- '■ ■ ■ 1111,1 '**
SPECIALIZING IN
MINING NEWS OF THE
PORTLAND CANAL
DISTRICT
-1
HYDER WEEKLY HERALD
DEVOTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALASKA AND THE PORTLAND CANAL MINING DISTRICT.
i.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
$3.00 PER YEAR
IN ADVANCE
Vi
VOL 7, NO. 9
HYDER, ALASKA. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1930. PRICE TEN CENTS
FIHE VALUES IH NEW
BiC. SILVER GREBODV
Fine values have been eu
countered in recent days in the
new upraise off the No. 63C
drift on the sixth level of the
B. C. Silver property, according
to a cable report from the
mine to the London headquart
ers of the Selukwe Gold Min
ing and Finance Company,
Ltd., controller of the proper
ty.
A copy of the report received
on the last mail discloses that
the raise, last reported in these
columns as up 18 feet ab'
the floor of 636 drift, had been
advanced to 30 feet on Nov m
ber 15, the date of the re per*
and apparently was penetrat
ing a splendid grade of ore. as
the report states that the aver
age of all samples at that date
was $51. The average width of
the ore body is placed at 5 feet
6 inches.
According to the message the
best samples taken during flu
preceding week over a width
of 5 feet 6 inches gave returns
of $96 per ton, while test holes
showed that the ore body poss
essed an additional width of 6
feet, making a total width of i
11 feet 6 inches at that point.
To this disclosure of excell
ent values, the report adds that j
the northeast end of the raise ;
averages $48 and the south
west end $15, all samples be
ing taken over a width of 5
feet 6 inches.
Burke Party Apparently Safe
Capt. E. J. A. Burke, lost I
Canadian flyer, and his two !
companions, while not yet j
found, are in all probability !
safe somewhere in the Atlin ,
district, according to radio re-i
ports from Seattle Thursday
night. Reports last week indi
cated that the long missing
flyers had been found but this
proved to apply only to their
plane, which was located from
the air by Pilot Everett Wass
son, flying out of Whitehorse.
The radio report referred to
was based on pre.ss dispatches
from Whitehorse, via Juneau,
and stated that Pilot Wasson
had returned to his base after
mushing to the Burke plane
from a small lake about 15
miles away and found a mess
age from the missing men stat
ing that their supplies were
running low and that they in
tended to make their way to
Wolf Lake, 50 miles or so from
the point where they landed on
a small lake. The message was
inscribed on the trunk of a
blazed tree located near the
abondoned plane, which was
tied to the bank. Ifthisrepoit
is correct it is not improbable
that the party will be definite
ly located within a few days.
Nothing has yet been heard
from the American flyer, Capt.
Robin Renahan and his two
passengers. The Canadian
airplanes piloted by Flight
Lieutenant L. R. Phinney and
Flying Officer C. R. Dunlap,
who visited Hyder recently,
have completed a series of ex
tensive flights north and south
of Prince Rupert but failed to
find any sign of the missing
plane,
\
Orcn F. Hill Has Close Call
Thrown from his speeding
power boat into the icy waters
of Portland Canal after strik
ing some object enroute which
inflicted a most severe bruise
on his right arm and hip and
all but rendered him uncon
scious, Oren F. Hill, local post
master and proprietor of the
Hyder Drug Company, came
perilously close to losing his
life by drowning near the Hy
der dock early Tuesday after
noon.
Mr. Hill, at the time of the
accident, was testing the boat’s
engine, which had just been
overhauled by Capt. R. E.
Stickler, master of the fine
power cruiser employed under
charter by the Portland Canal
Power Company in its Davis
River operations. With Capt.
. -'.ivivici liuiu uii .
