HYDER-- FIRST ALASKA TOWN THAT CAN BE REACHED BY THE PACIFIC - YUKON - ALASKA HIGHWAY
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VOLUME 8, NUMBER 51.
IIYDER, ALASKA, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1932.
BY THE YEAR $3.00
I, POLLOCK KILLED
III TRAM ACCIDENT
Thomas Pollock, foreman in
charge of tram operation at the
ore dock of the Premier Gold
Mining Company, was instant
ly killed about 9:30 a. m.
Thursday when an ore bucket
in which he was riding on the
13-mile Premier mine ore tram
way was shaken from its hold
on the traction cable by the
sudden collapse of tour of the
tiam towers a short distance
west of angle elation No. 1.
Falling with the bucket some
40 or 50 feet, Pollock appar
ently landed on his head, sus
taining either a dislocated or
broken neck, in addition to a
severe laceration of the scalp.
The collapse of the tram
towers, which occurred several
thousand feet west of the place
where Pollock met his death,
also resulted in minor injuries
to E. E. Charlton and Wm. Mc
Grew, who with Marius Peder
son and Oscar Larson, were en
gaged in replacing a tram tow
er which broke down Wednes
day evening. Both men were
Int by the whipping cables,
McGrew being struck a severe
blow on the forehead and
Chailton on the chin and arm.
Neither was incapaciated. al
though from the character of
the injuries sustained by Mr.
Charlton it appears probable
that he would have been seri
iously if not fatally injured
had not the lashing cable
struck his extended arm before
reaching his chin.
From evidence given at a
coroner’s inquest called by
United States Commissioner
Clias. F. Sandi’ord, it appears
that Pollock left the ore dock
in an empty bucket to inspect
the lower section of the tram,
which was apparently in a -afe
condition despite the tower
breakdown of the preceding
evening. Arriving at the No.
1 angle station, he was pushed
through the station by James
Burnett, bucket tender, who
asked him if he did not wish to
get out of the bucket and walk
the remaining distance to the
site of the tower breakdown,
approximately 2,000 feet bey
ond and above the angle stat
ion.. Although in so doing he
was disregarding company in
hibitions against riding on the
tramway, Mr. Pollock contin
ued on up the hill and had pro
ceeded only a short distance
beyond the first tram tower
west of the station when the
four toweis beyond the far
ther crest of the hill coil
lapsed, precipitating the un
fortunate man into a small ra
vine extending down the hill
about 1,000 feet west of the
angle station. Burnett, who
was watching Pollock’s prog
le s, testified at the inquest
that he saw the bucket in
which Pollock was riding
jump violently several times
before it became detached
Says Politics Behind
Stock Market Increases
! While most of the news journ
als clapped their hands and
uhouted like silly schoolboys
| over the recent slock market
advances, the following was
piinted on the financial page
of the New York Herald
Tribune, which, by the way is
a staunch supporter of the re
publican administration:
“A prominent brokerage
t'iim has expressed the belief
l that there is more than a little
I politics behind the current ad
i vance in stocks. It took the
| .tand thut the administration
has enlisted the aid of power
ful banking interests to make
some sort of showing before
| election.”
Take it for what it may be
worth; but there is certainly
nothing in the financial news
to warrant any increase in
stock values.
-o
Passengers for the south
this week included Miss Bonny
Campbell, Mr. and Mrs. Har
ry Zeffert, Matthew Little, E.
M., Allen Scott, H. F. Taylor,
D. Ferguson, all of Stewart.
from the cable and plunged
downward into the hollow be
yond the first tower. Pollock
was still seated in the bucket
when it disappered from his
view beyond the intervening
rise.
Realizing that Pollock wras
probably either killed or in
jured by the fall, Burnett at
tempted to telephone to Pre
mier to stop the tram, but
found that the collapse of the
four towers had cut off com
munication with the mine. He
then telephoned to the ore
Jock, advising them to send a
doctor to the scene. Burnett
hen hurried up the steep slope
and located the body of Pol
lock and the bucket about
100 feet from the tower. The
body lay head down between
two logs, with one leg over one
of the logs, while the iron ore
bucket rested close by.
Bartlett testified that he then
called to the men at work on
theniew tower a thousand feet
or so farther on, asking for as
stance in extricating Pollock,
who he thought might still be
alive. Oscar Larson and Mar
ius Pederson responded and
assisted him in lifting the re
jumbent form, only to find that
life was extinct.
