AN ALL..
Alaska!
NEWSPAPER
HYDER WEEKLY HERALD
DEVOTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALASKA AND THE PORTLAND CANAL MINING DISTRICT.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
$5.00 PER YEAR
IN ADVANCE
VOL 1, NO. 17
RYDER, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31,1924
FIFTY CERTS A R U1H
—--- -JO'
MISSING STEWART
MAN DROWNED
The mystery surrounding the
disappearance of Norman Me
Kenzie, who had been missing
from his usual haunts in Stew
art for several weeks, was
solved Monday morning with
the finding of his remains by
Chas. Knipple in the head
waters of Portland Canal, a
short distance below the
mouth of Bear River.
The body was lying in shal
low water near a float located
a short distance from the end
of the old wharf.
Despite the long immersion,
the body was in a good state of
preservation and easily recog
nizable by those who knew
him in life.
The remains bore no marks
indicating violence and it is
the general view that the un
fortunate man was the victim
of accidental drownding.
McKenzie was last seen close
to a month ago, when he left
the cabin of a friend in Stewart
with whom he had been visit
ing, to go to one of the stores
to make some purchases. He
intended to return to spend !
the rest of the evening with
his friends but failed to make
his appearance. So far as
could be learned he was not
seen afterward until his mud
covered corpse was discovered
by Mr. Knipple.
When the body was taken
from the water it was found
that the pockets and other
openings in his clothing were
packed with mud. This is be
lieved to indicate that the de
ceased met his death by fall
ing into Bear River, the re
mains being carried down
stream to tide water.
McKenzie was a carpenter by
McKenzie was a carpenter
by trade and well known in
Hyder and Stewart.
The unusual spell of cold
weather prevailing during the
greater part of two weeks
came to an end Saturday but
not until it had forced a shut
down of several mining operat
ions in the district, seriously
crippled the electric light
plant; and gave the average
householder much worry over
the rapid depreciation in the
size of the coal pile.
The Dunwell and Glacier
Creek properties, both of
which are wholly dependent
on water for power, were
forced to close down owing to
the Glacier Creek feeders
freezing solid, and shutting off
the supply in the big flume. At
last accounts both properties
were still out of commission.
The freeze-up also affected
such extent th«jt the Diesel en
gines were kept running only
through the use of water from
the mine workings. The mill
was forced to close down for a
time and a small number of
men were laid off.
The Riverside was also tied
up for a time but the trouble
was speedily remedied and no
serious delay resulted.
The plant of the Internation
al Electric Co. was kept run
ning, but with a serious cur
tailment in the volume of
“juice.” Despite the balmy
weather of the past few days,
the glacial stream which pro
vides power for the plant is
slow in thawing out and the
management has decided to
supply current for use in Hy
der from the old power plant
of the Hyder Light Power and
Water Co. on Premier Avenue.
Current from the local plant
will be supplied to consumers
from afternoon until midnight,
after which the hydro-electric
plant will take up the load un
til closing down time in the
morning. This arrangement
will probably continue until
the company’s new 125 K. W.
plant on Barney’s Gulch is
ready to operate.
PREMIER PAYS
HUGE DIVIDEND
Topping all its previous rec
jords for dividend production,
jthe Premier Mine paid to its
stockholders on December 17
a dividend aggregating $500,
000, according to outside ad
vices received on the last mail.
This huge apportionment
makes the fourth quarterly div
idend paid to the stock
holders of the Premier Gold
Mining Company this year and
brings the dividend record of
ithe remarkable mine to some
thing over $7,000,000 since
December 31, 1921, at which
'time the property paid its
first dividend, amounting to
$400,000.
During the present year the
mine has paid, to its stockhold
ers, three quarterly dividends
aggregating $400,000 each, in
addition to the half million
paid this month, making a tot
al of $1,700,000 for the year.
Thus the total dividend pay
ments within the four year per
iod in which the mine has pro
duced amounts to a total of
140 per cent on the $500,000
capitalization.
In addition to the sums paid
in dividends the spectacular
property has yielded more than
sufficient to pay for its devel
opment, and the costs of min
ing and milling equipment.
--n_
FIRES DESTROY
STEWART HOMES
- I
Stewart, for a small commun- j
ity, appears to have decidedly
bad luck in the matter of fires '
lately. In addition to the disast- i
rous fire which destroyed the
jStewart Utilities Company and
various dwelling house fires
occuring during the past two
months, two more Stewart
homes were added to the list
last week.
The first of these developed
late Friday evening and de
stroyed the cabin occupied by
J. (“Blackie”) Erw'in, with
practically all it contained.
