" »Ist-ward Duily
MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS.
i
VOLUME 20. NUMBER 202
PRICE TEN CENTS
SEWARD, ALASKA, MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 1925
$350,000 DREDGE MAY BE OPERATED
THIS FALL IN FAIRBANKS DISTRICT
Exclusive Interview of British Dredge Activities Granted
Daily Gateway' by W. N. Whitworth, Now on His
Way to London, England
W. N. WHITWORTH OPTIMISTIC OVER OUTLOOK
—
Wonderful Progress Made on Fish Creek, Fairbanks Dis
trict, by British Corporation—Difficulties of Trans
portation of Dredge Overcome
“If our Fish Creek venture is a
failure—which we know it will not
be—we will withdraw from the Al
askan field, but if it is a success **e
will remain in the country forever,
^ which will mean broadening out, de
veloping and operating other prop
erties, including quartz,” stated Wal
ter Neal Whitworth, one of the mem
bers oi the Board of Directors of the
Tanana Valley Gold Dredging Corp,
Ltd., backed by English capitalists, in
an exclusive interview granted the
Sewaid Gateway list night. Mr.
Whitworth arrived in Sewari yester
day from Fairbanks where he in
spected the progress of the work, in
connection with tne installation of
the massive gold dredge on the
* bank of Fish Creek, in the Fair
banks district. He is 03 his way
to Lou’.',n, his heat tors and does
no‘ anticipate re tuning to Alaska
.until next year. His brother. ( »*c-rgr*
L. '»vhilwouh, also a member o! the
Jtjard of Directors, Js in londan at
the p-tsent' rime nuu *n c* c^m’ng
to A’iska within the ’* two
rooaius. While awa*tl..g the d-.v»:
ture of the Northweaiern fre.v. S* w
’ i Seattle, Mi. Win'.worth is a
gj.-st at the Hotel V u Chile:
Hope To Operate This Year
At the present rate of wonderful
progress made by the crew of men
employed in the construction of the
f big dredge, under the management
of George G. Lemons, manager in the
field and one of the directors in the
company, Mr. Whitworth confidently
expects, weather permitting, that the
dredge will be entirely assembled
and completed in time this season
for brief operation before the freeze
up sets in.
Bow of Dredge is Moulded.
CAPT.JACOBSEN
r WRECKS VESSEL
SIBERIAN COAST
'GAS BOAT RAM GOES ASHORE
NEAR WHALEN, SIBERIA,
BUT CREW SAFE
NOME, Alaska, Aug. 17 (£>)—A
radio message to the Nome Nugget
*irom the schooner Maud says “Capt.
Jacobsen, known as ‘the Scurvy Kid’
■went on the rock and broke up his
ship Ram near Whalen, Siberia.”
The Ram was a trading vessel from
Nome.
Jacobsen and his crew are safe at
Whalen and may be taken off by the
Maud and brought to Nome.
Agreement Be Reached
Over the Belgium Debt
PLYMOUTH, Mass., Aug. 17 (JP)—
President Coolidge expects an agree
ment will be reached today; on terms
for refunding the Belgian debt. An
official statement was issued after
Coolidge conferred two hours with
Secretary Mellon. Senator Smooth of
Utah said a final agreement wras in
..eight with no deadlock developing.
.join the Chamber of Commerce.
The entire equipment for the con
struction of the dredge is now on
the ground proper, Mr. Whitworth
said. The hull of the boat, which
is now well under way, measures 112
feet in length, 44 feet in width and
will have three decks. The first
deck will be nine feet in height, the
second above 19 feet and above this
the pilot house. The hull of the
huge dredge will alone weigh 500 tons
and the aggregate weight when com
pleted is approximated at 900 tons.
Two Scotch boilers, each capable of
developing 250 h.p. will be placed
in the hull. There will be 85 buck
ets on the dredge each weighing
1341 pounds a piece. These were
especially designed. The dredge was
made by the Yuba Construction Co.,
of San Francisco.
The hull is made from Oregon fir
and the bow, unlike the ordinary
dredge, has been shaped similar to
the bow of a boat, which will per
mit the dredge to nose into small
places on the property. Great tim
bers 8# feet long were soaked and
bent to form the bow. The hull will
be made absolutely watertight by
the caulking of eight layers of oak
am, after which concrete will be
inserted, then pitch, and on top of
all the hull will be tarred and paint
ed. It is estimated by following
out the above plan the hull will be
good for at least 30 years. A dam
permits the dredge to be lowered
, and raised at will.
Cost ot Dredge $350,000
As the photographs portrayed to
the Gateway representative, the en
tire super-structure of the hull is
supported by massive logs and huge
timbers put on 'the ground prepared
to receive the terrific weight. When
launched the waterline is estimat
i ed at five feet and six inches. Fish
Creek itself in places, measures 27
feet in depth. The dredge will be
operated by steam and electricity
combined. The entire cost of the
outfit is placed at $350,000, Mr.
