ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MINISTER OF MINES YEAR ENDING 31st DECEMBER, 1895, BEING AN ACCOUNT OF MINING OPERATIONS FOR GOLD, COAL, ETC,, IN THE irooittce of jkittsh Columbia. VICTORIA, B. C: Printed by Richard Wolffindkn, Printer to the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty. 1896. 59 Vict. Report: of the Minister of Mines. 643 REPORT MINISTER OF MINES, 1895. To His Honour Edgar Dewdney, Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of British Columbia: May it please Your Honour: The Annual Report of the Mining Industries of the Province for the year 1895 is herewith respectfully submitted. I am happy to state that Mr. Carlyle, late Lecturer on Minin g and Metallurgy at McGill University, a gentleman of large experience in practical mining, has been appointed a Provincial Mineralogist and his services will prove of great service to the mining industry. JAMES BAKEK, Minister of Mines' Office, Minister of Mines. 10th March, 1896. ■ PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. GOLD MINING STATISTICS FOR 1895. Name of Bar, Gulch, Creek, or River. "3 c3 1=1 a 81 o "Sis 6 H .) 636,545 $55,115,9 Number of Miners employed. 3,000 4,000 4,400 4,200 4,100 4,400 4,400 4,294 2,982 3,044 2,390 2,369 2,348 2,450 2,400 2,300 2,868 2,024 2,282 1,960 1,883 2,124 1,955 1,898 1,788 1,965 1,858 2,902 3,147 2,342* 2,007 1,929 1,342t 1,199 1,340 1,247 1,610 2,030 Average yearly earnings per man. $ 173 403 506 634 517 849 813 893 814 992 749 569 734 671 667 643 1,222 783 820 677 607 518 551 548 404 396 246 287 296 307 330 423 358 298 304 283 313 * This is exclusive of over 650 white men who, during the season of 1887, were working on or prospecting for mineral claims. t This is exclusive of over 300 whites employed working on or prospecting for mineral claims. t Value of gold, silver, copper and lead ore shipped from Nelson during year, $784,965, not included. II (a.) This return of gold, or $636,545, is of the gold derived from the placers except $135,000 from the quartz mines at Fairview and Camp McKinney. (b.) Not including the value of gold, silver and lead in the ore from Kootenay, estimated at $2,175,000. 59 Vict. Report of the Minister of Mines. 647 REPORTS. ALBERNI. MR. FLETCHER'S REPORT. Alberni, V. I., 7th December, 1895. The Honourable the Minister of Mines, Victoria. Sir,—I have the honour to submit for your information the Mining Report for the Alberni District for the year 1895. I have, etc., Thos. Fletcher, Gold Commissioner. Mines. McLaughlin Range, China Creeek and Covnchan-Alberni Road. One hundred and forty-one mineral claims recorded. Extensive development work is going on in the Mineral Creek Group, exposing several veins of free gold, the most noted being the Alberni, Missing Link, Mountain Rose, Champion, Ace of Spades, and Last Dollar; average assay, about $30 per ton. Franklin and Granite Creeks. Thirty-eight mineral claims recorded. The Star of the West Group of Mines is the most noted, the work done exposing several veins of blue quartz, averaging $25 per ton, mill test. Coleman and Chesmicknet Creeks (Alberni Canal). Twenty-four mineral claims recorded. Work exposes masses of crushed quartz, mixed with cements ; low grades; average mill test, $8 per ton ; on deep water. Copper Island and Sarita River, Barclay Sound. Fourteen mineral claims recorded. Work done exposes several rich veins with a good percentage of copper. Extensive development now going on ; also on deep water. Sechart Channel, Barclay Sound. Eleven mineral claims recorded. Large bodies of iron have been discovered ; also quartz carrying gold in paying quantities; on deep water. In other parts of the District there are 32 mineral claims recorded, on Sproat Lake and Cous Creek, on the opposites ide of the Alberni Ga,mA from China Creek, showing that the gojd range extends in that direction. 648 Report of the Minister of Mines. 1896 Placer. Two placer claims recorded on China Creek ; 4 hydraulic leases issued. The rents of 18 leases have been paid at dates when due. Work has been done on the following leases :— Lease No. 1, Alberni Syndicate $ 100 00 5, Canaract Hydraulic Co 7,000 00 7, Lulu Hydraulic Mining Co 500 00 9, W. B. Ganard 500 00 10, F. T. Child 700 00 11, F. McQuillan 3,250 00 16, Nanaimo-Alberni Gold Mining Co .... 1,500 00 17, „ m 1,500 00 A good waggon road has been built to the China Creek Mines from the Townsite of Alberni, and a first-class trail has also been made from the Alberni Canal to the Granite Creek Mines. Totals. Claims recorded 262 Free miners' certificates 107 and 1 substitute. Transfers 81 Certificates of work 35 Thos. Fletcher, Gold Commissioner, Alberni, V. I. MR. WM. J. SUTTON'S REPORT. Honourable Colonel Baker, Provincial Secretary and Minister of Mines, Victoria. Sib,—In compliance with your letter of instructions dated June 27th, 1895, I have the honour herewith to submit nry report upon the mining section comprised within the China and Granite Creek Basins, Alberni District, Vancouver Island. In taking a general survey of the country under consideration, before entering into specific details, a glance at the map of Vancouver Island will show the rugged, mountainous nature of its interior. The mountains of Vancouver Island are comprised within what has been called the Vancouver Range, it being the most westerly of the four great ranges or systems of mountains in British Columbia embraced within the Cordillera belt. Commencing at the most easterly, we have, first, the Rocky Mountains, then the Gold Range, next the Coast Range, and, finally, the Vancouver Range, running more or less parallel in a northwesterly and south-easterly direction. The Vancouver and Gold Ranges have many features in common in their auriferous schists and altered volcanic rocks. The Gold Range being composed of a number of minor ranges, namely, Cariboo, Selkirk, Purcell, and Columbia Ranges, has thus far produced most of the mineral wealth of the Province of British Columbia. The Vancouver Range is the north-western boundary of the Continent of North America, as there is only a narrow submarine plateau extending beyond it, then a quick descent into the azure depths of the great Pacific. Comparatively little is yet known regarding the geology of the interior of Vancouver Island, partly owing to its rugged nature and thick undergrowth, also to the limited amount of geological work thus far undertaken. The complications of structure presented can only be satisfactorily worked out by a comprehensive survey of the whole Island, and, therefore, properly comes under the purview of the Geological Survey of Canada ; and I would respectfully draw your attention to the needs of the Province in that respect. 59 Vict. Report of the Minister of Mines. 649 The Vancouver Range consists for the most part of an enormous series of eruptive rocks, interbedded with limestone, argillite, quartzite, etc. This great mass .of volcanic material and interbedded sedimentary rocks has been grouped together and provisionally called the Vancouver Series by Dr. Selwyn. The series amounts to many thousands of feet in thickness, and will most likely be found to cover not only triassic and carboniferous rocks, but even lower in the geological scale. The limestone portion alone attains a thickness of several thousand feet, and Dr. Dawson has suggested limiting the series to the triassic rocks, when they shall have been distinctly separated. The whole region has suffered great disturbance, and it might be termed a region of turmoil and chaos. Volcanic outflows on an enormous scale have occurred at repeated intervals, long periods intervening, during which the interbedded sedimentary rocks accumulated. The amount of volcanic breccia and tuff is also a remarkable feature of the period, a large exposure of which may be seen along the Alberni Road at Cameron Lake. All this great series has undergone extensive metamorphism. The limestones have become highly crystalline and show few fossils. The argillites have become semi-crystalline and more or less chloritic schists. The eruptives, although originally basaltic and trachytic lava flows, have undergone such alterations that we have now diabase, diorite, felsite, etc. A large proportion might be called greenstone, their greenish appearance being due to alteration products such as chlorite, viridite, etc. Some of these extremely altered eruptives might, from a lithological standpoint, be regarded as very low down in the geological scale. The interior of Vancouver Island lying north of Cowichan Lake and extending through to Alberni appears to be the remnant of a high, elevated plateau, the mountain peaks now remaining having an elevation of about 4,000 feet, which is about the average height of most of the principal mountains of the Island, the highest being Victoria Peak, with an elevation of 7,484 feet. Lying unconformably on the Vancouver Series is quite a large area of cretaceous rocks, forming a sort of fringe along the east coast of Vancouver Island, and embracing the coal areas of Cowichan, Nanaimo, and Comox. At the head of Alberni Canal there is a basin of sedimentary strata, consisting of sandstones, conglomerates, and shales, which have been referred to as the cretaceous, but from observed lithological differences I am inclined to question whether they belong to the same horizon as the gold-bearing area of the East Coast. A shaft was sunk on the shale near the head of the canal about seventeen years ago, but no distinct coal seam was exposed, although the shales were highly carbonaceous. 