WEEKLY MINER
VOL IV, NO. XUV
HYDER, ALASKA, MONDAY, MARCH 17,1924
FIFTY CENTS A KKTfl
BURGLAR ROBS MINERS HOTEL- ~
CLAIMED LOOT TOTALS $3,000
A burglary inverting an al
leged loss of money, jewelry
and other valuables aggregat
ing $8,000 in value occurred
Monday evening at the Miners’
Hotel, on lower Main Street,
according to allegations made
to Deputy United States Mar
shal T. W. McDonald by Mrs.
Grace Ryan, proprietress.
Included among the loot ob
tained by the enterprising yegg
man was $405 in cash; four
watches, one of which, a lad
ies wrist watch with solid plat
inum case, a diamond ring, val
ued at $60, a pair of diamond
earrings 'valued at $100, a
pearl sunburst, valued at $30,
a mink cape containing 14
skins, a gold mesh bag, a gold
lavelier and 300 shares of stock
in the Dunwell mine, on which
a valuation of $1,500 was
placed by the owner. The burg
lar also displayed a marked
penchant for ladies wear, ap
propriating, i* addition to the
I‘ewd8ry, 'seveh ladies/ silk
waists, one night gown and a
bolt of silk dress fabric. The
thief also took possession of a
pawn ticket which Mrs. Ryan
said had cost her $600 and
covered goods and valuables
in pawn worth double that
sum.
According to Mrs. Ryan’s
statement, the burglary oc
curred about 1 or 2 a. m. Tues
day morning while she was ab
sent from the hotel on a trip
to the Stewart dock to meet
the liner Cardena. The money
and other valuables were in
her room in the rear of the
building, the money being con
cealed in a stocking in her
trunk, which was not locked.
Mrs. Ryan stated that the rob
ber must have gained entrance
through a rear window, as the
doors were locked when she'
left. She does not know wheth
er the window catch was fast
ened or not. When inspected
by Deputy McDonald shortly
after Mrs. Ryan discovered her
loss, the window catch was
open and neither the catch or
the window frame showed
signs of having been forced.
Close investigation also failed
to reveal other signs of the
burglar’s visit. So far as Mrs.
Ryan could recall, her effects
had apparently not been dis
turbed during her absence, in
dicating that whoever commit
ted the burglary was more or
less familiar with the apart
ment and the habits of the oc
cupant.
SUTHERLAND TO FIGHT
REAPPORTIONMENT OF
REPRESENTATION IN
LOWER HOUSE
Delegate Sutherland will op
pose both territorial division
* and reapportionment of rep
sentation in the Territorial
Legislature, according to a dec
laration made by the delegate
to R. E. Robertson, special en
voy sent from Juneau to Wash
ington, D. C. by the Juneau
City Council for the purpose
of laying the division proposal
before Congress and to secure
if possible an reapportionment
of the divisional representation
in the Legislature based on
population rather than arbi
trary rule of Congress. Ac
cording to a telegram from Mr.
Robertson following his arriv
al in the capital, the Delegate
informed him that he would
assist in all matters except
divison of the Territory and a
reapportionment of represent
ation. The delegate is openly
against separating South Alas
ka from the remainder of the
Territoiy, claiming that such
action is desired by the fish
packers. Mr. Sutherland said
he favors statehood for Alaska
but will not work for it at this
time, and agreed with Mr.
Robertson it would be imposs
ible to achieve it at the present
time, or for several years to
come.
Mr. Robertson was assured by
Chairman Curry, of the House
Committee on Territories that
he favors partial reapportion
ment of legislative representat
ion but is opposed to the divis
ion proposal. He said Mr. Rob
erijson would probably; be
heard by the committee within
30 days on the apportionment
proposal
If it isn't to be found elsewhere
try the Midget Emporium.
The 76 horse-power Deisel
engine and compressor recent
arriving from Seattle for the
Riverside mine is now being in*
stalled on that property and
will be followed by other mine
machinery and appliances, in
cluding mlilling equipment,
before the snow goes, accord
ing to present contemplations
of the owners. Those acquaint
ed with the property say there
i.’ no doubt that the mine will
be on the shipping list before
the summer is well under way,
the developmnt work of the
winter having disclosed ample
ore reserves carrying good
milling values. The n{ai i work
ings now include over three
thousand feet of drifts and
cross cuts, in addition to shafts
and other underground work
ings necessary to blocking out
the several extensive ore bod
ies.
A crew of men is at present
engaged in preparing a site for
the power house, the work ne
cessitating considerable blast
ing owing to the rocky situat
ion. The new machinery was
freighted to the mine by Hol
ger Johnson during the past
week.