Whitworth stated.
Company Owns 23 Claims
Six miles of ground is owned by
the company by the purchase of 23
claims. This dredge is but the flag
ship of a proposed fleet of dredges
which the company will install, pro
viding success is met with in this,
their initial venture. The British
capital behind the corporation has
been put up by a number of wealthy
men who amassed large fortunes from
businesses which have been, more
or less, under their own persanal ob
servation. Regardles of the apparent
turmoil thruout the world, Mr. Whit
worth said, there is ample British
capital, at this particular time, which
will be invested outside of the Brit
ish empire, and that the present Al
askan enterprise is in the matter of
an experiment, for in Alaska, it is
unfortunate, he said, that when one
gets off the main- highway of travel
such as the Alaska Railroad and the
steamship lines, one is at the mercy
of one’s pocket, with respect to
1 transportation costs, etc.
American Eagle On Dredge
As an omen of good fortune a
large American eagle perched on top
of the dredge a short time ago. The
eagle was bagged and will be plac
ed in a position of honor on the big
(Continued on Page Two)
NO TRACE FOUND
OF MAIL BANDIT
AND MURDERER
HANCE IN DYING STATEMENT
SAID ANDERSON AND WOLFE
KILLED HE AND WIFE
MUNCIE, Ilid., Aug. 17 (/P)-Wra,
Anderson, mail robber, jail breaker
and murderer is still at large. The
police heard last night that Ander
son was in hiding in a farmhouse
between Muiicie and Hartford City,
Indiana. Anderson was not there,
however, when at search was made.
Anderson and Charles Wolfe were
named as joint slayers of Hance and
his wife, in a dying statement by
Hance, a former peace officer of
Hartford City. Hance was several
years ago acquitted of the murder of
his first wife.
Wolfe is in jail under $100,000 bail
bonds.
CONFERENCE BY
PR0HIBITI0NITS
OF 22 STATES
WASHINGTON, D. C., Aug. 17 (#P).
Prohibition Director Andrews has
called a general prohibition confer
ence tomorrow, preparing to make
effective the reorganization of the dry
forces, which will take place Septem
ber 1, when 19 division chiefs and 22
state directors will have places as
signed them in the new organization.
Some administrators and some as
sistants are invited to attend, includ
ing F. A. Hazeltine, of Washington,
Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaskan
district. Roy Lyle of Washington is
also invited.
BODIES CREW OF
HALIBUT VESSEL
FOUND IN STRAIT
PORT ANGELES, Wn., Aug. 17 (£>).
The bodies of Andrew Serenson and
Isaac Dahl, halibut fishermen, were
found near Neah Bay, at the en
trance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca,
and settlers are scouring the seashore
for the body of Captain Alfred Fryen
and his crew, of the halibut schooner
Irene, which it is believed foundered
last week. The trio were from Port
Madison, Washington. The bodies
had been in the water four or five
days.
Jim Hunter, an Indian, reported he
had found the Irene Thursday turned
bottom up, with her sides caved in.
He said it looked as if the boat had
been run down by some other vessel.
ALUGATOR GRABS
SWIMMING MAN
MANGLES LIMBS
HOUSTON, Texas, Aug. 17
Dunk Campbell, after a desperate
fight, freed himself from a large alli
gator which caught hold of him while
Campbell was swimming in a creek
near here. His legs were badly man
gled. When the alligator grabbed his
right leg he attempted to kick it loose
with his left foot. The alligator
grabbed his foot and nearly bit it off.
The Rev. Fr. J. J. Hayes, who
has been in Anchorage for the last
three weeks, relieving Father Tur
nell, was a Seward arrival yester
day, en route to Juneau.
ALASKA HILLS MINES CORPORATION
PUN INSTALLING ANOTHER MILL SOON
Only Mill Operating in the Nuka Bay District Now Run
ning Full Blast* With Day and Night Crews—New
Cyanide Tanks Will Be Built on Property
THE PROPERTY WILL PAY DIVIDEND SHORTLY
Venture Is a Decided Success—Crewr of Ten Men Em
ployed. Main Tunnel Is Driven for a Distance of
Over Three Hundred Feet Tapping Rich Ore
_ \ .
During the last ten days the Alaska
Hills Mines Corporation at Nuka Bay
has been doing very well, according
to J. D. Andrews, general manager,
and in probabilities property will de
clare a dividend this fa;l o.’ in the
spring, providing no trouble is en
countered in the milling operations.
The mill work was started May £5.
then shut down for a period while
changes were made, operations start
ing again the latter part of June. Since
that time operations ha/e been car
ried on full blast 24 hours a day, ex
cepting the brief time it takes to
dress the plates. It is anticipated
that under the existing conditions an
additional mill will be installed on
the property next year. The present
mill in all likelihood will be closed
down about December 1, on account of
the freezeup, but tunnel work will
continue all winter, Manager An
drews said.
