r '
AN ALL-.
ALASKA
NEWSPAPER
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DEVOTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALASKA AND THE PORTLAND CANAL MINING DISTRICT.
fmm"'" ...
SUBSCRIPTIONS
$5.00 PER YEAR
IN ADVANCE
VOL 4, NO. 1$
HYDER, ALASKA, SATURDAY; JANUARY 21, 1928.
FIFTY CENTS A MONTH
EUROPEANS TO TAKE
BIG BLOCK OF
WOODBINE SHARES
Recent developments in con
nection with the financing of
the Woodbine property in the
upper Salmon basin are report
ed byjthe Western Canada
Mining News as follows:
Leaving for London and Paris
on Sunday night last, J. B.
Watson, president of Wood
bine Gold Mining Company,
will return in about a month
after closing a deal with Eng
lish and French capitalists for
500,000 shares of Woodbine
stock at 50 cents. The option
on this stock was taken some
time ago, and on New Year’s
day, Mr. Watson received a
cablegram asking him to go tc
Europe with full authority to
close the deal.
This deal, along with that
completed at Winnipeg a
month or so ago, will supply
the Woodbine treasury with
close to half a million dollars
for development and expansion
purposes. Upon his return, Mr..
Watson will give immediate
attention to the matter* of a
mill for the property.
The European interests enter
ed into negotiations in a prac
tical manner. They sent Rent
Cellier, noted French mining
engineer, to Stewart to exam
ine the property, and he was
very enthusiastic about it. His
report was altogether favor
able.
It is developing that the big
ore body opened up on the
Woodbine is not what is sup
posed to be the main ore zone
of the district. The body now
being worked is what is knowr.
as the north and south zone
hitherto supposed not to be ol
great extent or value, and it is
in the east and west zone, that
the greater values are. Up tc
the present, the assays havt
shown a large low grade ort
body, but of late assay return.1
have increased from $12 and
$14 to $21. Both B. W. W. Me- j
Dougall and F. J. Crossland,
well known local engineers,
have expressed the opinion
that further exploration will ;
ohow up a better ore body and
the increasing values bear out
this opinion. One engineei j
goes so far as to state that with
Woodbine discoveries, the
opinion of that section of Port
land wiH have to be revised.
Portland Canal has long been j
a one-mine camp, but it should
not be long before the Wood-'
bine is the second producer. It
has been brought along undei
more than ordinary difficulties,
but these have been surmount
ed, and indications are that it
will develop into a big mining
operation.
-o
The Stewart Board of Trade
has invited Charles Fredericks,
former mayor of Peace River
and advocate of a plan to se
cure better transportation and
development for the Peace
River district through the cre
ation of a new province em
bracing the northern sections
of Alberta and British Colum
bia, to visit Stewart and deliv
er an address on that topic.
-o
The motorship Norco is sched
uled to leave Seattle for Hyder
February 7th, according to
wire advices recived by the
Hyder Dock Co,
MINERAL PRODUCTION
IN ALASKA IN 1927.
Mines in Alaska produced
minerals to the value of $14,
445,000 in 1927, as against
$17,664,800 in 1926, according
to U. S. Geological Survey es
timates. The total value of the
mineral output of Alaska since
1880 is nearly $585,000,000.
The figures for 1927, which are
estimates and subject to revis
ion, are taken from the Sur
vey’s annual report on the min
eral resources of Alaska, now
in preparation. The source of
this mineral wealth is approxi
mately as follows:
1927 (est.)
