* ' " 1 ■ ' '
SPECIALIZING IN
MINING NEWS OF THE
PORTLAND CANAL
DISTRICT
HYDER WEEKLY HERALD
DEVOTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALASKA AND THE PORTLAND CANAL MINING DISTRICT.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
S3.00 PER YEAR
IN ADVANCE
VOL 6, NO. 46
HYDER, ALASKA. SATURDAY, AUGUST 23,1930.
PRICE TEN CENTS I
BIG POWER PROJECT
FOR DAVIS RIVER
I A -
The development of a big
hydro-electric power project
on Davis River, 14 miles be
low' Hyder on the Alaska side
of Portland Canal, is presaged
in the arrival here this week of
a party of four engineers oT
the Portland Canal Power
Company headed by a Mr.
Weight to make surveys for a
power plant at or near the
mouth of that stream.
As is customary in such cas
es, the engineers had little to
say regarding the project but
from other'sources it is learned
that the company, which is said
to have the backing of Chicago
capital, has expressed the in
tention of developing eventual
ly 10,000 horse-power at the
Davis River site, which former
ly was controlled by the Com
monwealth Mining and Explor
ation Co. The rights of the lat j
- ter concern have been acquiree! J
by the Portland Canal Powet j
Co. In addition to the powet !
plant construction, the comp |
any plans construction of pow j
er lines to supply the distric i
with reliable power for light i
heating and power purposes. |
The leading ligure in tin i
new project is Mr. Willis T
Batcheller, head of Willis T j
Batcheller, Incorporated, of Se I
attle, widely known consulting ;
engineers, who specialize ii i
water power development.
Mr. Batcheller has beer !
working quietly on the Davi
River project since making ;
visit to the district severa
years ago and becoming con
vinced by a personal examin
ation of the possibilities o
Davis River as a power re
source. During the past yeai
or two he has further con
firmed his estimate by secur
ing through representative^
careful measurements of the
water flow in summer and win
ter and under a'wide variety oi
climatic conditions. I t.. i i
learned from a reliable sourct
that the data obtained indi
cates that there is at all time;
an ample supply of water tc
meet the requirements of i
large power plant, as well a;
adequate water storage possi
bilities.
The value of such a develop- j
merit to the district would be j
immeasurable. It has long been j
recognized here that cheap
and easily available power is j
one of the primary needs in the j
development of mines and in
commercial mining. The suc
cessful completion of the pro
ject will undoubtedly result in
a marked acceleration of min
ing activities in all parts of the
district, particularly in the case
o f undeveloped prospects,
which could be opened up in
less time and at far lower cost
than at present. The company
should also find a lucrative
field in supplying power to the
established mines which
now maintain costly mechan
ical power plants and prob
ably would avail themselves
of the opportunity to secure
stable power at lower cost. It
is the general view in mining
and business circles that the
completion of the new project
will be one'of the most import
*
Govt. Orders 30 Musk
Oxen For Alaska
An order for a herd of 30
musk-oxen, to be obtained in
Greenland, has been placed
with an experienced collector
by the Bureau of Biological
Survey pursuant to an appro
priation by Congress of $40,
000 for establishing an experi
mental herd of these animals
in Alaska. The animals will
be delivered in New York,
whence they will be shipped
to Fairbanks, where they will
live in a large enclosure set
aside by presidential order for
investigations of reindeer and
musk-oxen.
Musk-oxen, says the Biolog
ical Survey, resemble small
sized buffalo, and are the most
truly Arctic of all the large
mammals occurring in North
America. Prior to about 1800,
hey existed in goodly numbers
in Northern Alaska, but are
now extinct there as a result
>f indiscriminate killing. They
have persisted in limited num
bers in Northern Canada, east
ern Greenland, and on some of
he Arctic islands. Musk-oxen
n! zoos in the States have
proved to be gentle easily and
easily tamed. Musk-ox meat,
when properly dressed at the
eight time of year, is of excell
ent quality and similar to beef
and buffalo meat. Investigat
ions indicate that the forage on
he treeless Alaskan plains is
iuitable for them and in cap
ivity they have thrived on hay
and on carrots and other root
:rops.
