T’> • 'h'.inn (liver Diatrict is
(. el • inly Rich In Minerals
, liytler is the Gateway in
< ,>n.«equence of Which Hyder is
the Fastest Growing Town in
' the North.
HYDCR ALASKA MINER
Published at the Gateway to the Salmon River, Alaska - British Columbia, Mineral Area
. i ' - J r
This Paper is Out to Publish al1
the Mining News. Keep Your
Friends Posted by Sending them
the Paper after You Have Read
it. Boost for Hyder all the
Time.
VOL. 2. NO. 9.
HYDER, Alaska, Feb..». 1920
FIVE DOLLARS A YEAR
R. K. Neill
Wins Suit
Suit for an accounting of a quar
ter interest in the Premier mine
t>. ught against R.K.Neill by M. W.
Bacon was decided in favor of the
defendant at Spokane in an opinion
filed by Federal Judge Rudkin.
The suit was brought on an al
leged partnership agreement and
the quarter interest was estimated
by the plaintiff at $2,500,000 and
by the defendant at $250,000,
Tne opinion was a lengthy one
and featured the statement that in
two cases the plaintiff, Bacon, had
influenced witnesses and had lack
ed good faith in not bringing the
suit in 1917 when he first knew of
Neill’s operations, but waited until
December, 1919 when the mine had
proved to bfe of worth.
“Benson testified to a conversa
tion with the plaintifi in 1917 in a
hotel at Salmo,” reads the opinion,
referring to the testimony of John
Benson, a witness for the defense.
He asked him ‘Are you interested
with Mr. Neili in the property he is
developing up north?’ and the plain
tiff answered ‘No.’
“This la the same party who was
paid or offered $100 by the plaintiff
tf absent himsalf and not appear
as a witness.
A similar charge against the
plaintiff is made in the opinion in
connedtion with the testimony of
W.G.Harris, a witness for the plain
tiff. The opinion btates that Harris
was paid $1,260 by the plaintiff
"between the commencement of the
suit and the time of the trial.” This
amount was said to be due the wit
ness from the Hudson Bay compa
ny, a controling interest in which is
owned by Bacon, and Bacon testifi
ed that he regarded the payment
of that sum to Harris as a “moral
obligation.” “There can be no de
nying that the payment had a cor
rupting influence” on the witness,
rules Judge Rudkin in his opinien.
He further says that the testimony
of Harris was “impeached by con
tradictory statements” and that “no
credenca" could be placed in it.
In rendering hie decision Judge
Rudkin's opinion states that he has
“deemed the conduct of the parties
at the time safer than the uncorro
borated testimony of either party."
Again, the opinion speaks of the
lack of evidence presented by wit
nesses, saying, "Some of the corro
borating witnesses stand sadiy in
need of corroboration themselves.”
The opinion rules that Neill un
dertook the examination of the
Bush properties, later to become the
Premier mine, on a joint account
with Bacon, as evidenced by the
fact that he presented and was paid
a bill for his expenaas. “Whether
the joint venture extended beyond
thn rtnln onfl tKa Pncli nrnnnrfi; ia
not material, but inasmuch as the
defendant refused employment as
manager of the Hudson Bay com
pany at $250 a month, it would
appear that they ceased at that
time.
Judge Rudkin ruled that the
$3,000 held by the plaintiff to have
been paid for expenses of Neill, but
said by Neill to be payment for
stock in the Hudson Bay company,
appeared to be, as the defense al
leged, since a further payment on
expenses of $250 was given after
ward although there was no evi
dence to show that the $3,000 had
been expended.
HARD TIMES MASQUERADE
The Pioneers are making great prepar
ations for their “Hard Times" masquer
ade ball to be held on the night of St
Valentine's day, Feb. 14. Gold pieces
will be given as prizes, and these will in
clude 920 for the best sustained lady
character, $10 for the best sustained
gentleman character, $5 to each member
of the best group and $5 for the most or
iginal costume, lady or gentleman.
PERSONAL AND PERTINENT.
Meet me at the Mecca.
Send this paper to your friend.
Ketchikan Chronicle at the Mecca.
Ed Holm has returned from Alice Arm .
where he has been mining. ,
Hob Meyers has arrived from Ketchi
kan to cook at the Silver Grill.
While Outside recently W. R. Tooth
secured the agency for Silver Springs
beer.
Rob Andrews, former sawyer at the
Hyder sawmill, is back from a trip to Se
attle.
Buddy Waller, formerly of Hyder. has
a broken arm In Ketchikan as the result
of cranking a Ford.
Word has been received that a baby
girl has arrived at the home of Mr. and
Mrs. T.P.Owens in Seattle. Mrs. Owens
is a daughter of Mrs. Anna Miller.
Joe Ulmer of Ketchikan, newly elected
road commissioner for this division, and
president of the Pioneers of A iaika in
his home town, is in camp on a visit. Joe
is an oldtlmer of these parts, having tak
en part in the boom of ten years ago.
Yael Rosenstain received by the last
boat a fine assortment of gents' furnish
ings as well as a stock of Goodrich rub
bars and Hills Bros, coffee. Yael says
that prices on all kinds of clothing are
tumbling, and he has bought so as to give
the people here the advantage.
Get your Silver Springs at Tooth's
Smoke Shop, Stewart,
It will pay you to look over the
new stock at Rosen&taina and get
his prices on groceries.
