SPECIALIZING IN
MINING NEWS OF THE
PORTLAND CANAL
DISTRICT
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HYDER WEEKLY HERALD
DEVOTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALASKA AND THE PORTLAND CANAL MINING DISTRICT.
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SUBSCRIPTIONS
*3.00 PER YEAR
IN ADVANCE
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VOL 6, NO. 51
HYDER, ALASKA, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27,1930.
PRICE TEN CENTS
BIG POWER PROJECT
IS TO BE RUSHED
That the big Davis River
power development project
will be carried to completion at
the earliest date possible and
is expected to be completed
within the coming year was the
pleasing information given to
the Herald this week by Mr.
Willis T. Batcheller, president
of the Portland Canal Power
Company, , who arrived here
from Seattle Thursday in
company with Mr. A. T. Brock,
who represents California and
other Pacific Coast interests
who are backing the big $3,
000,000 project.
Outlining the company pro
posals, Mr. Batcheller said the
project is to be pushed with all
dispatch. Twenty-one men are
now employed on a survey of
the power and reservoir sites
on Davis River and a prelimi
nary survey of the route of the
power lines from Davis Rivei
to Hyder is also to be made
All the necessary field work
is expected to be completed
this fall before weather condit
ions necessitate a suspension
of such activities.
The development program of
the company contemplates the
construction this winter of the
800-foot power tunnel which
will convey the water from the
dam to the power plant. This j
will be 12 feet in diameter,
with the intake about Vi mile j
above the power house, which
will be of concrete and located
on tidewater. Construction
work on the dam is projected
to start during the low watei
period in March. The dam will
be located a short distance
above the power house and wil
be of sufficient height to de
velop a 850-foot head for the
initial installation. The dam
will also be constructed in
such manner that it can be in
creased to 500 feet when pow
er demands require.
The storage reservoir will
have a storage capacity of 30,
000 acre-feet and will be about
2 miles long by a half mile
wide. This will be greatly in
creased by the raising of the
dam to the ultimate of 500 feet
but the initial storage capacity
will be ample to insure an ad
quate supply of water through
out the year.
Electrical energy will be de
rived from three 5,000 horse
power generating units of the
vertical type, two of which will
be used in producing the init
ial power development of 10.
000 horsepower. The third unit
will be held in reserve. Devel
oped to its ultimate extent, the
plant will be capable of pro
ducing 26,000 horsepower.
Duplicate transmission lines
extending along the west shore
of Fortland Canal will carry
the power from the plant to
Hyder and Stewart districts
and it is also planned to extend
a power line from Stewart to
the Marmot River district on
the east shore of Portland Can
al.
The company expects to
spend $50,000 between now
and the close of the year on the
engineering work alone, while
the full initial program will in
volve expenditures of approxi
Power Company Head Arrive*
Mr. Willis T. Batcheller, pres
ident of the Portland Canal
Power Company, which plans
die construction of a $3,000,
000 hydro-electric power plant
on Davis River, 12 miles south
of Hyder, arrived Thursday
from Seattle.
Mr. Batcheller was accomp
anied by Mr. A. T. Brock, of
San Francisco,, representative
of Pacific Coast interests which
are backing the big project.
Mr. Batcheller is no stranger
fo the district, having spent
»me time here in the fall of
1927 investigating the local
power development possibili
ties. The Davis River pro
ject is a direct outcome of the j
earlier visit. After looking over j
practically every important i
water source at that time, Mr. j
Batcheller became convinced
that Davis River is the best i
power site in this locality and
has been working on the pro
ject during the succeeding in
terval.
Mr. Brock, is making his first
visit and expresed himself as
greatly impressed with the
possibilities of the big power
project.
After a trip to the power site,
Friday, they visited the Big
Missouri and Premier mine to
iay. Mr. Brock will return
o the south this evening, but
Mr. Batcheller will remain
about two weeks laying out
development details for future
activities.
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Prosperity Employee Hurt
F. Vidnovitch, an employee
of the Premier Gold Mining Co.
on the Prosperity group, was
taken to the Premier hospital
shortly before noon today suf
fering from an injury to his
back, caused by falling in a
hole while carrying a piece of
2x12 timber at the mine. The
exact character of his injuries
could not be learned.
Texas Road Work
Is Nearly Finished
Construction work on the fin
al section of the new Texas
Creek highway is fast drawing
drawing to a close and will be
fully completed within a few
days, according to late reports
from that section.
All contract work was com
pleted during the past week
and final grading operations
are well advanced, with about
30 men employed.
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C. A. Banks, E. M., consult
ing engineer of the B. C. Silver
company, arrived last Saturday
from Vancouver to inspect re
cent development on the B. C.
Silver property.
mately $250,000.
Indicative of the degree to
which the company contem
plations have progressed, Mr.
Batcheller said that contracts
have already been placed with
electrical supply firms for the
required electi’ical and hydrau
lic equipment, which will be
delivered next summer and
will be installed as soon as
possible thereafter.
