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GEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY OF CANADA 
 ALFRED R. C. SELWYN, C.M.G, LL.D, F.K.S, Director. 
 
 REPORT 
 
 ON 
 
 MINES AND MINING 
 
 ON 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 A. HISTORY AND GENERAL CONDITIONS OF THE REGION 
 
 B. SILVER MINING. 
 
 BY 
 
 ELPRIC DREW INGALL, M.E., 
 
 Associate of "The Royal School of Mines" Mining 
 Geologic to the Geological Survey of Canada. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY AUTOHRITY OF PARLIAMENT. 
 
 MONTREAL : 
 DAWSON BROTHERS. 
 
 1888. 
 
 ! 
 
NOTE. 
 
 It was intended that this Report should have been published as Part H. 
 of the Annual Report, Vol. II, 1886 ; but the illustrations not being ready, it was 
 postponed and will now constitute part H. of the Annual Report, Vol. Ill, 18S7. 
 Additional developments on some of the mines to which it refers are noticed in 
 Part S. same Vol. 
 
 Unless otherwise noted, the bearings throughout this Report are referred 
 to the magnetic meridian. 
 
 ^-■^ 
 
To A. H. C. Sblwyn, Ksq, C.M.G., LL.D., P.R.S., 
 
 Diri'clor of Ihc Geological and Natural History Sun>i/ of Canada. 
 
 Sib, — I send you horowitli Part I of my report on Mines ami 
 Mining on Lake Superior, prepared in compliance with your instruc- 
 tions. 
 
 Tliis part, whilst referring to tiio history of the whole j-ogion for t^' 
 past forty yoai-s, and the economic and other conditions which have 
 affected its development during that period, treats more particularly of 
 the Silver Mining thei-e, the subjects dealt with constituting the great 
 bulk of the matter to be considered. In view of the fresh importance 
 which the subject of Silvei- Mining in this region has assumed, owing to 
 recent discoveries, it was deemed advisable to complete this part for 
 puiilication at once rather than to delay it until the rest was ready. 
 
 Part II will treat of the mineral substances, other than Silver, found 
 or mined in the region. These are receiving little or no attention at 
 present, and, in compai-ison with what has been done in exploring and 
 developing the Silver district, the history of the mining of these other 
 substances constitutes a comparatively-small part of the subject undei" 
 consideration. This part is in an advanced state of preparation, but 
 some important information is yet wanting to complete it, which I 
 hope soon to be able to obtain when it will bo at once put in shape for 
 publication. 
 
 The field work of this investigation was only completed late in the 
 fall of 188fi, and the elaboration of the material thus obtained, togethei- 
 with the collection and preparation of the other information incorpora- 
 ted with it, has been, in the nature of the work, a very tedious and 
 lengthy undertaking. The same api)lies also to the preparation of the 
 illustrations, the data for which had often to be obtained from very 
 various sources, and fi'ora people who had long since loft the region ; 
 and all this, together with the natural difficulties encountered in com- 
 piling such data to form plans, etc., which should be as complete and 
 reliable as possible, has caused the unavoidably slow progress of the 
 work. 
 
 This work was further delayed owing to the fact that daring the 
 two winters following my appointment in July, 18H5, to a position in 
 connection with the work of the collection of Mineral Statistics, the 
 greater part of my time was taken up in making, in conjunction with 
 
 :!a:55- 
 
'•!-_. 
 
 ,J,ilm*-m,gS. 
 
 1 ,, 
 
 IV 
 
 INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 Mr. Coste, the necessary preparatory arrangements for carrying' out 
 that undertaking ; and in the compilation and writing of part of the 
 report on that subject for 1887. 
 
 In conclu.sion, I beg to express my thanks to all those from whom I 
 have received assistance during the progress of the Held work, and to 
 McHHi-8. S. J. Dawson, M. P., A. L. Bussell, W. II. Furlonge, T. A. 
 Kceleiv P. McKellar, W. M. Courtis and H. K Wiuksteed. who have 
 supplied me by correspondence with much valuable information since 
 leaving the district, and also to the many others who have kindly sup- 
 plied information, maps, specimens, etc. 
 
 Dur' g the progress of this work I was assisted in the field by Messrs. 
 A. W. Hopkins and .f. H. Moore, in the summer of 1885, and by Messrs. 
 rf. P. Brumell and J. H. Moore, in the summer of 188G. In the pre- 
 paration of the maps and illustrations for the report I was assisted in 
 the office for a short time in the spring of 1886, and during part of the 
 winter of 1886-7 by Mr. II. P. Brumell, and afterwards by Mr. J. 
 White, who succeeded him in the spring of the latter year, and who 
 did much towards the completion for publication of the accompanying 
 map of the Silver Mountain district, and of the Sketch Map of the 
 Thunder Bay mining region. 
 
 I have the honor to be, 
 Sir, 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 7th July, 1888. KLFRIC DREW INGALL. 
 
pkbkace:. 
 
 Til 
 
 The objects chieHy kept in view in the prosecution of this work have 
 been : Ist. To make as complete a history as possible of the mining 
 developments of the whole region. 2. To ascertain either personally investigation, 
 or from the most reliable sources the results of such developments. 
 3. To examine as many examples as possible of the veins and mineral 
 deposits with a view to the collection of information which might lead 
 to their classification and a better understanding of their nature and 
 relationships, and of the conditions under which they are found. 
 
 Regarding the attainment of the first two objects much difficulty 
 has of course been encountered. The greater number of the mineral 
 locations prospected have been worked upon by small gangs of men for 
 periods varying from a few weeks to a few months, and that mostly 
 
 years ago, 
 
 so that those from whom detailed information might be 
 
 obtained are now spread far and wide. Even where this is not so, those 
 interested in the matter could hardly bo expected to judge of results 
 quite dispassionately, and again, where pprsonal inspections of old mines 
 were made, these being of course full of water, it was found necessary to 
 supplement these observations, which were necessarily confined to the 
 surface, by information obtained from others regarding the underground 
 workings. In these cases however, a careful examination of the sur- 
 face indications has resulted in useful and necessary additions to the 
 information gleaned from such sources. Concerning the third object 
 mentioned, [ hope that the details and facts recorded in this Report 
 maybe considered desirable additions to our knowledge in this i-espect. 
 Where advisable, I have also incorporated information gathered and 
 published by other observers both amongst and outside of the officers 
 of the Survey, with a view to making as complete a summarv us pos- 
 sible of the evidence on the subject. Since the commencement of this 
 investigation, after tedious enquiry, communication has been estab- 
 lished with various people formerly connected officially with some of 
 the important mining efforts of the past, and the information so 
 obtained has been very valuable and will add materially to our stock 
 of experience of the district. 
 
 Various questions naturally present themselves to capitalists, erigi- 
 
 
•••"H^n-wsau 
 
 6 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 Sketch mii|> 
 
 iicors iind otlioi-H purposing (o iiitert'sl (lu'insolvoH in thiB rt\'^ioii, hih'.Ii 
 us tlio following . — 
 
 To wliut oxttMil Ims this lotfion hoi'ii uxuniinod and ])roHpoi'kMi, and 
 what have hcon tl»o rcsullB of such soiiivh lor minerals? 
 
 What is Iho state of the milling industry there at present, and what 
 has heen (hmo in the past ? 
 
 What have heen the rt ultsot'all these trials, and what rxperience 
 has tluis heen gained ot" the nature and hahitw of the min(!ral deposits 
 of the region ? 
 
 How does tlie oxperieneo so gained iipply to the rei'ently disioveied 
 mining soetions to wliieli attention is at present directed ? 
 
 In attempting to answer these ([iiestions, I have in the first part of 
 the Jleport given the partienhirs of the work (hine, nature of the deposit 
 and of its geological environment, etc., for each property which haw 
 been worked or prospected to any extent, and have thus summarised 
 the ovitlence upon which are founck'd tlio general con(dusion8 contained 
 in the latter part. 
 
 Wherever it has been possible to secure the information for their 
 compilation, phuis, etc., illustrating the individual properties have beer) 
 given, it being believed that a map or plan, oven if somewhat diagram- 
 matic, will produce a clearer idea in the mind of the reader than many 
 pages of letter-press. A Sketch Map of the Thunder Hay region accom- 
 panies the Eeport which having boon compiled from various sources 
 does not piotend to represent the topography with absolute accuracy, 
 but is as correct as the material at present available will permit, and 
 is sufiiciently so for the piir^ioses for which it is intended, viz. : To 
 show the various districts, their position, communicati(ms, etc., jis well 
 as the grouping and relationships of the veins as far as at present 
 known. The rest of the illustrations being explained in their proper 
 connection need no comment here. 
 
 Every possible means has been taken to till uj) gaps in our informa- 
 tion on the subject in hand from reliable sources and doubtless a con- 
 tinuance of the etlbrt would from time to time bring to light much that 
 would serve to render this record still more complete, but the collection 
 of such items being a very tedious process, it would be obviously 
 unwise to further delay publication on that account. With the original 
 matter then of this Report much extraneous and scattered information 
 has been incorporated and rendered available, and it is hoped that in 
 this way the Report here presented will be found to be as complete 
 and systematic a record as it is now possible to obtain of Mines and 
 Mining on the Canadian shores of Lake Supei'ior, and the conn,ected 
 districts from the commencement of mining there in 1846 to the 
 present day. 
 
REPORT 
 
 ON 
 
 MINKS A N I) M I N I N(i 
 
 ON 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 PART I. 
 A. HISTORY AND GKNEKAI. CONOITIONK 01' THE REGION 
 
 Tho area which may bo naid to luiturally rome under utiidy in tho p;,tentof»n»a 
 conHideration of tiio above Hubioct is very groat, extending aH it does''*'*"*'**'' 
 through a tract comprised within 10 degrees of longitude and 3 <legreeH 
 of latitude. To those unac(|uaintcd with the region and unaccustomed 
 to deal with tho groat distances of a now country, it may convey a 
 hotter idea of tho size of this tract when it is pointed out that its area 
 nearly equals that of h^ngland. 
 
 I have placed this rather extended meaning on the term "Mining 
 Eegion of Lake Superior " as I feel assured that in course of time, as 
 the country back from the Lake shore gets opened up, new mining 
 districts will be discovered which will naturally connect themselves 
 with this region. I have also included a largo section of country to 
 the North of Lake Huron which geologically, geographically, historic- 
 ally and otherwise, seems to bo naturally connected with the East end 
 of Lake Superior, and in which the mining developments will be a 
 guide for tho future in tho whole region. Thus considered then, the 
 area dealt with may bo described as a belt of country extenditig along 
 the north shores of Lakes Huron and Superior to an indefinite distance 
 back from them, commencing about at longitude 81 degrees on tho oast, 
 and continuingwcst to where the International boundaiy is intersected 
 by longitude 91 degrees, thus including the silver bearing area extend- 
 ing south-west from and tributary to the town of Port Arthur. 
 
 This great region, until a comparatively recent period, was a terra 
 incognita to the groat proportion of even tho inhabitants of tho Canadian 
 Provinces themselves, and to the present date, large sections of the 
 area spoken of are only known to the tj-appei', the Indian and the 
 timber hunter, and have not oven come under much notice from the 
 mineral explorer. 
 
 Speaking generally of the whole region, it consists for the greater 
 
 ^H' 
 
8h 
 
 OEOLOOICAr, SURVEY OP CANADA. 
 
 Surface 
 features nt 
 
 region. 
 
 Qeologioal 
 features of 
 rasion: 
 
 Mineral 
 resources of 
 reirion- 
 
 part of a ^leat rocky area covered with bush, which is mostly very 
 dense, whilst extensive swampy areas are frequent. In places, con- 
 siderable stretches are covered with UHeful timber such as maple 
 and pine, but for the greater part the bush is useless, except for local 
 demand such as would arise from mining operations. Districts of con- 
 siderable extent of good farming land exist at ])k..es, but a large 
 proportion of this region is little blessed with soil, and seems only 
 fitted to be the happy hunting ground of the trapper and mineral 
 explorer. For these it has many advantages, as it is a land of rocky 
 hills and mountains, of numerous lakes and rivers where the large 
 extent of rock exposed gives a chance to find valuable mineral deposits, 
 and where the water stretches, whilst being seldom navigable for larger 
 craft, yet furnish canoe routes whereby the inteiior of the country 
 may be reached. 
 
 As might bo expected in so extensive a tract of countiy, the geolo- 
 gical features present considerable diversity, although, apart from the 
 superficial dej)OBits, the rocks are all referable to the Palteozoic and 
 Archean. It may bo said to consist of a large area of Laurentian 
 gneissic and granitic rocks, etc., within which are found numerous 
 and considerable areas of plutonic and volcanic rocks, and of meta- 
 morphi(! slates, etc., which are considered to be of Huronian age, 
 whilst overlying these, chiefly round Thunder Bay and Lake Neepigon, 
 occur the sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the Aniraikie, Neepigon 
 and Keweenian groups, whose approximately horizontal position and 
 low angles of dip contiast markedly with the steeply inclined or almost 
 vertical older rocks. The lithological and other details concerning these 
 different groups of rocks are best left foi- description in connection with 
 the various mining districts dealt with hereafter, and full descriptions 
 of these particulars will be found in the various publications of our 
 Survey. 
 
 Within these rocks are found veins nd deposits carrying ores of 
 iron, chiefly as magnetite and hematite ; of copper, which occurs both 
 in the sulphuretted and native state ; of silver, in the argentiferous 
 galena and some of the copper ores and also native and as sulphide ; of 
 jfold, both free and in the baser form contained in pyritous and arsen- 
 ical ores. Besides these there have been found deposits of zinc-blende, 
 veins carrying molybdenite and minerals of nickel, the latter found in 
 connection with native copper ores, not to mention other useful but less 
 generally important minerals which have been occasionally found. 
 Amongst the other useful products of the region, other than ores 
 proper, may be mentioned quartz-amethysts, and agates amongst the 
 ornamental stones ; various structural materials, especially a fine 
 
] 
 
 I.AKK SI PERIOR. 
 
 'J II 
 
 . Miiety of rod rtan(istf)ne , umongst the minornl pigrnontx, Imrytes which 
 h;f hei'n obtftinod from thi* native silver voinci <'«inMtituting part ol' 
 rlii'ir ganguo. Plumbago han also been found. 
 
 Thus wo have the following useful elementH roprosento<l in the 
 iniiioral dopoHits of this region: gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, zinc, 
 iiii'lybdonuin, nickel, ai-sonic and sulphur. ReportH wore spread 
 recently of the finding of ores of mercury, l»ut these lack contiimation. 
 
 IlrSTOKY OP THE ReuION. 
 
 The history of the Canadian shores of Lakes Superior and lluron as ^'*JJ"™*!'<"'- 
 :i mining region maybe said to have commenced about forty years ™'"'"p- 
 .igo, in 1846, when the tirst mineral locations were taken up. It is 
 ilivisiblo into three periods separated by periods of inactivity, the first 
 commencing as mentioned in 1846, the second in 1HH3, and the third 
 in 1882, with the discovery of rich ore at Rabbit M intuin. 
 
 Attention was tirst directed to this region by the discoveries which Attention Brut 
 
 " '' direotcd to 
 
 were being made and had been made for some y^ars provioush' in tbe^*"'"''*""'" 
 
 ° .' I . copper 
 
 i:opper bearing rocks of the south rhore of La.. o Superior iteference 
 wasmad^ <> this by Mr. Logan (afterwards Sir William i m his "Report 
 <)t Progress of the Geological Survey for 184'i," i." Ibllows; — 
 
 • It is at the summit of the rocks under description " (the inferior 
 'oi'ks) '' in the peninsula lying between Lake Superior and Lake 
 Michigan, in a great range of trap interposed between the transuion 
 si-ries and a metamorphic group which rests on the granite, that Mr 
 Douglas Houghton, the State geologist of Michigan, has made the 
 liscovery of an important collection of copper ore veins which are 
 likely to become of considerable economic value, and it remains to be 
 ascertained whether an analogous condition of circumstances may not 
 .^xtend to Canada." 
 
 Following this we have a Report addressed by Mi*. Logan to the 
 •(Jommittee of the Honorable the Executive Council '' dated the 24tli 
 March, 1840', in which, in answer to enfiuirios made by them respecting 
 the mineral region of Lake Superior, he deals with "the data upon 
 which it would be judicious to proceed in ascertaining the value of the 
 mineral district in question; and the ])fihciples which should be taken 
 into consideration in dividing it into lots for the purpose of miinng 
 locations." 
 
 The Government having decided to act upon these suggestions gave Mr. Logan's 
 
 », T . . . . , . . , . . . , exploration of 
 
 Mr. Logan instructions to investigate this region, which work he the Canadian 
 
 . o c- ; shore of Lake 
 
 started in May, 1846, and spent the whole of that summer voyaging Superior in 
 rouml the Canadian shores of Lake Superior. 
 
 In this voyage he was accompanied by a properly authorized land 
 
 ^ 
 
 LJ Wi m. g "jeBVW it m %l i f 
 
«*«aKesSL3a. ...IL* 
 
 10 H 
 
 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 Firi't mineral 
 locations 
 gran ted. 
 
 Precautions 
 suggested 
 in granting 
 mineral landH. 
 
 Effect of 
 neglect of 
 preoautions. 
 
 Continuation 
 of history. 
 
 Discovery, &c, 
 of copper ore 
 veins of Luke 
 Huron. 
 
 surveyor who dotcrmined the position and limits of numerouH tracts of 
 mineral land whicli were required by sundry capitalibts who had 
 applied for thtni. These grants of land, to the number of 27, comprised 
 about ten square miles each, having a width of about two miles, and 
 running back from the coast about five, and were granted by the Gov- 
 ernment evidently uj)()n the sup])osition that ^ona^c/e work on them 
 was intended, and that the country would thus get the benefit of the 
 tests there made of the value of the mineral deposits of the region. 
 
 Mr. Logan, in his Eoport, urged that in order " to secure a bona fide 
 intention of working the minerals and to avoid the encouragement of 
 mei'e stockjobbing speculation, — there should be some sti])ulation on 
 the part of the Government, that a certain number of miners should be 
 employed on each location " lie further on points out that " In such 
 sales of locations, it must be recollected, that all control over the 
 working and proving of the mines would be relinquished by the Gov- 
 ernment, and the piivate interests of parties might in some cases 
 carry them no farther than the establishment of a company for the 
 purpose of traffic in shares ; whilst in others, persons of a less sanguine 
 temperament than their neighbours, might patiently wait to observe 
 the success or failure of the more adventurous." 
 
 It will thus be seen that even at this early date the Geological Sur- 
 vey had pointed out the precautionaiy policy necessary to be observed 
 by the Government in order to ensure the proper development of the 
 mineral resources of the country, and it is curious and instructive to 
 observe that notwithstanding the clearness with which this time- 
 honoi-ed e.^perience of the development of mining disti-icts was pointed 
 out, the opposite policy of losing all control over the development of 
 this most important part of the resources of the country has been fol- 
 lowed ever since with the consequent offect of seriously retarding the 
 opening up of the region. 
 
 But to proceed with its history. In this same year the Bruce Mines 
 copper ore veins were discovered on the north shoie of Lake Huron, 
 east of Sault Ste. Marie, besides some other tliscoveiies in that section 
 of less importance of similar veins. 
 
 I The development of the Bruce Minv.s voinh was carried on by the 
 Montreal Minintj Company from this <late until they wei-e taken in 
 hand by the Weni Canada Minhuj Company of London, Kngland, which 
 had commenced working similar veins in its immediate vicinity in 
 1855 under the name of the Wellington Copper Mine Company. From 
 this time on, this Company continued to operate all this group of mines 
 until about 1875, when work was discontinued, chiefly owing to the 
 price of copper having for s(»mi' years previously been so low as to 
 
 
 Ic'uve no 
 iif' these r 
 tine, of til 
 in'i'iod of 
 yielding 
 largo nun 
 attention 
 \<> (his da 
 III furmii: 
 So much 
 ilevelopm 
 
 For si.\ 
 ac(|uii'emi 
 was ])aid 
 iicyond a 
 the silvei 
 after theii 
 
 From ti 
 received : 
 occupied 
 caiTying 
 rocks oft 
 tiiaii and 
 Walhtcen 
 the disco\ 
 ' n Lake S 
 
 The CO I 
 liearing ni 
 attention 
 iliiring th( 
 cover the 
 the St. Ig 
 does not s 
 the comni 
 the Quel)e( 
 l)earii)i;' b( 
 liedson th 
 Mine, whc 
 with tlu' I 
 was done 
 location !• 
 Mining Co 
 "[tments \ 
 
 Miff t un. m 
 
 '^ 
 
• V i\ 
 
 ] 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 11 H 
 
 li'.ivi! no margin of profit on the working of the mines. The operation 
 of these mines has been the most extensive, and successful mining ven- 
 tiiK* of the whole region here dealt with, continuing as they did over a 
 prriod of moi'c than thirty yeai-s, and for the greater part of that period 
 yielding handsome profits. They omploj'ed directly and indirectly a 
 hii'go number of peojjlo, and wei-o the cause of directing considerable 
 attention to tlm district, and of forming (luito a settlement around, and 
 ii> this day a large proportion of the present inhabitants now engaged 
 111 furmii.g, e.c, are old Bruce Mines employees, or their descendants. 
 So much then for the indirect benefits accruing to a district from the 
 il(!veIopment of its mineral resources. 
 
 Foi' sixteen years following Mr. Logan's visit to the region and the p^^j^^, ^j. 
 acquirement of the before mentioned mineral locations, little attontictn ^'jj^natiotwn^^ 
 was ])ai(l to the mineral resoui-cea of the western end of the Lake, of i-. Superior, 
 beyond a few spasmotlic cttbrts at exploration and testing of some of 
 the silver pi'operties of the Thunder Bay district, for a year or two 
 after their acquirement in 184.')-(i. 
 
 From time to time, however, the more easterly portion of the '"©gi^^i .s,,,,.,n,odic 
 leceived a little attention. The search for copper seems to have tirstexpi^>^r^i|j;|^»^^^ 
 occupied attention, and discoveries w^ere made at intervals, of veins 
 carrying sulphuretted copper ores, more especially in the Iluronian 
 locks of the Lake Huron district, ;ind a few in connection with Iluro- 
 nian and Laurentian rocks on Lake Superior. Amongst these were the 
 Walldcetiml Emerald Mines, and some other plac'^'^ on Lake Huron and 
 tlie discoveries at the Be;/ley, Palmer, and Point mix Mines properties 
 I n Lake Superior, at whi(^h latter place work was carried on in 185G. 
 
 The continued success attending the exploration of the native copper- Exploration 
 bearing rocks of the south shore, now called Keweenian series, directed native copVt 
 attention to similar ai-eas on the north slioi-c, and from time to time, "'''"'*^""'' 
 ilui'ing the period under consideration, slight efforts were made to dis- 
 lover the native copper deposits of this formation. The exploration of 
 the St. Ignace fsland propei-ties in IH-tG came first, but a great deal 
 does not seem to have been done there. l'''ollowing this, in 185Ii came 
 the commencement of work on the east end of Michipicoten Island by 
 the Quebec and Lake Superior Mlnin<j Association on the native coj)per- 
 bearing beds there, and later, a little testing work was done on similar 
 liedson the nortli shore of the same Island at a ])lacc known as the Bonner 
 Mine, where sonic intc^rosting nickel and silver minerals were associated 
 with tin- copper. At Mamainse Point also, about this time, some work 
 was done on native copper-be:iring fissure veins in this foi-mation on a 
 location known as the Meredith location belonging to the Montreal 
 Mining Company. At none of the>e places, however, were the devel- 
 "|iments very exten>ive. 
 
 'xi'/J 
 
«a^ 
 
 12 n 
 
 (lEOI.OOIOAL .SURVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 Second period 
 of activity. 
 
 Further 
 operations in 
 the native 
 copper 
 formation 
 from 1863 to 
 the present. 
 
 Discoveries of 
 iron ores. 
 
 This brings us to the second period in the history of the region 
 which began about 18G3. when an era of much greater activity was 
 inaugurated. This was more especially the case in the silver district 
 of the western portion about Thunder Bay. 
 
 The eastern end of the Lake did not benorit so much by this inei-ease 
 of interest in mining matters. Another ettbrt was made in 18()3, to place 
 the Quebec Mine on Michipicoten Island on a working footing, and it 
 was operated for about a yeai-, after which this mine received no atten- 
 tion until 18H1, when an Knglish Co. acquired the property, and did 
 considerable work, and with an interval of idleness during a change of 
 ownership, this has been continued, and mining was still progressing 
 at this spot in February, 1887. Another Knglish company, the Lake 
 Superior Native Copper ('o., in ISSl acquired the old McDonnell loca- 
 tion at Mamainse fi'ora the Quebec & Lake Superior Mming Association, 
 and expended some S400,000 in testing various veins which had been 
 discovered there in 1880, and in erecting machinery, &c. The Silver 
 Islet Company also about this time had a foi-co at work, and did a con- 
 siderable amount of exploring and testing, both on the old Meredith 
 location, which is adjacent to the last mentioned, and had been worked 
 as previously mentioned, and on the adjoining one to the south. Work 
 was suspended, however, at all these places and, excepting at Michipi- 
 coten Island, nothing was being done in 188(>. 
 
 Evidences of the possible future of the region in the direction of iron 
 production first came to hand about 1803, in the discovery of hajmatite 
 and magnetite deposits at various places along the shoi-e of the Lake 
 between Port Arthur and Suult Ste-Marie, but beyond an insignificant 
 amount of testing work there is nothing to record, so that the pos.si- 
 bilities of the region in this respect still remain an unsolved problem. 
 This subject is, however, now beginning to ocetipy a good deal of 
 attention, and fresh zest has been given to the search for ores of this 
 metal in the Thunder Hay district by the gi'cat success attending the 
 opening up of the deposits at Vermilion Lake in Minnesota, just across 
 the International boundaiy in :i W. 8. W. direction from Port Arthur. 
 It is argued, that as these are within a measurable distance of Canadian 
 territory, and there is good reason to believe that the areas of similar 
 rocks found a little way across the lino in Canada are the continuation 
 of the Vermilion Lake rocks, that thci-e is therefore very good reason 
 to predict the discovery of equally good and extensive ii-on ore deposits 
 in our own territory. In fact, the veteran explorers of the district, the 
 Messrs. McKellar Brothei's have recoiitly announced such a discovery 
 in the Lake Shebandowan section. 
 
 The year 1870 saw the first discovery of gold-bearing ores at what is 
 
 
 iiuw kno 
 handowai 
 Arthur, \ 
 riiniliined 
 a few mo: 
 ;it variou: 
 shores of 
 The meta 
 done on t 
 lapse oft 
 I his way 
 Ifuronian 
 with tuor 
 which wa 
 also iibou' 
 
 In the 
 tarrying 
 been the 
 Amongst 
 place SOU] 
 work wju- 
 localities 
 on the n 
 where an 
 Cascade 2 
 latter pla 
 mills hav 
 during tl 
 greater pi 
 those gaU 
 
 The hi 
 Lake woi 
 about ei^ 
 shore of 
 C. P. R., 
 test pits t 
 
 To com 
 this regio 
 the silvei 
 division. 
 
 AlthoUj 
 and islanc 
 
 I 
 
I "..3 
 
 mm 
 
 LAKe SLl'KKIoK. 
 
 13 H 
 
 11., w known as the Iluronian Mine at Jackfish Lake, near Lake She- Dipcoveiy and 
 
 i,;in<l.)wan, about 70 miles in a direction a little N of W. from Port veins.* '*^ 
 
 Aitliui', where the precioiiH metal occurs in the native state as well as 
 
 comliiiied in sylvanite and pyritous ores. From that day to the present, 
 
 :i fow more gold-bearing veins have been discovered from time to time 
 
 :it various places both in the above mentioned district and on the 
 
 sh()rc> of Lake Superior between I'ort Arthur and Sault Ste-Marie. 
 
 fho metal in all these is mostly carried by the sulphurots. The work 
 
 ilouc on these gold-bearing veins has not been great, considering the 
 
 lapse of time since their discovery, and what has been accomplished in 
 
 this way has been almost altogether on two of them, viz.: At the 
 
 ILtronian Mine which has been woiked at intervals since its discoveiy 
 
 with more or less vigour, but is now clo.sed, and at the Heron Bay Mine 
 
 which was discovered in 1872, and then woi'keil for a short time, and 
 
 iilsii about two years later tor a short period. 
 
 Ill the Black Bay section ol the Thunder Bay district, several lodes (juiena veins, 
 cai rying galena were found in 186;:{ and 1865, which seems to have 
 hoeii the first time anybody turned their attention to this mineral. 
 Amongst these are the Corihoo and Enterprise veins, at which latter 
 place some test work was done in 1872, and in the same section similar 
 woik wa.s in progress at the Arctic Mine in 1884, The only othei- 
 localities of this mineral of any importance are at McKellar's Harbor 
 on the north shore of Lake Superior near Middleton on the 0. P. R., 
 where an 80 feet shaft was sunk in 1878; and at the Victoria and 
 Cascade Mines at Garden River near Sault Ste. Marie, at both of which 
 latter places considerable underground work has been done and stamp 
 mills have been erected. The work at the latter mine was prosecuted 
 'luring the years 1880 to 1885, whilst the former worked during the 
 greater part of this period, but had ceasetl operations in 1884. None of 
 those galena veins were being worked at the end of 1886. 
 
 The history of the mineral development of the eastern end of the zinc-biende 
 Lake would be incomplete without a reference to the Zenith iV//i<», ''"""'^'"*^- 
 about eight miles north of the mouth of Steel River on the north 
 shore of Lake Superior about six miles east from Rosspoi-t on the 
 C. P. R., where a deposit of zinc blpnde was fountl in 1884, and some 
 test pits sunk on it. 
 
 To complete this chnmological review of the chief mining events of jiig^^^y „f 
 this region a few words must be said on the subject of the discovery of sWve/ve^n**/ 
 the silver veins proper of the Animikie rocks of the Thunder Bay 
 division. 
 
 Although a number of these veins had been located along the coast 
 and islands S.W. from Fort William during the before-mentioned trip 
 
 H' 
 
mmm.. 
 
 14 H 
 
 GEOLOGICAL SUKVEY OK CANADA. 
 
 First 
 
 discoveries 
 regarded 
 rather as 
 copper nnd 
 Iea<l veins. 
 
 Subsc(iueiit 
 discoveries of 
 recogi lined 
 silver veins. 
 
 of Mr. Logan in 1846, iind although some pockets of rich silver ore wevv 
 found in them, the only ones on which much to.st work was done, viz., 
 those of Spar Island and the Prince Mines — seem to have been regarded 
 more as copper than as silver veins, and it was not until 1S66 that the 
 first silver vein, or rather the tirst one properly recognized as such, 
 was found. Veins had been located in 18G3, in this formation at the 
 Wallbridcje Mine and at Lot 11 in Paipoonge townshij), anci the former 
 had had a shai't sunk upon it, but they also seem to have been looked 
 upon as bearers of copper sulphurets and galena oi-ea rather than as 
 silver veins proper. 
 
 Thus the discovery of the Thunder Bay vein in 18(16 by Mr. Peter 
 McKellar inaugui-ated theera of mining of the highei- grade silver ores 
 which has been continued with varying success up to the pi-esent. The 
 next year, the Shuniah or Duncan vein was located, and in the summer 
 of 1868 a Ml'. Moi-gan, who was employed on the exploring party 
 which, in charge of Mr. Thomas Macfarlane was examining the loca- 
 tions held by the Montreal Mining Co., found rich silvei* ore in the now 
 famous Silver Islet vein, which resulted in sixteen years of successful 
 development of a mine which has been the great mining feature of this 
 end of the Lake. 
 
 Kor the seven following years, exploration and development work 
 was actively prosecuted in the disti'ict surrounding the Thunder Bay 
 Mine, chiefly on the veins ali-eady mentioned, and at the B.ecJe ov Silcer 
 Harbor, 3 A, and Cornish Mines. Some di.scoveries were also made of 
 veins along the W. coast of Thunder Ray, and on the Islands in that, 
 vicinity, and work done to test them, notably at Pie, Jarvis", Thomp- 
 son's, McKellar's and Minlc Islands, and at StewarVs Location near 
 Pigeon River, Sturgeon Bay, X'c. 
 
 By the year 1875, most of these enterpi'ises had ceased working, and 
 
 Fnsi'ive"*^ ''""'* a period of ([uiet intervened, for though the Shuniah Mine did not 
 
 finally cease operations until 1881, and the Silver Islet until the spring 
 
 of 1884. the former had little success and the latter had passed the 
 
 zenith of its pros])erity. 
 
 Following this period of quiescence came a renewal of activity which, 
 commencing with the discovery of remarkably rich ores of silver at 
 Rabbit Mountain in 1882, has been continued with increasing vigour 
 until the present. Discoveries at numerous other places around this 
 point have quickly followed, notably of the Beaver, Porcupine, Silver 
 Creek, Little Pig, Big Bear, etc., veins, the tirst of which has of late 
 become especially famous by reason of the recent tind of large quanti- 
 ties of rich ore. 
 
 To this third period also belong the discoveries near Whitofish Lake, 
 
 InterveninK 
 
 district, 
 
 Renewal of 
 activity, 
 
 to which 
 
 Silver M 
 lioen foil 
 ill its It 
 WiuteHslI 
 
 To fulll 
 .■<landpoii| 
 uconomicl 
 when it ij 
 |(.i-ty ycf 
 viewed su 
 apparentl 
 iiispoctioi 
 ■j,o far to 
 
 The coi 
 recently 
 Railway f 
 the oidy 1 
 was by st 
 tliermore, 
 this, Fort 
 at the oth 
 up betwei 
 l)y tug, bi 
 of prospe( 
 from whi( 
 taken, au 
 from the 
 transit, e; 
 in sail boi 
 sions for 
 was read 
 the absen 
 canoe roii 
 needful h 
 thus poss 
 over a ra 
 explorers 
 
 '^m;^-- 
 
^■1 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 
 15 H 
 
 ti) A'hicli district attention was first directeil by the discovery of the 
 .S'7'er Mountain vein carryin/^ rich silver ores. This discovery has 
 licen followed by the location of numerous veins in this formation both 
 ill its immodiaco vicinity and for some distance westward around 
 Wliitefish Lake. 
 
 Natural and Kcovomio OoNniTroNs. 
 
 :,^^ il 
 
 una 
 
 
 
 To fully judge of the results attained in this great region from the 
 standpoint of the minei-, attention must also be paid to the natural and 
 eionomic conditions under which its development has taken place, and 
 when it is remembcsred that the histoiy of mining thei-e dates back 
 lorty years or more, it must be admitted that when the matter is 
 viewed superficially the results attained seem very small in view of the 
 ;i|>p;irently numei'ous and widespread discoveries of minerals. A closer 
 iiisj)ection however of the conditions e.Kistent during this period will 
 i;o far to explain this seeming anamoly. 
 
 The communications of the region with the outei- world have until Lack of corn- 
 recently been very poor. Until the opening of the Canadian Pacific tiiroughout 
 Railway fVom Winnipeg to Port Arthur in 1883 and throughout in 1886, 
 tlie only means of communication with other parts of the continent 
 was l»y steamboat, and this necessarily during the summer only. Fur. 
 tliormore, it was only the two entls of the Lake that benefitted by 
 . this, Fort William and Poit Arthur at one end, and Sault Ste. Mario 
 at the other. A certain amount of communication was of course kept 
 up between these points and isolated fishing stations around the coast 
 \)y tug, but this only partially and occasionally met the requirements 
 of prospectors. The coast line naturally formed the base of operations Communica- 
 fiom which the exploration of the interior of the tract was under- at first, 
 taken, aud this stretch of some 400 to 500 miles had to be j'eached 
 from the two previously mentioned centres by very imperfect moans of 
 transit, exploratory parties generally having to make long expeditions 
 in sail boats carrying with them all their material, camps and provi- 
 sions for the whole season's work. I'iVen when the desired section 
 was i-eached, other difficulties would have to be confronted, owing to 
 the absence of any roads, so that the interior could onlj' be reached by 
 canoe routes or by starting through the bush on foot when every thing 
 needful had to be carried on men's backs. The limited amount it is 
 thus possible to transport, and the slowness of such means of travel 
 over a ragged country covered with dense bush naturally forced the 
 explorers, who could not of course have a large gang of men packing 
 
OiXa 
 
 16 II 
 
 OEOLOOICAL Sl'RVEY OF CANAKA. 
 