After viewing the body at
the scene of the accident, the
| coroner’s jury, consisting of
E. D. Haddon, Holger Johnson,
J. K. Green, Ben Oien, J. H
j Regan and F. R. Nagle, re
in ned to town and later heard
! testimony given by Dr. J. W.
j Vosburgh, who testified that
' the deceased had succumbed
to a broken or dislocated neck,
from which death had been
instantaneous. Other injuries
; found by him on the body in
| eluded a large T-shaped
j wound on the head and a min
Continued on Page 3
SUSiMAVUE
STABILIZE SILVER
J. F. Call breath, of Washing
ton, D. C., has advanced a new
and interesting suggestion for
the solution of the silver mon
ey question in the United
States. As quoted in recent
reports, Mr. Callbreath, who
was for many years secretary
of the American Mining Oong
less and editor of its official
journal, said:
“The silver problem has been
: much complicated by innumer
j able opinions and theories,
i widely circulated. Without
jiegard to international action,
the United States government
can settle the question for this
country by a very practical act
ion that will not mean mone
tary inflation or any disturb
ance to the present gold stand
ard or gold securities. The cor
rect way to stabilize silver
prices is simple and practical.
At piesent we have $400,000,
uou or silver certificates out
standing. This currency has
the backing of only 23 cents on
each dollar in pure silver by
reason of the present market
price. First we must place a
very high tariff or even an em
bargo on foreign silver. Then
our government should com
mence buying our own silver
bullion at the market price
and hold it as a reserve behind
our silver certificates. This
would take our surplus silver
off the commodity market and
increase the price by reason
able degrees.
“At the present price of sil
ver it would take one billion
ounces of our silver to fully
back up our paper certificates,
dollar for dollar, with metal
money. It is not to be expect
ed that the price would remain
as at present but as the pi ice
advanced the government
would be that much ahead on
its investment and would have
truly sound silver paper cur
rency.
“That is the only practical
solution I see for the silver
problem and our government
doe3 not have to wait on action
from any other government.”
-o
Big Alaska Gold Shipment
Arrives at Puget Sound Port
A ton and a half, shipping
weight, of Alaska gold arrived
jn Seattle from Nome last Mon
day from Nome on the Lomen
Reindeer- Corporation steamer
A. J. Baldwin, according to re
ports.
The shipment was said to
have been the largest single
dispatch of gold from Alaska
in many years and was valued
at $750,000. From the stand
point of value it was one of the
largest Alaska gold shipments
in history,
I
CLAIMED PAUL NOT
ELIGIBLE FOB OFFICE
A controversy appears to
have developed up Juneau
way regarding the eligibility
of William L. Paul for the of
fice of attorney general of
Alaska, for which he recently
announced himself.
It appears from a statement
in Stroller’s Weekly that
, “Some two years ago Will
iam Paul packed his duds and
betook himself and family to
Seattle where he established
his residence and opened a law
office. This summer he re
j turned to Alaska to become a
! candidate for Attorney Gener
al.
“But the law creating that of
fice provides that “No person
; shall be eligible to hold the of
' five of Attorney General of the
Territory of Alaska, unless he
shall have attained the age of
thirty years, shall be a citizen
of the United States, and for
five years next preceding his
election, a bona fide resident
cf Alaska.”
“He now claims he did not
establish a residence in Seattle.
But, two years ago, when he
applied for admission to the
bar in the State of Washing
ton, in compliance with the law
of that state, he made and
filed his affidavit swearing
that he at that time was a
“bona fide resident of the State
of Washington.”
“That affidavit is still on
file and may be produced at
any time.”
Concluding this interesting
bit of campaign dope, Stroll
er’s provides further cud for
the political birds to chew on
by asking:
“Is Paul a bona fide candi
date, or is he only a stalking
horse?” ^
o
Five-Daw Week Plan Grows
The Outside papers report
that the Standard Oil Comp
any of Mew Jersey has inaugu
arted the five-day week as its
contribution to the effort to
bung back prosperity. The
American Telephone Comp
any has also placed its work
ing force on a five-day week.
This will give employment for
moie men and women. As the
men employed will be paid by
the day, the total purchasing
power will not be increased,
but it is expected that the five
persons employed under the
plan will spend more of their
wages than if the same sum
had been paid to four. There
will be five families to buy
groceries where only four
bought before.
