1,1 I .
AN ALL
ALASKA
NEWSPAPER
DEVOTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OP ALASKA AND THE PORTLAND CANAL MINING DISTRICT.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
$5.00 PER YEAR
IN ADVANCE
VflL S, NO. 19 HYDER, ALASKA, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16,1929.
T
PRICE TEN CENTS
NEW COMPANY TO
DEVELOP UNICORN
Major deveolpment on the
well known Unicorn group in
the upper Salmon basin is pre
saged in an announcenent from
Seattle this week that a com
pany has been formed to take
over and operate the property.
News of the new development
was made public by John Hov
land, local mining man, who is
associated with Louis Watkins,
of Hyder, in the ownership of
the group, which comprises
some of the oldest and most
promising mineral locations in
in the upper Salmon district.
Associated with Mr. Hovland
and his partner in the new or
ganization is H. L. Batten, of
Stewart and Batten, Vancouver
mining and metallurgical en
gineers, and one of the most
eminent of Canadian mining
engineers.
The company is capitalized
for $1,000,000, divided into an
equal number of shares of $1
par value. Five hundred thous
and shares of the capital stock
have been allotted to Messrs.
Hovland and Watkins as and
for the purchase price of the
property. The remaining 500,
000 shares go into the treas
ury for development purposes.
The directorate at present in
cludes both Mr Hovland and
Mr. Batten, the former also
being president of the com
pany. When making the an
nouncement Mr. Hovland said
there is every reason to believe
that the company will be fi
nanced in the near future.
The Unicorn, lies along the
northeasterly border of the
noted Big Missouri property
and includes a block of ground
about one third the area of the
Big Missouri holdings. Like the
latter property, the Unicorn is
distinguished by the large
number and extent of mineral
showings, all of which are of
the same general character as i
those found o n the Big Mis
souri. The group is also be
lieved to contain extensions of
the spectacular free gold bear
ing ore zone recently located
on the Big Missouri.
Work done on the property
by Messrs. Hovland and Wat
kins in earlier years has dem
onstrated in convincing manner j
the continuity of the various i
ore deposits, in addition to es
tablishing their geological re-'
lationship with the Big Mis- j
souri veins. Both by reason of
its own extensive mineralizat
ion and its proximity to the
Big Missouri, the Unicorn is
looked upon locally as one of
the most promisi ng properties
in the Portland Canal district.
The group was at one time
under the control of the Big
Missouri Mining Company un
der an option agreement con
cluded in 1926 but no work
was done and the bond was i
later allowed to lapse, al
though the Big Missouri man-;
agement is known to have held
the property in high regard. It j
is also generally known that
overtures for the acquisition of
the Unicorn have been made in J
recent months by the Buena
Vista Mining Company, suc
cessor of the Big Missouri com- j
pany and present owner of the
Big Missouri property.
With Messrs. Hovland and
CANTU COMPANY
IS ORGANIZED
The Cantu Mining Company
has been organized by Conrad
Wolfle and associates to ex
ploit the promising Cantu
Group of 21 claims on the east
slope of Cantu Mountain, ac
cording to reports from Spo
kane this week.
The company is capitalized at
?1,000,000 and includes in its
directorate Holger Johnson, E.
D. Haddon ami J. A. Hall of
Hyder in addition to Mr.
Wolfle and a number of prom
inent Spokane parties.
The reports state .that Mr.
Wolfle will take personal
charge of operations in the
spring, at which time the Spo
kane directors also plan to
risit the property. A compres
sor and other equipment will
be installed to facilitate op
erations. The company also
plans to further improve the
private road constructed in
earlier years by the Premier
company and later improved
ey Portland interests repre
sented by M. J. Lee, both of
whom performed a small
amount of development work
en the property in addition to
;he road construction. The
•oad will be placed in such
shape that it may be used for
:ransporting supplies and ore
,hroughout the year. The com
aany lias acquired outright
jvaership of the property,
-vhitli has been fully surveyed,
ind intends to apply for pat
ents at an early date.
BULLFROGS WILL FIGHT
MOSQUITOES IN ALASKA
Alaska’s mosquitoes will have
i new foe next spring—the
arge Oregon bull frog.
The web-footed creatures will
)e introduced into the territory
by' the Bureau of Education
n an effort to aid miners and
>thers to combat the pest. The
aig green and brown frog has
seen noted in Oregon as the
natural enemy of mosquitoes,
says a Seattle news dispatch.
The croak of the frog has
seen unknown in Alaska and
Jonathan H. Wagner, superin
;endent of the Alaska division
sf the bureau, believes that it
is partly because of this lack
sf frogs that mosquitoes have
secome so numerous.
Frogs will be shipped from
Oregon this spring to small
islands of Southeastern Alaska
and planted in the deeper
ponds. Small islands were
chosen because results can be
ascertained better.
If the experiment proves suc
cessful, a general importation
will follow. It is believed frogs
can survive even the cold win
ter of northern Alaska.
