Seward Daily Gateway
MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOLUME XV. NUMBER 201.
SEWARD, ALASKA, THURSDAY, August 7, 1930.
PRICE TEN CENT;
Platinum Diggings
Goodnews Bay Area
Accurately Described
SEVEN hundred and nineteen ounces of
PLATINUM MINED LAST SEASON; INDICA
TIONS THIS YEAR EQUALLY AS GOOD—DR.
J. N. CANNON OF SELDOVIA CHRONICLES
VOYAGE FOR THE GATEWAY FROM NUSH
GAK, BRISTOL BAY TO THE KUSKOKWIM,
AND PERSONALLY INTERVIEWED MINERS
IN PLATINUM DIGGINGS.
AN OUT THE WAYTVOYAGE IN ALASKA
One of the best and most comprehensive reports of ai
little known region in the Territory ever publish
ed—Story obtained through special assignment and
courtesy of noted Alaska collector whose relics are
on exhibition at the Alaska Museum.
AUTHOR’S FOREWORD:
(Editor Jessen, Seward Gateway, Seward, Alaska:—“I have ob
tained this report on Goodnews Bay region by interviewing pros
pectors. miners and traders, some of whom were rather reticient and
dubious about giving information when I mentioned newspapers.
Newspapers, they believed, are prone to exaggerate and magnify con
ditions. so I pledged them that The Gateway would neither add. de
tract or exaggerate one ounce of platinum; that The Gateway wouid
cut the bacon as close to the rind as possible. Please ob:>ei\i the
pledge. —Dr. Cannon."
The article has been published word for word: Editor
XUSHGAK TO BETHEL
Probably the least traveled re
gion on the Bering Sea is the
eastern portion between Nushgak
and Bethel, Kuskokwim.
On June 19, I left Nushgak in
company with Joe Jean, a trader
from Good News Bay and Dennis,
the native pilot, on the gasboat
Stormy and for three days we
lay at anchor before rounding
Protection Point, course S. E.,
and on the fourth day we made
our second attempt to round Cape
Protection, course S. W., but were
forced to return after passing the
Cape, anchoring again behind
Protection Point.
MILLIONS OF BIRDS
The Nushgak peninsula is shap
ed like the sole of an old muk
luk, a low, swampy region, with
numerous, small lakes and is a
veritable paradise for ducks, most
ly eiders; for four hours on the
return trip we sailed thru millions
of these ducks, the sky being
black with them. A few mounds
mark Cape Constantine; that re
gion between the Capes is a long,
continuous gravel sand bank from
10 to 25 feet high, interposed here
and there with sand dunes.
PASSED THE CAPES
On the fifth day we made our
third attempt and successfully
passed the capes and continuing
westward; about 10 a. m., the
weather moderated and the sun
came out beautifully. From Cape
Constatine to Right Hand Point,
cr locally known as Jack’s Point,
course W 1 point N., is a wide
half-moon bay and extends for a
distance of 50 miles; before com
ing to Jack’s Point we passed Ku
lokuk Bay, where a native Eski
mo village is situated on the right;
to the left is Round Island, sur
! rounded East and West by pinna
icles. From Jack's Point to Togiak
! Spit is about 15 miles. East of
; the Spit, a short river, the Gold
(spring River, comes out of the
! tundra. We did not stop here or
otherwise would have liked to call
on Larry Goldspring whom I had
1 not met since we were on the
Shushana stampede. The mouth
! of this river is very rocky and
dangerous, but in a pinch one
j could anchor here. The bay to
i right being known as Burne’s Bay;
to the left are High, Long and
Walrus Islands.
LOST MINE LEGEND
Upon passing the Spit, Tokiak
!Bay lay to stern and is marked
| by a low. black hill on which is
a school house. There are five
| native Eskimo villages on the
Togiak River, a very promising
; mineral region. Togiak has its
legend of long, lost mines. Two
brothers, Williams by name, came
! from Nome in .98 and secured a
1 poke containing about $10,000 ob
tained from free milling ore, dur
ing one summer. Returning to
: Nome In their sail boat, in the
| fall, they swamped on Hagemeist
er Island one being lost and one
I getting ashore on the island. He
j was finally rescued in a half
5 famished condition, three weeks
later. Before spring, the following
year, he died. So much for To
giak.
