HYDER - FIRST ALASKA TOWN THAT CAN BE REACHED BY PACIFIC-YUKON-ALASKA HIGHWAY
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SPECIALIZING IN
MINING NEWS OF THE
PORTLAND CANAL
DISTRICT
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SUBSCRIPTIONS
S3.00 PER YEAR
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VOLUME 10, NUMBER 19.
HYDER, ALASKA, SATURDAY, JANUARY 27, 1934.
SINGLE COPIES 10 CENTS
CONSOLIDATED TAKES
SALMON GOLD GROUP
The taking over of the Sal
mon Gold property in the up
per Salmon basin by the Con
solidated Mining and Smelting
Company was officially an
nounced this week in Vancou
ver.
Rumors that the property
would probably be taken over
by a big operating company
have been in circulation for
several weeks. The Consoli
dated was mentioned as the
probable successor .of the Sal
mon Gold Mines Ltd., present
owner of the group, but defi
nite announcement was lacking
until the present.
The announcement, issued by
the Salmon Gold Company*,
stated in substance that a work
ing agreement with Consoli
dated had been signed and an
nouncement of the details
would be made within 30 days,
or as soon as the proposal had
been ratified by the share
holders of the company at a
meeting which had been called
for that purpose.
The acquisition of this high
ly promising gold property by
the great Canadian company
which is also developng the
Bg Missouri property through
its subsidiary, the Buena Vista
Mining Company, is an event
of outstanding importance to
the district, as it probably
means that the Salmon Gold
will be speedily and thoroughly
explored and given every op
portunity to prove its value as
a commercial operation.
The property consists of 37
claims, located cn the west side
of Summit Lake several miles
north of the Big Missouri and
apparently on the same gold
bearing zone as the latter
property. Preliminary devel
opment by the original locat
ors, Ted Morris and associates,
during the past two years have
exposed four gold-bearing
veins, averaging 5'/a feet wide
in the smaller veins and 11 feet
on the main vein. The average
value of the ores exposed was
announced officially as $22.50,
with gold at $30 per ounce.
Farley Favors Airmail
Service For Alaska
Postmaster General James
A. Farley favors the carriage
of all classes of mail in Alaska
by airplane and has recom
mended legislation to permit
him to contract airmail service
in the Territory, according to
Washington reports.
Farley asked that present
laws be amended to permit the i
postmaster general at his dis- j
cretion to contract for such
service.
ASSESSMENT SUSPENSION
PROPOSED BY WHEFLER
Prospects for a suspension of
performance of annual assess
ment work on mining claims
for the assessment year ending
July 1, 1934 are cantained in
reports from Washington that
Senator Burton K. Wheeler
has introduced a bill with that
object in view.
-o
Mahoney Now Marshall
William F. Mahoney, of
Ketchikan is now United States
Marshall for the First Judicial
district of Alaska, having taken
over the office January 15th.
Reports from Juneau last
week said Mr. Mahoney had
gone on record as intending to
appoint no subordinates who
are not bona fide Alaskans of
at least one year’s residence
prior to appointment.
Albert White, the retiring
Marshal, will make his future
home in Juneau, where he
plans to engage in business.
-o
Rufus Argenta Outlook Good
The tunnel new being driven
on the extensive recently ac
quired holdings of the Rufus
Argenta company near Ash
croft, B. C., is mineralized
across the face 40 feet from the
portal and at a depth of 70
feet below the surface. The
first objective is 150 feet from
the portal. Dimond drilling
has also been in progress for
some time with satisfactory re
sults, according to the reports.
Asks More Funds For C.W.A.
Prospects for a continuance
of the government’s C. W. A.
activities after February 15 are
presented in Washington re
ports last week that President
Roosevelt will ask congress for
$1,166,000,000 additional to
continue the civil works admin
istration and the civilian con
servation corps activities.
During his visit last week A.
F. Ghiglione, the engineer in
charge of the local C. W. A.
work, expressed the opinion
that the work will very probab
ly be continued.
•-o
Pioneer Physician Passes
Dr. William Joseph Pigg,
widely known Juneau physic
ian, died suddenly at Juneau on
January 15. He was found
dead in bed. Death was as
cribed to heart failure. He
practiced at various times in
Wrangell, Petersburg, Sitka
and Juneau and for a time was
physician at the Pioneers’
Home at Sitka
SILVER GROUP PLANS
TO FORCE 16-TO-l
REMONETIZATION
A group of Western Senators
is preparing to force further
action in behalf of silver re
monetization by means of a
rider attached to the adminis
tration’s bill providing for de
valuation of the dollar, ac
cording to radio broadcasts
last Sunday.
The S(0-called gold bill, pro
viding for a reduction of the
gold value of the dollar, was
approved by a large majority
in the lower house of Congress
last week and is now awaiting
Senate action. As passed by
the House, the measure was in
practically the same form as
submitted by the Treasury.
