DEVOTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT Otf ALASKA AND THE PORTLAND CANAL MINING DISTRICT.
VOL 1, N0.32
RYDER, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, APRIL IS, 1925
FIFTY CENTS AKCKTH
NEGOTIATIONS FOR
PURCHASE OF
PREMIER REPORTED
The Selukwe Company, of
London, owner of a 62 per cent
interest in the B. C. Silver,
has entered into negotiations
for the purchase of the Premier
mine, according to press dis
patches emanating from Vic
, toria last week.
Ninety million dollars is the
sum mentioned in the dis
patches in connection with the
rumored offer but this is ob
viously an error and was prob
ably intended for a much
smaller figure.
That the reported sale nego
tiations are something more
than mere rumors is indicated
by a Vancouver dispatch of
the same date in which A. B.
Trites, one of the chief own
ers of the Premier is quoted as
stating in an interview that
"negotiations were proceeding
by which the Selukwe Mining
Company of London, England,
is seeking to acquire the Pre
mier mine for a sum running
into several million dollars but
not the exaggerated figures
mentioned ft Victoria.”
Nothing is known locally re
specting the reported deal.
Rumors of possible purchase
of the B. C. Silver by the Pre
mier interests have been circu
lated at various times in the
past. The latter company owns
practically all of the stock in
B. G. Silver not included in the
holdings of t'hev Selukwe Com
pany, only pboiit 5 per cent of
the shares being owned by
private interests.
-- Tlf iltfHllffilhB operations car:
B.C."Silver iiave tgwwded rich
ore deposits heretofore un
known, which are believed to
be extensions of the ore zone
of the Premier, which lies im
mediately south and east of the
B. C. Silver.
Owing to their contiguity
coupled with the prospect that
the B. C. Silver carries the
same ore deposits as the fam
ous "Wonder Mine,” an ulti
mate transfer of ownership has
been considered a likely event
uality, although to the local
view the absorption of the B.
C. Silver by the Premier has
appeared to be* the most prob
able outcome. This opinion
was further sustained by the
fact that its extensive milling
and ore transportation facili
ties could be employed in the
operation of the B. C. Silver
merely by increasing their
present capacity.
■0
The Chamber of Commerce is
considering a proposal to facil
itate traffic by widening First
Avenue at the intersection of
that highway with the gov
ernment dock approach. Ow
ing to the narrowness of both
the street and dock approach,
automobiles must at present
slow down to a walking pace
to avoid danger of disaster in
making the short turn. This
situation can be overcome by
widening the end of First Ave
nue a triflfc. Members of the
Chamber point out that by
building a wedge shaped ex
tension a fe'w feet wide on the
east side of the street, ma
chines can turn onto the dock
approach without difficulty.
-—o
Armstrong and Mahood have
finished' their contract to
freight supplies to the Inde
pendence. . Eighteen tons of
camp supplies and mine ma
terial were hauled to the
ground in the face of severe
traveling conditions during a
large part of the time.
NEW FACTOR IN
POWER SITUATION
The congested situation sur
rounding the Soule-Glacier
power plant proposal was
further complicated Monday
by the announcement that the
Daly-Alaska Mines Company
has taken the initial steps
toward securing a permit from
the Federal Power Commission
to undertake the development
of that vastly important pro
ject in the event that the pres
ent permit holders, Messrs.
Ernest Blue and Noel Traveray,
are unable to conclude the
pending negotiations between
themselves and the Seims, Hel
mers and Schaffner Company,
of St Paul.
The announcement was made
by Edward B. Hambleton, di
rector of the Daly-Alaska
Mines Company, simultaneous
ly with the filing of notices of
water appropriation on Soule
Glacier River in the Record
er’s office late Monday. A copy
of the notices posted by the
company on Soule Glacier Riv
er Monday afternoon on file in
the recording office claims an
appropration of “sufficient
water to generate 25,000
horsepower for the purpose of
generating electric power, for
general power, lighting and
heating purposes, for use in
the Hyder Precinct.
