HYDER - FIRST ALASKA TOWN THAT CAN BE REACHED BY PAC1FIC-YUKON-ALASKA HIGHWAY
. ' A
SPECIALIZING IN
MINING NEWS OF THE
PORTLAND CANAL
DISTRICT
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HYDER WEEKLY HERALD
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VOLUME 11, NUMBER 4.
HYDER, ALASKA, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1934.
SINGLE COPIES 10 CENTS
DARING BURGLARY
IN LOCAL STORE
The most daring robbery ev
er perpetrated in Hyder and
said to be the first involving
forcible entry into a Ideal bus
iness house, occurred Sunday
evening when the Boundary
Gift Shop, owned and operated
by Hubert W. Thomas, was en
tered apparently by a lone
burglar who> robbed the cash
register of a small sum of
money and a watch belonging
to the proprietor.
The robbery occurred be
tween 11 and 11:20 p. m., and
within a half hour or so after
Mr. Thioma- had locked up and
gone to his home in the forest
townsite. Entry was obtained
by smashing the glass in the
front do'or, thus enabling the
robber to turn the bolt of the
night-latch. The daring of
the burglar was displayed by
the robbery being undertaken
at a time when people going to
and from a dance in Pioneer
Hall were passing the premis
es at frequent intervals.
Several persons claim to
have either heard or seen the
miscreant while he was in the
store, but as the premises
were only faintly illuminated
by distant street lights, he was
not recognized as an intruder
and no one apparently thought
to apprehend him. In each in
stance the (observers were per
sons from across the boundary
line and consequently not ov
erly curious as to what might
be going on in the premises.
The first intimation of the
robbery was given by two
Stewart ladies, Mrs. Hugh
McDonald and daughter.
While passing the store en
route to the dance, they heard
someone moving about in the
premises and also saw a mom
entary gleam of light, appar
ently from a flashlight. Miss
McDonald also saw the broken
door but neither apparently re
alized at the time the possible
significance of their observat
ions. After reaching the dance
hall, however, Mrs. McDonald
reported the broken door to
other dance attendants but no
one apparently thought of
making an immediate investi
gation. Thievery being little
known in Hyder, everyone ap
pears to have concluded that
the doer had been broken by
some passing inebriate, but
someone finally decided that
Mr. Thomas should be in
formed and Eric Lindegaard
proceeded to the Thomas res
idence for that purpose.
By the time Mr. Thomas ar
rived at the store the robber
had vanished, apparently over
the boundary line. As there
Continued on Page 2
I Roden Winner of Senate Race
Henry Roden, Juneau attor
ney and independent candi
date for the senate in this di
vision, defeated Allen Shat
tuck, democratic candidate, by
84 votes in the recent general
election, according to final re
turns received in Juneau Sat
urday.
In the race for territorial
treasurer, Oscar Olson, demo
crat of Cordova, had a plural
ity of 23 votes over the present
incumbent, W. G. Smith, inde
pendent, and Will H. Chase,
republican.
Complete returns show the
election of all democratic can
didates for representative in
the First division. These are
A. H. Zeigler, A. P. Walker.
F. J. Baronovich and J. K.
Green.
Andrew Nerland of Fair
banks, member iof the last leg
islature, was the only republi
can elected to the legislature.
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Dunwell Makes Ore Shipment
Seventy-five dry tons of high
grade ere and concentrates
from the Dunwell mine were
sent to the Tacoma smelter on
the freighter Griffco Wednes
day. The steamer also carried
a consignment, of Premier con
centrates amounting to 1350
tons.
Shipments of ore from the
Dunwell mine so far this month
aggregate 53 tons of concen
trates and 45 tons of high
grade ore.
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Big Missouri Surface
Work Progressing Fast
Reports from the Big Missou
ri indicate that excellent prog
ress is being made in the sur
face operations incident to- the
projected driving of a new low
level tunnel from the Day
group. Recent observers state
that the construction of the
several hundred feet of snow
sheds down the west slope of
the hill is practically complet
ed. The sheds will connect
the western exit of the pros
ent Province tunnel with the
entrance to the new tunnel and
will also house an incline t.ra u
way for transporting labor
and material down to the new
tunnel. Extension of the Prov
ince tunnel to- the proposed
western portal was reported
very near completion.
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No information was received
.his wek regarding the Salmon
River flo . 1 project, now up to
the war department engineers.
N. B. C. POWER CORP.
PLANS BIG INCREASE
IN LOCAL SERVICE
Power development propos
als involving expenditures ag
gregating $91,500 and a large
increase in local power pro
duction, were outlined by Mr.
J. J. Little, district manager of
the Northern B. C. Power Corp
oration at a special meeting cf
the Stewart Board of Trade
Friday afternoon.
The plans include not only
imediate improvement in the
present inadequate power
service but also the installation
of a number of additional
power generating units to pro
vide ample power for all lo
cal needs for some time to
come.
First among tfie proposals
mentioned by Mj Little was
rehabilitation oif the present
deisel-powered Dunwell plant
and its removal to a new loca
cation nearer the beach. This
will involve expenditures ap
proximating $6,500 and is ex
pected to be completed in
about six weeks. In outlining
the proposal Mr. Little pointed
out that that it will involve ex
tensive changes in the trans
mission system and some incon
venience to consumers may be
exipeeted while the work is in
in progress.