BOAT STARTS LEAKING
Leavi’< Togiak Bay, course S.
W. 1-4 W., we headed for Hag
emeister Strait and about 12 p.
m. that night the storm came
on with fury and we turned tail
and headed for the N. W. Spit
of Hagemeister Island, or lagoon,
and dropped the hook. By this
time the boat began to leak bad
ly, Dennis having to pump hour
[ly
GREAT WALRUS HERD
As we made ready to drop the
| anchor at dusk, we heard a lot
of grunting on the beach as we
came into the lagoon. Dennis
started to shout in Eskimo to
Joe Jean, the latter replying also
in Eskimo. “What’s biting out lit
tle brown brother,” I asked Jean
“He thinks itts a big herd of
walrus,” Jean returned. ‘Came the
dawn,’ as they say in Hollywood
and we landed our skiff and went
ashore. “As I live and breath,”
Jean exclaimed, “that is the lar
gest walrus herd I ever saw.” In
truth it wras the most magnifi
cent herd either of us had ever
seen; about 100 walrus lay on
the beach at high water mark,
some asleep and some fighting
each^ other with their tusks. I
had my camera with me and
took three different snaps, from
various vantages, getting within
10 feet of them, as this was pro
bably only one chance which
comes to one in a life-time.
FIND COAL VEINS
We lay at anchor for four days,
in the meantime, exploring the
sand-spit its entire length—nine
miles. On the N. W. point is sit
uated coal veins, said to be ex
cellent coal—lignite. I found
some float on the beach which
verified the assertion.
WALRUS PLAYFUL
These walrus were of truly
noble stature, one old bull es
pecially, whose hide was slimy
! green. The herd milled around
! that morning, one tangling his
| tusks in the anchor and making
quite a racket. They seeded very
curious, two or three would come
within a hundred feet of the
boat and then duck—doing the
disappearing act. Fortunately for
the walrus, we had no rifles on
board, the only cannon on board
being unloaded. Soberly however,
I don't believe I or Joe would
have the heart to kill, but I
wouldn’t answer for oue little
brown brother, Dennis. I had
already obtained two walrus
tusks for the Territorial Museum,
one from fogiaK and one from
Good New’s Bay, as a consequence
the desire to kill was not so keen.
ALASKAN EGGS
Joe Jean is a very careful, ex
| tremely careful navigator, usual
i ly deferring to the Eskimo be
; fore starting. We obtained two
: gasoline cans full of fresh crow
i bill eggs and had plenty of bacon
and Alaskan eggs. These eggs
are longer and larger than duck
eggs: some white with dark spots
and some blue with dark spots.
Dennis found a fresh water
spring on the end of the Spit and
we had plenty of fresh water.
UL.L.AX& IKlVSUiHh
These long delays were, in
truth, becoming very irksome to
me, as I had to sleep on a hard
board bunk on a reindeer hide,
using my coat for a pillow and
my overcoat for a blanket. Final
ly we got under way again and
passed Hagemeister Island, to the
I left; this island is about 16 miles
wide, surmounted by a rugged
range of mountains, and has two
good anchorages—N. W. Spit and
S. E. Spit. We continued west
ward and passed between Shaik
Island, covered with numerous
wild birds, and the mainland—
about a mile and one-half wide
between the island and the main
land. Two hours later we passed
Cape Price, to the right. We en
countered heavy swells at Cape
pierce, with a S. W. wind. Cape
pierce is marked by a high, rocky
bluff, rising almost sheer from
the waters edge—dark, green
like formation.
ASBESTOS BLUFF
Digressing a moment: From
.Nushgak Peninsula to Cape Pierce
(Continued on P»S« Two)
BIG PACK REPORTED
I JUNEAU, Aug., 7. UP)—Eighteen
! canneries from Petersburg north
j to Juneau, up to last night, re
: ported the salmon pack as ag
! gregating 905.000 cases, The
plants will probably have 1,500,000
cases at the final pack.
-- —
! JILASKA LARGER
i THAN LAST SEASON
PTARMIGAN AND RABBITS ON
THE INCREASE, A HOPE
FUL INDICATION
—
I JUNEAU, Aug., 7. (#>)—'The
Alaska Game Commission figures,
j released by Executive Officer H.