1 came across outliers of these sandstones and shales in the China Creek Basin, to which I shall have occasion to refer later on. I have also seen similar sandstone and conglomerate on the border of Cowichan Lake. It is interesting to note in this connection that almost every creek and river on Vancouver Island shows at least one or two colours to the pan. Leech River, in particular, yielded considerable gold to the hardy miners of the early sixties, variously estimated frorn one to two hundred thousand dollars. China Creek has been worked for its alluvial gold as far back as 1862, principally by Chinamen, and has yielded about $40,000 by the most primitive methods, the pan, shovel, rocker, and sluice-box. Considerable gold has also been taken out of Gold River by the Chinese, but nothing definite can be obtained regarding its yield. The black sand along the north shore, especially at Cape Cormorant and Cape Scott, contains considerable fine gold, similar to that found along the coast of Oregon and California. All the streams which have their sources in the auriferous belt under consideration show strong colours to the pan. I may mention the following :—Cameron, Nanaimo, Nitinat, Cowichan, and Franklin Rivers; China, Shaw, and Granite Creeks. It must not be overlooked that placer gold has been deposited by a natural process of concentration by an extensive erosion of the surrounding country, and is not to be entirely depended upon as a finger index to the extent of the gold yet remaining in the hills. Starting from the Alberni Settlement, where a number of pioneers are busy clearing land in that fertile valley, China Creek is reached by a good pack trail, which passes over a comparatively level valley, along which a good waggon road could be easily built. The trail strikes China Creek about eight miles from the Alberni Settlement, opposite the Cataract Hydraulic Claim, and then follows the bank of China Creek up to its source, the Golden Eagle Basin. Along the trail several exposures of syenite can be seen. This syenite extends over a large area, as shewn on my sketch map herewith, and forms, I think, the palaeozoic floor upon which the Vancouver series was laid; wherever met with, it was found to underlie all the 650 Report of the Minister of Mines. 1896 other formations. It is a typical syenite, showing the hornblende in well defined crystals, but considerably altered ; it contains very little mica and a small proportion of quartz, although quartz occurs locally in sufficient abundance to make it a hornblendic granite. Syenite occurs as bedrock along nearly the entire length of Granite Creek, from which it has derived its name through the miners regarding it as granite. Small outliers of the sandstone previously mentioned were exposed along the trail, which no doubt originally covered the whole valley, but has since been denuded. There is a large body of this sandstone overlaid with shale, commencing at Mineral Mound Number 12, and extending up to near Mineral Mound Number 15, on China Creek. It is exposed along the beds of Mosquito and McLaughlin Ceeeks, extending into the foot-hills, and also forms a rim around Mount Patl Patlicant. There is a fine exposure of these strata at a high falls on McLaughlin Creek, there being a perpendicular drop of 150 feet. Here they appear to lie horizontally, but in passing around Mount Patl Patlicant to the west, they form a spiral, and crop out near the top of the mountain on the south side. A good exposure, showing this twist, is on a bluff at the head of Child's Creek. The most remarkable exposure of this sandstone is at its contact with the Vancouver eruptives, well exposed in the bed of China Creek above Mineral Mound Number 15. Here the sandstone dips under eastward at an angle of sixty degrees, which may be explained as a complete overthrow of the strata, or a reverse fault— pre-supposing that the eruptives antedate the sandstone. There is about two feet of fluccan, and the sandstone is very much indurated at the contact, the eruptives also being very much altered. The deepest section of these sedimentary strata would amount to about 600 feet of sandstone and 400 feet of shale. No evidence of coal was anywhere seen. The sandstone near Mineral Mound Number 12, graduates into coarse conglomerate containing large boulders of syenite near its contact therewith. Mount Patl Patlicant has a capping of eruptive rock, probably phonolite, which rests upon the shale above mentioned. The gold belt on China Creek lies east of this sandstone, the formation being almost a typical section of the Vancouver series, consisting of diabasic, dioritic, and feldspathic rocks, more or less schistose, with interbedded limestone, argillite and quartzite. These eruptive rocks have undergone remarkable alteration, especially in the neighborhood of Mineral Creek, where they become greenish-grey schists, only showing their eruptive origin under the microscope. A glance at the map will show that a large number of claims have been taken up on Mineral Creek, but no doubt quite a number of these claims have been recorded on the strength of juxtaposition to those looking well. The first four claims recorded on this creek were :—The Alberni, Chicago, Warspite, and Victoria, the location of which can be best understood by referring to the map. These claims are now under dispute, and have been staked and re-staked, so that in one spot, the southwest corner of the Alberni claim, there are no less than sixteen stakes, a photograph of which I herewith enclose. On the Alberni claim two veins of gold quartz have been exposed. The lower vein has about two feet of a crystalline quartz containing free gold disseminated through the quartz in fine particles, and in some places plainly visible to the naked eye. The gold is associated with small grains of blende (black jack) in a somewhat peculiar manner, so that the presence of blende is an index to the occurrence of gold. The gold shows signs of crystallization when highly magnified. The vein dips about sixty-five degrees to the east, with a strike of north fifteen degrees east, and conformable with the bedding or foliation of the country rock, and therefore may be classed as a " segregated " vein. The upper exposure of gold-bearing quartz is a narrow vein about a foot in width, cutting across the formation about north-east. The gold occurs in the same manner as in the other vein. The country rock of the Alberni claim, as already mentioned, is a greenish-grey schist, being an igneous rock highly metamorphosed through hydro-thermal agencies. The same rock formation occurs on the Chicago, Warspite and Victoria claims ; also on the claims lying north and south of these claims. There are two quartz veins exposed on the Chicago claim, one of them lying in a line with the main Alberni ledge, and appears to be a continuation of it. It is the same width and has the ^arne dip and strike. The Missing Link and Champion claims, lying north of the Alberni, show several quartz outcrops. Two veins, eighteen inches in width, were uncovered, showing free gold plainly visible, Very little work has been done, the veins having been only just discovered. 59 Vict. Report of the Minister of Mines. 651 On the Crown Point claim there is a lenticular body of quartz two feet in width, cutting across the formation, exposed for about forty feet. On the Mountain Rose there is a quartz vein about two feet in width, also running at right angles to the formation, and exposed for about fifty feet, when a slip causing a fault was encountered, beyond which the vein has not been traced. This vein carries considerable chalcopyrite disseminated through the quartz. The country rock is an argillaceous schist or slate, with the line of foliation running due north and south. This schist is well exposed on Brown Creek, running across the Vancouver claim. Beyond those I have mentioned, very little work has been done on the claims in this section, so that it would be premature to form any definite conclusions regarding the permanency of the auriferous deposits. The majority of the veins are. interbedded or " segregated " veins, and have the appearance of being of a somewhat lenticular character, similar to the quartz veins in the Alleghany Mountains, and a large proportion of the gold-bearing veins of California. They are good types of segregated veins, and contain the usual constituents of gold, pyrites, blende, galena and chalcopyrite. It has been advocated that veins of this description are less persistent than true fissure veins ; that they are rich near the surface, and frequently terminate by pinching out in depth and horizontal extension; but recent mining operations have" demonstrated that segregated veins may extend to great depths, and be of considerable extent. They often do not differ in any way from true fissure veins, except that they run parallel instead of across the strata. The schists in the neighbourhood of Mineral Creek have a strike nearly north and south, and I would therefore recommend the prospector to examine carefully the country lying due north and south of