 Water tnivel 
 unavailiible 
 (luring winter. 
 
 Early difiicul- 
 
 in material after them from the centre of supplies, to limit themaelveK 
 to the examination of the country in the immediate vicinity of the 
 .shores of the Lake. Those who are not acquainted with new countrien 
 may pei-haps better realise those conditions by supposing all England 
 covered with dense bush and iininhabitated and its exploration under- 
 taken with the coast line as a base of operations by comparatively a 
 handful of explorers, who would have to start either from London or 
 Newcastle in canoes or small boats. 
 
 Even this means of travel was prohibited during the six months 
 winter, for the end of November sees the stoppage of all water com- 
 munication on the Lakes, and apart from this, the advent of snow, of 
 course, puts an end to exploring. 
 
 Incidents which occurred dueling the working of the West 
 8^ dvie to^soi- Canada Mining Company at the Bruce Mines on Lake Huron well 
 ation o reKiou. ji|yg^,.jj^jg Homc of the difficulties consequent upon this state of things. 
 Owing to the state of siege existent in the region from the absence ot 
 winter coramunieatioiis, a stock of all necessary material for the whole 
 winter had to be taken in every fall. One fall, the steamer bringing 
 in the horse feed was wrecked, and the management had to resort to 
 the expedient of substituting flour, of which they had a good stock, and 
 having built a baker's oven, fed the hor.ses on bread all the winter. At 
 another time. I lie general supply steamer having broken her propeller 
 shaft, a message was with some difficulty sent to the merchants sup- 
 plying the goods, who duplicated the order for the winter's supply and 
 chartered anotlTcr steamer, only to find that it was too late, and that it 
 could not get through on account of ice, so that the supplies had to be 
 collected from all over the district, and teamed fi'om long distances at 
 great expense. 
 
 Before the opening of the ship canal at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, 
 between Lakes Huron and Superior in the spring of 1855, things were 
 even worse, for there was then no means of passing the falls at this 
 place, and everything had to be trans-shipped and portaged overland 
 for about two miles, anil taken up Lake Suj)erior in large canoes or 
 sail boats. It is said that when the Montreal Mining Co. started work 
 at Point aux Mines, that bricks which they took up for their smelting 
 furnace cost 25 cents a piece at the mine, and everything else in pro- 
 portion. 
 
 All this of course rendered access to the region both difficult and ex- 
 pensive, and largely deterred people from efforts to make or dcvelope 
 discoveries. 
 
 Another source of difficulty and expense, especially in the earlier 
 part of its history, has been the difficulty of procuring supplies in the 
 
•] 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOK. 
 
 17 II 
 
 
 r-jrion itself, for owing to the absence of agricultural selilei-H uiiiil a 
 . )mpjuatively recent period, everything had to be bi-ought in from 
 listiint places thus incurring heavy freiglit charges. 
 
 The effect of the dense bush also, covering as it does so hii-gc a pio- i>citirt!nt.!a;:ct 
 portion of the country, has been very potent in retarding discovery, as 
 i'vovy one who nas ever travelled through it realises how clfcctually 
 it limits the vision, so that one may travel (|uile dose to indications of 
 ;i mineral deposit and never see them. This same retarding etfect 
 IS felt in trying to workout the extent of deposits found, ami the rela- 
 lioiiship!- of various exposures of either rock or vein, and when it is le 
 momliered how even when actual soil is absent and the rock is near 
 I ho surface, it is yet concealed \>y moss, fallen trees and the general 
 debris of defunct vegetation, the ditiieulties due to these «'auses may be 
 lietter realised. Once theveiu'^ or dejiosits have been located, however. 
 ;ind traced up, this same covering of bush is found very useful in 
 sii])i)lying matei'ial for building and i'uel. 
 
 Home points of difference between the development of this region (oininirigui i.i 
 and that of others on the continent is woi'thy of lotice. In the case rioveiopmcni'of 
 of the famous California and Rocky Mountain districts of the Unit('(l [f,f,!,e"oroMi<r 
 States, the discovery of ])lacer gold caused a tremendous rush of ex- '."'li"1!i|... 
 plort'is to these districts in the first place, from the fact that this class 
 ol'ijeposit enabled individuals, or small parties of individuals, without 
 much capital to work claims in (heir own interests, with the chance, if 
 lucky, of making large sums of money in a short time. This influx was 
 i.irgely assisted by the system adopted of staldng out and recording 
 the (iaims, whereby a discoverer or locator could acquire his ]>roperty 
 with the least possible delay, in the simplest manner and at the small 
 est expense. Thus these districts suddenly received a large mining 
 rominiinity. which led to the o])ening u]) of the cour.lrv in every wa}' 
 M) that when the ))lacer diggings began to get worked out, the explorcM-s, 
 being already on the ground, were iiatui-ally led to tiini their attention 
 to the discovery of veins and other mineral de]iosits. whilst all the ne- 
 cessary communications being already in working order, the condi 
 lions wore very favorable to the opening up of mines at once, when 
 found, and the oynH of capitalists being already turned in that direct- 
 ion by the original gold e.\i itement. it was fbunti easiei- to intere^t 
 t hem in the proposed enterprises. 
 
 The Lake Superior region has, however, had none of lhe>e iienelits. 
 There has been no ])reliminary inrush of thousands of explorers and the 
 opening up of the region has been consequently, as mentioned, very 
 gradual, whilst the ])rocess by which discoverers cm n -cciii-c theii' 
 ilaims has not been very satisfactory. 
 
 VI 
 
 ;; . t :'• Y\i' 
 
 
 ■I ^• 
 
 
 A 
 
18 H 
 
 QBOLOaiCAL SDRVEr OF CANADA. 
 
 Retarding 
 effeqta of 
 mining Iuw:f 
 
 Large areas 
 tied up for 
 speculative 
 purposes. 
 
 Attention 
 drawn to this 
 in the past by 
 Geological 
 Survey. 
 
 The present system offers every facility to the man of means to ac- 
 (l aire and to hold for an indefinite period, large tracts of land around 
 discoveries, but retards and renders it difficult for the explorer himself 
 to acquire his discovery. The process acts somewhat in the following 
 manner. An explorer makes a discovery and possibly secures it 
 but within a few months or oven weeks, all the land for several 
 miles around will have been surveyed and tied up by parties whoh-e 
 means allow them to hold for an indefinite period whilst they have 
 not the funds or da not care to meet the much larger expenditures 
 required to develop their properties. The interest of this class is 
 to hold with a view to re-selling at much enhanced figures when 
 the developments on the first good finds cause a demand for mining 
 locations in the section. This does not always come about accord- 
 ing to the expectation of the investors, so that at present large tracts 
 of land in the mineral regions are tied up and held thus, the 
 amount of taxes * on them being a comparative trifle to such as have 
 spare funds enough to go into this kind of speculation whilst it is quite 
 a considerable item to the prospector whose means, already slight, are 
 all required to outfit him for the search. 
 
 The extent to which this state of things exists in one part of the 
 region will be rendered plain by looking at the appended Sketch Map 
 of Thunder Bay region, where the areas of patented land are shown, of 
 which one may safely take four-fifths to three-quarters to i-epi-esent 
 mineral lanuri ties up. The worst efJ'ect of this sj'stcm is that it dis- 
 iieartens the actual explorer and keeps him out of the district, for in- 
 stead of a promising discoveiy causing as it should a rush of actual ex- 
 plorers to the section and a consequent multiplication of discoveries, 
 the land around the very spot where other finds might be expected, is 
 speedily bought up and discoveries made on property belonging to 
 others are not very profitable. 
 
 This subject is of course a complicated one, but after studying the 
 matter in the district and making enquiries amongst actual explorers, 
 one cannot help coming to the conclusion that the effect of the mining 
 laws is to encourage a wholesale speculative acquirement of mineral 
 lands on the slightest provocation, rather than to ensure actual work- 
 ing and to foster discovery by rendering it as easy as possible for the 
 explorer to get the full benefit of his toilsome and dangei-ous efforts. 
 
 Attention was drawn to this matter from time to time by the Geolo 
 gical Survey, for beside the already quoted suggestion of Sir William 
 Logan in 1846 and other places, Mr. Macfarlane refers to it in his Re- 
 
 si 
 
 * A tax of 2 cents per acre on all patented lands in Algoma was imposed in 1868- 
 
■■] 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 19 il 
 
 ])f>rt on Lake Superior published in the Report of Progress ot'tiie Sur- 
 vey for 1866, page 147, where he sa^ys. " Although important rcsultH 
 miixht reasonably be anticipated to flow fi-oin a search for rocks having 
 the lithological character of the cupriferous beds or with the compass 
 ill the manner above indicated, probably the best method wonld be to 
 make such arrangements as would induce the experienced miners and 
 explorers of the south shore to undertake the so;\rch. So far as I can 
 iii(li;e, numbers of them would be very willing to do so wore they 
 only certain that after having made a discovery they coukl reap the 
 :i'lvantages. At present the impression prevails amongst them (how 
 tiir it is justified F am unable to say) that in the event of their dis- 
 covering valuable minerals and applying for the laud containing them, 
 it would, before it would be surveyed and secured, find its way into the 
 hands of some more favored individual. In order to prevent this, it 
 .vouKi be necessary, after ascertaining the limits of the copper bearing 
 locks or of the 'mineral range,' as it is called, on the south shore, to 
 liave those parts of it which are still unsold, surveyed, laid out in not 
 loo large lots; establishing a price for them such as that at present 
 fixed, and making arrangements by which the public would at once 
 know what lots were unsold, and by which any applicant for one of 
 those could at once secure it." 
 
 Were a system adopted based on the general principle of the discov- change of Uwb 
 over or other person, holding his claim by doing a certain yearly enoouraS© " 
 amount of development work on it, coupled with arrangements whereby*'*'' ''™ '*"*' 
 he would be allowed to make a preliminary definition of its position 
 and area on the ground at the time of discovery, and were steps taken 
 to make this widely known, it would undoubtedly greatly assist in in- 
 ducing more explorers to make this region the scene of their operations. 
 This is an end very necessary to attain, for although many efficient 
 explorers have given attention to the region, still in proportion to its 
 extent, their number has been ridiculously small, and it speaks well for 
 the general prevalence of mineral that they have found so much as 
 thoy have. 
 
 These proposed ameliorations of the conditions under which the 
 prospector has to work are renilered the more necessary just now in 
 view of the extensive new sections of country recently thrown open 
 tor exploration by the completion of the C. P. Ry. and its branches 
 within the region in which the tying up of the land has not yet taken 
 place. 
 
 Even when work has been commenced with a view to test deposits 
 found, failui'e has often been courted, owing to the limited ideas held, of 
 the extent of the expenditure and work necessary to convert an un- 
 
2(1 II 
 
 QEOLOGICAI, SURVEY OP CANADA. 
 
 of miiiiiiK 
 re<|irr<'iiiontR 
 
 liHd .•fleets oi i»i'()VO(l proBpect into a j»rovod mine, which niiscoiu'.cplion lias caused 
 
 erroncouH idea? . , , /• ^i n- ^ i * i i \ -.i • . 
 
 piomatiiro ahaiiuoninent of tlio otlort, or a Hlart to ho made with insiif- 
 licionl capital, so that the ond oitho funds at dirtposni l»as been I'oachti! 
 boforc Iho (nioistioii i,s Hatinfactorily auHWorod an to whotlior or not 
 the mineral oxistod in payinjij quantities. Added to all this, a f'ailine. 
 on the part of operators to realise to what extent a mine should be 
 tested bi^foi'o erecting large stamp mills and making other surface ex- 
 |»enditures not immediately called for, has often caused a waste of niueli 
 capital, which used on actual underground work, might have seen the 
 ventuie through barren stretches of vein to a successful demonstra- 
 tion of its value. 
 
 These failures, when from such cau>i's, give the region an unde- 
 servedly bail name, and render it ditTicull to interest ca))italists who 
 living iai' distant from the section and uiiac(|uainted with the lact^ 
 must necessarily judge from superfi<'ial M])j)earances. 
 
 Of the multitudinous erroneous ideas which tind curren<'y aujongst 
 explorers and otheis working in such a region, aiid of the large lo.'^s <M' 
 energy, etc., in ill ilirectcd effort consequent thereon, one need hardly 
 say more, other tlian that when they have found common accejjtanie, 
 they liave nuiteiiall}' aUccttMl the direction of the developmental energy 
 in the district. One case, however, may be given as an illustration 
 whoi-e an ('X|)lorer acting on a belief widely accepted by the ])rosj)ec- 
 tors that " true fissures always inn straight ", had lun a picket line oi 
 ;ibout a mile in length through the bush from a short outcrop])ing oi 
 a vein, and then with peifect faith had sunk a shaft close to a creek lied 
 and at a j)lace whore the thickness of the clay covering was evidently 
 at least fifty feet, and piobably much more, .so that his cliance of find- 
 ing solid rock, oven at a reasonable depth was small enough, not to 
 mention theothei' absurdities of such a proceeding. 
 
 In pui'suing the consideration of the subject of this Ifopoit viz. — 
 .Mines & Mining in the J-.ako Supoi-ior Region — the matter presented 
 will be considei-ed under the headings of the \'arious mineral substan- 
 ces there found. 
 
 -m^S!^ 
 
m 
 
 
 LAKK Si;pKRl<»U. 
 
 11 II 
 
 M. SI[.VKI{ Ml.\L\(i. 
 
 Intlor this licail will l»o fi)iisi(lci(;il the Siivfr miiiiiiLi' i)i<i|icr, us 
 ii-tin;jjiiiHliu(l from tlio opoi-atioii of Ihoso veins ciirryiiig ai'ij^etitifoi- 
 iiis lead or cop|>cr ores, and its histitry is practically llial ol' tlic wust- 
 .;n ciiil iif tlie rcuion, i.e., nf tlio Thiindor Bay iniidiiu' di--lricl, iov 
 .vliilsl veins and deposits have boon there found ami tipniitcd lo a sliu;hi 
 ostent carrying;' other ores than the silver on-s proper <•( ihc dislricr, 
 sot they have lieen so far comparatively few in proportion lo the 
 Mlhers, and will he considoicd nndei- their proper headinu' in I'iirt. 11. 
 
 This district, which is comprised within the area covered hy the ap- Kxtoniot 
 iM iided Sketch Map, has heeu more actively prospected than any other 
 section of the re<fion herein dealt wilh. Its history has ali-eady heen 
 'iven in a ireneral way. 'IMie name ol' Mr. John Mclntvre. the ollicer 
 who was in charge of the Hudson's Hay (io.'s post diiriiii;- the earlier 
 [liii't of the history of the region, is ])rominently connected with the 
 iiuning otVorts of that time in association with Ihe .NIessrs. .^[clvellar 
 lirothers whose active explorations extending over many yeais have 
 lone so mucli to prove the widespread existence of mineral deposits 
 •II the district. 
 
 The old Hudson's Bay (^'o's distributing and iradnit; post of l'V)rt uariy 
 William at the mouth of the Kaministi(|uia river naturally became 
 the headquarters of the first mineral explorers, and remained so till 
 the commencement of the operations for the consti'uction of the Daw- 
 hon route to the Noi-th-West. This road came out at a point on the 
 shores of the Bay some three miles from the old Fort causing the 
 village of Prince Arthur's Landing to grow up which has subsequently 
 developed into the present town of Port Arthur, so that the two places 
 with their wharves, &c,, form the head of navigation of the great Lakes 
 for the Dominion, and have become the headciuarters of much mining 
 activity at present. 
 
 The means of communication of this district have been much im-„ 
 
 Recent 
 
 iiroved of late, and are now very good. The completion of the C. P. Ry. improvempntB 
 
 ' ' •' ° ^ •'in accessibility 
 
 iillords connections with the rest of the continent, whilst still cheaper of Jistrict. 
 freight rates will be obtainable in summer from the numerous steam- 
 heat lines, by which the products of the mines can bo shipped 
 direct to other ports in Canada, or to American ports on the lakes. 
 Starting from Port Arthur as a centre, the shore jwrtions of the district 
 cun he easily reached by small craft or tug, whilst the C. P. Ry., Daw- 
 son road and numerous canoe routes over the lakes and river.s give 
 nil ans of communication with the inlandportion. 
 
 conditions. 
 
 Ik 
 
 '^.fiik.A'MHiiiV.i. 
 
22 u 
 
 (IBOLOOICAL SURVEY OK CANADA. 
 
 INGAll] 
 
 QeoluglMl 
 fMtureii. 
 
 lO, 
 
 Extant and 
 diitribution 
 of silver 
 formation. 
 
 Sarfaee 
 ehnraoteristioa 
 of lilrer area. 
 
 Distribution 
 of mineral 
 discoveries. 
 
 Tho rockH of tho distript jiro compriHod within sovoral aroas which 
 aro marked an lluroiiian, Luurontiaii and Lower Cambrian on the 
 publi8hcd maps ol" the Survey, and al.no incliulo Hoveral granitic maKHos. 
 
 The veins car; yin^ the oroH of bilvor ocoiir with one oi- two exccp- 
 tir)iiH, which art pointed out later on, in the lower division of these 
 lower Cambrian roclts wbii li is known as tiio Animii<ie series, and 
 whose ilistiil)iiti()n and extent are siiown upon the appended Sketch 
 Map. Tlio chief area is that extending S. W. from Port Arthur wliich 
 is roughly triangular in ^-liajjo, with sides of aiiouL 40 miles extondiiig 
 along the west shore of Thunder Bay, (iO miles along the International 
 boundary at Pigeon Iliver, and SO miles along the northern side, where 
 the formation abuts against the Archaian rocks, whieli gives an area 
 of approximately 1,200 scj. mile.><. JJosides this, there are other areas 
 of these rocks as shown on the map, on the N. M side of Thunder Bay 
 and extending down its eastern coast to Silver Islet. With the excep- 
 tion however, of this latter mine, all the discoveries of irajjortanco are 
 confined to the iirst mentioned area, the general features of which it 
 would be well to describe before going on to the detailed description of 
 its mining phenomena. 
 
 The surface of the region piesents a number of flat-topped hilla and 
 I'idges, the former frecjucntly roughly circular in shape, separated by 
 valleys about two or three hundred feet deep. Prom the topaofthe 
 hills down, the rock is shown in clilfs varying in height from 30 to 150 
 feet, below which the debris fallen from above slopes off at an angle of 
 about 45** for probably another 50 feet, when it merges into the 
 gentler slope of the clay and soil filling tho valleys. The peculiarities 
 of the landscape due to these table-topped hills is shown on the accom- 
 panying panoramic Hill Sketch, which also shows the very ditterent 
 profile of the surface of the Archoan rocks to the N. as contrasted 
 with the Animikie bills to tho S., the division between the two being 
 about in the position of the letter " A ". The little flat-topped hills, 
 " B, and C ", in the distance are most probably outliers of the Animikie 
 foi-mation lying on the Arehean rocks. The mineral discoveries are so 
 far mostly confined to a belt of country running along the northern 
 fringe of the formation between Ariow lake and J*ort Arthur, and to 
 tho coast and islands of tho N. and V\', sides and in the mouth of 
 Thunder Bay, the country in the interior of the triangle being compa- 
 ratively little known. A few discoveries of similar veins have been 
 made in the eastern areas of these Animikie rocks, but besides the 
 notable one of Silver Islet, little or no work has been done upon them. 
 
 The valley bottoms in this area have usually a considerable depth of 
 soil, consisting often of a compact white or yellow clay with varying 
 
 thickne; 
 
 ilirttrii't 
 
 «; 
 
s '1^ 
 
 «ll.] 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 23 H 
 
 thickncHsert of alluvium on top. Tlio bush which covors tho whole <Jhft^«i'"" 
 
 (lintiicl <'nn«i«J»* innnt.lv oC nnnliii' «nH liiivh in tho In^wpr InnHa with 
 
 pre- 
 
 r^ 
 
 1 
 
 iirni 
 tics. 
 
 Ma 
 
 m 
 
 .>,^ 
 
 lal 
 
 trand 
 •hipa of 
 ,• leriea 
 
 > ^'-l' 
 
 4' it 
 
 )Orl- Sub-divieionsof 
 
 lun wniuu Willie ueiiig tjuite uiBunet iiiu nut ocpciiai-c^^ nv 
 
 jai v^M(»_ ** •^ 
 
 the 
 
 the Animikie. 
 
a 
 
 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA 
 
 jv:e\ 
 
 C. J9. 
 
 V'-o'-'- >{'■' 
 
 ^Ml^ 
 
JlnbIfitMf.€tridJSeaf'^ 0\nip»^/U^n^ 
 
 HJ. 
 
 --^^^W^^^'IM^ 
 
 ^,^5<C .-'.•• y.-Y-:-//--'' 
 
 f^feaay£,feM'^fiHf^«?#^g^»«^^ 
 
 JUI!mdi^eJiS)3Jtiflr7e. 
 
 Si2visr/Ji7l. Pa77.^fi^'Vs\ 
 
 HILL SKETCH LOOKING EASTWARDS F 
 
 SILVER 
 
 MOUN' 
 
s\:e. 
 
 ''///.■ 
 
 
 '■^'"'■'''''■<'^^^M^ 
 
 
 7loc9li&^. ^ 
 
 'ARDS FROM CROWN POINT MINE 
 MOUNTAIN 
 
ANNUAL REPORT. 1886. PART H S^. 
 
 :* 
 
 z: 
 
 '^^^'^^^^fe^^^^^^'^^^^ 
 
 BlS^ltiafe. 
 
 
Qeologioal 
 features. 
 
 22 H 
 
 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 The rocks Of tho district are comprised within several areas which 
 
 are marked as Huronian, Laurcntian and Lower Cambrian on the 
 
 published maps of the Survey, and also include several ^M-anitic maHses. 
 
 ^ The veins canjin- the ores of silver occur with one or two excep- 
 
 i: i 
 
 
 
 0) 
 
 .- I 
 
 jpm ui 
 
 80.1, consisting- often of a compact white or yellow clay with varying, 
 
 m^^^mPn 
 
NGALl.] 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 23 H 
 
 thicknesses of alluvium on top. The bush which covers the whole '^haractur 
 district consists mostly of poplar and birch, in the lower lands with 
 Home intermixed pine, etc., whilst balsam, spruce and tamarac pre- 
 ponderate in the 8wamj)y pai-ts. The trappcan capping of the tops of 
 the hills is usually scantily covered with soil, and generally supports a 
 u;rowth of jack jjine, the dark foliage of which causes them to stand out 
 prominently against the lighter shades of bush in the vallc3's. These AKriouitural 
 vulleys, iormmg as tlicy do a considerable proportion ot trie area oi the 
 country and containing good soil, tor the most part, render this section 
 important from an agricultural as well as from a mineral standpoint. 
 
 In connection with the subject of the surface it will be interesting (Jlaointion. 
 10 note the frequenc occurrence of smooth surfaces of rock which have 
 lieon polished and grooved bj- ice, these show chiefly on the shores of 
 Lake Superior and the inland lakes and rivers. 
 
 It may be well here to give a short description of the general features Geological 
 of the Animikie rocks, leaving the details for consideration later on in ?eiat?onfhrp8 of 
 connection with the description of the Silver Mountain and Coast ^°'°'''''' '*"'"' 
 groups where they were most carefully studied. Their relationships 
 to the other formations of the district are to be seen on reference to 
 the Sketch Map on which the boundary lines of each are given. These 
 lines were put on from information gleaned from various sources, those 
 west of Port Arthur being located from work done by myself, and 
 fi-om information kindly given by Dr. A. C. Lawson, whilst east of the 
 same point, their position has been defined by the investigations of Dr. 
 E. Bell and from data supplied by Mr. Peter McKellar of Fort Wil- 
 liam. 
 
 The formatinr lies nearly horizontal, and rests in this position on the 
 denudation surfaces of the older rocks which shew to the north whilst in 
 their southerly and easterly' extension near Black Bay, and inThunder 
 Cape peninsula, they are covered up by the rocks of the Neepigon form- 
 ation, and S. of this, at the island in the mouth of Grand Portage Bay, 
 ;trc seen to pass under the Keweenian series, which consists of inter- 
 stratified beds of conglomei'ate, sandstone and various trappean rocks. 
 The rocks comprising this silver bearing formation consist of basic 
 traps, black and grey argillites, cherts and jaspei-s, with some ferruginous 
 dolomites, the mineralogical composition and stiucture of all of which 
 will be undei'stood by reference to the Appendix which contains the 
 notes of Mr. W. S. Baylej' of Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, 
 on his microscopic examination of typical specimens of these rocks 
 collected by myself. 
 
 This Animikie formation is divisible into an upper and lower port- sub-divisionsof 
 
 1 • 1 I •! 1 • •.!•.• : 1 /. 1 ^1 the Animikie. 
 
 ion which while being quite distinct are not separated from each other 
 
"" — iiriiiwTr j-^ r ■ 
 
 24 H 
 
 OEOLOdlCAf, SITRVEV OK CANADA. 
 
 Distribution 
 lower ilivisini 
 beds. 
 
 ■ 
 
 l)y any very dotinablo lino, the rocks of eaeli division at places talving 
 Lower ilivifioii. OK Homowhut oi' the nature of those i)elon_<rinir to the other. Thus the 
 chief character of the h)\ver division consists in the ahnost entire pre- 
 pondei-ance of >iIioeous rocks, such as chert and jas[)or, which are often 
 accompanied bv ferruginous dolomites, and themselves all contain 
 mori' oi' less iron in the oxidised stale, at some places carrying so much 
 magnetite as to conslitute almost an iron ore. An analysis of such a 
 piece, by Mr. ilotl'niann, gave ')'.', ])er cent of iron, titanic acid being 
 ab.sent.* Occasional developments of the black argillito are lound in- 
 terstralilied with the silicioiis beds but they are oidy local and do not 
 seem to be ever of any extent. 
 Upimr.iivisiot], '" (^'ontrast with these, the uj)per division is formed for the most 
 part of the black, soft, carbonaceous ai'gillites. These are occasionally 
 dolomitic, and at some places are ipiite ferruginous, whilst at others 
 they hold such a large percenlage of silica as to approach very nearly 
 in (diarai'tcr to the I'ocks of the lower division, 
 f The cberty and jaspery rocks cominn' in at the bottom of the forma- 
 tion show chietly in a strip forming its noilhern fringe where it abuts 
 on the Archean. They constitute all the lower lying land north of 
 the range of hills which extends along the southern boundary of the 
 valleys of the Whitetisb and lower part of the Kaministiquia i-ivers, 
 commencdng at McKay's Mountain on the oast, and passing through 
 Rabbit and Silver Mountains, and westward from this. These cherty 
 rocks would seem also to constitute the gi-oater part of the extension 
 of the main area east from l*ort vVrthur, and of the fringe of this forma- 
 tion along the Noi-th shoi-e of Thunder liay as far as the Mackenzie 
 river, this section containing most of the Port Arthur group of veins. 
 
 Outliei's of these rocks are to be seen as de^^ached flat-topped hills out 
 on the Archean area, some distance removed from the northern edge of 
 the Aniraikie. The Outpost Hills shown on the Sketch Map constitute 
 a group of thesef which, when visited, were found to consist of high 
 bosses of granitic and gneissic rocks, on the top of which rest thin 
 sheets measuring from 20 to 30 feet thick of the ty})ical cherty rocks 
 of tne lower division, with a capping of about 100 feet of the usual dark, 
 vertically columnar basic trap. The opposite view entitled, owing to a 
 printer's ei'ror, " Outline instead of Outliers of the Animikie on the 
 Archean ' shows the distinctive shape of these hills, their peculiar 
 contour enabling one to recognise several otlier evidently similar out- 
 liers which show to the east of those shewn. 
 
 In passing soutli across the strike of the formation, one comes to the 
 
 Outliers of 
 lower division 
 beds. 
 
 ■■■I 
 
 * Report of (Ji'o'. Surv. 1886. Piirt I, Analysis of Iron Ores No. 4. rdeiii, 1887, Annlysis No 10. 
 T By mistake the Arobenn rulod tinting on the Sketch Map lias been run right ovor these out- 
 i.i^rs, which should, of course, hnve been left bliink. 
 
 C.K 
 
 
 ■i 
 
 ^'y^^'fW^s 
 
.■y-i<l.,*MffltWT»TOHP!»liT. 
 
 
 10. 
 
 It- 
 
 (JEt.LculLAL bLK\LV Ul CVNADA. 
 
 
 
 A.SMAL KUIH 
 
 iKi, i8£6. I'Ani 11. 
 
 
 ■■'. 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 ■ 
 
 ^^^^^^^^^lifl^B 
 
 W/tS^^S^^^S^^y'y^i':. ' '<■ 
 
 iiii ^r ■ ^ ^^^^^^1 
 
 
 ■ 
 
 Hpjlfl^ll 
 
 HHh 
 
 
 • 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 HKr^nBfl^Kif^^ng 
 
 m^^nj 
 
 )Vtti-HioLc.S3 , Ij t. t-tbb*MAi^ A dU^. MurtlHtAL. 
 
 t. D. INQACL, PHU10., 1HB6. 
 
 (JITMN1-: OI' THK ANIMIKIK SKRIInS, NORTH OT WIIITKI-ISH KIVI;R. 
 
 O.NTAKIO. 
 
 ('ii;iiL(p(,icAL Si Kvi;v of Canada. 
 
 AnM AI. Klil'llKT, l8Sti. I'AUT H. 
 
 C. 0. INGALl., PHOTO., 1886. 
 
 IVES-PHOCESS : a e. OtSBARATS « SON, MONIRfcAL. 
 
 
 i!_l>. 
 
 TRAP FLOW ON ARGILLITKS, ANIMIKIK SHRIKS. 
 
 SILVER MOUNTAIN DISTRICT. 
 
 I 
 
iMi««H«ina 
 
 Esmnu^, 
 
 if 1. 
 
 r 
 
 Ai-tliur I 
 
 Till' f 
 ImmI,>. cjip 
 snmc of 
 
 l-y liiiiiti 
 111' nimior 
 I he inlru' 
 I'll ilie ij 
 •uo moil 
 iiii'(> in ' 
 tlion that 
 |ij)p(.'r (iiv 
 'luontly ii 
 
 As has 
 
 i> veiy <li 
 
 Tlie dip II 
 
 silver (list 
 
 !liut place 
 
 'iiroction, 
 
 imity ol'd 
 
 etc., as to 
 
 and if so, 
 
 into a soi'i 
 
 ^iicli as \v( 
 
 iiuestioii \ 
 
 until the v 
 
 while it wi 
 
 existence c 
 
 tormation, 
 
 If we at 
 
 nu'usui-e th 
 
 ^ ■ ,V~'*^«sTSS^ 
 
LAKE .SIIl'KKI"ll. 
 
 25 ir 
 
 lulls 1)1' the upper aiiiill.iceoiis (iivision in tin- lii'i-lior levels and tbriniriir •'"S'lion iind 
 
 . . " distribution of 
 
 ilic lange ot huh jurit rnentiuiieu. where they sli()\\- in the dirt's which "Pi'«r<l'vi9ion 
 
 u^nallv Iftim their honndarios, and air sihmi in underlie the trap-sheet 
 
 usually eon-^titiiting the r.-ippin^ m- tup of thcsr hills and rid<^es about 
 
 uliii'li it is nuliceahle thai the\- vcrv t'r('(iU('ntly have a distinct south- 
 
 rily di|». theii' north lacinu' aspet-i usually constitutinir stc'ep blurt's and 
 
 . Iirt'>. These njiper division beds would x-rm to form the .-urt'ace rocks 
 
 ill all the aifa lying soiilh (il'tlii> t'riiiiic oi hills, as tar as can be judged 
 
 Iniiii iIk^ reports ol'persons whi' have lraver>ed it, and from thestiidyof 
 
 ilio i'r;-ss .section of the to !• ma I ion prt'^tnled bv tin- foasi line from PoiM 
 
 A :-thiir to lMgc<)n IJiver. 
 
 Tlie Haps are not only visible as mentioned as \crlically ('((luninurTrapsiioets. 
 lunls capping the hills. Imt also exist at various lower levels. Whilst 
 -nine of the highest might possibly be portions of a crowning overflow 
 -rpaiatrd I'ldin each otlier by lienuihition and brought to ditt'erent levels 
 I'V faulting, the eviilenre seems to leave no doubt of the existence also 
 of numerous other sheets at \{-vy various liori/(»iis in the Idrmation, and 
 the inl riisive nature ot some of these appears from a dose study of them 
 on the gi'ound to lie i|iiiti' assui'cd. The observed instances of this 
 are mentioned later on in ihisReiiort in describing the ditfercnt dis- 
 iriets in which they occur. In view of all the evidence, it would seem 
 flion that the trap-sheets are not con lined either to the lower or the 
 upper division of the liirmation, although they seem to occur more fre- 
 '|iiently in the latter. 
 
 As has been already mentioned, the Idrmation lies nearly *^'at, and it Dip of 
 is veiy dirtlcult to decide whether it really has any genei-al lip or not. 
 The dij) lueaHUi-ements obtaitied both in the examination of the new 
 silver districts west of l*ort Arthur and along tlje coast section south of 
 liiat place, whilst ranging usually from f)' to 10', were so conflicting in 
 direction, and were evidently so otten rendered unreliable by the prox- 
 iuuty ofdisiurbing influences such as dykes, veins, intrusions of trap, 
 etc., as t(» leave it in doubt whether the rocks have any general dip, 
 uiul if so, what its amount and direction is, or whether they are bent 
 into a series of rtat anticlinal and synclinal ridges, troughs and basins 
 siich as wei'e commonlj' .seen to exist along the coast section. This 
 ipiestion will have to stand in abeyance I'or satisfactory settlement 
 until the whole district comes to be thoroughly worked out, but mean- 
 while it would seem that the balance of evidence is in favor of the 
 existence of a general flat .southerly and southeasterly dip of tho whole 
 foi-mation, probably averaging from 5 to 8 degrees. 
 
 If we assume the average dip to be 5° in a S.S.K. direction, and probabie thick- 
 nieasuie the width of th« outcrop of the formation from (rrand Portage kifformatfon. 
 
Lffwt.:^ A:^H 
 
 2fiH 
 
 OEOLOaiCAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 Content! of 
 Teini 
 
 Ulan.i, vvhovc it passes under the overly irii^ Kewecnian rocks, N.N. W. to 
 near Wondside's vein, in the Silver Mountain area, where the Archean 
 appears from below them, which wo find to be some 25 miles, wo got a 
 thicknesH lor these rocks of over 12 000 feet. 
 
 The silver oi-e of the district cimsists of the native motal and stilphide 
 or ardent ile generally associated with blende, galena pyrites, etc., in 
 a gangue of calcite, barito, quartz and tluorite in a bci-Ios of fis^rc veins 
 the details of whoso characteristics arc dealt with later. 
 VeinffroupinsH. Such, theM,arc the gcnei-al features of the Animikioor silver-bearing 
 formation of Lake Sui)erioi-. In considering the details of the various 
 mining discoveries and experiments the veins historically, and natu- 
 rally fall into the following groups, and will be hereafter considered in 
 that waj", viz. : — 
 
 1. The Coast Group. 
 
 2. The Tort Arthur Group. 
 
 3. The Rabbit Mountain Group. 
 
 4. The Silver Mountain Group. 
 
 5. The Whitefish Lake Group. 
 
 The Coast Group. 
 
 Distribation. 
 
 *' Countiy 
 
 rooks." 
 
 Trap sheets. 
 
 Trap dykes. 
 
 This group comprises a series of veins located on the coast of Lake 
 Superior between Port Arthur and the International boundary at 
 Pigeon Kiver, and on the group of islands in the mouth of Thunder Bay. 
 The greater number of these intersect what was formerly known in the 
 district as the " Macfarlane Band," a belt of trap dykes and associated 
 intrusive sheets, with argillaceous beds filling out their interspaces, con- 
 stituting the sti'ing of islands between Silver Islet and McKellar's Point 
 and considered to be the continuation of the Silver Islet dyke. The 
 chief mine of this group is Silver Islet, and the groat success attending 
 the opening up of this vein caused great excitement in the district and 
 directed the attention of explorers to the series of veins already men- 
 tioned, upon the supposition that whereas the Silver Islet vein had only 
 been producti\ e where it intersected the dyke, that therefore the pre- 
 sence of silver was due to its intlucnce, and that all othei- similar veins 
 intersecting its supposed extension would bo found equally rich. The 
 rocks enclosing the veins along the coast line consist of argillaceous 
 beds which, in jjlaces, are so siliceous as to constitute argillaceous sand- 
 stones and flagstones, whilst they often merge on the other hand into 
 doloinitic ai-gillites. With those are associated also numerous trap- 
 sheets which are seen to occur both capping the blutfs overlooking the 
 shore, and also at lower horizons in the formation. Trap dykes ai-e 
 also very numerous, constituting, as they do, nearly all the capes and 
 points of the coast. They nearly all strike N. E. & S.W., or at right 
 
 '.'3sf3?>sr:",; 
 
iNGALL.] 
 
