START ADVANCE
WORK ON LARGE
ANTIMONY MINE
Either a shaft or a tunnel -will be
driven at Stampede Creek this sum
mer and a permanent camp is being
developed there by Morris P. Kirk &
Son, Inc., it was said recently by i
Earl E. Pilgrim, in charge of the an
timony operations for the mining
company. Pilgrim returned to Fair-1
banks recently to make arrange
ments for the summer’s work.
Stampede Creek is a tributary of
tha Clearwater River in the Kantish
r.a district.
Nine men are now working at the
—en cut recovering the stibnite (an
t meny sulphide)’ a high grade ore.
The property is the biggest known
deposit of antimony in theworld.
Almost 300 t,ons of ore werej
freighted from Stampede Creek to
the Alaska RaiL-oad at Lignite, a d s
tance of 50 miles, in February.
Original holders of the antimony'
claims were William Taylor and
Chas. Trundy, who gave options a id
leases to the mining company.
The Kantishna antimony is be:ng
developed as “an ace in the hole" :iyl
the National Lead subsidiary'. lor at
present prices it is cheaper for the
American Corporation to import
from Mexico, .South America or.
China. In case of an emergency i
that would cut off the foreign sup; iy. i
. there probably would be a great
deal of activity in the Kaittishna,.
Pilgrim said. However, the present
price of antimony puts operations on
such a narrow margin that no con
siderable development is anticipated
for the near future. There is a big
market for antimony for it is used
in making of storage battery grids
and to harden lead for the type used
in printing.
The work on Stampede Creek,
now is all careful, hand stripping,
surface work. Daily average recov
ery us 15 tons.
Some of the freighting is under j
the most trying conditions, Pilgrim -
said. Bridges of ice had to be made
with forced overflow on four
streams. There have been deep
snows and frequent low tempera- j
tures in. the’ Xhhtishna. On Febru- I
ary 18, it was 72 below on the Sav
age River, and 65 below the same
day on Middle River.
BRINGS PASSENGERS
The P.A.A. mail plane landed in.
Takotna, Thursday. March 18 with
mail and three passengers for Ophir
and Ganes Creek The passengers
were Frank Meyers and A1 Greenberg]
who have mining property' in the vi
cinity of Ophir and expect to spend
the coming season there. The third
cassenger was Mr. Sloan, who will be
employed as cook for the Ganes Creek
dredge this season..
e
Transportation
Past and Present
(By E. W. MiHer)
Back in '98 and '99 when the Yu
kon boasted of a fleet of river pack
ets second to none, there were bea
con lights to guide the boats from
St. Michaels to the mouth of the Yu
kon ar.d crossing signals to mark
bad crossings.
Then came the Government Rail
road to Fairbanks and the passing of
the river fleet. Signal warnings and
safety lights, telegraph and telephone
lines were established along the
route the railroad traversed—all for
the safety of those traveling and
working on the railroad.
As father time -oiled on, there
came a new ‘Pioneer’ in transporta
tion—the airplane.
But where are the beacon lights
and radio beacons along the main
traveled routes? How are most of
the landing fields marked and lighted
up? Generally only by the use of
oil lanterns.
There have been numerous emer
gency night flights, many over a dis
tance of 500 miles, and only a lantern
to enable the pilot to land and refuel
and take off for another such landing
which is required at some lonely
cabin where a sick person lies wait
ing for assistance.
What help are our pioneer pilots
getting with the weather stations so
few and far apart? But thanks to
the amateur radio stations who are
ever on the watch and ready to give
a helping hand. Their only compen
sation is the satisfaction they get
out of feeling they have done the
right thing by their fellow man.
Until such time that the main air
way lines at least, are lighted prop-j
erly and equipped with radio sta
tions, all we can wish or.r pioneer j
fliers who have hearts as big as an
ox and nerves as strong as armor j
plate is “Happy Landings.” <
WARM WINTER CAUSES
POOR CAT H OF FUR
Warmweather, overflows -on the
river, and unusually deep snows were
the causes of the poor fur catch on
the Yukon this winter, acording to
A. G. Sample and G. W. Sample,
father and son, who returned by
plane to Fairbanks recently from
Stevens Village.
Winter Comparatively Mild
The winter has been comparatively*
mild there, young Sample said, and
just below the village, and at anoth
er point six miles down stream, the
Yukon River has not frozen over this
winter.