Hill’s boat house on the north
side of the dock, Mr. Hill cir
cled the southerly end of the
dock structure and was return
ing at high speed when he
uddenly saw a mass of drift
wod across his path. Being too
close to slow down in time, he
attempted to avoid the mass by
passing throug the bents of the
dock approach after a sharp
turn. There was ample room to
pass, but owing either to the
tide or the oscillations of the
swift-moving craft, the boat
swered suddenly between the
bents, striking the piles a
glancing but violent blow as it
passed under the approach.
The impact tossed Mr. Hill out
of the boat like a chip and be
fore he could make a move he
was in the chilly water. To
further complicate his situation
one of his feet had become en
tangled in a coil of rope in the
boat and he found himself be
ing dragged through the water
by the unguided boat.Weighed
down by his heavy clothing, he
went under several times be
fore kicking himself free at
what appared to him to be at a
considerable depth below the
surface. On reaching the sur
face after what seemed a long
time, he found a new danger in
the shape of the flying speed
boat, which w a s tearing
around in circles and threaten
ing to strike him as it passed.
I i evidentially this did not hap
pen and with fast waning
strength he managed to swim
to the dock, hoping to cling to
a pile until help arrived. He
managed to reach his destinat
ion, although so weighted
down by his heavy clothing he
could scarcely keep his head
above water. On reaching the
piling he attempted to cling
to the slimy logs but was so
chilled and exhausted that he
could not hold on. After sink
ing below the surface severe!
times he managed to reach and
get his arm over one of the
cross biaces between the pile«
and clung there until Capt.
Stickler and “Red” Wile could
bring a row boat from the low
er end of the dock. As no other
boats were available, Capt.
Sticklerwas compelled to un
lash and lower one of the boat*
| from his own vessel at the fai
I end of the main dock before
going to the rescue. Also he
was compelled to pull the Hill
boat house up to the dock
climb the ladder and traverse
the entire length of the long
dock structure before reaching
iqg his vessel. Wile, who was
WOODBINE PLANS
MAY BE EXTENOED
That it is probable that fut
ure operations on the Wood
bine property will take on a
more extensive character as a
result of recent findings in the
shaft sunk from the main lev
el, in which water inflow re
cently blocked operations, is
the outstanding feature of a re
cent statement to Western
Canada Mining News, of Van
couver, by Hugh B. McGuire,
managing director of t h. e
i Woodbine company.
Mr. McGuire, according to
| that reliable journal, indicated
| that the flooding did not occur
; until the shaft had been sunk
to the promising gold lead pre
viously revealed by diamond
drilling, and good showings
found entirely across the bot
tom of the shaft, while One cor
ner had been sunk for several
j feet in a good grade of ore.
| some of which assayed as high
as $200 a ton. This statement,
however, was not intended to
suggest that an extent of this
kind of ore had been disclosed
as yet, as values ranged from a
little over $5 up to that figure,
jwith much that ran around
| $20, with the higher percent
; age of values in gold.
From this it would appear
i that the good results secured
in the shaft before the water
came in and prevented further
i work more than offset the ef
jfects of the inopportune flood
jing. W'hen corelated with
| previous development, d i a
mond drilling-, etc., the work
done in the shaft definitely in
dicates the presence of a body
of ore that is from 80 to 100
feet wide that is becoming in
creasingly richer and is now
known to exist for some dist
; ance and depth as a result of
j test drillings and other devel
! opment work
Mr. McGuire indicated that
some revision of plans may be
put into effect, but with these
further assuring indications it
is probable that future operat
ions will take on a more exten
sive character.
Mr. and Mrs. E. D. Haddon
became the parents of a second
daughter on Thursday last
week. The new arrival made
her debut in Stewart hospital
and, with her mother, is re
ported progressing favorably.
not aware of the accident, was
on the float at the far end of
the dock when Capt. Stickler
arrived and enlisted his assist
ance. By the time his rescuers
arrived Mr. Hill had been in
i the water fifteen minutes or
more and was so far gone that
J they were virtually compelled
t o pry him from the stringer,
to which he was clinging with
the proverbial tenacity of the
drowning. Fortunately howev
er, he suffered no serious ef
fects from the long immersion
and was able to be about again
Tuesday evening, although
his bruised arm and hip were
painful reminders of his misad
venture.