Proposals far additional in
creases in the power product
ion capacities of the company
which Mr. Little indicated are
being submitted to the direct
ors include the installation of
another diesel unit to operate
in conjunction with the Dun
well plant. The estimated ciost
of this installation will be $30
000, and will also involve nec
essary changes in the trans
mission lines the cost of which
is estimated a't $10,000, Mr.
Little said.
A third proposal involves the j
installation of a hydro-power
generating plant on Portland
Creek, across Portland Cana)
from Hyder, B. C., at a cost of
some $15,000, and also the in
stallation of an additional
waterspower unit on Barney’s
Gulch costing in the neighbor
hod of $30,000.
Summarizing the program,
Mr. Little pointed out that its
complete development will)
provide some 6600 horsepower
cf electrical energy, sufficient
to supply power for a 150-ton
concentrating plant, with am
ple surplus power for a popu
lation of 1,000 people, Mr. Lit
tle said.
The development of the new
power system will be carried
on under the direction of Mr.
D. B. Crane, an electrical en
gineer from eastern Canada,
who is now in the district.
Car Accident Injures Three
A car owned and driven by
Mrs. O. F. Hill, with Mr. and
Mrs. Arthur Moa as passen
gers, and a truck filled with
sailors from the visiting Can
adian warships, came together
with a crash at a curve on the
Salmon River highway near
Eight-mile Sunday evening.
The car was severely damaged
by the impact and all of the oc
cupants were slightly injured.
Mrs. Moa was thrown bodily
from the car to the opposite
side of the roadway, but land
ed, fortunately, in a small,
grassy space among the jagged
rocks along the edge of the em
bankment and received no
graver injuries than small cuts
and bruises. Mrs. Hill was
.scratched or bruised on her
lower limbs and nose and Mr.
Moa was also slightly cut and
bruised. The car, although
damaged extensively, was able
to return to> town under its
own power.
The truck, driven by Ernest
Love, Jr., of Stewart, was re
turning to town from Premier,
where the sailors had visited
the mine. The accident ap
pears to have been due to the
truck having too soft tires and :
an overload, as it was swinging
widely in rounding the curve,
according to Mrs. Hill. Occu
pants of the truck stated that
it had been necessary to in
flate the tires several times be
tween Premier and the point
where the crash occurred. The
Hill car was standing still at
the inner side of the road to
give the swaying car ample
room to pass, according to the
occupants. The impact forced
it partially off the roadway
and against 'the rocky wall,
where it required the com
bined efforts of the sailors to
place it back on the highway
and get it going, the starter
having been broken in the
smash-up.
Responsibility for the dam
age was assumed by Mr. Ern
est Love, Sr. father of the truck
pilot.
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Good Progress On Glacier
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Reports from the Glacier
Creek property, adjoining the
Dunwell, where Stuart Barclay
is driving a new tunnel under
contract, are to the effect that
that the new drift is in over 75
feet and making good prog
ress. Air drill equipment is
employed.
The tunnel is to be extended
to 175 feet and is designed to
cut a vein of what is said to be ,
good commercial ore located
by diamond drilling in earlier
operations. j
PREMIER WORKER
CYANIDE VICTIM
Robert Barton Ellis, Premier
mill worker, found dead Wed
nesday morning on the car
tracks near the dumps at Camp
4 of the Premier mine, com
mitted suicide by drinking cy
anide of potassium, according
to the verdict of a coroner’s in
quest called by Dr. J. W. Vos
burgh of Stewart in his capac
ity of district coroner.
The poison is presumed
to have been obtained from the
Premier mill, where it is used
in ore reduction.
Eye 'trouble and worry over
finances were considered the
probable motive.; for the rash
deed.
The body of the deceased
was found by Gunnar Lund
burg and L. McDonald, fellow
employees, at 7:35 a. m. A cup
containing a small quantity of
liquid identified as a solution
of the deadly poison was found
beside the body. An envelope
containing a small amount of
the dry crystals was also found
near the remains, which were
cold and stiff, indicating that
death had occurred the even
ing before.
A letter written by the young
man to his mother in Yorkton,
Saskatchewan, and found in
his pocket, expressed regret
for the sorrow his act would
cause the members of his fam
ily and indicated beyond doubt
that the suicide was premedi
tated.
The deceased was 27 years
old and was born in the United
States at Crokston, Minnesota,
but later emigrated to Canada
with his family. He had been
in the employ of the Premier
company since last February
and was highly regarded by
those who knew him, although
lately he was said to have dis
played evidences, of an illusion
that no one liked him.
He is survived by his father,
mother and brothers and sif
ters.
The obsequies of the unfor
tunate young man will be held
in Stewart at 2 p. m. Sunday
afternon, with interment in the
local cemetery.
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R. R. Grading Unde rWay
Grade construction work on
the projected extension of the
the Canadian Northeastern
Railway was started last week,
according to report? received
in Stewart. The clearing of
the right of way was also re
ported well advanced.
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Miss Jewel Rice plans to
leave Monday fo; California to
visit her mother.