this creek. I understand that some good prospects have been discovered since my return, on a creek called the Yellowstone, lying due north from Mineral Creek. Mineral Creek follows the line of bedding of an interbedded strata of calcareous material, or impure limestone, heavily studded with pyrites, the creek being confined to this bed its entire length, owing to its being softer than the neighbouring rock and therefore more easily eroded by the water-course. In a similar way, a number of other creeks in the neighbourhood were observed following down the interbedded strata of limestone so common to that section. Golden Eagle. Considerable work has been done on the Golden Eagle claim at the head of China Creek, where the trail ends. Two cabins have been built about five chains apart, in what is known as the Golden Eagle basin, which is about 10 acres in extent and completely surrounded by high, precipitous mountains 4,000 to 5,000 feet in height. I enclose some photographs showing the extremely rugged nature of this part of the country, which look like scenes in the Alps. The basin is beautifully situated for a stamp mill or other works which might be needed in working the mines, and there is a plentiful supply of water and timber. The Golden Eagle is about half a mile from the cabin, and is reached by a gradual ascent of about 500 feet up the foot of Mount Saunders, which is covered with heavy debris from the mountain. The quartz vein upon which the work has been done is exposed along the ridge of a " hog's back," with snowslides on either side. The ridge is covered with timber, which serves as a protection from the heavy snowslides that would otherwise be a constant menace. The vein is crystalline quartz with a large percentage of pyrites. There is also interspersed through the quartz some blende, galena, chalcopyrite, and arsenopyrite, making into to about 10% of sulphurets. The vein averages about three and a half feet in width—widening to seven feet and narrowing to a few inches. The hog's back appears to be an intrusive boss of diorite which has undergone local metamorphism. At a short distance from the vein, the hornblende, of the diorite has undergone alteration to mica. Immediately adjoining the vein the mica diminishes, so that it becomes a leached feldspathic rock which might be classed as a felsite. The vein has a banded structure and has every appearance of being filled by lateral secretion and deposition, and possibly some replacement of the country rock with vein matter. Four tunnels have been driven in on the ledge. The lowest tunnel, or Number 1, is in 44 feet, with an exposure of seven feet of solid vein matter at the entrance and three and a half feet at the breast. The strike of the vein is south 30 degrees west, and dip about 70 degrees to the east. The vein below this tunnel appears to widen very rapidly, but could not be followed on account of a snowslide, The next tunnel, or Number 2, is about 100 feet 652 Report of the Minister of Mines. 1896 perpendicularly above Number 1 tunnel, and is 65 feet in length. The vein in this tunnel averages nearly three feet, being well mineralized, with well defined walls. The next tunnel, or Number 3, is about 100 feet above Number 2, and is 46 feet in length. In this tunnel the vein pinches to a few inches. Number 4 tunnel is 21 feet in length on a small stringer. On the upper side of the hog's back there is an exposure of gold-bearing quartz very similar in character to the main ledge, but whether it has any connection I would not venture an opinion without further development. A large number of claims have been recorded around the Golden Eagle, but no development work of any importance has been done upon them. King Solomon. A good deal of work has been done on the King Solomon claim, situated on the divide at the head waters of McQuillan Creek, a branch of China Creek, but I was unable to fully examine the open cut which had been made on the ledge, on account of its being filled with snow. The ravine where the claim is located, lies between Mount Saunders and Mount McQuillan, at an elevation of nearly 4,000 feet above sea level, so that snow remains in the basin the year round. From what 1 was able to see, I should judge that the vein is a narrow seam along the side of a dyke. I was informed that it was widening below. The country rock consists of schists cut through with numerous felsite dykes, which can be plainly seen running up the mountain side. Those igneous injections produce conditions favourable to the concentration of the precious metals; in fact, it has been contended that the presence of gold in veins is always in conjunction with intrusive rocks, that the gold has been carried up with the outflow of these eruptive rocks. Without fully accepting this theory, it is generally believed by mining men that some eruptive action is essential to effect the necessary conditions for the concentration of metals in veins. The occurrence of auriferous deposits in conjunction with dykes is particularly exemplified throughout California, and, apart from any theory in connection therewith, we may naturally expect to find the same conditions here. It is now well established that the metals occurring in veins in the form of ores, have been deposited by the chemical solution of their ingredients from the surrounding country rock. The principal difference of opinion, over which there has lately been a warm controversy, is with regard to the stress laid upon lateral secretion, or the ascension of the mineral-bearing solutions from great depths. A number of claims have also been staked off in juxtaposition to the King Solomon, upon which very little work has been done. The ridge on the east side of the King Solomon basin, of which Hanson Heights is the summit, is very much stained with iron oxide, due to the oxidation of the sulphurets with which the whole region is heavily charged. Hanson Heights is a highly crystallized diorite, it being the same as the summit of Mount Saunders. On the trail, below the cabin on McQuillan Creek, is a notable out-crop of jasper, or jaspilite, a name given the rock by Dr. Wadsworth. Some of this jaspilite is heavily charged with hematite, and is identical with the jaspilite occurring in the association with the great iron deposits of Northern Michigan. This is the only place I found it in situ, although I met with float pieces all over the district. It may only occur as an interbedded layer similar to the quartzites in that locality. Adjoining it on the one side is a large bed of argillaceous schist somewhat ferruginous, and on the other side crystalline rocks. China Creek for a distance of about twelve miles is taken up under hydraulic leases. Several companies are actively at work prospecting and developing their claims. A dam was under construction at the Cataract claim at the time of my visit, which I understand has since been completed. The company expects to have the water turned on in a few months. There is a very heavy fall to China Creek, and a number of canons, making it very easy to dam and secure a head of water for hydraulicing purposes. The creek at its lowest stage would give about 2,000 inches of water. By careful management, so that the first outlay in bringing the water upon the ground is not too large, there is every reason to believe that the creek will yield a good return to the enterprising miners. Some of the benches show many colours to the pan. Mr. Frank McQuillan, the veteran prospector, deserves especial mention for his persevering efforts in drawing the attention of capital to the "golden" prospects, and I noticed his gold pan shone like a mirror from constant use. Messrs. Jones & Garratt, proprietors of the Constance claim, have dammed China Creek and cut a trench to change the channel. They have a stretch of about three-quarters of a mile of the creek-bed ready for sluicing. 59 VicT. Report of the Minister of Mines. 653 Mr. London was ground-sluicing on the Lulu claim, at the mouth of Mineral Creek, with the view of proving up his claim. He had not made any clean-up, but had considerable of the yellow metal in sight. Messrs. Gleason & Young were sinking a shaft on Mineral Creek, a short distance up the stream. They are in hopes of being able to get down to bedrock and drift in on their placer claim. Some very coarse gold was obtained on this claim with surface sluicing. Judging from the small samples I was able to see, the placer gold of China Creek appears to consist of two distinct qualities. The paler gold conres from the vicinity of Mineral Creek, as I did not detect any of it in panning above it. The darker gold is much more worn and smooth and likely comes from well up the creek. In panning along the creek, I noticed quite a number of small pieces of gold with quartz adhering to them, which did not have the appearance of having travelled any distance. There are evidences all along China Creek of the Chinese having skimmed the rim rock. They do not appear to have done any extensive sluicing. Alberni Canal. In passing down Alberni Canal from the settlement, carbonaceous shale can be seen exposed along the shore at the old Alberni sawmill site, lying almost horizontally. Following down the shore of the canal, about a mile south, syenite out-crops for a short distance, and is then replaced with a