f ..
' SPECIALIZING IN
MINING NEWS OF THE
PORTLAND CANAL
DISTRICT
t__/
HYDER WEEKLY HERALD
DEVOTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALASKA AND THE PORTLAND CANAL MINING DISTRICT.
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SUBSCRIPTIONS
*3.00 PER YEAR
IN ADVANCE
VOL 7, NO. 1
RYDER, ALASKA, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11,1930.
PRICE TEN CENTS
NEW GOVT, HIGHWAY
TO HEAD OP TEXAS
IS NOW COMPLETED
The final section of the new
government built highway to
the head of Texas Creek val
ley, designated officially as the,
Ibex-Summit section, was com
pleted this week by the con
tracting firm, 'the Seims-Spo
kane Company, of Spokane.
Wn., and is now open to the
* public. Official announcement
of the opening of the road tc
traffic was made Tuesday by
L. W. Turoff, resident engin
eer of the Bureau of Public
Roads of the Department of
Agriculture, under the direct
ion of whom the last two sec
tions of the fine 12-mile high
way were completed.
The work of the contracting
firm was approved and offic
ially accepted by the Bureau i
of Public Roads October 7th. j
The new section of road h I
3.86 miles in length and bring:
the entire mileage from town
to its terminus near the face ol
Chickamin Glacier to 20.G
miles. The cost of the section
was approximately $86,000
Construction involved the mov
ing of 27,000 cubic yards of ex
cavation and the placing o'
3,600 cubic yards of pit-run
gravel. In addition to tne con
tract for complete construct !
ion of the final section, tht j
Seims-Spokane Company also }
had the contract for surfacing
the section constructed Iasi
year by the Johnson-Gardnei
Company and this was also
completed during the presen
season. The cost of the entire
work done on the two section,
amounted to $116,000.
Mr. Turoff informed the Her
aid that much credit is due to j
Mr. Anderson, superintendent
for the Siems-Spokane Comp [
any, for the highly efficient j
manner in which construction j
was prosecuted, thereby en |
abling the completion of thi;
large amount of work in les: J
than four months. The record i
achieved by the company is in
deed quite remarkable, the en
tire project, including the sur
facing of the section construct
ed last year, being concluded
between June 25 and October
7, a total of 104 days.
The company moved the con
struction outfit and personnel!
to Hyder immediately after the
work was accepted by the Bu
reau of Public Roads. Mr. An
derson and Mr. Campbell, the
Book-keeper, will remain here
until the arrival of the Norco,
when they will leave for
Ketchikan. The large Lorain
45 power shovel used on the
project was dismanted and
hauled to town for shipment to
Spokane. The company em
ployed about 60 men during
the period of construction.
The completion of the new
highway marks the beginning
of a new era in the develop
ment of the Hyder mining dist
rict, as the highway opens t >
relatively low cost exploitation
one of the most richly mineral
ized areas in the North and
one which appears destined to
become in time one of the nat
ion’s most important mineral
“Stroller” White Passes On.
Elmer J. White, editor and
publisher of Stroller’s Weekly,
of Juneau, and one of Alaska’s
most widely kmwn newspaper
men. passed away at his home
in J.jpeau September 28th.
Deaih called the veteran jour
nalist at the rim- age of 71
years and was the result of re
current strokes of appoplexy,
the first of which was sus
tained last June. He is sur
vived by a widow, one daugh
ter and two sons.
Under the pen name of
'Stroller” White, the deceased
journalist was known through
out the length and breadth of
he North, where he resided
33 years. Coming to Skagway
n 1897 after an extended
newspaper experience in the
Sates, Mr. White was connect
ed with a Skagway paper for
^ome time before becoming
city editor of the Dawson Nug
get during the Klondike gold
•ush days. He was also for a
ime associated with the Yukon
sun of Dawson. Later Mr.
White published the White
horse Star, at Whitehorse, Yu
kon Territory,for some years
before purchasing the Doug
las Island News, which he lat
er removed to Juneau, Alaska,
and renamed “Stroller’s Week
ly.”
Possesing a facile pen, quaint
humor and a vast fund of infor
mation relative to the North,
his newspaper was one of the
most interesting of Northern
journals and possesses a re
markably wide circulation.
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Moose Plan Excursion
Arrangements for a Hallow- i
een excursion to Ketchikan are
being made by the local lodge
)f the Loyal Order of Moose, it
was announced this week by
Noel M. Traversy, dictator of
:he lodge.
Although sponsored £>y and
intended primarily as a Moose
diversion, all who wish may
participate in the excursion,
which will be made both ways
jn the Canadian National
deamships and at an except
onally low fare charge of $15
.or the round trip.
T he excursion party will leave
Hyder on the steamship Prince
Rupert at 9 a. m. Thursday,
October 30, and will arrive ir
Ketchikan at 6 p. m. the same
day. The return trip will be
made on the steamer Prince
George, leaving Ketchikan at
12 p. m. Saturday, November
1, and arriving here at 8 a. m.
Sunday, November 2.
