AN ALU
ALASKA
NEWSPAPER
DEVOTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALASKA AND THE PORTLAND CANAL MINING DISTRICT
SUBSCRIPTIONS
$5.00 PER YEAR
IN ADVANCE
VOL 5, NO. 14
HYDER, ALASKA, SATURDAY, JANUARY 5,1928.
PRICE TEN CENTS
ALASKA MINERAL
PRODUCTION 1928
Advance statements prepared
by the Alaskdn branch of the
Geological Survey announce
that mines in Alaska are esti
mated to have produced min
erals to the value of $14,128,
000 in 1928, as against $14,
404, 000 1927. The total value
of the mineral output of Alas
ka since 1880 is nearly $600,
000,000.
The figures for 1928, which
are preliminary estimates and
subject to revision, are taken
from the Geological Survey’s
annual report on the mineral
resources of Alaska, now in
preparation. The source of this
mineral wealth, is approxi
mately as follows:
1928
Gold $6,775,000
Copper 6,100,000
Silver 273,000
Coal 624,000
Other minerals (lead,
petroleum, marble, tin,
platinum, etc,) 356,000
14,128,000
The mineral output of 1927 is
given below for purposes of
comparison.
1927
Gold $5,927,000
Copper 7,250,000
Silver 356,000
Coal 548,000
Other minerals (lead,
petroleum, marble, tin,
platinum, etc.) 323,000
14,404,000
Total production of gold from
Alaskan mines in 1928 is esti
mated at $6,775,000, a note
worthy increase over the pro
duction of 1927, and is attrib
utable to increased output by
both lode and placer mines.
The greatest increase, howev
er, came from lode mines, so
that the ratio of the value of
the gold produced by them to
i that of the gold produced by
the placers seems to have been
about 52.7 to 47.3. Tihs is a
rather significant change, be
cause in 1927 the correspond
ing ratio was about 50 to 50,
in 1926 it was about 44 to 56
and for the entire period that
gold mining has been in prog
ress in the Territory it has
been 33 to 67.
The increase in production of
gold from lode mines is attrib
utable mostly to greater out
put from the Alaska Juneau
Mining Co. properties in south
eastern Alaska. The quantity
of ore mined by this company
appears to have been some
what less than in the preced
ing year, but its gold tenor
was much higher. No note
worthy new developments
were reported at the other
gold lode mines.
The production from a num
ber of small mines in the Hy
ber and Ketchikan districts
was considerably larger than
in 1927. The gold lode mines
of the Willow Creek district
report a somewhat smaller
output than in the preceding
year and considerably less
than formerly. The small gold
lode mines in the Fairbanks
district report a considerable
increase in their yield of gold.
Several other small lode mines
scattered widely through the
Territory, but especially in Ke
AUTHORITIES ISSUE
FLU WARNINGS
The development of a number
of flu cases in Stewart and Hy
der during the past week re
sulted in prompt action by the
health authorities of both
towns to prevent a further
spread of the malady, which
has been widely prevalent in
the States and elsewhere in
Alaska for several weeks.
Notices, signed by O. F. Hill,
deputy Territorial health offi
cer for this district, deputy
U. S. Marshal Donald E. Mar
tin and Col. E. R. Stivers, cust
oms collector, and warning the
public against congregating in
shops or other resorts, were
posted locally, while similar
warnings were issued in Stew
art by Dr. H. A. Whillans.
As a result of the unexpected
invasion the annual New
Year’s Eve dance of the Stew
art General Hospital has been
indefinitely postponed. The an
nual installation ceremonies ot
the Pioneers of Alaska, orig
inally scheduled for the even
ing of New Year Day have
also been called off until con
ditions are more favorable.
While the number of cases so
far appearing are few and
ihere is no present reason for
alarm, the public should lend
all possible assistance in pre
venting the disease reaching
epidemic proportions.
Avoidance of too close con
tact with others and pi’oper ob
servance of sanitative rules are
cardinal factors in preventing
the spread of such insidious
maladies and should be care
fully observed by everyone.
A reassuring feature of tfte
stiuation is that the disease
both in the States and Alaska
lias ben so far of comparative
y mild form_and accompanied
ey very little mortality.
iai Peninsula, near Nuka Bay
and at Crow Creek, and in the
Kuskokwim region near Nixon
Fork report some production
if gold, and prospecting was
active at a number of other
places.
The increase in production ol
?old from placer mines is at
tributable in most part to
greater output from properties
of the Fairbanks Exploration
Co., in the Fairbanks district,
which early in 1928 placed
two of its large dredges in op
eration on Goldstream Creek
3nd the Chatanika River and
before the end of that season
had finished a smaller dredge
on upper Goldstream Creek
end had begun mining with
it. The beginning of product
ion from this large project has1
lot only resulted in greatly
ncreasing the gold output ol
he district, but, what is per
haps even more significant
jives promise of a greater out
out in future years. So far as
-eported, no other new dredges
were constructed in Alaska
during 1928. Approximately
>4 per cent of the placer gold
that was recovered in 1928
was mined by dredges.