Gold.$ 6,010,000
Copper. 7,280,000
silver. 320,000
Coal. 495,000
Other minerals
(lead, petroleum,
marble, tin, plati
num, etc.). 340,000
$14,445,000
The mineral output of 1926
was as follows:
Gold.$ 6,707,000
Copper. 9,489,000
Silver. 430,500
| Coal. 459,000
Other minerals. 579,300
$17,664,800
Although, as shown by the
preceding tables, the Geologi
cal Survey estimates that the
; value of Alaska’s mineral pro
duction was considerably less
in 1927 than in 1926, this de
crease in value is by no means
to be attributed solely to de
creased mining activity. A con
siderable part of the decrease
is directly due to the low price
prevailing during the year for
many of the metals. Thus, ac
cording to Bureau of Mines es
timates regarding average
prices of the different metals
during the year, the price ot
copper was 13 cents a pound,
silver 56.7 cents an ounce, and
lead 6.77 cents a pound, or
0.8 cent, 5.7, and 1.46 cents,
■respectively, lower than the
prices for the same metals dur
ing 1926. Thse lower prices
alone would alone would ac
count for a decrease in value
of nearly $500,000. It is not
only directly that these low
prices adversely affected the
value of the mineral output,
but their indirect effect in cur
tailing production is more pro
nounced. It is obvious that a
period of low prices does not
stimulate production but rath
er tends to cause retrenchment
and reduction in output.
Viewed broadly, therefore,
the lessened production in
production in Alaska during
1927 is but a reflection of a
widespread condition which
does not signify in the least
hat mining in the Territory is
ceriously on the wane. In fact,
there are many indications that
mining operators are taking a
renewed interest in th Terri
tory and that plans are already
under way which should ma
terially increass the output of
certain minerals in the near
: future.
j The total production of gold
l in 1927 was $6,010,000 and
came about equally from lodes
! and placers. This represents a
j considerable change from the
conditions prevailing in 1926,
when about 56 per cent of the
gold produced came from
1 placers and only 44 per cent
j from lodes. Not only did the
1 gold produced from lodes show
NOYES SAYS FRIDAY
13TH, HOODOO DAY
Those who scoff at the old
axiom that Friday, the 13th, ia
an unlucky day, will find a
vigorous opposer in the person
of Capt. Wallace W. Noyes,
head of the Noyes Boat Co.,
owner of the vessels which pro
vide the regular transportation
link between Hyder and Ket
chikan.
Friday, January 13th, he lost
the power boat Sunny Point,
his best passenger and freight
boat, and the M. V. Fairbanks,
recently placed on the local
run, went shore and broke her
winch.
Coupled with this evidence,
he will submit the further fact
that on Friday the 13th, a year
ago, the Juanita, another ves
sel of his fleet, piled up on a
west coast shore.
The loss of the Suny Point is
ascribed to an explosion fol
lowed by fire while the vessel
was engaged in towing the
Rough Rider to Ward’s Cove,
near Ketchikan, for berthing.
Capt. Noyes says that here
after when Friday, the 13th,
comes around he is going to
“lock the door, put out the
j fire and go to bed.”
i
o
T. J. Shenton, B. C. mines in
spector, arrived Thursday on
one of his periodical visits.
an increase in relation to pro
duction from placers, but also
showed an actual increase in
quantity. The decrease in gold
production is therefore to be
attributed to lesser production
from the placers, which is ex
plained as due mainly to the
extreme dryness that prevailed
throughout almost the entire
western and interior regions
until August. The drought was
so severe that dredging, which
requires less water proportion
ally than most other types of
placer mining, was so handi
capped, that several dredges
did not operate until late in
the summer. The shortage of
water appears to have been
most seriously felt in the placer
camps on Seward Peninsula.
Gold production from that re
gion is estimated to have been
nearly $500,000 less than in
1926. Obviously this decrease
is merely an unfortunate tem
porary incident.
Several new placer-mining en
terprises that will become pro-;
ductive during 1928 were in j
progress during the year. The j
largest and most significant of ■
these is that of the Fairbanks
Exploration' Co., in the Fair
banks region, which has been
busy for several years in ex
tensive preparation for dred
ing^ operations in the valleys
of Goldstream and Chatanika
rivers and their tributaries. Al
though it will still be several
years before this project is in
full operation, parts of it have
now progressed to a stage that
pits in which to construct the
first two of the dredges have
been prepared, and" materials
for these two boats have been
landed in Alaska and will be
assembled during the winter.