The second occurred Satur
day morning and destroyed the
residence of Mr. and Mrs. Ern
est Armstrong . The building
and its entire contents was de
stroyed, the owners escaping
with nothing but the clothes
they wore. In addition to the
costly property loss involved, a
considerable sum in money
that was in the house is also
said to have been consumed.
The £.re was the culmination ;
The fire was the culmination j:
of a streak of bad luck which
caused Mr. Armstrong, who is!
in the freighting business, to :
lose a valuable horse in a run- ji
a-way accident last week, i
when a team driven by him be- i
became frightened at the
whistle of an outgoing steamer
at the wharf and bolted foi 1
Stewart, leaving their driver I <
behind. Enroute home the team !i
fell from the narrow roadway ]
onto the broken rocks, one
horse being badly lamed and 1
the other so severely injured
that shooting was necessary.
MINER KILLED
AT PREMIER
Alto Lazze, a miner engaged
in running a raise in the Pre
mier Mine was fatally injured
by an exploding round of shots
in the mine workings early
Monday morning and died at
2 p. m. Monday afternoon in
the Premier hospital. As the
unfortunate man was alone in
the raise at the time, no one
knows the full details of the
accident, beyond that Lazzo
had fired a round of 15 holes
I and was on his way to shelter
and safety when the shots ex
j ploded. A mucker whose name
could not be learned, was at
work in a short drift below the
bulkhead but could give no in
i formation beyond that he
looked up the raise a few
minutes before the accident
occurred and saw Lazze com
ing down. The deceased was
then only a few feet from the
drift. He says he spoke to Laz
ze and was told by the latter
that he had "spit,” meaning
that he had lighted the fuses.
A few moments later Lazze
appeared at the entrance to
the drift and was in the act of
entering when the blasfc^oc
curred. According to the help
er the concussion was so great
that he was lifted bodily and
hurled to the far end of the
drift, sustaining slight bruises
and scratches but no serious
injury. He heard only one shot,
he says, and does not know
what happened afterward.
Lazze at that moment had
thrust his lower limbs into the '
shelter of the drift and was in
the act of entering. According
to the mucker’s statement,
Lazze seemed in no great hur
ry and appeared to believe
that he had ample time to es
cape. This has suggested the
surmise that the blast occurred
somewhat prematurely, poss
ibly as a result of Lazze cut
ting the fuse too short :>r be
cause of defective fuse. The
raise in which the accident oc
curred is h new working being
run between No. 4 and No. 6
levels. Although surviving for!
more than twelve hours after
the accident, Lazze’s injuries
were of a character that would
usually cause almost instan
taneous death, his head being
crushed and his back and
shoulders severely lacerated,
one arm being almost torn
from the body.
The deceased was an Italian
and had the reputation of be
ing one of the best miners on
the Premier crew. He was
aged about 40 years and is
survived by a brother, who is
also employed by the Premier '
Company, and other relatives.,
The remains were brought to 1
town Tuesday evening and 1
placed in charge of undertak- 1
er Merl Thomas and will be 1
shipped to Prince Rupert for 1
burial Thursday. 1
Annual Now Year Ball I
Pioneer Hall, December 31
_ . I
ALASKA MINES
PRODUCTION SHOWS
INCREASE—1923
That the production of Alas
ka mines during 1923 was
about $1,300,000 in excess of
that of 1922, and within about
one and a half million dollars
of the average production for
the 20 preceding years, includ
ing those years of bonanza pro
duction occuring at intervals
since the great Dawson strike,
is the outstanding statement
of the Territorial Mines In
spector B. D. Stewart in his an
nual report covering the calen
dar year 1923.
The report also discloses that
the total mineral production
of the Territory reached the
huge total of $518,900,000 in
1923. In a concise statement
dealing with mining conditions
and production the report says
in part:
“During the year 1923 there
were in operation in Alaska 30
lode mines, 10 coal mines, 28
gold dredges, 480 placer mines
o^ various types, two marble
quarries and numerous pros
pects and non-productive lode
and coal properties under de
velopment.
The value of the total min
eral production of the Terri
tory for the year was about
$1,300,000 in excess of that of
1922. It was within one and a
half million dollars of the av
erage production for the 20
preceding years, which include
all those years within which
“flush” production from bon
anza operations in the Terri
tory has been recorded.”
It is pointed out that the cop
per production for 1923 was
the largest in the history of
the industry. It produced a ton
nage of 728,402 tons.
Silver and coal rank next to
gold in importance, as guaged !
by the value of the year’s out
put, the value of silver being
produced representing little
over 3 per cent and that of the
coal a little under 3 per cent of
the total mineral production.
The value of Alaska’s min
eral production to date has I
now reached the amount of
$518,900,000, of which the
value of gold produced was 66
per cent and that of copper
31 per cent.”
