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VOL IV., NO. XLVI
HYDER, ALASKA, MONDAY, MARCH 31,1924
FIFTY CENTS A MONTH
Porter-Idaho To Resume
Operations At Early Date
Following a visit to the Mar
mot river section to size up the
snow situation in that locality,
Clay Porter, 'directing head of
the Porter-Idaho Syndicate,
has decided to resume operat
ions on the Syndicate proper
ties at once, without waiting
for the snow to disapper. Mr.
Porter intends to take in a
crew W two men and enough
supplies to last over the break
up period, when snowslides are
frequent along the siteep
mountain slopes where the
Idaho group is located. The
supplies will be hauled as far
as possible by sled and will ,
then be packed to the mine, i
Mr. Porter expects to add an
other hundred feet or so before |
the snow will be gone suffic
iently to employ a pack train.
The proposed tunnel exten
sion will uncover still further
the rich ore shoot found on the
property last fall, of which be
tween twenty five and thirty
tons, running around $300 a
ton is ready for shipment as
soon as transportation can be
employed..
THIRD FAIRBANKS
MCGRATH AIR MAIL
FLIGHT SUCCESSFUL
The j^iird of the series of trial
airmail flights between Fair
banks and McGrath was suc
cessfully negotiated by Aviator
Eielson a few days ago. Leav
ing Fairbanks at 8:50 in the
morning, Eielson arrived at Me
Grath at 11:30, meanwhile
stopping for fifteen minutes
at Nenana, leaving his actual
flying time on the outbound
trip 2 hours, 35 minutes, the
fastest yet achieved. The wind
b$ing in his favor, Eielson av
eraged 120 miles an hour be
tween Fairbanks and Nenana.
From Nenana to McGrath his
average was about 112 miles
per hour. On the return trip
Eielson left McGrath at 1:30 p.
m. with fine weather, but on
reaching the flats below Ne- i
nana he encountered a wind
and had a rather bumpy ride
for a half hour or so before
coming in sight of Nenana,
which he passed at 4:47 and
arrived at Fairbanks landing
field at 5:20. His time on the
return trip was 3 hours, 50
minutes,.
MANY FOX PELTS
SENT TO MARKET
Conservative estimates, based
upon figures available, place
the number of blue fox pelts
shipped to market by the blue |
fox ranchers of Prince William
Sound during the present sea
son at a number m excess of
four hundred, having a min
imum value of about $40,000.
Attorney Ernest Blue has re
ceived a copy of the new gov
ernment map of the Forest
Reserve section of the Hyder
townsite, which shows the area
and location of all properties j
in the reserve district, accord
ing to the official survey.
The Recorder’s office has also
received from George A.
Parks, Chief of Field Division
of the General Land Office,
at Anchorage, the government
patent for the Forest Reserve
section of the townsite, which
conveys to Mr. Parks as trust
ee the same area. The impos
ing looking instrument, with its
ribbons and seals, is to be
placed on record, preliminary
to the granting of deeds to the
property holders.
PIONEER GRAND IGLOO
MEETS AT FAIRBANKS
The Grand Igloo, Pioneers of
Alaska, met at Fairbanks on
March 27, if the contemplated
schedule was adhered to. Up
to the time of going tu press
the Miner had received no
news regarding the proceed
ings, nor has it been able to as
certain the names of the var
ious delegates from the subord
inate igloos. The largest issue
of the Grand Igloo session is
a proposed change in the re
quirements for membership.
Several proposals have beeta
offered, including one that
membership be open to persons
who have resided in the Ter
ritory continuously. The mem
bers of Anchorage Igloo No.
15 have gone on record as fav
oring a change which will ex
tend membership privileges to
sourdoughs who have arrived
in the North since the Nome
stampede. It is understood that
the Igloo at Flat also favors the
same change.
FIRST ALASKA WOMAN
IlAll IFF AT FAIRBANKS
Mrs. E. Laughlin, of Fairbanks i
has the distinction of having
been the first woman'to serve <
as court bailiff in Alaska. Mrs. <
Laughlin’s services were per
formed during the trfal of the
Grant murder case, details of 1
which were given in an earlier
number of the Weekly Miner.
The jury in this case included |
three women. The jury was
kept locked up for ten days,
during which Mrs. Laughlin
war on duty, looking after the 1
women jury members.
Dr F. E. Reddick, pastor of j 1
Hyder M. E. church, will tell ]
what he thinks of Hyder at the !<
Sunday evening service April 1
6 th. The Doctor’s subject will ]
be: “The observations and im
pressions of a Chechaco during ]
eighteen months sojourn in the
hamlet of Hyder. The obser
vations of one who came to Hy
der not with the intention of:'
taking out a fortune but with
the interests of the community '
at,heart. And one whose inter-1
ests are still a.live.
