r - 1 J"-'
SPECIALIZING IN
MINING NEWS OF THE
PORTLAND CANAL
DISTRICT
HYDER WEEKLY HERALD
rr< 1 ' M
SUBSCRIPTIONS
$5.00 PER YEAR
IN ADVANCE
—
DEVOTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OP ALASKA AND THE PORTLAND CANAL MINING DISTRICT.
VOL 6, NO. 8
HYDER, ALASKA, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30,1929.
PRICE TEN CENTS
FAST DEVELOPMENT
OF SILVER BELL
GROUP PLANNED
Fast development work on
the Silver Bell group on Texas
Creek is planned by the Cantu
Mining Company, which re
cently obtained an option on
the property, according to E.
D. Haddon, cashier of the
Bank of Hyder, who is the
secretary and also a director of
the Cantu company.
Mr. Haddon said the company
contemplates an active devel
opment campaign just as soon
as weather conditions permit.
It is the intention of the man
agement to fully equip the
property for fast development
work. Included in the various
development projects planned
will be the building of a horse
trail to the high grade show
ings with a view to making
shipments of high grade ore
from time to time while the
deeper development is in prog
ress,
me oiivar oeu group is locat
ed In the most highly mineral
ized section of the Texas Creek
area and possesses excellent
possibilities for developing in
to a profitableproducer. The
group has been well reported
on by Prof. A. F. Buddington
in his recent report for the U.
S, Geological Survey on the ge
ology of the district. It lies in
a fissured zone in argellite and
graywacke, most favorable to
the making of good values.
Commenting on the deal
whereby the Cantu company
took over the property, Mr.
Haddon said it was one of the
fairest deals, both to the pur
chaser and seller, that he has
yet seen in the district. The
lease and option provides for
minimum payments every six
months, with a provision giv
ing the purchaser the option ot
paying cash at any payment
date in full settlement of the
purchase price; thus providing
for a considerable saving to the
purchaser if he should elect to
settle before the bond matures.
Besides this, the owner has
given the purchasers a chance
to get considerable develop*
ment work done before they
are obliged to make heavy pay
ments.
“One of the greatest handi
caps to local development is
the short season for opening up
prospects,” Mr. Haddon said,
“and it is unsound business
practice for any Individual or
corporation to put themselves
in the position of having to
make large payments on unde
veloped mining properties be
fore the ground can possibly be
opened up sufficiently to per
mit them to see if they can
reasonably expect a fair return
on their investment.
“Mining is speculative at best
and with the chances against
rather than with the develop
er. If Texas Creek is to devel
op into a profitable mining
district, as we all expect, it
must be realized that it can be
accomplished only through the
BOAT OWNER HAS
NARROW ESCAPE
Oscar Larsen’s power boat
3ank suddenly at its moorings
at the Hyder dock early Tues
day morning and came peril
ously close to carrying its own
er to the bottom of Portland
Canal.
Mr. Larson was asleep in the
cabin and was suddenly awak
ened by the water coming into
his bunk. A hasty investigat
ion revealed nearly three feet
of water in the cabin. Realiz
ing that the boat was sinking
under him, Mr. Larson attempt
-id to escape by the door but
found it jammed and was com
pelled to break a window. For
tunately for him, the window
was large enough to let him
pass through and he escaped
to the dock clad only in his
shirt and underclothing.
The sinking is attributed by
Mr. Larson to the water gain
ing ingress around the exhaust
pipe from the engine. The ves
sel was raised without diffi
culty and practically undam
aged by jts descent into Davy
Jones’ locker.
Later— Since the above was
written, Mr. Larson and his
boat became the victims of an
other unfortunate and danger
ous experience as a result of
the vessel catching fire from
and overturned gas lamp while ;
undergoing an overhauling in j
the creek In the rear of the old j
McDonnell Hotel late Friday |
afternoon.
Mr. Larson succeeded in
smothering the flames before
serious damage resulted but
suffered the misfortune of hav
ing one of his hands painfully
burned before the blaze was
quenched.
Aside from being a little
scorched, the vessel sustained
no damage.
cooperation of the owners with
interests that are inclined to
open up that part of our won
derfully mineralized district.
“Another serious rawback,:
Mr. Haddon continued,“ has!
been the absence of easy means I
of communication. However, j
with the completion of the new \
government truck road to the
Chickamin district through the
Texas Creek valley, I feel that I
the Texas section will go ahead
<fast, if our good friends, the
prospectors, will open their
hearts and see the soundness of
the view that the buyer must be
given an opportunity to see
what he will receive back from
his investment before he has j
to call on his backers for heavy .
payments. It is my opinion that
many properties can and will
be opened up and a payroll es
| tablished in the Texas area if
! our prospectors will see the
wisodm of cooperating with
j capital in the development of
their properties, as they are do
j ing elsewhere in our prosper
ous country.
