HYDER - FIRST ALASKA TOWN THAT CAN BE REACHED BY PACIFIC-YUKON-ALASKA HIGHWAY
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SPECIALIZING IN
MINING NEWS OF THE
PORTLAND CANAL
DISTRICT
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HYDER WEEKLY HERALD
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VOLUME 9, NUMBER 50.
HYDER, ALASKA, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1933.
SINGLE COPIES 10 CENTS
U. S. GOVT. EXPERTS
STUDYING SILVER
Carrying renewed hope to bi
metallists and silver producers,
comes word from Washington
that the rehabilitation of sil
ver is understood to be receiv
ing the serious consideration of
experts now engaged in work
ing out the nation’s future mon
etary policy.
“Since the abandonment of
the gold standard and fluctu
ations in the volume of goods
the United States dollar will
buy, the President's advisers
have studied constantly the
problems of maintaining a
steady purchasing power and
in their solution silver will
probably play an important
part,” the reports said.
Agitation for wider use of
silver as money to boost the
buying power of .the silver-us
ing nations and also improve
the lot of silver producers has
become so insistent it is be
lieved the administration will
not 'overlook silver in its long
range monetary plan when fi
nally evolved, it was said.
It was indicated in addition
that the question of bimetall
ism will be one of the first im
portant matters to be brought
up in the coming session of
Congress. Senator Key Pitt
man, leading silver spokesman,
is expected to head the fight
for silver recognition in the
next session.
..n.
Hidden Inlet Has Goad Pack
The Hidden Inlet cannery,
near the entrance to Portland
Canal, closed down for the
season on August 22, after
packing 68,000 cases of sal
mon.
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Cash Cole Reported Better
Cash Cole, former Territorial
auditor, who was recently
rushed to Seattle for medical
treatment following a serious
illness, is reported well enough
to walk around and is well on
the road to recovery, according
to reports from Ketchikan.
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Fortune In Pelts Taken
Fur seal pelts to the number
of 54,500 were taken this year
in the annual government-sup
ervised kill ion the Pribloff Is
lands in Bering Sea. The pelts
were valued at more than $1,
500,000.
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Walter C. Blanton, who was
reported seriously ill with
pneumonia recently, is now
well -on the road to good
health, according to reports
from Ketchikan.
Stewart Home Destroyed
In Midnight Blaze
The family of J. Murdock
was forced to hasty flight in
scant attire when their home in
Stewart was destroyed by fire
shortly before midnight last
Tuesday.
Warned by the barking of
their house dog about 11:30 p.
m., the family had barely time
to escape from the burning
dwelling before it was
wrapped in flames. The build
ing, a five-room cottage, was
entirely consumed with virtal
ly all its contents. The loss is
estimated at about $5,000 and
is partially covered by insur
ance. The origin of the blaze
is unknown but is thought to
have been due to defective
light wiring.
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Game Bird Season Opens
The open season for game
birds, except migratory wild
fowl, opened Friday. Locally
the open period applies prin
cipally to grouse and ptarmi
gan, which are said to be more
than usually plentiful this
Bag limits are 15 for grouse
and 25 for ptarmigan a day
but no more than 25 in the ag
gregate of both species is al
lowed for any day. The season
closes February 28.
The presidential proclamat
ion announcing the open season
on migratory waterfowl is ex
pected soon. The duck,
goose and snipe season opened
last year on September 1 and
closed December 15.
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Miss Bushfield To Take
College Business Course
Miss Phyllis Bushfield, daugh
ter of Rev. and Mrs. Frank
Bushfield, will leave Sunday
for Vancouver enroute to Ed
monton, Alberta, where she
will undertake a secretarial
course in Alberta College dur
ing the coming ten months.
Miss Bushfield was tendered
a farewell party and shower by
her numerous friends at the
residence of Mr. and Mrs. J. A.
Hall last evening.
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Owing to the stranding of
the Seattle-Alaska liner Aleut
ian on the British Columbia
coast last Sunday, local sup
plies of meat and other expect
ed commodities failed to ar
rive on the Ketchikan mail
boat this week. The big liner
was seriously damaged and
was towed back to Seattle for
repairs.
SLIGHT DECREASE IN
MINERAL OUTPUT, 1932
Mines in Alaska produced
minerals worth $11,638,000 in
1932, as against $12,278,000
in 1931, according to an an
nouncement made by the U. S.
Geological Survey. The t >tal
value of the mineral output of
the Territory since 1880 is
placed by the report at $653,
229,000.
The following tables show
the value of the mineral output
of the Territory for 1931 and
1932.
1931
Gold . $9,507,000
Copper . 1,877,000
Silver ;...
Coal .
Lead ...
Miscellaneous prod
ucts .'.
102,000
556.000
126.000
108,00
Total v. $12,278,000
1932
Gold.$10,209,000
Copper .
Silver .
Coal .
Lead .
Miscellaneuos prod
ucts .