blackish, almost aphanitic, diorite, which constitutes the body of Copper Mountain. This formation extends aloug the shore down to a short distance below where the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway boundary line crosses the canal, where syenite reappears and extends down to Hiwatches or Franklin River. A good contact of this blackish, fine-grained diorite with the syenite may be seen on China Creek, about midway between Mineral Mounds, numbers 5 and 6, the syenite dipping under the diorite westward at an angle of about 55 degrees. There is an old tunnel half-way up Copper Mountain and facing the canal, which was run in 1865, following a cropping of chalcopyrite, which suddenly gave out. I may mention that numerous veins of chalcopyrite have been found in the diorite of Vancouver Island, but have not proved sufficiently strong to be worked, such as Sansome Narrows, Cedar Hill, Cowichan Bay, Cowichan Lake, etc. At Hiwatches River there is a good trail starting from the bay below the mouth of the river and following along the. foothills, up to the Star of the West claim on Granite Creek, which is a branch of Hiwatches River. Some placer mining has been done on Granite Creek by the following miners : H. McCoy, W. Poole, H. Hanson, Wm. Lindsay, and G. Carman. Good pay in coarse gold was obtained along some of the crevices, but the creek being very rapid, and the boulders large, it was found that ground-sluicing would not pay very well. Some of the benches give colours to the pan and may prove to be sufficiently rich to pay hydraulicing. Some work has been done on the Star of the West claim, located on McCoy Creek, a small tributary of Granite Creek. The vein is quartz with pyrite, and considerable calcite. The vein is about 5 feet in width where it has been exposed, and it may be traced a short distance along the creek, with a strike of N. 50 deg. E. The country rock is syenite on both sides. A ton of rock from the Star of the West, shipped to the Tacoma smelter, gave a return of $10 in gold. The Islander claim, adjoining the Star of the West, shows an exposure of basic ore along the bed of McCoy Creek, which is composed of the usual combination of sulphurets. The Nevada claim also adjoins the Star of the West, being one of those in juxtaposition. Six miles up Granite Creek from these claims, a number of claims were recorded on a branch called Poole Creek. The Starlight claim, located on this creek, carries free gold, which can be seen with the magnifying glass, in very fine grains peppered through the rock, in a similar manner as at Mineral Creek, but the associations are different. In the Starlight, the gold is intimately associated with small grains of galena, instead of blende as at Mineral Creek. The Starlight can hardly be called a vein, but is rather an ore body charged with gold by percolating waters. An exposure of about 7 feet has been blown out without any well defined walls. The country rock appears to be a diabase that has undergone extensive alteration by the leaching process of chemical solution so prevalent in this district. The ore body consists of quartz, pyrite, galena, calcite, etc. Calcite is a common ingredient of nearly all the veins 654 Report of the Minister of Mines. 1896 in this locality, showing that the solutions were highly charged with carbonic acid, the calcicum being derived from the feldspars in the rock. A remarkable feature of this whole region is the prevalence of feidspathic rocks with no free silica. A large sample from the Starlight assayed $40 to the ton in gold. Adjoining the Starlight are the Texas and Emma claims, upon which a small amount of work has been done. Two claims, called the Tangent and Big Galena, have been taken up at the headwaters of Museum Creek. They show a good exposure of quartz containing chalcopyrite and blende. A sample from the Tangent gave 13 oz. per ton in silver. Two miles beyond Sweet Water Meadow, on Granite Creek, near the divide, as shown on map, five claims have been recorded on a large intrusive boss of granite upwards of 1,000 feet across. It is a fine-grained granite, with numerous quartz veins, and heavily charged with sulphurets. Although the assays made have been small, still it is a remarkable mineralized mass, and will justify a thorough prospecting. In one spot, I came across some chalcopyrite associated with molybdenite. It is interesting to note the common occurrence of molybdenite throughout British Columbia in association with copper ores ; it has been found in numerous places, but only in small quantities. A good trail could easily be cut from the end of the present trail at the Star of the West Claim up Granite Creek to this divide, and leading over to the Nitinat River, at a small expense. It would be a great convenience to the miners and prospectors in getting in their supplies. Limestone. A most remarkable body of limestone outcrops in what I have called Limestone Mountain, at the head of Hiwatches River. There is an abrupt escarpment, almost perpendicular, of not less than 1,600 feet of crystalline limestone, showing well the lines of stratification, and dipping about fifteen degrees to the south. I did not succeed in obtaining any fossils except a few crinoidal stems. A similar mass of the same kind of limestone occurs on the west side of Mount Douglas, showing a good exposure on the east side of Hidden Lake, there being a vertical section of about 500 feet. All these limestones are highly crystalline and more or less dolomitic. They bear a great resemblance to several other large deposits on the island, such as at Home Lake, Kennedy Lake, Nootka Sound, and on Texada Island. In conclusion, I may state that I found it necessary to spend a large portion of my time in working up the geography and topography of the country examined. In order to do so, I had to climb many precipitous bluffs of no particular geological interest, but which enabled me to obtain more accurate information regarding the location of the different claims, etc., which I have embodied in a carefully prepared map of the mining district. I have, etc., Victoria, B. C, September 12th, 1895. William J. Sutton. CARIBOO. MR. BOWRON'S REPORT. Barkerville, 7th December, 1895. Sir,—In submitting this, my twenty-first Annual Mining Report, accompanied by the customary statistics upon that industry, I have the honour to state that it affords me infinite satisfaction to be in a position to report that the bright anticipations so often indulged in in previous reports upon the district, appear to be on the eve of a speedy realization. The season may fairly be said to be one of unwonted prosperity, and although such activity in mining operations must be attributed mainly to the introduction of outside capital, yet evidences are not wanting to show, that in the near future very many of the enterprises now opening out must become contributors to the world's gold yield, rather than absorbers of capital. 59 Vict. Report of the Minister of Mines. 65o That there will be many failures to reap a rich return upon the capital invested, it is unnecessary to state to those following the mining industry, but on the whole, I am of the opinion that our district to-day offers probably quite as good, if not the best, opportunities (to those desiring to invest capital in gcrld mining), as are presented in any part of the world. At the same time, I would here take the opportunity of cautioning the public against permitting itself to be misled by the many rosy-hued and exaggerated statements appearing in the public press from time to time regarding the value of certain mining properties in this district. These articles are generally written by irresponsible parties to boom private properties, and if proper caution is not exercised must eventually result in harm rather than in good to the district. Quartz Mining. Quartz mining in Cariboo District may be said to be in statu quo, notwithstanding that there are perhaps as many mineral claims held under record at the present time as at any previous date. But little work, however, has so far been done, except to satisfy representation. These claims are held mostly by persons without capital to develop them, and there having been during the summer more than ordinary demand for labour on the numerous placer claims now opening on a large scale, owners of quartz claims have been content to earn daily wages and await the advent of capital, doing only sufficient work on their locations to secure their title. Mr. S. J. Marsh, who has had some experience in the treatment of Cariboo ores, and whose views thereon may be found in last year's report, secured a bond on the Black Jack mine, and about the same time obtained a lease of the Government Reduction Works, has, I understand, made arrangements to erect a cyanide plant at Barkerville, which will be in operation next spring. Quartz claim-owners are looking forward with expectation to Mr. Marsh's return, as while here he inspired very general confidence by his push, energy and apparent ability. The Cariboo Reefs Development, Limited, of London, England, this season commenced work on the Princess Maria lode by letting a contract for one hundred feet of tunnel, upon the completion of which a second contract was let for the extension of the tunnel one hundred and fifty feet further, which