Good Reason
For Digging Up
W. F. (Cyclone) Thompson has
been playing in tough luck. Early
in the summer he broke both bones
in his right leg near the ankle and
the injury refuses to heal. He needs
an X-ray examination and treat
ment by a specialist, and a move
ment has been started to secure
funds to send him out for this pur
pose. Cyclone is too good a work
man and citizen to be laid up per
manently if there is a possible show
to put him on his feel, and it is
certain that the boys who are work
ing will blow through generously
when they learn the need. Funds
placed in Bob Jamieson’s care will
be given proper attention.
Rosenstain has a complete new
stock of groceries at right prices.
Oren F. Hill has the finest camera at
he Hyder Drug Store that ever came to
:amp, being a latest model Kastman with
ill ths fancy trimmings. He figures on
loon installing a developing and printing
iepaitnient to give camera enthusiasts of
:he camp a 24-hour service.
t -
Heavy Snow
Is Overcome
The heavy snow which starte.;
Sunday night and has lasted prat *
tically continuously ever since, his
brought the district up to its custo
mary winter appearance. The big
fall held off so long that residents
were beginning to think the weath
sr man had overlooked the camp.
Slides along the Salmon t.vei
road put the tractors out of com
mission for a time and necessitated
the employment of a large gang of
shoveiers. The teams kept the
road broke from the Premier, to
Nine-mile and both caterpillars apd
teams are now pulling ore down to
the wharf. However, the shipment
ny tnenext noat wtli narcuy come
ap to the mark set so far during
the winter. The teat of the cater
pillars has been a severe one, but
they have proved their adaptability
to winter work here. Some occas
ions arise when no known power on
Barth could keep in continuous op
eration. That ia the most disagree
able feature of mining here; but the
set-back to the tractors has been
remarkably slight.
If you want to save money on
groceries see Rosenstain.
Temperatures
As recorded by official registered
thermometer of Qren F. Hill at the
Hyder Drug Company.
Date Max Mm
Jan, 26.38.20
27 .38.26
28 .40.22
29 .36.12
30...S....40. 24
31.36.
Feb, 1.38.
. 22
. 24
Large assortment of masks at
the Hyder Drug Co.
IN THE COMMISSIONER’S COURT
Territory of Alaska, First Judicial
Division, Precinct of Hyder, Before
Hon. John T. Reed, Commissioner, and
ex-officio Probate Judge.
In the Matter of the ) No. 4, Probate.
Estate of William S Notice
Hamilton, deceased. ) to Creditors.
Notice is hereby given that the under
signed administrator of the estate of
William Hamilton, deceased, to the cred
itors of, and all persons having claim*
against the said decedent, to file the
same, with the necessary vouchers, with
in six months from the date of this notice
with the said administrator at his office
in the town of Hyder, Alaska.
Dated this 27th day of January, 1921,
James S. Pitcher
Administrator of the Estate of
William Hamilton, deceased.
Data Of First PubUcItion, February
Ind, IMS. 7
Bata of Lg«t Publication, frtttfrt
iw, u«
QUESTION OF DOUBT
In our story about Engineer Tom
Burns last week we quoted this
musher and explorer as making the
statenilnt that he found places in
the Liard where a man could pan
from $10 to $12 per day. We have
beep called down on this by a sour
dough who says the best a man
can do is to pan 75 pans of gravel
in a day, and to make between $10
and $12 at this rate the dirt would
have to run about 15 cents to the
pan, which he says is rich enough
to start a stampede to any part of
the world. It is possible that we
misquoted Mr. Burns. He may have
said that a man could "make” from
$10 to $12 per day instead of “pan"
that amount. There is a big differ
ence between panning and shovel
ing into a siuice dox, ana for tear
we may have done an injustice to
a man who is an undoubted auth
ority on all matters pertaining to
placer mining, we reiterate that we
may have made a mistake. When
Mr. Burns comes down from the
Premier we will ask him just what
he did say, and publish his answer
for the benefit of those rainbow
chasers who would rather stam
pede than eat.
SOME SAGACIOUS SEERS
Gold mining is discussed in sev
eral annual reports issued by offi
cials of the Government. The Sec
retary of the Treasury says that
the high cost of production has aff
ected this industry unfavorably,
but he thinks that as the purchas
ing power of the dollar increases,
the production of gold will become
remunerative. A Solomon, verily!
The Secretary of the Interior rec
ommends an increased appropria
tion for geological investigations in
Alaska to encourage the mining in
dustry in that Territory. Alaska
has had plenty of geoi. gical invest
tigations and they have been among
the bes' of their kind. The Qover»
nor ef Alaska favore a premium on
goid to be paid to the produce* and
remission of loyalties on coal lands
for the first five years. The Chief
of Engineers of the Army recom«
mends an appropriation of a million
dollars to begin a ttn-y«ar program
of road construction for the pur.
pose of developing the mineral re.
sources of Alaska The building of
roads is a first-aid to mining devel
opment and If done sagaciously is
well worthy of endorsement. Tha
same official expresses the belief
that the prosperity of Alaska rests
on “the vigorous, virile miner and
prospector." As the wife of the
Mayor of New York said to the
King of the Belgians; “Sir, you said
a mouthful,"—Mining and Scientific
Presit