 LAKE HUPERIOR. 
 
 21 H 
 
 angles to tho Hyatom of vein tiHsuroH. Kiirthor details regarding those 
 i'OcUh are given later on. 
 
 The gangiu! of this group of veins consists mostly of quartz, fluorite, Voin contend, 
 calcito ixnd harito, ami they carry native silvcfi-, and silver glance asso- 
 ciated with much zinc hlendo and galena and somotinies soint co])|)cr 
 siilphui'uts. 
 
 Apart Irom the work which was going on at Jarvis Jslnnd and Mc- 
 KelUtr's Island (the latter I'oi- barite) none of tho mines of tiiis group 
 wove working at the end of 188(1. 
 
 Silver Islet Mine. 
 
 This having been the most extensive and most successful venture of 
 tho region, I have gone into its history and nature somewhat at length. 
 It is situate on a vein crossing a small rocky islet about a mile out in 
 iho lake ofi" Thunder Cape. 
 
 Tho vein strikes N. 35 W, and dips to the S. 10. at an anisic of about X'^'" . . *• 
 70° to 80°, whilst in thickness it would average about 8 to 10 feet. In 
 some places, however, it has showti from 20 to ."jO feet of solid vcin- 
 >tuffi At the time of my visit the mine had been closed for some 
 time, and was full of water, so that beyond making an examination of 
 tho surface I have had to depend for further information on various 
 j)ublibhed accounts of tho mine, chiefly by Messrs. Thomas Macfarlane 
 W. M. Courtis, and F. A. Lowe, all of whom were connected officially 
 with tho mine at various times. From these sources and from infornui- 
 liou supplied by Mr. Richard Ti-cthowoy, the manager, who was in 
 chai-ge of the underground department since December, 1871, and took 
 charge of the whole work from 1870 to its close, as well as from my 
 own obsei'vations, I have been able to comjjose tlie following history 
 nnd description of the mine. 
 
 The gangue of the vein consists of calcite, quartz and dolomite, t lie Vein contenu. 
 latter varying in color from cream to pink, according to the varying 
 amounts of manganese it carries. Mr. Courtis also mentions havii^g 
 lound rhodochrosite in the ore shipped to the Wyandotte smelting 
 
 . Mntallic 
 
 worl<s. The metallic minerals are native silver, argentite, galena, minerals, 
 blende, copper and iron pyrites with marcasile. Mi'. Alacfarlano also 
 mentions tetrahedrite, domeyliite and niccolite and cobalt bloom, the 
 I wo latter, probably, oxidation pi-oJucts of a peculiar mineral called 
 Macfailanite, containing arsenic, cobalt, nickel and silver. Two new 
 minerals are also said to have been lound in the ore, by Dr. Wurt/., call- 
 '.: 1 by liiin lluntelite and Animikite. The three latter, according to 
 Mr. Lowe, " are now" (Octobei-, 1881) "the principal producing silver 
 <i:es of the mine " (E). Besides the above, Mr. Coui-tis found in the 
 
■■■-'- 
 
 2H T 
 
 OKOI.OliK.AI. SI IIVKV III' lANAItA. 
 
 Jraphite. 
 
 Nutive silver 
 
 Gaa and 
 aiineri: 
 
 oio Hhippoil to llio Wyaiulotlo >iiu(ltiiii; woi'ks. aiiii;iliiiii;iff antiinoriiHl 
 
 -^ilvei' unci ('((riir^yritc, llir lat.lcr ' wlieci' tin- rock lia^ Ik'Cii (li'iotnpo 
 
 ~ie<l " (A). <iia|)liito uIko iiccui-s in (•(m^iiloraltlc <|uanli(y and M-cmH Ut 
 
 I'c ('iiiiti(«ct('(! ill -oiinway wiili I li" .>i'<'ii!'i'('in-(^ hI' i lie >il\ cr. On en 
 
 <|iiiriii^ (if Ml. I{. 'I'l (.;; Iii'>\ I'V a- '•! vsliai cMin, ci ion he hail nuliced l»t'- 
 
 lucen (111! nxistonco ni' this Li'ra|»Iiii(' ami I lu' iHTni"r(''nc(' (if llic >"lver, 
 
 with a view III assccrtain its vahic a< ;ih imiicatidii. he told nic; that 
 
 nithoiiifli th(jy iicvHT had >ilv('r witimul ^raidiili. liu'\ soinci iino liad 
 
 ii:i'!i|»hit(' willioiit »ilv(3i'. •• Tho native NiUcr i- i^ciifially dissciiiiinited 
 
 throiin'h tho ()!•(,( in more nr less dciidrit ic nia— -t's. llin points of native 
 
 silver f()rniin<f nindei for tho deposit ut niecoliti^ and sidplmret-^ '' (A). 
 
 In a spcfinu'u of the ore ((dlt'elc'd hy myself are to in- seen pieces of 
 
 trap and ii,rapliito encdosed in jiink >-par. whilst froiii the iiiaphite start 
 
 out (lendiites of silver. " I'artiide- of silver were i[\»> loimd in some of 
 
 the small fecdcM's whi(di interseci the country rock (or perhaps /lor.so 
 
 lying between tho two veins ' (Ci. 'i'he vein >|)lit-; in cros^in^- the islet 
 
 H'oinu" south hut according- to Mr. liowe, eonic- together a<;ain l»oth in 
 
 lerii^'lh and in (lej)th at the limrth level, after wlii(di they continue hoth 
 
 in lenii;lh iind depth as one vein, with an .average wiiltli of S feet. 
 
 " Tho southern jiarl of the latter' ( liie wc'-tei'ii ) " branch carried the 
 
 richest oi-e, tho eastorn liraneh being ti!ss rich, and the wlioleofthe 
 
 vein to the northwai'd being almost entirely barren and consisting ol 
 
 a huge mass of calc-spar with ([iiari/'. and occasional cubes of galena 
 
 whi( h cany only a minute (juantily of silver " (('). .Mr. Iloft'mann re- 
 
 contl^^ examined .some large crystfds of galena given »ne by .Mr. li. Tre- 
 
 thewcy which the lattorsjiid etime ti-om a vug at tho 5()0 feel level, and 
 
 found only a trace of silvoi'. ' The blende, galena and pyrites are 
 
 generally very poor in silver, seldom exceeding 2 o/.., per toti when 
 
 taken from tho bai-ren paids of the vein, but in and about the rich 
 
 silver deposits, they become highly enriched both chemically and 
 
 mechanically by i)articlos of and streaks of native silver ' (K). " The 
 
 relative quantity of calcareous and siliceous matter varies, however, 
 
 in ditforont parts of the vein, and in some places, stieaks oi'quart/ have 
 
 nd preponderated to such an extent as to mak<> some of tho ore highly 
 
 III water. .,. ,, ,,-,. , . ,^ , ,• ^\ • • ^i i .o i 
 
 Siliceous. (U). V curious loature ot the \ em is tlie coml)ustiblo gas 
 
 which has been met with in large (pia/itiaes in the workings. This 
 gas, according to Mr. Lowe, is accompanied ly water containing 
 calcium chloride in solution. He says ; ' Two gallons of this water 
 furnished, roughly measured, nearly a pint of very acrid and deli- 
 quescent salt, chloride of calcium. ' (l>.) lie furthoi- states " the gas 
 and water are principally confined in largo vugs or cavities in tho vein 
 under gieat pressure it" (the gas) •'■ \h met with in the deepest 
 
T'^^1 
 
 * 
 
-^y^i*.i-i-i. 
 
 ALFRED R. C. SELWYN.rK. n.. F. R. S., E 
 
 I- 
 
 (0 
 
 CO 
 CO 
 
 •rl 
 
 y 
 
 K 
 
 o 
 u 
 
 i! 
 D 
 25 
 Z 
 
 <! 
 
 I 
 
 K 
 
 < 
 
 I 
 
 M 
 
 .J 
 
 M 
 
 Q 
 H 
 
 n 
 
 pf 
 o 
 
 DJ 
 
 W 
 
 u 
 
 < 
 
 Z 
 
 o 
 o 
 z 
 
 c 
 
 < 
 
 en 
 M 
 
 Silver Islet 
 
 IN 1869. 
 
 Scale 60 feet " 1 incft 
 
 The rich part of the Vein is indicated thus 
 a Shaft & Shaft House i 
 h Slide for Boat 
 
 S.E. 
 
 LAKE 
 
 Figs. 2 8e .'J are reproductions of drawings accompanying a papei on Silv«| 
 Longitudinah Section is from tracings supplied by Mr. C. A, Trowdridgi. 
 
 loMAs Macparlanb, 
 
I ■If'rif I' i iiiMirr --'— 
 
 LWYN.r». n.. F. R S., DIRECTOR. 
 
 Plate L 
 
 I- , 
 
 1 
 
 
 N.W. 
 
 SUPER! OR . 
 
 Silver Islet 
 
 Mine 
 
 -^i'- 
 
 LEGEND 
 
 Cross-cuts E thus a 
 Cross-cuts W q 
 
 Trap 
 
 Argillite 
 
 Ore stoped awaif; shewn blank. 
 
 Contact of Uijhe andATqillite on 
 
 West or Fool 'Wall of Vein, thus: 
 
 Ditto on East orHaru/inff Wall mus. 
 
 Dyke 
 
 
 ■7 7:- Vir ^ 
 
 '-:=:-7^^/A'/.//V////'/' ' '^' — 
 
 ^/'. 
 
 
 .0^'- 
 
 
 Fig. 3. 
 
 koMAs Macparlank, ia the Trant. American Institute of Mining Engineers for 1 879>8o. The 
 
•W*-"v .■.'•v;r"£Ll'>^ 
 
 J ; > 
 
 11 n 
 
 'A 'M-kiii,ii: 
 
 I- pure I 
 i^cil wal 
 uorkin<f 
 ;iriii((yc'<l 
 iilishir il 
 ami (Jlli 
 
 or Dlis n 
 
 Mr. (i. 
 |ilo of (hi 
 iiisiaiicc 
 Af'tei-,i;'iv 
 inaffor Ip' 
 wcii/^lit. 
 
 ill (lie Wil 
 
 ■.II I he -a 
 (^1 
 
 
 ^Ml 
 
 
 <'a 
 
 
 Si) 
 
 ' T 
 
 lie 1' 
 
 'iioritt 
 
 '. C^ 
 
 I'ocks 
 
 <ir 1 
 
 liolR''] 
 
 (•(!! 
 
 'Inly ii:-,c III' iIj 
 ilin niimci-.'iiK 
 I'lii? i^^ till' |„i 
 
 I'li'k.di. *iti('ll.\ 
 ■par. /u'conl 
 '■'inlains ■"■.(ij |i 
 li'iM if liilly In 
 ' l.isps witli ."Il 
 liy altcratidii u 
 
 Ic.lVC llCtWlMlll 1 
 
 111 ritic iiiKi-odi 
 '^ III' ■ '.lltiralii 
 
 I", ill'' lilO>l |)l 
 
 '■iiijipii'fi' 'l|f 1 
 ';;iwitf' ■ ,iec I 
 iiiR I.' oks ol' Ti 
 
 ■■w».-ir-H^\- 
 

 I.AKE SHI'KKIOK. 
 
 li!» H 
 
 \M>rkini?> nbovc the Htb level all water iritiltriitin<f into the miiio 
 
 I- piii'O l:il<e Wilier, whilst helow that Un-cl is a zone of" highly niineral- 
 
 ixii water the i^as is iu»e(|Uall3' distributed throu^ii the lower 
 
 workiiiiis, occiipyiiii^ irnlependont cracks, ti.sKiires and viiifH — tho watei- 
 aiiiio\ed I he men very iniich ; on totichinu; their skin it would almost 
 
 Itlister it it "Mho gas) '• was also pi-cviously met with in tiie ilnl 
 
 and (ith Ifxels. " i\).) Mr. Maefarlane also mentions the occurroneo 
 of (hi> Li'a> on the >>th level in a vui;'. 
 
 Ml', (i. ('. IJoiVmann, chemist to tho Survey, havinij; analysed a sam- 
 ple of this water which was cullected by Mi'. Itiehard Trclhowoy at tho 
 iii-^iaiu-e oi' hr. Selwyn in the summei' of'lH82, reports as follows. ■^• 
 ,\l'tcr,i;iviii<>' the tletails of the analysis, he says : " Total dissolved solid 
 matter hy direct e.\poi'iment dried at 180 ( '. ;351>5()G" in 1,000 parts b}- 
 \V(!i;j;ht. '• 'The loi'cii;oini|; acids and bases are most, ])robably combined 
 ill the water as tollows ((Jarbonates calculated as mono-carbonates, and 
 ill the -alls esiimaicd as anhydroii>.) 
 
 .^nalysiii of 
 mine WHtor. 
 
 riiloridf* ul' i'otassiuni -toSL* 
 
 Sodium Ki.SOils 
 
 CaiciuDi 1 7.08(17 
 
 .Ma-iicsj^im l.L'!)37 
 
 Siil|)liale 111' liiiiic • • 0()72 
 
 t arlx.iuitc of Lime 203*) 
 
 Silicji n.')4(l 
 
 ■ 'I'lic rock' 1)11 ilie Islet. iiMcisecLcd by the silver vein is a ehloritic •• (',,i,„try 
 iiorite. evidently rormiiiir a dike.! It dillors sonunvhat from the"^"' "' 
 rooks <if ihe other dikes of ihi> location among which may be men- 
 liniicd r M'-ylc ati'l anoilhiti' porphyry ,gi"»y fl-'i^^ ''" •"!'' •'" <he 
 
 ' (ieol.xio.ii i.iiil N'litur.il Jlisloiy .Survey of r;ina(lii. Itcpdi't of rinijrroH.". 188"). .sec. ,M, piigi' 17. 
 
 t I'r .' . ia>lni"i D. (rviiiij ilcscritx'-* (lit'.-c rocks a.s follows : 
 
 " I! 'wren 'I'liDiuloi' Oiipe :iiid Silvrr I>-i(.l ii larne iniiiibcr of diki-s arc soi'ii (miUIii),' ilio .•ijalcs 
 'Inly M:ic of (t't!<i .iik.' ro(k>. which MP|>i!:ir for the iiio.'^l pirl to he I he siiinc m.s iIiikc which form 
 iiio iimnni.Mi.'- 'Si'^.-ss nf Ihc Sonlli Vfvsl .-ihorc of rhniulor I{:iy. iilrciily (Icscvihcl, w.l.< cxamiiicij. 
 I'lii.'.^ i.» tin loci^ u'.u'ii form, tlic flikc !ilSilvi<r l-lct. ll i.* a iiciirly t)liick, r;itlicr line Kraiiicil 
 iH'k.ili: Mtictly cc/miioscil of II urcciiiBh lifick iiml ii white iiiiiK'r.il, the latter lieiii« of course fel- 
 •par. /iocoriliiiirto Miiofariaiic il.s .s;)ccHic urnvity is 2.7 jmil il.s .silica conlent M.'.'A percent. It 
 . intains .'i.O'J per ceiit of water, an amount iiiilicatiiiK a con.sideralilo iiltenitiori ; and thi.s indicii- 
 i'lM i,s fully lioriic oulli> 11 microscopic , '■I udy of ihc tliiii .section. 'I'his .sliow.s liihul.ir plaiti" 
 . t.iscs with Fomr orlhiiclases .'i"^ picdomiiiiil inn iu^jrcdiciil.-. These (cl.spars are .ill much dulled 
 1p\ iillcriition .iiid are often pOMctrated liy scooiid.iry 'lUiirl/,. Ii ininiy pl.ici's tho hiiKcr Icl.-par.s 
 h.nc hetweeii tliem .1 miiys of .vnnillcr, much cinshed iiiid jilw.ijs highly iilleri d felspars The 
 111 'itic inurcdient !.< onl.\ imrlly Iresh. lieiiiK coinmoul> much altered to ochre, and nr:iiite with 
 'On' diuration is ' iii.iiectcd the forniiition ot soiii'i miiKiielite, Riithur aljuiidant. tilniiic iron 
 lo ii)i- illO.^I. pai't altered to it.? characteristic Ki'iiy dueoiiiposilion product and sparse apatite 
 '■Miiipli.',' he rcsDiiihlaiiee hclwceii thi- idck and the finer orthocliisc-K:iliI)ro.'* of tho Kcwee- 
 ;iwa[i lec 'DonoLTaphs of the United Sillies tieoloBieiil ,Si' vey, \'o|. V, "Tho Topper liear- 
 .'"-• K' r^i^ yi I,iike J^iiperior " hy Itofmd I). 1 rviii>.'. p. :\7H. 
 
'f.'^ 
 
 30 H 
 
 OEOLOaiCAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 Dykes impreg- 
 nated with 
 grspliite. 
 
 npaces «betwoen the various dikes." (C). The vein " has been 
 exposed at several points where it ci-ossct* the Rediinentury beds, but 
 there it is split up into numerous (bin veins of quartz, and shows 
 nothing of the great width which it caiM-ies on Silvei' Inlet, nor have 
 any of the rich silver minerals of that locality yet been found upon the 
 mainland or upon Buint Island" (C). This diorite dyke dips S E. 
 at an angle of from G0° to 15° from the horizontal, and is faulted some 
 80 feet by the vein. '• The workings have nevei- been productive 
 outside of it, indeed there are large areas of the vein enclosed by 
 diorite walls on botli sides which have yielded no ore." (C). " The 
 long" (diamond drill) "holes E. and W. on the Ist level proved that 
 the dyke was saturated with graphite which is also noticed in its 
 outcroppings known as Pyritic and Ship islands, one and iive miles 
 from the mine. Out of the whole scries of twontj'-one dykes cut 
 
 by the vein, the -Iver Islet dyke is the only one impregnated 
 
 strongly with graph! j pyi-itcs " (D). " The influence of the 
 
 country' rock upon this v<. is very appai-ont fi'om the development 
 on the Gth level N. and on the 9th both N. and S. In both levels 
 on entei'ing the schists" (? slates) " the vein gradually thinned out to 
 mere stringers, but lecovered its width on entering two Oi.hor dykes 
 
 N — and the vein in them was highly mineralised In drifting south, 
 
 a small dj'ke of a few feet in width was mot with " (D). Eegarding 
 the connection supposed to exist between the floors which cross the 
 vein at intervals and the occuri-ence of the silver oi'c. Mr. R. Trethewey 
 told me that they wore not nccos^sarily to l)e regarded as an indication, 
 as has often been alleged, for although there seems to be some little 
 connection in the upper and richer part of the mine, they had the same 
 floors below that in the poorer part, but they were unaccompanied by 
 silver. Howevei-, in a general way, if on coming on to a floor it was 
 found to bo covered with patches of argentitc, it was mostlj' a sign 
 that the rock down to the next //oyr would bo rich, though sometimes 
 the silver would not be found for some little depth below such a floor. 
 
 Hirtoryofmine History of the Mine. — The Silver Islet vein was discovered in the 
 summer of 1868, during the exploration of the lands of the Montreal 
 
 Diaoorery. Mining Co. by a party under the direction of Mr. T. Macfarlane which, 
 on leaving in the fall, after the summer's exploration of this and other 
 properties, the })arty bi-ought away with them specimens valued at 
 $1,200 taken from the outcrop of the Silver Isltt lode. During the 
 sumtner of 1860, Mr. Macfai-Iane continued his work of surveying 
 and exploi'ing Woods' location, of which the Islet forms apart, and 
 notwithstanding a stormy summer, rendering woi-k on the Islet 
 diflSicult, some 9,455 lbs. of ore were produced and shipped to Mont- 
 
 Influenoe of 
 floors in vein. 
 
 ■^m^!)tW- 
 
-] 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 :n H 
 
 i,>;il valued by asKay at $6,751.07. In Au-fust of 1869, the same ^^'nrk 
 
 ' •' '' ' <= commenced. 
 
 ():ii ty began to sink a shaft on the Islet on the east branch of the 
 vein, intending to cross-cut to the western or richer branch, and a 
 (cti'ty of twelve men with a horse weie left to continue this woi'k 
 (luring the winter of 1869-70. They wore instructed to take advantage 
 of the formation of ice around the Islet to continue the extraction of 
 the ore fiom the outcrop of the western or main vein which was 
 under watei' alongside the Islet. The winter was favorable, the ice 
 having formed quietly and leraained for two months, so that the etforts 
 <>{' the party were successful, and by the spring they had, by sub- 
 .u|iieous blasting, and fishing up the product with tongs, etc., enough 
 I ick to yield by sorting 17,669 lbs. of oi-e, whose total value by assay 
 \v:is 818,291.39, This ore was shipped to Montreal in the spring of 1870. 
 The shaft, howevei-, had to be discontinued on account of water. 
 •'That ten men had been able to produce $16,000 worth of oi-e, and 
 that the actual time employed by them in so doing had not exceeded 
 tburteen days, was again insufficient to induce the Montreal Mining Co. 
 to proceed to work the Silver Islet vein " (C). 
 
 After some negotiations, the whole of this Company's pionerty change of 
 passed into the hands of New York and Detroit capitalists in Septem- "''"""*"''• 
 her, 1870, and on the 31st August, Captain Frue arrived and com- 
 menced work with a party of about 30 men and two horses accom- 
 panied by the necessary provisions, etc. " In spite of severe weather 
 extensive breakwaters were built, part of the vein enclosed by a coffcr- 
 ijam. the area within the lattor pumped dry, a considerable amount of 
 milling done, and about 77 tons of ore shipped before the close of navi- 
 
 i^ation. The time devoted to mining was about four weeks About 
 
 $80,000 were expended in the above operations, and in making provi- 
 sion lor wintering" (C). The total value of the ore in this parcel was 
 692,153.23. The winter of 1870-1 was taken up by Mr. Frue and his 
 party in enclosing the Islet with cribbing, so as to establish a perma- 
 nent mine there. The ditticulties experienced from the storminess of the 
 season and trouble with ice wore very great, both in placing the crib- 
 bing and in keeping it in place, and gales took away most of it, which 
 hull to be replaced. 
 
 •'By the 1st May, 1871, an excavation had been made on the rich 
 part of the vein inclosed by the coll'erdatn having a length of 65 feet, 
 de})th of 32 feet and an avei-age width of 8 feet. By the close of navi- 
 gation in November, this working had attained a depth of 90 feet, and 
 had produced from the same time in 1870 about 485 tons of ore " (C)., 
 and had thus in the year, Nov. 1870 to Nov. 1871, produced ore carry- 
 ing silver, worth by assay $642,932.01, and also one lot of five tons, 
 
 
 t 
 
m j ^ i. I i »^iii~.« .t-!»> ,y j y< y|iWW! W » ' "f t' t^v^-' 
 
 -TBPI 
 
 5,. 
 
 k 
 
 
 .Ti II 
 
 «iKtH,(.(H<,Ar. SliKVKV (iK ( AN.M>A. 
 
 1 
 i! 
 
 i|: 
 
 a ' 
 
 Continuation oi W(M'Ui $5.20(1. wliich \v;is lo>t in tiaii>ii oil the piopclloi- (lobuni. 
 
 hmtory of niinr ,, \ji„i„„. ^y,,^ coniiuiicrl with varyiiiii' -^iicci'ss jitlor tho dose of nav - 
 Ration ill 1871. Tin' vein \va- I'ouikI 1'> Ik' siihjecl In IVecjiient and .sud- 
 den changes. Iioili a.-- rc^ard.^ -i/,c and i'iclin(!si<. In the fall of 1871, it 
 narrowed down lo <» inches in width al some points, with searcely any 
 first quality >>vv in sight. i>iiriiii:- llu' winter, il Li,radiially \vidcne<l and 
 l)ecanu' voy prod'- tive. In Mr. i'luc's reJJort^ many such alternations 
 are reeorded. lie ^ays thai in the summer ot ;H72, • the lode became 
 l)r()l<cii up, being thorou<^hly mixed with diorite and wedtfcsofjilumbago. 
 and in the fall, the mine :i»unu'd .inylhirii^ but a llatteriiig appearance.' 
 Mr. Krue further \vrite> (Jii thi,-, subject as follows : 'Jn the following 
 winter ii. suddenly changed in character und j>roduc«!d, up to May l>t. 
 1873.250 tons of ri(di paeking ore worth about S^l,500 to the ton. 
 huring Ma}-, and the early summer, the vein, disappeared almost 
 entii-ely, being bndceii u]i into >tring.i and feeders. Later, however, 
 there wa,- a decided improvement which was again overshadowed by a 
 ])aHHing cloud, and although in extending thcdi-ift north on the 40, a very 
 jiromising show n\' silver had lieen opened, 1 had often seen the mine 
 ejotbed in richer a])]Kirel iban it ap))e;ired at the close of navigation.' 
 
 (187:{)." iC'. 
 
 During the uiiihi .Is (.It, -evert; sii>ini> did considerable damage 
 to the crib work pioieci ing the Islei . amounting to ovei'Sl 1.000. besides 
 carrying awiy llie iippei' |Miiiioii ot' the main breakwater and doing 
 other damage. 'I'lie unfavurable changes whicli occurred in the fall 
 of 187o. continued up lo lh<' c|o>,. of ls!7<»."" The new levels which had 
 been opened up, the 8th and IM ii. )iro\ ed wholly uiiprodiici ive, although 
 no <li)licully was expcrit;nct.'<l in tollowing and working on the vein. 
 A vast amount of cKplor.-ilory work fy means ot' the di:imond drill, also 
 tailed to discover .•my de|»osils of rich ore. The eon>e<|uenC(; was ol 
 c(un'se gicat liiKinci;il cuibarrassmeiil and an almost cut ire c<'ssation of 
 work during the Mimmei' ol IS77. In August ot' that year, work 
 was rcsiinu'd. and up lo December. 2;},85ii o/. of silver obtained by 
 st<i|)ing ill the up|)ei part of ihc mine. Il was even proposed to remove 
 1 he rich ground lying liclwixi the mine and ihe iakt', .substituting I'oi- 
 it an artificial and), but f >rl mialcly. in the siimmci- of last year "' ( 1878), 
 "a bunch of ricii ore was struck beneath the 4th level S. of the shaft 
 wbicii in a few months yielded 721,tj'!2 o',. ot silver, a (piantity umpl}' 
 ^u0^cielll to res<'ue fiie mine from all its luabarrasHiiuuits and provide a 
 reserve or working capital of S;}00,000" (('). 
 
 Mr. Lowe describes this period of tlie miiu's existence as follows 
 Speaking of the tirst bonanza, be, says it " extended fbi- a distance of 100 
 f<>ct ou tlie hangiuix wall of the main vein. an<l for nearly ;i likedistance 
 
 ^0■^.^W^Br':^ J 
 
fit 
 
 \ • 
 
 -] 
 
 LAKE 8LPEBI0R. 
 
 33 H 
 
 Upon the Hame wall of the east vein. It varied irom 6 inches to over 2 First bonanza. 
 loot in width, finally disajipearing below the Oth level. The Hilver did 
 not crop out in the east vein, but was found in cio.s.s-cuttin^ throu/^h tli«' 
 hoi'.sc of diorito on the Ist level. It extended upwaid within 40 feet 
 ,it llie outcropping. It was completely' worked out by 1874, yielding 
 
 over $2,000,003 The shape of this bonanza was that of an ii-regular 
 
 pear and throughout its extent in both veins it was accompanied with 
 a strong impregnation of graphite which Ibrmed the selvage of both 
 veins. The bulk of this bonanza was arborescent silver, more or less 
 ?nixcd with Mactarlanito, a rich ore of idlver cariying 7B per cent, ot 
 I liat metal along with arsenic, cobalt and nickel. Its physical struc- 
 ture resembles niccolite The years from 1874-S were devoted entirely P|^|;^<J.^.}'J' 
 
 to exploring, and but little silver was mine<i." (D.) J)iiring this period 
 liie now inclined shaft was stai-led from the nth level, diagonally across 
 I ho vein, and on the pitch of the same. " Previous to the sinking of this 
 sliaft, the diamond drill was extensively used in ditferent pai-ts of the 
 mine. ...long holes were driven N. ttS. on the 1st level. In one of them, 
 silver was sti'uck, but it jjroved to be only a small pocket. On this 
 level, 400 feet holes were driven K. and W. for parallel veins ; 40 feet west 
 a small vein was struck," (D.) but subsequent testing by crosscut and 
 ilrifting showed no silver. " On the 3rd level, S., another sei-ies of holes 
 was driven, and one of them, which was subsequently proved, 
 
 >kirted along within a few inches of the second boi .'nza The small 
 
 |)ocket of silver struck on the 1st level, S., was tbllowed later on by 
 a considerable streak of argentiferous pyrites, runidjig 2,000 oz. per 
 ion ; lead with 800 oz. per ton, and native silvei-. This streak was 
 cut near the junction of the two veins on the hanging wall in a 
 
 cross-cut and extended down as far as the 2nd level The writei' 
 
 has since learned that another small bunch was struck S. of this 
 point on the same level.'" (D). lie further says in reference to the l)efore 
 mentioned scconil bonanza. "In drifting south on the 3rd level in August, Second bonanza 
 1878, strong impregnations of gra|)hite were met on the hanging wall 
 which were soon followed by the second bonanza. This deposit of 
 silver was remarkable for its great width, 5 feet solid across the breast, 
 and the occurrence in great quantity of two hitherto unknown com- 
 pounds of silver, namely, Animikite and Iluntilite. The shape of this 
 honanza was that of an inverted cone with a base of about 50 feet on 
 the 3r<l level with the apex down as far as the ."ith level. This dejjosit 
 was phenomenal in its structure and a winze in the middle of the deposit 
 lo the 4th level, sixty feet, was sunk literally through native silver, tin; 
 metal standing out boldly from the four walls of the winze. In the 
 lireast of the drift it stood out in great arb(»rescent masses in the 
 8 
 
 i 'iw 
 
 , 
 
'{4 H 
 
 J5T 
 
 (JEOLOaiCAL SrjRVEY OK CANADA. 
 
 "Floors" it 
 vein. 
 
 I 
 
 Yield of mine. 
 
 shape of hookH and spikes, in ,i,'narleci, drawn out and twisted bunches, 
 lollDwed by arborescent silvei- with inlercalatod bands of Animiivite and 
 Iluntilito. This deposit was '^t-ack near the junction of the two veins 
 and tlie whole extent of the bonanza was strongly saturated with gra- 
 ])hite caii'ving a selvage of the same in the hanging wall three inches 
 thick. The hanging wall was as smooth and as polished as a mirror, 
 with horizontal stria\. . .The width of the vein was ovei- 10 feet, and the 
 ♦'ntiro deposit, including the stam}> rock, yielded about 800,000 oz. of 
 silver. An interesting I'act connected with this deposit was noticed in 
 the manner in which the arborescent silver was disseminated through- 
 out the whole width of the vein, and in the concentrated pai-ts and the 
 manner in which it was impregnated through a scries of horizontal 
 floors in the vein. These flours did not break or se])arate the deposit. 
 This dejiosit paid otf the bonded indebtedness, leaving a surplus of 
 $300,000, which, however, was expended, along with six assessments, in 
 the construction of tiie new shaft to the surface, and sinking of the 
 same 500 feet below the 9th level, in driving tive levels N. and S. from 
 the same, equii)ping it with new pumping machinery, developments in 
 the upper parts of the mine and two years' work on Bui-nt Island and 
 the mainland." (D.) 
 
 .Mr. Macfa. lUne's description continues: — " I have not found it pos- 
 sible to ascei'tain the amount of the product year by year subsequent to 
 1875, but according to information received from C. A. Trowbridge, 
 I'iSq., Secretary of the Si/uer Islet Co., thei'e have been extracted since 
 the commencement of operations in September, 18T0, and up to the 
 close of navigation in 1878, 2,174,499 ^ozs. refined silver with a value 
 of $2,921,727.24. if to this we add the value of the ore obtained imme- 
 diately after the discoveiy by the Montreal Mining Co., we have a total 
 yield of $2,948,01&.81" (0.) He further adds that ho had since learned 
 from Mr. Trowbridge that the precise yield (up to the end of 1879) was 
 Barren stretch $3,039,557.49 and Continues "when visiting the mine in July, 1877, the 
 vein appeared perfectly well defined on the 9th level, but nothing in the 
 shape of ore was to be seen The vein was said to possess the same char- 
 acter in the inclined shaft sunk 100 feet deeper than the level, and to a 
 ])oint about 640 feet fi-om the surface. This shaft was filled with water 
 at the time of my visit. The vein below this point has been tested by 
 a drill hole li96 feet deep, in which traces of silver ore were detected, 
 blven if we suppose this trace is the clue to another bonanza, the fact 
 still remains that from the 6th level to the deepest working, a distance 
 of 300 feet, the vein has been found to be unworthy of excavation, and 
 this too in spite of the presence of diorite on both walls, a condition 
 which, when the mine was first opened was supposed to ensure a remu- 
 nerative vein" (C). 
 
 of vein. 
 
 .^-■yo^it'^M^.'.} J 
 
..':yimM,maimmimmmmm!i>m>.-m'i''- 
 
 ■■] 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 85 H 
 
 Tho foregoing gives the history of this mine up to the end of thi' 
 vcai- ISVi), !is recorded by Mr. Macfiirlano and others. Mr. Low's papei-. 
 from which 1 have taken tlio followiag items, brings it up to Doconi- 
 lirr, 1882:— 
 
 •'()n the 9th level a small bunch of silver was struck accompanied 
 
 with graphite From 1878 to the present date" (Decembei-, 1882\ 
 
 ■ ihe mine has been passing througli its second period of advorsitj', 
 altliough in that time silver has been struck iix various parts of the gp^ond period 
 liiiiie below the Oth level. The only important deposit met with was °''"**'""^'*- ' 
 oil the 13th level south. This was also accompiinied with a graphite 
 iiiipiognation, but from its ii-regular ami detached condition it did not 
 
 niigur well ibr a large deposit. Ft yielded about $30,000 Gas and 
 
 water were struck in considerable volume. The new inclined shaft is 
 now down nearly 1,200 feet, with a strong, highly mineralised vein in 
 the bottom, the vein being 9 feet in width " (D). 
 
 .Mr. 11. Trethewey states that (he mine had attained a depth of 1.230 
 (cot beibro the cessation of operations. I have it on his authority that 
 ;it 80 feet north on the bottom level, they had a good bunch of ore. He 
 also tells me that the total yield of the mine from its commencement Total yield 
 •o its close in 1884, was about $3,250,000. "^ """"• 
 
 Kxploratory work was done on other parts of the vein which was Work done 
 traced inland for about a mile from the shore, making the length of ^afni'and? 
 llie vein thus known, counting from the Islet, about 9,000 feet. In tra- 
 versing this distance, it intersects many trap dj'kes which, however, do 
 not seem to favorably affect it. Three shafts have been sunk to tost it 
 at various points along this inland portion, attaining the respective 
 depths of 40 ft., 100 ft., and 60 ft., and a great deal of surftico trench- 
 ing has been done. This work did not, however, result in any dis- 
 coveries of importance, but Capt. R. Trethewey told me that they had 
 u'ot some galena running 19 oz. of silver to the ton at Morgan Junction 
 shaft (the furthest inland). He tells me they got no plumbago at any 
 of these places. At the latter point, where the shaft is sunk at the 
 intersection of the vein with a dyke of compact trap, I noticed in the 
 dumj) a quantity of iron pyrites accompanied by a little copper pyrites 
 in a vein stone consisting of argillite cemented together by calcite. The 
 series of dykes crossed by the vein on the mainland differ in appearance 
 tVom that on the Islet consisting as they do of dark compact trap, 
 whilst the latter is much coarser grained and carries much iron pyrites. Work on vein 
 Besides the beforementioned shafts one was sunk on the vein where it 
 tn-osses the dyke forming Burnt Island. These dykes are faulted by 
 the vein and aj-e, therefore, older than it. Mr. Lowe says that the 
 'liamond drill was also used extensively on Shangoinah Island and on 
 Burnt Island. 
 
 on islands. 
 