550.500
66,000
513.500
75,600
223,400
Total . $11,638,000
The decrease in the value of
production in 1932 as com
pared with 1931 was about 5
per cent.
To those familiar with the
general business situ a t i o n
throughout the world, so small
a decrease demonstrates the
fundamentally sound condition
of the mining industry in the
Territory. To those less famil
iar with general conditions it
may be stated that a compari
son of the average selling price
of three of the common metals
contributing to the output-cop
per, lead, and silver-shows
that the prices received in 19
32 were, respectively, 76, 83,
and 97 per cent of the prices
for the same metals in 1931, or
only about 36, 84, and 49 per
cent of the prices received in
1929.
“It was not,” the announce
ment says, “the direct effects
of decrease in the selling price
of these metals that caused the
drop in mineral production, as
much as their indirect and less
obvious effect in deterring op
erators from opening up new
properties or maintaining even
a normal rate of output from
many of the mines already pro
ducing. In many places devel
opment work was curtailed, re
trenchments instituted to effect
economies, and the undertak
ing of new enterprises except
gold mining practically ceased.
There was a large increase in.
gold production. In fact, the
gold output in 1932 was great
continued on Page 4
| Governor Troy Finds Great
Need For Employment
Serious need for employment
exists throughout Alaska, ac
cording to Governor John W.
Troy, who returned recently
from a three-weeks trip by
boat and plane which covered
every important section as far
north as Nome.
The general situation was
found by him to have been ser
iously aggravated by a severe
water shortage that has pre
vailed throughout the summei
in practically all the placer
mining regions. The Nome
district was the worst sufferer
from this condition. Hundreds
of miners who are accustomed
to earning enough in the sum
mer in the placer fields tc
keep them throughout the re
mainder of the year are prac
tically destitute. The lack of
rainfall and resultant water
shortage prohibited many op
erations and deprived the min
ers of any employment what
ever, the governor said.
The Iditarod, Kuskokwim,
Ruby, Poorman and Fairbanks
districts were similarly affect
ed, but not to the same degree
as the Nome district, and unem
ployment is larger in those
sections than for many years.
Commenting on the situation
Governor Troy stressed the
need for spreading employ
ment on every project financed
by public funds and declared
that a real effort is demanded
on the part of everyone in a po
sition of responsibility in order
to prevent some very real suf
fering during the coming win
ter.
Library Board Holds Meeting
The quarterly meeting of the
board of trustees of the Hyder
Public Library was held Friday
evening in the library Ibuilding
but developed little business of
public interest aside from the
authorization of an appropri
ation of $20 for the purchase
of new books during the com
ing quarterly period.
Reports by Librarian B. B.
Smith and Treasurer T. H. Ev
ans showed a healthy condition
with respect to patronage and
finances. Mr. Smith reported
the resignation of Mrs. Alma
Snyder as assistant librarian
and the appointment of Mrs. N.
M. Traversy as her successor.
The appointment of the com
mittee to nominate candidates
for the December elections,
and also the appointment of
the book purchasing commit
tee, were deferred until next
week and the appointments
will be announced later.
RELEASE OF U. S. GOLD
EMBARGO ANNOUNCED
Presaging better times for the
gold mining industry and also
an improvement in the status
of .silver, the release of the
presidential embargo on ship
ments of gold from the United
States was announced in radio
broadcast reports Tuesday.
The lifting of the ban, which
has been in effect since early
March, applies to all gold pro
duced in United States mines
and will permit American gold
producers to obtain the world
price for their product, instead
of the former government
fixed priced of $20,62 per
ounce. As the present world
price is in excess of $30 per
ounce, producers will be able
to realize at least 30 per cent
more for their gold.
The government’s action also
relieves an additional handicap
to the gold industry resulting
from steadily narrowing mar
gin between the former fixed
price and increasing product
ion costs entailed by advancing
commodity prices.
Under the new dispensation,
gold offered for sale by pro
ducers will be purchased by
the government after refine
ment at the government mints,
at the prevailing world price.
While not directly affecting
silver, the release of the gold
embargo and resultant rise in
gold prices is expected to re
sult in an appreciable advance
in the market price of silver,
the reports said. The gold an
nouncement was reflected in an
immediate advance in the price
of gold shares.
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Shooting Accidents Mark
Opening Of Hunting Season
One death and an accidental
self-wounding marked the op
ening of the 1933 deer hunting
season, according to reports
from Juneau and Ketchikan.
John Keyes was shot and fat
ally wounded near Juneau by
his hunting companion, Bert
Johnson, a few hours after the
season opened. Johnson mis
took him for a.deer. He died a
few hours later.
Clarence White, employed on
the U. S. geodetic survey
steamer Explorer, was the sec
ond victim, seriously wounding
himself in the thigh when he
slipped on a log while hunting
some 60 miles from Ketchikan.
He was rushed to the Ketchi
kan hospital but a blood trans
fusion was necessary to save
his life.
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The first fall snow appeared
on the higher mountain peaks
overlooking Hyder this morn
ing, following a heavy rainfall
last night.