The Salmon River District is
Marvelously Rich in Minerals
and Hyder is the Gateway in
Consequence of Which Ifyder is
the Fastest Growing Town in
the North.
HYDER ALASKA MINER
■6
Published at the Gateway to the Salmon River, Alaska - British Columbia, Mineral Area
This Paper is Out to Publish nil
the Mining News. Keip Yr.ur
Friends Posted by Serdirg ihtni
the Paper after You Have Read
it. Boost for Hyder all I he
Time.
VOL. 1. NO. 11.
HYDER, Alaska, Jan. 9, 1920
FIVE DOLLARS A YEAR
Work Starts
On Unicom
J. R. McDonald comes Uj
From Seattle and Attends
Personally to a Difficult
Undertaking.
In spite of climatic difficulties to bt
overcome; J.R. McDonald hassueceedci
in getting work started on the Unicorn
and has personally seen the tunnel fac
ed up which will be driven to crosscul
a high-grade lead showing on the sur
face. With Lon Doggett and F. W.
Petrie, two oldtime Alas..ans whom he
brought up from Seattle, he went tc
the property last week and when he re
turned Sunday the men were under
cover and squared away for a winter’s
work. They expect to drive 201) feat to
reach the lead, which will be tapped
about 150 feet deep.
It is Mr. McDonald’s intention as
soon as the snow goes from the surface
to thoroughly diamond drill the prop
erty. There appear to be four distinct
ore bodies running through it, making
it such a big proposition that diamond
drilling is the only logical method of
determining where to run the working
tunnels anil outline j* nlnn
ment and ore extraction. The lead for
which the present crosscut is being
driven is separate from the main vein
system, being a comparatively sma 1
but persistent vein following a diabase
dyke and carrying excep ionally good
values as far as it has been exposed on
the surface, a distance of over 700 feel
The surface assays show always more
than an ounce in gold as well as high
silver values, and if these values con
tinue to depth, this lead alone would
make the property a valuable one, but
Mr. McDonald considers this lead more
or less of a side issue.
Beside diamond drilling .next : ummer
he expects to prepare for shipping nt xt
winter, and has his plans about devel
oped. It will be necessary to build
about six miles of road, which will ben
efit several other properties that wi 1
be operating next summer and whose
owners will probably co-operate with
Mr. McDona d in the road building. For
tranaportation he expects to employ
caterpillar trucks modelled after the
Am rican “Whippet” tanks v.hich dur
ing the war proved such a success.
These tanks demonstrated their ability
to go anywhere, and by keeping several
similar tractors busy when the heavy
snow is tailing, he does not anticipate
any difficulty in keeping the road open.
In connection with them he will use
double-ender sleds, of a pattern succes
ful in other snowy camps.
However, ore tonnage must first be
developed, and Mr. McDonald and his
associates are going after it in earnest.
They are amply able to finance the
mine, and are working on a pa tner
ship basis. I hey have grouped their
seven claims und r the name of the
Silver Creek group.
Mr. McDonald started back to Seat
tie on the last boat, but expects to re
turn to camp in February.
Three claims adjoining the Premier
on the east and called the P.emler Ex
tension group, have recently been sold
to Prince Rupert men, the deal being
made in Vancouver by Duke Harris of
New Har.elton. The ground was staked
by Bid Irwin and the option taken out
by W.G.Harris.
ALASKA MINING BRIEFS
—
Owing to a shortage of water thepro
! duetion of gold in the Fairbanks dis
trict last year fell short of theestima e
but nevertheless more than one and
one-half million dollars resulted from
| the season’s operations. The 'produc
tion wm distributed about os follows:
; Cleary, Chatinika Wolf and Chatham,
$100,000; Dome,$70,000; Ester and Gold
Hill, $25,000; Happy, $8,000; St. Patsick
$23,000; Fairbanks creek, $200,000; Lit
tle Eldorado, $35,000; Coldstream, Gil
more and Big Eldorado, $270,000; Pedro
890,000; Smallwood, $20.0 0; Steel and
J Vault creek, $10,000; Tenderfoot, .$7,000
Bonnifield, Kantishna and Totalinka,
$20,900; Circle, Koyukuk and Hot
| Springs, $45,000; Tolovana, $020,000:
Total, $1,513,000. In addition to the
! placer gold there was a production of
$60,000 from quartz mines in the dis
trict.
| A revival of prospecting activities
j is taking place in the old Salchaket
district. Frank Lawson, A.VanBibbler,
William Herschberger and a man by
j the name of Kay, all experienced sour
, dough miners and prospectors, will
wwin. uii onaw creeK. a anil
is to be taken up there later for use in I
wet ground, several'oldtime prospec
tors, among t'. em William Cragie and '
Fred Leslie, are trying again for the ;
elusive paystreak. Many oldtimers are
predicting that the next good camp
in that section, which has been the
scene of numerous stampedes from
Fail banks, will be developed.
