AN ALL
ALASKA
NEWSPAPER
__/
DEVOTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALASKA AND THE PORTLAND CANAL MINING DISTRICT.
f
SUBSCRIPTIONS
$5.00 PER \ EAR
IN ADVANCE
VOL 2, NO. 30
HYDER, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31,1926
FIFTY CENTS A KCMH
BIG MISSOURI
OUTLOOK GOOD
That the results of the win
ters’ development work on the
Big Missouri are sufficiently
encouraging to warrant the
view that the property will |
develop into a mine, is the out
standing feature of a statement
to the Herald, by Capt. Duncan
MacViehie, veteran mining1
man and prominent figure |
in the Big Missouri Mining j
Company, following a visit of ,
nearly a week on that noted
property. Capt. MacViehie in
timated, however, that al
though results have been en
couraging considerable addit-,
ional work must be done be
fore the extent of mineralizat
ion can be established suffici
ently to enable the Company to
determine its future course.
Capt. MacViehie said his vis
it to the Big Missouri was j
made in behalf of the com
hence he did not feel at libexly
to discuss developments, in de- j
tail until after he had report- !
ed. |
“However, you may say,” he !
said, “that the development
work done so far has been sat- j
isfactory and the outlook if
favorable that the property
will develop into a mine. But,’ j
he added “much depends on
the results of development
work that will be done during
the next few months.”
During the course of the inter
view Capt. MacViehie referr
ed to the Premier, which ht
visited during his stay, and
paid high tribute to Genera) j
Mananger Dale L. Pitt and hk i
assistants for the splendid !
system displayed in its devel
opment and operation; deelar- :
ing it to be one of the most ef- -
ficiently managed and operat-1
ed mines he has seen in his ,
forty years of mining experi
ence.
■u
SCHOOL BOARD
CANDIDATES NAMED
The following candidates for
positions on the Hyder School
Board were nominated at a
meeting held in the school,
house Monday evening.
For School Director:
John Hovland
T. H. Evans
Mrs. J. A. Hall
For Clerk:
C. T. Hatten
Harold Johnson
Mrs. J. D. Lyons
For Treasurer:
Merl F. Thomas
Mrs. E. D. Haddon
Holger Johnson
Messrs Hovland, Hatten and
Thomas constitute the present
school board, being Director,
Clerk and Treasurer respect
ively.
The election will be held
April 5th in the Chamber of
Commerce Hall.
-o
Capt. Duncan MacVichie,
prominent figure in the Big
Missouri company, and Harry
Townsend, consulting engineer
of the same company, were
south bound passengers on the
Cardena enroute to Tacoma.
MUCH PROGRESS
ON DUNWELL
Recent visitors to the Dun
well report that the mine is
the scene of considerable activ
ity. Work at present is princi
pally devoted to extending the
raise from the No. 4 to the No.
3 tunnel and blocking out ore
in readiness for the contem
plated milling activities next
summer. The blocking out ac
tivities of the winter are said
lo have revealed immense ore
resources, ten feet or more of
solid ore beinng a not uncom
mon sight.
Work is scheduled to start
coon on a drift running north
from the No. 3 tunnel. This
extension is calculated to tap
at depth the promising high
grade ore showings found on
the Sunbeam claim last year,
which have been found to be
part of an independent vein
lying north of the present
workings.
o
The election canvassing board
•of Alaska was thrown out of
gear when the last Congress
abolished the office of Survey
or General for the territory,
that official being one of the
three officers designated by
law to certify the results of the
election for delegate to Con
gress from Alaska.
To remedy this situation,
press reports say, the House
passed a bill in which the Col
lector of Customs was substi
tuted for the Surveyor Gene
ral, the other members being
the Governor and Secretary of
Alaska. The Senate, however,
favored minority party repre
sentation on the board and
mbstituted for the Collector of
Customs, the National Commit
teeman in the Territoi'y repre
senting the chief political
party in opposition to that
of which the governor is a
member. The bill was passed
by the Senate in the latter
•form.
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The Senate has passed a bill
providing that money of in
sane Alaskans deposited with a
person, firm, corporation or
institution under contract with
the Department of the Interior
cor care, or who have died,
been discharged or eloped and
'heir whereabout are unknown
hall, if unclaimed by a per
son or legal within 5 years of
;he date of the disappearance,
be deposited in the United
States Treasury by the Sec
retary of the Interior, accord
ing to Washington press dis
The money is subject to recla
nation by the insane person or
heirs, five years after the date
of passage of the bill.
-o
E. R. Stivers, deputy Collect
or of Customs for this port, re
turned Thursday from an ex
tended vacation trip, during
which he covered a large sect
ion of Uncle Sam’s domain
and had a decidedly enjoyable
time.