“It is folly for anyone to ex
j pect large initial payments on
properties in this district,
which no tonly labor under the
disadvantages of the short
SUSPENSION OF
PROSPECTOR AID
ACT ANNOUNCED
The funds for the first half of
the current biennium having
been exhausted, and as no ad
ditional funds will be available
until the beginning of the last
year of the biennium, April 1,
1930; suspension of payments
under the Prospectors’ Aid
Act of Alaska until March 31,
next, was announced a few
days ago by B. D. Stewart,
Commissioner of Transportat
ion in charge of the fund and
in general supervision of the
administration of the Act.
Under the 1929 act of the
Alaska Legislature, the Com
missioner is required to dis
burse each year as nearly as
possible 50 per cent of the en
tire appropriation for the two-,
year period. The Legislature
appropriated $20,000 for the
biennium, of which slightly
more than $10,000 has been
expended. As a result, it has
become necessary to not con
sider any more applications
for assistance under the Act
nor to receive vouchers cover
ing such aid until the last half
of the biennium opens on April
1,
Mr. Stewart said his office
will probably issue a revision
of the present regulations-,
which will probably change
some of the present interpre
tations of some phases of the
Act, in order to insure ade
quate funds to take care of the
most urgent cases. It may also
be necessary to allot specific,
limited amounts to various
sections of the Territory.
Superintendent Frank Fisher
of the Premier tram system has
been confined to his home for
the past few days as a result
of the development of sympt
oms of infection in one of his
lower limbs which was injured
some time ago.
mining seasons but also are in
competition with properties |
located in districts favorable
to development work during
practically the whole year.
I believe if we will adopt an
attitude of cooperation we will
very soon be able to boast the
greatest mining district on the j
North American continent. I
It is well to remember the slo
gan of the Guggenheim’s:
‘Not a dollar for a prospect,
but a million for a mine.’ If
we want the million we must
first open up the prospect and
this can soon be done if we will
but'realize the great difficult
ies confronting local operators
as result of the short seasons,
heavy snows and poor trans
portation; and realize also the
unsoundness of the terms de
manded for prospects through
out the district.
“We have numerous good
prospects here; let us cooper
ate with capital to get them
opened up and sold. Prosperity
will then come to all of U3.”
PROTECTION OF
BROWN BEAR IS
TO BE REDUCED
The long continued efforts of
Alaskans to remove protection
from the big brown and griz
zly bears which infest certain
parts of the Territory, with
much resultant damage to
game animals, live stock and
not infrequenty with the de
struction of human lives, has
culminated in action by the
Alaska Game Commission look
ing to the removal of protect
ion from the dangerous beasts
except in certain definite areas
and the removal of such pro
tection from black bears all
over the Territory. The limited
protection accorded the brown
and grizzly species is confined
to areas where industrial and
commercial development is
either nonexistent or back
ward.
The recommendation for the
indicated changes in the game
laws was decided upon by the
Game Commission during it’s
sixth annual session, held in
Juneau during the early part
of the present month. The pro
posed removal of protection
will become effective July 1,
1930, in the event of its adopt
ion by the agriculture depart
ment.
ft statement issued by the
Commission explains that the
recommendation for modificat
ion of the existing regulations
was made “in order not to
stand in the way of increasing
industrial development in
many parts of Alaska and to
correct a misunderstanding
that has existed in the minds of
many residents of the Terri
tory” regarding the regulat
ions now in force. The recom
mended modifications provide
for closed seasons on brown
and grizzly bears only in the
following areas: The Alaska
peninsula, the area draining
Cook Inlet from the west, the
area between Bering River and
the west side of Yakutat Bay,
the area between Alsek River
and the west side of Glacier
Bay and the following islands:
Shuyak, Montague, Hinchin
brook and Hawkins. In these
areas the season is to be Sept.
1 to June 20 and the bag limit
two in the aggregate. How
ever, in all these areas a resi
dent of the Territory may kill
large brown and grizzly bear
at any time or place when such
animals are about to attack or
molest persons or property.
The black bear could be tak
en or killed by lawful means
throughout the territory at any
time.
-o
Arthur Moa, superintendent
of the Mountainview Gold Min
ing Co., left Thursday for the
States, accompanied by Mrs.
Moa. They will spend the hol
iday season at Mr. Moa’s home
in Port Townsend, Wn., and
plan to return to Hyder early
in the coming spring.
