Seward Daily Gateway
MEMBER ASSOCIATED i
VOLUME XV. NUMBER 534.
SEWARD, ALASKA WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1930.
PRICE TEN CENTS
, CACHE CHEEK COUNTRY GIVES
PROMISE OF BECOMING NEXT
GREAT ALASKA PLACER CAMP
JIM MURRAY EXPECTS NEARLY HUNDRED
MEN WORKING NEXT SEASON WITH GREAT
LY AUGMENTED PRODUCTION AS BIGGER
EQUIPMENT INSTALLED FOR HYDRAULICK
ING OPERATIONS—MAY HAVE MOTHER
LODE OF DISTRICT.
With 40 persons prospecting and working on Cache
Creek and tributaries during the past season accom
plishing a production between $75,000 and $100,000 in
placer gold; with bigger outfits going in and likelihood
of more than twice the number of men working next
season and a possible tripling of production; with the
recent discovery of quartz gold near the head of the
Cache watershed which may mean the location of the
mother lode for the district, it appears that a new gold
camp of splendid promise has been added to the mining
record of Alaska. With the connecting up of present
roads leading from Talkeetna on the Alaska Railroad
to the Cache Creek country, a big mineralized area will
blossom as a great producer.
TERRIBLE GOAL
MINE DISASTER !
TOOK TOLL OF 231
NOT ONE WORKING ON 1,500
FOOT LEVEL REMAINED
ALIVE
ALSDORF, Germany, Oct., 22, j
—This mining town of 10.000.
» as plunged into new grief when!
r, became realized there was no
hope for the 61 miners still un
accounted. The death toll is now
231.
One hundred and TO victims -
have already been recovered; 99 are
in hospitals, critically injured.
Rescue crews, gas masked,!
generated to the 1,500 foot level
» where they found bodies all about, |
appar entely asphyxiated. Not1
me, who was working on that;
level at the time of the explo- !
sion, remained alive.
Throngs in the town were held j
back by mounted police. The;
government’s investigation as to1
the cause is yet unknown al- 1
though it is believed coal damp j
killed some in spite of the huge j
:orce ventilators.
THE MILLION UND
ONE-HALF OUT OF
MU IN AMERICA
WASHINGTON, Oct., 22, (A*)— |
The Cabinet unemployment com
f mittee awaited the arrival of
Colonel Arthur Woods, former
New York police commissioner
and head of Harding’s unem
ployment commission.
It is indicated that the plan
will be to employ more workers
for shorter hours thus dividing
up jobs so that everybody can ]
pet a meal ticket. This plan is j
already in use on War Depart- i
ment engineering projects.
Official estimates set the to
tol of present unemployed at
3,500,000 inclusive of the normal
m 2.000,000 floaters who won’t work.
1 Such, in bnel, is the message
brought out by J. C. “Jim” Mur
ray, dean of the Cache Creek
country, well known miner in
many sections of Alaska and
present owner of most of Cache
Creek ground and its tributary
Nugget Creek. With Mrs. Mur
ray. he passed thru Seward the
other day for an extended so
journ in the States, while many
leasers work the channels he has
discovered. He first went into
Cache Creek in 1913 and has
been hydraulicking there since
1923.
“I have positively demonstrat
ed the existence of six different
pay channels on the Cache
Creek benches and I believe its
possibilities are tremendous,” he
said. “Pay is showing on many
tributaries. With the awakened
interest in the district, bringing
as it is. much bigger and better
equipment, their should be an
ever-increasing stream of gold
from that section. The gold is
there alright; it only remains to
go after it and take it out. I am
much interested in George An
derson’s quartz showing on the
head of Nugget, which is a trib
utary of Cache and which has
been a consistent placer produ
cer. Anderson thinks he has
found the feeder of the placers
and is making arrangements to
prospect diligently next spring.”
As told in The Gateway last
week. Albert Murray, son of J.
C. Murray, and Charles Harper,
who has been at Hope, have tak
en a lease of Jim’s principal
holdings on Cache and will open
out extensively next season.
Harper has just gone in to join
his partner and prepare the
camps. They are simply taking
over a going concern.
Another lease on Cache has
been taken by Joe Kumenacher
who will hydraulic. Still anoth
er parcel is leased to A. J. Tar
aski, who is importing giants
and other equipment.
There is a great deal of activ
ity on Peters Creek and will be
more. Carlson and Wetherall,
who own a good part of Peters
Creek ground employed several
men at their hydraulic plant and
took out considerable gold. Lew
iston, Idaho people prospected
another part of the Carlson
Wetherall ground on Peters with
such good results that they
are bringing in 50-ton outfit
for next season’s work with their
own tractor to haul it from Tal
keetna.
(Pleaae turn to Pace Three)
SKELETONS II8E
ISIS ins
CORDOVA, Oct., 22, (jP)—1The
theory is advanced here that the
headless skeletons, as reported
by The Gateway found at Wide
Bay, may be the massing victims
of Robert Elliott, Umatilla In
dian, who confessed last spring
to a triple murder in that vi
, cinity.
He was sentenced to 15 years
I at McNeil’s Island for second de
I gree murder.
On a total of 322,190 tons of
ore mined and trammed to the
mill in September, the Alaska
Juneau Gold Mining Company
had a net surplus of $103,600,
it was made public in Juneau
by the monthly statement of es
timated results compiled by the
San Francisco offices.
The average gross recovery
was 90.16 cents per ton and the
net recovery was 34.60 per ton.
