HYDER - FIRST ALASKA TOWN THAT CAN BE REACHED BY PAC1FIC-YUKON-ALASKA HIGHWAY
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SPECIALIZING IN
MINING NEWS OF THE
PORTLAND CANAL
DISTRICT
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HYDER WEEKLY HERALD
r
SUBSCRIPTIONS
$3.00 PER YEAR
IN ADVANCE
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VOLUME 10, NUMBER 47.
HYDER, ALASKA, SATURDAY, JULY 21, 1934.
SINGLE COPIES 10 CENTS
BIG MISSOURI WILL
DRIVE NEW TUNNEL
Definite word that the Con
solidated Mining and Smelt
ing Company will drive a new
low level tunnel on the Big
Missouri was received this
morning in a press telegram
to The Northern Argonaut,
stating that G. H. Rainville,
president of the Big Missouri
Corporation, in an official re
port to the shareholders of that
corporation, stated that the
tunnel would be run and indi
cated that the present Province
tunnel has developed a large
ore shoot of commercial grade
which varies from 12 to 50 feet
in width.
This is big news for the dist
rict.
Additional details of Mr.
Rainville’s report will be given
in our next issue.
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Dunwell Making Fine Showing
The Dunwell mine is now
breaking and sacking for ship
ment to the south two tons of
highgrade ore per day which
will run $100 per ton in gold
and silver, in addition to the
lead and zinc values associated
in the ore, according to author
itate information.
This output is additional to
the quantities of silicious ore
now being sent to the Anyox
smelter and the ore that is go
ing daily through the Dunwell
mill1.
Is Still Under Discussion
Day Group Option
A new step in the negotia
tions between the owners of the
Day group and Consolidated
Mining and Smelting Co., look
ing to the bonding of that prop
erty, is reported from Stewart
this week in an authoritative
announcement that the owning
interests have submitted new
proposals to the company.
These were said to have been
tentatively accepted by the lo
cal representatives of the Con
solidated, pending consider
ation by the higher officials.
Details of the proposals
were not announced.
It is understood that the
primary object of Consolidated
in seeking the property is
to provide an outlet for a low
level tunnel into the adjoining
Big Missouri property, which
has been extensively developed
by that company. The actual
contemplations, however, are
unknown, as no authoritative
information has been given out.
by the company.
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M. M. O’Brien was an .out
going passenger this morning.
Ready To Go On Cantu
Preparations for active de
velopment work on the Cantu
property were practically com
pleted by the Consolidated
Mining and Smelting Oo. at the
beginnig of the present week,
according to reports from the
property.
A fine trail has been built
to the point where drilling ac
tivities are to start and com
fortable camp quarters have
been erected under the direct
ion .of Douglas Campbell, resi
dent engineer .of the company.
The diamond drill which will
be used to explore the down
thrust of the orebodies, was
sent up to the property early in
the week.
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“Dick'’ Inkster Passes On
Richard Inkster, aged for
mer resident of Hyder, who re
cently suffered a stroke at the
Pioneers’ Home at Sitka,
passed away there on July 1,
according to a letter received
by Mr®. J. L. Campbell from
Eiler Hanson, superintendent
! of the Home.
Mr. Hanson stated that Dick
was in good health up to two
weeks prior to his demise, but
failed to rally from the stroke.
Expressing a regret that will
be shared by many local
friends of the deceased, Mr.
Hanson paid him the following
tribute.
“I believe I can beult express
my regard for Dick by saying
that there has been no man
that has passed away at the
Home whose death I have felt
so keenly.
Says District Wants No Boom
"The mineral development of
the Portland Canal district
should go forward on a sound
basis. We are not desirous of
a boom. It is ithe steady devel
opment that results from
strong technical investigation
and the practical application of
common sense that will bring
this district to the front. No
thing will do more to retard
the mining development of this
district than the constructibn
of monuments to half-baked
plans. Let us go cautiously,
especially in our statements, ao
that when outside investigators
arrive they wall find that we
have underestimated instead of
exaggerated.”
This was the excellent advice
given to district residents by
W. J. Asselstine, member of
the provincial parliament of
British Columhia, in an address
to the Stewart Board of Trade
last week and should be earn
estly heeded by all who hold
a sincere interest in the dist
rict’s welfare.
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RICH GOLD ORE
FOUND IN PLACE
O N TEXAS CREEK
A three-foot vein of ore car
rying free gold in visible quan
tities and assaying up into the
thousand® of dollars a ton in
gold and silver has been dis
covered by James H. Hewitt
on the Ibex property on Ibex
Mountain on Ithe west fork of
Texas creek as a result of re
cent prospecting activities.
The vein has been traced so
far for a distance of 1200 feet
and averages three feet in
width. The vein material is
white crystaline quartz and
quartz-porphyry, from practic
ally every inch of which gold
can be panned after crushing.
The quartz is of a type dis
tinctly different from the char
acteristic quartz cf the district,
resembling in many respects
the gold-bearing quartz of the
western states.
A lead of solid quartz ex
tending along one wall of ithe
fissure averages around 10
inches in width and shows on
every face innumerable fine
particles of free gold, most of
them no larger than a pin
point but some of a size to be
seen with the naked eye. The
gold does not lie either in lines
or blebs, but is scattered uni
formly through the rock. Aside
from a little iron and occasion
al small pieces of galena, £he
ore shows no other mineraliza
tion.
