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MINING NEWS OF THE
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HYDER WEEKLY HERALD
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HYDER, ALASKA, SATURDAY, MARCH 29,1930.
PRICE TEN CENTS
VOL 6, NO. 25
BRIGHTER DAYS FOR
SILVER III SIGHT
The following interesting dis
cussion of the silver situation
' and the measures now under
consideration aimed at restor
ing the white metal to a plane
of increased value and useful
ness is from the Paulsen, Pfeff
er and Porter, Inc. mining bull
etin.
“The price of silver, long one
of the chief anxieties of states
men and politicians, has re
cently become the cause of
most acute distress and worry
to producers of that metal and,
incidentally, to substantially
all investors in mining securi
ties. No phase of the current
decline in metal prices, which
has now extended over a per
iod of several months, has more
seriously affected the earning?
of so many mining operations
or the incomes of so many
stockholders and investors as
has tlje slump in silver from
around 60 cents to approxi
mately 40 cents an ounce.
The suddenness and violence
of the downward movement
in the price of the white metal
took almost everybody by sur
prise, though it should not have
done so since the causes that
precipitated it had long been
in obvious operation. It is true
that the more important silver
producers of the United States
realized some years ago that
India would not continue to ab
sorb silver, as it had through
the centuries since the country
was brought into touch with
the western world, and that as
a consequence a further de
cline in the silver quotation
might be expected at any time.
They accordingly formed an
organization designed primar
ily to encourage and stimulate
the use of silver in the arts, but
that movement dissipated its
eneigies without achieving any
substantial success.
The reason for this failure
was that the two directions
the movement in question took,
— were, first:, to stimulate
through advertising the con
sumption of silver in the form
of plate to be sold through high
class jewelry stores and, sec
ond : the discovery of an alloy
which would render sterling
silver immune to tarnishment
and oxidization. The sought
for alloy has not yet been
fund, though the search for it
will now, doubtless, be prose
cuted with renewed and great
er vigor. Despite large ex
penditures for advertising, nc
considerable increase in the
sale of silver plate eventuated
because jewelers continued tc
maintain its price at $6.00 ar
ounce and upwards, thus leav
ing it without salvage value oi
other new inducement for it:
more extended use.
Having in mind how the An
aconda Copper Company, at i
time When the price of coppe
was distressingly low, had in
creased the demand for that
al by developing new uses fo
it and establishing factories t<
supply the public with article
not theretofore made of cop
per, mining operators ad
vocated similar action by tlr
silver producers with the sam
object in view, namely, en
STEWART MAN VICTIM
OF STABBING AFFRAY
George R. MacDonald, mana
ger of the Marmot Hotel in
Stewait, sustained eleven cuts
on the back and shoulders dur
ing an altercation with Arvid
Gullsten in the hotel late Wed
nesday evening , but escaped
without serious injury, owing
doubtless to the knife or other
instrument wielded by his as
sailant being too small or too
dull to inflict more serious
damage. A small pearl hand
led pocket knife found in Gull
sten’s coat pocket when he was
arrested is believed to have
been the weapon.
Evidence given at a hearing
before magistrate J. P. Scar
lett disclosed that Gullsten and
John llakala, both Finlanders,
had gone to a loom in the ho
tel occupied by Axel Lasella,
another Finn, after a round of
the beer parlors. Becoming too
noisy, MacDonald went to the
room to aspertain the trouble
and was.Severely abused by
Gullsten when he requested
him to leave the premises. A
struggle ensued in which Mac
Donald was slashed as indicat
ed, both his clothing and per
son showing evidence of the
action of some sharp instru
ment. Constable Potterton
heard the commotion and.ar
rested Gullsten and llakala,
whom he found fighting in the
hallway, w i t h MacDonald
landing by pale and out of
breath.
Magistrate Scarlett found the
accused guilty of unlawful
wounding and sentenced him
to serve nine months at hard
labor.