The boat, which continued to
circle about near the dock ow
ing t o the rudder being
jammed hard-over, was picked
up later by Capt. Stickler and
> found undamaged.
TWO TRAM WORKERS
ARE BADLY INJURED
James Knight, Premier tram
way lineman, and Dimitri Ros
laeff, another tram worker, re
ceived serious and possibly fat
al injuries through being
struck by a runaway ore buck
et while traveling on the tram
way a short distance below
the Premier mine early Tues
day afternoon.
Knight, who is widely known
in the district, sustained a
fracture of the skull as a result
| of the impact with the loaded
ore conveyor, while Roslaeff,
suffered a fracture of the spin
al column, according to reports
from the mine.
The two men were enroute
from the mine to the Nine-Mile
camp of the Premier company
when the accident occurred.
They were riding on a heavy
plank suspended from the tram
cables on rolling devices known
as timber hooks, which are
customarily use to transport
lumber and timbers over the
tramway. Shortly after leaving
the mine and while near the
foot of the steep declivity ex
tending from the tram-head to
the lower valley, they were ov
ertaken by the heavy iron
bucket, which in some un
known manner lost its grip on
the running cable and dashed
-down the steep incline at .ex
press train speed. Roslaeff
said later they saw the bucket
approaching but, as the cable
at that point is 75 feet above
the ground they could not
jump to safety. Even had
this been possible, it is doubt
ful if they could have jumped
in time, as the bucket was upon
them almost instantly, so ter
rific was its speed. So far as
known the bucket did not
strike either of the men. In
stead i t appears to have
crashed into the end of the
two-inch plank on which they
were riding, breaking it in two
and hurling them into the air.
Knight is thought to have
been injured by striking a
stump in his 75-foot descent to
the ground and Roslaeff is be
lieved to have landed first on
a fallen tree trunk.
The unfortunate men were
taken to the mine hospital by
fellow employees and and
were sent south on the Prince
George Thursday for treat
ment at Frine Rupert. Despite
the gravity of their injuries
both men are believed to have
a fair chance to live.
Apparenty no one was in any
way to blame for the accident,
although it is against the rules
for employees to ride on the
tram. Also it is difficult to ex
plain why the ore bucket
should have broken loose just
at that time, when thousands
of buckets go over the tram
every week without coming
loose from their fastenings. In
fact it is said by tram employ
ees that runaway buckets are
a distinct rarity in view of the
great number passing over the
tram during the day, hence it!
is extremely hard to guard |
against such accidents.
■o
John Hovland, president and
managing director of the Uni- j
corn Mines, Ltd., will leave j
Monday for Seattle to spend
the holidays with his family.
Mail Boat Damages Dock
Some peculiar predisposition
to accidents must have been
present in this locality Tues
day, judging by three unusual
accidents all occuringwithin a
space of four or five hours.
The first of these occurred
on the Premier tramway; the
second involved the power
boat accident in which Post
master Hill almost lost his life,
and the third occurred when
the Ketchikan mail boat Wind
sor crashed into the Hyder
dock at the conclusion of its
weekly voyage from Ketchi
kan.
The accident is said to have
been due principally to a
strong tidal current in the bay,
combined with an alleged fail
ure of the boat’s engineer to
properly interpret signals from
the pilot house. Whatever
the reason, eyewitnesses state
that the vessel while landing
suddenly swung bow on to the
dock while going at slow
speed. The pilot is said to have
signalled for a reversal of the
engine to check the vessel’s
progress. The engineer, row
ever, is said to have misunder
stood the signal and started the
engine ahead.. In the resultant
impact the Windsor ploughed
under the dock for several
yards, breaking down the
heavy 12x12 guardrail and
tearing up the heavy planking
of the dock for a considerable
distance - before coming to a
stop. The vessel, curiously
enough, suffered but little
damage beyond the smashing
of a short section of the deck
railing. * No one was hurt. The
damage to the dock is estimat
ed at about $100 by Holger
Johnson, manager of the odck
company.