Beyond staging that it was
the intention of the Daly Alas
ka Company to prpceed with
the development of thl project
in case that the present' per
mit holders cannot agree on
termB, Mr. Hambleton vou<V
safari ao information regard
ing the {dans of his company!
before leaving on the Cardena
Monday evening. However, ft
is learned from reliable sources
that Mr. .Hambleton has stated
that it is the intention of the
Dalv-Alaska people to turn the
project over to the Seims, He;
mers and Schaffner Company,
in the event that their appli
cation is approved by the Fed
eral Power Commission.
o
The monthly luncheon of the
[Chamber of Commerce took
place Friday noon at the Silver
Grill. Practically the entire
membership attended, in ad
dition to several guests, a total
of 18 enjoying the excellent
repast prepared by mein host
Walter Blanton.
The feature of the luncheon
was an interesting address by
Dr. D. E. Standard, who gave
the members some excellent
advice on good fellowship and
and also discussed the valuable
assistance that could be given
by the Chamber in furthering
development of local industries
and activities. Mr. J. A. Hall
responded in appropriate vein
on behalf of the Chamber and
on“ behalf of the Chamber,”
expressing the appreciation of
that body for Dr. Standard’s
keen interest in Hyder,and its
activities and ventured the
hope that he may be induced to
remain in the community.
Remarks of similar tenor were
also offered by John Hovland
and H. H. Howard, each with
special emphasis on the gen
eral desire that the Doctor be
come a permanent resident.
President Ernest Blue presid
ed and officiated as toast-mas
ter.
•o
Noel Traversy left Friday
evening for; Ketchikan - on
board the Hyder Lumber Com
pany power boat New Alice,
which was chartered by Mr.
Traversy especially for making
the* trip.
DALY ALASKA
DRIVING AHEAD
Pending further determination
of the future development con
templations, work is proceed
ing at a good pace on the Daly
Alaska. The main tunnel h
now in something over one
thousand feet from the portal
and is being extended furth
er to explore a wide porphry
zone lying a short distance
east of and paralleling the
main vein system in which the
recent sensational strikes wert
made. According to Manage!
Wm. Sloan, the porphry zone
is quite extensive and is very
similar if not identical with
the Premier porphry, which
constitutes one of the richest
mineral resources of the Pre
mier mine. In the event that
the zone proves of similar val
ue, it will add a valuable oi*
reserve to those already devel
oped by the exploration of the
ore zones encountered Iasi
year.
Mr. L. E. R. Stephens, M. E,
of Ontario, recently joined the
Daly-Alaska staff and is di
recting operations at the mine
in the absence of Mr. Sloan,
who is in the South.
•o
That the presence in camp oi
James Freebum, noted north
ern mining man, means t
probable change in the owner
ship of the Riverside mine, u
now openly acknowledged bj
those in close touch with the
various interests represented
in the impending transaction
The principals themselves arc
saying little and nothing at aD
for the -public ear. It is never
theless well known by those or
the inside that one or more
of the present owners are like
ly to retire and that their in
terests may be taken over bj
Mr. Freeburn.
Following his departure from
Hyder with H. C. Strong aftei
a One day visit, Mr. Freeburr
f-rxieeded to Seattle. in com
pany with Mr. Strong to confei
with the Black interests. Noth
ing has so far been given ou1
regarding the results of the
meeting but the return here ol
Mr. Freeburn indicates that hif
interest in the Riverside prop
erty is at least not diminished
It is understood that the objecl
of his present visit is to give the
mine a final inspection before
proceeding further with ne
gotiations for purchasing the
property as a whole or in part
-o
Early shipments of high
grade ore are contemplated bj
the management of the Indiar
mine. The ore is now beinj
broken down and will be
started on its way to the smelt
er as soon as a sufficiem
quantity is assembled accord
ing to Wm. S. Orr, manager.
The total quantity to be shipp
ed will approximate 100 tons
-Development work is proceed
ing at the mine, which is saic
to have been opened up to sucl
an extent by the work done
during the past season as t<
leave no doubt of its potential
ities as a future producer.
-e
! • i ’’
The X>Ray benefit dance o:
the local Moose-lodge will taki
place Friday evening at Pion
eer Hall. The proceeds will g<
to Stewart Hospital to be usee
in defraying the cost of , th<
newly installed X-Ray ma
chine.