This schedule, especially ar
ranged with the steamship
company, will give the excurs
ionists a stop-over of approxi
mately 54 hours in the . First
j City and also permit them to
i attend the big Halloween
dance to be given in Ketchikan
I Halloween night. Those wish
i ing to make the trip should not
i ify Mr. Traversy.
-o-•
The motorship Northland is
scheduled to leave Seattle for
Hyder next Monday.
producing regions.
; The highway also penetrates
• be one of the most beautiful
[ scenic areas of the North.
REMONITIZATION OF
SILVER DEMANDS
ARE INCREASING
Demand for the restoration
of the price of silver on some
adequate basis of parity with
gold is daily assuming wider
and more imperative scope.
Tentative suggestions that
something be done to remoni
tize the white metal as a means
of overcoming the present
world-wide industrial depress
ion is being rapidly succeeded !
by an insistent demand in i
many quarters.
The present outlook is that
the first definite steps to in- j
duce governmental action to
ward restoration of silver par
ity with gold will be made by
the Canadian delegates to the
Imperial Conference in Lon
don this month in response to
urgings from various Canadian
business and mining associa
tions. A recent Vancouver
press dispatch announced that
the Associated Boards of Trade
of British Columbia had en
dorsed a suggestion of the Om
ineca Board of Trade that the
silver question be taken up by
the Canadian representatives
at the Imperial Conference. ,
Several Boards of Trade are re
ported to have cabled Premier
H. H. Bennett in London asking
him to lay before the confer-!
ence the question of the advis- j
ability of standardizing the j
price of silver*. H. II. Stevens, I
of the Bennett cabinet, who is a I
member of the Canadian dele
gation, is strongly in favor of i
renronitization of the white ;
metal and set forth his views in i
forcible manner in a recent
parliamentary address.
Aside from the Senate com
mltte hearings on the Pacific
Coast in recent days nothing
has been done in the United
States toward resolving the sil
ver question, although the
silver situation and its effects
are a subject of wide comment
in the press.
!
Strong resolutions setting
forth the necessity of returning 1
silver to the monetary systems
of the world and urging that j
an international monetary con-'
ference be called were passed
tecntly by the Northwest Min
ing Association and other min
ing associations in the West.
The Omineca, B. C., branch of
the British Columbia Chamber
of Mines also adopted resolu
tions urging stabalization of
silver by international agree
ment, and also urged the Do
minion government to do ev
erything possible in support of
that purpose at the intemation
i al conference called by the
[government of Mexico, and al
jso at the Imperial Conference
j in London.
Newspapers throughout the
j United States, Canada, Mexi
co, South America and also the
Orient are pointing out editor
ially or in special articles that
j the low price of silver is a pri
i mary factor in the present
i world business depression.
Some writers attribute pres
ent conditions to various other
| causes than the silver situation,
1 but in no instance that has been
| observed has a writer failed to
point to the lessening value of
; silver as the most important
SALMON RIVER
HIGHWAY WORK
NOW UNDER WAY
Grading activites on the Sal
mon River Highway between.
Eight-mile and Eleven-mile
were started this week by the
Johnson and Gardner Comp
any, of Portland, holder of the
Bureau of Public Roads con
tract for widening and raising
(he splendid government built
highway running from Hyder
north t o the international
boundary line at Thirteen
mile. According to Mr. L. W.
Turoff, resident engineer of
the road bureau, the area to be
covered by the work extends
from Eight-mile to a point one
fourth of a mile beyond Ten
mile.
A station gang has sublet the
upper section of the work and
the clearing of that section is
now under way. Another ag-1
gregation of sub-contractors
has sublet the lower end of the
contract and will begin work
in a few days. The upper gang !
is domiciled for the present in
the McGrew building near
Ten-mile while Mr. Curtis
Gardner, superintendent of the
contracting company, is erect
ing a camp close to the Nine
mile maintenance camp of the
Bureau of Public Roads. The
work will be prosecuted until
snow-fall compels a shut-down,
Mr. Turoff said, and about 30
men will be employed on the
project.
The estimated cost of the im- j
piovements planned is $07,
000.
Relative to obstruction to traf
fic occassioned by the road
improvement work, Mr. Turoff
said it will be impossible to j
continue this construction and !
keep the road open for travel.
“It is intended,” he said, “to
close the Salmon River road
to all traffic from 8 a. m. to Id
noon, and from 1 p. m. to 5 p.
m. daily and also on Sundays.
The stage lines will please
take this announcement as an
official notice and govern
themselves accordingly. It is
hoped that their cooperation
will be enlisted, so that the
work can be prosecuted to the
best advantage and the road be
completed as soon as possible.”
Mr. Turoff has moved his of
fice and family to town and
will remain here as long as any
construction is being carr* ;d
on.
-Cl
Oldlimers Pass On.
William Hinds, former engin
eer of the Copper River &
Northwestern railroad, died re
cently in San Francisco.
William McGlone, pioneer of
the Fairbanks camp, died re
cently in the States as a result
of cancer. He was identified
with the Ester district.
Lind Alveness, known as the
! cod-fish king, was recently
found dead in his fishing boat
near Island Point at the mouth
of Kassan Bay.