$81,500 Last Month
Alaska Juneau Profits
—
A surplus of $81,500 was!
earned by the Alaska Juneau i
Jold Mining Company from 1
he operation of ,the Alaska |
luneau mine in July, according
to official announcements.
A gross profit of $268,500
was derived from 344.050 tons
of ore mined and trammed to |
the mill and the operating
profit for the month was $93,
)00. Other expenses and ac
crued charges amounted to
£11,500, leaving the net sur
plus $ 1,500. Gold recoveries
otaled $264,600, an average
)f 79.21 cents per ton of ore
handled, and silver production
amounted to $3,900, an aver
age of 1.17 cents per ton, mak
: :ng a total recovery of 80.38
j cents per ton for both metals.
Street Lights Renewed
i
The Street Lights committe
if the Chamber of Commerce
performed a much appreciated
service this week by replacing
j the burned-out lamps in the [
street lighting system.
j Henry L. Krim, an oldtimer of |
^he Anchorage section commit
ted suicide there a few days
ago by shooting himself thru
the head with a .22 rifle, reas
! on unknown. He is survived by
a widow and two children.
ant developments that has oc
curred in the Hyder district
and the company should be
' given all possible support and
encouragement.
Moose Dance August 30th
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ALASKA HIGHWAY
SURVEYOR VISITS
The Pacific-Yukon-Alaska
highway reconnaisance survey,
now in progress north of Haz
elton under the direction of the '
British Columbia government, !
was extended to this district J
last week with the arrival here :
Saturday afternoon of a big
Western Canada A i r ways
plane bearing Lt. Colonel J. M. j
Rolston, leader of the govern- i
ment survey party in the field, I
and Mr. W. K. Gwyer, road |
superintendent for the north
western-district of British Col- j
umbia. Mr. Gwyer’s visit, how. I
ever, was not connected with |
the highway survey.
The two officials made the
trip from Hazelton direct by j
way of Nass River and Mezi
adin Lake and remained here
untilSunday morning. The re
turn trip was made by way of
the headwaters of the Nass and
Klappan Rivers and Dease
Lake. The Klappan is a tribu
tary of the Stikine River, and,
like the Nass, heads into the
Klappan Mountains, situated
near the southern border of the
Stikine district, and flows
northwestard to its confluence
with the Stikine about 30 miles
south of Dease Lake. From the
latter point the survey will ls\t
er be extended farther north
and eventually to the border of
the Yukon Territory.
The purpose of the air recon
naisances is to pick out the j
most feasible route for the pro-1
posed highway north of Haz-1
elton, according to recent of
ficial announcements, but the;
visit of Col. Ralston to this sec
tion, considerably "to the west
of the probable route of the j
highway, indicates that the lo
cal proposal to build a branch
highway to Stewart and Hyder
is also receiving consideration.
B. C. Silver Reports
June Progress
A copy of the June progress
report of the B. C. Silver man
agement received from London |
this week discloses no import-1
ant developments during that
period. All work was con
fined to No. 6 level. Drift 646N
the northeasterly drive drive
on the ore zone, was advanced
75 feet, bringing the face to !
449.5 feet from 76 cross-cut.
No commercial values were
found. Three cross-cuts driven
off 646 drift encountered no
favorable country. Drift 644, j
the northeasterly drive on the j
i zone from 627 cross-cut, was
advanced 18 feet in highly sil
icified country but showing no
commercial values. A total of
| 222 feet of drifting, cross-cut
ting and sideswiping was done, i
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Premier Talkies Tonight
The first display of the Pre
mier Community Club’s sound
, motion pictures is scheduled to
take place at Premier this
i evening and should be a
marked attraction. Admission
has been fixed at 75c for men
and ,50c for women. The dis
play is scheduled to commence
at 7:80 sharp.