1T-3T
NO CHANGE IN
R. R. SITUATION
Whether due to the exigen
cies of politics or because of
the inability of the Canadian
railway heads to decide upon
a feasible route, the much an
ticipated report on the Peace
River railroad extension, has
not appeared up to the present,
according to the latest reports
from Ottawa. The report is
now several weeks over due
and the cause of the delay is
apparently unknown even to
the Canadian Minister of Rail
ways, who, judging from a re
■ cent statement to the press, is
apparently unable to account
for the failure of the two rail
way officials to report their
findings and is evidently ex
pecting that the government it-»
self will ultimately have to
take up the problem.
Of possible bearing on the
Stewart-Hyder transcontinent
al railroad terminus proposal
Is the news arriving from Van
couver last week to the effect
that A. D. Frumento, of Van
couver, had been refused a re
newal of his recent qption on
. the Bear River railroad line,
constructed by Sir Harold
Mann, some years ago in con
nection with his proposed line
into the Groundhog coal fields.
!•*
■O
-The Hyder Baseball Club was
formed at a meeting of base
ball fans held in the Midget
Emporium building Monday
evening. E. L. Dare was elected
of the organization;
r Johnson wastirade as
sistant manager in charge of
baseball grounds, and H. H.
Howard was chosen to officiate
as secretary. It was also decid
ed to hold a dance at Pioneer
i Hall on the evening of May 1st
to raise funds to finance forth
coming activities. The matter
of selecting the personnel of
■ the baseball team was delegat
ed to Manager Dale. The club
will endeavor to arrange for a
series of games during the
season between the local team
and teams from Stewart, Pre
mier, Anyox, Prince Rupert
and Ketchikan. Several former
■ members of the old baseball
team are still here and will
form the nucleus of the new
organization. Practice games
will commence as soon as con
; ditions are favorable and all
who are interested in building
up a first class team are re
quested to attend.
o
The Bureau of Public Roads
power boat “Highway,” bear
ing C. W. Cheatham, district
. engineer of the Bureau of Pub
lic Roads, and Ivor Anderson
. and O. P. Elvigion of the Seims
, Carlson company, holders of
the Salmon River road im
provements contract .arrived
’ from Ketchikan Monday even
ing. The primary object of the
visit was to secure the com
pressor used by the Seims,
’ Carlson Company on the local
I road work last summer. The
, machine is to be used for the
, present on road construction
’ work near Ketchikan but will
be returned here on the re
sumption of the firm’s activ
ities in this locality next month.
• Edward B. Hambleton, dircct
■ or of the Daly-Alaska Com
> papy, who spent the past week
t in the district in connection
i with the affairs of the com
- pany, left Monday evening for
the South.
... »
MINERAL HILL
CLAIM OWNERS
FORM COMBINE
Combining under a prospect
ive development plan which in- !
eludes the probable organizat- i
ion of'a new mining company i
to operate in the local field, a <
group of Mineral Hill claim
owners have entered into an i
agreement with Col. W. C.
Perkins, of Seattle, whereby
the latter will undertake to i
finance a mining organization ;
to develop their properties.
The properties involved com
prise a group of 14 claims ad
vantageously located on the j
western slope of Mineral Hill, u
a short distance north of the
confluence of Texas Creek i
and Salmon River. The govern
ment trail runs near the group
and provides ready access to i
all of the propeiddes, most of
which are said to possess good
surface showings, some of
which are quite extensive and
carry good working values. 1
Those associated in the com
bine are:
J. D Loyns, Mrs. J. D. Lyons,
MR. Ford, Oscar Larsen,, C
W. Peterson, J. A. Hall and ;
Marion Hunt.