W. Terhune, contradict general
fur reports of the fur catch last
trapping season which were in
effect that the catch was far be
low normal.
The figures show 173,169 pelts
were exported this year as com
pared to 166.266 for the previous
season.
The gain is due to increase in
j muskrat skins, 112,000 this year,
as compared to 89.000 last year.
Exclusive of the muskrat in
crease the fur catch decreased
only nine and one-half percent;
there was a large increase in ot
ter skins.
Grouse, ptarmigan and rabbits
on which fur-bearing animals
exist, are increasing which is re
garded as a hopeful sign.
FOUR DF.AD, 40 MISSING: 50
AUTOS BURIED; WATER
IN HOMES, 3 FT. DEEP
NOGALES. Aug., 7. (/P)—Four
persons are dead and 40 missing
and the police of Nogales and So
nora believe the deaths will be
at least 25.
Torrential rains and floods in
! undated the twin border cities
i shortly after midnight. The bod
j ies of three women were found
on the Mexican side and the
body of a man on the American
side.
One hotel and 16 Mexican
homes, on the Sonora side, were
swept away.
The flood waters are partly
the result of a stream, which
usually is dry. running directly
! between the towns and its swirl
ing currents swept an adobe
house clear of its contents.
The flood continued for more
; than three hours, then the crest
of the waters passed leaving more
than 50 automobiles, which had
been left in the streets, buried
in the debris. The water was three
feet deep in homes.
THE STOCK MARKET
By Associated Press
1 Int. Tel. 45, A. Can 127, N. J.
Stand. 71, Richfield 16, Zeller
bach no sale; Lehigh 91, Alaska
Juneau 5, 1-2; U. Cal. 41, Gold
man 17, Bancorporation no sale;
Kennecott 9, 34; Steel 166, Radio
43, Cons. Gas 106, Cities 28, Car
bide 72, General Motors 36.
*
it 119
E IS
ALSO A. RAILROAD
BELIEVES IN BUILDING UP AND
NOT TEARING DOWN; TWO
WEEKS TRIP
JUNEAU, Aug., 7, {PP)—Sen el tor
Odclie of Nevada, enroute to Sew
, ard to spend two weeks in Alas
fka, in the railroad belt and es
pecially in McKinley Park, will
return probably over the Rich
jardson Highway to Chitina, then
: to Corodova.
He will study means of com
! munication and transportation as
he is a member of the Congress
ional committee appointed for
the purpose.
| He opposes discontinuance of
( The Alaska Railroad under any
; condition: “I am a “booster” and
! believe in building up, not tear
ing down Alaska. The manifold
resources should, like the popu
lation. be augmented and Alaska’s
; riches further developed. I will
do all I can to achieve these re
' suits,” he stated.
!H fi, 0, P.;
WITHDRAWS TO GIVE PARTY
CHANCE SELECT A NEW
LEADER
WASHINGON. Aug., 7, (JP)—
Huston resigned as chairman of
the Republican National Commit
tee. He asserted “that no man in
political life ever had been the
subject of more unjust and un
warranted attacks.''
Huston presented his resigna
tion as a member of the party’s
executive committee. He made
public his statement before the
meeting at which his successor
was to be named.
He said his withdrawal “would,
give the organization an oppor
tunity to select a leader free
from present factional opposi
tion and will permit me, without
embarrassing others, to pursue a
course which will insure in the
minds of Republicans my right
to their continued esteem and
! confidence.”
NEW YORK, Aug., 7, UP)— Ed
win J. Clapp, former financial
writer for the Olympic Herald,
49 years of age, more recently
employed by William Durant,
automobile manufacturer, com
mitted suicide by jumping from
the 13th floor of a Fifth Avenue
apartment house hotel where he
^had been a tenant, until recently.
Clapp left a note reading:
1 “Goodby Sue, I’ve killed myself.
No one is to blame but myself;
I’m crazy.”
BRITISH CRUISER SAILS
JUNEAU, Aug., 7, (/P)—After an
eight-daw visit the British light
cruiser Dauntless sailed for Sit
ka enroute to Vancouver, B. C.