•O'
E. G. Langville of Premier
left for the south Thursday.
hancement of the price of the
metal through its larger use in
the arts. They specifically
suggested quantity production
in sterling silver of many small
aitides in general use and
their sale at popular jprices
through department stores,
jewelry shops, and other agen
cies able to retail such goods in
larger silver producers to man
that a company should be or
I ganized and financed by the
j large rsilver producers to man
! ufacture the wares in question
and to supply them to the re
tail trade, expressing confi
dence that if sjich action were
taken, the consumption of sil
ver would so increase as to
I stabilize its price in the United
States at a figure remunerative
to producers of that metal.
It now appears that action
along this line may soon event
uate. There 'is a movement on
foot among the bigger silver
| producers to organize just such
a company. Through it they
: j plan the manufacture in sterl
ing silver and in enormous
quantities of many articles now
in general use, such as com
. pacts and belt buckles, at pres
| ent made of cheap metals
i These articles, as now made
. have no salvage value whatev
, er in case of defacement 01
. j breakage, yet they usually re
ail at prices sufficiently higl
to warrant replacement of th;
, base metal of which they an
j stamped with sterling silver. I
Continued on Page Two
SAYS BIG MISSOURI
MOST PROMISING
In a special dispatch to the
Stewart News from Montreal
this/Week, president J. J. War
ren of the Consolidated Min
, ing and Smelting Co. is quoted
as saying in his annual report
i that the Big Missouri “is the
most promising property under
development.’’ Mr. Warren is
also reported as saying that the
! development of copper prop^r
' ties tributary to British Colum
| fcia tidewater had not yet
: reached a stage where they
, could produce enough copper
i to justify construction of a
| smelter and refinery. The re
port was also said to show that
Consolidated holds a 58 per
cent interest in the Buena Vis
ta Mining Co., controlling the
Big Missouri.
SAYERS’ DEATH
DUE TO STROKE
Frank E. Sayers, deputy U. S. I
marshal at Ketchikan, who i
met h i s death there re-1
cently when he drove his car'
off a dock into the harbor, was
the victim of an apoplectic j
stroke, according to the find
' ings of a coroner’s inquest in !
the First City a few days after j
! the accident. The car driven j
by Sayers dived at high speed ;
from the Alaska Steamship
dock into the bay and the body j
was not recovered for 24 hours
after the fatality.
Medical testimony at the
: inquest disclosed that Sayers j
had been suffering with high j
blood pressure and extreme'
; hardening of the arteries and
that the condition of the body j
! indicated that he had suffered 1
: a stroke of paralysis which in- i
| capaciated his left side and
j caused the car to develop high |
speed owing to the weight of :
his foot and leg on the accel
i erator. At the same time his
■ mental condition was such that
he was unable t'o remove his
: foot or stop the car, which was
j hurled over the guardrail and j
into the water. A fracture
found at th<? base of Sayers’ I
| skull also indicated that death I
; was actually due to that cause. J
j This in turn was believed to |
; have been the result of the car
crashing into the guard rail or;
the fall into the water. No
water was found in the lungs;
and all evidences indicated
that death was practically in
stantaneous.
Homer Ficklin, Chauncey F. j
Harrison and Wesley Irwin
lett on the Fairbanks enroute
to the Taku district, where they
| plan to prospect during the
: coming summer. The party
took with them a fine, new dog
! sled for use on the snow trails. [
They plan to stop a while at
Juneau before proceeding into1
the Taku country.
Local passengers on the Thurs
day boat included MR. Holmes,
l Miss Mona Carrol and Mrs.
| Dorothy Hoffman. Mr Holmes
I left on the same boat but plans
' to return later in the season.
The Bureau of Mines appro
| priation bill, now before the U.
! S. Senate, after passing the
House of Representatives, car
ries an appropriation of $11,
i H30 for mining investigations
| in Alaska during the year be
; ginning July 1 next.