The long ditches and siphons
which are being built to bring
water to the ground have been
nearly completed, and large
areas have been thawed so as
to be in condition for dredging.
BIG CROWD ENJOYS
MOOSE DANCE
I.
One of the largest dance gath
erings seen here in a long per
iod attended the card party
and dance given by the Moose
order in Pioneer Hall Wednes
day evening in honor of U. S.
Immigration Inspector David J.
Mulcare and Mrs. Mulcare,
who were wedded recently in
the south.
A survey of the crowd when
the entertainment was at its
height disclosed the presence
of 65 couples, approximately
half of the number being made
up of Stewart residents.
The big hall was nicely deco
rated for the occasion and ex
cellent music was provided by
a three-pieece orchestra.
The card tournament devel
oped an interesting surprise
with the announcement that
the winner would be granted
the pleasant privilege of kiss
ing the bride, while the winner
of the consolation prize would
be entitled to similarly caress
the groom, r
Robert Hutchinson was the
fortunate winner of the first
prize, while Mrs. Robt. Nakki
claimed the second award
and kissed the palpably per
turbed Mr. Mulcare with a
gusto that made the recipient
hlush, while the crowd roared
with mirth.
Following a splendid lunch
eon, dancing was continued un
til the small hours of Thursday
morning.
Among the Alaska gold lode
mines the Alaska Juneau Gold
Mining Co’s property, in the
Juneau region of southeastern
Alaska, continued to be far
the largest producer. This
| company mined and milled ore
on an even larger scale than
heretofore, maintaining thru
out the year an average daily
output of ore mined and tram
The only other place in Alas
ka where drilling for oil is in
progress is in the Matanuska
Valley a few miles west of
Chickaloon, where the Peter
son Oil Association’s well has
now reached a depth of 865
feet.
Alaska also produced during
1927 some lead, marble, tin,
platinum, and quicksilver.
Most of the lead comes from
the gold ores of the Alaska
Juneau mine, but an increasing
quantity is recovered from the
silver-lead ores of the Hyder
district. Although the amount
of lead produced in 1927 show
ed a marked increase in quanti
ty, the lesser price received
for it made the value only a
little more than in 1926. The
output of marble came entirely
from quarries at Tokeen, on
Prince of Wales Island.
The tin ore was derived prin
cipally from placers near York,
in Seward Peninsula, but small
amounts were also recovered
from placers in the Hot Springs
district of the Yukon-Tanana
region. The production of
platinum metals was small
and came almost entirely as a
by-product from placer-gold
mining operations in the Dime
Creek district of Seward Penin
sula. Only a small quantity of
quicksilver ore was mined in
1927, and all of it came from
lodes in the central part of the
Kuskokwim Valley.
Continued on Page 3.
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
HOLDS ENTERTAINING
LUNCHEON MEETING
The monthly luncheon meet
ing: of the Hyder Chamber of
Commerce, Inc., held at the
Ideal Cafe Tuesday, was one of
the most interesting1 and best
attended meetings of its kind
so far held.
The meeting was featured by
an interesting and highly in
structive address by H. W. M.
Rolston, editor of the Portland
Canal News, of Stewart, B. C
Following the excellent re
past prepared by the cafe man
agement, president John Hov
land introduced Mr. Rolston,
who discussed British-Ameri
can relationships, in addition
to touching upon a wide range
of topics of both international
and domestic character bear
ing upon his subject. During
the eeurse of his remarks Mr.
Rolston displayed a wide famil
iarity with world politics and
problems, in addition to a keen
insight regarding the underly
ing causes of present day" con
ditions in America and Europe.