 'A- t 
 
36 H 
 
 QBOIiOOICAI- SURVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 Kzpenditure 
 and returns 
 
 Diamond drill 
 holes. 
 
 Statistics. 
 
 1^ 
 
 r 
 
 Mr. ('urtis wi-itiiii; in Kybruary, 1877, sums up the history of the 
 mine as roHovvs:— "A capital of $73,000 pnid a tlividend of SUJO.OOO the 
 Hrst year, besides payini^ about $200,000 towards settlement with the 
 Montreal Mining Co*, and expending aLso a large amount of money to 
 establish (lie plant. In the rejiort for this year" (187*^,) "wo find (hat 
 the to(al amount of dividends have been $()22,(>6(!.ti(), ar.d (ho total pro- 
 duction $2, 237,47!*. 8-1. This groat outlay was needed at the mine to 
 establish a (own on a barren rot-ky shore, to main(ain a foodiold on a 
 little rock not 80 ft. square against the mighty storms of Lake 
 Superior, to furnish steam-tugs, engines, pumps, and build a mill 
 capable ot con('en( lating over 75 tons of rock pci- day " (B). 
 
 Mr. Lowe sta(es that more than $1,200,000 were expended in securing 
 (he Isle(, also that (he volume of water made by the Silver Islet vein 
 per minute was about 170* gallons, its principal source being Jibove 
 the 9(h level, and further that throughout the mine nearly 5,000 feet of 
 holes were boi-ed by the diamimd drill. 
 
 The below given tables show the yield of the mine year by ycai', and 
 are comjjilod from Mr. Macfarlaiie's pnper above (|uo(ed and the other 
 sources mentioned. 
 
 Weiglit in Lbs. Value per Ton. Totiil Value. 
 
 Under Montreal Mining; Co 27,07:5^ 
 
 " New Proprietors, 1870 155,543 
 
 do 1871 (Newark).... 183,453 
 
 do 1871 (Wyandotte). 778,468.] 
 
 Lost on propel ler " Coburn " 1 0,000 
 
 « 
 
 1 ,640.80 
 
 23,115.35 
 
 1,175.80 
 
 02,15323 
 
 1,507.04 
 
 138,291.88 
 
 1,296.48 
 
 504,64013 
 
 1,040.00 
 
 5,200.00 
 
 l,154,537i $1,322.44 $7(13,40U.5!> 
 
 Season 1872 310,744.02 ozs. 
 
 " 1873 289,763.77 " 
 
 •' 1874 2.50,021.75 " 
 
 " 1875 145,902.50 " 
 
 996.432.04 
 
 Carried forward . 
 
 = $1,195,718.45 
 .... $1,959,119.04 
 
 Ir xiuced I 
 1876 ( 
 
 I'uKiuced 
 mine, 
 
 I'lodiieed 1 
 
 )'!.)(lu(»d f 
 1SS2. ( 
 
 Tiial of an 
 counts 
 AiiiDiint nn 
 
 'l'< ital value 
 men car 
 accord! 
 
 This 
 
 (II.' 
 
 ili-^agreemi 
 iTsiihs oft 
 ilic mine 
 wliich a(ti 
 liodios wer 
 Tiic la.st 
 ci.il ;'eport 
 I'lo-ident < 
 ilni'ing (he 
 1.160 feet 1 
 I wo winzes 
 ji lints in sc 
 leet level) 
 81 feet, 
 of minerals 
 of silver WJi 
 'li'iii. but p 
 "' i^M'ound { 
 ilial in its ( 
 •ommenced 
 ill I he same 
 ilie levels w 
 of a very ( 
 ("undaccon 
 ~!;ll it will 
 
 ,- S-r»)^^;.,; J 
 
. .«ll.] 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 37 H 
 
 Brought fomm-d SI /.tf)!),! U).04 
 
 I r mIikhhI by stamp mill, Dec. 1875, to Nov., 
 
 1870 (concentrates) 13(i,.'.2il.00oz.s 1(;3,835.00 
 
 !'i idiiced by stoping in upper part of tlio 
 
 mine, 1877 23,8.5().{)0 " 28,f5L>0.0<) 
 
 I'l odiiced from second bonanza, 1878 721,03200 " S(i.i,i)r)S.fl(l 
 
 I'liduced from deposit at i>(iO ft. level, about 
 
 1882. (Mentioned in Mr. Lowe's paper) :!0,0()().00 
 
 Titiii of amountK montioiiod in various ac' 
 
 counts of tbe mine as above 
 
 A mount unaccounted for above 
 
 S;5,047,532.O4 
 2()2,4()7.9<) 
 
 3,250,000.00 
 
 \'< iial value of silver produced from the com- 
 mencement to the close of operations, 
 aciording to Mr. Richard Trethewey • • . 
 
 .S3,2o0,000.0n 
 
 This discrepancy of ^202,467.96 is not necessarily duo to an actual 
 ilisagreeraont of the different authorities, but probably represents the 
 irsults ot'tho treatment of mill rock taken out from various parts of 
 ihi' mine which had been neglected during its palmier days, and to 
 which attention was turned after the mill was built and the rich ore 
 ImmUos were worked out. 
 
 Tiic la.st authentic statement regarding the mine is found in the offi- 
 cial ;'eport of Mr. Hichard Trethewey, dated January 20, 1884, to the Latest 
 i'lO^ident o|" the Company, whore ho says "The work at the mine'^"^®''"'™*"'*' 
 liming the past year has been devoted to tho sinking of the shaft to the 
 l.l(Ii> feet level, drifting tho same north and south of the shaft, sinking 
 I wo winzes below the 1,160 I'eet level, and back sloping at encouraging 
 
 ]> liuls ill some of the upper levels These drifts" (from tho 1,160 
 
 tcct level) " have been extended southward 227 feet and northwai-d 
 ^l feet. The vein, though well defined and carrying quantities 
 oi iiiineials, has not pi-oduced the expected amount of silver. A deposit 
 oi silver was opened into during tho summer, near the end of the north 
 'I lift, but proved to be small in extent. At this point and in this run 
 "I ground a winze is being sunk towards the 1,260 feet level, hoping 
 iliat ill its course other bunches may be found. A winze has also been 
 'Hiinionred towards the 1,260 feet level, near the end of the south drift 
 ill tlu' same run of ground in which silver has been found above. In 
 'lie levels where back stopiug has been carried on, the vein, although 
 111' a very encouraging nature, yielding minerals which are always 
 ii'uiid accompanying silver, has not produced silver in paying quantity; 
 -'ill it will be remembered that heretofore we have worked for long 
 
 i 
 
.{8 11 
 
 QEOLOGIOAL S/RVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 Dodoription of 
 illuBt rations. 
 
 
 periods in gi'ound such as dcHcribed and tiiiiilly been rowaided by on- 
 I'ounteriiig rich depositH, and there is no reason why wo hhould not ex- 
 })Oct siniihir rewullH again," lie continues thut^ : " Kro long we nhall 
 OloBinK of mine tind oursolveH phiccd in a Mcrious dilomnia owing to the non-ai-rival ol 
 our wintc'i' su])j>ly (jt'coai last tiill — a vcskcI with a cai-go of nearly l,(M)(l 
 tonw having tailed lo reach here, being laid up while en route. The pre- 
 sent Hup])ly of coal is Hufficient to run with until about March Ist, after 
 whicii we Hhall lind it extremely difficult to carry on the work." 
 Operations weie accoi'dingly susjionded early in the spring ofl884. 
 
 Plato I shows the underground workings of the mine on the west or 
 main vein. I have not been able to obtain a section showing the same 
 tor the eastern branch above its junction with the main vein at the 
 fourth level, but Mi-. John Trethewey tells me it was mostly stoped out 
 from the fourth level to surface, being worked by cross-cuts from the 
 main vein from which levels were driven on it. The tracing from 
 which the illustration was taken was apparently not kept quite up to 
 date, for some of the measurements given me by the manager do not 
 quite coincide with those of the tracing; thcbO differences, however, 
 are trifling and do not affect the utility of the drawing as an illustra- 
 tion of the direction and extent of the underground development made 
 upon this famous vein. 
 
 During the first few years whilst the very I'ich ore of the first deposit 
 was being worked out which had only to be barrelled up and sent to 
 the smelter, the pooi'er mill rock was neglected, and it was only when 
 the period of adversity was expei-ienced, that attention was paid to it, 
 and a stamp mill erected on the mainland at a cost of about $100,000 
 to treat if. This work was carried out in the winter of 1873-4. 
 
 The machinery used consisted of 50 head of stamps, 24 Fruevanners 
 (an improved form invented by Captain Fruo of the old Brunton frame) 
 and two No. 4 Blake crushers with the necessary hoisting gear, watei' 
 tanks, etc., and a L'50 horse-power engine to supply the necessary 
 power. The ore as it came out of the mine was dumped by the self- 
 dumping skip into cars and brought thence to the mainland on a scow 
 towed by a tug. These were then hauled up an incline to the 
 mill where the ore being dumped and fed into the Blake crusheis. 
 passed from them to the stamps. The battery slimes passed directly to 
 the Frue vanners, which were arranged in two sets, one below the othei', 
 the upper or head tables and the lower or clean-up tables. The tail 
 ings from the former passed to the latter, and were there further con 
 centrated, the heads or concentrates being barrelled up and sent to tlic 
 smelter. The heads from the lower set. were passed over to extra clean 
 up tables to be further concentrated. The mill had a capacity o\ 
 
 Stamp mill. 
 
 Min 
 
 Sort 
 Lab 
 
 Crus 
 
 In the 
 been con 
 the sale o 
 t'lit assuj 
 were ver 
 giuirantei 
 SUM! per 
 naturally 
 own assa' 
 culty of i 
 lontainin 
 
 In con 
 works of 
 romnienc 
 works Ml 
 of Mining 
 tern ores 
 a small 
 larger tin 
 process f( 
 i'y Balbac 
 crude silv 
 
 •^■"'HT'JWC 
 
nuail] i-ake superior. 39tH 
 
 aliout 60 tons per day, pi'cxiucin^ from 1 to 2 tons ol" wet concentiuton, 
 holding about 14 per cent, of moisture, at an average cost, according to 
 Mr. Low, of $1.70 per ton. Tho conccntratos varied in their value 
 lioni SiiOO to about 810,000 per ton, but averaged lietwoen $500 anti 
 81,500. Mr. Lowe states that the tailings averaged about $2 per ton, 
 ami that tlie mill saved ItOi ])er cent, of the silver in the ore. The rock 
 I lilt through ran from (i to 37 oz. per ton. 
 
 Ti) Ml', liichard Trelhowey Tarn indebted for tho following items o,,,, „f„jiiijnff. 
 icgarding ccjst of production calculated per ton of rock milled : — * 
 
 Mininj? ?1'.50 (to $3.00) 
 
 Sortirij: 50 
 
 Labour and tn<| expenses, transportin),' rock from 
 
 mine to mill 50 
 
 Crushing, stamping and dressing 2.00 
 
 Total $.^.50 
 
 In the early period of tho existence of (h.e mine there seems to have Smeitinglof 
 been considerable difficulty in making satisfactory arrangements for 
 the sale of the ore. The assays made of some of the first lots by differ- 
 ent assayers varied greatly, ami furthermore, the smelting charges 
 were very high. "Both at Newark and Wyandotte, tho smelters only 
 i;iiaranteed to return 95 per cent, of the silver contents and charged 
 §100 per ton ibr smelting," says Mr. Macfarlane, and the smeltei-s 
 naturally refused to account for more silver than was shown by their 
 own assay. These discrepancies no tloubt arose from the natural diffi- 
 I'ulty of getting uniform samples from so very rich an ore, and one 
 containing so much metallic silver. 
 
 In consequence of this, the Company determined to erect smelting Wyandott*) 
 works of their own, and this was accordingly done and smelting was"""" '"^""'' 
 commenced at the Wyandotte works by .luly Ist, 1871. Of these 
 works Mr, W, M.Courtis, in a paper i-ead before the American Institute 
 of Mining Engineers, Oct. 1873; says "The intention was to work Wes- 
 tern ores with those from Lake Superior, since the latter contain but 
 a small amount of lead. Hence the capacity of the works is much 
 larger than is needed for the present yiekl of the mine. The jdanned 
 IH'ocess for treatment was, smelting with lead ores, desilverizing the lead 
 liy r>al bach's process with zinc, cupelling the rich lead and retining the 
 crude silver. Since the supply of Western ores was uncei'tain. and pi'ices 
 and t'reights were high, a sufficient supply could not be obtained ; and 
 hitherto the works have been in operation but a few months each year. 
 
 nV 
 
 Will. 
 
 • For further details see Appendix B. 
 
 
■■imm 
 
 40 H 
 
 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 Othor veinf of 
 Coast (3rou|i. 
 
 I 
 
 Vein 
 characteristics 
 
 t 
 
 Assays. 
 
 .Side brancli 
 
 Yet they have produced a very largo amount of silver — 931,203 oz. 
 in fine silver up to Sept. Ist, 1873. The process has been smelting 
 for rich lea<l at once and cupelling and refining the bullion- In addi- 
 tion has come : treatment of the matte to save the nicl:el ; refining the 
 nickel matte; extractmg the silver from the marketable nickel speiss, 
 and treatment of the refuse too poor for smelting." 
 
 I have gone somewhat lully into tlu' history of the Silver Islet mine, 
 as it was the chief and tvpical mine of the district. In order to show 
 how far the rest of the veins of the group under consideration have 
 been tested'as lo their value, 1 have added below all the data obtainable, 
 either from personal observation or otherwise, regarding the develop- 
 ments made on the other veins of this group and referring to their con- 
 <litions of occurrence. 
 
 Angus Islands. 
 
 About ten years ago, a vertical shaft is said to have been sunk on 
 one of the islands, and a drift run out from it to intersect the vein 
 which could be seen outcropping under watei- near tho shore. No 
 success seems to have attended this effort. 
 
 McKellafs Island. 
 
 This vein was dit-overLd in 1869 by the Messrs. McKellar Brothers, 
 and some years afterwards the test work was done, shown in the 
 accompanying drawing of the mine. (See Plate O, Figure 2). 
 
 It is very large, consisting of coarsely crystallised, calciteand barite, 
 occurring in separate ribs for the most pai't, although the}' are mixed 
 in parts of the vein. With these preponderating minerals there is a 
 smaller propoi-tion of (juartz, generally colourless. The metallic 
 minerals consist of zinc-blonde with a little galona and pyrites which 
 are for the most part concentrated in dark coloured bands in the main 
 vein, of which bands there are two on the north side and one on the 
 soulli side of the island. A sample of one of these streaks assaj'cd — 
 gold, none; silvei-, about \ oz. wiiilsl another from a different ])lace in 
 the same gave neither gold nor silver, showing that the dark coloi- 
 ation was not due to finely ilisscminated argentite or agouti ferous 
 bltMide. (See Ilepoi-f of Ti-ogi-ess, fieological Survey of ('anatin, 188(1, 
 pai't T, assays 33 & 31.) 
 
 Ucsides this nuiin vein which is composed of solid spar, and is about 
 (iO feet wide on the south side of Mic islai\d thei'e ai'o numerous side 
 stringers intersecting the countiy rock of the west wall of the vein, 
 and on those the developinents have been mostly made as shown in the 
 accompanying illusti'ation. 
 
MM 
 
 t' CAN AD/ 
 
 Plate II. 
 
 / 
 
 
 — r^^- 
 
 
 "^^ 
 
 
 "rr;f> /)'} //7r^ 
 
 
 * ^-WSK I 
 
 
 
 
 ^or-^ \r-"7=^- -,fcc ^ 
 
 •»7 
 
 O NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY 
 
 R. C. SELWYN. C. M. G.. LL. D.. F. R. S.. DIRECT 
 
 Pie Island 
 Mine 
 
 I HORIZC 
 
 ^ 
 
 M"^^ 
 
 v?^ 
 
 ( N9 3 M LEVElI 
 
 
 
 
 1 supplied by Mr. P. McKellar. 
 
 Fi.). ?i. 
 
 /I9Kellar's Island Mjne 
 
 Scale 80 fpet 1 inch 
 
 ihh, M. E. 
 
 a 
 
 EXPLANATION. 
 
 Arqillite, 
 
 Cross-outs 
 
 ?■ ;.Vl 
 
 !i: 
 
i^H 
 
 GEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY SURV£\^^ ^^^'"^ Pl^ie II. 
 
 ALFRED R. C. SELWYK. C. M. G.. LL. D.. F. R S.. DIRECT ' ~ ' 
 
 From Sketch survey made by E. D. Ingall, M. E. 
 
 IlESHARATS, 1.1 ril. 
 
 EXPLANATION. 
 
 Tra". 
 
 Arqillite, 
 
 Cross-cuts 
 
LiijRiiijpqupMPIIpilPPPmpppMpH 
 
 ■i^iifiilii 
 
 
 '•^?^;-»VP • 
 
,.;^s,i I— iiiwiiiTwrwm. sat*!* 
 
 LAKE SUl'ERtOR. 
 
 41 II 
 
 The enclosing rock is* a dark green, coarse •'rained ti'ap. This com- Encio^injr 
 
 ' rocks, 
 
 iio-es the whole island which is only some eight or nine chains in 
 diameter, and is evidently part of the outcrop of a dyke which appears 
 t'luthor west in Thompson's Island. A little altered argillite appears 
 (jn the south side of the island still clinging to the dyko. 
 
 According to Mi-. P. McKollar, argentiferous blende was the chief 
 silver bearing ore of the vein. The developments done so far have 
 evidently not opened up an^' very largo body of or . 
 
 During the summer of 188G, the barite i-ib on the east side of the vein vV(irke<i tor 
 hiis been worked down from surface, some thirty men being employed '""^" 
 at this work, and the product after hand picking to extract as much of 
 the calcite and quartz as possible, was being shipped to the United 
 Slates, the buying firm giving $5 per ton over the rail at the island for 
 tlu" host (juality. 
 
 Thompson's Island. 
 
 This island consists foi- the most part of trap in the form of dykes E„ci„sing 
 lunning lengthways through it with a small development of the argil!- '^'"''^'" 
 ites between the two forming the two points at its western extremity. 
 The backbone of the island is constituted by the dyke which forms its 
 eastern extremity, and which is evidently the .same as that forming 
 McKellar's island, which it resembles in appearance, being a dark 
 yieon ti-appean rock of rather coarse texture. 
 
 it was located in 1853 by Mr, T. Macfarlane for the Montreal Mining work done. 
 Co. A f-mall amount of exploi-ation was done in 1873 and in the wintei- 
 nf 1S73-4, when some development work was done to test a vein cross- 
 iiiii' the island at its eastern extremity in a north-westerly direction. 
 It consisted, as far as I was able to see, of an adit level run in on the 
 vein, wliere it shows in the face of the cliff forming the north shore of 
 the i-~hmu, for a distance of abf>ut 25 feet, from the end of which a nine 
 I'lCt winze has been sunk on the vein, which hero consists of an a^fgro- \^'"' . . 
 
 ^^ nhiiracteristio*. 
 
 Hiite ol stringers and brunches of various sizos. covoi-ing a width of 
 aliout four feet. The gaiigue consists mostly of barito with some calcite 
 •hkI wliite and amethystine (|uartz. It carries a small amount of the 
 ii>iial metallic minerals, viz., blonde, galena and pyrite>. Other veins 
 oecui', cro.ssing the island in a north-westerly direction of a very similar 
 iiutuie to the last, and whoi-o seen, are all oncloso<l in ti-ap. 
 
 Spar Island. 
 
 This island is ])art of the old Prince location, and was one of the first 
 Worked properties on the lake, operations having been carried on Iheie 
 in the years 1846 and 184H. 
 
 • 1 ,' I". 
 
 1,- 
 
 Wn ^ 
 
42 H 
 
 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 ii 
 
 Intnipivj 
 trap 8lieeti= 
 
 Rooks of iaianii It consists, liko the others, of a group of trap dykes with argillitcH, 
 between, wliich lattor rocks attain their largest development at the oast 
 Olid of the island, where they are to be seen forming a cliff about 200 
 feet in height, and are capped with a thin sheet of columnar trap. They 
 are cut at this place by several dykes running lengthways of the island. 
 Passing along the south shore of the island the same geologic conditions 
 arc observable, except that foi- some distance the argillites are seen to 
 1)0 associate 1 with intrusive sheets of trap. This is visible for sonic 
 distance along the south shore at one place where in cliffs some 30 to 
 10 feet high ai-e to be seen three such sheets. That they are intrusive 
 sheets is shown liy the tact t hat they are frequently lenticular and 
 • urve up the beds above them out of their plane ol bedding, the under 
 side of the trap sheet lying flat on the beds below it. At one place 
 this was found to be the cause of a very sudden change of dip of the 
 argillites from a Mat angle to the eastwards to a dip of about 45'' west- 
 wards. Again, where the covering argillite has been recently denuded 
 away, the remarkably smooth upper surface of the trap sheet further 
 attests to the correctness of this view, these surfaces in no way 
 resembling those polished and grooved by ice which also occur in this 
 region. 
 
 A plan, etc., of the western point of the island where the develop- 
 ments have been made is given in Plate 111. Here there are as shown 
 two dykes of trap separated by argillaceous beds ana accompanied by 
 an intrusive sheet of trap, on which is left a slight thickness of the 
 argillite oi-iginally covering it. The main dyke consists of a medium 
 grained trap whose coloi is lightened by the presence of white feldspar 
 occurring radiately crystallised, the interspaces being filled out with a 
 dark green mineral, pi-obably hornblende. The smaller dyke "B"' 
 is a dark green ciystalline trap carrying a quantity of pyrites much 
 more compact than the other, and weathering with a comparatively 
 smooth reddish brown surface in contrast with the gray aspect of the 
 weathered surfaces of the main dyke, which can be seen to be due to 
 the kaolinisation of the felspar. The trap sheet in general appeai-- 
 ance and fracture clt)sely resembles dyke " B," and also carries pyrites. 
 
 The argillites are of a dark gray color and lie nearly flat. They 
 turn upwards as they approach the main dyke and are much altered. 
 When within about twenty feet of it their bedding becomes oblitei'ated 
 and they take t)n a confused structure like false bedding, whilst on the 
 fracture they resemble a fine-grained leil trap. A similar altered argil- 
 lite is described later as occurring at Jarvis Island. 
 
 There are several veins visible on the shores of the island running 
 across it in about a north-westei ly dii'ection. They show occasionally 
 
 Knoio.singrock 
 of vein. 
 
 TlMiMlyko. 
 anil sheets. 
 
 Altered 
 iircillitei'. 
 
 Veins. 
 
 -I 
 
 ,J- ;.»WdW,vv.'.ji 
 
GEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY OF CANADA 
 
 ALPRKO R. C. SBLWVN, C. M. C. LL. O., F. R, S., UIRRCTOR. Pl^tP TTT 
 
 SCAUE 15 feet - / inch 
 West 
 
 Vertical Section 
 
 Fif|. 1 . 
 
 EaBt 
 
 Plan 
 
 Scale 
 
 120 feet - I inch 
 
 
 I- "-ft""- c#^A A "A 
 
 W«t'^ I ^A A A 
 
 "'^- A A 
 
 A Altered^ 
 
 A ^AAAf^> f.'^ 
 %, A A A A A A //^.V a'' 
 
 '^% A A ^ A A '^ ^V A A 
 
 X.'^AP 
 
 'NA^.-^-^-^Lr.,. D 
 
 A k^-^ ^ ^ A /TX 
 
 -A^AAA^A A J^A 
 
 r~^"7 %..^^A A z 
 
 B 
 
 Spar Island 
 Mine 
 
 .^\'^ A A A A A 
 A aW^ ^ A A , 
 
 »i^>lAA a;"; A A / 
 
 Ficj. 2. 
 
 u 
 
 From Sketch survey made by E. D. Ingall, M. E. 
 
nm^ummMmmm^jmmmmifmimmii 
 
 W 
 
 with the 1 
 
 >iimmer o 
 
 • in uccon 
 
■■ '■■■•■*■ 
 
 iNOAU.J 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 43 H 
 
 ;i little of the usual metallic minerals, blendo and galena in a gangue of 
 l):irite, calcite and quartz. The vein at the western end of the island 
 -liown in Plate III, is the only one on which any work has boon done. 
 The main vein with which are associated a few side branches is large Main vein. 
 iiul tilled with a solid gingue of coarsely crystallised barite and calcite, 
 ilu! metallic minerals being represented by coppor glance, copper 
 pyrites, zinc blonde and a little argontito. which occur for the most pait 
 lisseminated throngh about six inches of ganguo along either side of a 
 >i.K inch i-ibof pink barite occurring in tho middle of the vein. This 
 iissuro has faulted tho enclosing rocks about si.\ty-fivo feet horizontally. 
 In the (ieology of Canada, page 708, it is stated that tho two shafts 
 (^shown on Plate III) are respectively 24 and 47 feet deep, so that the 
 ■ iovolopmcnts made have apparently not been extensive. It is said 
 that besides the copper minerals found hero some rich specimens of 
 -liver oie were obtained. 
 
 Jarvis Island . 
 
 This vein was discovcj'cd in 1868. It runs across the island in a 
 north-wosterly direction and dips N. E. at 50° to 55°, conti-asting thus 
 with the nearly vertical dips of tho veins of the othei- islands. In the 
 -iimmer of 1H(>9 Mr. Macfarlane sunk a twelve feet shaft on the vein, (Vevdopmenta. 
 
 in accomplishing which work the following ore was produced : — 
 
 79 lbs. first quality ore containinfj; 3.45 per cent, of 
 
 silver = 39.70 oz. at $1.25 $49.62 
 
 2,483 lbs. second quality ore containing 0.15 per 
 
 cent, of sil ver=54.18 oz. at $1 .25 67.72 
 
 Total $117.34" (C). 
 
 In 1870 this shaft was surdc twenty feet deeper. In 1871 the 
 Ontario Mineral Lands Company had a small party working on the 
 lode during the months of June and July, when they sold it for 
 6150,000 to an Knglish company, under wb.ose regime quite a consider- 
 able amount of work was prosecuted in the way of drifting, sinking 
 winzes, \c. Three shafts were also sunk, of tl.e respective depths of 
 KiO, 31 and 78 feet, and some sloping done. Besides this, tho neces- 
 sary surface work, erection of houses, etc., was accomplished, and 
 consideiablo explorations made on the mainland portion of the pro- 
 poi'ty, which latter did not, however, leail to any results. These 
 'perations were conducted during the years 1871-2, and were sus- 
 pended lute in the latter year owing to unforeseen financial troubles. 
 In the spring of 1886 the company which had prosecuted this woi'k 
 aii'ain commenced operations, and have been working ever since. 
 
 i t 
 
 I f 
 
44 n 
 
 GEOLOOICAL SUKVEY uK CANADA. 
 
 Their operations have l»oen chiefly coiifiiioii lo •siniting the main slmti 
 and drifting from it Mr. John Trethovvoy, who wan in charge of thi 
 underground department at the time of my visit, was drifting soutii tn 
 got to the contact of the argillitos and the dyke, as that was the posi- 
 tion in which the ore had always been found at i^ilv<'r Met. 1 am 
 now informed that, having been unsuccessful to (ho .south, they art- 
 drifting north to got into the argillitos upon the other si«li; of the 
 dyke, and that the superintendent, Mr. .Vrlhiir Mcj-lwan, says that 
 the vein m looking well. 
 KnclusiiKfroik- The distribution of the enclosing rocks i> >hovvn in I'lale IV. lloio, 
 as at Spar Island, the vein crosses two trap dykes with ai-gillites in 
 l)etween, which lie nearly tlat, but turn down a»»d liocome much 
 altered on appi'oaching the more northerly ilyke, as they do under 
 similar conditions mentioned in speaking of Spar Island. A descrip- 
 tion of the microscopic characteristics of this rock is to be found in 
 Appendix I., Specimen No. 127. Near the >outhern dyke the argil- 
 litos aro turned upwards, but there is little or no alteration. The 
 most northerly dyke shows two varieties, the one a rather coarse 
 grained rock, in which the horublendic mineral, being mixed with 
 white felspar, gives it a greenish-gray appearance ; whilst the fel- 
 spai- of the othei', being red, gives a redder color to the rock. A 
 ilesci'iption of the microscopical characters of this rock will be found 
 in Appendix J., Specimens Nos. 113 and 128. The vein on which 
 this Work has been done is somewhat similar to the two last described, 
 the gangue being made up of the same minerals. It is from ten to 
 tiftoon feet thick, and the ditt'erent minerals are arranged in bands 
 more or less ])ai'allel with the strike of the vein. 1 notice the follow- 
 ing succession at one ])oint on the ouIc'M) of the vein, in going from 
 west to east across it : — 
 
 Veil) 
 chanicti-ristics 
 
 
 1st, About lour I'eot of largely crystallized caloite, with thin 
 
 seaminj^s of qnurtz tlironifliont, oauirriiig mostly between 
 
 tlie crystals luul aloii<i tlieir cle. ivage planes. 
 2nd. A two foot band in wiiicli the caloite still preponderates, 
 
 but with a large admixture of barite and a small per-cefit- 
 
 aj:e of quartz seams as before. 
 3rd. About six feet consisting almost entirely of Imrite, with 
 
 only a few inclusions of calcite. 
 
 The same banded structure is visible in the main shaft, where there 
 is, however, a good deal of decomposed rock enclosed, and slickensided 
 walls would indicate tissuring and movement subsequent to tilling. 
 Although silver ore has been found from time to time in the vein, the 
 bodies have apparently been so far of limited extent. 
 
 .;^>-»*«»^*W;> \ 
 
!>■*.: 
 
 :il 
 
4 
 
 I: Id 
 
 » :i' 
 
 t h"i 
 
 
 (0 
 00 
 
 CO 
 
 H 
 K 
 O 
 
 0. 
 
 U 
 K 
 
 <! 
 
 ?; 
 
 p. 
 I 
 
 h1 
 
 -< 
 O 
 
 d 
 
 m 
 
 K 
 O 
 
 M 
 
 K 
 U 
 0< 
 
 tn 
 H 
 
 W 
 
 o 
 o 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 Q 
 
 •< 
 CO 
 H 
 
 GEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HlWsURVEY ( 
 
 ALFRED R. C. SELWYN.C M.G,^Br S„ DIRECTOl 
 
 ?355^jki^''^iSi5>J^^^^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 s. 
 
 % 
 
 
 w^^T^ R e'" y^-^^iv^^ 
 
 
 
 W'^^^.' L 
 
 •^1 
 
 ■%t^>>^M«»?^ 
 
 '/WW 
 
 Jarvis Island 
 
 Mine 
 
 — ^.^^ — 
 
 Surface Plan 
 
 Scale 160 feel I inch 
 Fic). J. 
 
 [11 
 
 'Vo.i 
 
 ^i'/i 
 
 ^ 
 
 a 
 
 4 T ^ 
 
 -^"^j-/ 
 
 Trap 
 
 LAKE 
 
 '7* 
 
 '<J^> 
 
 \ 
 
 From Sketch survey made by E. D. Ingall, M. E. 
 
 V !>: 
 
 .,»;■ .•f^tf^if^/^'- 
 
SURVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 Irs., director. 
 
 i r%^ 
 
 f m 
 
 
 i? 
 
 ft» 
 
 :|. 
 
 
 te^^^^^^^ 
 
 K E 
 
 P^^%||}^a 
 
 KJ R 
 
 Plate IV. 
 
 JARVIS I. MINE 
 
 Longitudinal tt, ..j 
 Section '^^a-'^- 
 
 Scale 
 
 eO feet 'J. inch 
 
 
 3: 
 
 ;C* J - — » »^ 
 
 7-^^:'-' o-i ? 
 
 ^<^S?^Ki#' 
 
 0,0 
 
 "is 
 
 
 Fromdatasuppliedby Mr. J. Trethewey, 16th Aug., 188». 
 
 EXPLANATION. 
 
 Trap. 
 
 Argillite. 
 
 1^ 
 
 ■HM 
 
 t I 
 
 I' i 
 
m- immmmmmmmmmmmm 
 
 MMiPi 
 
 r I 
 
 
tm^nm 
 
 IT iiidP 
 
 \\ 
 
 -] 
 
 LAKE SUl'ERIOR. 
 
 45 H 
 
 fhe other meialli*' minerals, a» elsewhere, oeeur concentrated in 
 siiots in th ein, and occasionally carry a little silver, as evidenced 
 ii! the assiiN- of a specimen which came from the lower dritt whilst I Assa>'s. 
 vas there. (See Report of Progress, 1887, Part t, Assay No. 34). 
 It contiiiiictl ahoiit 2 per cent, of hlende :iiid galena, with a little })yrr- 
 liotite, and gave : (loM. none; silver. 0-H5 of an ounce to the ton of 
 2,0<iO Ihs. .\n assay of some of the pyrites from this vein showed it 
 to contain neither gold nor silver. (Seo Report of Progress, 1886, 
 Part T. Assay Xo. 20). This vein is .somewhat analogous to the Silver 
 liiKt vein in lariyiug cai'honaceous matter, which sliows as a Mack 
 sCiim 'T the hanging wall. 
 
 Mctoria Idand and McKellar'a Point. ' 
 
 Passing westwards along the band of dyket forming the " Macfar- Gcologicnl 
 iiiiio Ik'lt," we come tu Victoria Island. This is similar to the rest/ 
 having several dykes of trap running tIiro\igh its length, with inter- 
 mediate argillites. which latter however, here compose a much largei' 
 pioportion of the island than is the case with those just mentioned. 
 The develi)]>me)its made aie situate at its western extremity, where a Vcins. 
 vein of the usual tyjte, of hai-ite and calcite, running in a north-westei-ly 
 I'irection. has been tested by surface work and by two test pits t<> 
 ;i (ieptii ot' thirty feet. Some tunnelling was also done on another vein. 
 It is said that about §5,000 were expended on this island. 
 
 At this end of the i--land there is n large development of a red Rcil .'.vniiifio 
 >yeiuiic rock. Whotljer this is a pi'oducl of the alteration of the 
 argiliiies by the inti-usivc rocks of the ilykes, or what is the precise 
 nature of the causes which originated this rock, must be left in abey- 
 ance tor closer study. Iioth on llit' ground and with the aid ot the 
 niici'oscope. 
 
 On tlu^ further extension westwai'd of this belt, at the extremity ot'M.Keiiin's 
 McKellar's I*oini. very similar conditions are Irtund. Here also there'""'' 
 is a largo development of llic red .syenilic I'ocdv in connection with 
 iraj) dykes of tlu' usual basic nature and darkaj)pearanco. The syenitic 
 v'K'k \•arie^ in dilVerent j)laces from a highly crystallized, rather 
 loarse-gi'ained red rock, showing distinctly to the eye the red fel- 
 ■^par associated with tiu' green, ap|)arently hoi-niilendic, mineral, while 
 in other places, whilst ]ii'escnting the same general color and appoar- 
 ime as the typii-al syenite, it is much tiner grained, ami has more the 
 itppeai'ance of a clastic I'ock which has been somewhat tnetainorjthosed. 
 Here also nothing ean be tletinitely said of the origin of these rocks 
 vitlioni further work being done.* This syenitic rock lias a distinctly 
 
 A|'|M'ii(ii\. 8peciin''ii No. Kx 
 
I il 
 
 Veins on 
 iMcKellar's 
 
 Point. 
 
 46 li 
 
 OEoLOaiCAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 bedded appearance at this point, showing a dip to the oast at aboiii 
 15°. Anothci- curious featui-c horo presented, and which i.s noticeable 
 aleo in the j-ock at the west end ofVietoiua Island, coiiBists in (he 
 occuri'cnce of inclusions, which have the appearance of bent ami 
 twisted pieces of argillite which have been metamorphosed. 
 
 Those rocks only occur at the extremily of the point, tlie rest of 
 whicli consists of a regular tangle of dykes of trap of the ordinary 
 nature, with argillitcs included between them, the whole forming a 
 ])r<imincnt rocky ridge running back towards the mainland. Numerous 
 veins of the usual nature cross the point in a more or less north-west- 
 erly direction. They carry a little of the ordinary metallic mineral 
 of the district in a gangue of barite and calcite, with some coiorlesw 
 and amethystino quartz. A little work ha;; been done on some ol' 
 them, notably on one on the north side of the point, on which an 
 80 foot tunnel has been run in and a shaft about 30 feet deep sunk. 
 
 lU'd .ayenitic 
 rock at Littk 
 Trout Bay. 
 