The amount of gold produced
from the placers mined by oth
er methods than dredging
?eems to have been slightly
less than derived from placers
‘n 1927. No new finds of placer
GOOD OUTLOOK FOR
UNITED EMPIRE
That the future development
outlook for the United Empire
property, a short distance
above Stewart, is distinctly
good is indicated by a report
made to the United Empire
Gold and Silver Mining Co.,
Ltd., by Wm. Dann, managing
director. The report also dis
closes that the company i» in
good financial position.
Exploratory work along the
No. 1 vein during the past
season proved highly satisfact
ory, the report shows, uncov
ering high grade galena ore
assaying as high as $150 per
ton. The metallic elements in
clude gold, silver, lead and
zinc, with the silver providing
the major values. A tunnel
driven on the vein to further
determine its possibilities dis
closed continuous lenses of ere
of varying width and values
along a lenth of 140 ieet. An
assay taken across 4J/> feet
af the six foot face of ore at
"he time work was suspended
?ave returns of $1.20 gold,
530.68 silver, $6.50 lead and
?11.09 in zinc, a total of $49
47. Open cut work on the
vein proved it to extend 450
:eet further than previously
<nown. *■
Prominent among the results
if the season’s operations was
he discovery and crosscutting
)f a strong vein at 3000 feet
ilevation, the surface showings
)f which assayed about $10 in
jold, silver and copper across
a width of 14 feet.
Work done during the season
ncluded driving of 170 feet of
.rosscut and drift tunnels on
he three proven veins, in ad
lition to numerous open cuts;
:onstruction of 1,500 feet of
rail between the upper and
ower tunnels, construction of
*4 mile of pack trail; renovat
on of camp buildings and the
milding of a blacksmith shop.
\ survey of the 15 claims com
prising the company holdings
>vas also completed and crown
granting processes for 11
:laims were instituted.
ground were made that yield
id any considerable amount
jf gold. There still remain:
lowever, large plaecr reserves
chat could undoubtedly be
worked by companies having
adequate capital and skilled
engineering aid.
The value of copper produced
from Alaska mines in 1928 is
istimated to have been $6,100,
300, a decrease of about $1,
150,000 over the value of cop
per produced in 1927. In 1928,
is in former years, practically
ill of the copper came from
wo mines near Kennecott, in
he Copper River region, and
from one mine on Latouche
sland, in the Prince William
>ound region. These mines, ac
cording to records of the Geo
ogical Survey, have yielded
•opper worth $200,000,000 in
he 18 years or so that they
'lave been actively developed.
Extensive tests have been
made to determine the extent
of the known ore bodies at
these mines and to disclose
any other bodies, but no no
table new ore bodies are re
ported to have been discovered
IMPORTANT RESULTS
ON RUBY SILVER
Development results of mark
ed importance were made on
the Bear River properties of
the Ruby Silver Mining Co.
during the past season, accord
ing to a statement issued by
the management.
Operations were directed
principally to general prospect
ing and examination of the
various mineral showings by
H. A Bradley. Among the num
erous veins carried by a wide
mineralized zone are gold-cop
per leads assaying around $28
to $45 per ton in gold and sil
ver, in addition to a high cop
per content. Native silver is
present in thin leaves along
the walls. One of the copper
veins is being developed by
tunnels at different elevations
but the extent of the vein will
not be determined until the
215-foot tunnel at 1200 feet
elevation has reached its ob
jective, although the two up
per tunnels indicate an exten
sive ore body. An open cut on
the vein at 1100 feet elevation
indicated a width of 40 feet.
Open cuts during the season
on another copper vein gave
assay returns of $5 gold and
13 per cent copper.
Another vein has given
samples up to $125 per ton in
gold, silver, lead and zinc. The
company is contemplating a
program of diamond drilling
operations for the coming work
season.
during the year.
That there are in the Copper
River region, as well as in oth
er parts of Alaska, other de
posits that hold promise of
profitable development seems
likely, and prospecting work
's in progress at a number of
:hese places.
Most of the silver produced
in Alaska during recent years
has been recovered from the
popper ores—in fact, during
1927 over three-quarters of the
diver came from that source.
With the great reduction in
he output of the copper ore
in 1928 the quantity of silver
naturally shows a correspond
ing decrease. Some silver is
ilso recovered from the gold
:rom lodes and placers and
Trom ores that are principally
-/aluable for the lead and sil
ver they contain. Most of the
ore of this sort is mined in the
iiyder district in southeastern
Alaska. Silver-lead ores are,
lowever, known in widely sep
irated parts of the Territory
ind some mining and prospect
ing is in progress at several
places on ores of this type. The
high cost of transportation and
;reatm.ent discourages develop
ment of or search for these
pres except in the more access
ble parts of Alaska.
