HYDER - FIRST ALASKA TOWN THAT CAN BE REACHED BY PACIFIC-YUKON-ALASKA HIGHWAY,
SPECIALIZING IN
MINING NEWS OF THE
PORTLAND CANAL
DISTRICT
V
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VOLUME 9, NUMBER 11.
HYDER, ALASKA, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1932.
SINGLE COPIES 10 CENTS
PITT SAYS NO CAUSE FOR
WORRY OVER OUTLOOK
Questioned by a Vancouver
publication regarding a story
emanating from Stewart to the
effect that the Premier might
be forced to shut down if the
Tacoma smelter suspends op
eration through being deprived
of concentrates from the F it
tania mine, Dale L. Pitt, mana
ger cf the Premier company,
is reported as saying that he
does not see any cause for
worry.
The company, he said, is re
newing 23 miles of aerial tram
cable and he expects operat
ions will proceed along normal
lines, adding that in the nor
mal course of events, Premier
must eventually cease to ship
ore either to the Granby sn.elt
er at Anyox or to Tacoma, as it
will be more advantageous to
put the remaining ore through
the mill. He anticipates no
difficulty in disposing of the
concentrates.
Regarding the ore on the 6th
level, indications of whi h
were obtained recently by dia
mond drilling, Mr. Pitt said a
tunnel picked up only a st» mg
er where the ore should be.
-o
Stewart To Celebrate
Reports from Stewart say a
few of the live ones got busy
this week on an open-air
Christmas celebration along
the lines of the one held last
year. A big Christmas tree
has been set up on Fifth Street
at the corner cf Columbia and
will form the centering point
of the celebration.
McCord—Lambert
Mrs. Alpha J. McCord and
Mr. John Lambert were united
in marriage by U. S. Commiss
ioner Chas. F. Sandford at the
Commissioner’s office Monday
afternoon. The ceremony was
witnessed by Mr. Louis Wat
kins and Mrs. Pearl Glantz.
The couple are well known old
timers of the district. They will
make their home in Stewart.
-o
Ed. Andersen Passes Away
Reports from Juneau this
week announced the death
there on December 13 of Ed
ward Anderson, well known
former resident of the Hyder
district. Mr. Anderson, who
was employed at the Chicha
gof mine until shortly before
his demise, had been in poor
health for a considerable time.
-o
W. W. Metcalf,former local
mining man, is at present lo
cated in Rockaway Beach, Ore
gon.
Mail Boat Encounters
Severe Weather On Canal
Fierce Taku winds, combined
with violent snow squalls, rain
and other varieties of bad
weather along the lower reach-)
es of Portland Canal were re
ported by the crew of the mail
boat Taku II, following the ar
rival of that vessel from Ketch
ikan Thursday morning some
five or six hours behind sched
ule.
The trip from Lincoln Chan
nel was described as one of the
worst encountered on the run
by anyone on board.
The Taku II replaced the
motorship Fairbanks, owing to
the recent sinking of the latter
vessel in Port Waller as a re
sult of an encounter with ice
while breaking her way into
I that port, w’here the ice was
7 inches thick over the bay.
The vessel is now in drydock
at Ketchikan undergoing re
pairs and will probably be
back on the local run next
week.
Weather conditions along
the Canal were so bad the Ta
ku II was 12 hours in making
the run from Hidden Inlet to
Hyder, usually covered in 7
hours.
-o
New Tram Cable Arrives
Twenty-three mites of heavy
traction cable for the Premier
aerial ore tramway, between
the Premier mine and tide wat
er, arrived Wednesday on the
Coastwise steamer Griffco, in
addition to a large quantity of
lumber and other supplies for
the company. The cable will
replace the cable now in use,
which has seen 12 years of con
tinuous service.
The work of stringing the
i huge cable will be a large un
dertaking and will require a
considerable time and much la
bor.
-o
Shortest Day Of Year Passed
—
The winter solstice, marking
the shortest day of the year,
occurred Thursday and the
days are again growing long
er instead of shorter, as is the
case between the summer and
winter solstices, the former of
which occurs June 21.
In astronomy, the winter sol
stice also marks the beginning
of the winter period, although
we have had considerable real
winter hereabouts for some
time.
-o
Mr. and .Mrs. J. V. Clegg of
| Stewart left Monday for Vic
toria, where they will spend
thie winter with relatives. It is
their intention to return to
Stewart in the early spring.
PUBLIC CHRISTMAS
CELEBRATION HELD
The annual community Christ
mas celebration was held Fri
day evening in Pioneer Hall
under the auspices of the Loy
al Order of Moose. As is usu
ally the case, the entertain
ment was attended by practic
ally everyone in the camp and
was greatly enjoyed by both
old and young.
A splendid program was pre
sented by the public school
children under the direction of
Miss Isabel Thoma, teacher in
charge of the school, in which
the juveniles acquitted them
selves in most admirable man
ner.
The school program was
followed by a distribution of
gifts from the gaily decorated
and illuminated Christmas tree,
in which each child received
a number of presents. The dis
tribution was conducted by
old Mr. Santa Claus, who de
lighted the little folks by giv
ing each of them a personal
greeting. The program pre
sented by the school children
included the following num
bers:
Introduction: Sarah Finlayson.
Christmas Card Pageant:
Frances Sandford, Marjorie
Haddon, Thelma Legge, Ken
neth Legge, Jackie Crozier,
Emma Kristovich, Bobby John
son, Tommy Jadroe, Johnny
Kristovich, Harold Bushfield,
Patrick Kristovich, Sarah Fin
layson.