USUAL PREMIER
DIVIDEND READY
The Premier mine will pay an
other $400,000 dividend to
shareholders on April 3, ac
cording to late outside reports.
The forthcoming distribution
will bring the grand total of
! dividends paid by this remark
able producer during the five
years of operation to $8,588,
000.
The palatial Grand Trunk
passenger steamer Prince
Charles has returned to -the
Vancouver-Stewart run and
made her first appearance of
the year in this port Sunday
i morning.
i According to recent announce
: ments the vesel will arrive on
| the same day weekly for some
| time to come.
Owing to the vessel leaving
l Vancouver only one day in ad
I vance of the Gardena, the
Prince Charles will not bring
mail from the States.
-
Letters mailed in the Hyder
postoffiee destined for points
i in the United States should not
i bear Canadian postage stamps,
| but should carry American
stamps. According to Post
master Oren F. Hill, there are
some local people who are
evidently not aware of this
rule and are given to mailing
| letters bearing Canadian post
; age stamps.
I Mr. Hill stales that letters
: bearing Canadian stamps and
mailed without a return ad
dress on the envelope will be
sent to the dead letter office,
; which will return them to the
! sender. As this will entail long
delay in delivery, care should
be taken that letters bear the
proper stamps. In no case
should Canadian stamps be at
tached to letters sent to the
States through the local post
office.
-o
The minstrel show given by
the United Services Club in
Stewart last week will be re
peated in Hyder Thursday ev
ening according to announce
ments during the past few
days.
Those who witnessed the per
S formance in Stewart are unan
\ imous in declaring it to have
; been one of the most enjoy
able entertainments ever seen
; in this locality, brimful of
! catchy tunes, clever dialogue
and amusing specialities. The
j cast includes such well known
i and clever entertainers as
1 Billy Orr, Harry Hooton, H. D.
i Roehfort, and others. The mus
ic is supplied by a four piece
orchestra , which includes J.
; P. Scarlett, Joe Cullen, L. M.
Gordon and Mrs. G. C. And
rew. The first half of the per
; formance is of the customary
i “grand ensemble” type, with
| the latter half made up of
i specialities and an amusing
j sketch entitled “The Cause of
I It.”
J The performance will be fol
lowed by a dance.
WORK STARTS ON
NATIONAL SILVER
Initiating what is said in re
liable quarters to be a program
of large scale development
work on the National Silver, a
crew of ten or a dozen men
left for that well known prop
erty early Wednesday, to start
the construction of new camp
buildings and otherwise pre
pare for active mining operat
ions. It is understood that sev
eral buildings will be con
structed, including a bunk
house capable of housing a
good sized crew. Work will
■ be, under the direction of
Geo. R. Bancroft, well known
mining engineer, who is repre
senting the Sebakwe and Dis
trict Mines, Ltd., of London
and South Africa.
-o
A prospect which gives prom
j ise of becoming a producing
mine is located on Baker Is
land, about 18 miles from
Craig, says the Wrangell Senti
nel. The ore discovery was
made some time ago by Capt
ain Edwin Hofstad. Recently
J. G. Galvin and George Gun
derson have become associat
ed with Hofsatd, and steps
are being taken towards mak
ing the prospect a produce*.
The ore carries gold, silvei,
lead and zinc. Samples assay
ed ran better than $150 per
ton. A mill test shipment 01
the ore was sent to Trail, B. C
with a view to finding out just
what the Trail smelter would
pay for such ore. A previous
report from the smelter indi
'cated that it would be glad
to take this kind of ore on ac
count of the high lead content.
The property is only 2,000 feet
from the. beach. Every indicat
ion points that there is a large
ore body, and the owners ex
pect in the near future to de
termine the extent and con
| tinuity of the vein.
u
The steamer Admiral Rogers
of the Pacific Steamship Com
pany, has already been chart
ered for two trips to South
| eastern Alaska this coming
| summer, and all accommodat
j ions on the Admii'al Evans
have been reserved for one
trip to Southwestern Alaska,
j The parties to make the south
| eastern tour are the Presby
! terian church party in charge
! of Dr. Stevens, of Los Angeles,
which sails on the Rogers on
July 7 from Seattle and the
Worley party,-sailing on Aug
ust 7. The Frank Reedy party
of Texas will sail from Seattle
July 20 on the Evans for Sew
ard, and will go thence . to
Fairbanks, returning to Sew
ard in time to board the Evans
returning from the westward.
; The body of Conrad Sivert
son, a trapper, missing from
Cordova since ealy in Decem
i ber, is reported to have been
! found by native boys in
a gas boat tied to the shore
; in a lagoon, in a lonely
(spot on Montague Island.