GRAND IGLOO URGES
NEW LEGISLATION
Four highly commendable and
progressive resolutions, includ
ingan endorsement of the Pa
cilic-Yukon-Alaska Highway
were passed by the Grand Ig
loo of tha Pioneers'of Alaska
at the annual convention held
in Anchorage a few days ago,
according to press reports.
The first resolution passed
dealt with the need for a com
munity property law in Alaska,
declaring that women are en
titled to equal protection with
the men, and urged the adopt
ion of such a law at the next
session of the Territorial Legis
lature; the same to be modeled
on that of the state of Wash
ington.
The second resolution urged
the amendment, revision and
codification of the Territorial
election laws, declaring that
present laws, through many
changes, amendments and ap
peals, have become a mystery
to the voter, a puzzle to the
election judges, are vague and
contradictory; fail as a guide
to the honest voter and do not
constitute a menace4o the dis
honest one.
The resolution pertaining to
the highway project declares
in part that no advertising
could be given Alaska compar
able to the actual experience
and personal contact of an auto
trip through, the Territory,
such as would become possible
by means of the proposed high
way. The resolution further
declared that the project is en
tirely feasible and requires no
stretch of the imagination to
see accomplished. Copies were
ordered sent to president
Hoover, governor Parks and
the heads of the governments
of Canada and British Colum
bia.
The fourth resolution aims to
increase the Territorial allow
ance for old pioneers, declares
that the present allowance is
insufticient to support those
who have become enfeebled in
the work of exploring and de
veloping the Territory; that
allowances are designed as a
substitute for the maintenance
of the old-timers at the pion
eers’ Home at Sitka and should
be increased sufficiently to
provide for their support.
Grand Igloo elections for the
ensuing year included the fol
lowing:
Grand President, Cal. M. Bro
sius of Seward; first grand
v i c e-president, Herman L.
Gentsch, of Anchorage; second
giand vice - president, Wm.
Jarman, of Juneau; grand sec
retary, Geo. J. Love, Valdez;
grand treasurer, Percy G.
Charles, Ketchikan; grand his
torian, Dr. W. H. Chase, Cordo
va. The latter office was
made permanent by constitut
ional amendment.
Other officers elected were:
Rev. C. E. Rice, Juneau; grand
seigeant at arms, Alex. Camer
on, Ketchikan; grand trustees
Lynn Smith, Fairbanks, C. H
Wubenhorst, Nenana, Alfrec
Lomen, Nome, P. C. McCor
mack, Wrangell, Dave. Strand
berg, Flat. *
-o
James Garcia, miner, v?as i
visitor in camp during the stai
of the Fairbanks Wednesday
SILVER* TARIFF TO
HELP INDUSTRY
| The recent passage by the U.
! S. Senate of an amendment by
| Senator Pittman imposing a
duty of 30 cents per ounce on
diver contained in silver-bear
ing ore has given rise to much
local speculation as to the
probable benefits to be de
I lived by the American silver
! mining industry from such an
i enactment.
1 o give a complete answer to
j the query would necessitate
I considerable study and investi
Igation, particularly with re
spect to the future possibilities.
It ma y be said with reason
able certainty, however, that
for the present the tariff
is hardly likely to produce any
i material effects on either sil
ver production or the price of
that metal in the United States.
| Foreign silver producers who
; have been accustomed to mar
j ket their silver in the United
! States are likely to feel the ef
| fects of such a duty far more
i than those of this country,
j The present silver production
I of the United States is consid
erably greater than the domes
tic consumption and there is a j
considerable remainder avail-1
able for export. Quantities of
outside silver and also consid
erable amounts of refined sil
ver are received in this country
annually but not as direct im
portations to meet local de
mands for the metal, as we
produce from local mines con
siderably more than we need.