will, it is supposed, tap the ledge about one hundred and twenty- five feet from the surface. It is understood that the Island Mountain Company will start work upon their mines in the spring by taking out ore and putting their 10-stamp mill in operation. Placer Mines. A pleasing contrast presents itself upon turning from the apparent apathy in quartz mining to our far-famed placer mines, the future output of which we feel warranted in saying- will exceed the millions produced, which rendered the district famous in the past. While the tabulated statement will show a greater number of men employed in mining this year as compared to last season, it will not be far from the truth to assume that not more than one-third of those so engaged were actual gold producers, the majority being employed upon non-productive works, that is, new mines in the course of development. Hydraulic Mining. This process of mining is now assuming vast proportions in the district. Not as carried on in the early days, with the use of canvas hose with small pipe and monitor, with perhaps a two-inch nozzle and one hundred feet of pressure, but upon a more extensive scale, similar to the works elsewhere described as being in operation at the Cariboo and Horsefly mines. There are now about thirty leases of hydraulic ground held on the Quesnelle River, where two years ago there were but five. The gravel banks along this stream offer most favourable conditions for hydraulic mining, and is limited in extent only by the amount of water supply obtainable. In the Barkerville Division comparatively few hydraulic claims are operated, the auriferous gravel deposits being more confined to the beds of streams. Where, however, sufficient dumpage can be obtained, this process has been adopted with success, after the lower and richer bed-rock strata have been worked out by drifting. Such are the claims on Mosquito Creek, the Waverly claim on Grouse Creek, the Forest Rose and Black Jack hydraulic claims 656 Report of the Minister of Mines. 1896 on Williams Creek. The Wintrip claim on Stout's Gulch, although worked for the past twenty-five years, has, perhaps, for the number of men employed, been the most productive, the output for the year being about $10,000. On account of the altitude (viz., 4,000 feet), the seasons in this immediate section are short and the water supply limited, rendering five or six months an average working year. The principal hydraulic claims, being in the Keithley Creek Division, will be reported upon more fully by Mr. Stephenson, the Mining Recorder at Quesnelle Forks; but en passant, I will briefly state what was brought before my notice upon a recent visit to that section of the district I must admit (and we old Cariboo miners are inclined to be conservative) I saw what was to me a revelation in the manner of working the gravel banks that there abound. Five years ago I visited the ground now worked by the Cariboo Hydraulic Mining Co. I then saw a Company of Chinese working with a 5-inch pipe and 1^-inch nozzle, with scarcely sufficient water to run three hours a day, yet it paid them well. To-day there are eighteen miles of ditch, capable of carrying 5,000 inches of water, upon which a small steamer might run. The outer embankment, even on a steep side-hill, is sufficiently wide for two horsemen to ride abreast. At every curve in the ditch masonry is built. This large stream discharges its waters into three 32-inch steel pipes, supplying three huge monitors with nozzles ranging from 6 inches to 9 inches in diameter, through which it is forced by a 300-foot pressure against a bank of gravel 280 feet high, which carries more or less gold from top to bottom. Upon my remarking that the monitor did not appear to be farther ahead than was the Chinese small monitor I had seen there five years before, Mr. Hobson informed me that the present large monitors were in reality farther back than the one referred to. The face of gravel could not have been washed ahead more than about one hundred feet, and yet I saw the $42,000 slug of gold that had just been washed up after a comparatively short run. This claim is being worked under great disadvantages, as could easily be seen. Mr. Hobson informs me that it will take two years yet to get fairly opened out, after which he says he will be disappointed if the output does not amount to one million dollars annually ! A visit to this mine will well repay anyone interested in hydraulic mining. The Horsefly mine, under the same management, is in some respects even more interesting to old miners who have not had the advantage of witnessing operations carried on by the more modern and scientific principles. Here we found 4,000 inches of water conveyed by ditch and pipe about seven miles, carried across depressions by inverted siphons, and supplying six No. 1 monitors, using from 6-inch to 8-inch nozzles. The company has been much retarded in its progress in consequence of the presence of an exceedingly hard cement, which the water, with the pressure obtainable, is unable to disturb. The Company, therefore, has had recourse to dynamite, which is used in large quantities, thus rendering the work very expensive. This cement is also encountered in the Cariboo mine, but not to the same extent as at Horsefly. In both of these claims at the time of my visit, this cement had very much diminished and better progress was being made. I also visited the Horsefly Gold Mining Company's ground, four miles above, which the company proposes to work by the hydraulic elevator process. The plant is now en route to the mine. As much of the gravel in this vicinity was formerly worked in the old way, by shaft and drive, and proved exceedingly rich, this mine, with proper management, under the new system of working, should prove a lucrative investment. Creek Diggings. This class of mines refers to such as are worked by means of shaft and tunnel, and which may possibly be worked in the future by the hydraulic elevator process. A reference to the Register of leases applied for, shows that creek claims of this nature have of late been attracting more attention than hydraulic propositions, which last season and during the early part of the present year, were apparently the only class of mines thought of by investors. There are undoubted great advantages in working underground mines in this district, as compared to surface diggings, principally owing to the duration and severity of our cold weather, during which time work on our surface claims is suspended, while it is the best time for working underground, as there is usually less water to contend with and foul air is less troublesome in the diggings. The introduction of boring appliances to locate the depth of the old channel, is destined to create a rrew era in this class of mining, as shown by the successful working of these 59 Vict. Report of the Minister of Mines. 657 machines at Slough Creek and Willow River. The former company has located what is supposed to be the deepest part of the channel at 287 feet below the surface, and 102 feet is the depth obtained on Willow River. Both these companies have prosecuted work with vigor during the season, but, unfortunately, in their attempt to sink a working shaft through the gravel, were drowned out. They are now preparing to sink their shafts in bedrock and drift out into the channel. Mr. Laird's report upon the Willow River mine will be found appended hereto. New Diggings. The discovery of gold in paying quantities on Pine and Summit Creeks, situated about six miles north-east of Barkerville, has lent quite an impetus to prospecting in that direction. About twenty-five men have been employed here during the greater part of the season, either in prospecting or opening their claims for future working, and have brought in several thousand dollars. The ground on these streams is now all located, numbering some twenty claims in all. On Shepherd Creek, a tributary of Pine, the Discovery Company has paid its shareholders handsomely, although working under adverse circumstances, owing to the light water supply. Several prospecting parties went out in the direction of Bear and Goat Rivers, to the north-east of Barkerville, and confirm previous reports of the great possibilities of that section, in consequence of which several parties will winter there. River Dredging. This branch of mining in this district is now beginning to assume tangible shape. Two scows are now in course of construction at Quesnelle Mouth, into which dredging plants will be placed to commence operations on the Fraser and Quesnelle Rivers in the early spring. In this connection, a thought expressed in the concluding sentences of Mr. T. A. Rickard's article on river dredging in Otago, New Zealand, which appeared in the last Annual Report, will bear repetition. He says : " This concludes my notes upon a field but little known this side of the equator. The chief lesson it conveys is, that we should seek to profit by the experience of others. Otago has much to learn from California in lode mining and quartz milling, but California would do well to study the steps of Otago in hydraulic elevating and dredging. The miner should be the least conservative of men : his motto should be ' pass it on' : the same difficulties should never require to be overcome twice : and thus should