 I' 
 If 
 
 Coast Section. 
 
 The iloi'th shore of Little Trout Bay presents very similar phenomena 
 to those just mentioned. Here we lind quite a large development 
 of this red rock, which at this point, however, has a much more 
 distinctly syenitic composition and appearance, in marked contrasi 
 to the general ap])earancc, structure and mineral nature of the 
 othci- igneous I'ocks of this formation. It lies apparentl}' in beds, 
 interstratiried with the usual sedimentary rocks. Several of these 
 occur here, with varying thicknesses of argillite between, which latter 
 in places thins out so as to leave two syenitic beds in direct contact, the 
 plane of division between the two being, however, still quite distinct. 
 Kxamined by eye, this i-ed rock seems to consist largely of red fel- 
 spar, with which a groon mineral is intermixed, probably hornblendt' 
 or an alteration ]M'oduct of that mineral. It is foi- Iho most part 
 modoi-ately coarse-grained, and in places is porphyritic fi-om the pre- 
 sence of large ielspar crystals distributed throughout the rock and 
 occurring occasionally in large nests or aggregates in a dark horn- 
 blondic base. Dykes of the ordinary dark-green basic traps cut these 
 beds in places. 
 intruMvo trip On the eastern side of Caldwell Point occurs a little bay whose north- 
 CaJdwe'll Pt, .orn shoros consist of cliffs about thirty feet iiigh, coming down vertically 
 into the water and which present a very good section, showing int.-us- 
 ive trap sheets in the flat lying argillities occurring similarly to those 
 noticed at Spar Island. They show the same features, viz : — Flat uii 
 der and arched upper surfaces closely conforming to the bedding planes 
 of the enclosing argillities. Two distinct sheets are distinguishaltle. 
 
 •ff'.-i^:**'*iiwni#f/ I 
 
mmmmmimm 
 
 
 bU 
 
 INGALl.] 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 47 H 
 
 the upper one at one place having protruded a tongue from its lowei- 
 
 -iiiface and lifted a part of the sedimentary rock on which it lies, which 
 
 is now visible as a thin sheet of shale, projecting upwards into the 
 
 mass of the ti-ap and making an angle of about 19°. with a horizontal 
 
 liedding of the rest of the beds. Passing eastwards along the section 
 
 ilio upper surface of this upper trap sheet is seen to curve downward> 
 
 to tlu! water level, and at its eastern end to be overlaid by the argil- 
 
 Htcs resting on its reniai'kably flat, smooth upper surface, which hero 
 
 -liows the end view of the columnar structure of the sheet. Another J^ifferent ages 
 
 trap sheet is seen to overlie these argillaceous beds about hfty feet above s-iiects, etc. 
 
 ihis ])oint. A vertical trap dyke about the middle of the section cuts 
 
 the hoiizontal traps, &c., causing a displacement of a few feet, thus being 
 
 c viduntly younger than them. Other displacements have also occurred 
 
 t mining a slight difference of level of different parts of the beds. 
 
 At the extremity of the same point the surface of a similar trap 
 sheet shows slightly above water, and is intersected by a small dyke ot 
 tra]) closely resembling it, but which, judging from its well defined 
 walls, is evidently younger. Similar evidences of differences of age 
 ;iie occasionalh'- observable with the dykes, notably at one point, on 
 the shore about north of McKellar's Point where a larger dyke is cut 
 I <y a smaller one, running on about the same course. The former consists 
 of moderately fine grained greeni.sh gray trap, showing distinctly the 
 lailiatoly arranged felspai- crystals upon the weathered surface and 
 (leeomposing into a loose granular mass, whilst the smaller and younger 
 iyke has a much more compact structure, rendering the separate 
 mineials indistinguishable, and weathers to a smooth, uniform, rusty- 
 lod sin-face. 
 
 Passing northwards from this point the rocks are well exposed in a Ri.uks of const 
 ^e^ies of hills, with cliff faces, running parallel to and close to the coast, (tldwlii pt'"'" 
 These vary from 200 to 400 ft. in height, and consist of the sedimen- 
 tary beds of the series capped by coarse trap, giving them the table- 
 toppod appearance so characteristic of the district. The trap shows a Traps. 
 thickness of from 50 to 100 ft, and has a very characteristic vertically 
 columnar structure. This rock also appears in the shape of numerous 
 dykes, cutting the sedimentary beds, and forming nearly all the points 
 along the coast, owing to their superior power of resisting denudation 
 agencies. These dykes consist for the most part of dark colored coin- 
 pact trap, and have often, a columnar structure at right angles to 
 their walls. They are often left standing up like walls, and although 
 they are frequently visible running up to the sheets of traps capping 
 the hills, it could not be positively said in any instance whether they 
 lilt through them or not, and although in several cases they appeai'od 
 
5S! 
 
 H 
 
 mmm 
 
 mmm 
 
 48 11 
 
 «jE<>I-n(;lCAI. S! KVF.Y OP CANADA. 
 
 fr 
 
 to do so as viewed from the water, it was either found impossible to 
 i-each the spot at which this might have been proved, oi- when reached, 
 the covering on the i-ocks pi-ovented the necessary observations from 
 being made. A good instance of this is observable on the north side 
 of Turtle Point a little west of its extremity where a dyke of a very 
 compact trap, and with a inai-kod columnar structure, normal to its 
 walls, rises out of the watei- as a |»erpendiciilar (ditf, owing to the 
 removal of all the argilliti' oi-iginally eii(di»sing it on the lake side. 
 This dyke is seen to extend as high as the top of the trap sheet capping 
 the argillites on its inner side, and seems to retain its horizontal 
 columnar struetui'c to the top. even where in contact with the vertical 
 columns of the hori/.ontal li'ap. 
 
 EBocts of trill) These dykes, curiously enough, have in nearly every case altered 
 iiientary'beds. adjacent rocks very slightly or not at all. and in most instances 
 the impi'css of the bedding of the argillities can be seen on the sides 
 of the dyke wheie they have been stripped bare. Occasionally the 
 argillite may bo porcolanized for a distance of one or two inches away 
 from the dyke, l)ut this is the I'xception. and an instance was never 
 encountered where a crystalline structui-e was induced in them. This 
 contiasts stiongly with the large amount of alteration observable near 
 the .jarvis Island and Spar Island dykes already mentioned, and which 
 was also observed neur the dyke forming the western point at the 
 entrance of ('loud Bay, where jed felspar crystals were noticed to 
 EttVets of trai) occiir in the argillite, immediatelv adjacent to the dyke. This absence 
 
 sheets oil sedi- . .' , • i i ' ' • i' , i 
 
 nKuitiirv hods. OI alteration is also notict-anle with regard to the contact ot the 
 horizontal sheets of trap where there is occasionally a slight amount 
 of induration of the underlying s"(limcntary beds, a few inches below 
 the junction, but generally there is no appreciable etfect of this sort. 
 The line of division between the two rocks, both in this disti'ict, and 
 where studied elsewhere in the formation is generally ijuite distinct, 
 ind where the softer underlying shales, etc., have been removed by 
 \\eathering. which is very frecjuently the case, the lower surface of the 
 trap is presented as a smooth overhanging plane. Occasionally, where 
 not assisted by this weathering ert'ect, thei-e is a little ditfii-ulty ir» 
 locating the exact jjhme of the junction which is rendered njore <lifficult 
 sometimes by the tre([uently very Hnegiain of the trap close to the con- 
 , tact and its close resemblance to the colour and grain of the fracture of 
 some of the underlying sedimentary beds. As a rule the thicker trap 
 sheets founii caj)ping the hills get coarser in grain towards the top, 
 but with the less extensive and thinner bods occurring at other horiz(ms. 
 no such etVect is noticeable, and neither these latter nor the dykes 
 show that coarsei- grain towards their centre which one would expect. 
 
 Varying 
 trxfiirc of tnip 
 
 •^•y.'^IWKI*-.^ J 
 
ipppp 
 
 Ni.All.. I 
 
 J,AKE SUI'KRroR. 
 
 40 IT 
 
 A- :i rule, the trap in both tliese last instances i.«. a nuich finer n-niineii, 
 il:irl<er coloi'cd and moi-c compact rock than the first-mentioned. 
 The sedimeiitarv i)(^ds of (lie coast section consist of what may Sediuieiitary 
 
 " ' , ' deposits. 
 
 Lji iierally he termed ar<fillites, altliough, from the preponderance of 
 silica, they merne in some places into sandstone and in others take on 
 iiKuc the natuie of ilolomites or limestone, from the lai'i^e develo)»- 
 iiieiit of (■arl)onates. They vaiy in color from a dark to a light 
 I)liii8h-grey. and in strnctiirc they vary also ti'om flags to shales, 
 iiccording to thi' extent to \vhi(di the hcdded structure is pi-esent. 
 Oilier noticeahle featiii'es are the occasional presence of a little mica 
 .iloiig the hedding ))lanes and a ci>iifu<o<l I'ojn' strucfur*' of the surface 
 <<\' >onie of the heds, resembling soiricwhat rip])le mark in some 
 iiistaiici.'s, whilst in others it gives one more the iinpre.ssion of the 
 -Mrfai'i' which would result from the flow of a viseous mass m- thick 
 mini hcneath a surface >kin. 
 
 Wherever developed, the jointing shows two sets of planes, one .i„m,j„^. ,,f 
 licaring lietween east-north-east and north east and dipping from O')'''"'""^" 
 h» Sf) southwards; the <itlier beariiig about north-north-west and dip 
 ping from S0° to 85° westwards. It is noticeable that these two sti-ike 
 directions elosely eon-espond with the two main s^'stems of fissures in 
 I Ills vielnity — the north-easterly dyke and the north-westerly vein 
 -y-tenis. 
 
 These sedimentary IkmIs all along the <'oast ai'c found lying com-Di,, ^f 
 paiaiively Hat, and although locally they dip slightly, and these di])>. ''"■°""'""- 
 ;irc at times in somewhat contradictoiy directions, yet they may 
 possibl}' have a general dip in a southerly direction of a few degrees. 
 The ditliculty of determining the genei-al <iip of the whole formation 
 i> euhamed by the existenee of numerous shallow synclinals and anti- 
 ijiiials and shallow basins in the beds, anil by the local disturbances 
 and contortions due to faults and ilykes, although the latter only pi-o- 
 diice tlie>e effects occasionally. 
 
 Several veins have been located along this Coast Section, and a little 
 work d.ine at the following plac-s : — 
 
 Stewart's Lncntlnn {XeAir Pii/eoit Hirer). 
 
 This is one of the ti'acts of land originally taken up by the '/'-^nr/^ff/ c,,„s, gruui.of 
 Mhiinj Company in 181(5, and is now owned by the Ontario -l/'/(e/v//cnnti'niH>d 
 Lands Companjj. In 1868 a small parly of men explored tliere for 
 aliout a mouth without result. Later on. the Silrer Islet ''u/nparn/ 
 had a party working foi- about a ycai- on ■^everal norih and south 
 vciii«, carrying "opper glance. 
 
 
kMBMBfiill 
 
 no u 
 
 QBOLOaiCAL SURVEY OP CANADA. 
 
 Pine Bay. 
 
 Coiwt group of \ little lias boon done here on ii N, N. W. vein carrvi'icr aiventifoi- 
 continued. ous ijjiloiia. but tlu' proportion of silvoi" was not large. 
 
 ni>j Trout Bay. 
 
 Near the inner end of this bay sonic tost woi-k has been done on a 
 vein rminini;' in a north-westerly dirocl ion, and dippin,^' to the nortli 
 oast at an angle of V0° to 75*^". It is about twelve inohes tiuck, and 
 has definite walls where seen in the workings. It outs a hill about 
 HOO feet high ot argillitos, capped, as usual, with ti-aj), and intersected 
 by dykes of the same I'ook. The work done is near the top of the 
 hill, and shows a vein which, in the usual gangue of coarsely crys- 
 tallized caloito and barite with a little amethystine quartz, carries iron 
 P3'rites and shows indications of copper in the shape of occasional 
 malachite stains. Around the workings the countiy rock is entirely 
 trap, which carries a large percentage of pyrites adjacent to the vein. 
 A piece of this was selected for assay to see whether the pyrites carried 
 tho precious metals which proved not to be the case. (See Part t, An- 
 nual Report Geological Survey, 188(5, Assay No. 17). 
 
 The work done consists of some stripping on the back of tho vein, 
 and two tunnels, each about 50 feet in length, one 30 fee* below 
 the other, run on tho course of the vein. It was done in the yeai-s 
 1882-83, and some §1.500 were spent on these developments. 
 
 Cloud Lake. 
 
 Here argentite and native silver are said to occur in a vein with 
 blende and galena in quartz. An adit 200 to 300 feet long was driven 
 into the side of tho hill to cros.s-cut the vein, but did not succeed in 
 finding it, as it had a])pa]-entl3' split uj). The surface explorations 
 traced the vein for about a quarter of a mile, in which a good show of 
 silver is said to have been seen. The expenditure on this work prob- 
 ably amounted to about $25,000. This vein was supposed to be tho 
 continuation of tho last-mentioned one, but as the distance between 
 the two points is about five miles, this is rather a gratuitous assumption. 
 
 Caldwell Island. 
 
 This island is composed almost entirely of trap, intersected by 
 numerous dykes of tho same. A shaft was here sunk to the depth of 
 tiO feet on a vein, without much result. 
 
 A wido V 
 
 caloito and 
 slight ainoi 
 on tho mai 
 
 Tho oxpeml 
 
 . .ame oa» 
 voiiis occur 
 under wale 
 edge, on th 
 to out tho \ 
 foot furtho 
 
 Some tet 
 
 argillito co 
 i;0° to 70" 
 t'oroe of m 
 that the ex 
 
 This is t 
 
 l)een work 
 
 iuore in th 
 
 N". 30° to 4 
 
 1 wo, brand 
 
 that on th( 
 
 vein. Re/ 
 
 whether it 
 
 a l'orty-fo( 
 
 exposure i 
 
 shows a« s 
 
 :ibi)ut 80'' 
 
 ;ue seen 
 
 where th 
 
 togother, 
 
 in a west 
 
 tuiuiol in 
 
 It 
 
u.] 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 Mink fsland. 
 
 51 II 
 
 A. wido vein, ciiriyin!^ sorno indicutiouH of coppor in a ^anj^uo of c.astgroup 
 (iilcitc and harito, crosses thu dyko forminuc this island. In 187^-3 a contimiod. 
 sliifht amount of work was dono hoi'c, and some little was accomplished 
 on the mainland opposite, which showed a promisin<5 lookini^ vein. 
 Tlio oxponditm-o amounted to ahout $1,000. 
 
 Stiinjeon Bail. (K. 13.) 
 
 .'.;)mo capitalisls of London, Ont., did some work lioro. Two large 
 veins occurring in the argillites near a dyko wore seen inter.sooting 
 under water near tiio shore. A shaft was sunk close to the water's 
 (lige, on the north shore of the mouth of the bay, and a drift run out 
 ti) cut the veins at their junction. A shaft was also sunk some 300 
 foot further inland. 
 
 fC. 17 Location. 
 
 Some test work has been done on a brocciated vein consisting of the* 
 aigillite country rock cemented together by quartz. It runs north 
 tlO° to 70" lj. (mag), and dips to the south 80°. It is said a strong 
 force of men worked here for nearly a year about 1878 or 1879, and 
 tliut the expenditure at this time amounted to .some $5,000. 
 
 Prince's Mine. 
 
 This is the oldest mine on the Canadian shores of the Lake, having EndosinK 
 lioon worked in 1846 or 1847, when it appears to have been regarded '*'° ^* 
 iuore in the light of a copper than of a silver-bearing vein. It strikes 
 N'. 30" to 40° W (mag)., and where it shows on the shore is split into 
 t wo. branches, with argillite between and trap forming the outer wails — 
 that on the eastern side appearing to be a dyke cut transversely by the 
 voin. Regarding the trap on the western wall, it is not very apparent 
 whether it is a large dyke also traversed by the vein, but it shows as 
 a forty -foot clitt' rising out of the water, running south from the vein 
 exposure mentioned for a distance of fifteen chains, whilst inland it 
 sliows as a similar wall running about parallel to the vein and dipping 
 about 80" to the S.W., up against which almost horizontal argillites 
 aie seen to abut. About sixty yards in from the shore, at a point 
 where the two before-mentioned branches would seem to come 
 together, a 65 feet cross-cut tunnel has been run through the argillites 
 ill a westerly direction towards this cliff, the inner end of which 
 lunnel intersects numerous branches for a distance of about twenty- 
 
52 H 
 
 OEOLOOICAL SURVEY OK r.\NAI»A. 
 
 CJoast group of five feot. The vein next shows ahout 250 ytii'ils further inhiii<l. 
 
 ooivtinued. whei'O it outci'Ops OH ji hill, at which place lw<^ shafts have been sunK 
 on it and a tiuinel has been driven in on it towards the shafts about 
 fifty feet lowei- than the mouth of the hi^'her t<hatt. The vein down 
 to this level occurs in Irap, l)ul whether this is the bed whii-h caps the 
 argillites in the neighborhood, or whether it is the extension of one <<' 
 the dykes that are seen on the coast further north, runninLf in thi'- 
 direction, it would be imj)Ossible to ascertain without inakiuii- a mml 
 closer examination than I found it ])Ossiblo to do with the time at my 
 disposal. The drift bein;,' iilockod up with del)i'is, it was imj)o>sible \'< 
 enter; but it is said that a winze was sunk some fifty to sixtj' fee 
 below tliis, and whetlier the vein was thus foHowed down into IIk- 
 argillitcs, or what was the effect of this change of the " country"' rock, 
 it would be interesting to Icnow. but it is now impossibi-' to find on; 
 aftci" this lapse of time. According to the (rcology ofCaiuida. 18<i3, tlii> 
 tunnel was driven fbi- a distance of 163 feet, und one of the shafts was 
 
 Rich silver urr. ninety feet deep, in sinking which a bunch of ore was obtained "woigli- 
 ing several hundredweight ami c()iitainiiig three per cent of silvci-. 
 which in two assays yielded respectively one part of gold in 7,000 ot 
 silver, and eight ]»ai'ts to 1,000 of silvei-. This bunch containcl 
 '■native silver disseminated in thin lamina' through the calcareous 
 
 spar and blende Crystallised sulphuret of silver was also found 
 
 in this vein, and the calcareous s])ar was stained with blue and green 
 carbonates of copper and with red arseniate of cobalt." 
 
 Between these workings and the shore exposui-e the vein must inter- 
 sect several trap dj'kes which are to Itc seen along the coast to tlic 
 north, striking in such a direction as to theie run athwai't it. 
 
 The two branches on the shore are i-espectively live and six leer 
 ■ thick, whilst at the inland workings, where it exists as one vein, it is 
 much thicker. It hei-o shows a central rib of coarsely cr^^stallised cai- 
 cite with some barite, with a large proportion of lai-gely crystallised. 
 mostly amethystine, <|uartz on either side. Judging from the loose 
 ore on the dump, blenilc seems to have been the most ])lentitiii 
 metallic mineral in the vein at this ])lace. 
 
 On the shore exposure the vein presents vorj- similar characteristics, 
 except that the metallic minerals do not seem to have been so plentifu' 
 and that some of the bi-anches consist almost entirely <<f quartz, whiKt 
 in others calcite and barite mixed constitute the greater part of the 
 vein stone. 
 
 Assays made of specimens selected on account of the metallic mine- 
 rals present in them, proved these to carry neither gold nor silvc-. 
 (See Eeport of Progress, 1S8G, Part T, Assays 21 and 22.) 
 
 Vein 
 «hnracteri.-i 
 
 Assays. 
 
 Thi- isia 
 Ir'ls trave 
 ivkcsof tr 
 l.il's. 
 
 The dov 
 [iii:lh-wesl 
 >i.iiid. T 
 where it ci 
 ■ M in\medi 
 iniii' feet a 
 . cmented 
 iHii someti 
 which occ 
 •. .'eat feat 
 
 1 .i;i>istS ii 
 
 ■.[>;• l>lend( 
 
 ,ii>'ir i)rep( 
 
 ii/.eil, espe 
 
 iccl crystii 
 
 laMci' also 
 
 liic, whicl 
 
 possiltly bi 
 
 vliere the 
 
 iieill r g< 
 
 A^suy 28.) 
 
 ;tl!y tbund 
 
 nr a very : 
 
 -a rue placi 
 
 |M.rtioi\ of 
 
 ~ !ver, 0.1' 
 
 : :iUod pr( 
 
 !;.Mrly alt 
 
 I'he nat 
 
 i: the f\ii 
 
 ■ iiducted 
 
 >i>me d 
 
 ining k 
 
 -•;'il<es in 
 
 •heX. 1 
 
 '.!.e distri 
 
 •■^'^irr'-'fm»»'-t* j 
 
LAKE SUl'ERIOH. 
 
 M H 
 
 Pie Island. 
 
 Tlii- isluiKi consists ol' the usual iii-i'illaceDUs series of sedimentarVr. . » 
 
 •^ '' Ci);iat, group of 
 
 Ic l> traversed in a noi-th-easterly and south-westerlv direction hy^e'"? 
 i\ kr>of tiap, the same rock capping the argillitoa in the lable-toppod 
 
 iiil's. 
 
 The developments >h()\vn in Fig. 1, Phitc If, wore made on one of llie nevolopmonta. 
 iiij; ili-wcsl >cries of veins wliicli occurs on the wcstoin shore of this 
 i-laiid. The underground dovelo[)raents liave been niade in the vein 
 .vlK-rc it cuts a trapdyi<e, which intersects the argillites of the vicinity, 
 oi immediately adjacent to it. The width of the vein is from three tOy|,1,'",^Q,j.^ij,^jj^^_ 
 I'l.iir feet and is tilled with a breccia of frjigments of the counti-y rock 
 . t;menlcd together by ci-ystallised quartz, whch is mostly colourless 
 lull sometimes anethystine, and is accompanied by a little calcite, 
 which occurs mostly crystallised in scalenohedra in the vugs. The 
 . .cat feature of this vein, as shown by an inspection of the dumps, 
 (.>;i>ists in the large amount of metallic minerals it carries. These 
 a . blende, galena and iron pyrites, mentioned here in the order of 
 iuii- [)reponderancc, and all occurring for the most part well crystal- 
 ii/.i'il, especially in the case of the galena, of which small but vei-y per- 
 ■xv\ crystals of a combination of oo P oo with O may bo found. This 
 laUci also occurs sometimes as thin seams in the joints of the argil- 
 liie, which, on account of their dark, lustreless appearance, might 
 |io^sil)ly be mistaken for argentitc by the incxjierienced, especially 
 '\!icre the films are thin. An assay of such a piece showed it to carry Assays. 
 noil I !• gold nor silver. (See Report of Progress, 18S5, I'art T, 
 A siy 28.) That these metallic minerals, although they are occasion- 
 ally found to do so, as a rule carry either none of the precious metals 
 "' a very small proportion, is shown by the other assays given in the 
 -aiuc place. Assay 25 of a specimen selected as carrying a good pro- 
 |iiMiion of galena, free from other metallic minerals, gave : Gold, none; 
 - Iver, 0.175 of an ounce to the ton. The other numbers: 2(5 cariying 
 . ^ood proportion of blende mixed with a little galena and 27 consisting 
 M'ai ly altogether of pyrites, gave neither gohl nor silver. 
 
 The nature and extent of the develoj)ments made is shown suiliciently 
 ill the figure and needs no further description. Operations were 
 ' 'tiducted here about the years 1875-7. 
 
 ^nme development work has also been done on a large vein on 18 li 13 n. Mining 
 
 iiiing location, about a mile E. S. J'l from the last mentioned. It 
 
 'Tikes ill from the shore with a course N. 75"-' W (mag.), and dips to 
 
 !ie X. It is about twelve feet thick, is enclosed in the argillites of 
 
 !io listrict and intersects two trap dykes which cut through thera. 
 
 louation. 
 
MMMH 
 
 54 H 
 
 <5E0L0nrCAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 18 5 Vein. A Bliuft has beon sunk on it, the depth of which was not ascertainable 
 liowevor, as it was full of water. In minei-al contents it is very simi- 
 lar to the fii'st mentioned, except that the (juartz is accompanied by :i 
 good pi'oportion of pink spai', probably dolomite. 
 
 Assays. One assay made of some spocimetis selected as cai-rying some galen.i 
 
 and a little blende, gave neither gold noi- silver ; whilst another sam])k', 
 broken fioni an outcrop about half a mile from the" latter point and 
 about on the run of this vein, which cai-ried some galena accompanicil 
 by a little ])yrit08, yielded on assay: Gold, none; silver, 0.467 of an 
 ounce per 2,000 lb. Ion. (See Report of ProgresB, 188(), Part T, Assays 
 29 and 30.) Little oi- no work has been done on the rest of tliis 
 island. 
 
 The Port Arthur Group. 
 
 The Port 
 Arthur Broup 
 of veins. 
 
 The members of this group of silver veins may be considered in twc; 
 sub-divisons: 
 
 Div. J. — In which the veins occur in the Animikie rocks. 
 
 Div. II. — Compi'ising those occurring in the Archean area to the 
 north of ttie former. 
 
 General 
 conditions- 
 
 Vein 
 characteristics. 
 
 Division I. 
 
 This comprises most of the veins of this group. They occur in the 
 lower beds of the Animikie which consist for the most part of siliceous 
 rocks, cherts, silicitied argillites, etc., with a small development of the 
 softei- and carbonaceous argillites. The chief developments have 
 been made on veins near the northern fringe of this formation, whose 
 thickness must be here comparatively slight, owing to its practically 
 horizontal position, and the way the old Pre-Oambrian surface dips 
 under it. This was actually found to be the case at the Shuniah mine, 
 where as hereafter mentioned, the vein was followed through it and 
 into the underlying older rocks. 
 
 Thunder Bay Mine. 
 
 The discovery of this vein by Mr. Peter McKellar in the fall of 180(5. 
 may be said to have been the commencement of the second era ot 
 mining activity in the Thunder Bay region. As it was not found pos- 
 sible to visit this place, the following description has been compiled 
 from various sources. 
 
 This vein strikes N. 34 E. and dips at a high tingle to the north-west 
 and consists of a series of " closely reticulated veins of white granular 
 quartz the largest being about one inch thick and the aggregate Jiver- 
 
 i |:t 
 
 :fyt^- ^■y^'ifn'^^W- 
 
•] 
 
 LAKE SI PERIOR. 
 
 55 H 
 
 aj^in^ perhaps ten feet. It carrios native Hilvcr and ai-gentite, aceoin- I'ort Arthur 
 
 panied by galena, blende and iron pyrites." Acconling to Mr. McKellar-^oiurnued','" 
 
 '' the ore oceur.s in bunches three to eigbtecn inches thick by six to forty 
 
 toot in length, the silvei- being in strings, leaves, grains, etc., irregii- 
 
 liirly distributed (brongh the vcin-stono wliicb constituted the greater 
 
 part of the bunch. At the tirst opening (here were two of the streaks. 
 
 one next to (he north or hanging wall, and one in the middle. It is not 
 
 wi'll defined, being generally in ribs with considerable slate between " 
 
 (V). Mr. McKellar furthei- states that the vein was strong and rich 
 
 in the upper s(ra(a l)ut below consisted of small stringers with galena, 
 
 etc., I)u( little silver. 
 
 Dr. Bell, in his descripiion of (he mine, points out (hat " silvei- often 
 forms ton ])er cent, of the mass '' (11). in the isolated bunches of ore 
 occurring in the vein, and says further that the country I'OcU consists of a Enclosing 
 thick bed of trap underlaid b}' from tiftecn (o (wonty feet of" alternating ^"'' '* 
 beds of dark shale, ir..pui\ doiomite, argiUito and what appear to be 
 diorite layers. Those aic I'ollowod in descending order by massive 
 dark olive and di-ab-groy argillaceous slate, abou( (ifty-tive feet of 
 which have been cut in the shafts." (11.) 
 
 The work done consists of four shafts sunk on the vein, a cross-cut Work done, 
 driven north-west at the ten fathom level, and some drifting, done 
 between the two deepest shafts. No. 1 shaft is somt' seventy fee( deep, 
 No. 2 is the same deptb and 300 feet north-cast of it, whilst 150 feet 
 further on is ano(her shaft thirty-five feet deep, and again 150 feet to 
 the north-east on the sti'ike of the vein anothei- shaft has been sunk to 
 the depth of twenty-five feet. Ore was stoped out from the outcrop of 
 the vein between the two extreme shafts ovoi- a distance of 600 feet. On 
 surface the vein was traced -upwai-de of half a mile, and besides the 
 erection of necessaiy buildings, three miles of a good waggon road 
 were constructed to the shore of Thunder Ba}-, where a stamp mill was 
 i^rected as well as a dock 200 feet long, built of crib work tilled with 
 stone. Work was stopped in the spring of 1869. * 
 
 According to Mr. Eobb (Report on (he Mineral Statistics of Canada, Expenditure 
 Geo. Survey, 1871-2) the product of the mine was 3,294 lbs. of ore, 
 worth $2,5!)2. 
 
 The work was done b}- an English company having a capital of 
 S400,000 divided into 80,000 shai-es of the value of $5 each, 6(»,()00 of 
 whicli were unassessable, thus leaving a working capital of 8100,000. 
 
 The mine was again opened up in 1874, and Mr. Peter Mclvcllai-, in Mine 
 ale((er tomj'self, recently i-eceived, says: "The Thunder Bay Mine was '■'-'"*"'^"®''" 
 in operation on this occasion for six months or more — The miiung was 
 almost entirely done on the south spar vein with no success. The spar 
 
 * " Tin.' Thunder Buy Silffr Mini- has not been worked since the winter of 18:9-70." (I). 
 
•ar^^avwi^' 
 
 .)(> II 
 
 UKUl.OdlCAI. SIRVBY QV CANADA. 
 
 port Arthur 
 irroup of veiiLs 
 — oontinucil. 
 
 voiri is liirj^f, .-«i.\ to Iwolvc foel vviilo, boariii^ E.N.I"], i^ VV.S.W. wilh :i 
 high aiiglo ()t"<li|) to liic .south, whiUt the silvei- hoaring vein, llie one 
 t'roin which nil the silvoi- was takon. is a paiallel vein about twenty feci 
 lo the noi'th. one to three feet wide, principally quaitz, and dipping at 
 a high angle to the north. The south vein Heoin« to be the main tissurt 
 occupying a line of fault, the other a dropper fi'om it. The mining on 
 the spar vein was carried oi( through a cross-cut at the ten tiithoni 
 level from the foot of No. L' or !} shaft." lie further states that some 
 200 tons of low grade ore from the lii'st works of the mine had been 
 hauled to the company's mill, but not treated, and that after the closing 
 down of the n)ine the la.st time, the manager hauled it to his own mill 
 f five liead of stamps) at Port Arthur and milled it, of the results ot 
 which Ml'. McKellar speaks as follows: "Having seen the work in 
 operation 1 have no hesitation in stating that it yielded well , the con- 
 ci-ntrates, which were sold in the States, were unusually rich in fine 
 native silver. The actual yield was not made known." 
 
 The Skuniah or Duncan Mine. 
 
 
 !i' 
 
 1. 
 
 Vuin 
 churactoristics. 
 
 The vein strikes nearly H. and W. and has a general dip to the south 
 at a high angle from the horizontal. The total width on surface is 
 twenty to thirty feet. According to Prof, Cha])man who reported on 
 the mine in August, 18(IK. "Several cross lodes intersect or run into 
 the Champion vein. These ni-e at j)resent altogethe rundeveloped, but 
 they show onthesurface a gtmgueof miart/. holding small quantities of 
 
 galena, blende and pyrites These cross veins ajtpear to have an 
 
 average breadth of six oi-si'ven feet, and are well detined.'' Several 
 
 of these were afterwartl> intersected in driving eross-cul '• a.'' (See Plate 
 \ . tig. 2), and were found to di]) northwards, 
 
 .Mr. W. M. Courtis, who was manager of this mine tor some time, 
 give> the following tlcscri|)tion of it : "The vein consists of one main 
 tis>uie. with many parallel fissures rising from thcfoot wall '' (or south 
 wall) • at tlirt'crent dejjlhs. and at some phu'es sti'iking into the main 
 lissure afterwards continuing as septirate fissures again. These small 
 fissure^ seem to hv the silvei' bearing jjart of the vein and the large 
 fissure is silver bearing only in the neighborhootl of these junctions. ... 
 
 The ore is in bunches with ground almost barivn between The 
 
 vein contains horsesof the country rock The edges of the fissures are 
 
 often brecciated carrying native silver or ore, as do also many of the 
 black slate kir&es in the main vein, deposited on the surface of the 
 slate'" (1>). " We find these /lorsfs from the size of a pin to masses 
 weighing tons. The ertect of the solution" (which tilled the vein) "upon 
 them was silicitying. The extremely fusible green slate, equally with 
 
 v^v*- ')*»»>4P' '-■ \ 
 
L, 
 
 rt 
 

 / 
 
 Compiled by E. D. Ingai i., M E., U»in tracings and plans supplir.d by Mr. W. M. Cuurtis, M. K., and dat 
 
 --.-.- i^-^m,. 
 
J-J!?*^ 
 
 J, C. M. O., LL. D., F. R S., DIRECTOR 
 
 Plate V. 
 
 Scale 
 
 — -♦- — 
 
 HO frvt I inch 
 
 ^Stope — — I \I 
 
 Fi(,. ! 
 
 Vertical Projection 
 
 W 
 
 Ll»VEL 
 
 HQ 
 
 3 
 
 Level 
 
 Scale 
 160 fept - I Inch 
 
 
 p N93 Level 
 N94LEVEL 
 
 N95LEVEL 
 
 EXPLANATION. 
 
 Cross-cuts to North 
 
 Ditto .. South 
 
 Diamond Drill . 
 
 Holes J' — 
 
 O 
 DcLix. 
 
 N96 Level 
 
 ^ 
 
 .4\;\H OR Oo;^ 
 MINE 
 
 Horizontal Projection 
 
 D.d. holes UP. QRST. 
 
 AT 
 
 6T" Level NP 3 Shaft 
 
 N 
 
 Kit). \.v 
 
 D.a h. 'v 
 
 N03 Shaft 
 
 
 s 
 
 Scale 
 
 dO feet- 1 iniih 
 
 RAPiiKY. 
 
 UKSH.^KATS, I.II'M. 
 
 ,f 
 
•:^-*^.„p2i' 
 
 .Hm^^^^fmm^l IP*-*- 
 
-] 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 5" H 
 
 Thev all 
 
 flK' black .slate or folsito horse.<, retained its sliaip oiigos. iney an I'on '.rilmr 
 .iiialysed much higher in silica than the adjoininij; coiintrv oven thouiih l^eonfinire*!!'" 
 LMnbt-'dded in a mass of spar ' (G). 
 
 • 'fhe }»rincipal gaiiifue, almost all the i;;angiie, is oalc-sjiai-. The lime 
 s.)metimes is replaced by magnesia or mani^anese. At Duncan, there 
 is no piidv spar" (as at Silver fslet) '■ but it is coloured amolhyst, and 
 
 cavities near the surface are tilled with black oxide of manganese 
 
 (Quartz is the second mineral in importance in tiie gangue "' (B). IJo 
 also say> in a later publicatioTi that some of the vugs, as at Silcer Islet, ^•■i^- 
 (•(iiitained hy<lrocai'bon gas undei- great pressui'c'' (G). 
 
 The accompanying cross-section (Plate Vf, tii;. I) through No ."! ,, , . 
 ^hat't, shows the enclosing i-ocks of the vein at that ]ioint as worked out ''"•''*' 
 by Mr. Courtis from knowledge gained in the opening up of the mine, 
 and from cai-oful records kept by himself of the numerous diamond 
 di'ill holes bored. The dislocation [)roduced by the vein is veiy appa- 
 lent. The trap sheet " A " shown overlies tlio rocks for an area of i-evei'a! 
 M|uare miles to the south. Owing to the trend of the vein bringing it 
 iioaior to the tiap blutlin passing westwai-d, and to the fact that the 
 strata have a south-westerly dip — the trap Ibrms the south wall of the 
 v.'iii almost down to the tirst level at No. 2 shaft, and to the half level 
 u I. west winze, being at these places opposed to the black slate of 
 ti. • I rth wall, the line of contact sloping u|)wards on the south side 
 \o ilie surface at No. !} shaft as shown in the cross-section. 
 