Senator Wheeler, author of
the 16-to-l silver remonetiza
tion bill now before Congress,
is leading the new effort to fix
silver on a definite parity with
gold and will endeavor to have
the 16-to-l feature attached to
the gold bill, unless President
Roosevelt signifies an intention
to go beyond the provisions of
his recent proclamation ratify
ing the London agerement for
increased use of silver as mon
ey and fixing a value of 64l/>
cents per ounce for new dom
estic mined silver.
As there is no apparent indi
cation that the President in
tends to go further in that di
rection, the effort to force act
ion by attaching a silver rider
to the gold bill will probably
develop, as planned by the
Western advocates.
Says Big Missouri
Operations Successful
The Canadian Mirror, prom
inent Eastern Canada mining
journal, says in a recent issue
that work on the Big Missouri
is being carried on in both a
northerly and southerly direct
ion. Five hundred feet has
been driven southerly and
about 300 feet northerly. In
the south, the drift has a con
siderable distance to go before
reaching its objective. Work
in the north drift is reported
as meeting with some success.
The Big Missouri Company was
alsio reported active on its Nev
ada properties, with a view to
shipping ore to the Salt Lake
smelter.
-o
Cash Cole Loses Libel Suit
The circuit court of appeals
recently dismissed the appeal
of Cash Cole in his case against
John Rustgard for $15,000
damages for alleged slander,
committed in the last election
campaign, when both men
were candidates.
(RENEWAL OF WORK
ON HERCULES PLANNED
Hercules Mines, Lid., owner
of the Hercules group in the
upper Salmon basin north of
and adjoining the Big Missouri
property, is planning a renew
al of development operations,
according to reports from Van
couver./p
The property is one of the
best known groups in the upper
Salmon area and comprises
five crown-granted claims
which are traversed by the
same mineralized zone found
on the Big Missouri, Unicorn
and other properties as far
south as the Premier mine. The
zone is said to have been traced
for 1700 feet and is strongly
mineralized. Earlier explora
tion disclosed values in gold,
silver, lead, zinc and copper.
Values at that time averaged
$34 a ton in all metals. Assays
showing as high as 45 ouncesof
gold and 8.25 ounces of silver
were obtained.
One lead is known to be 35
feet in width on the 'Surface.
Some 200 feet of tunnel work
was done before operations
were discontinued several
years ago.
The company was capitalized
originally aj $1,000,000 in $1
shares, of which 623,751 had
been issued at the time of sus
pension.
Officers of the company are
Albert T. Craig, President;
George E. Housser, vice-presi
dent; F. M. McLeod, secretary.
Col. J. E. Leckie is general
manager. Financing for the
new development is in the
hands of A. M. Howell and as
sociates.
u
Noted Indian Figure Dies
Chief Simon Gunanoot, a
widely known figure among
the Indians of the Nass River
and Hazelton districts of Brit
ish Columbia, died October26
at the headwaters of American
Creek in the Stewart section
according to a report made to
Constable Potterton of Stewart
last Saturday.
The report of Gunanoot’s
demise was brought in by
Thomas Campbell, Indian, who
informed Constable Potterton
that the old chief’s body had
been taken to Graveyard Point
on Bowser Lake and buried
there by his two sons and other
Indians.
“Tom” Donohue Passes
—
Thomas J. Donouhe, Cordova
attorney and former Demo
cratic National Committeeman
for Alaska, passed away last
week in California, aged 61.
MINERAL OUTPUT
$11,457,000—1 9 3 3
Alaska’s mineral production
in 1933 is estimated at $11,
•457,000, as against a product
ion of $11,638,000 in 1932, ac
cording to a preliminary esti
mate by the Alaska branch of
the Geological Survey.
The total production of the
Territory is divided in the esti
mate as follows:
Gold . $10,758,000
Silver. 64,500
Coal . 500,000
Other minerals .... 134,500
Total . $11,457,000
The estimated gold value is
calculated at the old price of
$20.67 an ounce for compara
tive purposes, but the premium
on newly mined gold increases
the value of the output as in
dicated by about $598,000.
The estimated production of
gold, $10,758,000, is a notable
increase over 1932, when the
actual output at the old price
was $10,209,000. There was
an apparent decrease of $180,
000 in the placer gold output
as compared with 1932, but
was more than offset by an in
crease of $729,000 in lode
production. Nearly four-fif.hs
of the placer gold was recov
ered by dredges. The esti
mated placer production was
$5,342,000 on the basis cf $20.
67 an ounce but the amount
actually received by the miners
was considerably in excess of
this figure.
Copper production, once the
most important item in Alaskan
mineral production, was so
small that no separate figures
are given. The decline is at
tributed to low copper prices
and closing of the Kennecott
mines.
-o
Recommends Silver Shares
The Mining and Engineering
Record of London, England’s
greatest mining publication,
recommends to its readers in
vestment in good silver and
base metal shares.
Better prices in such shares
are overdue and 1934 may see
an all-round improvement in
values, the journal says.
-o
Yukon Makes History
History was made by the Yu
kon river last fall. The river
closed completely at White
horse November 7 but opened
again from the Dam to Big
Bend on November 17 and re
mained Open over a month.
This is said to be the first time
in the history of the town that
the river has opened after be
ing completely frozen over.