Assays made this week by
Frank Riechenback from
samples from which all rock
showing gold to the naked eye
had been carefully excluded
gave the following returns, the
gold being valued at present
price:
1- Gold, 30.48 oz.( silver, 8.4
oz., total values, $1,072.17.
2- Gold, 31.72 oz., silver, 8.81
oz., total values, $1,115.88.
3- Gold, 25.34oz., silver, 8.0
oz., total values, $892.02.
4- Gold, .28oz., silver, 0.0 oz.,
total values $9.80.
5- Gold, 1.8oz., 'silver, O.Ooz.,
total values, $37.80.
6- Gold, 2.88oz., silver, O.Ooz.,
total values, $100.80.
7- Gold, 5.6., silver, 3.4cz., to
tal values, $198%17.
8- Gold, 6.0oz., silver, 2.0 cz.,
total values, $211.28.
Mr. Hewitt, who is conceded
to be one of the best miners in
the district, with a mining ex
perience ranging from the
Coeur d’Alenes and California
to interior Alaska, informed
the Herald that the vein is un
doubtedly a true fissure, with
distinct walls and clearly de
fined cleavage lines on both
foot and hanging walls. Pri
Continued on Page 3 ,
Sees New Deal For District
S. P. Fitzgerald, president of
the Independence Gold Min
ing Company and pioneer min
ing man of the district, re
turned Monday evening from a
visit of several weeks in the
south and reports that things
are shaping up nicely for an
early renewal of development
activities on the Independence
property, a short distance
north of Stewart.
Interest displayed in the
south in recent mining develop
ments in this district, and par
ticularly in the revival of the
Dunwell and the well dis
played intention of the Consol
idated Mining and Smelting
Company to undertake greatly
enlarged activities, lead Mr.
Fitzgerald to believe that the
Portland Canal district is cer
tain to enter upon a new era
of mining development-a veri
table New Deal-in the very
near future. This view is fur
ther enhanced by the failure
of the Bridge River and Cari
boo ft,c measure up to expecta
tions; which in turn is causing
numerous mining investors to
seek other fields for invest
ment and to again consider the
precious metal possibilities of
this district. The increased
price of gold is also an import
ant factor in turning atten/tion
to this section, Mr. Fitzgerald
said.
Interior Old Timer Suicides
Charles Halverson, 60, old
I time Alaskan and manager of
the last Nenana Ice Pool,
hanged himself last wek in his
cabin at Nenana, using hand
kerchiefs knotted together as
j ihe means of exit from this
I vale of sorrows. He was pro
i prietor of the Nenana Pool
1 Hall.
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Road Appropriations For
Alaska Total $920,857
Congress made three specif
ic appropriations for public
works in Alaska during the
last session, according to a
statement from the office of
Delegate A. J. Dimond.
Fbr the Alaska Road Comm
ission there was provided
$425,000 and the Agriculture
I Department supply bill carried
I $350,000 for roads in the nat
ional forests. An additional
! $570,857 was also provided
for national forest roads in the
deficiency appropriation bill,
bringing the total to $920,857.
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Thomas Whitely, former lo
i cal' transfer man, returned
Monday evening after an ex
tended absence.
UNITED EMPIRE TRAM
IS NEARLY FINISHED
Reports from the United Em
pire mine this week announce
that the 5500-foot aerial ore
(tramway is nearly completed.
The tram is reputed to be the
longest single span tram in the
world.
The big traction cable has
been installed and the unique
ore conveyor is awaiting only
the completion of the head
frames to commence active op
eration.
Meanwhile the tram is being
operated by means of a pioneer
drive, using three tons cf ore
on the downipull to take up
.supplies to the mine.
Some 80-odd 'tons of high
grade ore are now at the tram
head awaiting completion of
the tram to start on its way to
the smelter. A lot of building
is going on at the mine, inci
dent to moving the camp to a
new location at the mouth of
Ithe tunnel.
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Ripley Visiting North
Cartoons depicting “Believe
it or not” incident and fact3
pertaining to Alaska and the
Yukon may shortly appear in
the Outside press, as a result
of a visit to the north now be
ing made by Robert L. Ripley,
famous cartoonist.
Ripley is said to have left
Tacoma this week on the
steamer Northwestern on a
tour of the northland which
will include visits to. the Yukon
and Interior Alaska.
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Whist Social This Evening
Another of the enjoyable
whist socials of the Pioneers
Woman’s Club series will be
held in Pioneer Hall this even
ing. Progressive whist for
prizes, dancing and a luncheon
will feature the program.
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Secretary Morgenthau
Will Visit Alaska
Henry Morgenthau Jr., Sec
retary iof the United States
Treasury, will visit Alaska with
his family during the next few
weeks, according to Seattle re
ports.
The coast guard cutter Che
lan has been ordered to Seattle
ifrcm Unalaska and will be
placed alt Secretary Morgen
thau’s disposal for the trip.
Morgenthau will be the sec
ond member of the Roosevelt
cabinet to visit Alaska this
summer, the other being Dan
iel C. Roper, Secretary of Com
merce, who is now in the Ter
| ritory.