be avoided the worst of all wastes, the waste of experience." If then New Zealand is so far ahead of other countries in river dredging, why should those so employed in this country not profit by their experience, by sending a man to New Zealand to carefully examine and report upon this branch of mining as pursued there, and thus avoid the numerous mistakes which are certain to occur in all new undertakings. Messrs. Underwood & Co., of Quesnelle, have their scow, the dimensions of which are 120x24 feet, nearly ready for the machinery They purpose working the lower ten miles of the Quesnelle River, of which a lease was obtained by Mr. W. A. Johnston. The Pittsburg & Cariboo Gold Dredging Company is just starting the construction of a dredge, also at Quesnelle, to work the Fraser River bed, above Cottonwood Canon. Both these dredges are of the suction type, although differing slightly in construction. The Hydraulic Elevator. This process of recovering the gold scattered through gravel so situated that dumpage or grade for the sluices cannot be obtained, renders it possible to dispose of the debris, by raising it to a sufficient height to create a grade for the sluices. This system has been in use in New Zealand, Australia, and California for some years, but is quite new to British Columbia. The introduction of the plant, and the extensive preparations now being made by Mr. A. D. Whit- tier for the Cariboo Gold Fields, on Williams Creek, and perhaps on a less extensive scale by Mr. R. T. Ward, for the Horsefly Gold Mining Company, of Horsefly, is attracting much attention, and whose success will doubtless have a salutary effect upon the mining industry. The latter Company had not, at the date of my visit, in October, commenced active operations on the ground, except on the ditches, and as Mr. Ward had not then arrived, I was unable to obtain definite information regarding their plant. 658 Report of the Minister of Mines. 1896 The thoroughness with which the preliminary work on the Gold Fields property is being carried out, reflects great credit upon the management. The magnitude and novelty of this enterprise, being such as to warrant more than a passing remark, I append the report of the Agent and Manager, Mr. A. D. Whittier, which includes that of his engineer, Mr. James Champion. In concluding my report upon the mining industry in this district, I am impressed with its inadequacy to convey to the general reader a proper conception of the operations at present going on for the development of the mineral resources of Cariboo. There are many large claims operated by strong companies in various parts of the district, of which, not being able to make a personal inspection, I am unable to speak. The increase in the gold product is principally due to the " washups " of the Cariboo and Horsefly mines. From present indications we judge that another year will add many new contributors to the general output of the district. Perhaps the most tangible proof of our coming prosperity will be found in the increase of revenue from mining recipts general, which is about $10,000 in excess for the eleven months ending 30th November, 1895, over the corresponding period in 1894, the total revenue from all sources being greater than at any time during the past twenty-five years. There have been issued from the Richfield office since 1st January last—58 hydraulic leases, 42 creek leases, 29 dredging leases. The following are the records :—166 placer mining claims, 84 mineral locations, 83 water grants for mining purposes. Free Miners' Certificates issued in the district, 1,249. The gold product for the year, closely approximate, is as follows :— Barkerville Polling Division $ 81,000 Lightning Creek Polling Division 40,700 Quesnelle Polling Division 18,200 Keithley, Quesnelle Forks, and Horsefly 145,000 Estimated product for whole district from date of collecting statistics till 31st December, 1895 say 16,000 Total $300,900 I have, etc., John Bowron, To the Honourable Gold Commissioner. The Minister of Mines. MR. STEPHENSON'S REPORT. Sir,—In submitting to you my annual report on mining in this section of Cariboo District, it is gratifying to note the improvement from last year in the amount of gold obtained for this season, with every prospect of the coming season making a yet greater improvement over the season just closing. And although the development of this section proceeds slowly, yet there has been sufficient work done to prove the value of this section of the district for hydraulic mining purposes, as demonstrated by the Cariboo Hydraulic Mining Company on the South Fork of Quesnelle River, and the Horsefly Hydraulic Mining Company on Horsefly River, these companies being the only ones yet that have done any washing of gravel on an extensive scale. Those companies express themselves fully satisfied as to the value of their mines. Both those mines since their purchase from former owners have been under the management of Mr. J. B. Hobson, M. E., as Superintendent, with Mr. L. F. Warner, M. E., as assistant, and the work done shows the thorough knowledge of the business possessed by those gentlemen. A visit to either or both of these mines, will well repay those about to engage in similar work or to any one interested in hydraulic mining. On the Horsefly River, the Horsefly Hydraulic Mining Company have worked steadily for the season with a good supply of water, and although for a while a body of cement gave them considerable trouble the result of the season's work has been quite satisfactory. Considerable work has been done this season on the Harper lease, Horsefly, and quite an amount of 59 Vict. Report of the Minister of Mines. 659 gold obtained. Still a great part of their work has been of a preliminary nature in preparing for next season's work. Below and joining the Horsefly Hydraulic Mining Company's ground, Mr. W. H. Thompson and others, owning a claim, have for several years past been driving in a bedrock tumrel to tap a back channel. I heard lately that they had got through the rock and into gravel, but with what result I did not learn. On the South Fork of Quesnelle River, outside of the Cariboo Hydraulic Mining Company, very little work is being done, only one Chinese company working a very small hydraulic claim with about the usual number of desultory miners at work. On the North Fork of Quesnelle River there has been considerable work done during this season. The Victoria Consolidated Hydraulic Mining Company employed quite a large number of men during the first part of the season repairing their ditch from Spanish Lake; also a strong gang upon their ground at Keithley Point, but unfortunately, about the time they got in good working order their head of water got so light that they could not work to advantage, therefore they shut down for the season, but will resume work in the early spring of next season under more favourable circumstances. On the opposite side of the river, and above Keithley Point, Mr. James Mathers has for the last three years been driving a tunnel and working through the bedrock to get into a back channel, and has succeeded in getting into gravel that will pay him for drifting. This ground is well situated for hydraulic mining, and as he (Mathers) has obtained a water right from Seller's Creek this should be a good property. At Cape Horn, five miles above the Forks, Mr. James Gray has a gang of men at work constructing a dam and digging a canal to turn the river across a point. He expects to have the job accomplished in a short time. This will give him quite a stretch of river bed to work besides sluicing off a large area of ground known to contain gold in paying quantities. On Kangaroo Creek, Mr. Theo. Thormahlen is in about twelve hundred feet with a tunnel endeavouring to find the bedrock in the bottom of the creek, but has not yet found it. This creek was very rich in gold near the surface, and was completely worked out by Chinese, but owing to the great amount of water encountered no shaft was ever put down to the bedrock. During the summer, E. B. Herman, C.E., of Vancouver, and others, located five mining leases on the north side of the North Fork of Quesnelle River. About six miles above the Forks on this ground they did some prospecting by sinking a shaft and making cuts into the benches ; in all of these they claim to have found fair prospects. They also surveyed a ditch line from Duck Creek to bring water on the ground. On the Quesnelle River, from the Forks clown to Beaver Lake Creek, three companies have done considerable amount of work during the season. On Four-Mile Creek, J. M. Buxton, of Vancouver, has had a gang of from six to eight men for the season at work on the Maud Company's ground sinking shafts, driving a tunnel and doing other prospecting work. I have been informed quite satisfactory results have been obtained. On Twenty-Mile Creek there has also been a gang of men at work for a great part of the season on leases obtained by Mr. Buxton, while on the opposite side of the river, a little below Twenty-Mile Creek, the Montreal Company has had quite a large gang of men employed for the past year prospecting on their leased ground, and have obtained fine prospects in shafts and tunnel. From what I can learn this company will have very valuable mining property in the near future. On Keithley, Snowshoe and Harvey Creeks there has been little or no change since last year. The number of men employed, and the amount of gold obtained, being about the same as last season. Re mineral claims, there is little to report. There were twenty-four mineral claims recorded in this office during the season. On two of these there was very little prospecting done; on the others, no work wdiatever. Twenty of these locations were made on Snowshoe Mountain ; three on Black Bear Creek, and one on the South Fork of Quesnelle River. But if we are short on quartz mines we expect to be quite up to the front on placers. Enclosed herewith find estimated amount of gold for 1895. I have, &c., W. Stephenson, The Honourable Government Agent. The Minister of Mines, Victoria, B, C. 660 Report of the Minister of Mines. 