HYDER - FIRST ALASKA TOWN THAT CAN BE REACHED BY THE PACIFIC - YUKON - ALASKA HIGHWAY
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SPECIALIZING IN
MINING NEWS OF THE
PORTLAND CANAL
DISTRICT
HYDER WEEKLY HERALD
SUBSCRIPTIONS
$3.00 PER YEAR
IN ADVANCE
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VOL. 3 NO. 2
HYDER, ALASKA, OCTOBER 24, 1231
BY THE YEAR, S3.00
MYSTERIOUS FIND
ON DAVIS RIYEF
The finding of an aviator’s helmol
by Emil Davis in the Davis Rivm
trail a few days ago lias created wide
speculation as to when and how tlie
unusual headgear happened to react
that out of the way locality.
The helmet, a brown leather affaii
with green goggles, was found by Mr
Davis lying on the trail about 3,(M(!
leet above the river mouth on Oct
ober Sth. It was soaking wet when
discovered by Mr. Davis but evident
ly has not been exposed to the el
ements very long, as none of tin
metal clasps show signs of rust. Put
thermore, Mr. Davis has been going
over the trail every two or three days
to read the water meters placed a
short distance above the canyon by
the Portland Canal Power Company.
In addition there had been no one
else on the trail around the time the
helmet was found, so far as Mr. Dav
is knows.
Mr. Davis has turned the helmet
over to Oren P. Hill, who is inclined
to believe it may have been dropped
trom the plane of Moyle and Allen,
trans-Pacific flyers, who are believed
to have passed over this locality en
route from Japan about that time,
although it may have been hanging
In a tree over the trail for a time
before dropping to the ground.
To make sure no airplane accident
had occurred, Mr. Davis scouted the
locality thoroughly but found nothing
to indicate a forced landing or crash.
Mr. Hill plans to write to Moyle
and Allen to ascertain if they are the
owners.
—-o
Library Hours Changed
The weekly open periods of
the Hyder Public Library
have been changed by the
Trustees from Tuesday and
Friday to Wednesday and
Sunday, it was announced this
week. —
Hereafter the library will be
open for the exchange of
books on Wednesday evenings
from 7 to 9 p. m. and on Sun
days from 2 to 6 p. m.
The change days was
made to make it easier for out
of town subscribers to reach
the library in open hours.
--o
A. B. C. Dance Tonight
Efforts of the Alaska-Brit
ish Columbia Celebration com
mittee to wipe out the deficit
of several hundred dollars re
sulting from the big internat
ional celebration in July will
be inaugurated this evening
by a public dance in Pioneer
Hall.
Music for the occasion will
be supplied without charge by
the famous Premier orchestra
and everything else will be
donated, leaving the entire
proceeds for the liquidation of
the outstanding debts. The
Premier Community Club will
supply the sandwiches for the
supper; the ladies of Hyder
and Stewart will donate cakes,
the Pioneers of Alaska will
provide the hall and lights and
various others will donate the
incidentals. Male attendants
will be charged $2, which will
include supper, and ladies may
enter free.
-O-■
Mush Overland From Telegraph
Wm. Scott, and Jack Dodds, arrived
in town Tuesday morning with a
string of six pack-dogs , after mush
ing overland from Telegraph Creek,
via Owl Creek, Belle-lrvin-g River and
Bowser Lake. The two men and their
canine pack animals left Telegraph
on September 12 and were 38 days
enroute. The principal object of their
journey was to locate favorable trap
ping territory and they plan to es
tablish a trap line during the coming
winter.
Mr. Scott-is a Stewart resident and
well known in the district. Mr. Dodds
is a brother of Mrs. D. Gaskell, of
Stewart, and also the son of H. W.
Dodds, government agent at Tele
graph.
i Says Meziadin Country
Is Economic Asset
I -
(The Herald presents here
with the second installment of
Mr. Ernest Blue’s interesting
article on the Meziadin Lake
and upper Nass River section,
| considered from the stondpoint
of their economic value to
this section and also their re
lation to the proposed Hyder
Stewart branch of the Pacific
Yukon-Alaska Highway con
struction project.—Editor)
As one approaches the Bear
River Pass and views the route
at close range, the myth of
difficult construction fades to
insignificant dimensions. Not a
single mile of the terrain from
American Creek to the summit
! of the pass presents any great
er problem of either engineer
ing or construction than did
the Texas Creek highway. Of
the eight or ten miles to the
summit, there are at least
eight miles that present no
'difficulties whatever; while
! construction on the mile or
I mile and a half through the
! pass would be no more diffi
! cult than was the construction
of the Texas Creek highway ■
at the upper canyon.