Plating $100 per Day
From an elevation of approximately
800 feet a 1500 foot aerial gravity tram
with two 500-pound buckets run down
from the main tunnel to the upper ore
bin where it is automaticaally dumped
into the Blake crusher. By gravity
the ore flows to the lower Blake
crusher of 25 ton capacity, thence
into the Warrington Ball mill. This
mill operates with a scoop feed thru
a spiral screw into the ball chamber
where it is discharged by reverse spi
ral onto the amalgamating plates.
From the plates the ore passes to
the drag classifier where the coarse
ore is carried back for regrinding in
the mill. The fine ore passes through
a 40-mesh screen, then to the second
plate and lastly to the Dester' con
centrating table. A small cyanide
plant, which will soon be under con
struction will clean approximately 12
tons of tailings a day. Practical tests
recently made resulted i.i the recov
ery of nearly $40 a ton from the tail
ings.
Expert Metallurgical Man
H. V. Henrikson, metallurgical en
gineer, in charge of the mill, did much
of the installation last fall, returning
this season to the property 'rom Wil
low Creek where he was employed in
the Fern mill in a like capacity, lie
is credited with being one of the few
expert mill men in the Territory. The
company has just shipped into the
property a complete laboratory which
will be set up and conducted by Mr.
Henrikson, who heretofore has been
making tests from a small homemade
laboratory.
Mr. Henrikson stated the mill is
plating around $100 a day but that
the principal malgamation is made
inside the mill where it has been de
termined that 75 per cent is accom
plished, the remainder passing on to
the plates. The maximum tonnage of
ore runs through is placed at 12 tons
a day.
Abundance of Waterpower
Lumber for the construction of
three cyanide tanks was shipped to
the mine last week and their con
struction will begin immediately. It
is expected a high percentage cf gold
will be recovered from the tailings.
Ample waterpower to operate anoth
er mill of the same size is procured
from a nearby stream high oi the
mountain side, which has been dam
med and from which 1000 feet of wood
pipe two feet in diameter conveys the
water to the mill where ft is run
through a sixty inch Pelton water
wheel developing 350 horsepower.
Main Tunnel in 300 Feet
The main tunnel is in now to a
depth of 300 feet from which two side
tunnels shoot off to the right for a
distance of 15 and 20 feet. Two stopes
are in with two miners now working
in Slope No. 2 on a four fcot vein
of ore. The mine is well timbered,
has rail and dump cars and has one
stope outlet.
Above the main tunnel another one
has been driven in to a distance of
about forty feet and yet another still
higher up on the mountain side has
been dug in, crosscutting an enor
mously rich body of soft ore. The av
erage samples panned brings to light
a startling quantity of free gold. From
small specks of gold in the vein, small
sized nuggets can be picked out with,
one’s fingernail. One gains the im
pression after an examination of this
property that it is simply a mountain
of gold.
Harrington-Skeen Locators
Otis Harrington and Frank P. Skeen
discovered the ore body in July, 1923,
while prospecting the region. In trav
eling along the bottom of the moun
tainside they ran across a fine look
ing piece of float, which, following
analysis, revealed the presence of a
large vein.
There are nine men on the com
pany payroll and one woman, which
includes J. D. Andrews, general man
ager; Frank Skeen, E. W. Barnett,
millman; H. V. Henrikson, metallur
gical engineer; Isaac Love, miner;
Earl Olsted, blacksmath; Mrs. Earl
Olsted, cook. Mrs. Andrews keeps
house for Mr. Andrews on the prop
erty. With the presence of Mrs. Ol
sted, presiding in the cook house, a
fine two-story log building, the em
ployes of the company are assured of
the best of home cooking.
Aside from the cook house there is
a log cabin, bunk house, a large size
tent, a blacksmith shop, and a barn,
where “Spark Plug,” who has the dis
tinction of being the only horse in
the district is housed. A river flows
alongside the camp, with the trail to
the mill and tunnels starting with a
heavy log bridge spanning the river
to the opposite hillside. A garden on
the hill at about 200 feet elevation
produces a considerable amount of
vegetables for the table. Berries grow
in profusion around the camp, trout
can be whisked out of the Nuka river
a half mile away, and game is to be
|had in season.
Two Miles from Beach
The mine is located about two
miles from the shore where freight
is discharged. This is where "Spark
Plug” comes in. It is the only prop
erty in the district thus far that is
situated any distance from the shore
line.
The Alaska Road Commission has
had a crew of men at work on a dou
ble ender trail for a number of weeks
back and as one walks over it they are
astonished at the remarkably fine trail
which has been constructed, a large
percentage of it through hard rock.
Prior to the advent of this road, which,
is passable for its entire length dur
ing the winter, the river was followed,
the only other access to the property
being by a hard-going hillside trail,
In tomorrow’s issue of the Gateway
the Cheechaco and Copenhagen prop»
erties, owned jointly by John Gillespie.,
Mrs. Josie Emswiler, and Mr] and Mrs,
Alfred Rosness will be described.