■o
Norco Sailing December 8th
The Northland Transport
ation Company motorship Nor
co will leave Seattle on Decem
ber 8 with freight for Ilyder
but will not visit this port, a«
the freight will be transferred
at Ketchika n to another ves
sel sailing direct to Hyder, ac
cording to advices received by
the Hyder Dock Company, lo
cal agents of the line.
The message states that
through rates will apply on
local freight consignments,
hence the transfer of shipments
to another vessel will not in
volve any increase in transport
ation charges.
Cole Sends Thanks
For Local Support
Cash Cole, territorial audit
or, in a letter to the Herald,
requests this paper to express
to the people of Hyder his
thanks for the splendid vote
given him locally in the recent
general election in which he
was a candidate for re-election.
In token of his appreciation,
Mr. Cole says he wishes the
people‘of Hyder to feel free to
call upon him for any service
he may be able to render the
community; adding:
“I have in mind the town’s
one great need: continued pro
tection work on Salmon River.”
Mr. Cole, it will be recalled,
received the largest vote of any
candidate in the local elections.
ER COMMERCE I
ELECTS NEW OFFICER!
The annual meeting of the Hy
der Chamber of Commerce was I
held Tuesday evening inCham-f
ber of Commerce Hall but de
veloped little business of gen-1
eral interest aside from the|
election of officers for the com
ing year and the subsequent!
selection of the various execu
tive officers; all of whom,
with the exception of the sec
retary, are chosen by the trust -|
ees from among their own
number, following their own!
election by the general body.
President E. D. Haddon pre
sided.
Thp seven trustees elected in
cluded J. A. Hall, H. R. Cross,
E. D. Haddon, N. M. Traversy,
Holger Johnson, Frank Reich
enback, and Chas. F. Sandfoid.
Following their induction in
to office, the new trustees re
elected Mr. Haddon to the
presidency of the btard and
Mr. Cross was chosen to fill the
office of secretary-treasurer,
succeeding D. J. Mulcare.
j Ole Twedt, well known min
I ing man, addresed the meeting
regarding the advisability of
a trail from the head of Texas
Creek into the Laduc river sec
tion via the northern extension
of the Cbickamin Glacier and
urged that action be taken in
that direction, stating that it
would be of g’^eat benefit to
prospecting and mineral devel
opment in that area.
Proposals to increase the
membership of the Chamber
and o resume the practice of
holding luncheon or dinner
meetings were discussed from
various standpoints but no def
inite action was taken on eith
er proposal The next meeting
of the Chamber will take place
January 6.
o
Whist Drive Fine Success
The Hospital whist drive in
Stewart last week was entirely
successful and netted over
$100 for the hospital. Attend
ance was excellent, 16 tables
being occupied by the players
in the whist tourney. First priz
es were annexed by Mrs. Lee
and L. S. Davidson and the con
solations by Mrs. J. Campbell
and Jack Grey. Mrs. Campbell
also won the radio set. Stewart
ladies supplied the refresh
ments and the music was also
donated.
The financial report of the
hospital board shows receipts
and disbursements as follows:
Ticket sales, $55".00; Raffle
receipts, $81.00; Donation, J.
Anderson, $2.25, total $138.25
Disbursements: Hall rent, $10,
luncheon supplies $5.05 clean
ing and incidentals $3.50, tot
al $18.55. Net returns $119.70.
o
Public Library Meets
New officers for the ensuing
year were elected at the annu
al meeting of the Hyder Public
Library Friday evening but,
owing to shortage of space, an
account of the proceedings
cannot be presented, until next
week.
-o
Mr. and Mrs. W. T. Essel
mont returned from their hon
eymoon trip this week.