Four hundred thousand dollars in god
dust, the result of the clean-ups of the
Iditarod and Kuskokwim districts since
the sail ng of the last river steamers,
have gone south from Seward on the
Admi.a'. Watson J.E. Beattie and C.
Baker brought the gold out and made
exceptional time, leaving Iditarod on
November 2d and arriving at Anchorage
Dec. 9. C. S Crider, traveling agent
for the express company, met the ship
ment at Anchorage and had charge of
, it until is was put aboard the ship.
Jack Frisbee, prominent W.llow creek
miner and operator, is in Anchorage for
a few weeks’ visit with friends. Mr.
Frisbee reports unusual activity in the
district this winter. Work on the Lit
i tie (!em nronertv is nmu-pposirv satis.
factorily and Mike Sherry and Patsy
Hogan are driving a tunnel on the Mam
moth property on Archangel. Mr. Fris
bee and Charlie Isaacs recently finished
a tunnel contract on the Mabel and dur
; ing the winter work will continue at
this property.
Late prospects in the- Mike Fess dis
trict of the Tolovana country are re
garded as favorable by the Fairbanks
newspapers. Several holes have been
sunk in 40 cent dirt. It is said that the
ground is shallow and the country there
fore easily prospected. Albert Bell,
Jack Nirieh, John Lasko and associates,
Peter Jorgenson, James Iracy and oth
| ers are in the country.
Another body of high grade ore has
been encountered in the lower levels of
the Copper King mine at Whitehorse.
A big shipment of ore from this mine
went out on the sailing of the freighter
Redondo from Skagway, consigned to
the Tacoma smelter for treatment.
Fotmer territorial senator O.P.Gaus
tad, now engaged in tramway and saw
mill business in the Tolovana district,
says conditions there are good, ar.d he
looks for the camp to be better than
eAer this year.
PERSONAL AND PERTINENT.
I
S. J.Garland of Winnipeg is a recent
arrival.
Bobby Small has received the agency
for Ford cars and parts,
Ed Belmont came in from Salt Lake
City on the last boat.
T, E.B.it!er, a pioneer newspaperman
is a recent arrival from Ketchikan.
Charlie Bibeau and Alex McPi.ee
j have gone to Wales Island to trap.
Hoy Clothier, preside it of the Sal
mon River Trading Co., has returned
from a trip south.
Howard Campbell, a business man of
Hazelton, is giving the camp the once
over with a view to locating.
Archie Myers, a carpenter of Xenana
and an old friend of Ross Pa'ton, is a
recent arrival from the north.
Ben A. Benolkin, a business man of
Ketchikan, has been paying Hyder a
visit. He may locate here next spring.
Pnil Backus, C.E., M.E., has gone
4o Washington D.C. on matters connec
ted with th ; Hydi r townsitoand mining
Miss Rae Brunzell, niece of Mrs Roy
Moseley of Stewart, has returned to
St. Joseph's academy in Prince Rupert
snfindmo' t'na lirtlidnvc u/i li liar
aunt.
The Alaska Trust anti Investment Co.
are advertising in this paper, as any
one.can see by looking at page 2. The
company is reliable, and any one h re
having too much money for convenience
can shoot it over to them an.; feel that
t is n safe hands.
Orin Hill, who built the big drug
store building on International avenue
came in this week from Ketchikan and
says that his drug stock will be here
ahou* Feb. I. Mr. Hill is a return d
soldier and was both wounded an 1 gas
sed at the front.
The sawmill machinery which ar ived
on the Albert for the Hyder Lumber
Co. Is practically ready for tuning up
and it is expected that it will be put in
operation next week. The company
will handle building material of every
sort beside cutting local lumber. Messrs
McLeman, Gray, Olsen ard Cedar are
the company organizers.
Frank Ripley, for several years a
resident of Cordova, ai d captain-catch
er of the Cordova baseball team, died
recently of hemhorrage of the brain.
Before going to Cordova he played
professional baseball in the east.
J he Prince John brought 55 passen
gers on her la t tiip.
Jack Gaffney is down from Seward
| to look the cainp over,
Mel Churchill, northern mining man,
has arrived in camp from Ketchikan.
The Taku II brought thirteen passen
I gers from Ketchikan on her last trip.
Attorney C. H.Sundmacher is com
fortably domiciled in his new building
on Main street.
Sknokum Johnson, famous mull'gan
i.i xo of the north, has thrown in his
destiny with Hyder.
J.V.Clegg, manager of the Salmon
River Trad ng company’s Hyder store,
has gone to Victoria on business.
Sam Potts has installed a messenger
! service and has wi ed the town so that
his house may be called at any time
H.A,Bowers and J C.Hutton, gaso
line experts from Seattle, hie arrived
in cam.) and intend going into business
here.