1896 MR. LAIRD'S REPORT. Willow River, Dec. 2nd, 1895. Dear Sir,—In response to your request that I supply you with a report of the prospecting work so far done under what is popularly known as the Willow River lease, I take pleasure in submitting the following :—Actual work began July 1st of last year, and consisted of boring a series of holes across the valley to determine the exact distance to bedrock, and to locate the old channel. Our boring machine has a capacity of 500 feet, but can be pressed to sink considerably deeper than that. A six inch pipe is used at the start, the size of pipe being reduced to three inches as the holes get deeper. We bored in all six holes, and figuring all of them as having started at a fixed level, we found the channel to be 102 feet from the surface. The machine also showed that, in every hole bored, at a uniform distance of 50 feet from the rock, an exceedingly hard stratum was encountered. So hard was this, in fact, that some of the men employed on the work contended that it was bedrock. As a matter of fact the stratum was harder than bedrock. From every hole bored a prospect was secured, those out of the 98 and 102-foot holes being especially encouraging. It seemed marvellous that such heavy pieces of gold could be forced up through one hundred feet of pipe by a jet of water. After having satisfied ourselves as to the exact location and depth of the old channel, the next question was where to sink a shaft. Although aware of the almost universal failure of gravel shafts in this section of any great depth, we judged that we would be able to reach the hard stratum and shut off the surface water. Experience, however, proved that the surface water was altogether too great to be overcome and we were compelled to add our shaft to the monuments epitaphed " drowned out," with which, unfortunately, the country was already only too well supplied. Our next move was to adopt the time honoured saying "make haste slowly." Accordingly we started on a level with the river at high water mark and ran a drive into the hill a distance of 670 feet, where we found the rim rock. A careful survey has located the end of our tunnel on the surface of the ground above and our " chore" now consists in sinking a shaft through the gravel 100 feet to connect with the tunnel, continue the shaft about 115 feet more through rock, and then drive out through the rock till we strike the channel at the point where we bored the 102-foot.hole. We have built a shaft house on the hill where we are sinking, have our steam plant all placed ready for work and everything in ship-shape for nine months steady work. An Ingersoll Sargeant steam drill and blasting outfit are on the way, so that nothing remains to be done now but to plod away, day and night, for the next eight or nine months till we reach our coveted goal and find what ? It is, of course, needless to say that we expect to find gold and plenty of it. The work so far has been very expensive, as all mining operations in this section necessarily are, as it is so far from rapid aird cheap transportation. I purchased some time ago an 18-inch Cornish pump, and the freight from Ashcroft here (285 miles) amounted to more than the first cost of the pump. The last freight I received was thirty-two days coming from Ashcroft here. If ever a country needed a railroad, in my humble opinion, it is this. I believe there can be no question about the wealth stored here, and with railroad communication I am convinced that there would be one thousand men working where there are now ten. The country for 285 miles all around this centre would be prospected and developed as this has been and is, and who knows but that we here are merely at the gateway of the gold-producing country. Pardon this digression, but I am sure that a railroad would do more for this country than the discovery of half a dozen gold-producing mines. Yours very respectfully, Fred. C. Laird. John Bowron, Esq., Gold Commissioner. 59 Vict. Report of the Minister of Mines. 661 MR. WHITTIER'S REPORT. Barkerville, B. C, 3rd December, 1895. John Bowron, Esq., Gold Commissioner, Richfield, B. C. Dear Sir,—In answer to your request for a statement of the amount and nature of the work done during the present mining season on the properties owned by the Cariboo Gold Fields, Limited, on and about Williams Creek, I do not think I can do better than to submit for your perusal the report of Mr. J. Champion, M.E., and dated 27th ult. This report will give the work in detail. When all the works are completed next spring we will have 14 miles of ditches, and a grand total of (15,097) fifteen thousand and ninety-seven feet of steel hydraulic pipe lines in operation. The total weight of this pipe will be in the vicinity of 400 tons. There will also be 2,600 feet of tunnel, 2,200 feet of flume, and 1,140 feet of trestle for carrying pipe-line over Williams Creek. One point of great interest to mining men in connection with this mine is that the main pipe-line that connects with the hydraulic gravel elevator will be worked under greater pressure than has ever been attempted in hydraulic mining in any country, and the gravel will be lifted from the bed-rock of Williams Creek to a height of over one hundred feet and deposited on the surface. This is the greatest elevation gravel has ever been lifted by hydraulic pressure. The pipe for this work is nrade of lap-weld steel, and is 12,200 feet in length. Starting at the elevator the pipe is 18 inches in diameter and -f% of an inch thick. The different sizes are as follows:—6,850 feet of 18-in., 1,860 feet of 20-in., 990 feet of 22-in., 2,400 feet of 24-in., with a mouthpiece of 36 inches. This pipe is secured at the joints with " Kimberley collars," and tamped with 13 tons of lead. This pipe-line is at Ashcroft ready for shipment. Outside of hydraulic mining, I shall erect this winter two hoisting engines at the mouth of Williams Creek to work the bottom gravels that are below the drainage line, and will work this ground continuously. I expect to have all the development work completed and the mine in full operation not later than August 1st, 1896. Yours faithfully, A. D. Whittier, Cariboo Gold Fields, Limited. Barkerville, B. C, November 27th, 1895. To A. D. Whittier, Esq., Manager Cariboo Gold Fields, Limited. Dear Sir,—I have the honour herewith to submit a statement of work done on the Cariboo Gold Fields, Limited, during the present mining season. On April 1st I made surveys for the present drain-tunnel, and found the distance from Valley Creek, the initial point, to a point where we expect to strike bedrock in Williams Creek to be 2,600 feet. Work was commenced on (he tunnel on April 2nd. The dimensions of the tunnel are:—Height, 6 feet 4 inches; width, 4 feet in the top and 5 feet in the bottom. The above measurements are within timbers. Grade of tunnel, \\ inches to 100 feet. Length of tunnel excavated to date, 1,300 feet. Four shafts have been sunk on the tunnel for ventilating purposes and for hoisting the dirt. No. 4 shaft is 34 feet deep to the bottom of the tunnel. The site for iNo. 5 shaft, 400 feet distant from No. 4 shaft, has been surveyed, plans made for the shaft-house and machinery, subject to your approval. In this shaft-house the gravel will be hoisted by a steam engine, and washed as it is taken from the tunnel. The buildings will be so constructed that work will be carried on continuously during the winter months. 662 Report of the Minister of Mines. 