MRS. THOS. DODD
PASSES AWA)
Mrs. Jeanne Hortense Dodd
wife of M. T. Dodd, proprietor
of the Town Pump cigar and
notion store, passed to the
Great Beyond at her home on
Main Street early Thursday
morning. Her unfortunate de
mise culminated an illness of
many months, resulting from a
complication of disorders for
which no permanent medical
relief could be obtained.
Deceased was a real pioneer
of the North, having first ar
rived in Alaska 31 years ago.
During her long residence in
the Territory she lived at var
ious times in Skagway, Fair
banks, Seward and Kanatak,
before coming to Hyder four
years ago with Mr. Dodd.
Mrs. Dodd was a native of
France, having been born in
Paris November 3, 1876. In ad
dition to her husband, to whom
the heartfelt sympathy of the
community goes out in his sad
bereavement, she is survived by
relatives who reside in Paris.
The funeral was held this
(Saturday) afternoon under
the auspices of the Hyder Ig
loo of the Pioneers of Alaska
and with the impressive and
beautiful ritualistic ceremon
ies of the order. The services
were attended by a large num
ber from both sides of the in
ternational boundary line and
numerous floral offerings at
tested the regard in which the
deceased was held by those
who knew her.
The remains were laid at rest
in Riverview cemetery after
the impressive graveside cere
monies of the Pioneers.
The pall bearers included T.
H. Evans, Thomas Kelley, B. B.
Smith, L. R. Doggett, P. Stof
felson and Angus Kennedy.
The Pioneer ceremonies were
conducted by John Ronan and
Clyde B. Hager, officiating re
spectively as president and
chaplain. The funeral arrange
ments were directed by E. E.
Charleton.
THOUGHT IT TIME
LOVE WENT SOUTH
Ernest Love, manager of the
Portland Canal Telephone &
Telegraph Co., had consider
able fun Friday while connect
ing the new telephone cable on
a pole in front of the Customs
Office. He was talking with the
Stewart office nearly every
minute, as the lines were con
nected, prefacing with the us
ual “hello.” Hearing his calls,
passers-by below would look
up and answer: “Hullo,” think
ing Mr. Love was addressing
them. Others, however, saw in
his frequent repetitions of the
word plain evidence that the
urbane Mr Love was about
due for a trip out. One of them
remarked to a bystander that
it was high time a man went
Outside when he began talking
to himself. Another '.casually
remarked that talking to ones
self was bad enough, but when
a man talked to himself and
then answered his own quest
ions, he KNEW that the man
in question should go cut.
f
NEWSY JOTTINGS
BEHRING ON LOCAL
MINING ACTIYITES
Good progress in the extent
ion of the main tunnel on the
Northern Light property of the
Premier Border Gold Mining
Company is revealed in a re
port of development progress
made public in the south a few
days ago.
The tunnel, which is being ex
tended southeast at an elevat
ion of 1131 feet and at approx
imately the same horizon as
the No. 5 tunnel on the Pre
mier Gold Mining Co. property,
was in 1161 feet at the end of
October, having been advanced
a distance of 215 feet during
the month.
The tunnel is expected to cut
within about two hundred feet
a sulphide zone, discovered by
diamond drilling, which is said
by the report to have showed
values up to $43 over narrow
widths.
a
COURT RULES THAT
ALASKA TIDE LANDS
NOT ALIENABLE
That no one, not excepting In
dians, can hold paramount title
to tide lands in Alaska, and
that such lands, even when oc
cupied, remain the property of
the United States and subject
to federal authority under all
conditions, was declared re
cently by Judge E. Coke Hill
of the Third Division district
court in a decision handed
down in the case of the Unit
ed States against Jennie Lynch,
Ketchikan Indian.
In an action to enjoin the de
fendant from erecting certain
permanent structures on tide
land on Tongass Narrows, the
government contended that
such action would affect nav
igation and contravene the
paramount rights of the Unit
ed States.
Judge James Wickersham,
representing the defendant,
contended that she possessed
the right under the Indian
claims law to hold the land in
question and asserted that she
could not be disturbed in her
use of it.
In his decision, handed down
October 16, Judge Hill upheld
the government and decided
that Congress at no time had
made it possible for Indians
or anyone else to claim para
mount title to tide lands, title
to which, he declared, re
mained vested in the federal
government in trust for a fut
ure state that may be created
out of the Territory of Alaska.
The case was the first of its
kind affecting the use of tide
lands by individuals where
such use or occupation was op
posed by the government.
-o
J. A. Hall, president of the
Bank of Hyder, arrived from
Vancouver Monday evening,
accompanied by Mrs. Hall and
Arthur Hall, assistant cashier
of the bank, who has been en
joying a vacation in the south.