Rev. Father L. H. Rivet, 0. M. I.,
came up from Prince Rupert on the
John and will spend a week in the ois
trict. Father Rivet is a typical north
ern man and found a number of friends
here among the sourdoughs.
Wm. Fillier, foreman of the Lake
view, has gone to Vancouver and Vic
toria in connection with his Salmon
river mining interests. He Is interest
ed in th > Sunset and Mist groups, both
of whi h are to be handled by compa
nies next summer.
Mr. and Mrs. J.L.Campbell, who are
well known in the north, have taken
over the building formerly occnpied by
the Hyder Cafe and opened a restau
rant and bakery under the name of the
Marks, a name which they ma’e fam
ous in Dawson, Fairbanks and Council
during the past twenty years.
A piece of prop, rty 50 by 1'0 feet in
size adjoining the Salmon River Trad
ing company's store ha3 been purchas
ed by Frizzell of Prince Rupert and it ;
is understood that a two-story building
is to be erected, with rooms ab >ve and !
two stores on the ground floor, one of
which will be occupied by a meat mar
ket.
Fox farming has been me one of the
large indust ies of sev eal parts of
Alaska. The Cordova Times says it is
proving very prosperous. Twenty-one
slar ds on Prince William Sound are
leased for fox farming purposes.
HO SETTLEMENT
AT THE PREMIER
Twenty-five men came up from Prince
Rupert on the John Wednesday niglil
to work at the Premier, but after hav
ing a conference with the men vvht
who came down from the mine Dec. 2E
they decided not to go to work. At a
meeting, in Stewart Thursday night a
letter was read outlining the condition
I under which the men agreed to come u:
j from Prince Rupert, one of which was
that the men who left the mine should
I be ta en back without discrimination
and that the differences between them
and the mine management should be
adjusted to the men’s satisfaction, the
. letter was signed by th 3 ;ec*etary ol
j the 0. B, U. in Prince F.upert and VV.G.
! Harris, superintendent of the mine,
I who was returning from a trip south
and brought the men from Rupert with
him. Committees met the mine man
i agement in Hyder Thursday afternoon
but Ih re was no ar ival at ’an under
standing, a d so the Rupert man have
joined the old Premier crew at their
mess in Stewart.
Active operations are expo-ted d ic
ing t!ie coming summer on the part of
the President Mining Company, who
have taken over a group of claims own
ed bv Angus Mr Ken z e, Jack Sclnve ter
and Ed Bronson and adjoining trie New
Alaska on the south. Some live wires
of Vancouver have organized the com
pany, among them being W. J. VauKou
ten and S.J.t) Brien, president and sec
retary respectively. Angus McKenzie
is secretary of the company, ai d \V. A.
Allan and Jas Cullins are directors.
The only complete map of the Sal
mon river sec ion ever published lias
just been issued by Iialby B.Mo-kill,
provincial land surveyor for the B. C.
government, and it is a work of art as
well as absulut ly up to date so far as
properties on the Canadian side are
concerned. The map is about five feet
long and three feet wide, and ells for
85.00.
JOHN ROMAN “
IS MARSHAL
' The law ha3 come to Hyiler and is
j personified by Marshall John Ronan,
who took office Wednesday. Mr. Ronan
1 is an ex-senator of Alaska, and a gen
uine sourdough who has been in prac
tically every stampede since the Klon
dike rush. He is also owner of the
Montana group of claims up the Salmon
and the Interests of the district are vi
tally his interests. His appointment
1 giyes general satisfaction. While the
camp vasin its infancy, and chechacos
were conspicuous by their absence, the
oldtlmers who started Hyder got along
] very well together. To the credit of
the camp it may be said that there ha3
never been a crime committed here ar.d
up to the present a local officer has not
been necessary. With t e spring rush
about to start how ver, the administra
tion has thought it about time to have
someone in authority here.
Most of the Lakeview crew came
down Wedne3 ay, but two men bein0'
left at the property, who will continue
to crosscut the lead, 'the t nnel was
run a. distance .<f UC8 feet, and a cross
cut from the.end of about 60 feet en
countered the ore which at last reports
had been penetrated eight feet withouc
the feotwail being reached. The ore
is quartz with iron pyrite- and galena,
and looks as though it should assay. It
was to ;>j ed at a vertical depth of 14 i
feet.
Reports from the Forty Nine contin
ue to be most favorable. The high
grade ore recently encountered in a
cr fesent from the drift is not only hold
ing out but increasing i:i volume. The
Occidental tunnel ha- been closed down
on account «f snow and the ere v prt
to driving an upraise on the Forty Nine
high grade, and v. ill accomplish tie
double object of bio king ont ore and
establishing rn air connection with the
su.face.
ONE YEAR FROM NOW WILL ANYONE BELIEVE RYDER EYI R LCC Ki L I IKE 1 MI
rr