-o
The Canadian Customs of
fice, heretofore located in
Stewart, will be moved Mon
day to the Ocean View build
ing, a few yards from the in
ternational boundary line in
Hyder, B. C.
i
“Black Jack” McDonald
Crosses Great Divide
R. J. (“Black Jack”) Mc
Donald one of the colorful
eail.v day characters of the
north and former local resi
dent, passed away in Vancouv
er a week ago last Wednes
day, according to press reports.
Details of Mr. McDonald’s
picturesque career in the West
and North will be given later.
-o
“The Metal That Talks”
That rare metal, molybden
um, is known to radio experts
as “the metal that talks, ac
coiding to a recent discussion
of the metal by W. H. Phillips,
Pittsburg metallurgist.
The ancient Greeks confused
teh metal with lead and they
also applied “molybdenum” to
substances that looked like
lead. Years ago a German
steel expert analyzed a part of
a sword blade made by a fam
ous Japanese artist, , Masa
mune, 1330 A. D., and discov
ered that it contained molyb
denum.
Mr. Phillips points out that
thousands of miles of molyb
denum wire, drawn through
diamond dies, have been used
in the radio industry and that
while the ether carries the
radio broadcast wave, it is the
metal molybdenum sealed in
tubes which puts the wave on
the air and then in different
tubes recaptures it, to be
turned back into music or
words.
The pure metal is extensively
used in the incandescent lamp
and radio bulb industry. In
the form of oxides and salts it
is also used in the chemical
and dye industries.
-o—
Stewart Resident Passes
Paul Suppelsa, a well known
and highly respected resident
of Stewart for the past seven
years, passed away there last
Saturday afternoon after a
iong illneess at the age of 42
yeaVs. The deceased was a
prospector and was associated
with Herbert Hunter of Stew
art in mining claims on Bitter
Creek.
The funeral was held Tues
day afternoon, with Rev. G. H.
Moody officiating.
Caribou Meat For Unemployed
A plan advanced at Fair
banks for feeding the needy
during the coming winter pro
vides for the killing by volun
teer hunters of approximately
100 caribou, which will be
stored and distributed as need
ed. Last winter Fairbanks cit
izens raised and expended ov
er $1,000 in relieving the
needy It is also proposed to
apply for Red Cross flour, to
be used in conjunction with the
caribou meat.
SILVER GAINS DUE
TO SPECULATION
Describing the recent up
ward fluctuations of silver as
due to nothing more concrete
than speculation, the Statist,
London financial journal, says
the tone of the silver market
is considered fairly firm in lo
cal bullion circles but that sup
port for the silver market has
not been due to any genuine
increase of demand for silver.
For this reason, it says, pros
pects for the increases being
permanent are regarded with
skepticism. It is also held that
the increases may be regarded
as a reflection of the rise that
has occurred in the gold value
of commodities recently.
The journal points out that
silver has in the past tended to
follow the value of other com
modities in terms of gold and
on this criterion it may be as
sumed that the recent recovery
will be permanent only if no
general downward reaction oc
curs in the general level of
commodity prices, adding:
“In the event of a lasting re
covery in primary commodity
prices, there would, of course,
follow a revival of prosperity
in the silver using countries of
the Far East and, consequent
ly, an increase in the demand
for silver, both for moneraty
and for hoarding purposes.
This is partly why the price of
silver may be expected to
move on the whole in conjunct
ion with the general level of
wholesale commodity prices.
Soapsuds Useful In
Ore Floatation Process
Soapsuds have been found to
have a distinct value in min
ing- by the United States Bu
reau of Mines.
Various ores have been
found to stick so tightly to suds
that they float to the surface
in a soap froth, which is then
poured off like foam from the
top of a glass.
Only 100 to 150 parts of
soap are needed to 1 million
parts of water. This mixture
is poured over finely ground
ores, a dust composed of met
als and rock. The suds show
affinity for the metal particles,
but little liking for the rock.
Thus dt separates the metal
from the impurities and floats
it on top of the water. Usual
ly some other ingredient, often
pine oils, adds to the effective
ness of the soap.
-o
Messrs. Jack and Dan Dodd,
sons of the new stipendary
magistrate in Stewart, arrived
from Telegraph creek Thurs
day, after mushing from Tel
egraph to Hazelton, where
they took the train to Rupert.