A large power boat, 70 feet
in length, arrived from Seattle
under its own power Friday af
ternoon and will be used by the
company in its operations.
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PREMIER MAINTAINS
SEME DIVIDEND RATE
Maintaining the usual divi
dend rate of six cents per share
on its 55,000,000 capitalizat
ion, the Premier Gold Mining
Company will pay to its share
holders on October 1 the third
quarterly dividend of the pres
ent year", amounting to $300,
000, according to announce
ments from the New York offi
ces of the company. Payment
will be made to shareholders
of record on September 15th.
The distribution will bring
the grand total of dividends
paid by the famous Premier
mine in the ten years of its op
eration to $15,150,000.
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Winter Comes Early
To Interior Alaska
Reports from various point
in Interior Alaska indicate that
winter is setting in much earl
: ier than usual this year.
I Snow is general throughout
j Central Alaska and was ac
jcompanied by temperatures
; below freezing, according to
Fairbanks reports.
Point Barrow reports of Sept,
ember 18 said the temperature
had dropped, two inches ot'
snow had fallen, ponds and la
goons were frozen over and the
ice pack was gradually closing
in on the Arctic Coast. The
Hudson’s Bay steamer Baychi
mo, the last boat for the south,
left there September 11.
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Supplies Arrive For
Banded Mountain Grsup
Three tons of supplies and
equipment for use next summer
in the development of the Met
calf and Fendley group on
Banded Mountain arrived on
the motorship Norco this week.
The shipment included drill
steel, wheelbarrows and other
mining equipment, tents and
other supplies, which will be
freighted over the snow by Mr.
Metcalf when traveling condit
ions permit.
Mr. Metcalf and his associ
ates, who include his partner,
Joe. Fendley, C. L. Hibbard,
Seattle capitalist, and M. C.
Butler, prominent Seattle min
ing engineer, plan to do a lot
of work on the property next
year and will also establish a
new camp, owing to the pres
ent camp site being situated
at a point where transportation
of supplies is difficult and ac
complished only with much
labor. The new camp will be
located lower down the mount
i ain where the terrain is flatter
and transportation conditions
I more favorable.
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Gardner Ccming Tonight
Curtis Gardner, Portland road
contractor who will undertake
jthe Bureau of Public Road *
contract for widening and oth
I erwise improving the Salmon
River highway between Eight
: mile and Eleven-mile, is due to
; arrive here this (Saturday) ev
! ening. It is understood that
I Mr. Gardner plans to start
| work on the project soon after
i his arrival.
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BUTTY TALKS dll
pact MIL OUTLET
President Beatty'of the Can
jadian Pacific Railway, who re
cently made a tour through
the Peace River district, in the
course of an address is roport
ed'to have said:
“The matter of a western
outlet to the Pacific is one that
requires a vast amount of care
ful examination before it can
1 be proceeded with.
“Our engineers are now com
i Dieting an exhaustive survey of
: the territory and when their re
poits are finally tabulated and
j pi esented we will take the
matter up for decision with the
'Canadian National* and the
federal authorities.”
O.cod Progress at Big Missouri
Reports from the Big Missou
ri property indicate that ex
cellent progress is being made
on the camp and mill construct
ion activities.
The new camp buildings arc
raid to be fast nearing complet
ion, with the plumbers at work
! on the water and toilet fittings.
Considerable quantities of
j materials, including several
truck-loads of large pipe have
! gone up the hill during the
j week.
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Local Mo via Show Associated
With Metro-doluwyn Mayer
The Hyder motion picture
how resumed business Sunday
I after a suspension of some
weeks pending the conclusion
of negotiations for film service
with the Metro-Galdwyn-May
er Film Corporation, probably
the greatest motion picture
production organization in the
world. v
In securing the service of this
company, proprietor Frank Na
gle has been exceedingly for
tunate, as he will now be able
to present to local patrons the
highest class of uptodat silent
pictures obtainable in the Unit
ed States. His contract calls
j foi not only the best of last
[years’ productions, but also in
elude? many of. the highest
class features released during
the present year. In addition
to a splendid list of features
showing such noted film stars
as Lon Chaney, Greta Garbo,
Charles Chaplin, Douglas Fair
banks, Norma Talmage, Lill
ian Gish ancf many others, the
contract calls for a splendid
series of high class 2-reel com
edies and a variety of interest
ing one-reel educational feat
ures known as Oddities show
ing, as the name implies, the
odd things of the world.
One feature to be shown in
the near future entitled “Show
People” shows together Fair
banks, Chaplin, Rod La Roque,
Norma Talmage, Bill Hart and
many other noted stars- of film
land.
The program for the next dis
play, Sunday evening, will be
found each week on Page 4 of
the Herald under the caption
| “What’s On At The Show?”
. W. R. Tonkin, pioneer mining
man, will leave for the south
this evening after a brief visit.