Most of the silver-bearing ore
comes into the country in the
j form of shipments to American
smelters for reduction, as in
the case ot the ores from the
Mayo district, which are sent
i to Kellogg, Idaho, as the most
i available market. After being
| letined this silver naturally re
| mains in the country and has
j the effect of further increasing
! the normal silver surplus but
has no other effect on the do
mestic silver market. It also ap
pears from the data at hand
that the amount of refined sil
I ver produced from outside ore
is relatively small as compared
to the domestic production and
actually affects the local in
j dustry in no more than a slight
I degree. Therefore it is difficult
! to see in what way the tariff
will produce any pronounced
effect on the industry or mark
j et under present conditions.
On the other hand it appears
that in the event of the propos
al to manufacture and market
.surplus silver becoming a real
ity the duty would be highly
beneficial, as it would have the
effect of shutting out foreign
( silver and preventing competit
i ion of foreign metal in the new
j market and also would permit
j an increased price for the do
mestic product. This could not
i be accomplished without a pro
tective tariff to prevent an in
i flux of cheaper silver.
-0
Officers elected at the recent
annual meeting of the Ruby
Silver Copper Mines, Ltd., in
cluded P". J. Bain, president;
j C. O. Wickendon, vice-presi
dent; A. W. Payn Le Sueur,
managing director; W. J. L.
King, secretary; directors, E.
Stanley Bullen, and William
; Tompkins, of Stewart. The
i company is capitalized for
■ $1,250,000 and has 835,000
. shares in the treasury.
STEWART MEN FIRE
ACCIDENT VICTIMS
Victims of one of the costliest
fires in the history of Stewart
early Wednesday morning,
David Johnson, aged about 35
years, is dead, and G.W. Smith,
one of Stewart’s leading busi
ness men, is in the hospital as
a result of a severe shaking up
received in jumping from d
window in the burning build
ing of the Universal Supply
Company, of which he was
manager. •The buliding and
most of its contents, consisting
mainly of hardware and house
furnishings, was destroyed
with a loss of approximately
$21,000, of which $14,000 is
covered by insurance. A small
adjoining building occupied by
the Curtis shope repair shop
was also destroyed with a
portion of its contents. The
intense heat from the burning
buildings also caused consider
able damage to paint and win
dow glass in adjacent build
ings and a general conflagrat
ion was averted only by the
providential absence of wind
and the heroic efforts of vol
unteer fire fighters.
Johnson met death through
leaping or falling headfirst
through an upper story win
dow to the sidewalk about 12
feet below. He landed on his
head, the impact causing a
fracture of his spinal column
from the effects of which he
died in the hospital about 24
hours later. Evidence given at
the inquest indicated Johnson,
who was a diamond driller and
a recent arrival, went into the
building to assist in salvage
work but apparently become
frightened and leaped from
the window in panic, although
the stairway was clear of fire.
Mr. Smith could also have es
caped by the stairway and ap
parently was stampeded into
jumping by the urgings of peo
ple in the street, who spread a
mattress to break his fall.
The exact cause of the fire has
not been determined. The
blaze was discovered by a
passer-by about 3:10 a. m.
Mr. Smith, who resided on the
upper floor, was aroused short
ly after and came out of the
building but went back again
to see what could be saved. As
far as known the fire started
in1 the ceiling near the rear of
the main store where it ad
joins the warehouse and is gen
erally attributed to defective
wiring.
o
NEW RECORD SET IN
RADIO TRANSMISSION
Local radio fans will be inter
ested in a recent announcement
that another amazing chapter
in radio history was written
when through the magic of
short waves, speakers in
Schenectady, N. Y., talked
to Oakland, California through
a radio station in Sydney, Aus
tralia. Listeners in Oakland
heard Melbourne talk with
London, Schenectady talk with
Wellington, N. Z., heard a two
way conversation between Sch
nectady'and Sydney, for the
first time in history, and list
ened to voices in Schnectady,
first by way of the Antipodies
and later direct, as clearly as
if they were in the next room.