to bene
fit by such a development.
Whatever may benefit one is
certain to help the other to
some extent. And to my view
it will not be a great while in
coming.”