1896 At a distance of 2,000 feet from the assumed end of the drain-tunnel a log dam has been built across the creek, 343 feet long, 8 feet high, and 6 feet wide. From the dam a flume, 14 feet wide and 6 feet high, with a grade of 2| inches to 12 feet, has been constructed down the creek a distance of 2,200 feet. This flume will carry all the water and tailings of Williams Creek at its highest freshets and deposit it 200 feet below the proposed elevator shaft. Surveys and drawings have been made for the elevator sluice, and the lumber sawed for the same. This flume will be erected next spring, after the completion of the drain-tunnel. The dimensions of this flume will be 6 feet wide by 6 feet high for 36 feet in length, the remainder will be 6 feet wide by 4 feet high. Surveys have been made for ditches from Lightning Creek to the confluence of Jack of Clubs and Ground-hog Creeks, a distance of 3Jr miles, and from the confluence of the above streams to the pipe-line, a distance of 3J miles more, making a total distance of 7 miles. The dimensions of the Lightning Creek ditch are 7 feet wide on the top, 3 feet wide in the bottom, and 2 feet deep. The dimensions of the Jack of Clubs ditch are 9 feet wide orr top, 4 feet wide in the bottom, and 2 feet 6 inches deep. Grade of ditches .03 to a rod. The ditch from Jack of Clubs Creek to the pipe-line is completed, and the right-of-way is cleared of all timbers, etc., on the Lightning Creek ditch. This ditch will be completed as early as possible next spring. A short ditch (16 rods long) has been completed from the head of Williams Creek to the "Eye Opener" flume crossing Williams Creek. The old "Eye Opener " ditch has been resurveyed (a distance of 6 miles), all logs and stumps cleared out, and 2J miles has been enlarged to date. Men are still working on the ditch, and I hope to have it completed to Williams Creek (a distance of 1 mile more) before Christmas. Two new flumes, 4 feet wide and 2 feet deep, have been constructed on this ditch, the one crossing Williams Creek is 140 feet long, and the other 136 feet long. Another flume, 62 feet long, will be completed next week. Surveys have been made for a new pipe-line for the " Eye Opener " c'aim. The length of pipe will be about 1,800 feet, which will give a pressure of 450 feet. Surveys have also been made for the elevator pipe-line, from the end of Jack of Clubs ditch to the elevator shaft, a distance of 12,097 feet, which will give a perpendicular pressure of 998 feet to the drain-tunnel level. Grading has bei-n done on this pipe-line as follows :—Commencing at the end of ditch, thence down the mountain side 2,972 feet to the waggon road leading to Richfield, the ground has been graded down to a comparatively even grade. Cuttings have been made from nil to 12 feet deep, and embankments made from nil to 10 feet high. From the Richfield Road a high trestle, 360 feet long, has been erected to carry the pipe across Williams Creek at the head of the canyon and into the Black Jack cut. From the end of this trestle a cut has been made through the Black Jack Mining Claim, 834 feet long, to Williams Creek, below the canyon ; from thence a trestle has been erected, 780 feet long, crossing Williams Creek diagonally to the bulkhead. Length of pipe from ditch to this point, 4,946 feet; length of pipe from this point to elevator shaft, 7,151 feet; making the total length of pipe, 12,097 feet. A ditch has been surveyed from a point near Dower's cabin to a point on the western side of Williams Creek, opposite the site of the proposed elevator shaft. Length of ditch, f of a mile. Dimensions of ditch are 7 feet wide on top, 3 feet wide in the bottom, and 2 feet deep. A 12-in. pipe will be laid from the end of this ditch to the elevator shaft, a distance of about 1,200 feet. This pipe will be used for piping down the bank of gravel in the creek for the elevator. At Ground-hog Lake, at the head of Ground-hog Creek, an open cut has been made from the creek in towards the lake, a distance of about 200 feet, which, when completed, will tap the lake 10 feet below the preseut low-water mark. Owing to the cold weather, work has been discontinued until next spring. When this cut is completed, a pipe will be laid in said cut, a water-gate fixed in the pipe, and a dam built 20 feet high above the gate-pipe, which will increase the capacity of the lake about four-fold. I am, etc., James Champion, Considting Mining Engineer. 59 Vict- Report of the Minister of Mines. 663 The Slough Creek Mining Company, Cariboo. Development Work, 1895. At the beginning of the year a working shaft was being sunk at a point near the centre of the valley through the alluvial strata, which work was continuously prosecuted until the month of June, when the attempt to further sink at that point was abandoned, on account of an excess of surface water. As soon as it had been decided to discontinue sinking at this point, hydraulic jetting machines were put in operation and a further number of prospect shafts were drilled frorn the surface to the bed-rock, thus completing a series of prospect shafts across the valley, and from the results a cross-section of the entire width of the valley has been prepared. It was found that the extreme depth of the old channel is 287 feet. Previously to the beginning of this year a drain-tunnel had been constructed for the purpose of shedding the surface water as far as possible, in length 2,150 feet, which connected with the main working shaft at about 40 feet from the surface. It was decided to construct a lateral extension of this drain tunnel to the rim rock, air estimated distance of about 400 feet, for the double pur-pose of draining the high rock so that it might be worked for gold and permitting a bedrock shaft to be sunk at the point where the tunnel connects with the rim. While the prospect shafts were being sunk this year this tunnel extension was being run, and about one-half, or 200 feet, has been completed. When it has been completed, it is proposed to sink a bedrock shaft to a sufficient depth, say 325 feet, to permit a drive or tunnel to be run out under the old channel, reaching a point 300 feet from the surface. This will allow 13 feet to provide for any possible depression lower than the 287 feet depth as shown by the jetting machine. A very encouraging fact in connection with the drilling is that gold colours in considerable quantity were brought up from all the holes drilled at different depths, and particularly from the bedrock. The best showing was from the deepest hole. It is the purpose of the Company to prosecute the development work as rapidly as possible until the old channel is reached, and at the same time to work the high rock. From twenty-five to thirty men have been employed during the greater part of the year. Respectfully submitted, W. H. Fife, President. W. F. Sargent, Secretary. 664 Report of the Minister of Mines. 1896 CASSIAR. MR. PORTER'S REPORT. Laketon, Cassiar, B.C., 9th October, 1895. Sir,—I have the honour to enclose the mining statistics and my annual report for this District for the year 1895. I regret to say that no new discoveries of importance have been recorded during the past season. Three men were out prospecting during the summer in the Mud River country, but were not successful in finding anything of importance, although they report having obtained some fair prospects on one or two streams that they were not able to thoroughly test this season, on account of the unusual high water met with and other causes. They intend, however, to return to these creeks on the snow early in the spring, and so endeavour to thoroughly prospect them before high water occurs. I am inclined to think, judging by what I can learn from these prospectors, that there are some creeks in that direction that will yet yield a fair harvest of the precious metal. Four gentlemen from foreign parts paid us a visit during the summer, their object being to test some of our quartz. They came quite prepared, for they had with them all the appliances necessary for that kind of prospecting, but so far, I am sorry to say, they have not been successful enough to find anything that would pay to work in such a remote place as this. I understand from them that it is their intention to return to the district again next season and further prosecute their researches in that direction, and if they do it is to be hoped they will find something that will reward them well for their perseverance and outlay. The little mining carried on here this summer in the beds of the old streams was greatly retarded by the unusual high water, that was caused by the heavy rains we had during July and August, which, on one or two occasions, caused the water in the creeks to rise to such an extent that it ran over all the wing-dams, and in some instances it completely washed them out. I am pleased to report that a gentleman recently from England applied to me to-day for a lease of a piece of mining ground at the mouth of Dease Creek. It is generally supposed that this ground is rich, as it has been the natural dump of the creek for ages. During the early days here the bed of the creek immediately above this point was mined, and it paid rich down to the very verge of the ground applied for, but as it got too deep to work in the usual way, it was abandoned, and has remained so ever since, waiting for some one to come along and take hold of it who could raise the necessary capital and machinery to develop it. You will observe that the output of gold this season is only a trifle less than that of last year, which might be claimed as being a very fair result, when the many drawbacks met with during the season are taken into consideration. The returns, as closely as can with any accuracy be obtained, are as follows :— McDame Creek and tributaries $ 9,650 Liard River Division 475 Thibert Creek and tributaries 4,000 Dease Creek 8,450 Total $22,575 The weather has been remarkably fine since about the 20th of last month, so much so that it is certainly making amends for the past, for no one has yet been obliged to cease operations in their claims on account of frost, which is a very unusual thing here as late as this. There is not a speck of snow upon the ground at the present time, and there has not been sufficient frost so far to even seal up the smallest pond. I have,