He declared that the interests
of Great Britain and the Unit
ed States are identical. The two
great nations have the same
ideals, speak the same lang
uage and are indefatiguably
struggling toward the same
goal. Similarity also exists be
tween their various foreign re
lations, as well as in their own
national problems. The British,
he said, are seeking peace, har
iiiKjiiy aiiu luiciantc auu auuvc
all harmony. He deplored the
the anti-British propaganda of
a certain portion of the Amer
ican press and declared that
recent attempts of these jour
nals to create antagonisms by
claims that Britain is not ad
hering to the terms of the dis
armament treaty are untrue. In
support of his contention, Mr.
Rolston read a news dispatch
wherein Secretary Kellogg, of
the U. S. State department, de
nied certain alegations of un
fairness on the part of Britain
with respect to naval arma
ments. Touching upon Britain’s
desire for maintaining her sea
power, the speaker declared
that such a policy was necess
ary to her existence. With no
more than a seven days supply
of foodstuffs on hand at one
time the maintenence of a
large* sea tonnage is necessary
to insure the food suppy of her
population..
Mr. Ralstdn called attention
to the unsettled conditions in
Europe and declared they are
ominus of trouble for the rest
of the world. We must beware,
he said, of becoming involved
in another great world strug
gle. “The encroaching, semi
imperialistic and darkly dan
gerous war-venom” shown in
the international policies of
Mussolini, the Italian dictator,
is, he said, “slowly but surely
enveloping the Balkans,” and
presenting alarming possibil
ities for the outbreak of an
other great struggle in which
the world would ultimately be
come involved. Russia also pre*
sents serious possibilities for
international discord, with her
vast army of seven millions
and an “abstract diplomacy,”
casts a sinister shadow on the
present peace of the world.
Coming closer to home, Mr.
Rolston referred to the long ex
isting amity between Canada
and the United States and as
serted that the two nations
want Freedom, Justice, Serv
ice and Toleration. ‘ The Unit
ed States with her three million
square miles of territory and
Canada with her vast area
could and should become the
great civilizing influence of
the world,” he declared.
Concluding his splendid ef
fort, Mr. Rolston stoke im
pressively of our d- i as citi
zens and subject* to our fut
our future gem '•at;"*rv and ad
admonished his hearers not to
forget our dead and what they
fought for and ended with a
icndition of the famous “Hymn
of Hate,.’ as an example of a
sentiment that f-av i t So ab
jured by hiiPiaivt .
Mr. Rolston was followed by
Deputy U. S. Marshal Donald
E. Martin, who spoke briefly
in reply to the sentiments ex
presed by the preceding speak
er and complimented the local
press by expressing view
that Mr. Rolston’s remarks
anent the press could not ap
ply to the two local journals,
for if the press of the world
was as fair, liberal and open
minded as the Stewart, and Hy
der papers the woild *o.sld be
a better place to live in.
-o
The Friendship Club, of Hy
der M. E. Church wdi hold a
sale of various useful r mo di
ties at the Provinse store Sat
urday, January 28th ding
to announcements thi3 week.
LOCAL STOCKS ACTIVE IN DECEMBER
Following is a summary of the sales of local mining .'^ocks
on the Vancouver Stock Exchange during the mon h of Dec
ember, 1927.
The first column of figures represents the number of . h;ires
sold; the second column gives the total market value of the
shares sold.
Argenta. 2,450
B. C. Silver. 3,200.
Bayview ..191,000
Big Missouri .108,225
Dunwell Mines . 17,075
41.00
5.136.00
6 3 4.25
34,263.87
3,740.35
George Copper . 3,875 7,102.00
Independence...308,756 23,362.77
Indian Mines. 9,250 575.25
L. & L. 282,447 28,587.95
Lakeview . 18,400 237,76
Marmot Metals . 1,000 .:. 70.00
National Silver G.S. 75,300 11,371.25
Premier Gold .44,320 . 101.544.97
Portef Idaho . 71,152 28.653.01
Rufus . 31,300 5,587.00
Silver Crest. 18,500 1,007.60
Silverado . 4,120 2,598.50
Terminus . 7,000 1,002.50
Total Shares
1,197,250 Mkt. Val. $26,410.92