IMPORTANT HID.
ON UNICORN GROUP
Discovery of free gold at
two different points hi the No.
3 tunnel on the Unicorn prop-;
erty of the Unicorn Mines, Ltd.,
! was reported this week by
j John Hovland, president and
: managing director of the comp
any.
The tunnel, on which work
has been in progress since last
winter, is now in a little over
300 feet and the gold discover
ies were made at a vertical
depth of about 100 feet, Mr.
Hovland said.
Although conceding that the
finding of free gold is import
ant as indicating a possibility
that the rich gold veins found
in spots on the adjoining Big
Missouri property may extend
into the Unicorn, Mr. Hovland
was inclined to minimize the
discovery owing to the fact
that no defined gold bearing
veins or deposits have been lo
cated so far. In his view the
hiost important feature of the
find is that it was the first time
that visible free gold has been
found on the property.
“Free gold has been found
in a number of places in thc
district,” Mr. Hovland said, “so
the mere discovery of a little
on the Unicorn may mean noth
ing. However, where there is
some there may be more and
as the tunnel face is now in a
highly mineralized and siiici
fied formation it is hoped that
we are now approaching an
important ore body.”
Mr. Hovland also reported
that a recently installed water
blast ventilating system is giv
ing splendid service in keeping
the tunnel free of gas and bad
air. The system, which employs
a fast-moving stream of water
to create an air draft, requires
less than an hour to entirely
clear the tunnel of smoke and
powder fumes after shooting.
Library Board Meets
Owing to the absence of a
quorum, the meeting of the
Hyder Public Library called
for August 15, was not held
until Monday this week. The
meeting was the first formal
session since the conversion of
the former Public Library As
sociation into a joint stock
company under the laws of the
Territory. Ernest Blue, presi
dent, presided, and all .but one
member of the governing board
was present. Save for the ap
pointment of Mrs .E. L. Dale to
fill the position of secretary,
made vacant by the resignat
i ion of Mrs. D. E. Martin, the
' meeting developed only rout
ine matters.
-o
j
The July number of the Na
tional Geographic contains a
vivid account of a canoe journ
ey down the Yukon River made
by Amos Burg and Fred Hill.
The object of the expedition
was to secure a pictorial rec
ord of the annual migration of
caribou across the Yukon.
Dr. Alan Bateman, professor
of geology at Harvard univer
sity, after a recent inspection
of the Kennecott copper mines,
said they will continue to pro
duce indefinitely.
Details of Fendley Accident
Details of the accident in
which Joseph R. Fendley sus
tained a broken leg on the Met
calf and Fendley property on
Banded Mountain last week
indicate that fortuitous circum
stance alone prevented the un
fortunate incident from be
coming a possible fatality.
According to Mr. M. C. But
ler, mining engineer in charge
of operations on the property,
it may be considered almost a
miracle that Mr. Findley was
not badly maimed or "killed, as
the rock which struck him was
a huge boulder weighing ap
proximately 200 pounds and
fell or rolled a distance of 40
or 50 feet from the precipitous
banks of a rocky gulch before
striking its victim.
Mr. Butler said the accident
occurred about 10 a. m. Frida}
morning. Mr. Fendley had
been assisting Mr. Butler to ob
tain samples from an almost
inaccessible vein of ore some
distance up on the wall of the
gulch and had remained be
hind after Mr. Butler left to
send the samples up to Mr
Metcalf and others employed
on the property who were wait,
ing on the rim of the gulch
No one knows how the rock be
came dislodged from its rest
ing place and its fall was not
seen until it was almost upon
the unsuspecting man at the
bottom of the gulch. The im
pact of the boulder against his
leg hurled Mr. Fendley intc
the icy water of the stream,
which flows through the gulch
wetting him to the skin and
further increasing the precar
iousness of his situation. Owing
to the rough character of the
ground it was found imposs
ible to carry the injured man
to the camp, situated a con
siderable distance away, and
he was made as comfortable as
possible in a tent pitched at a
favorable spot near the scene
of the accident. Mr. Sutler
then started over the glaciei
for help and arrived at the
Seims-Spokaue Co., road camp
on Texas Creek late Friday
evening, after notifying every
one encountered enroute re
garding the accident. From the
road camp Mr. Butler was tak
en by auto truck to the Premier
mine, where he secured splints
and medical supplies and hur
ried back to Banded Mountain.