Alaclia Talks to States
By Radio Telephone
The first telephone convor
leation between Alaska and the
| east coast of the United States
| took place September 12, when
j E. G. Morrisey, editor of the
I Ketchikan Chronicle, talked
with Jackson Elliott, general
manager of the Associated
Press in Ne wYork City over a
portable experimental station
j of the British Columbia Tole
I phone Company on the yacht
j Belmont in Ketchikan harbor
! and land telephone lines in
Canada and the United States.
Mr. Morrisey said he wa;
able to hear Mr. Elliott plainly
and the Eastern man also re
ceived Mr. Morrisey’s voice
clearly.
Conversations were also cai
ried on with Vancouve and Ot
tawa. The circuit was by rad
io telephone to Vancouver,
thence by land lines to Mon
ileal and New York, mostly'
through the United States, and
connections were promptly
made along the routes.
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i Commercial Travelers
Visit by Airplane Monday
The Washington-Alaska Air
| ways seaplane Sitka, piloted by
Lieut. E. A. Meyering and with
Frank Wadman as pilot, ar
vived from Ketchikan Monday
morning with two commercial
travelers, Mr. C. Johnson of the
I National Grocery Co. and Mr.
R. Leeds, representative of the
Carnation Milk Co. Haste, ne
cessitated by the need for mak
ing certain steamer connect
ions at Ketchikan caused their
use of the plane in order to
make a local visit. Both re
turned to Ketchikan on the
1 plane after a stay of several
hours.
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Marietta Work Progressing.
Work on the Marietta group
near Chickamin Glacier is re
; ported developing into an in
teresting stage under the di
rection of Mr. Walker Havens,
of San Francisco.
The tunnel driven through
a spui of the glacier to uncov
er the intersection of several
j important veins is nearing the
! objective-, according to late re
ports, and speculation is rife
among the prospectors of that
| section as to what will be re
| vealed when the vein contacts
! are reached. Herald readers
; will recall that float gold ore
• of the free milling type run
ning many thousands of dollars
j to the ton was found on the
j property during the past year
i or two and it is believed that
i the source of the rich ore may
!ie under the glacial mass
through which the ice tunnel is
being* driven. This view has
| been sustained to some extent
by the recent discovery of
pieces of similar ore in the
tunnel as drifting advanced.
Additional supplies were
taken up to the property dur
! ing the past week and it is un
derstood that work is to contin
ue as long as snow conditions
permit.
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T. J. Shenton, B. C. Mines In
spector, was a visitor during
the stay of the Prince George
1 Thursday morning.
MUSK 01 HERD IS
ENROUTE TO UKi
Prospective nucleus of fu
ture large herds that will pro
vide an extensive addition to
the meat resources of the na
tion in course of time, a herd of
thirty-four young musk oxen
arrived in New York enroute
to Alaska a few days ago.
The musk oxen were shipped
from Greenland via Norway
(under the direction of the Unit
ed States Department of Agri
culture and will be sent to Fair
banks by way of Seattle and
Seward.
The animals were purchased
from funds provided by a re
cent congressional appropriat
ion and will be placed under
the control of the Bureau of Bi
ological Survey at the govern
ment reindeer experiment stat
ion near Fairbanks. The ani
mals will be kept in a large en
closure similar to a natural
range for study- and breeding,
with a view to their domestic
ation.
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New Development Planned
For The Silver Crest
Expenditures of $100,000 on
a new development program
on the Silver Crest property in
the upper Salmon River basin
is planned by a Tacoma group
and is now under consideration
by the Silver Crest Mines, Ltd.,
according to an announcement
by the directors of the latter
company.
The property includes 13
crown granted claims and is
located near the Big Missouri.
The parties making the offer
plan to expend $100,000 in de
velopment and equipment pri
or to December 31, 1932. Title
under the option is to be
placed in escrow and when the
jsum mentioned is expended on
i the property, the Silver Crest
; company is to receive 47 per
jcent in the company to which
title will be conveyed. Any ad
ditional monies required to
place the property on an earn
ing basis are to be raised by
bond issue.
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To Develop Katalla .Oil
Sale of the Crescent No. 2 oil
claim of 160 acres in the Ka
talla oil district of Alaska to
J. P. Gallagher, Los Angeles
oil man, is announced in news
reports from Cordova.
The deal represents a new
development project in the Ka
talla field. The property is lo
cated 7 miles from Katalla and
was formerly owned by the
Alaska Coal and Oil Company,
which drilled 700 feet and
found heavy oil seepages be
fore work was stopped because
of financial difficulties.
The sale agreement stipu
lates that drilling is to start on
the property within a year.
Canada’s gold production in
1929 again established a rec
ord with a total of 1,928,038
! fine.ounces, worth at the cur
rent rate, $39,861,663, accord
ing to government reports from
Ottawa last week.
Ontario produced 1,622,267
ounces of the total production.