 The I'ocks marked L, TI k K in the rigure may be said generall\' '<> 
 licbiiig to the Artdiean, as distinguished from the bori/.onlal Animiicie 
 locks lying on them, but whether they can be properly consiilered as 
 the 0(|uivalent of the rocks which have beeu calleil Iluroidan in that 
 il'>liict, and found to be gold-bearing, it is not possible to decide from 
 an ins|)ection of the eight specimens of di'ill cores kindly leid me by 
 Mr. ( 'iiurtis, for whilst one of the cores has all the a|i pea ranee of eoming 
 iioiii one of the gr(!en mottled diorilie beds wbich are veiy typical ol 
 tbe gold-bearing formation of the distiiet, yel the rest of the <'ore> 
 -cem to be more related to tbe gneissie I'oeks of the Laurenliaii. Mr. 
 Sargent, who was in chaige afti'i" Mr. Courtis, m writing to the lattei' 
 H<'nt!eman seems to have noticed a great ditference in these Archean 
 locks on either side of the vein, tor in speaking ofthe drill cores yot in 
 boring north and south from the vein, he says, ''T'he locks on tbe south 
 ■'re unnustakeable diorite. whilst on the noitb tliey ai e I'elsite, boi'n- 
 blcnde and (.syenite ?)" 
 
 Tbe Animikie rocks in the section would >eeni to have all t)ie char- 
 a'lerislics of the lower beds of this series as exposed elsewhei-e in the 
 lisiriel, viz., a gi-eat preponderance of dolomitic and eherty I'oeks with 
 
58 11 
 
 (iEOLOOICAL SCHVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 Port Arthur 
 ({roup of veins 
 —continued. 
 
 silic'ificd ai-gillito and small occasional dovelopmonts of the soft cai-bon 
 naccous black' ai-^illites. Mr. Courtis i-^ays, "The silver soenis to gixc 
 out as soon as tho loaders enter the dolomite." (B.) 
 
 As th(> cross-section i;ivcn in Plate VI. fig. 1, would be inconiplcie 
 without fuller descriptions of the rocks, I quote those given in ]\lr. 
 Courtis' paper from which the illustration has been cojiicd. (Transac- 
 tions American Institute Mining Kngineers. vol. XV, p^igc 611). 
 
 " The microsco|)ic determinations, made by Mr. John Caswell, of slido 
 I h.'id cut from somenf th<' cores, are given below ; but I should pi-efacc 
 them with the remark that Mr. ('aswell wrote me he had had veiy liltio 
 time, and felt a gi'eat lack of confidence in describing these specimens, 
 as the rocks were new to him. lie added th(( names simply as suggc;^- 
 tions, needing confirmation after more extended study." 
 
 Descriptions of the diffeieni I'ucl^s enclosing the vein are then given 
 as follows: — 
 
 "A, on the section, is probabl}' an olivinegabbro of Dr. Ii-ving, but 
 has been called dioritc : sp. gr., 3.033 ; proj)ortion insoluble in acid, 
 83.4 i)er cent. ; Hilica, 54.2 per cent. ; ])roportion attracted by magnet, 
 2.8 per cent. 
 
 " B. a black slate, containing less carbon than K: sp. gr., 2.040 ; pin- 
 portion insoluble in acid, 91.5 per cent.; silica, 74 per cent. 
 
 "C, may be said to be a dolomite with chert, and G, a chert with dolo- 
 mite and j)yi'ite. 
 
 " I), is a dai'k-green slate, with masses of chert, red above and gray at 
 the base of thiK formation. It very easily fuses to a black glass which 
 is magnetic. Different specimens gave the following results : — 
 
 m 
 
 X X X > 
 
 Sp. Gr. rnsol. Silica. 
 
 2.528 3o.9 jjer cent. r>1.5 per cent. 
 
 2.77(i (51.2 " 48.3 
 
 2.654 84.4 " 84.0 " (chert) 
 
 3.225 
 
 19.0 
 
 17.7 
 
 18.9 {>er cent, loss on ignition. 
 
 From a paper I 
 
 " K, is a soft, carbonaceous black skitc, wuh shining partieles, and 
 apparently obliterateil fossil stems. Sp. gr. 2,531 ; insoluble, 83. !• per 
 cent. ; silica, 54.2 per cent. 
 
 " F, was composed of three bands: 
 
 1. Calcareous hand (tzreon; containinir niucli iron. .Sp. ^t., 2.7(15 ; inschible, 
 43.4 \)er cent. ; slHca, 34.7 pi'.r cent. 
 
 2. AreuiiceoUH ))and (^rreen), in llinty black slate. Sj). i.'r., 2.488 ; insoluble, 
 78.8 |tei' cent. ; silii'a, 53. '! per cent. 
 
 :;. .lasperized slate. Sfi. ^t., 2.(127 ; insoluble, 92.6 jHjr cent. ; silica, 85.7 per cent 
 
 " (r is chert mostly, with some dolumite. 
 
 5 
 
 LONOIT 
 
 Seci 
 
 Frona 
 
ALPRBD R. C. SILWrVN, C. M. C. LL. D., F. R. S., DIRRCTOK. 
 
 Plate VI. 
 
 o 
 z 
 < 
 
 CO 
 
 Legend 
 
 TRAP 
 
 B BLACK SLATE 
 
 C DOLOMITE 
 
 ^ 
 
 TXX- 
 
 D GREEN SLATE fe:S5 
 
 mm 
 
 E SOFT BLACK SLATE 
 
 '■^^m 
 
 F BANDED STRATA ^^ 
 
 G CHERT 
 
 H FELSITE.CHLGRITE 
 HORNBLENDE 
 
 XXX 
 XXX 
 
 
 K DIORITE?SYENITE?l 
 
 L DIORITE 
 
 SPAR AND QUARTZ I 
 
 SctKltlC''^ ffet I inch 
 
 FicjJ. 
 
 ANIMIKIE 
 SERIES OF ROCKS 
 SECTION AT THE DUNCAN MINE 
 PORT ARTHUR L. S. 
 1886. 
 W. M. Cowtii M. E. Detroit, Mn.h 
 
 From a paper by Mr. W. M. Courtis, vol. xv, Trans American Inst., Mining Engineers. 
 
 3 A Mine 
 
 LONGITUDINAI 
 SCCTI ON 
 
 ."^V'* 
 
 
 Fin- 2. 
 
 .U'^^ -"^ 
 
 0-5^' ,, ^^ 
 
 .^^' 
 
 Scale 
 160i«et -1 inch 
 
 DC 
 
 J NOI Lei/£L 
 
 [ , , I Nog LEVEL 
 
 r 
 
 Frost a drawing given in Mr. P. McK.ei.i.ar's Pamphlet on "Mining on the North 
 
 Shore L. Superior/' 1874. 
 
■■^■^-M^^Mi^m 
 
 i i 
 
(vybWaT-w^'Sfj^ 
 
 *• 
 
 •] 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 59 H 
 
 This hand Ls so tough, that ii pai'ty of excoUont Cornish miners Port Artht 
 
 m.i'le, on contract, but five feet per month for two months in sinicing^c"n,"nJed?' 
 an inclined shaft. On one seam, the diamonci drill worked for eight 
 lidins, using up a bit, and took out but six inches of core, drilling about 
 niic ti)()t in that time. 
 
 • Ml'. Caswell desci-ibos a section of the (puirt/, thus : ' Fine-graiiced, 
 with >oine faint, skeleton-like (nystals of augite scattered through it. 
 Their character could not be determined exactly.' 
 
 "'Dolomite, dark-colored, oifervescing in warm acid, with renuiins 
 (t fibrous diallage or hornblende, partly altered to serj)entine mass. 
 l^Miarlz grains ai'e scattered through it.' 
 
 " The vein seems to have been shatteied at this point to thousands of 
 -tiingers spreading through thiity to forty feet. Above, the vein was 
 >i.\ to eight feet of solid gangue ; below, as tai- as sunk on it, the fjot- 
 wall seemed perfect, to which these sti'ingers wei'e coming in from the 
 south. These stringers carried in this belt much galena and zinc- 
 Mende. but not give above nine ounces in silver foi' highest assay. 
 
 .s|i. gr. 
 2.713 
 
 ;;.023 
 
 2.738 
 
 Iiisol. 
 32.8 
 
 Silica. 
 
 00.1 
 
 32.8 Ulive-green dolomite. 
 
 69.8 
 
 55.0 
 
 '' H. seems to be a belt of much broken-up rock, pui'ts of it much 
 altercHl, probably fron» the effect of the vein. Sometimes the drill 
 would be in a solid i-ed felsite, then in solid hoiid^lende, then in talcose 
 or chloritic seams, or the j'ock would take the form oi' a diorite for 
 ^ome feet, and then go back into solid hoi-nblende. 
 
 Si). gr. 
 
 Insdt. 
 
 ."-'ilicit. 
 
 
 2.U(i2 [Xiv cent. 
 
 32.8 per cent. 
 
 29.5 percent. 
 
 Hornblende 
 
 2.830 
 
 59.1 " 
 
 46.5 " 
 
 Mixed. 
 
 2.(i24 
 
 93.4 " 
 
 71.0 " 
 
 Felsite. 
 
 • As we entered the body of solid rock marked Iv, the drill-hole, being- 
 vertical, passed farther awa^' from the vein, the rock became tine- 
 grained, and increased in silica, mica replacing the hornblende to 
 some extent. Sometimes there would bd pretty large crystals of 
 oi'thoclase. In certain parts, without any sign of vein-stringers, there 
 would be amygdules of calcspar, various specimens of core giving up 
 iVom (J to 25..") per cont. in acetic acid. The most calcareous had a 
 specific gravity of 2.70.'{ ; insol., ')7iM per cent. ; silica, 42 per cent. ; 
 lo.ss on ignition, 5.3 j)cr cent. ; in acetic acid, 25.5 per cent. Nothing 
 was taken up with the magnet, but there was more or less pyi'ite in 
 ilie mass. 
 
<)0h 
 
 OEOLOaiCAL SI RVEY OK CANADA. 
 
 Port Artbur Jv, iH (lofSCnlied 
 group of veins ^ , , . 
 —continued. tliO mOHt inica : — 
 
 trom Mr. 
 
 Caswell's aections, 
 
 oxcopt the i)ai-t c 
 
 '. 
 
 Iiiriol. 
 
 Silit:n. 
 
 A|i|)eiinin('(i. 
 
 2.737 
 
 80. 1 
 
 (54.0 
 
 Syenitic. 
 
 2.(551 
 
 84.6 
 
 70.5 
 
 Syonitio, Granitic 
 
 2.C55 
 
 86.0 
 
 78.0 
 
 Porphyritic. 
 
 2.773 
 
 70.8 
 
 .'■)(•)..') 
 
 Dioritic. 
 
 2.080 
 
 8;!.2 
 
 44.0 
 
 Horuhlendic. 
 
 " Tlio core at 050 i'eot fioiu the .surface shovved : — 
 
 1. Plafrioclaae, nnii'h altered and very dasty, l)ut with bandintj 
 
 still.visible. 
 
 2. Quartz, in {^lluciil inivs.ses and grains, with some larj;e and 
 
 many small lluid inclusions with movinj; bubbles. The 
 lluid cavities in the ([uartz are very pretty. 
 
 0. Hornblende, much altered, with greenisii veins running 
 
 through it; pale green color, and only slightly polarizing. 
 4. Apatite. Tlio ro(^'.< is mucli altered, and is probably of the 
 same family as at 800 feet and 800 feet (diorite?). 
 
 ",Core at^HOO feet from surface (diorite ? hornblende schist ?) : — 
 
 1. Hornblende, in green crystals, showing cleavage-lines of 
 
 124° and dichroism very distinctly. In some places alter- 
 ing slowly to brown biotite. 
 
 2. Ortiio(;lase, cloudy and irregular in color, showing cleavage- 
 
 lines. It may be plagioclaso, a point which can only be 
 decided by angle of absorption. 
 ;!. (Quartz, pellucid grains, abundant between hornblende 
 crystals. 
 
 4. Apatite, aljundant in colorless crystals. 
 
 5. riagioclase, faintly banded between crossed nicols. 
 
 "Core at SOU feet (diorite?) : - 
 
 1. I'lagioclase, much decomposed. l)ut distuictly banded. 
 
 2. Orthodase, some cloudy crystals. 
 
 3. Hornblende, the same as at 800 feet, but more altered. 
 
 4. Apatite, in colorless needles, and some large white crystals. 
 
 " L. whei'eviT peiietraled. seemed to be a typical diorite — was at least 
 so called by everyone seeing it, though it has not Ik^cii yet determined 
 microscopically. Specitilc gravity, 2.8()!) ; insol., 09.8 per cent.; 
 silica, 5.7 per cent. 
 
 "I am indebted to Mi\ Caswell for the determination of the slides, as 
 a friendly matlei' for my private information. 
 
 •' The rocks marked H and Iv crop out about II miles to the north ol 
 
 the mine, a 
 ,lL'~cribing 
 cores, a bre 
 patches." 
 
 The silvc 
 where the i 
 And Mr. < 
 obtain ed fn 
 .' A '■ (See 
 was at th. 
 vein, wc t(i 
 large body 
 into poor i 
 Xo. 2 shaft 
 there were 
 and that •• 
 ie-^s silver, 
 See riale 
 inche> alio^ 
 more silvc 
 
 ■ATst." 
 
 The hist 
 
 --liitement^ 
 
 The veil 
 
 and lhc iol 
 
 at several 
 
 ..!• forty fe 
 
 I'rom the 
 
 At lirst, si 
 
 -trini;-- p* 
 
 those mini 
 
 -inking, i' 
 
 ill tlio m 
 
 several hi 
 
 loSiiOO p' 
 
 between t 
 
 suit, so t 
 
 s'2r),ooo t. 
 
 The mi 
 .<75,000. 
 driven o 
 >ever;il | 
 
'laRA. Jtmti-'- 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 (51 H 
 
 rlio mine, ami hiivo been called metamorphic Huronian by ;,a'()logi8ts Port Arthur 
 
 .,,.,.,. mi i iL ii (troiip <'f veins 
 
 ile-cnbing this section. Ihcy present the same ai)i)earant'e as the— continued, 
 ((tics, a breccialed, wavy mixture of hornblcndic, felsific and j^raiiiiiar 
 patches."' (G.) 
 The silver in the vein was, as shown, all found altove tlie first lovel, 'Jccurrmce of 
 
 ' _ ' ' ore bodies. 
 
 winTf the uj)])er bed <»f bhu'k ai'<^illito lormed one wall of the vein. 
 ,\ii(! Mr. ('ourtis, writing me, says the best ore in the mine was 
 villained fVoni near the engine-house winze, near tlic letter "A' in stopo 
 •• A " (See Plate V., fig. 1). !!•' fays: — '• In sinking this winze, which 
 wa- at the junction of a spur going south-east from the main 
 vein, we took out S:5,r)00 in ricli specimens, and supposed it denofed a 
 laru'c body, but the stope extended but a few feet eacli side and ran 
 iiiio ])0(ir ground, whereas wc ex])ecfed a block of rich ground from 
 N"(i. 2 >hait to the Sulphide Cut." lie goes on to say tliat at this point 
 ilii'io were stringers running parallel to (he vein in the south wall, 
 and that " the main vein was barren. The stringers carrieil moi'e oi' 
 Ic'-s silver, which made in bunches of ore worth $1 a pound. Fi'om '• A " 
 Sec Plate v.. fig. 1) " we took out about .$l,r)0») in one blast; two 
 iiiclio above it. trap made the walls and horses in the vein, and no 
 iiKiie silver was found. The stringei's pinched out both ea^t' and 
 
 ■AV<t." 
 
 The history '>f this mine, as gleaned from Mr. Peter McKellars History oi 
 -tatoinciits, seems to liave oeen somewhat as follows: — duiio. 
 
 The vein was discovered in fSfJT. During the summer of that year 
 ami the following winter, ti'cnclung was done on the back of the lodo 
 at several places, and two shafts wore sunk, one to ji de])th of thirt}' 
 ■ >'■ loi'ty foot and the other to a depth of sixty feet from the surface. 
 I'l'oin the bottom of the latter a (I'o.ss-cut was driven across the lole. 
 At lirst, silver was got in small bunches in the form of leaves and tine 
 -iiings penetrating i|uar(z, spar, blende and galena, in a streak of 
 iliose minerals running idong within two feet of the south wall. In 
 -inking, it was lost at a depth of about eighteen feet, but found again 
 ill llio nuddle of the vein in the cross-cut at the sixty feet level. 
 S(jveral barrels of ore W(M'e taken out, reported to have run from S2()(> 
 lo S.'iOO per ton. The mine was then closed, owing to a disagreement 
 liclweeii the owners and to want of funds, which letl to a chancery 
 suit, so that altogether, including i'xj)enditure thus incurred, some 
 s2.').000 to S35,000 wore spent. 
 
 The mine was opened again in 1870, when it was bought for some 
 '^75,000. The main shat't was sunk to a depth of 135 feet, di-ifts were 
 driven on the lode at the first and second levels, and cross-cuts at 
 >cveral places. One of these latter was driven south for 100 feet; in 
 
 I 
 
 '■ I 
 
^^F^a>,^lMm 
 
 ■!• 
 
 62 H 
 
 OEOLOOICAL SURVEY OP CANADA. 
 
 
 I'ort Arthur expectation of cuttin<^ fiiiotlier lode. A f^ood muiiy tliousaiid dolhus 
 
 group of veins , • ,. ^i , • ,i • ^i A 1,1 . 
 
 -continued. Were spont III tiirtner (racMi;.? the vein on the surface, and llicy then 
 lio/^jan to follow up the siivei' in theilrifls, and a few days after, ordci- 
 wore given to shut down, so the mine was again closed in the iniddli' 
 of the summor of 187i{. The ri^sults of this work were that they failed 
 to find any lode in the cross-cut south. They got siivei- at several 
 points in the tlrift, and took out a barrel or two of very rich ore a few 
 days bidbro closing. The vein was found to continue large all the 
 way down, the hanging wall only being seen in the cross-cuts. 
 
 In November, 187.'}, it was again started under the name of tlu' 
 
 Duncan Alinf, having formerly been called the Shunlah. There were 
 
 several reports of silver having been struck at various ])laces, but Mr 
 
 Occurrence of Courtis says : — " All the reports that the Duncan had struck Hilver below 
 
 seventy feet were false In .Fanuary, 1877, however, plumbago 
 
 was struck at ade[)th of ;> 15 feet." (B.) He further says: — " The richest 
 ore has assayed, in bulk, 2,020 ounces, the poorest concentrations 
 seventy-threo ounces, and as about sixty tons of- rock are concentrated 
 into one, the original stamp rock is often pretty poor. In some parts, 
 especially near the surface, the stamp rock has assayed six to eight 
 ounces, taking out the whole rock for six to twelve feet wide. These 
 
 rich places also give some hundreds of pounds of very rich ore The 
 
 very rich argentiferous zinc blende is found only at the surface. 
 Although large quantities of zinc blonde are found below seventy feet, 
 it contains only a trace of silver." (B.) 
 
 Prof. Chapman, in speaking of this surface blende in the before- 
 mentioned I'oport, says: — "The yellow blende holds in most samples 
 a small amount of silver. Some fragments of this blende gave me 
 also in one assay a trace of gold cori'esponding to about two penny- 
 weights in the ton." 
 
 Itcgarding the developments in the lower part of the mine, it would 
 seem that aftei- sinking into the Archaian, no silver was found to any 
 extent, although the vein still carried the other metallic minerals, 
 which, whilst nearly always free from silver, or very poor in it, occa- 
 sionally assayed high. The vein was much smaller and less solid than 
 at the sui'face, with numerous branches coming in on the hanging 
 wall, whilst quartz replaced the spar gangue found above, the spai' 
 being only found in a few stringers and tilling vugs. In boring the 
 diamond drill hole "Tj, sludge assays were got, giving from $110 to 
 $2,500 ; and Mr. Sargent, speaking of this point in writing to Viv. 
 Courtis, says: — "A diamond drill hole was bored from the shaft east, 
 ninety-one feet, and meeting with good sludge assays for (juite a dis- 
 tance, and one small speck of native silver being found, a drift was 
 
 Developments 
 in lower piirt of 
 mine iind 
 result."^. 
 
 M.ALL 1 
 
 luii iu that 
 hiid pinchcc 
 t'oiind in a 
 native silve 
 U) tit'teen fe 
 hreecia. an 
 lel>ile hors 
 The min 
 almost con 
 va lying vi< 
 Ik'sides (1 
 Knie vann 
 
 IllOIltllS. 
 
 Ai'cordin 
 about $20,C 
 property ai 
 
 Besides 
 other drill 
 level; one 
 the latter 
 levels, am( 
 on Plate V 
 Dr. Seb 
 ment worl 
 west of thi 
 tiftcen, thi 
 iiig a leng 
 
 This mi 
 
 at a high 
 
 about tivc 
 
 quartz, h\ 
 
 luueh ir( 
 
 as argent 
 
 much th 
 
 eolorcd ( 
 
 tally und 
 
 junction 
 
 north of 
 
 This ^ 
 
 winter c 
 
 » iap . iff i " ^.»wwt»>.y t 
 
LAKE SUPERIOR, 
 
 (i.'i U 
 
 ni 
 
 II ill that diroction, l)ut was (liscontimied at ninety feot, as the vein i>„rt Ani 
 
 lur 
 ktroiip ot vuiiia 
 
 Mi 
 
 closed. 
 
 h.ul jiinchod to a thread, and only a few Hpocks of siKor ha<l boon -confmuecl 
 r.iiiiiil in a small seam in talcoso sUites on the south. Soino little 
 native Hilver was found in the shaft from twenty foot above the level 
 to tiftocn feet below; in evcM-y instance as :i thin coatinj^ on the felsite 
 lireccia. and not in the quartz. The vein was pi-etty well tilled with 
 icl-ite horse>." 
 
 Tlio mine closed finally in the fall of 1881, haviuLi' been worked 
 aliii(i>t continually since its discovery in 18(17, although with very 
 v.uving vigor, the force varyiug from two men to one hundred. 
 
 lieside.s other surface woi-k a mill of tcii head of stamps with four Mill. 
 Fine vanners was built at the mine, and operated for a couple of 
 niKiitlis. 
 
 According to Mr. Courtis, the total product of the mine amounted to '•''I"'";''''""'' 
 
 " ' ,ui(J returns. 
 
 alioul S-0,000 worth ol' ore. whilst the total outlay, including cost of 
 property amounted to about 8500,000. 
 
 BosidcH those shown in the illustration, Plato V, I find there were L>iiim<.iid Drill 
 other drill holes bored, viz. : Horizontally, N. and S. from the 11th 
 level; one W. from the end of the 5)th level, and one near No. 2 shaft, 
 the latter to seek for silver in the lode between the 6th and Tth 
 levels, amounting in all to about (JOO feet, which added to those shown 
 on Plate V, makes a total length of holes bored of about 4,884 feet. 
 
 Or. Sclwyn in visiting the mine 'n August, 18*72, found develop- 
 moiit work in progress on the vein on the adjacent property to the 
 west of the west winze. This consisted of three test pits, respectively 
 tifteiMi, thirty-four and twenty feet deep, placed equi-distant, and test- 
 ing a length of vein of some 600 feot beyond the west winze. 
 
 The Beck, or Silver Harbour Mine. 
 
 This mine has been opened on a vein running E. N. H., and dipping Vey^^^ 
 at :i high angle to the N. W. It has a brecciated character and is 
 about five feet thick. The gangue consists mostl}' of white granular 
 i[uaitz, but barite, calcite, fluor and amethyst are also ])resent with 
 much iron pyrites, galena and blende, '^"'he silver occurs mostly 
 as argcntite, but also in the native state. The country rock is here Enclosing 
 much the same as at the Thunder Bay Mine, and consists of smoke 
 colored cherts and dark argillaceous shales, running nearly horizon 
 tally under what appears to be a bed of coarsely crystalline trap. The 
 junction of the Animikie and thoHuronian lies about half a mile to the 
 north of the mine. 
 
 This vein was discovered in the summer of 1870, and during the History and 
 
 results. 
 
 winter of 1870-1, a force of about fifteen men worked on it, who did 
 
 I 
 
 !■ I 
 
281. 
 
 The iiitorstititil hilica iu thiw slide ilitVers from tluU in 281 in that it 
 itf present on ly inthe tbi-m of a mosaic of quartz grains. 
 
 Tii'^ 
 
 ii 
 
 ~ ino coarser lexiurcu veiu-siones uro generally lounu, as migni do 
 expected, where tlio clear 8))ai.*e to bo tilled up has been large, which, 
 as pointotl out, has generally been in the trap, so that the Coast Gioiip 
 of veins often pi-escnt this character, as do the others also where they 
 outcrop in the trap, and it is in these positions that the largo crys- 
 tal-liied cavities and vugs occur. The minerals which mostly affect this 
 
 • Iiiflainnble gas also comes up lit geveriil points in and around Thunder Bay, causing oonsidcr- 
 able ebullition in the wuter and keeping it open all the winter. On one of these Mr. Murdoch, 
 O.K., has placed a small tank connected with an inverted funnel anchoied on the bottom and it 
 aflbrds i^uSicient gas to keep a good sized light burning.— A. R. C. Ski.wyn. 
 
 ll 
 
 V I 
 
 Microscopic 
 chara«ter.s ol 
 rocks of silver 
 formation — 
 continued. 
 
 120 II 
 
 ONTAUIO, 
 
 No. 281. R. (i4. Location (Ohert).— This rock is composed in greater 
 part of what were originally round iiiid irrogulai- pieces of felspar, in a 
 ground mass of quartz. The felspar hits foi- the most part been entirely 
 replaced by its various (iet-omposition products, viz., calcite, chlorite 
 and hydrated iron oxides. That portion which has not undergone this 
 alteration has boon completely replaced by silica, so that round, cloudy 
 areas of silica (prini-ipally in the foi-iu of chalcedony) now appoai' 
 
 ISGAU.] 
 
grains of cpiilote imd fibres of horn'ulonde. 
 
 A little hematite and some chlorite complete the list of minerals 
 which can he detorminod in the section. 
 
 1 fi 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, 
 
 HONOBABLE THOMAS WHITE, MINISTER 
 
 t s. -vr _« 1 jiJ'i^_L-^»».. ,kl;v.A..»< .^iVi'vM-iiN.t 
 
 4,441J LJ1XAI.SB 
 
 this ! lineral. It is more common in the veins whore they occur in the 
 sedimentary hods than where they are in the trap. There is nothing n.rite. 
 particular to note about the barite oxcopt that it is generally white, 
 but sometimes flosh-colored, and occurs sometimes crystalline, but 
 more often largely crystallized in confusedly interferent platy com- 
 lanations. Tho calcito occurs both crystalline, crystallized and in Cuioiie. 
 (ourso cloavago masses. Where it occurs freely crystallized, as in 
 ww^s, it most commonly takes tho shape of double-ended scalenohedra, 
 but sometimes exhibits the prism terminated by faces of the rhombo- 
 
 s.J**«>C»' 
 
 •] 
 
 NORTH "HORE <»r LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 121 H 
 
 No. 302. Silver Bluff, (E. ♦; 1 )— ( Top of beds close under trap sheet.)— ^f;«!;;'««y»« j. 
 Til is rock vorv remarkable. If it was ever a chert, it has undergone roeUs of silver 
 such deep-seated alteration., that every vestige of its origiMal nature continued. 
 'las entii'oly disappeared. 
 
 Under the microscope, it is seen to consist of a granular mass of a 
 pale yellow mineral, highly refractive, weakly pleochroic and possess- 
 in"- between crossed nicols bright polarization coloi-s. This mineral, 
 
 
9T?7 
 
 Blende. 
 
 ininKing tnai, a pioiiminary oxaminalion ot t*ucn a 8aTni)io raignt De ol 
 use, but my eflforts to soouie some have so far been in vain. 
 
 This completes the description of the non-metallic contents of the 
 veins, the characters of the metallic minerals being given below, 
 dealing with them in the order of their prevalence. The blende comes 
 tirst in importance, being the most plentiful. It occurs both cr^'stai- 
 lised and in cleavage masses, often of considerable o.Ktent, It is 
 sometimes disseminated through the ganguo, and often forms solid 
 ribs, etc., traversing it. It frequently occurs^thus along the walls of 
 
 Mi 
 
 I !^ 
 
 LI '' 
 
 122 H 
 
 ONTARIO. 
 
 Microscopic The several bands are arranged in such a manner as to suggest the 
 
 ?ookTqf 8ii°/er flowage structuro of felsites, rhyolites and obsidians. 
 
 wXnuedr No. 320. R. 93 HwQE— (Upper beds of ridge.)— Ih another very 
 
 peculiar and interesting rock. It consists of alternate bands of small 
 
 crystals of uugite,perfectly fresh and unmixed with any other materialis, 
 
':) 2 A/ 
 
 iiu-Lroly, although galena Bomotimo. plays a prommont parr, an-l 
 tlnough thoHC minerals are foun<l .listribatcd the argenlito and native 
 silver Sometimes these silvc- minerals are distributed through the 
 .ungue minerals themselves, the others being hardly represented ut 
 uU The argentite which is the most common is found in nuggets of Ar«ent.te. 
 various sizes in the vugs bearing the impress of the quartz or calcito 
 nystals which usually line them, and also in thin hlms coaung the 
 .urfaces of such crystals, and in the joints and cleavages of the gangue 
 
 ^:' W 
 
 '■ 'i 
 
 < . b 
 
 ■ Iri 
 
 APPENDIX II. 
 
Hi 
 
 M 
 
 i 
 
 pounds, cany none of that metal, or when they do so, its proportion 
 is very small. The likelihood of their curiying any silver seems to bo 
 in the ordoi' in which they are here named, viz :— blende, galena and 
 [)yrite, only one instance being found in which the latter mineral did so, 
 where being the only one visibly present in the spociraon of veinstone 
 treated, the assay yielded about half an ounce of silver to the ton. 
 
 ♦ See Reports of Geological Survey for 1886 and 18 7. Part T.-In nearly all the instances of 
 specimens submitted for assay they carried enough of the metallic minerals to constitute good 
 milling ore, had these minerals proved to contain as much silver as was credited to them in the 
 district. 
 
 124 H 
 
 ONTARIO. 
 
 Milling of Silver Ores at the Silver Tslet Mine. 
 
 The following figures are based upon official data of the Silver Islet 
 Mining Co., regarding the working of their mill during a period extend- 
 
i:. iVom No. 2 shuft, ino foot; No. 3 lovol W. trom u.e Hun.o, o. .uo. . 
 .No. 4 lovel E. from No. 2 .hafl, 85 feet, an.l W. iVo.n the buiuo, 30 loot. 
 
 ItVlliV ^* 
 
 i. iiAt^ti i>s ' vyj ' v y BJBJu. 
 
 to "nave been lOrmOu Uuuuv vii^ b , . 
 
 exiHtence of quartz of two diffoiont ages, one dopositod later than the 
 other There are some nimilar evidence^ of tho prosenoc of both pri- 
 mary and secondary ealcito, tho latter kind hhowing in tho vwjs a« 
 tinoly formed small transparent crystals, generally scalenohedra, but 
 somotimos a combination of prism with rhombohodral terminations, 
 riiese are there superimposed upon minerals which aro otherwise 
 
 • See Report of Geological Survey ^Canada for 1887. Part T Atsays 36 and 36. 
 
 t M 
 
 Mi^Eh^ AiNJ) Ml NINO ON LAKE fSUPEKlOH. 
 
 
 
 
 
 fl;^ 
 
 Hi : : 
 
wliolo (lay. 'ihero are many Imnureds (1 may safely say more than a 
 tliousand) tons in actual sight of rich ore which will yield 100, 200, 500 
 up to 800 and 1000 ounces to the ton. 
 
 H 
 
 their mineral conHtituentscarryingminutequantiticHof silver, by waters 
 inliltrating downwards through all their joints and pores, and that these 
 waters passing onwards and soaking into the permeable pai-ts and 
 minerals in the ganguo of the veins, have there deposited their silver 
 contents, the various forms of carbon present in the sedimentary rocks 
 having had some influence in effecting this precipitation. The presonct 
 
 *See Traniaotions American Institute of Mining Engineers, Vol. XV, page 674. 
 
 V I 
 
 Recent 
 doveIopment8 
 Thunder Bay 
 Silver Mining 
 District. 
 
 126 H 
 
 OEOLOOICAT, SURVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 No. 2 shaft has been sunk to a depth of 355 feet from surface. Tim 
 Other workings had remained as shown in the illustration (see plato 
 
 vn., fig. 2.) 
 
 According to reports received from time to time, rich ore seems lo 
 have been obtained in sinking No. 2 shaft, for, besides that mentioned 
 on p. *70 H. as having been observed at the 2nd level, it is asserted tli.if 
 
(lone to tiiai ciaie. 
 
 Li.^i.»fc*mJi^^ 
 
 Conclusion. 
 
 In concluding thi. study of " Silver Mining on Lake Superior " from 
 the standpoints enumerated in the preface, the results may be Bumma- 
 
 " plrt'of'tdm of the Animikie or silver-bearing rocks in pmadaEu.nt^of^^ 
 has been fairly prospected, although not nearly so thoroughly as .t tio„ explored, 
 might, and probably would have been, but for certain adverse, economic 
 8 
 
 INOALL.J 
 
 THUNDER BAY DISTRICT. 
 
 mn 
 
 " I am sure that the owners of the mine have struck a bonanza, and Recent 
 
 . , I II -irru 4. developments 
 
 'iin verv fflad indeed, that their enterprise has been rewarded. W hat Thunder liay 
 
 " •' o ' , , i , , , .1 • Silver Mining 
 
 the limits of the body of rich ore are I am unable to say, as there i3 no District, 
 engineer on the property to give data for an estimate, and no very re- 
 cent survej^ of the mine showing the relation in space of the different 
 mrts of the drifts and shafts. If you desire it I could make a survey 
 
 IH !•; -' il 
 
 /itrnum- Msmit 
 
The drawing referred to also shows shafts Nos, 2 and 4, the former 
 50 feet and the hitter Jt5 feet in depth, witli a drift S. from the bottom, 
 
 \ ! 
 
 128 H 
 
 OEOTiOOICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 Recent 
 developments 
 Thunder Bay 
 Silver Mining 
 District. 
 
 With regard to the ground stoped away, it would seem that, begin- 
 ning at a point about 15 feet W. of No. 2 shaft to a point 300 feet W. 
 of the same, the vein has been nearly completely removed above the 
 adit level to within about 10 or 15 feet of the line of junction of the 
 ti-ap and argilliic. 
 
felspur. In tho latter case it is Homotimcs surrouiidod by lim.s oi 
 blown biotite. Aputito and aphcno (?) also occur in simill (luiintity. 
 
 From tho examination of this single specimen it would ►,oem noce.s- 
 8Uiy to regard the rock as closely allied to those oflrviiig's augite- 
 Kyonitos,* which are like the contact rocks on Pigeon Point,]- at the 
 junction of olivine-gabbro und>n acid eruptive^ 
 
 • Copper-Bearing Rooks, p. 112-125, Pt. XIV. 
 
 t Amor. Jour. Soi., Jim. 188P. 
 
 9* 
 
 
 z 
 
 --- ->&^ /.■/■///,'///y-'y^ '/. -/A ■ 
 
 ■>^ 
 
 
 
 r-i 
 
 
 cr 
 
 
 
 £ 
 
 a; 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ■^ 
 
 h- 
 
 $ 
 
 % 
 
 -'- 
 
 C 
 
In tlic mort! ;ilt'>rt'tl iKuliidi, the t'uUpiii' is boiMKlcil i>y ti"act'> "i 
 cry»tul outlines. It iw r«tl through th»' inchisioii of little platon <>t 
 lionmtitf, and can ocfaBionaily bo dotcctod with twinning hiinellii . 
 The green niinorul corrt'Mpcniling to the cliloritu in the leaHt altered 
 portionw, is hiM'o grouped into little shoavfs of fibres, which, hot woon 
 eroHsed nic<d8, give bi-ight polarization colors. It huM been chan-^fd 
 into u micaceous sul»stanco with many of the properties of green biotitf. 
 In it» original state the rock was probably a slate, which under the 
 
feet west, this end having, I undei-stand, been since extended to 220 
 feet from the shaft. 
 