Native trappers lost many of their
traps in the overflows, and heavy
snows hampered every kind of set.
There were approximately 75 peo
ple in the village and its hinterland
this winter.
1
OATES FREIGHTING
SERVICE
We Haul Anythin;,
Heavy or Light
Where You Want It
JOE OATES, FREIGHTER
TAKOTNA ALASKA
»
Passenger Service
FREDDIE OATES, Prop.
urns mm articles
BY CHRISTIAN BOLGEN
(Special Correspondent)
Simel Reports Prospectors Busy—
Max Simel arrived in town fom his
trading post at Fail-view this week,
carrying the Ophir-ToLstoi mail. Si
mel reports that, Frank and Chris
Beckman are still prospecting on Two
Mile Creek; and that Davis and
Goodrich are on Mud River, where
they are reported as doing assess
ment work on some claims on Dome
Creek.
Finish Logging Contract—
Henry Martella and George Kantas
returned to Ophir frcm Washington
Creek two days ago, wht „ tiy have
finished theirlogging contract for
Hard and L'otila on Oph-'r. Martella
says they have now about 1,000 logs
and other mining timbers cut.
Preparing to Haul Wood—
Alfred Johnson and Andy Hansen
spent part of last week in town re
pairing Eric Hard’s “cat,” prepara
tory to woodhauling and other work
on No. 1 Above Upper, on Ophir
Creek. Johnson will be associated
with Hard in the operation of the
claim, using the highline scraper now
on the ground.
Has Terrifying Experier.ee—
Victor Hill had a rather terrlfyin
experience while working on hi i
ground on Victor Gulch this week '
He was setting points at the back of J
a 20-foot drift. He must have struck
a gas pocket, for all of a sudde
there was an explosion that threw
Be Sure to
STOP
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In fact, everything to wear and
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KSsS. TH:E£S h.
H’LE&ri
McGRATH ALASKA
him down. He started running
crouched down, toward the shaft,
while the blue flames of the burning
gas were racing towards himE ET
gas were racing close behind him. He
reached the top of the drift where he
was safe from the flames. He sus
tained only slight burns to his face.
Will Drill Innoko Flats—
ith t’ e last week's mail plane,
Frank Meier and Alf Greenberg re
turned to Ophir. Meier went to Fair
banks some time ago for medical at
tention and reports himself as feeling
all right. The doctor told him that
there was nothing ■'r'-iously wrong
with him but that he needed rest.
Greenberg, who has spent the winter
in Anchorage and Fairbanks, reports
'liat’a urui wnl be sh., p.d to 0,.hir
by plane within a few days, for the
drilling of property of the Ophir De
velopment Company's ground on the
Innoko Flats, belvreen Ophir and
Ganes Creeks. Charles Hulkey, an
expert driller, will be in Ophir dur
ing the early part of next month to
take charge of the drilling.
The only Newspaper and Job
Printing establishment in the Kusko
twim area. Subscribe NOW.
.BETHEL BUSINESS MAN
PASSES AWAY AT SEWARD
Plans were made lest week by th
Star Air Service to bring: the body
of Harry Samuelson from Seward,
where- he died Wednesday, March 17,
after an illness of a month, and
it to Bethel for burial.
Mr. Samuelson, 55. was a trading
post operator between Bethel ar,
Akiak. He leaves a wife, now ir.
Anchorage, and five chit’rer. ■
GOODNEi. S BAY RES! .’NT
IS DECLARED TO- BE SANE
Christian B. Ravilla, who was
brought to Fairbanks from Goodnews
Bay recently on a charge of insanity,
was decided to be sane after a hear
ing in that city.
He made the trip both ways in an
airplane, being accompanied by Dep
uty Marshal N’els Anderson of Bethel
BuRand’s Cafe
Good Clean Food.
Everybody Welcome.
FLAT. ALASKA
HEWITT'S PHOTO SHOP
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA.
Directs your attention to their amature finishing department to
gether with their 24 hour service.
Carrying a full line of standard and Portable typewriters, Burr
ough and Victor adding machines.
Battery radios for those living in unwired homes, fresh stock of
batteries at all times. .MAIL ORDERS SOLICITED.
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A Modern Hot-air Heating System
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McGRATH TAKOTNA