Seven complete Liberty air
plane engines are now enroute
to the several Alaska points at
which the army fliers engaged
in the 'round-the-world flight
will stop on their journey to
the Orient. In addition to the
engines, large quantities of oil,
gasoline, tools and replacem.ent
'parts are to be landed in the
! Territory to meet possible
: emergencies. Three of the en
gines are to be landed at Sitka,
one at Chignik, and one at
Dutch Harbor.
rgeto thed poin adin .8 sforrala
The Miner, 60 cts. a month
DunweD Strike Stimulates Interest
In Portland Canal Development
Recent reports from the South
indicate that the recent strike
on the Dunwell has attracted
marked attention in all of the
larger coast centers and has
vastly stimulated interest in
the whole Portland Canal dis
trict. As an example of the
effects, it is stated on reliable
authority that money for local
development is freer and more
easily obtainable than at any
time in the history of the camp.
The assertion is well substan
tiated by the large amount of
bonding occuring in recent
weeks; also by the readiness
of the outside public to invest
in the stocks of local mining
companies of good standing.
An outstanding example of the
latter inclination is provided
by the recent successful float
ation of the Independence
Gold Mining Company, a new
ly organized corporation and
one comparatively lunkno'wji
| to the outside public, although
well known locally. The first
issue of the stock of this comp
any, 50,000 shares, was placed
on the market in Victoria at
iy% cents per share, and was
sold within a few days. A sec
ond issue of 100,000 shares was
equally successful at 10 cents
per share and was disposed of
in Victoria, Vancouver and
Seattle within a week. A third
block of 100,000 was then is
sued at 20 cents and this too
was taken up within a few
days With a large oversub
scription to the issue attesting
the eagerness of the investors
to get m on the ground floor.
A considerable portion of the
success achieved may be attrib
uted to the reputation for re
liability established by Messrs
S. P. and John Fitzgerald, or
ganizers of the corporation, but
the larger measure of respon
sibility for the readiness with
which the initial issues were
snapped up rests upon an in
creased faith in the district
and an enlarged understand
ing of its development pos
sibilities, most of which is un
doubtedly due to tlfe rfccent
developments on the Dunwell,
the Porter- Idaho group, Indian
and other properties.
PLEADS GUILTY TO
MACQUERAUX CHARGE
Thomas Kollins, a Canadian
citizen and part owner Af a
resort in Hyder, B. C., was ar
rested last week in Hyder on a
macqueraux charge, to which
he entered a plea of guilty in
the Commissioner's court Wed
nesday and was sentenced to
serve thirty days in the fed
eral jail by Commissioner Chas.
F. Sandford. Kollins was taken
to Ketchikan Thursday to
serve his sentence at that place.
PREMIER LOSES SUIT FOR
ORE LOSS DAMAGES
Following a five day trial in
Vancouver, the suit of the Pre
mier Gold Mining Company
against the Coastwise Steam
ship and Barge Co. Ltd. for
damages in the sum of $17,600
for the loss of a barge-load of
ore last year, was dismissed,
according to Vancouver pap
ers of recent date. In his decis
ion the court held that the
testimony failed to sustain the
mining company’s contention
that the barge used in trans
porting the ore from the Stew
art dock to Anyox was not in
a seaworthy condition. The
decision in effect attributed
the loss of the barge to perils
of the sea and exonerates
the towing concern from re
sponsibility therefor.
In a letter to Stroller’s Week
ly, Harry Taggart, the young
man who lost his eyesight
from a self-inflicted w »und i
when overtaken with remorse j
for his misdeeds committed
while crazed with moonshine
and who was sent to the
penitentiary at McNeil’s Is
land about two months ago,
states that he was taken to
St. Joseph’s Hospital in Ta- j
coma, where an operation
was performed and that he is
getting along nicely and has;
strong hope of recovering i
his sight. He asked to be re
membe|-ed to the people of ,
Juneau who interested them
selves in his behalf.
Double Wear.. Shoes to Your 1
Measure, $5 to $6—Wagner’s
SECOND ALASKA AIR
MAIL FLIGHT SUCCESS
Fairbanks reports announce
the complete success of the
second of the trial air mail,
flights now in progress be-1
tween Fairbanks and McGrath, j
The second flight occurred j
March 3, the round trip being i
accomplished by aviator Eilson ]
in 8 hours, 56 minutes, which i
included a stopover of several j
hours at McGrath. The weath- j
er conditions were not of the j
best, a sharp wind making j
fast time impossible
SKAGWAY MAN
FOUND UNDER
TRAIN, DEAD
Ed. Hestness, a brakeman em- j
ployed on the White Pass and
Yukon Railway, was the vic
tim of a fatal accident occuring
in the vicinity of Bennett on
March 1, according to a special
telegram to the Juneau Em
pire. Hestness was found dead
under his train, apparently hav
ing fallen from the top of a car. ;
The snow being very deep and ;
piled high q^ong the tracks it|i
is supposed that he had no ;
show to save himself from go
ing under the train following
the fall. He leaves a wife and
five children and is also sur
vived by a brother who lives in »
Petersburg. i
A big dam, designed to'im-ji
pound water for the purpose of !
lengthening the season of wat- j i
er travel on the Yukon river, <
is under construction by the
White Pass and Yukon Rail
way Company at a point on the i
big river seven miles below j
Marsh Lake. The dam willi;
hold in storage a large volume |1
of water which will be releas- 1
ed through gates during per- 1
iods of low water, particularly i
during the early spring. It is ]
expected that the system will i
enable navigation on the river
as early as May 1. The dam 1
will be 364 feet in height and i
is expected to hold 9 feet of i
water in Marsh Lake, 6 feet in !