The production of coal from
Alaskan mines was greater in
1928 than in 1927—in fact, the
oreliminary estimates indicate
;hat more coal was produced
n 1928 than in any earlier
year. As usual, the greater
part of the production came
from the Matanuska and
Healy River fields. The princi
pal producing mines in the
Matanuska fields were those of
the Evan Jones Coal Co. and
Continued on Page 3.
NEW INVESTMENT TRUST
BASED ON MINING
The “Diversified Mining Se
curities, Limited,’’ a company
of the “investment trust” type
employing mining as the basis
of its investment activities, has
been formed in Vancouver.
The new concern is not a min
company and pr6poses to de
vote its activities principally to
the acquisition of approved
mining shares which present
lucrative possibilities.
The capitalization is made up
of 40,000 cumulative preferred
shares bearing a 6 per cent
dividend requirement, the par
value of which is $25 per
share, and 100,000 common
shares of no par value. Each
preferred share sold at $30
carries with it one common
share, leaving 60,000 common
shares, which control the com
pany, in its treasury.
Directors of the company in
clude R. II. Stewart, Gen. R. P.
Clark, Gen. H. F. MacDonald,
T. H. Kirk, T. W. B. London
and Nelson Spencer, all of
Vancouver.
Late press reports from the
south announce the resignation
of Dr. Howard T. James as res
ident mining engineer for the
northern district of British Col
umbia, embracing the Portland
Canal district.
Dr. James has severed his con
nection with the B. C. Depart
ment of Mines to become an
engineer for the Granby Com
pany, according to the reports.
His resignation is scheduled
to become effective as soon as
he can secure release from the
government service.
-o
Alaska was again revealed as
a treasure house by an item
arriving in Seattle recently
aboard the Boxer—50 tons of
tin concentrates. It is said that
Alaska is the only commercial
producer of tin on the
North American continent. The
world’s canning industry de
pends on tin and if Alaska can
develop a substantial output
she can buy the world. The
concentrates were produced by
George Waldheim and H. J.
Christensen, using Eskimo la
bor. Their base of operations
was Tin City, Cape Prince of
Wales. The shipment was the
largest ever sent out of Alaska
to Seattle, and is the third
shipment so far sent out. The
consignment is worth $700 per
ton, totaling $35,000. It will
be shipped to Singapore, where
it will be refined and then,
perhaps, be returned as tin
plate to Seattle and Alaska.
■v*
The Granite Mine, at Port
Wells, which some years ago
was a good producer, will be
operated on a considerable
scale during the coming sum
mer, and a hydro-electric plant
will be installed for power pur
poses, according to advices re
ceived in Valdez.
The Granite is a free-milling
gold proposition, and prior to
the World War was a good
producer.
A large amount of work has
been done on the property, re
vealing a substantial orebody.
HYDER PANSIES
GREET ST. NICK
To those accoustomed to con
sider Alaska a forbidding land
of icebergs and polar bears,
the announcement that pansies
were blooming out of doors at
Hyder Christmas Day will
probably appear a fiction born
of an overly active reportorial
imagination. Yet, absurd as it
may appear to those who do
not know the true characterist
ics of the Northland, Deputy
U. S. Marshal Donald E. Mar
tin found several splendid ex
amples of that delicate type of
flora blooming serenely on
Christmas Day in the flower
garden adjoining his office and
residence on International Av
enue. Although covered until
recently by a foot or more of
snow, and still surrounded by
patches of the frozen white
ness, the blossoms were fully
developed and appeared as
fresh and velvety as on a June
day.
While to the uninitiated such
things may seem impossible,
.he appearance of wild flowers
among snow banks is no un
common sight in the North.
The writer has frequently seen
wild flowers in full bloom on
spots which were covered with
two feet of snow less than a
week before their appearance.
Northener’s believe that the
phenomena is due to the sun’s
rays penetrating through the
snow and warming the ground
in which the plants are germi
nating, combined with si
multaneous melting away of
the snow surrounding the
plant. The effect is to create
a warmed hollow in the snow
in which the flowers are pro
tected from outside cold and
continue normal development.
-o
About 12 men were engaged
in prospecting the platinum
holdings on Salmon Creek and
tributaries, just below Good
news Bay, the past season.
They took out an aggregate of
about 100 ounces. The pres
ence of osmium and other el
ements brings the value up to
$90 an ounce, but as that sent
out was poorly cleaned it
brought the average down to
$72 an ounce. While some of
the holders figure their propo
sitions will produce a fortune,
conservative estimates place
the field as a grubstake propo
sition. Inquiries have been
received from the States re
garding the securing of all the
ground, under option, and the
sending of an engineer to ex
pert the same.
-u
The m.s. Norco is scheduled to
leave Seattle for Ketchikan
and Hyder next Tuesday and
should arrive here Friday ev
ening or early Saturday morn
ing.
-o
Local mining shares have
commenced to move upward
on the Vancouver Stock Ex
change. George Copper was
quoted at $8.75 yesterday,
Georgia River reached a new
high at 36 and B. C. Silver ad
vanced to $1.50. A number of
others have also advanced a
few points.