 Jii Li_ iiLJix. 
 
 < Ntiiiction int'jMurt'ii iij^rjuiisi Vivo iiiro <>•. ".■.•.;■•■■.', -.••.^ -.-:•,.•. •.-. 
 :,m.-lla^ indicate Ihul tl>o piedominaliriK' vurio»y i^ lulMudorile. 
 
 MoHt of the phi-i.Hla.se. however, han undei^one alL-nition, an.l hu^ 
 ii,»s given li^e to secondary i.roduets, the most important ol which 
 ;ir. .alciteund cldorito. The former occurs in very Hinall .|.mntity, 
 :.Md is found in little irreguhirly shaped grains near the periphery of 
 tl.f felspar crystuls. The chlorite penetrates the plagiochise substance 
 III little veins, and is also foutid around its edges. 
 
 ( 
 
 THUNDEU BAY DISTRICT. 
 
 129 H 
 
 -.0 feet long, and a cross cut at the end. Another noticeable point is n-nt^,„^,,^ 
 ,l.at the dmwing would seem to show that the S. wall of the norther.rrhunaer^,.;y 
 ,lvke was met with in the drifts S. of the main shaft at a distance of „i.trict. 
 .bout 240 feet from the shaft, which does not at all agree with the 
 surface evidence, and is probably a mistake due to the very altered 
 condition of the argillites near the dyke, causing the rock to be 
 
 1 : 
 
■J 
 
 LAKE SlU'ERroR. 
 
 81 ir 
 
 tlic cUHtorn end of which a.'o visihlo a fow feet of the ar^illitos with 
 the iHUul cohimnar tra|> on top, wliich would so(>m to point to con- 
 siil('iiil)lc in-e^ularity in tho undoi-Kiii-fiico of tho trap in this vicinity. 
 
 It is a curious fact that none of tho dyl<os, which must certainly 
 oxist hero, have yet hocn locate<l, which contrasts forcibly with the 
 coast section with its numerous examples, and it would appear that 'n 
 the Silver Mountain area they must have weathere<l away more easily 
 tiiaii the surroundintj rociUs, and ho be covered up with the tirift. 
 
 Tiie nature and litholo^ical atHnities of these rocUa will bo aeon by Microscopical 
 lot'erriiig to Appendix I, where notes of their microscopical featui-esiVa'ps!*'**" " 
 will be found, (See specimens Nos. 259, HOI, 823 and 338,) fi-om which 
 it would seem that they can all be classed as diabases. They vary 
 from very compact dark-colored i-esinous rocks to medium coarse- 
 t,'iaincd greyer varieties, these ditfercncos showing in different jiarts of 
 the same sheet, so that no distinction can be made between them in 
 this way. About their field habit there is nothing peculiar, except that 
 they are massive rocks nearly alwa^'s showing a characteristic vertically 
 columnar structure, somi r.ios accompanied by horizontal joint planes. 
 
 Difficulty is also experienced in correlating the different exposures Sedimentary 
 of the sedimentary rocks of the formation, owing to tho fact that they 
 Hcldom retain, for any considerable distance, characteristics by which 
 detached portions of the same bed might be recognized, so that it is 
 only by tho general concensus of the evidences that an opinion can bo 
 tbrmod of their relationships. 
 
 The separation of the rocks into an upper and lower division has been 
 spoken of already earlier in tho report, so that nothing remains but to 
 ilcscribc the local characteristics of the various exposures of the differ- 
 ent kinds of rock within tho area under review. To begin then with Lower 
 tlio lower division, it consists in this district almost altogether of tho' 
 siliceous rocks, which, whilst presenting great varieties of appear- 
 ance, have all certain characteristics in common. In association with 
 tliose are certain dolomitic and calcareous layers. On the map they 
 are represented by the lightest shade of Payne's grey, the gradual 
 mergence of this color into the darker tints, representing the upper 
 division, being intended to show the absence of any sharp line of 
 demarcation between tho two divisions. 
 
 A study of these rocks in the field, coupled with tho microscopic ex- 
 amination of a number of thin sections of different varieties, reveals tho 
 facts of their origin. They are seen to have been fragmentary rocks, 
 consisting of rounded and sub-angular fragments which have been 
 subsequently changed very much by tho deposition of infiltration-pro- 
 ducts around their constituent particles, this action having gone so far 
 6 
 
 division. 
 
 i I •■• 
 
 P r it t 
 
 mi 
 
' ilr Ihi' r.'titro \v;iH t.. all :ipp. ;.i aiif.'^ cutiipiiti, iiic vi\^v^ poHHOHhCMi 
 tji-y Hhuip .•U'av:iji;o linoH, «ulliiif,' viuU <»llii«r at uu^lai* or 82*^ Ki . 
 II lul.lition I., flli^ nUuoHt ail th.- twiniiin^' laiiu"lla« an- l..)\v«'<l aii<l 
 svistcl. jiiHt as in the (•a>c ot tin- |.l;.,-i'Tla.sc in tlu- ^mMm-o of IVni^.* 
 '..r this IT )ii,asineMli<Mi<'.lulK)viM'xa.a(l«trnninutions..flhi pla^'io- 
 la«oworo iiiipossihlr. In a(l«litiun l>> tlio oiiKinal twinning, u «oc'..iKlHry 
 winiiin'^ was utien obnoivod, a» a conhCciiUMUO oftho actiou of piewHUie. 
 
 • Lchniiinn : FitM.hiinir .I.t ultkry^t.illinii'ohn. Hol.iofcrgi'-K'iii.-. <-l>-. T.if. C, Fiu*. I i»n<l *• 
 
 INOALI.] 
 
 THUNDER BAY 1>I8TRICT. 
 
 West End Silver Mountain Mine. 
 
 131 H 
 
 Recent 
 ilovelopiuenti 
 . , Thunder Hay 
 
 Work has been pro,socutod at thlH mine for somo time pawt, and it ih ^»/v«r^Mining 
 still in operation, but particulai-H of tho dovelopments made have not 
 vot come to hand. From latest reports, two bhafta are being sunk, one 
 close to the eastern boundary line of location E. 5(i, in view of tho 
 ..u...«KH hein.' attained in that direction by tho East End Company. 
 
iNGALL.] 
 
 ton. The 
 unf'ortuna 
 scarcity o 
 
 Since it 
 [ii'oceeded 
 several ti 
 men. Its' 
 i.anying ^ 
 ot'thedift 
 is the tih 
 extondinj 
 the outei 
 further a 
 are dwell 
 
 
 I I' 
 
 ill 
 
 This 1 
 out on t\ 
 tVom No 
 with the 
 about 75 
 tine qua 
 ii-on pyr 
 the Rab< 
 feet froi 
 tliat tin 
 count f( 
 silver. 
 
 Here 
 which 
 thickne 
 usually 
 t ho qua 
 tureof 
 erite, a 
 by Mr. 
 thatth: 
 1-85,11 
 of thes 
 
 '0» 
 
 l\ 
 
] 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 71 H 
 
 ton. The mill, however, proved to have been placed in rather an Rabbit Moun- 
 unf'oi'tunate position, as it had frequently to be stopped on account of veiiis continued 
 sciiicity of water supply. 
 
 Since its discovery in 1882, the work of testing this vein has been History of 
 proceeded with in a very spasmodic manner, having changed hands 
 several times and been worked with forces varying from two to sixty 
 men. It stopped work recently on the 16th December, 1887. The accom- „. ^ . 
 
 , . . . . View of mine. 
 
 j);inying view of this mine shows the bluffs spoken ol and the position 
 ol'the different buildings, etc. On the left hand side in the foreground 
 ib the shaft house over No. 2 shaft, with its dumps of ore and rock 
 extending outwards from it, and the engine house showing just over 
 tiie outer end of the neaiest one. Over the top of the shaft house 
 further away towards the north bluff is the mill building. All the rest 
 are dwelling houses, etc. 
 
 Rabbit Mountain Mine, Jr. 
 
 This name has been given to the workings on a vein which crops 
 out on the adjacent property to the last mentioned about 400 fteet N.W. 
 tVom No. 2 shaft. It is about four to five feet thick, striking parallel 
 with the Rabbit Mountain vein, and dipping towards it at an angle of 
 about 75°. The vein-stono consists of calcite and white and amethys- 
 tine quartz, with pale green Huorite, and carries blende, copper and 
 iron pyrites. It outcrops in the same bed of trap which is seen at 
 the Rabbit Mountain Mine, but owing to the ground i-isi^ff about fifty 
 feet from that point, the seventy-five feet shaft sunk on it had not at 
 tliat time penetrated to the argillites below, which would probably ac- 
 count for the fact that the work done seems to have yielded little 
 silver. ■ 
 
 ,.„... .. .___ic'?:i 
 
 ■'■1. K^ ^■■«' 
 
 >!il 
 
 :l 
 
 .&■ ■■• ■ 
 
 
 ;'r 
 
 ^ t-^ 
 
 ■:.m 
 
 
 Porcupine Mine. 
 
 Here a fair amount of development work has been done on a vein veincharao 
 which strikes about N. 66° E., dipping S.E about 75=* to 80^, and has a '«"**'*'"• 
 thickness of from two to five feet. Its contents are similar to those 
 usually found. Thefluorite is coloured both gi-een and amethystine, and 
 tho quartz often assumes the latter colour. A special mineralogical fea- 
 ture of this vein is the occurrence of the carbonate of barium or with- 
 crite, a specimen of which was analysed in the laboratory of the Survey ^^"*"«"'«- 
 by Mr. Hoffmann, who says '• So far as I am aware thix is the first time 
 that this mineral has been met with in Canada" (See Report of Progress, 
 1'85, page 29 M;. Tho peculiar talcose material which occui-s in somcTaicose 
 of these veins is also present hero to a certain extent occurring in con- ™*'®"* • 
 
 1 
 
I \ ^ 
 
 72 H 
 
 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANAHA. 
 
 « ) 
 
 liH 
 
 f"f 
 
 Enolo8inK 
 rocks. 
 
 History. 
 
 Rabbit Moun- nec'tion with the ore bodies. It consists of si white or pale green 
 reinsoontinued material impregnating the vein stutt", which is quite soft and greasy 
 when fii'st taken out, but afterwards dries and hardens. The bulk i)t 
 the silver occurs in the form of sulphide in nugget and leaffoi-m, whicli 
 is accompanied by a small proportion of metallic silver in wire and 
 mossy form. 
 
 The enclosing rocks of the vein are as usual black argillitcs, capped 
 on top of the hill with a sheet of dark compact diabasic trap. The 
 faulting of these rocks by the vein has not been so great here as in 
 some cases, only amounting to some 16 feet downthrow on the east 
 side as seen in No. 1 shalt, which at the time of my last visit was 
 down 57 feet, the junction of the argillite and trap being met with at 
 35 feet on the foot wall, and 51 feet on the hanging wall side. As 
 shown in plate VII, tig. 1, nearly all the development works have 
 been made in the vein where it cuts the argillites. 
 
 This work was commenced in the spring of 1884, and has since been 
 continued spasmodically with long intervals of inactivity, owing to tho 
 intention of the owners having been to simply prove the value of the 
 vein with a view to sale, and not to woi-k it. Mr. T. A. Keefer, one 
 of the owners, states that about $10,000 had been expended on this vein 
 to date, which expenditure had been more than repaid out of the pro- 
 ceeds of the sale of the oi"e obtained. 
 
 Bearer . Mine. 
 
 Two veins have been worked on in this mine. The main vein cuts 
 in a northwesterly direction across a ridge about 200 feet high having 
 a steep blulf face to the N.W., whilst it is intersected about 300 feet in 
 fiom the face of the ridge by a cross vein running in a northeasterly 
 dii-ection or parallel to that face. The cross fissure is very irregular 
 and hard to follow, varying from a few inches in width to almost 
 nothing. It was drifted on in No. 1 level foi- a short distance, and 
 followed also on the adit level below for a distance of about 350 feet, 
 but being vciy irregular, and only canying a little mineral here and 
 there, it was not considered pi-ofitalile to follow it any further. The 
 main vein has an average width of about four feet, although in paits of 
 the mine it has pinched out to ainere thread. The contents are, as 
 usual, yellow and dark coloured blende, with some iron pyrites and a 
 little galena in a gangue consisting for the most part ofcalcite with 
 >omo colourless and amethystine quartz, and a little fluorite which is 
 i;cnerully green, but occasionally purple. The silver occurs in the ore 
 bunches chiefly as argontite, in nugget, sheet and leaf form, with 
 occasionally a little native silver. A marked peculiarity of this vein 
 
 Vein eharac 
 teristios. 
 
 Crosa-veiii 
 
 0) 
 
 < 
 
 
 ClI 
 
 ••> lie 
 
 °. 
 
 CO '^ 
 
 f-t : 
 
 >-ri O 
 
 
 <^ 
 
 a 
 
 > 
 
 c 
 
 <0 
 
 
 
 Ul 
 
 •-« 
 
 (K 
 
 ^ 
 
 a 
 
 e 
 
 J*l 
 
 < 
 p 
 
 h 
 < 
 
 z 
 
 Q 
 Z 
 
 < 
 
 < 
 
 o 
 
 I— I 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 w 
 
 
 
 Silver ore, 
 
,V>t*i>W ■'f^vtl*«,W:ii.V?. .• 
 
 
 
 If 
 
 
 f*. i- 
 
 k 
 
 
 95 I 
 
 EXPLANATION. 
 
 Trap. 
 
 ~"S=T1 
 
 Argiulite 
 
 r~"n 
 
 Cross-cuts. 
 
Ilif I 
 
 I 
 
 ■ 
 
 1 
 
 
 ■ 1 ' 
 , 1 
 
 
 '. 1 
 
 
 X 
 
] 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 73 H 
 
 is the occurrence of the greasy talcosc substiince which is very RobbitMl.ull- 
 , . . ,. i X- ii • • • ii i- , tain group of 
 
 abundant in tne orey parts oi the vein occurring in the hssuros and veins continued 
 
 (■Ua\ ;i_nes of the gungiie minerals, and burronnding pieces of argillite 
 
 omlosod in the vein. Jt is very soft when first taiceii out, but hardens 
 
 y niK'what on exposure to tlie air. It occurs as white pearly tilms and ,„;',t*'e*riai. 
 
 incrustations, and also as pale green matter filling interstitial spaces- 
 
 Snine of this latter Uind was examined qualitatively in the laboratory 
 
 of the Survey, and Mr. lloffmann says that the examination made 
 
 shouod it to be talcose in its nature, but that properly it was neithei- 
 
 tak' nor serpentine, as it was found to contain too much water for the 
 
 latter. It is most likely closely allied to the mineral saponite, a hydrous 
 
 nian'uesian silicate mentioned by Dfina as occurring in the traps ot 
 
 iliis region. The ridge spoken of consists of black soft argillites from 
 
 its base to within about fifty feet of the top from which point the rock Kiiciosing 
 
 i> tiap of the usual kind. The rocks have been faulted slightly by 
 
 Liotli veins. 
 
 The work done in testing and opening up the vein is best appreciated I'eveiopments. 
 Ijv a reference to Plate VJIl* which shows the developments to the 
 .[•ring of 1887. 
 
 The history of this mine has been a very instructive example of lustoryot 
 what dilticulties are to be met with in developing the veins of this '"'"^' 
 distiict. and how they may be overcome by pluck and energy. The 
 vein where first discovered on the brow of the hill, was solid and well 
 (letiiiod, and where it passed down into the argillites below the trap, 
 -I lino good ore was obtained. In the drifts in the upper part of the 
 miiio it retained its definite characteristics, but in opening up upon it 
 lowir down in the adit level, considerable ditticulty was experienced in 
 t ijlowing it, and it was found to be small and irregular, and for long 
 4i>taiices was represented by a mere seam until the cross vein was 
 reached and also for some dl^tanee on the other side of it. At the 
 tiino of the last visit made drifts were being driven either way on the 
 cross vein, with a view both to test it and also to cross-cut for the 
 main vein to see if it had been by any chance left on either side in 
 I riving the adit level. This indefinitoness at this point seems to have 
 resulted in the drifting of No. 3 level beyond the cross vein ott' the course 
 i>t the main vein, as will bo seen in the i)lan. Finding nothing but a small 
 >tiiiiger in this direction, surveys were made, a course which should evi- 
 lentlj-have been adopted long before, and these having shewn what a 
 very wrong direction the drill was taking to strike No. 2 shaft, where the 
 vein showed definite and strong, a fresh start was made from the drift 
 111 the cross vein, and the adit level as well as Nos. 1 & 2 levels above, 
 were driven forward to connect with No. 2 shaft, with the result that 
 
 On this plate No. 1 Tunnel in Plan should bo No. 2. 
 
 1* 
 
 »■(<.;■-,.-' ^ •■■I 
 
 J'.s. 
 
 I#r i' 
 
 •;.,:-t 
 
I '^,\ 
 
 5-, ■ ■\ : 
 
 Pi] 
 
 m 
 
 74 H 
 
 GEOLOOICAL SURVEY OP CANADA. 
 
 8tiiiii|> uiilK 
 
 Rabbit Moun- the vein waH found to become strong and definite, and the body of 
 veinfoonrinued veiy I'ich Ore* was found which has made the prospects of the distriet 
 look so much brighter. This vein was discovoi-ed shortly after that 
 at Rabbit Mountain, and work was commenced on it by the owners to 
 test it in the fall of 1884. This was continued with a small force ot 
 men until the sale of the mine to an American capitalist, who proceeded 
 at once to equip it for work on a larger scale, and to open up the vein 
 with most commendable vigour, with the results before mentioned. 
 
 A mill has been erected about half a mile from the mine, on Silvei' 
 Creek, to treat the lower grade ore which occurs with the smcltini; 
 grades. It has a capacity of about thirty tons pei- diem. The rock. 
 iii'tcv passing through the rock-breakers and two patent pulverizei-s,! 
 is carried by the water ovei" four Frue Vanners and a Golden Gate con- 
 centrator, whilst the slimes from these pass into settling tanks, the 
 •leposits from which pass to the amalgamating plant on the lower flooi'. 
 which consi><ts of two amalgamating pans and the accompanying 
 settling pans. 
 
 Some idea of the richness of the ore body mentioned may be gleaned 
 from the following statements made by The Atgoma Miner and Weekly 
 Herald oi' August 27th, 1887, where it is stated that " the total value of 
 the products of the Beaver mine for the past two and a half months in 
 smelting ore and concentrates from the mill is $93,000. This may be 
 relied upon as being authentic." There is every reason to believe this 
 to be cori-ect, as I am informed that the Customs export entries for 
 Port Arthur showed that $190,000 of ore were exported during 1887, 
 the greater part of which certainly came from this mine. 
 
 Sbi|iment8 of 
 silver. 
 
 Vein cbariio- 
 teristics. 
 
 Silver Creek Mine. 
 
 X 
 
 This is yet another vein in which sil>^r has been found. It is from 
 two to three feet thick, and strikes about 'N.E. in practically the same 
 direction as the Porcupine vein, and for the slight depth to which ii 
 has been followed is about vertical. The preponderating mineral in 
 the vein stuff seems to bo calcite, which is accompanied by a little 
 colorless quai'tz and some green fluorite. The unbroken part of the vein 
 (lid not present much mineral to the eye, but the ore pile, which con- 
 tained some eight tons, and had, I understand, come fiom the bottom 
 of the shaft, where they get all their silver, contained the usual 
 
 * The value of the ore in sight in this body in the fall of 1887, has been variously es'timated 
 lit from $1,500,000 to $'J,O0O,O0O. The most reliable authorities, however, estimate it nearer the 
 lower figure. 
 
 1 1 understand that since the date at whicli the mill was visited, stamps have been substitute', 
 for thv imtent pulverizers. 
 
 ';V. 
 
IN&AIL.] 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 75 H 
 
 nustallic minerals, viz., blende, both li^ht and dark coloured, with some Rabbit Moun- 
 pyrites and a little galena, whilst the silver showed in the form of leaf veins continued 
 iinil tilm arcfcntite. 
 The vein runs into a little ridsjo ronsistintj of argillite capped with Enclosing 
 
 CO I J rooks. 
 
 trap, which rocks have been faulted by the vein, the capping trap 
 showing on the oast side of the vein at the edge of the ridge, argillite 
 being opposite to it on the other wall, the remainder of the trap sheet 
 heing JTiost probably higher up on the other side, where the cover on 
 top of the ridge prevents it from being seen. 
 
 The test woi'k done here has not been extensive, consisting of only Developments 
 ;i "'j-foot tunnel driven into the base of the hill, on the course of the 
 vein, at :i depth of about tifteen feet below the bottom of the before 
 mentioned trap, from the middle of which tunnel has been sunk a small 
 test i)it said to be 70 feet deep. This work was first prosecuted 
 liy the original owners, in the summer of 1885, who sold an interest 
 shortly afterwards to the same American capitalist who owned the 
 Ikaver Mine. Under the new ownei-s a little moi"e work was done, 
 with the lesult, as asserted by Mr. Crowe, under whose guidance it 
 was done, thut good ore was struck in the bottom of the shaft. The 
 ore on the dump purporting to come from this point showed enough 
 silver to class it as good mill rock. The energies and attention of the 
 owners being required in the development of their other mine (the 
 Beaver), work was discontinued on* this vein until a more convenient 
 season. Mr. T. A. Keefer, one of the owners, says that the total 
 amount expended was about $ii,000, and that the total value of the 
 ores taken out, some of which was sold and some left in the dump, 
 about covered this expenditure. 
 
 Little Pig Vein. *- 
 
 Through this property runs a high ridge, with a blutt" lacing north- Vejnchirao- 
 west, a few chains fi-om the base of which and parallel to it runs the 
 Colonization road, connecting these mines with Port Arthui-. A little 
 way from its base and parallel to this bluff runs the vein which is 
 luiown by this name, with a strike of N, 50° to <iO° E. (mag,), and 
 •lipping about 70'" to 80" to the S.K. It shows a thickness of six teet in 
 some places, whilst in others it is split up so much as to leave the ques- 
 liuii of its thickness undeterminable. The vein-filling consists in places 
 almost altogether of coarsely crystallized calcite, whilst at others a 
 saccharine and crystallized white and amethystine quart/ j>redominates, 
 calcite playing a secondary part and being accompanied by a little 
 |uiiple tluoi-ite, whilst the metallic minerals are represented by light 
 coloured blende and galena. At places the vein is quite rusty from the 
 'lecomposition of iron pyrites. 
 
 
 mw- 
 
 ■'% 
 
 A'l:^ c^^ 
 
 
 
 
 1' '•. ■')* - '"' ^ 
 
 ■ 
 
 
 ■.i 
 
 
 
 * ■ * ■ 
 
 •:% 
 
 
 
if' 
 
 7'1 H 
 
 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 Rabbit Mouii- Tho l)luft' consists of the usual <lark colored argillitos foi- 125 Icot 
 veins coiiiirmcdiibove its basc, on top of which rests about 20 to 30 foot of columiiai' 
 coiujiact blue-grey trap, which sometimes carries a little iron pyrites. 
 The work done to test this vein to tho end of 1886 consisted of three 
 small tunnels driven into the base of the blutf to cross-cut the vein at 
 about 40 feet below its out-croj) on the side of the ridge. Those are 
 about 200 feet apart, antl from their ends a small amount of driftini; 
 has been done on the vein amounting in all to about 60 feet. This 
 work was commenced in 1S85, but most of it was done after September. 
 1886, at a cost, it is said, of about $1,500. 
 
 Elgin Vein. ^ 
 
 About half a mile to the north of tho Beaver Mine a vein has been 
 located, named as above, which strikes about K.N.E. and dips at about 
 80° to the N.W, It consists of a , number of parallel stringers dis- 
 tributed through a width of about ten feet of tho enclosing argillite. 
 which rock is capped by trap about thirty leet above the outcrop 
 of the vein. The metallic minerals, which are very abundant and 
 mostly crystallised, ai'c represented by light and dark coloured blende, 
 with galena and copper and iron pyrites in a gangue consisting mostly 
 of white and amethystine quartz, with some dark purple, white, and 
 light yellow-coloured fluorite and a little calcite. A 30 foot shaft 
 lepicsents the testing work done on the vein, which does not seem to 
 hav(^ shown the presence of much rich ore, although the occurrence ot 
 silver in the other metallic minerals present, was demonstrated by an 
 assay of some of that class of ore, which was made at tho Silver 
 Mountain Mine assay office, and gave $10 to the tf>n, as stated by the 
 owner. 
 
 Oth£r Vcitis. 
 
 i 
 
 Besides those alr-eady mentioned, many other similar veins have been 
 located, upon which more or less test work has been done. The most 
 important, of these are known as follows : R 48, Big Bear, Beaver Jr.. 
 Badger, Eothwell, Peerless and Victoria, all of which, with, the exception 
 of the first, ai-e shown unon the Sketch Map. 
 
 R is is a vein cutting the east face of Eabbit Mountain about three- 
 quarters of a mile north of the Rabbit Mountain Mine. On the Big Bear 
 vein, which was located in 1886, a fair amount of development work 
 has been done, and it is claimed that samples of ore obtained from 
 the outcrop assayed from $8 to $124 per ton. The name of Beaver Jr.. 
 has been given to a vein about one-quarter of a mile north of the 
 
•] 
 
 LAKK SUPERIOR. 
 
 77 H 
 
 Beai-er Mine. It i« one of the south-easterly dipping series. The Badger Rabbit Moun- 
 
 is ii south-easterly dipping vein on which test work is being done by vcinsconciadoii 
 
 American capitalists. On the Peerless vein, a small test shaft was sunk 
 
 ill the summer of 1886, The Victoria is the name given to a vein on 
 
 which some little sui-face work has been done, which yielded vein 
 
 stutl' in which the metallic minerals were plentiful, but which at the 
 
 points opened upon, does not seem to have yielded on assay more than 
 
 ii fow dollai-s to the ton of ore. The veins at the two latter places are 
 
 in a much lower horizon than the rest, being in the siliceous division 
 
 underlying the black argillites. 
 
 The Silver Mountain Gkoup. 
 
 This group received greater attention and closer study than the 
 others with regard to the lithologicul environment of its veins, the 
 lictails of which are represented in the accompanying contoui-cd map 
 of that district, which whilst, of course, specially illustrating the con- 
 ilitions of occurrence of this group, yet apply also in many particulars 
 to the rest of the silver districts. 
 
 The ro'iks lying so nearly flat, it was deemed advisable, in construct- 
 ing a map showing this lithological environment, to contour it so that 
 the vertical relationships of the different beds might be apparent at a 
 ,!,'l:ince. In a rough country such as this, and with the diflSculties and 
 delay consecjuent upon this roughness, this object could not of course be 
 accomplished in any reasonable time with very great accuracy, and a 
 inothod had to be adopted which would give i-easonablo results with 
 tlic necessary rapidity. This was accomplished by levelling along the 
 Colonisation road with an ordinary Y level, and leaving B.Ms, where 
 it ci'ossed the location and township lines. The profiles of the counti-y 
 were obtained over the rest of the area by levelling over the location and 
 township lines with a hand-level and target staff, and connecting these 
 as often as possible with the road B.Ms, when in calculating the results 
 any discrepancies (which were not found to bo very great) were dis- 
 iiibuted over the whole series in such a way as to be very slight at 
 any one spot. The positions of the intersection of the contour planes 
 with each profile having been worked out and transferi-ed to the map, 
 tlio contour lines were joined up in between points with the help of 
 the general knowledge of the surface shape of the ground gained in the 
 I'xamination of the district. 
 
 The geological sti-ucture of the country, as worked out by the help 
 lit' these levels, is shewn in the two sections given below the map, which 
 ■^lieak for themselves. The upper one has been made nearly parallel to 
 
 Metliod 
 iidoptod in 
 contoiiriniE; 
 
 
 ;f ■ 
 
 Vertical 
 sections of 
 inap.l 
 
•78 H 
 
 OEOLOaiCAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 
 li 
 
 l!^- 
 
 relations of 
 rooks of 
 district. 
 
 Stratigraphioai tho direction of the i^reateHt dip of the formation as far as it can hv 
 determined, and shows tho Animikie rockw resting in a ncaily hori- 
 zontal attitude on the Archean rocks to the north. Passing through 
 Siivei- Mountain it shows the upper argillaceous division resting on the 
 lower cherty division and overlaid by the sheet of trap forming the 
 top of this hill, whilst the measured displacement of all these rocks hy 
 tho two chief veins intersecting the hill, is also apparent. The lower 
 section is approximately parallel to the line of strike of the silver-bear- 
 ing rocks, and shows the different levels of some of the principal trap 
 sheets of tho district. Assuming that there has been no fault- 
 ing of the measui-es, othei* than those visible and measureable ones 
 produced by most of the veins, this dilferenco of level along a section 
 practically parallel to the line of strike, must represent actual differ- 
 ences of geological position, and as in the study of the other parts ol 
 the Animikie area, such undoubted cases have been frequently found of 
 trap sheets occurring at various geological horizons in these rocks, not 
 to refer to the local evidences to be mentioned later on, it was not con- 
 sidei'od reasonable to assume the existence of a number of dislocations 
 of considerable extent to account for these differences of level, of the 
 existence of which dislocations no other evidences could be found. 
 
 Trap ut 
 different 
 levels in 
 format Ion. 
 
 Correlation of 
 different trap 
 exposures. 
 
 ii|i 
 
 i i 
 
 Whilst it is therefore apparent that nmny of these different exposures 
 i-epresent individual and separate sheets of trap at various geological 
 horizons, the correlation of some of the trap areas with each other 
 seems reasonably possible. Thus, Table Hill and Wedge Hill areas 
 are probably simply outlying patches of the sheet that caps the argil- 
 lites of Brul4 Hill, this sheet lying above the Palisades sheet, and some 
 hundred feet of the argillite being interposed between the two. Again, 
 it seems more than probable that the trap sheets capping Silver Moun- 
 tain, Silver Bluff and Boundary Hill are all portions of the same sheet. 
 The Divide Eidge sheet would seem to dip under Silver Bluff, unless 
 its south side has been let down by a fault passing through the valley 
 between them, which might possibly be a fault of the existence of 
 which there is some evidence at Contact Eidge, where the beds of the 
 lower division are seen turned up into an almost vertical position 
 against the Archtean rocks. In the case of the other areas, there is 
 no reason to suppose but that they are sheets of trap of varj'ing extent 
 occurring at different places in the formation. From their irregular 
 nature, the extent of those where only the top of the sheet is seen, 
 the rest being covered up by surface deposits, can only be conjectui'ed, 
 the aieas where this occurs are shown by the drift color on the 
 map. There are fourteen areas of trap shown on the map, which 
 I shall speak of as Brul6 Hill, Wedge Hill, Table Hill, Outlook 
 
 II 
 
•] 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 r9H 
 
 Hill. PaliHiules, Silver Falls, Silver Hill, R 93, R fi3, R 160, Silver i>eMnpti«ij^of^ 
 Mountain, Boundary Hill, Silver Bluff and Divide Ridge traps. Two 
 ol those are undoubtedly intrusive, viz.. Palisades and R 93. At 
 the former place, the sheet can bo distinctly seen in the clitt", as 
 roiJiesented in the section, to divide into three tongues in passing lntru«ive 
 eastwards, with argillites between. The lowest one thins out and^ 
 stops in a short distance, whilst the upper and middle ones con- 
 tinue on, and form the upper and lower benches of the eastern 
 end of the hill. Had these been sepai-ate flows, with deposition (if 
 soiiiments in hollows on their upper surfaces, there would be now some 
 recognizable line of division, such as can be seen between the different 
 trap flows of the Keoweenian j-ocks, even whei-e they ai-e sepai-ated 
 by no sedimentary beds. But a careful study on the ground showed 
 no such visible division. That there is no recognizable alteration of 
 the argillites overlying the lower sheet, might be considered to dis- 
 piove their intrusive nature ; but when one sees that neither is this 
 the case with those lying immediately below the same sheets, that such 
 alteration is very seldom seen at any similar contacts over the whole 
 region, and that where it does occur, it is slight, and extends over 
 only two or three inches of thickness, and might therefore be easily 
 overlooked, then it is plain that this negative evidence is of no 
 account. 
 
 The R 93 ridge consists of a sheet of the ordinary trap in the lower R93 ridge 
 cherty rocks. It presents some peculiar features, which render its 
 true relationship to the enclosing rocks very difficult to make out, on 
 account of the absence of any sharp line of demarcation between the 
 two, the cherts near the trap seeming to have taken on some of its 
 nature. This will be seen on referring to the notes of the microscopic 
 examination of the rocks, given in Appendix I. The sheet, which 
 in the middle of the north face of the ridge is some fifty feet thick, 
 showing the usual vertically columnar structure, seems to thin out 
 going south, and in following it round the ridge both on the west and 
 east sides. The specimens 317, 318 and 319, Appendix I., were got 
 from the ridge near the south-east corner of location R 93, where there 
 seemed to be three distinct layers of rock — 317 representing the 
 middle one, 318 the lowest, and 319 the uppermost. Specimen 320 
 came from some chert-resembling beds lying on top of the trap sheet 
 at a point about a quarter of a mile north-west of the last-named, 
 whilst 325 is from a similar position at a point about a quarter of a 
 mile west again from the latter place. No. 325 seems to be the only 
 typical chert amongst them, several of the others probably owing 
 their peculiar mineral composition to an injection of trap material 
 
 11 
 
 '1 
 
 MM 
 
 mm 
 
 '■f 
 
 1 
 
 f^y^ 
 
 mm 
 
 
 1 
 
 . ''^^ '.'■ 
 
 1 
 
 ; . ■ 
 
 1 
 
 ? 
 
 % 
 
 M 
 
 \V 
 
 ' ' 
 
 
 1 ■■• 
 
 f 
 
 (1 
 
 » 
 
 
 1 
 
 i ' 
 
 It 
 
 . t 
 
 
I 
 
 Ml 
 
 r- 
 
 80 H 
 
 UBOLOOICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 f^'l'^ 
 
 ■Hi 
 
 ■;,.! 
 
 IrrcKuluritiv8 
 of oontftots of 
 Imp and 
 Redimentary 
 beds. 
 
 Others trap 
 exposures. 
 
 amoiigbt tlioir purticlos at the time of the ini-ruHion of the sheot. 
 Specimen 323 is from the undoubtedly trappcan part of the shei'.t. 
 Typical beds of the lower division rocks appear both above and below 
 this, all around. Judging from the irregular occui-ronce of this sheoi. 
 its wedge shape, and the alteration of the beds above it, it can bo 
 safely asserted that it is an intrusion. 
 
 Irregularities of the lines of contact of the trap with the imdorlyin;,' 
 sedimentary beds are also seen at other places, one of which is shown 
 in the illustration entitled " Trap Flow on Argillites, Animikie Series," 
 whcro it will be seen that the contact of the trap and argillites is much 
 lower on the left-hand side of the picture than on the other, and this 
 without any signs at the place of any faulting. This might of course 
 be explained by supposing the trap to have flowed out over an eroded 
 surface of the argillites ; but in view of the number of other evidences 
 in this district of the intrusive nature of these sheets, it would seem 
 more probable that this is due to the same cause, and that the intru- 
 sion has passed from one plane to another in seeking the path of the 
 least I'esistance. A similar case to this was noticed on the southern 
 edge of the Silver Mountain sheet, and also at the E 160 ridge; but 
 owing to the exposures being nearly covered with detritus, they wei-e 
 not so plain as the one illustrated, which is on the north side of Brul(5 
 Hill. 
 
 The surface of this latter hill slopes away to the south, where at an 
 estimated distance of about three miles, a high hill is seen to rise 
 apparently composed of the argillaceous division beds, in which several 
 trap sheets can bo seen, all of which from their position would overlie 
 the Brule Hill trap. 
 
