Description of Nels Swanberg Claims
Continues Series on Mining in District
^ No. 15
By Senator Howard Lyng
At the end of the 1953 mining
season I wrote a series of 14 arti
cles for the Nome Nugget cover
ing all mining in the Cape Nome
Mining and Recording Precinct
excepting several small opera
tions in the immediate vicinity of
Nome and Nome River.
Adjoining Nome’s city limits on
the east are two groups of claims
owned by Ben Gillette and Gene
Kell, and Swanberg and sons and
Ben Gillette, respectively—old
timers all. The claims run from
the beach about a half mile back
to the second beach line and a
similar distance paralleling the
beach. Nels Swanberg Sr., his son
Nels Jr., and his son-in-law Axel
Edman have some 15 claims ad
joining and running approximate
ly two miles to Nome River on
the east.
Running along the south side of
the second beach line and bound
ing these claims on the north is
a two-and-a-half-mile ditch. This
ditch is 8 feet wide and 5\'i feet
deep, with a pumping plant locat
ed where Otter Creek empties into
Nome River.
At the mouth of Peluk Creek,
three-quarters of a mile east of
the city limits, rests a steel pon
toon screen stacker dredge of
23/4 cubic feet bucket capacity in
excellent condition, and in charge
of a caretaker. Walter Johnson
and Rod Pohl of San Francisco
had all the above-mentioned
ground under lease and installed
this dredge a few years back.
They operated two seasons and
then shut the operation down due
to mismanagement and financial
difficulties. G. R. Jackson of
Nome's Miners and Merchants
Bank presently has charge of the
dredge.
Nels Swanberg Sr. first came to
Nome in the summer of 1899 from
Dawson, where he stampeded in
1897 from Hope and Sunrise on
Cook Inlet, to which early Alaska
mining camps Nels sailed in 1895
from Tacoma, Wash.
Following the mining profes
sion in the Nome country since
his arrival, Nels also established
one of Nome’s real pioneer fam
ilies. His son Nels and daughter
Grace—born, raised and educated
in Nome—now maintain their own
homes close to that of their pio
neer parents.
Swanberg and sons are looking
forward to the day when it again
becomes profitable to mine for
placer gold. They have accom
plished considerable prospecting
and drilling on their properties
and have in storage a large accu
mulation of placer mining ma
chinery and equipment. One of
these days the break will come—
a raise in the price of gold, a
world market'established, or low
ered costs. When conditions are
right Swanberg and sons will re
sume mining.
Pope Still Improving
VATICAN CITY, (<¥)—Pope Pius
XII continued yesterday to show
gradual improvement.
The Vatican press officer issued
no communique but Vatican
sources said he slept and rested
well during the night.
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We’d like to keep this halo of good intentions
over our head all through the new year . -.
and believe we are going to try. We hope to
make 1955 the most progressive and prosper
ous year ever for all our loyal customers and
, friends.
NOME DRUG STORE
I
Lumber Town Feels
Earthquake Aftershock
EUREKA, Calif., UP)—'The heav
iest aftershock since the violent
earthquake here Dec. 21 jolted
this lumber town at 1:18 a.m.
Thursday.
Buildings shuddered but there
was no discernible damage.
The aftershock, which lasted
about half a minute, was not
nearly as severe as the Dec. 21
tremor which caused damage esti
mated at two million dollars, took
one life and injured some 50 peo
ple.
ROTARY NOTES
Guests at the noon Rotary
luncheon yesterday were Capt.
Webber, Nome Field; Rev. Robert
Havens, Anchorage.
The program was a discussion
of the proposed World Calendar
by Walter Borden.
Valdez Chamber Joins
Fight for Permanent
Certificates to Airlines
VALDEZ, —Valdez Chamber
of Commerce Wednesday joined
in the fight to have permanent
certificates issued to Pacific
Northern and Alaska Airlines for
stateside-Alaska operations.
The chamber wired Chan Gur
ney, chairman of the Civil Aero
nautics Board in Washington, sug
gesting it would be more practical
to merge Pan American and
Northwest Airline operations to
Alaska than stop service by the
other two operators.
The message said it was un
thinkable that the CAB would
consider not granting certificates
to Pacific Northern and Alaska
Airlines.
Administration Planning
To Ask $3 Billion for
Aid to Foreign Allies
WASHINGTON, M—The Eisen
hower Administration was said
Thursday to be planning to ask
Congress for at least three billion
dollars to continue economic and
military aid to friendly nations
abroad.
Such an amount would be
slightly more than the $2,780,000,
000 Congress provided this year
for grants, loans and arms ship
ments to more than 40 friendly
governments.
President Eisenhower probably
will unveil the new program in
his budget message on Jan. 17,
when he discloses how much the
I government plans to spend in the
j fiscal year starting next July 1.
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The beginning of the new year is a time to think
back, not only of the past year but the years long
past. It is good to remember the good things with
which we have been blessed. Our acts and deeds of
today will be the memories of the future.
Let's make 1955 a memorable year of peace and
Prosperity.
j i
NC COMPANY nc "CAT” dept.
Alaska's Pioneer Merchants MacMn.ry OMtion, North.™ Cmm.r.i-l Co.
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