DELEGATE OPPOSES NEW
LITERACY TEST MEASURE
Delegate Sutherland, apeai
ng recently before the House
Territories committee, placed
himself, on record "as opposed
• to. the White bill, providing
for literacy ciualifications by
Alaska voters, according to
Washington press- dispatches.
The hearing on the bill also
disclosed that, although in
! troduced by Representative
White of Maine, the measure
. actually had its source in Alas
ka, the author being Senatoj
Anthony J. Diamond, membej
of the Alaska senate and well
known Alaska attorney. Rep
resentative White told the
! committee that he had intro
duced the measure at the re
quest of Mr. Diamond and war
not personally interested in it.
passage. Save for a few
changes, the bill is practically
the same as the measure intro
duced by Senator Diamond
during the last session of the
Territorial legislature and
l adopted by that body aftei
the insertion of amendment
providing that the literacy test
provisions- should not apply t
illiterates who had voted ;
previous elections.
The reports cay Delegat'
Sutherland opposed the bill o
j the ground that the latter en
act me nt was on the statute
books, and that the White bib
would disfranchise between
LOO and 200 Indians and i
similar number of whites. lit
* also pointed out that the
White bill leaves cdectior
judges to conduct and require
- a literacy test and claimec
that in most cases the pack
ing interests employed these
judges. In substantiation of the
latter charge, Mr. Sutherland
is said to have read testimony
alleging that Alaska is practic
ally “a government by and fo:>
the packers.”
—-n
The General Petroleum Com
pany, which has an option on
several oil claims in the Yaka
taga field, expects to resume
operations in May. Last sum
mcr a drilling rig, caterpillai
and casing were landed on the
ground, the balance of the
equipment, including supplies,
camp outfit and wireless se:
were beached at Icy Bay.
about six miles from Yakataga
Active work will begin at
1 soon as weather permits. It is
, believed that drilling will
start by August 1.
-o
Frank Waskey, son of Frank
, Waskey, Alaska’s first dele
\ gate to Congress, is a membei
i of the Wilkins polar expedit
ion, as assistant radio operator.
Young Waskey is a graduate ol
the University of Washington.
He lived for a number of years
in Alaska, mostly at Nome, and
along the Yukon River. His
father is at Dillingham, where
he has been engaged foi
1 some years in mining activ
ities.
^ORGANIZATION OF
FEDERAL CONTROL IN
ALASKA PLANNED
A plan for reorganization of
ihe Federal Government in
Alaska is being considered on
the initiative of the Depart
ment of the Interior with a
view of giving the officials of
the Territory greater authority
in local affairs, according to
Washington press reports.
The plan has been referred to
Secretary of Commerce Hoov
er and Secretary of Agricul
ture Jardine.
The Departments of Com
merce, Agriculture and Interi
or, under the plan would ap
point from among the present
lforces in Alaska, a man to
supervise and coordinate the
work of his own Department,
which in some cases are divid
ed among as many as 22 Bur
eaus. These executive officers
would not occupy any new of
fice but would be Vice-Secre
taries for Alaska for their sev
eral Departments and ‘would
have power, subject to appeal
to tlieir superiors and det 'de
all matters.
The Vice-Secretaries would
'eorganise the w-jrk of th
Departments, arrange and co
ordinate with other Depart
ments.
The three Departments select
ed have the most to do in con
nection with Alaska affairs.
The other Departmens wovi l
function as at present.
After Secretary Hoover con
siders the plan, it will be intro
duced to Congress. The plan is
:aid to be still in the formative
■stages.
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According to a well known
’.nd fairly authentic source,
he Standard Oil Company
viil continue operations in the
Cold Bay district for at least
;en years. It was stated that
he company has already drill
ed two dry holes means noth
ing, for in producing oil fields
| throughout the world thou
ands of dry holes have l ean
trilled, while, sometimes at a
short distance gushers omit
the liquid gold by the hun
dreds of barrels.
Ft is alSo a well estatl'shed
fact that prior to the entry in
fo the westward district of the
oig oil companies, nationally
known experts and author ties
had visited the district ar.d
pronounced oil was there.
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“Doc” Caswell, of the Alaska
narcotic department and Mar
shal Reynolds recently made a
raid on the premises of R. G.
(Slim) Lancaster, at McCarthy
and obtained a still contain
mash, which they seized as
evidence and laid a charge
against him for violating the
Alaska Bone Dry law. Slim
pleaded guilty before Com
missioner Harwood and was
assessed $250, and g'ver. a
three months suspended sent
ence. Upon failure to raise tv
money for the fine he i
ing out the time in the bcai
jail.