Lake Tagish and 5 feet or more j
in Lake Bennett. A crew of 50 1
men was employed on the con
struction during last summer !<
and until late in the fall. 1
BIG COMPANY TAKES CONTROL
OF FISH CHEEK PROPERTIES
| A deal of the most important
character with respect £o min
ing development on the Amer
ican side of the international
boundary line was concluded
j March 1, when control of the
very extensive holdings ot
the American Mining and Mill
I ing Company in this district
was taken over by the Brit
h h-American Holding and De
velopment Company, accord
ing to Outside advices received
during the past -week. The i
properties involved include the |
Fish Creek group, situated
about half way between Hyder
and the Premier, as well as
other valuable holdings in the
Salmon River valley jon the
American section of the Port
land Canal mineral belt. The
Fish Creek properties arc con
sidered among the most im- j
portant in the district. Several
claims of the group contain j
large and well defined bodies j
of ore carrying high values in ;
gold and silver. A large |
amount of development work I
has been done, which has dem- i
onetrated beyond doubt that
the ore bodies are Of contin
uous character and develop
increasing values with depth. {'■
William Tonkin, than whom
there is no better known min
ing man in the Portland Canal
district, of which he is one ot
the pioneer operators, has i
been the guiding spirit in the
development of the Fish Creek i
ground, on which he has ex
pended a large amount of mon- i
ey during the past two years
in pursuance of the develop
ment program of the American
Mining and Milling Company,
of which he was the adminis
trative head.
According to the information
at hand, the British-American
Holding and Development Cor
poration has the backing of a
strong Eastern financial group,
which includes a number of
business organizations of high
.financial standing. No inform
jation has been received regard
ing the plans of the new con
trolling organization. It is as
sumed, however, that the cor
poration will proceed with de
velopment work on a much
greater scale than heretofore.
The British-American Hold
ing and Development Corpor
ation is also reported to have
acquired other valuatle prop
erties in this district but noth
ing definite could be learned
regarding their extent or lo
cation up to the present. Inas
much as the future develop
ment of the district’s mineral
resources is largely depend
ent on large and well finan
ced organizations such as the
British-American corporation
ir. said to be, the entry of the
company into the American
mineral belt wil be watched
with keen interest, as it holds
forth promise of a new era of
large scale development oper
ions by much stronger comp
anies than have hjiretofore
onerated in the local field.
FORMER JUNEAU MAN
FOUND DEAD IN CABIN
L. A. LeBeau, aged 62„ a for
mer Juneau business man and
for the past several years a res
ident of Hoonah, was recently
found dead in his cabin at that
place. His demise is said to
have been due to heart trouble.
T}je Juneau Empire says the
body was found by a man
whom. Le Beau had hired to
help him on a boat. Apparent
ly he had arisen as usual and
started to build a fire in the
stove, some partially burned
kindling being found in it. The
body was still warm when
found and death had appar
ently overtaken him quickly, as
there was no sign of a strug
gle.. He is survived by a widow
who resides in Seattle at pres
ent but formerly lived at Jun
eau with her husband.
The bill recently introduced
in the lower branch of Con
gress by delegate Sutherland,
providing for the election of
the governor and Secretary of
the Territory, also designates
that the salary of both offic
ials shall be paid by the Ter
ritory, instead of by the feder
al government, as at present.
The bill fixes the salary of
the Governor at $7,000, while
the Secretary of the Territory
is to draw down a stipend of
$5,000 per annum, also pay
able out of the Territorial
treasury.
Get That Spring Suit! Samples
Here in a Few Daya-Wagner’s
WRANGELL MAN MAKES
VALUABLE INVENtiON
; A new device which is a
wonderful improvement in
!; owcr trolling gurdy and
which will be a boon to fish
ermen, has been invented by
I Steven A. Shepard of Wrang
(ell.
i With the aid of this new
'•line hauling device the fish
ing lines are readily’ drawn
up by power so that it re
quires no effort on the pan
of the fisherman to haul in
his lines.
One of these machines is in
acturl operation on Mr. Shep
ard’s gasboat and the namer
; ous fishermen who have seen
it in operation are very enthu
siastic over the machine and
pronounce it a wonderful im
provement in power gurdy.
Mr. Shepard states that the
: Wrangell Machine Shop will
become financially interested
| in his invention and already
an arrangement has been en
tered whereby the machines
i will be manufactured by, the
Wrangell Machine Shop,
j In his application for a pat
ient, Mr. Shepard states that
'his invention relates to power
means for drawing up the
fishing lines of a boat, the ob
ject being to ^royjde means
'for connecting" a drum, to
• which the line is attached to
a driven shaft so that the
i rum will be rotated wind
the line.—Wrangell Sentinel.