A ten mile strip of land, in
cluding an area five miles
wide on each side of the Alas- 1
ka Railroad in the Matanuska,
Susitna, Nenana River and
Goldstream valleys, has been
set aside by executive order,
under recommendation of Sec- '
retary Work, to permit use of 1
the timber thereon for ties and *
bridge construction on the gov
ernment railroad. 1
Meet me at the Hospital Dance |
New Years Eve.
VISITOR LIKES CAMP
AND INVESTS
Angus W. McDougall widely
known mining man of the Yu
kon section and pioneer of
Fairbanks and other interior
camps, who has been a visitor
in Hyder during the past two
weeks, left Thursday on the
Wales* Mr. McDougall is in
terested in a number of valu
able gold lode properties in
the Fairbanks and Broad Pass
districts and is engaged in de
veloping others.
Although arriving here at a
most inopportune time, when
winter conditions preclude an
extensive survey of the dist
rict, Mr. McDougall expressed
himself as greatly impressed
by the mining possibilities of
of the Portland Canal district
and the outlook for the camp.
“From all I have seen and
heard of the district,” he said,
I am quite convinced that it
will become a great mining
center before very long. Es
pecially if you succeed in get
ting that railroad terminal I
understand you are after. That
will mean a lot to the town
and district, and to all Soutn
ern Alaska as well. I am espec
ially impressed by the remark
able mineral possibilities.” he
continued, “I like the outlook
so well ,in fact, that I have ar
ranged to purchase a small
group of claims in the Cas
cade river section and expect
to acquire other interests later
on.”
ALASKA REINDEER
WORTH MORE THAN
COST OF TERRITORY
General use of Alaskan rein
deer venison in the United
States as an article of diet soon
will be possible, depending
merely upon the matter of
transportation, according to
the annual report of the Bu
reau of Education. The report
says that Alaska’s domestic
herds now are worth more
than $1,500,000, more than
the government paid Russia
lor the entire Territory in 1867
The industry, which began in
1892 when the Bureau import
ed the first of the animals from
Siberia, has developed until
the herd at present numbers
some 350,000, about 235,000
of which belong to the natives
who rely upon deer for a livli
hood, as well as for food and
clothing.
A problem confronting the
Bureau is to reorganize the in
dustry on a cooperative basis
so as to handle the increasing
herds more efficiently and to
market the meat more econom
ically.
Unprecedented winter travel
between Alaska and the states
is expected by the officials of
the Alaska transportation lines
The Pacific Steamship Com
pany has announced preparat
ions for increased winter trav
el. Indications are that the
travel will be the highest in
history.
SILVER/. DO TO
CARRY ON
With result3 from recent op
erations sufficiently encour
aging to warrant another ex
tension of the tunnel on the
main vein, the recently formed
Silverado Mining Company has
let another contract calling for
an additional one hundred feet
of tunneling on that well
known property.
The ore zone on which the
j tunnel is being run is a flat
vein which ha3 been opened
tor about 370 feet, with every
indication of persisting thru
out the entire length of the
drift. The ore is said to carry
very good values, shipments
| from earlier operations con
ducted having yielded as high
as $175 per ton. The immed
iate aim of the new operators
is to locate a probable inter
section of the main vein and
another strong fissure vein,
the outcrops of which lie a
short distance above the tun
nel. This ore body is said to
carry values practically as
good as those in the main load.
From various indications it is
believed that the two veins
come together somewhere in
lthe mountainside. Should this
be the case an ore body of con
tidera’ lo extend and value w'll
n all probability be found
when the inter ecfcicn is reach
ed.
The property is splendidly
stualed at r.n cl^vat'cn of
lightly mo: o ilri 3 000 feet
above Ihe h'*nd of For iand
Canal, and wCh practically a
straight’ehoot down .he mount
ainside to deep water permit
ting the landing of era on tide
water by means of an acrirl
tram at a very moderate cost.
A tram line of this character,
installed several years ago by
earlier operators, is available
and needs only slight repaii'3
to place it in good shape. The
company plans to install a
landing float at the foot of the
slope, from which ore may be
transferred direct to barges or
steamer hold.
To ail appearances the out
look for this property appears
very promising, although it's
true value can only be guessed
at until time and labor have
demonstrated its worth.
! Of importance to the fur
farming industry is the report
of the recent discovery of one
| of the best known trappers
'and fur culturists in the Terri
tory, in which, by a systematic
process of feeding, the color of
the mink is changed from a
light shade to a rich dark col
oring. Jimmie Sinclair who,
aside from his duties a3 section
foreman for the Alaska Rail
road, conducts one of the few
mink farms in Alaska, after
many years of close study and
application, has solved the
problem of changing the color
of the fur. Mr. Sinclair is an
expert in the fur farming busi
ness, specially in the raising of
mink.