You are urged to.come out—. 1
There will be a musical treat. 1
If it isn’t to be found elsewhere ;
try the Midget Emporium, jl
FLAMES SWEEP PRINCIPAL
BUSINESS BLOCK OF KETCHIKAN
The Revilla hotel, Ketcffikan’s I
leading hostelry and one of the j
| most widely known hotels in
| the North, was burned to the
ground and six other leading
business houses of the city
were wholly or partially de
stroyed by a near conflagrat
ion, which for a time threaten
ed the destruction of a large
part of the business section
early Friday evening. Accord
ing to the radio reports re
ceived in Hyder, the destruct
ion of a large part of the lower
sections of the town was avert
ed only by the presence in
port of the Admiral line steam
er Admiral Rogers and the as
sistance given by the vessel in
preventing the flames from the
blazing hotel from spreading.
The Rogers is said to have had
about a dozen iines of hose at
tached to her powerful pumps
and pumped salt water with
great effect.
As far as known here at
present, the destruction was
confined almost entirely to the
I Revilla hotel building and one
[adjacent structure occupied
by the Arcade restaurant, al
though the first reports indicat
ed that buildings across the
Street from the Revilla were
also burned.
The fire apparently started in
the hotel building but no infor
mation has been received re
garding its origin. The bus
iness houses involved in the
blaze included the Revilla, the
O’Neill jewelry store, part of
,Vhe Walkef d(vug store, the,
Peter Pan candy store, the
Arcade Restaurant, and two or
three others. A majority of the
establishments lost practically
everything and the loss will be
heavy. The first reports reach
ing Hyder greatly exaggerated
the situation and resulted in
ail Kinus ul fantastic rumors,
one of which was to the effect
that the entire city was in
flamer. Later reports, however,
show that the damage was far
smaller than the first reports
indicated.
Lon. Doggett, who has spent
part of the winter punching a
hole in one of his claima in the
upper Salmon river section, has
arrived in town for a short va
cation.
Edgar Provinse is building a
large porch on the rear of his
big sdore, the improvement,
including both upper and low
er stories.
An epidemic of severe colds
is going the rounds in Hyder
at present and many persons
are under the weather.
Ben Oien, of the Hyder’Dairy,
was confined to his home with
the malady last week and Post
master Hill has been hors du
combat during the past two
days.
A freight steamer will leave
Seattle on April 15, touching at
Hyder enroute to the north, ac
cording to an announcement*
from the Alaska Steamship
company received during the
past week. Private advices say
the unexpected visit can be at
tributed to the shipment of a
large quantity of. machinery
for the Riverside mine.
The much anticipated “April
Fool” dance will be held at the
Ocean View Tuesday evening
and will undoubtedly be mark
ed by a banner attendance of;
dance enthusiasts, as manager
C. M. Ridley has announced a
program brimming with fun-1
making features. Mr. Ridley ,
will also take advantage of the
occasion to introduce the ,
“Fashion Dance,” the lat^slj
eastern dance sensation. The ,
Ridley orchestra, composed of
Victor Durand, violin, Joe Cul- ,
len, drums, and C. M. Ridley,
piano, will render a specially . .
selected program of dance
music.
FORMER HYDERITE A
DYNAMITE VICTIM
Jack Sutherland, well known
in Hyder,, where he formerly
resided, is reported by the
Alaska Weekly, as having been
the victim of a premature ex
plosion of dynamite, from the
effects of which he was con
fined to the King county hos
pital for two weeks.
FIRST WHITE TO PILOT
CANOE DOWN YUKON
DIES IN ’FRISCO TOWN
The Seattle Times’reports the
death recently in San Francisco
of George Wallace Fife, son of j
a pioneer Tacoma family.
The Times says Fife was
known as the first whit.e man i
to go down the Yukon river in !
a canoe. It is said he traveled
to Skagway, then to White
horse, down the Yukon and
across Bering Sea to Nome in I
the early days.
I
CANNERS PLANNING
FOR BUSY SEASON
Nineteen Alaska canneriete
will be served this season by a
fleet of ten cannery vessels
and a fleet 6f small tenders by
the Northwestefti Fisheries
company and Libby, McNeil
and Libby fisheries, according
to Seattle reports. The first ves
sel of the fleet will sail from
that port April 19. More than ■
four thousand men will be em
ployed by the companies. It is
announced that the Huntar
Bay, Lockanok and Egigik i
plants all three of which were
closed last year, will be oper
ated throughout the season.
PETERSBURG REPORT
CHANGES NAME
Following the purchase of the
Petersburg Report February 1
by Sidney Charles, the name of i
the journal has been changed !
to the Petersburg Herald.