Beyond the pass and east
! ward to Meziadin Lake, the
I construction problems would
j be no greater than would be
| involved in building a road up '
| the Bear River valley. In the
entire distance from American ;
Creek to Meziadin Lake, some
itwenty-two miles, but. one |
i bridge of any consequence j
; would be required. This would j
i be at Surprise Creek, about
! four miles west of Meziadin !
i Lake.
j With this section of the road
1 opened to auto travel, Mezia
j din Lake could be reached ir.
| about a three-hour drive from
; Stewart and annex to Stewart’s
| back door a country hundreds
of miles in extent, the potential
wealth of which is beyond
computation.
Meziadin Lake is veritably '
an inland sea, set among per- j
i petually snow-capped mount- j
ains rising directly from the
| water’s edge. The lake and
its surroundings are unexcel- j
I led for scenic beauties and!
would become a veritable Mec
ca for tourists and visitors as
soon as transportation ever
reaches its shores. The north
end of Meziadin Lake lies in
a non-mineral formation but
to the south, east and north
I the country possesses excel
| lent mineral production pos
| sibilities. The region is cover
I ed with virgin timber in quan
tity and quality unsurpassed
i anywhere.
From the information avail
able, it appeared to the mem
i bers of the joint highway com
mittee that the most practical
route for a connecting link be
; tween Stewart and the north
erly end of the present high
way system in British Colum
bia would be to follow the
i Bowser Lake trail from Mez
j iadin Lake to Hanna River
bridge; thence over the old
Kitwanga trail to the Nass,
hence upon leaving Meziadin
i Lake, the writer traveled over
j this route and was at once
! impressed with the simplicity
1 (Continued on Page 4)
CREW OF DETROIT
SHOW FINE SPIRIT
i As an evidence of their re
; gret for the unfortunate acci
| dent involving the death by
drowning of Wm. Curtis, ol
Stewart, and of their sympathy
for the unfortunate widow,
the crew of the United States
Cruiser Detroit, which repre
sented the U. S. Navy during
the big Alaska-British Colum
bia celebration held here in
July, have tendered to the
widow a purse of $101.05.
The offering arrived this
week addressed to “the may
or of Hyder.” In the absence
of such official, it was turned
over to United States Commis
sioner Chas. F. Sandford for
presentation to Mrs. Curtis.
In a letter accompanying
this generous and thoughtful
gift, Lieutenant Commander
M. J. Connolly, writing on be
half of the Detroit crew says:
My Dear Mayor:
If you will recall, on the eve of the
departure of the U. S. S. DETROIT
from your beautiful harbor, a gentle
matr whose name I believe was Wil
liam Curtis, had the misfortune to
tail overboard from a small boat neat*
this ship and be drowned.
The Chief Petty Officers, Petty Of,
ficers, and Crew of this vessel have
regretted that a stay otherwise en*
joyable should be marred by such a
misfortune. They have taken the lib
erty of making a small collection
amounting to one hundred and one
dollars and five cents ($101.05) which
they hope you will be so kind to give
to the widow of this deceased gentle
man.
They, even at this late date, wish
to extend condolences to the widow
and trust that the enclosure will be
received as a small expression of
their grief for her loss.
Would you be so kind as to forward
to Captain N. W. Post of the U. S. S.
DETROIT an acknowledgment for the
receipt of this?
Speaking for the Captain, Officers,
and Crew I wish to add that all hands
had a very delightful visit in your
cities of Hyder and Stewart and we
hope that an opportunity will be giv
en us in the near future to revisit
Alaska and to renew the friendships
tormed on our last visit.
1 am very truly yours for the Crew
of the U. S. S. DETROIT.
M. ,1. Connolly
--u
Fun For The Kiddies
Portland Canal Lodge No.
1218, Loyal Order of Moose,
assisted by the ladies of the
Moose, will celebrate “Moose
heart Day,” Friday, October
30th, with a grand Halloween
party for all the children of
the Portland Canal district, it
was announced this week.
The party will be held in
Pioneer Hall, Hyder, starting
at 7 p.m. and closing at 9 p.m.
The Moose have arranged to
transport the children of Stew
art to Hyder free, of charge
and conveyances will leave
Moose Hall in Stewart at 6:30
p. m. sharp.