■o
Congress made no provision
for continuing the office of
Territorial Secretary or Lieu
enant-Govenor of Alaska when
it adopted legislation abolish
ing the office of the Surveyor- (
General according to informat
ion received by Territorial See
etary Karl Theile in a tele
gram from the Secretary ' of
the Interior. Before the estab
lishment of the offiee of Sur
veyor-General the Clerk of the ,
United States District Court
was ex-officio Territorial Sec
retary and the United States
Marshall ex-officio Surveyor
General. At that time there [
was only one District Court in
the entire Territory of Alaska. ,
The office of Surveyor-Gene
ralwas created in 1897 and he
was made ex-officion Secretary
of the Territory. Secretary
Theile telegraphed to Senator
Frank B. Willis of Ohio, chair
man of the Senate Committee
on Territories, requesting him
to take the matter up with the |
President and Secretary of the j!
Interior and ascertain whether i
or not the situation might bej
relieved by executive order. As;
the matter.now stands there?
will be no Territorial Secretary j
after June 30, next, when the i
law abolishing the offifce of
Surveyor-General becomes ef
fective, also no one to act as
Governor in the event of the
absence from the Territory,
resignation, or death or other
disability of the Governor.
-o
Easter Sunday was. granted
somewhat unusual observance
almost every business house,
other than hotels and restaur
ants, remaining closed through
out the day.
We wonder why equal defer- j
ence is not paid to other Sun
days, as well as national holi- ■
days. All Alaska towns are J
more or less lax in this respect.
However, there is no good
reason why the local mer
chants should not take steps
to make Sunday closing a gen
eral custom that will work no
hardship bn any one when once
established.
-o
H. A. Heywood, former man
ager of the Terminus and now
in charge of prospective de
velopment on the Last Chance
group for the Union Mining'
Company, a Vancouver syndi
cate, left'for the south on t%e
Cardena.
.
rO INVESTIGATE
PROPOSED R. R.
ROUTE FROM AIR
The Royal Canadian Air
Force, in conjunction with the
;opographical surveys branch
)f the Canadian Department
>f the Interior is scheduled to
make a photographic survey
)f the Stewart section during
;he summer, according to a
oress announcement from Ot
:awa last week. The dispatch
s of considerable local interest
)wing to the fact that it states
that the Stewart-Hyder rail
way terminal proposal is one
the principal factors in in
juring the government to se
:ure photographs of the Stew
irt and adjacent areas through
which the proposed road
would extend. In explanation
>f this phase of the survey pro
posal the message said:
“Owing to the Portland Can~l
mining developments and the
vritstioivto make Stewart the
;erminus of a transcontinental
railway system tapping the
Peace River district and the
Groundhog coal country, the
jhotographs will pravo of
jreat interest, especially in
settling a controversy as to
whether it is possible to bu:ld
i railway from the Bear Riv
ir to the Nass upper waters.
The power boat Lenirh ar
rived last week with a party
it well known Prince Rupert
business men bound on a com
bined business and pleasure
trip.to Hyder and. Stewart. The
aarty included Garnet C. Watt,
District Manager of the Mut
ual Life Assurance Company,
)f Canada; Thor Johnson,
aroprietor of the Johnson
Slothing Store, and his young
?on, Ralph Johnson and T.
Johnson proprietor of the
Commercial Hotel.
After giving the camp the
>nce over, members of the
party expressed themselves as
nuch impressed by the activity
visible in Stewart and Hyder,
Jespite the fact that winter
:onditions still obtain. They
vere all decidedly enthusiastic
)ver the scenic beauty of Port
land Canal, the Messrs. John
son, both of whom are Nor
wegians, asserting that the loc
il scenery rivalled that of the
famous fiords of Norway.
-o
F. C. Winkler, manager of the
White Heather Mines, arrived
from the south last week to
nake initial preparations for a
resumption of activities on the
rompany properties near Long
Lake. Considerable diamond
irilling work was done on the
ground last summer by Boyle
Bros, the well known drilling
firm but the contract was not
completed owing to bad
weather conditions. A large
part of the drill equipment was
left on the ground by the con
tractors last fall in anticipation
>f an early resumption of activ
ities this summer.
n
1b conformity to a proclamat
ion of the President and with
the action of the Governors of
the various states Governor
Scott C. Bone, in a proclamat
ion issued April 4th, calls upon
the people of the Territory to
sfcserve “American Forest
VVeek,” the week of April 27—
May 3, and unite in giving
thought jto her forests and in
the common task of forest con
servation and renewal."
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