1 ' . "" -
Dunwell Preparing For.
Enlargement Of Operations
The management of the Dun
well is making preparations
,for large scale activities' dur
ing the coming summer. Lum
ber recently arriving from the
south is being converted into
new buildings, among which
are included a bunkhouse and
an assay office, while others
already standing are being en
■ larged to accomodate an in
crease in the number of men.
Reports from the mine con
tinue to be of the most encour
aging character as the work of
exploring the rich ore body in
tunnel No. 3 goes on. Addit-1
ional cross cuts are being run
from the main drift, which is1
being driven along the edge
of the vein, leaving the ore
standing.n readiness for ex
traction at any time. Samples
from the richest section of the
vein chow generous quantities
of gold and native silver. Re
cent assays are said to have
given returns of more than
$300 per ton. It is currently re
porte 1 that the mine can be
sold for large figures any time
the owners say the word, sever
al tentative offers having been
made by interested parties dur
ing recent days. The manage
ment, however, has decided to
work the property and has flat
ly i ef’.ired all attempts at pur
chase. according to the reports.
WOMAN HOLDS ARCTIC
WEATHER POST
Uncb Sam’s farthest north
weather station, at Point Bar
row, on the shores of the Arctic
Ocean, is in charge of a wom
an, Mrs. Mollie Ward Greist,
who makes daily observations
and four or five times a year
sends reports to the outside
world by dog team, Coast
Guard cutter or trading steam
er.
Mrs. Greist is the wife of Dr.
Greist of the Presbyterian Mis
sion Hospital at Point Barrow.
Since 1920 she has been Uncle
Sam’s top-of-the-world weath
er observer where she makes
reports on the aurora borealis
and sun dogs, technically
known as parbeila, seen in Arc
tic skies following extreme re
fraction of the air. From three
to five suns may frequently be
seen, explorers report.
Mrs. Greist makes daily ob
servations and compiles month
ly reports which are sent out
of the Far North three times in
winter and once or twice in
summer. The Weather Bureau
hopes to have a government
radio station established at
Point Barrow which would en
able Mrs. Greist to make daily
reports of conditions near the
top of the world. The next
weather station south of Point
Barrow is at Noorvik, on the
lower Kobuk river. There is a
signal corps radio station at
Noorvik which sends weather
observations to the outside
word twice a day.
PIONEER GRAND IGLOO
MEETS AT FAIRBANKS
Delegates to the Grand Igloo
meeting of the Pioneers of Ala
ska to be held at Fairbanks
beginning March 27th, were
named recently by Anchorage
Igloo No. 15 and Auxiliary No.
4. Mrs. I. Bayles and Mrs. R.G.
Southworth will attend the
Fairbanks session as repre
sentatives of the Auxiliary,
and Frank A.Reynolds, Alex
McCumber, John DeLorne,
Eric Burman, William C.Mull
en and A. A. Shonbeck will
represent the Igloo.
FORMER JUNEAU
GIRL ELOPES
Mary Katherine Holzheimer,
aged 18 years, daughter cl
Judge W. A. Holzheimer, of
Ketchikan, and Cornelius T.
Waldo, aged 22 years, of Pasa
dena, students of the Univer
sity Oi Washington, eloped re
cently, and were married ac
cording to Seattle dispatches,
i After a honeymoon trip to the
San Juan Islands and British
Columbia, the newlyweds will
leave for Pasadena where they
expect to reside.
Katherine Holzheimer form
erly lived in Juneau with her
parents. From Juneau the
Holzhaimer’s moved to Nome
then returned south to Seattle.
The bride is a vivacious girl
and has a host of friends
throughout Alaska.
SHIPPING OF BEAVER
KILLED BEFORE CLOSED
LAW NOT ILLEGAL
Since the closed law has been
established on beaver in Alas
ka inquiries have been made
as to whether beaver could be
shipped out during the closed
season. This question was tak
en up with the Bureau of Bio
logical Survey and we quote
below letter received from'the
department.
“We note your request for
information regarding the
shipment of beaver skins
from Alaska because of the
closed season on the animals.,
during the present trapping
year.
“There is no regulation in
effect in regard to shipping
beaver skins from the Terr
itory and you have nothing
to fear in handling the:e
skins at any time of the year.
In promulgating the close
season it was not deemed
advisable to provide for any
affidavit or statement to be
submitted accompanying
shipments, as it would result
in much confusion and mis
understanding.”
From this we understand
that beaver pelts that were on '
hand before the closed season
began can be shipped out of
Alaska and that we are at lib
erty to offer and sell such
skins.—Seward Gateway.