-0
Stewart Lady Passes Away
Mrs. John Salo, of Stewart,
passed away at sea while en
route to her old home in Fin
land with her 12-months old
baby, according to advices re
ceived by Mr. Salo in Stewart
this week.
The message reported that
the deceased lady was buried
at sea.
-O-:
Hospital Dance Helps Deficit
Over 130 people from both sides of
the boundary line attended the dance
held in Stewart last Saturday even
ing for the benefit of the hospital.
The returns amounted to *133.80,
which will help substantially toward
clearing up the deficit now confront
ing the management. Everything was
donated, hence there was no expense.
MOUNTAIN TROUT
FOR LOCAL WATER!
An experiment looking to the stock
I ing oi’ local lakes with that gamies
j of fresh water fish, Colorado mount
I ain trout, is now under way in th<
Hyder district ns a result of the lib
eration of 1000 tiny specimens o
that species in the waters of two
local lakes last week.
The fish, were brought over fron
Ketchikan last Saturday and were ob
tained from the government fisl
j hatchery at Ketchikan as a result o
j efforts made by Oren F. Hill, throust
f Hr. W. E. Peterson of Ketchikan. TJn
j fish were a portion of a large ship
ment from u government fish hatch
j ery which was distributed in variom
j streams in the Ketchikan district tt
| ascertain if the species can be trails
planted in Alaska waters.
A portion of the two large cam
of minnows received were placed it
Emerald Lake at the head of Texas
Creek, the remainder being liberated
in the lake on the Texas creek ranch
of A. J. Mayer.
The work of distributing the fish
was done Saturday afternoon by Mr
Hill, who says the tiny trout took to
their new surroundings with evident
delight.
Although government fish, Mr. Hill
to obtain them found it necessary to
- pay all the costs of transporting them
I from Ketchikan, including the wages
j of a man to look after them enroute,
as it was necessary to aerate the wat
j er in the containers every 15 minutes
| while enroute.
It is believed the experiment will
be successful, in which case the dis
trict will in a few years possess one
of the finest game fish in the world
as a- result of Mr. Hill’s generous ef
, forts.
j The trout will not breed for three
years and catching them during the
interval is prohibited under pain of
prosecution.
0
Mrs. Ireland Passes Away
Mrs. C. E. Ireland, mother of
! Mrs. William Gray, of Hyder,
I passed away in Victoria last
i Friday, according to advices
! received this week by Mr.
Gray, proprietor of the Hyder
Lumber company.
! The deceased lady, who had
been an invalid for a long per
iod of time, resided in Victor
ia, but was accustomed to
visiting Hyder every summer
during a long period and was
well known here. She is sur
vived by two daughters. Mrs.
Gray, and Mrs. Alfred Sob
ieralski, of Washington, D.C.
and one son, De Lancy Ire
land, of Alberta.
Mrs. Ireland was a native of
New Zealand and 83 years of
age at the time of her passing.
Her grandfather, Capt. Cir
gill, was one of the noted pio
neer figures of New Zealand,
having been not only one of
the wealthiest men in that
country several decades ago,
but was also the first govern
or of New Zealand. He was
one of the organizers of the
great Union Steamship Com
pany of New Zealand, which
is still prominent in New Zea
land transportation.
Mrs. Ireland was educated in
Paris and Edinburgh, Scotland
and possessed numerous cul
tural accomplishments. She be
came a widow several years
ago after residing in the Unit
ed States and British Columbia
i 35 years.
i_„_
1 Stewart Board of Trade
Holds Interesting Meeting
The Stewart Board of Trade held
their second monthly dinner meeting
ut the Portland Hotel dining room in
Stewart Tuesday evening. The at
tendance was large and included a
number from Hyder. The session was
devoted principally to listening to an
highly interesting and able address
on Canadian gold mining industry by
VVm. Asseltine, mill superintendent of
the Premier mine, who also paid an
eloquent tribute to the late Hector
McDonald, former superintendent of
the mine.
Hector McDonald
Crosses Divide
| Hector McDonald, late mine
’ foreman at the Premier mine,
passed away in Vancouver
Monday morning, according to
reports reaching here Thurs
day.
Death was due to that form
of pulmonary disorder known
as “miner’s consumption,”
from which he had suffered
several years.