URGES FIGHT INDIAN RESERVATION
Protest against federal bureaucracy’s latest maneuver to assert
despotism over Alaskan domain is registered by Carl Whitman, pres
ident of the Nabesna Mining Corporation, who has appealed to Cor
dova to act quickly and aggressively against the establishment of a
; reservation for the Indians of Alaska in the neighborhood of the
! Nabesna River. Mr. Whitham’s communication follows:
“The forming by executive order signed by President Hoo
ver of an Indian reservation in the region around the head
waters of the Tanana River and the Nabesna River district
is a matter that vitally concerns all Alaskans.
“The purported area withdrawn from settlement entry
and development is stated to be 625 square miles. The boun
daries of the area of the reserve take in a vast region, a con
siderable portion of which is knowrn to be mineral bearing
land, in particular that portion of the reserve from the Tok
River in a southerly direction to the summit of Bear Creek
and from there to the divide of the Alaska Range around the
head of the Nabesna River. Prospectors are wmrking in this
section of the reserve at the present time in total ignorance
of the President’s reservation order.
“The object of forming the reserve is that natives
living in the vicinity of Tetlin Lake may be taught fur farm
ing, it is stated.
“It is absurb to think that a reservation is necessary to
provide room for native fur farms, practically a... he ii~,
embraced in this reservation is and has been at all times
free and open to the use of the natives with no encroachment
by white settlers or trappers, save two or three trading posts
located in the native villages. Fur farming is an intensified
industry and 10 square miles of land would be more room
than the Tetlin natives will need for fur farms for genera
tions to come.
“The number of fur farms possible to maintain economi
cally in this district will be small, the cost of transporting
food from distant sources to feed fur animals will be prohi
bitive and the supply of fish and game available for fur food
in the reservation is limited. The greatest calamity that could
happen to the development and advancement of the Alaska
native would be to place him on a reservation.
“The few established trading posts located in this new
formed Indian reservation may profit by having a monop
oly on the reservation fur trade, but the Tetlin Indians will
reap neither benefit nor profit from being isolated on a res
ervation.
“Two hundred Tetlin Indians have a reservation of land
set aside for them. The 35,000 remaining Alaska natives should
be entitled to as fair treatment at the hands of the govern
ment. This will mean placing 350,000 square miles of Alaska
territory into Indian reservations, considerably over half the
area of entire Alaska. It is doubtful that Alaska contains
350,0000 square miles of land suitable or desirable for Indian
reservations but possibly we might buy some from Canada
or else make another land deal with Russia.
“The Indian reservation program for Alaska, is, I con
sider the biggest and rawest land sovereignty grabbing plan
ever attempted by and autocratic bureau at Washington, D.
C., and will, if carried out as planned, mean stagnation and
decay of Alaska progress for all time to come.
“I am, as are the vast majority of Alaskans, full of sym
pathy for our natives and anxious to help them in any feas
ible way, to better their condition of life. Vocational training
schools they surely should have. Teach thenf-^to keep and val
ue their independence.
“The interior Indian of Alaska makes his living easier
and sustains himself 90 per cent better since he has come
into contact with the white man. The natives will gain more
in one year’s association with white civilization and personal
(Please turn to Page Four)
ALASKA RAILROAD EXECUTIVE
BELIEVES GREATER IUAFFIC
IS IN SIGHT
Matters rre rapidly reaching a
stage that indicates tlu early
building of a coal dock, in Seward
by the Alaska Railroad, according
to General Manager Otto F. Ohl
son who was in Sewaid Tuesday
on a trip of inspection. With him
on the private car was an official
party consisting of C. H. Holmes,
chief engineer; J. P. Cunningham,
superintendent of transportation.
W. L. Kinsell, superintendent of
motive power and equipment and
George Colwell, road master of the
southern division.
‘•Our survey of conditions leads
us to believe that a demand for
Alaskan coal from this port will
soon justify a dock here for more
expeditious handling. We have ma
terial ready and will locate a dock
of 500 tons capacity at a point be
tween the Standard Oil dock and
that of the San Juan Fishing and
Packing Company. We have not de
finitely set a date for construction
but I am hopeful that it will be but
a short time in the future.”
Col. Ohlson said that prospects
were no so good for the lengthen
ing of the present railroad dock,
unless there is a marked increase
in steamship traffic- He said that
present indications are that there
will be no mid-week boat next sea
son, as was hoped for, and in that
event a larger dock is not right
now a paramount necessity.
Curtailment in all branches of
the service as a means of economy
in operation of the road has reach
ed an end. Things have been pared
down as close as proper opera
tion of the road will permit. He
said that he felt quite confident
the senatorial committee would re
commend an increase in rates for
the road.
In regard to the development of
the reindeer program. Col. OhLson
said that Ernest Walker Sawyer,
special assistant to the Secretary
of Interior, has things moving along
in splenaid shape and that very
definite steps can be looked for
next year that will utilize the rein
| deer of the Interior for Outside
consumption and add greatly to
the traffic of the railroad. This
with a further movement of coal
and the opening up of new mining
districts along the railroad belt will
I give further point to the reason
for the road’s building, to-wit, the
development of the country and
will bring the road closer to its
ideal of paying for itself.
The general manager stated that
he is leaving on the SS. Yukon on
her next trip, leaving here about
Nov. 1 for Washington for confer
ence with Secretary of the Inter
ior Wilbur, and for consideration
I of next year’s program. The length
of his stay in Washington is in
definite and of course, Mrs. Ohl
son will go with him. While there,
he thought it possible that he will
again be called into conference
i with the senatorial investigation
! committee, headed by Senator How
! ell before they make their report
to Congress
“I am firmly convinced,” he said,
i “that there will be no recommend
ations made inimical to the rail
I road, but I rather look for some
I constructive suggestions that may
ihelp us to a paying basis and an
even wider scope of activity than
[ before.”