Batten at the helm, the new
Unicorn company will be un
der the direction of two of the
most prominent and highly re
garded mining men in the dis
trict and those associated with
them in the new enterprise
can feel assured that their
company not only possesses
one of the outstanding proper
ties of the Portland Canal
section but also of the utmost
efficiency and integrity on the
part of the management.
TWO KILLED III
MINE ACCIDENT
John Stahlberg was instantly
killed and Frank Norman w.as
so seriously injured that he ex
pired within a few hours as a
result of an explosion occur
ring in the No. 301 drift at the
Big Missouri mine about 4:20
p m. last Saturday afternoon.
From evidence presented at
the Coroner’s inquest held in
Stewart Friday, the two men,
who were shift partners, ap
parently delayed too long in
leaving the drift after starting
a round of shots and were ov
ertaken before they could es
cape.
The discovery of their lamps
at the face of the drift after
the blast is looked upon as
certain indication that the men
had not attempted to leave the
face before the blast started.
-Stahlberg, was badly mang
led by the flying rock and was
dead when found. Norman,
who was widely known to his
associates as “Pretty Frank,”
lived about three hours before
passing away in Premier hospi
tal.
The coroner’s jury returned
two verdicts in which they ex
pressed the opinion that the
men had stayed too long at the
face after firing the fatal
round of shots and exonerated
the company from blame for
the accident.
Both Stahlberg and Norman,
were widely known and high
ly regarded members of the
community. Stahlberg was of
Norwegian descent, while Nor
man was a native of Finland.
Nothing could be learned re
garding surviving relatives.
■o
FIRE APPARATUS
STATION PLANNED
The Chamber of Commerce
has decided to estabblish a per
manent home for the big chem
ical fire engine, which at pres- i
ent forms the camp’s most
powerful means of combatting
fires.
The proposal to place the
chemical in new quarters was
made at the regular monthly
meeting of the Chamber last
week and the fire committee
was instructed to find a suit
able location, where the en
gine will be available at all
times. It is planned to recharge
the tank and give the appa
ratus a general overhauling to (
place it in the best condition |
possible. |
The Chamber also discussed
a proposal to hold a photo
graph contest with a view to
obtaining photos which may
be used in advertising the dis
trict’s matchless scenic beaut
ies and mineral resources. It
| was pointed out that photo
; graphs of the numerous min
: ing camps and beauty spots of
the district are decidedly rare
and hard to obtain. To over
come the difficulty it was sug
gested that the interest of
some of the numerous local:
camera owners might be stim
ulated by offering a prize for
photographs of the desired
character. Although no defi
nite actio n was taken, the pro
posal is looked upon favorably
by many members of the
Chamber and will probably be
more fully considered at a
later meeting.
HARDING TAKES OATH
AS DISTRICT JUDGE
Justin W Harding, newly ap
pointed Judge of the First Di
vision District Court, took the
oath of office at Juneau and
entered upon his new duties
January 28, according to the
Juneau Empire. The oath of
office was administered by
John H. Dunn Clerk of the
District Court, immediately
following the arrival of Judge
Harding’s commission from
Washington, D. C.
Following his induction into
office, Judge Harding an
nounced the reappointment of
Mr. Dunn as Clerk of Court.
John H. Newman, Court Re
porter, was also re-appointed
to the same position. Mr. Dunn
has been Clerk of the Court
since 1921, having been ap
pointed by the late Judge T.
M. Reed. Mr. Newman has
held his position for the past
two years.
Judge Harding had little to
say regarding the appointment
of United States Commisioner
for the various precincts. He
said he had given the subject
but little thought and was not
ready to make announcements
at the time.
Later Judge Harding an
nounced the temporary ap
pointment of Howard D. Stab
ler as United States Attorney,
pending the confirmation of
Mr. Stabler’s recent nominat
ion to the office.
•o
COURT TERM AT
KETCHIKAN CALLED
Federal Judge Harding has
designated February 18 as the
date for the convening of a
term of the District court at
Ketchikan and a petit jury
panel of 75 has been drawn to
report on February 19, accord
ing to announcements made in
Juneau last week.
Mrs. Marion A,. Johnson is
the only Hyder resident whose
name appears on the list.
It is expected that Judge E.
Coke Hill will come to this di
vision to hear criminal cases
which were initiated by the
government during Judge
Harding’s tenure as United
States district attorney, owing
to the new incumbent being
disqualified to hear such cases.
•o
SMALLPOX IN JUNEAU
The presence of two cases of
smallpox in Juneau was an
nounced a few days ago by the
city and territorial health au
thorities. Every possible pre
caution is being taken to pre
vent a spread of the disease,
although it is admitted that
there is a chance that other
cases might develop, owing to
the two victims, Kenneth Kim
borough and F. B. Smith, hav
ing been in contact with others i
before the nature of their ill
ness was discovered. All of the
direct contacts have been vac
cinated and are being closely
observed, but to guard against
possible contingencies, the Ter
ritorial Health Commissioner
has advised all unvaccinated
persons in the city to undergo
vaccination.
