The Alaska citizen., 1915-01-18
OVERFLOW STOPS
 OPERATIONS ON
 HAMMOND RIVER
TOMMY KING BRINGS NEWS OF kOYUKUk COUNTRY
 IN GENERAL

From a trip to the Koyukuk coun try having been absent from FaI- banks for about six weeks. Thomas C.. King. the well known local dog musher and long distance express man. arrived in town Saturday after noon. lie made the journey of some thing over l,200 miles without mis- haps. other tan that generally met with tIaveling over the little used trails. and he reported that his trip was successful in every respect. The snow at the present time is over five feet deep all along the trail from Panama to Wiseman, although. when Mir King went into the koyu. kuk. the fall was very light.
 Generally speaking, the Koyukuk is quiet at the present time accord ing to King No new strikes Of importance are reported there. nor Lave there been any finds of large nuggets or "piCkups." usually report ed in the winter from Hammond river. However, Wild river. from which some encouraging reports were received here several weeks ago, is looking good, although none of the prospectors working on the stream have reached bedrock as yet One hole, down to a depth of 90 .eet. shows fairly good prospects
 OVERFLOW STOPS WORK.
 On Hammond river there is ! number of large outfits working. all of them daily, expecting to get into one of those runs of pay which have made that stream famous as one of the producers of some of the coarsest chunks of gold in the world However, Hammond river operators have Teen having great de l o' hard luck this winter as tley have heen unal le to keep the water Of the stream from entering their drifts
 The mildness of the winter is blam- ed for this unusual trouble as il has not been cold enough in the koyukuk to kep the river from glaciering and then overflowng
 During the time Mr King was in the koyukuk the miners were not doing anything but were waiting for the water to subside before attempt ing to pump out their workings.
 In many places along Hammond river. the incoming of the water caught the miners in a state of un- preparedness. l. was at the time of year when there had been but very little snow and they therefore, had been unable to haul in their wood, and had no steam up in their plants. Consequently they were un- able to pump out the drifts imme- diately. Several narrow escapes in the cases of men who were working underground are also reported. it
 tated th4t while one man was waiting for his partners to hoist him out of the bottom of a shaft the water rose up to his armpits.
 STORMS HAVE BOTHERED.
 Heavy storms hava prevailed all winter in the koyukuk according to MT. King. There was very little snow at first, but when il did come it was accompanied by wind which vas almost cyclon!c in it's violence ioH the storms have nov abat- 'd somewhat. and the Koyukuh peo- ole hope to have good weather for the remainder of the winrer
 PIONEERS ELECT.
 A few days before MT King reached WiSeman the KCvulluk Ig loo of the Pioneers of Alaska held it's annual election Those who now occupy the official positions in that organization are:
 President, Judge F. E. Howard
 Vice-President, Peter Dow.
 Secretary, Daniel Webster.
 Chaplain, John Flowers.
 Sergeant at Arms, John Cold slough
 fiistCrian H"rrv Owens
 A BIG POTLACH.
 At Christmas time one of the ''r"eet not'Hches ever held along the Koyukuk river took place at the mission, St. Johns in the Wild around took part in the festivities, many of them coming from the ex- treme head of the Koyukuk. Arch deacon Hudson Stuck was present at the celebration.
 COMING TO TOWN.
 A number of the miners of the Tovnkuk contemplate coming to Fairbanks within the next few days. some of them for the purpose of al tending court. Ike Spinks is eX Dected to arrive within the next few days on his way Outside to attend the San Francisco Exposition. while others will be through here for the same purpose at later date
 King will probably make several more trips into the koyukuk yet this winter.