“Shopping”: Sarah Finlayson,
Frances Sandford.
“Cure That Cold”: Sarah Fin
layson, Jackie Crozier, Mar
jorie Haddon, Frances Sand
ford, Kenneth Legge, Harold
Bushfield.
“The Stockings”: Emma Kiis
tovich, Frances Sandford. Thel
ma Legge, Bobby Johnson,
Harold Bushfield, Tommy Jad
roe, Johnny Kristovich.
Closing Speech: Kenneth Leg
ge.
Concluding the program,
Misses Phyllis Bushfield and
Lillian Stewart displayed great
proficiency as “hoofers” by
presenting an excellently exe
cuted tap dance.
Arrangements for the cele
bration were conducted by a
committee of ladies appointed
by the Moose and included
Mesdames Frank Fisher, Hol
ger Johnson, L. L. Legge, F.
Bushfield and E. D. Haddon.
The Pioneers of Alaska donat
ed use of the hall and other
wise assisted in the arrange
ments.
-o
The Hyder public school
closed Friday for the holidays
and will not resume sessions
until Monday, January 2.
Alaska Pioneers Elect Officers
The annual election of offi
cers was held Tuesday evening
by Hyder Igloo No. 20, Pion
eers of Alaska, with the follow
ing results:
President, Louis Watkins;
1st vice-pres., F. Seppi; 2d
vice-pres., Patrick Stapleton;
secretary, Clyde B. Hager;
treasurer, T. H. Evans; chap
lain, Geo. Brown; historian, C.
F. Sandford ; sgt.-at-arms, J. H.
Regan; F. R. Nagle and E. M.
Reynolds, trustees. August
Pahlke and Chas. Duke were
also named as delegates to the
next Grand Igloo convention.
The new officers will be in
stalled at the first meeting in
January.
-o
Kristovich Has Hard Trip.
Nick Kristovich, Tombstone
Bay settler and fisherman, ar
rived Thursday from the low
er Canal on the Taku II, after
being picked up by that vessel
in the vicinity of Engineer
Point,during a strenuous trip in
his outboard motor boat from
Hidden Inlet in stormy weath
er, which he described as the
worst he has ever seen on the
Portland Canal.
After getting on board the
mail boat, Kristovich’s boat,
in tow of the larger vessel,
was swamped by the heavy
seas and most of its contents,
including part of his clothes
and camping outfit, were
washed overboard before they
could be saved, entailing a
considerable loss.
Kristovich reported that Geo.
Lemmons and Bert Bobo are
camping at the entrance to
Willard Inlet, near the mouth
of the Canal. Nick said that
campers on the beach are
finding it rather tough rustling
this winter, owing to the con
tinued bad weather and ab
sence of game. As an instance
of the weather difficulties, he
says Lemmons and Bobo in an
open boat tried twice to go to
Hidden Inlet for supplies but
failed each time. The deer,
usually numerous in that sect
ion, have all but disappeared,
doubtless ow’ing to the bad
weather on the coast and the
wolves, which are very num
erous along the Canal.
Another Dunwell Shipment
Messrs. Younkin and Me Fad
den, leasors of the Sunbeam
'claim of the Dunwell property,
made another shipment of oro
to the smelter last Monday.
I The consignment consist :d of
i about a carload of ore.
PREMIER CO. INSTALLING
FLOOD PROTECTION DAM
Work on the big wing dam
now under construction by the
Premier Gold Mining Company
near Fish Creek to protect the
company’s ore tramway from
flood damage along the low-ly
ing river flats, is nearing com
pletion under the supervision
of Charles Goldsburgh. The
dam is located directly behind
the Fish Creek Angle station
and is designed to divert water
running in the southeasterly
channel back into the channel
running in a southwesterly di
rection from that point. The
overflowing of the southeaster
ly channel onto the flats in the
vicinity of Fish creek has sev
eral times threatened the tram
and caused the company con
siderable trouble and expense
in recent periods.
The work is one of consider
able magnitude on which a
crew of five or six men and a
caterpillar tractor have been
employed for some time.
---o
Public Library Open Sunday
Although Sunday is Christ
mas day, Librarian B. B. Smith
of the Hyder Public Library,
will maintain the usual Sunday
open hours to accomodate pat
rons who may desire some
“brain fodder.”
o
Asseltine Describes Premier
Ore Milling Processes
An interesting technical pap
er describing the processes em
ployed in the milling of Pre
mier ores was read by Wm.
Asseltine, Premier mill super
intendent, at the three-day an
nual meeting of the Canadian
Institute of Mining and Metal
lurgy held in Vancouver com
mencing November 30.
Mr. D. L. Pitt, manager of
the Premier company and pres
ident of the Mining Associat
ion of British Columbia, wel
comed the delegates and de
livered the opening address of
the session. Mr. Pitt spoke on
the founding of the mining in
dustry in B. C. and mine tax
ation.
Mr. Pitt was also the toast
master at the banquet which
closed the session.
-o
Ketchikan Court Term Jan. 9
A special term of the U. S.
District Court will be held in
Ketchikan commencing Janu
ary 9, according to reports
from Juneau. Both grand and
petit juries will be drawn, al
though it is reported that the
| juries will not convene until
i later in the month, probably
I around January 20th.