MLY-MJISU MINE
DISPUTE SETTLED
The long-pending legal con
troversy between Wm. Mc
Grew and the Century Mines,
Incorporated, regarding own
ership of the Daly-Alaska
group near Eleven-Mile, has
been settled out of court as a
result of recent negotiations,
according to advices from Mc
Grew received by B. B. Smith,
his mining partner, during the
past week.
Mr. McGrew’s message indi
cates that by the terms of the
settlement title to the proper
ty is now vested in the Cen
tury Mines company and the
latter is now in a position to
proceed with its contemplated
development activities.
RUBY SILVER
CHANGES NAME
Ruby Silver Mines, Ltd., has
decided to alter the name of
the company to Ruby Silver
Copper Mines, Ltd., according
to the Vancouver newspapers.
Shareholders of the company
at a recent meeting considered
it expedient to change the
name in view of the fact that
copper predominates in sev
eral veins on the property,
which is located in the vicinity
of the George Copper, in the
upper Bear River section.
-0 ■ -- ■
HOSPITAL BENEFIT
PLEASING SUCCESS
A financial report issued by
the committee in charge oT the
annual Stewart hospital bene
fit dance, discloses that the en
tertainment netted the tidy
sum of $536.55 for the hospi
tal.
Receipts from all sources
totaled $708.80 ,of which $140
was in the shape of cash donat
ions. The grand raffle netted
$348 and was supplemented
by $130 from admissions and
$90.80 from various other
resources. Expenses, including
the various cash prizes offer ed
amounted to $172.25
Donations of merchandise and
various commodities approxi
mated several hundred dollars.
The Syncopated Orchestra of
six pieces also donated its ser
vices, with a resultant saving
of $60, while various others al
so contributed services of con
siderable value.
All connected with the enter
prise are entitled to the utmost
credit for their splendid ef
forts, while the general public
is to be warmly commended
for the excellent support ex
tended.
o
The Juneau Chamber of Com
merce recently passed a reso
lution authorizing: Secretary
Frank A Boyle to telegraph ev
ery other commercial organi
zation in the Territory inviting
each to send a representative
to Juneau next March to dis
cuss the organization of an All
Alaska Chamber. The date of
the meeting is fixed for March
15.
This action is the outgrowth
of suggestion by the Cordova
Chamber of Commerce, urging
the organization of a central
body to represent all of the
Territory, suggesting that its
headquarters be located in
Juneau.
Miff EXPORTS
SNOW DECLINE
With mineral products valued
at $705,190 leading the list
and with fish products assum
ing second place for the first
time in a long period, Alaska’s
exports during the month of
January attained a total value
of $1,455,651, according to the
monthly statement of Collector
of Customs J. C. McBride.
Pish and fish products of all
classes contributed a total of
$484,845, as compared with
$510,911 in January,, 1928,
and $802,933 in January, 1927.
Purs and fur skins also showed
a considerable decline, totaling
$180,407, compared to $301,
424 in January last year. Al
though a majority of all furs
showed a reduction, a falling
off of nearly $93,000 in blue
fox shipments was the princi
pal factor in the decline of
$121,017 in fur values. Live
animals, including blue foxes
valued at $3,500, contributed
$7,145 to the total, as against
$9,622 in January 1928, while
miscellaneous exports, includ
ing stone and marble, lumber
and trophies added $7,145,
compared to similar exports
totaling $8,448 in January last
year.
Following is the complete list
of exported commodities and
their values:
Blue foxes. 3,500
Other animals.. 3,645
Fish:
Fresh and frozen
(except shell-fish) -
Halibut. 185,709
Salman. 146,705
All other. 2,265
Canned (except
shell-fish)
Salmon. 37,949
Cured or preserved
(except shell-fish) -
Cod. 1,12&
Herring..-. 65,851
Salmon. 36,308
Shell-fish
Clams. 10
Crabs. 1,124
Shrimps. 7,598
Furs and fur skins
Seal skins. 686
Blue for. 64,600
Silver or black fox.... 22,405
Red fox. 44,363
White fox. 175
Mink. 41,069
Muskrat. 48
Beaver. 1,100
ah utiier.
Manufactured furs....
Ore, matte, and
regul us
Copper.
Lead.
Stone, including
marble.
Trophies, speci
mens ,etc.
Wood: Timber and
lumber.
All other articles.
Total value of pro
ducts of Alaska.
Products of the Unit
ed States returned....
Total value of for
eign products....,.
Total value of ship
ments of merchan
dise.
Items included in
“All Other Articles’’
Paintings
Hairseal
0,001
100
694,312
10,878
6,035
9,000
3,660
1,053
1,397,135
57,606
910
1,455,651
700
353