Deceased was aged about
57 years and is survived by a
widow and four daughters,
j Mr. McDonald left here for
the south a week or two ago
and was in a much debilitated
state at that time, hence his
death was not unexpected by
j his local friends. Deceased was
j known to almost every one in
! the district, having been fore
man at the Premier mine since
the property was taken over
by the Guggenheim interests
in 1919, and enjoyed a high
- reputation as a miner. His un
j timely passing is deeply re
j gretted by his numerous local
i friends.
Hyder Wonderful
Spot For Spuds
The long held contention of
the Herald that this district
is one of the most prolific
gardening areas of the north
was again verified this sum
mer by an amazing product
j ion of potatoes in various home
j garden patches.
From a potato patch 15 by
! 22 feet in extent, containing 9
[rows 15 feet in length, Attor
| ney Ernest Blue raised 322
; pounds of Yakima Gem pota
toes during the past season,
i from less than 15 pounds of
1 seed.
This is an average yield of
one pound to the square loot
of ground. The seed was plant
ed in drills from 6 to 8 inches
apart and were not “hilled up”
| in the usual manner. Fui ther
! more, they were not cultivat
i ed except on very few occas
ions during the growing sea
j son. A yield of four 80-pound
sacks of potatoes from a patch
■ of that size is, we opine, some
‘ thing of a record in spud grow
ing.
Rev. Henry R. Cross, pastor
i of the M. E. Church of Hyder,
also raised a remarkable crop
of the tubers in the garden
plot adjoining the parsonage.
Ilis record for the season was i
about 20 bushels from 1300
square feet of ground. Two po
tatoes selected as representing
a fair average of the larger
! ones weighed 1 pound, 13
| ounces. The yield included
j three varities, Early Rose, the
j most prolific producers, and
also the largest; Yakima Gems
and Washington No.l, the lat
ter being the mealiest and
best flavored. Mr. Cross also
raised some splendid celery.
Ed. Schneider also had a
! large yield from his patch, in
j eluding some very large speci
' mens, one of which weighed 1
j pound 5 ounces.
I All of which goes to show
that energetic persons can, by
planting a few spuds, mater
ially reduce the high cost of
living in these parts.
RADIO PHONE SERVICE
FOR ALASKA PLANNED
The Northwest Telephone
Company, operator of a radio
telephone service in British
Columbia and Canada, has
made application in Washing
ton, D. C., for a charter to op
erate in Alaska, according to
late press reports.
The company, which is now
preparing to extend its ser
vice to Prince Rupert, conduct
ed successful experiments in
[radio-phoning at Ketchikan
last year and a representative
also visited Stewart last sum
mer to determine the feasib
ility of communicating with
Prince Rupert tnd Anyox from
that point.
. If the company succeeds in
securing the Alaska charter,
it is planned to operate from
all important centers, tying up
with Ketchikan, Sitka, Fair
banks, Dawson, Peace River
and every prominent center in
the Noi'thern area.
---o
Open Season on Beaver
And Marten Announced
Under an amendment to the
Alaska game regulations, the
Alaska Game Commission has
announced an open season for
the taking of beaver and mar
ten in this fur district between
December 16 and January 16.
The new regulation includes
all of Fur District No. 1, ex
cept Chichagof and Baranof
Islands. Similar regulations ap
plicable to the other fur dis
tricts of the Territory have al
so been announced. The bag
limit in this district is placed
in each instance at 10.
Beavers may be taken dur
ing the season only by the use
of steel traps, but such traps
shall not be placed within 25
feet of any beaver house or
den. No beaver may be taken
with the aid of a rifle or other
firearm and no house, den or
dam of a beaver shall be de
stroyed or injured.
Skins of beavers or mar
tens must be presented for
sealing or tagging within 30
days after the close of the op
en season during which they
were legally taken. Unless
sealed, as prescribed, skins of
beavers or martens may not be
possessed or transported after
the expiration of the time with
in which they are required to
be sealed, and such skins may
not be sold or otherwise dis
posed of until they have been
tagged or sealed.
----o
The long heralded arrival of
Premier Pierre Laval of
France took place in New York
Thursday morning and the re
ception given the distinguished
visitor was heard clearly by
several local radio owners.
Premier Laval will discuss
international affairs with pres
ident Hoover and particularly
war debt reductions.
Laval is said to be definitely
opposed to any extension of
the moratorium, but is rather
in favor of a definite percent
age of reduction in the debts.
It is understood, press reports
say, that Laval will agree to
a 50 per cent reduction should
Hoover propose it.