In the meantime several par
ties had gone over the ice to
help bring the injured man out
and Deputy U. S. Marshal Don.
E. Martin, who happened to be
at the Blasher camp on Emer
aid Lake, arranged with five
men engaged on a road con
tract In that locality to go over
the glacier early Saturday
morning. Mr. Martin then pro
ceeded to tfie main road camp
near Ibex Creek, where Mr.
Anderson, superintendent of
the road construction operat
ions generously placed at his
disposal 8 more members of the
road crew and also sent a
company truck carrying a
spring bed and mattress as far
up the road as was safe to
| await Mr. Fendley’s arrival.
The first news of the accident
was brought to town Saturday
morning by Mr. Baker, who
had left the Metcalf and Fend
ley camp Friday evening and
Continued on Page 3.
MOOSE LEGIONNAIRES
PLAN BIG TIME HERE
Local Moose lodge members
are looking forward with
pleased anticipations to the vis
it of the Ketchikan Moose
heart Legion next week, when
the “Howdy Pap’s” will frolic
as never before in the history
of the local lodge. The visit
ing delegation, which may
number forty or more, includ
ing Moose ladies, is scheduled
to -arrive around noon on Sun
day August 31 and will remain
here until Monday afternoon.
The delegation is expected to
include an orchestra and poss
ibly a ball team. The afternoon
of their arrival will be devoted
to showing the visitors around
the district, with a ball game
as a possible side-issue. Sun
day evening will be given over
to a dance and supper in Pion
eer Hall, followed by a big
“Frolic” at which the mem
bers of the order will gambol
in high glee and also take into
the Legion circle a number of
candidates.. The dance and
mpper will be open to all
Moose members and lady
Moose. Dancing will continue
during and after supper until
the start of the Frolic. While
this is in progress the visiting
ladies will be entertained by
the Moose ladies of Hyder and
Stewart at a card party in
Stewart. Local members of
the order state that the Ketch
ikan Legionnaires are plan
ning to make a visit to Hyder
at least once a year and have
passed a resolution to that ef
I feet.
Data Required For
Veterans’ Hospitilization
The following data relative
io the hospitilization of ex-ser
vice men was obtained by N.
Traversy from the American
Legion officials in Ketchikan
during his recent visit there.
U. S. Veterans’ Bureau re
quires identification as a war
veteran not dishonorably dis
charged and date of enlist
ment, discharge and character.
The need for hospitalization
must also be shown, the veter
an’s condition and whether the
case is an emergency case or
not. Also whether a nurse or
attendants are needed and
if an ambulance is required.
All veterans are entitled to
hospitilization when necessary,
regardless of whether sickness
is due to army service or not.
| Constitutional cases will prob
ably be sent to the states for
treatment. Minor cases will be
cared for in Alaska hospitals.
1 As there is no doctor in Hy
der, local veterans will have
to go to Ketchikan for hospit
alization, but an effort is to be
made to have the local hospit
al care for cases not of serious
type or requiring specialized
treatment.
-o
J. W. Dawson arrived at Sew
I ard recently with a crew of 15
men and 40 tons of Hydraulic
mining machinery for the Alas
ka Crow Creek Mining Co. The
property of the company lies
about 2 miles from Girdwood
and includes about 240 acres
of ground.
Moose Dance August 30th