I t- ut rnrmir. j1 -u.111. , r.j ■ i~» ■
:
j factor in producing the de
pression by curtailing the pur
chasing power of the bulk of
the world’s peoples.
Alaska Juneau Boosts
Profits In August
The Alaska Juneau mining
company increased its operat
ing profit from the Alaska Jun
eau mine in August to $111,
500, mining and milling 353,
850 tons of ore with an aver
age recovery of 83.7c> cents per
ton, acording to a statement is
sued by the company head
quarters in Juneau The sur
plus for the month amounted
I to $101,400.
Values recovered included
$392,100 in golfi. representing
an average recovery of 82.55
cents per ton of ore, lead and
silver, $4,400, an average of
1.24 cents per ton. Total re
ceipts were $296,500, an aver
age of 83.79 to the ton of ore.
Mining and milling costs were
$99,000, and represented an
average cost of 27.93 cents per
ton. Milling costs totaled 75,
300, an average cost of 21.34
cents per ton of ore milled.
Total operating expenditures
were $185,000.
-o
North Country Plans Winter
Activities
The North Country Mining
Company, of which A. Linke is
managing director, has sus- j
pended its trail construction ;
activities on Bulldog Creek for
the season. The work could not
be completed this season and
will be concluded next sum
mer.
It is understod that the comp- [
any plans to continue work on
its promising properties near
the head of Bulldog Creek dur
ing the winter, with a small
crew employed.
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Black Bear Closes for Winter !
The Stewart News reports
that summer development ac
tivities on the Bornite group'
(formerly the Black Bear), ad
joining the Red Top group,
have been closed down after a
very successful season of pros
pecting. An important deve!
opment was the discovery of an
8-foot vein of well mineralized
quartz-porphyry which yield
ed samples assaying a trace of
gold, 8.37 ounces of silver and
15.46 per cent copper. The
property is owned by Messrs.
Bolen, Garner and Gillof.
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Court to Convene Oct. 20th
The fall term of the District
j Court at Ketchikan is sched
uled to convene October 20th.
Panels for both grand p.nd pet
it juries have been dra»vn. The
grand jury will report for duty
October 20th at 11 a. m., and
the petit jury will appear at
the same hour on October 27.
The names of seven local peo
ple, S. P. Fitzgerald, Holgar
Johnson, Loretta C. Hill. H.
Nichols, Mrs. D. E. Martin, Ben
Oien and P. R. Wilson, are in
j eluded in the list of petit jur
! ors.
Attorney C. H. Sundmacher
has moved his office from the
Bungalow Hotel to the build
ing on Main Street adjoining
the Traversy paint store.
ICE TUNNELING
ON MARIETTA GROUP
IS ENCOURAGING
With more than 350 feet of
ice tunnel run in the effort to
locate the source of the bonan
za float gold ore found on the
property at intervals in the
past, operations on the Mari
etta group near the head of
Texas Creek valley are making
excellent progress and with en
couraging results, according,*to
L. C. Thornton, one of the orig
inal locators of the group and
still the owner of a majority
interest, who is directing activ
itnes.
As explained in earlier issues
of the Herald, the ice tunnels
have been run through an over
lapping spur of Chickamin
Glacier to pick up the inter
sections of several veins run
ning under the ice and which
may be the source of the pieces
of float running many thou
sands of dollars per ton in free
gold. Pieces of this ore are lit
erally speckled with large
flakes and blebs of the yellow
metal and present a decidely
spectacular appearance. The
belief of the Marietta owners
that the source if this gold lies
somewhere under the ice cap
has been enhanced several
times during the driving of the
ice tunnels by the discovery of
additional samples of the same
ore.
Mr. Thornton informed the
Herald that two tunnels have
been driven through the ice
since work was started. The
first, or lower tunnel, was put
in a distance of 110 feet. A
crosscut from this tunnel fol
lowing the rock on which the
glacier rests missed the lead
by 110 feet, owing to the con
tour of the country. When lo
cated later, the lead was found
to contain values 50 per cent
lower than were found in
the lead 400 feet down the hill,
where it emerges from under
the ice. Some good highgrade
float was encountered, howev
er, and it was decided to have
come from farther up the hill.
A second tunnel was started
and was in over 140 feet last
week, Mr. Thornton said. This
drift is being pushed forward
at an average rate of 17 feet a
day, with a maximum of 20
feet per day, by means of a
unique steam thawing apparat
us devised by Mr. Thornton.
This device, details of which
; were given in an earlier issue,
is composed of-a framework of
pipes heated by steam and hot
! water produced by means of a
large blow torch. Low cost of
operation is one of the features
of the appliance, which is oper
ated at a cost of but 25 cents
per foot of progress.
Mr. Thornton stated that it
! is the intention to continue op
erations until about the middle
of December, as there is suf
ficient coal and other supplies
on hand to last until that time.
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Hugh B. McGuire, managing
director of the Woodbine, re
turned Saturday night from a
business trip south.
I-O
R. D. Baker, Standard Oil Co.
, representative, was an arrival
' Monday night.