 Of the other trap ai-eas there is little to say. Outlook Hill appears 
 to consist altogether of trap, but there is so much cover on top that it 
 is hard to say whether some argillite may not be found capping it. The 
 Silver Falls sheet on\y shows where the creek falls over it, and for a 
 little distance around, with a smooth ice-grooved surface, being other- 
 wise hidden by surface deposits, so that its extent must remain con- 
 jectural. It shows a thickness of 25 feet in the falls without the 
 bottom showing. The E- 160 trap would seem to overlie the R. 63 
 sheet, with a slight development of the argillites in between, the latter 
 sheet being traceable down to within a short distance of the foi-mer, 
 and seeming to pass under it. 
 
 The levels of the lower surface of the Silver Mountain sheet were 
 accurately ascertained at many points all around the hill, and when 
 worked out, seemed to point to a very irregular under-surface. A 
 curious thing bearing on this question is noticeable at Lizard Lake, at 
 
 ^h 
 
 I ,■ 
 
•J 
 
 LAKE SIU'ERIOR. 
 
 81 II 
 
 the eastern end of which aro visible a few feet of the arpiilitos with 
 the iiHiiiil columnar trap on top, which wonlcl neom to point to con- 
 sidoi'iihlc irregularity in the unclor-Hiirfaco of the trap in this vicinity. 
 
 It is a curious fact that none of the dykes, which must certainly 
 ^'xist here, have yet been located, which contrasts forcibly with the 
 coast section with its numerous examples, and it would appear that 'n 
 thi' Silver Mountain area they must have weathered away more easily 
 than the surrounding rocks, and so be covered up with the drift. 
 
 Tlio nature and lithological aftinitios of these rocks will be scon by Mioroacopicai 
 lof'ci'riiig to Appendix I, whore notes of their microscopical features ir'a'pg**' "' ** 
 will be found, (See specimens Nos. 259, ;^()1, 323 and 338,) from which 
 it would seem that they can all be classed as diabases. They vary 
 from very compact dark-colored resinous rocks to medium coarse- 
 grained greyer varieties, these differences showing in different ])art8 of 
 tlio same sheet, so that no distinction can be made between them in 
 this way. About their field habit there is nothing peculiar, except that 
 they are massive rocks nearly always showing a characteristic vertically 
 columnar structure, som*. raos accompanied by horizontal joint planes. 
 
 Difficulty is also experienced in correlating the different exposures Sedimentary 
 
 roc ks • 
 
 of the sedimentary rocks of the formation, owing to the fact that they 
 seldom retain, for any considerable distance, characteristics by which 
 detached portions of the same bed might be recognized, so that it is 
 only by the general concensus of the evidences that an opinion can bo 
 tbimed of their relationships. 
 
 The separation of the rocks into an upper and lower division has been 
 spoken of already earlier in the report, so that nothing remains but to 
 doscribc the local characteristics of the various exposures of the differ- 
 ent kinds of rock within the area under review. To begin then with Lower 
 the lower division, it consists in this district almost altogether of the" 
 siliceous rocks, which, whilst presenting great varieties of appear- 
 ance, have all certain characteristics in common. In association with 
 those are certain dolomitic and calcareous layers. On the map they 
 aro represented by the lightest shade of Payne's grey, the gradual 
 mergence of this color into the darker tints, representing the upper 
 division, being intended to show the absence of any sharp line of 
 demarcation between the two divisions. 
 
 A study of these rocks in the field, coupled with the microscopic ex- 
 amination of a number of thin sections of different varieties, reveals the 
 facts of their origin. They are seen to have been fragmentary rocks, 
 consisting of rounded and sub-angular fragments which have been 
 subsequently changed very much by the deposition of infiltration-pro- 
 ducts around their constituent particles, this action having gone so far 
 6 
 
 division. 
 
I 
 
 I 
 
 I » ■• i ' 
 
 82 H 
 
 QEOLOOICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 Microscopic 
 characters of 
 cherts. 
 
 Ferruginous 
 oberta. 
 
 Boniotimcs as to change the particles Ihemselves and almost entirely 
 obliterate them. A very good description of their microscopic char- 
 acters is given in Appendix I. (See specimens Nos. 281 and 325.) 
 In the field they are found to pi-osent veiy various appearances, the 
 same bed to a superficial obsei'ver looking quite ditfcrent at dilferont 
 points not far removed from each other, sometimes appearing quite 
 granular and at others quite compact. They also assume very various 
 colours — grey, liglit green, black, rusty, etc. Some of them un 
 weathered surfaces are all pitted with little cavities which have hackly 
 surfaces, from which atmospheric influences have removed some soluble 
 mineral, leaving considerable hydrated iron oxide. All varieties 
 contain more or less iron, either in the form of hydrated peroxide, 
 giving them a general rusty appeai-anoc, oi- as magnetite, the por- 
 centago of the latter sometimes i-anging so high as to give the rock a 
 very high sp. gr., which together with the dark compact fracture so 
 produced would cause the careless observer to mistake It for some of 
 the compact varieties of the trap of the neighborhood. They some- 
 times also contain iron in the shape of pyrites. 
 
 The interstitial matter nearly always consists of silica, which on 
 weathered surfaces, stands out as a fine reticulation from the removal 
 of the more easily soluble particles. When, however, this interstitial 
 matter consists of calcite, as it sometimes does, the reverse is found to 
 be the case, and the particles are left projecting. In these granular 
 varieties the particles seem to be vei'y constant in size, varying from 
 0.02 to O.OG of an inch in diameter. Imbedded with these more ])lainly 
 fragmentary beds ai-o sometimes rusty brown earthy layers, and also 
 compact flinty layers of a black, brown, red, milk-white or green color. 
 Mici-oscopically, these latter can be seen to be due to the action of the 
 infiltrating waters having gone so far as to completely or almost com- 
 ])letely merge the particles into the general mass of the replacing silica. 
 The various stages of this process can often be seen in the same sped. 
 men ov thin section. In some cases , traces of the origii^l particles are 
 left, as a white, rod or brown mottling of the stone, whilst, when the 
 mottling is red on a dark green ground, a vei-y ornamental stone is the 
 result. These vai'ieties sometimes show a wav}', somewhat agate-like, 
 structure, and occasionally crystals of calcite are distributed through 
 them porpliyritically. 
 
 Wavy bedding. A very constant and marked feature of the more granular beds is 
 their wavy, irregular bedding, which, together with the general rusty 
 a)>pearanco and the reticulation on the weathered surfaces already 
 spoken of, constitute their most salient features. These beds are ai 
 places much broken up and fissured, the cracks being filled with crys- 
 
 Iniiltrated 
 silica- 
 
•] 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 83 H 
 
 tallized white secondary silica, super-imposed upon which, in one 
 instance in a vug, were found rust-colored rhombohedra probably of 
 altered ferru<;inou3 dolomite. An anthracite-resembling mineral is 
 also found occasionally in these rocks in a similar relationship, and one 
 t^pocinien shows nodules consisting of concentrically arranged chalce- 
 dony surrounded by radiatoly crystallized vitreous quartz, with angular 
 fiiiuments of a similar nature imbedded in this anthracitic mineral. 
 
 Tlie calcareous and dolumitic portions are only developed to any Doiomitic and 
 extent locall}', although the whole foi'mation contains more or less offayers°°"' 
 these minerals distributed through it. These bods where developed 
 present a dark grey or cream coloui-cd fracture, the weathered portions 
 being generally very rusty. They often enclose fragments, nodules 
 and shoots of jasper with hackly exterior surfticos, and present other 
 oiiiious features. One specimen, for instance, has the appearance of a 
 conglomerate, and is made up of round pebble-shaped portions of a 
 dark slate colour imbedded in a lighter coloured crystalline matrix, 
 which on exposed surfaces is weathered away, leaving the pebbles 
 standing out. They both effervesce with acid, the matrix, however, 
 more freely than the other portion.* Another specimen is somewhat 
 similar, but the dark imbedded portions are platy and angular, look- 
 ing more like broken fragments of a thin bod, and though soft enough 
 to scratch with the knife, and generally resembling the dark pebbles 
 of the first mentioned, will not etfervesce with cold acid. 
 
 Fi'om those and other appearances, it would seem that these doio- 
 mitic and calcareous layers are most likely due to a similar process of 
 alteration and intiltration to that which has acted in thesilicitication of 
 the rest of the beds and, that whenever this process of dolomitisation 
 was going on in a bed whoso composition and structure admitted. of it, 
 and which oncloseci thin scams or portions not amenable to these 
 changes, the crystallising jiowcr of the carbonates has broken these 
 portions into fragments which have thus got distributed thi'ough the 
 mass in sucha manner as to form breccias, etc. The want of homo- 
 geneity of these doiomitic layers is well shown by the streaky structure 
 brought out on exposed surfaces by weathering. 
 
 With a few exceptions, which will be seen by reference to the mapoi,, „f 
 and are due to local causes, these lower division bods are found dipping^"""**'""" 
 al low angles. The most notable of these excoptio-s occurs towards 
 the south end of Contact llidgo, where they show in the bed of asiream 
 ill an almost vertical position at the foot of a clitf of gi-anitic gneiss. 
 
 .,1.^ - ri'i 
 
 * Mr. (}. C. lIutTiniinn, who rocoiitly niado a chemical cxaminatiun of siicli a fipecimcn, found 
 that wliil^t the nudiiles or pebbles were distinctly dolomitici the luiitriz contained no magnesia. 
 
L" : 
 
 ' 
 
 li 
 
 i 
 
 1 
 
 i 1^ 
 
 
 1' 
 
 !^ 
 
 Basal 
 conglomerate. 
 
 Upper 
 
 division 
 
 rocks. 
 
 Bombs. 
 
 Silioified 
 argillites- 
 
 84 II 
 
 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OP CANADA. 
 
 Thej' hero consist of brownish rod jasperry layors, intorleavocl with 
 groon chloritic slaty portions, which have a resinous lustre on the beil- 
 ding plane. 
 
 Patches of a basal cona'lom crate aro occasionally found lying in hol- 
 lows in the old Archean sea-bottom near the northern fringe of the 
 Animikie formation. The imbedding paste is dark, and whilst contain- 
 ing some carbonates, does not in general etfervesco with acids, whilst 
 the fragments which are mostly sub-angular, seem to consist in geneijil 
 of granitic material. 
 
 The upper division rocks consist nearly altogether of soft, black 
 argillaceous rocks, which, where the bedding planes aro numerous, put 
 on a very shaly appearance. The dark colour seems to be duo to tlm 
 presence of carlxm in some form as on ignition they lose their black- 
 ness and assume a dark buff tint. The amount of contained carbon, 
 and consequently their colour varies very much at different places oven 
 in the same bed, at some places being considerable, as at the East End. 
 Mine at Silver Mountain, whilst at others the lesser amount present 
 causes the argillites to assume more of a grey-slate colour. A ver^' com- 
 mon but a veiy une([ually distributed constitutent is calcic carbonate, 
 and layers of a purely calcitic and dolomitic nature are developed in 
 these upper beds in a very similar way to those mentioned as occurring 
 in the lower division, which is exemplified in the argillites underlying 
 the trap of the R 160 ridge. The large bombs which have been men- 
 tioned by othoi' writoi's as occurring in these beds are frequently found 
 to effervesce with acid and are probably concretionary. This idea is 
 borne out by the fact of the concentric arrangement of the pyrites 
 which is found in them, and which generally shows when they are 
 broken across arranged as a ring parallel to and near the exterior sur- 
 face. Seen in place, the bedding planes of the enclosing argillites are 
 found to bend up around the spherical ones, whilst in the more lenti- 
 cular, apparently onlj' partially grown examples, very similar effects 
 are observable. 
 
 At some places, whilst the ai-gillites retain their general colour ami 
 appearance they are found to bo hai'd from silicification, and sometimes 
 in thin chips show dark rounded grains surrounded by transpai'ont 
 crystallised silica. Again, portions of beds which are at one place 
 typical dark, soft argillites, at other places very nearly approach in 
 appearance tho lower cherty division rocks, as in the instance of the 
 beds immediately underlying the trap of Silver Bluff which, in their 
 composition and appearance, resemble much more closely tho latter 
 than the former,* whilst stratigraphically thoy appear to occupy the 
 
 • See Appendix Speoimon No. 303. 
 
•] 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 85 H 
 
 position of the westward extension of the pure argillitic upper beds 
 constituting Silver Mountain. 
 
 For this reason they have been colored on the mai), an intermediate Piirtiaiiy 
 
 I i. ^1 • i 1 1 .11... nil silioified upper 
 
 tint between tiiose appropriated to the upper and lower divisions. I he division beds, 
 reason for thus correlating them with the Silver Mountain beds, is 
 found in the fact, that they lie similarly between a ti-ap sheet which is 
 evidently part of that capping Silver Mountain and the top of the 
 clierty division proper. In the Silver Mountain section at the north- 
 west corner of location R 83, the top of these cherty beds i.s marked 
 ly the occurrence of some compact milk-white, red and black jaspery 
 beiis, which arc also traceable east, thi-ough location R 64, whilst sim- 
 ilai' beds are found underlying these Silver Bluff upper division beds 
 about the north-east corner of location R 65. A curious rock occurs at 
 tliis place immediately under the trap sheet, whose microscopic char- 
 acters are described in Appendix I. (See specimen No. 302). It 
 seems to be due to a mingling of some of the ti'ap matei'ial amongst 
 the j)articles of the sedimentary beds immediately adjacent to it, either 
 ]>y original injection or subsequent deposition by waters infiltrating 
 ilii'ough the trap sheet above, and is somewhat akin to the rocks de- 
 scribed from R \)S ridge. Sometimes the silicification has been con- 
 fined to small portions of these upper beds when we get as shown in 
 the Divide Hill section, the usual soft black argillites with seams and 
 beds of red jasper through them. At the western end of this ridge, 
 which, extending along the north shore of Whitefish Lake, forms the 
 ilivitle between the water-sheds of the Pigeon and Whitefish rivers, 
 this is well shown, lenticules and more continuous bands of red and 
 wliito chert occurring between the bedding planes of the more argil- 
 laceous parts, which bedding planes bend up over the lenticules, pio- 
 diicmg a general waviness of the bedding approaching that exhibited 
 by the typical lower cherty rocks. I noticed in these jaspeiy and 
 cherty seams the curious vertical tubular cavities which have been 
 mentioned bj' previous observci-s. They have a curious hackly inner 
 surface, and are rilled with iron rust as are also numerous little fis- 
 sures whieh run iVom side to side of these seams. 
 
 Tn fact, the sedimentary beds of this formation, as they appear in Proimbie 
 tiie district under consideration, and also as far as observed along its sealmontary 
 iinithern fringe, both east and west of this, would seem to have been '^°° ^' 
 oi'iginally deposited as a series of sands and days, the former hugely 
 pietlotninating in the bottom, and probably near the edge of the basin 
 <it deposition, and becoming less prominent and extensive away from 
 this edge, whilst above a certain ill-defined horizon, the clays would 
 iorm the great bulk of the deposits, and preponderate more and more 
 
 I 
 
 ill 
 
 M 
 
 '.•»tC-^-f 
 
 •'iij , 
 
86 H 
 
 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 i^ 
 
 1 i 
 
 ji 
 
 1 1. 
 
 Arohean rocks 
 of distriot. 
 
 as WO pasH away from the edge of the basin. As ono would oxpcct 
 in the cl.ay deposits proper, there would bo occasional beds of sand, 
 and in the sandy parts, beds of clay, whilst there would also be beds 
 of sandy clay, and this intermixture would bo more frequent as the 
 fringe of the area of deposition was approached. Subsequent infil- 
 tration of chemical waters would then produce just such a state of 
 things as already described. The clay beds being impervious would 
 remain unaltered and be now represented by the soft black argillites. 
 The sandy clays would become partially altered and produce the in- 
 termediate beds, whilst the sandy beds being quite permeable, would 
 offer no resistance to complete alteration into the differorit varieties of 
 cherts described, and when this alteration had gone so far as to quite 
 obliterate the particles, we should get the jaspery beds. 
 
 Those sands would seem, so far as a microscopic examination has 
 gone, to be just such as would be produced by a disintegration of the 
 older Archean rocks, especially of those of the Huronian division of 
 thorn, and the varying composition of the sands produced from such a 
 variety of rocks would, when decomposed by the infiltrating waters, 
 account for all the various decomposition products observed in their 
 miscroscopic sections and otherwise, such as silica, calcite, dolomite, 
 various decomposition minei-als of felspar and hornblende, etc., ox- 
 ides of iwon and so on, and would besides this also account for the 
 varying extent of the alteration produced at different places, the min- 
 eral constituents of some of the particles being more readily alterable 
 ihan others, and supplying by their decomposition a corresponding 
 vai-iety of material. 
 
 As shown, the Archean i-ocks project from the north into the area 
 covered by the Silver Mountain map. Exposures are not very 
 frequent over this area, which is largely drift covered, but where 
 these roclcs do show, they present the characteristics of the great divis- 
 ion of I'ocks known as Laurentian. This mass may be said, in general 
 terms, to consist of granitic and gneissic rocks. They have a general 
 pink appearance, from the groat preponderance of pink felspar. Oc- 
 casionally they carry some hornblendic mineral, which, sometimes 
 shows as locally developed bands of schist. Both the gneissic and 
 the granitic variety are at places intersected by a reticulation of veins 
 of a rock which is composed of cjuartz and pink felspar, the latter 
 largely crystallised and predominant. Those veins cut across the foli- 
 ation of the rock in all directions, sometimes running with it for short 
 distances, and then crossing to another foliation plane. Where they 
 cut narrow and idontifiable bandsof gneios they appear to have faulted, 
 them. In one instance, the edges of a hornblendic schistose band, thus 
 
 apparently 
 sides of th( 
 of a specin 
 in Appem 
 living be( 
 cations of 
 As befo 
 country, t 
 is possibU 
 boon rcpr 
 tliat in su( 
 proiich to 
 They c 
 seems to 
 basis on "v 
 of Whitet 
 feet in h 
 more free 
 boulders 
 whilst at 
 are in ni( 
 Theg( 
 to bo ab 
 again th 
 feet higl: 
 forming 
 the drift 
 map has 
 by these 
 
 In p8 
 
 places, f 
 the strii 
 places I 
 N. t)0° 
 
 This 
 genera 
 wartl a 
 in the 
 paratr 
 has be 
 
y 
 
 •] 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 87 H 
 
 apparently faulted, wore turned towards each other on the ditterent 
 sides of the faulting vein. A description of the microscopic characters 
 of a specimen from these rocks obtained near Woodside's vein is given 
 in Appendix I, (See specimen No. 277). These Laurentian rocks 
 having been so well and fully described at various times in the publi- 
 cations of this Surve}', nothing more need be here said. 
 
 As before pointed out, the drift deposits cover all the lower lying Drift deposita. 
 country, the rock showing only occasionally. As far as such a thing 
 is possible, the area covered to any extent by these drift deposits has 
 hot'n represented on the map, but it is hardly necessary to point out 
 tliat in such a section of countiy this can be done, only with an ap- 
 ])roach to accuracy. 
 
 They consist of stiflF white clay, sands and gravels. The former 
 seems to preponderate in the greiUer part of the area forming the 
 basis on which rests the soil. The latter are well seen in the banks 
 ofWhitoHsh River, where exposures frequently fifty to one hundred 
 feet in height are presented, consisting either altogether of gravel or 
 more frequently of clay, sand and gravel interstratified, and containing 
 boulders of granite, gneiss, trap and chert, with occasionally argillite, 
 whilst at one place, veinstone was noticed to occur. These boulders 
 are in most places very numerous. 
 
 The general surface of the drift deposits in the valleys would seem 
 to be about 300 feet below the tops of the hills, below which level 
 again the streams have cut deep valleys Avith steep sides, often 100 
 feet high, this surface being also further cut up by steep sided gullies 
 forming water courses in the spring, but otherwise dry. The depth of 
 the drift covering rep asented on the vertical sections appended to the 
 map has been assumed from the data furnished by the sections attbrded 
 by these stream valleys. 
 
 In passing down the bed of the Whitefish river, and at some other qj^j^.^j^^j^^ 
 places, several ice polished surfaces of rock were met with, on which 
 the striie were found to have the following directions at the different 
 ])laces observed :— N. 70° W., N. E., N. 80o E., N. 70° E., E. & W., 
 N. ()0° E. 
 
 Silver Mountain Vein. 
 
 This vein cuts through the middle of the hill of that name, with a siiverMounUin 
 general direction of a little north of oast, whilst it dips to the north- ^foup'of veins, 
 ward at 80° to 85°. It has caused the formation of two indentations 
 in the general contour of the hill, the one on the east side being com- 
 paratively slight, whilst on the west side about half a mile of valley 
 has been denuded out adjacent to the outcropping of the vein. It is a 
 
 
 u •; 
 
 f :'h 
 
 I it 
 
 'ii ' - ■ 
 
 ,»:. Tti 
 
88 II 
 
 QEOLOaiOAL SURVEV OF CANADA. 
 
 
 ■ ( 
 
 The Silver 
 Mountain 
 group of veins 
 continued 
 
 Rocks faulted 
 by vein. 
 
 Vein 
 characteristics 
 
 "(Jangue" 
 minerals 
 
 very strong and j^ersistont fissure, showing at frequent intervals right 
 across the hill for ti distance of over a mile, appearing to split up at 
 either end and become less strong, and also to change its direction, as 
 shown in the map, where, at its eastern extremity, it is seen to strike 
 about N.J'i. after leaving the brow of the hill, whilst at the western end 
 it would seem to split up into two branches, both of which take a much 
 more northerly di/ection than the general strike of the lode, throughoiil 
 the greater part of its length. The change of strike which would result 
 from the descent from a higher to a lower level, due to the dip of the 
 vein, would not l)C neai'ly sufliciont to account for this change of 
 dii'cction, which is possibly due to the dying out of the fissure at 
 either end. A theoi-y was at first held locally that there were two 
 veins at the east end, and that the portion of the vein striking north- 
 east was a branch of the main vein, joining it near " the cave," (sco 
 Plate IX., fig. 1), whilst it was believed that the main vein must con- 
 tinue on its oi'iginal course down the valley. A careful examination, 
 however, shows no grounds for such a supposition, and no i-eason for 
 believing that two veins of different periotls of origin exist, one being 
 silver-beai'ing and the other barren. 
 
 The enclosing rock is argillite, surmounted, as usual, by a sheet of 
 columnai- basic trap, the faulting of which by the vein is clearly 
 visible at the east end, and amounts there to eighty feet. 
 
 Along its out^Top in the trap sheet, and for some little distance 
 below it, the vein is large and solid, and from four to six feet thick, 
 whilst in the argillites below, as one would expect, it does not i-etain 
 its width so persistentl}', the fi-acturing force having in the looser rock 
 become distributed over a wider area, so that at places the vein is 
 only represented by a immbei* of small indefinite stringers distributed 
 thiough a wide area of the rock, whilst a few feet further on, ihese 
 have been found to come together and form a lai-ge, solid vein. In 
 these solid parts, large caves or vugs occur, several of which open 
 up to the surface on the brow of the hill at the eastern end. 
 
 The vein stone consists of calcite, barite and (|uartz with fluorite, the 
 diflerent minerals jiroponderating at different places. The barite seems 
 to be cpntined to those parts of the vein which are in contact with the 
 trap or a little distance below it, whilst calcite and quartz form the pre- 
 ponderating minerals in the argillites below ; the fluor-spar, although 
 plentiful in places, generally playing a secondary part. These difler- 
 ences of gangue give a vei'y different appearance to ore from ditferont 
 
 .i'ts of the vein. Thus, around the rich oi'e at No. 4 pit, and in the 
 Mler end of No. 2 level, the vein stuff was very beautiful, consisting 
 oi a crystalline mixture of translucent white and amethystine quartz, 
 
fV 
 
 
 \ 
 
 HI. 
 
w 
 
 IJ 
 
 GEOLOGICAL AND NATUrMtORY SUl 
 
 ALFRED R. C. SELWvkWi.L. 3.. F- «• ^•' 
 
 Ve 
 
 Silver Mountain 
 
 Mine. 
 
 (East End.) 
 » » » 
 
 Sources of Information 
 
 Surveys by E.D.lNGALL,M.E.and 
 Plans and Information supplied by 
 E. CosTE, M. £. 
 
 Scale 160 feet- 1 inch 
 P'i(). 1. 
 
 II 
 
 
 ^^v; 
 
 c,*'^ 
 
 
 :h:: 
 
 1 1 
 
 T'^ ^< 
 
 Nbi8 |\ 
 
 nP 
 
 ^U 
 
 Small Caunler 
 
 From the nature and incompleteness of the information obtainable, the above is necessarily iH diagramatic. 
 
 S 
 o 
 z 
 
 < 
 
 CO 
 
 M 
 
 Crown Point 
 M I N e 
 
 Scfi>LEj60ff-I inch 
 
 SecTfON 
 
 ■ ^#f- jji^iiS^^^i' 
 
 Main 
 Vein 
 
 PLAN 
 
 From Surveys made by E. D. Ingall, M. E. 
 
^TUrMtORY survey of CANADA. 
 
 '^LWYi«Wi,L, 0., F. R. S., DIRECTOR. 
 
 Plate K. 
 
 Veptical Section 
 
 Ft row of Hill North of the Mine 
 
 
 '% 
 
 M 
 
 v^itv a 
 
 ^d 
 
 tvi™ 
 
 |^.-'W>| 
 
 r>er\cm on^mtppi'ii^s 
 
 < 
 
 >f/ 
 
 f-i~TSi':-ieyei._ 
 
 nter 
 <n 
 
 icessaiilf A diagramatic. 
 
 Smith's^ 
 Shop 
 
 Sleeping 
 Camp 
 
 EXPLANATION. 
 
 PostOffii 
 
 Dbsbarats, Lith. 
 
 iHJ 
 
 
 •f. 
 
 Trap. 
 Argillite, 
 
 CR08S-0UT8. 
 
I,i 
 
 I! ! '.■ ■ ■ ► 
 
 ■NOALL.] 
 
 with green 
 
 the dovelo 
 
 liavo been 
 
 wliite bai'ii 
 
 a litllc j;i' 
 
 cleavage n 
 
 woll-lormc< 
 
 minated w 
 
 iiiipo^eil H 
 
 roprcheiite 
 
 ])}• rites, wi 
 
 both nativ 
 
 moil, tbi'm 
 
 wci<;ht, wl 
 
 and wire 1 
 
 The enc 
 
 features w 
 
 except thii 
 
 places. T 
 
 eastern fa< 
 
 liic adit, V 
 
 characteri 
 
 urgillites i 
 
 other vein 
 
 at one in i 
 
 X. 85° E., 
 
 two preva 
 
 seats no fi 
 
 iiccompan 
 
 position ( 
 
 also iilust 
 
 ing the ui 
 
 The w( 
 
 IX., whic 
 
 the end 
 
 been sun 
 
 beyond ] 
 
 seen on 
 
 Mountain 
 
 of the V 
 
 to tlic eai 
 
 westwarc 
 
•] 
 
 LAKE SUI'EIUOR. 
 
 89 II 
 
 na 
 
 with tri'cen fluorito and a littlo calcito, whilist in contrast to this, in X,*^* ^l''^®' 
 ilio (lovolopmonts at the othoi- end of tho vein, tho silver minerals k>"oup of soi 
 iiiue been found in a white sat'cliarine ^angue conisistiu^ mostly of. 
 ^vllite baiite and calcito, with a little colorless quartz, and occasionally 
 ;i little ^rcen tluorite. Tho vugs aie generally lined with large 
 cleavage masses and ciystals of calcito, and in one thei-e were found 
 wcll-fonncd small crystals of that ininoi-al showing the ])risni, ter- 
 iiiinated with faces of the rhomljohcdron, upon which were supcr- 
 iiiipo.>-ed small ci-ystals of irnn ])yiitos. Tho metallic minerals !ii't) jj|i'jj;l|'|'|'", 
 vepresented hy blende, both light and dark-colored, galena and iron 
 ])yrites, with occasionally a little coj)pcr pyrites, the silver occui-ring-'^''^'-"''- 
 both native and as sulphide or argcntito. The latter is tho most com- 
 iiioii, tbi'ming films, sheets and solid nuggets often several ounces in 
 weight, whilst the former (jccurs in lilms, but more often in fej-n-liko 
 III 1(1 wire forms. 
 
 The enclosing or country rock of this vein shows no very particular l'-'ii;iopinK 
 leatuics which distinguish it from the other veins already mentioned, 
 except that the argil lite is probably somewhat more carbonaceous in 
 ])laces. This is notably the case aiounil tho developments made on tho 
 eastern face of the hill, and was especially noticeable in the driving of 
 the adit, when the miners used to come out looking quite black, which 
 eharacteristic, together with its softer nature, serves to distinguish tho 
 aigillites in tho neighborhood of this vein from that enclosing some 
 other veins in the district. It shows a system of jointing in ))laces, 
 at one in two directions — one N. 15° K., dipping 85''' E., and tho other 
 X. 85° E., dipphig 85° S., the latter dii-eclion corresponding to one of the 
 two prevalent in the rocks of the coast section. The cap]Mng trap pre- 
 sents no features of marked ditU'erence to that already described. The 
 accompanying illustration (Plate IX., tig. 1, p- 72 II.) shows tho 
 position of tho country rocks on tho south or foot wall of tho vein and 
 also illustrates their disj)lacement by it, the lower dotted lino represent- 
 ing the under surface of tho trap sheet on the opposite oi- hanging wall. 
 
 Tho work done on this vein is mostly i-epresentod in Fig. 1, Plate 
 IX., which shews tho developments made on its eastern end up to ,. , 
 
 ' ' I Development 
 
 the end of July, 1887, but besides this, several test pits, etc., have work, 
 been sunk on the outcroppings, foi- a distance of nearly 4,fJ00 feet 
 beyond No. 3 shaft, tho positions and heights of which will bo 
 seen on reference to tho accompanying contour map of tho Silver 
 ^[ountain mining district. These developments on the west end 
 of the vein have been made chiefly at three points. The pit nearest 
 to the oast lino of E. 56 location is only about 8 feet deep. Passing 
 westwards, we come to a small cross-cut tunnel driven into tho 
 
 i 
 
 
 f: 
 
 It' < 
 
 It. 
 
m 
 
 90 II 
 
 GEOLOaiCAL 8UKVKV OF CANADA. 
 
 The Silver 
 Moiintiiin 
 Rruup of veinB 
 continued 
 
 Erratum in 
 illustration. 
 
 Occurrenco of 
 rich silver urc. 
 
 " Gaunter ' 
 veins. 
 
 side of tlio hill through tho ur^illites for iv distanco of about 2."> 
 foot at which distanco it cuts tho voin at about 25 foot below 
 its out-crop. From tho end of this tunnel, a small shaft has been 
 sunk to a depth of about 30 teot upon tho vein. Further woat again 
 another similar cross-cut has boon driven in through tho argillitos i'ov 
 a distanco of about oighteen feet to tho vein, and about twenty-seven 
 feet beyond it. It cuts the voin at a depth of about twelve foot below 
 its out-crop, which is here just underneath the lower surface of the 
 sheet of trap capping tho ai'gillites. Below tho floor of this tunnol u 
 small pit, about fifteen feet deep, has been sunk on the voin. 
 
 The extent to which the vein has been tested at its oastorn end is 
 best understood by i-eforonco to Plate IX., fig. 1, which shows tho 
 developments up to tho ond of July, 1887, of which nothing further 
 need bo said beyond pointing out that in putting together the various 
 data from which the illustr-ation has been compiled that an error has 
 crept in and No. 3 shaft should bo shown at a distanco of 820 feet west 
 from No. 2 shsift, instead of Jis therein i-epresented. 
 
 The first ore discovered here was remarkably rich. It was obtained 
 from No. 4 pit (Plate IX., fig. 1) and carried a large percentage of 
 native silver and argentite, accompanied chiefiy by dark-colored blonde. 
 The native metal occured in the leaf and wire form, whilst tho argentite 
 occured in leaves, sheets, and as nuggets weighing often several ounces, 
 which latter occurred quite plentifully in some spots. On my visit to 
 the place shortly after its discovery, I saw a cigar box full of such 
 nuggets which had been taken by the discoverer out of a few cubic feet 
 of rock obtained in sinking tho discovery pit (No. 4), and I feel sure 
 that several tons of ore could have been obtained from this spot which 
 would have averaged from $1,000 to $2,000 per ton. This was, of 
 course, exceptionally lich and, although silver bearing rock has been 
 found at several other spots in the vein, none of it has been so rich as 
 this, nor, up to tho present time, do the developments on tho east end 
 of tho property seem to have resulted in the proving of any extensive 
 bodies of ore. An encouraging fact is found, *ic«^yover, in tho presence 
 of good ore in tho vein, running about $127 to tho ton* at the west end, 
 about a miledistant from t'-io first mentioned, .in i it would seem strange 
 if, between these extreme points, the vein v.ere found barren of any 
 bodies of payable yield and size. The developments, however, at the 
 western end of tho vein have not yet boon extensive enough to throw 
 any light on the extent of the body of ore there discovered. 
 
 Some good silver ore was also obtained in the two small caunter- 
 veins shown on tho plan on either side of tho main vein. The one on 
 the south shows in the trap, whilst the drift on that on tho north is in, 
 the argillite Just below tho trap-bed. 
 
 •See Report of Geological Survey, 1886. Part T. Assays Nos. <8 and 49. 
 
.. « 
 
 ,Nr.«Li.] LAKE SUPERIOR. 91 H 
 
 Tho hiHtoi-y of this mine has boon as follows : — It was discovoi'oci in The silver 
 thi' fall of 1884 by Mr. Oliver Daunais, before tnontioned as tho locator irou;) of Toim 
 of tho Rabbit Mountain vein and of tho cliicf veins of that distiict. 
 This gentleman, together with his associates, finding such rich oi-o as 
 mentioned, took up locations including the vein for over a mile. Tho 
 ])r(»perty was then dealt with in separate halves, known as the Kast njstoryof 
 and West ends respectively. The former was shortly afterwards 
 leased to some American capitalists on a twelve months' option, and 
 these gentlemen commenced operations in the spiing of 1885, and 
 continued with a considerable force until the end of tlio same jQuv, 
 when having, it is said, expended about 810 000 in work, their option 
 having expired, and tho lesults of their work not having come up to 
 theii" expectation, they did not feel inclined to give tho price asked, 
 and tho mine reverted to tho original owners, who then interested with 
 them tho Messrs. Trethowoy, who had formerly managed tho Stiver 
 Islet Mine. 
 
 During tho year 188G, no work was done, with tho exception of a 
 little occasionally undertaken by tho owners, which, however, resulted 
 in their striking some more silver beaiing •ock in tho upper tunnel on 
 extending it some little distance beyond the point at which tho 
 American company had left off and whoio the vein had been poor. In 
 the fall of 1886 a company was organized in Liverpool, Eng., to pur- 
 chase and work tho mine with a share-capital of £100,000, under the 
 name of the Silver Mountain Mine Company (Limited), which has 
 carried on operations over ^inco. Accoi-ding to tho prospectus tho 
 capital was distributed as follows : — 
 
 Purchase of property and costs of f Cash, £30,000 
 
 floating Co. (paid by vendors). • • . t Shares @ £1 25,000 
 
 £55,000 
 
 To be allotted to directors in lieu of remuneration 
 for two years, and to other parties for services 
 rendered in connection with the formation of 
 the Co.- Shares @ £1 each 9,000 
 
 £()4,0()0 ' 
 Leaving for Working Capital 36.000 
 
 Total £100.000 
 
 Tho west end property was bonded also, but aftei- a little work had 
 been done with very encouraging results, the parties got into litigation 
 as to who should have control, which of course put a stop to any further 
 work, and it has i-emained in that state over since. Operations were 
 carried on at this point in the winter of 1885-6. 
 
 ) I! •; 
 
 '■. ft-; 
 
 I 
 
 H 1; 
 
 ,/■, 
 
 i '', 
 

 (»i!i!: 
 
 m 
 
 The Silver 
 Mountain 
 group of veil 
 continued. 
 
 Enclosiii!.' 
 roek>. 
 
 Developmci' 
 
 Another vein. 
 
 Vein 
 oharaotori''! 
 
 92 II 
 
 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 Crown Point Mine. 
 
 Tho vein liere was discovered shortly after that at Silver Mountain, 
 [t is about three to four feet wide, although as in the case of the other 
 veins of the disl-iet, sometimes split up and rather indefinite, and 
 represented only by numerous branches through the country rocks. 
 As far as developed up to tho end of 1886, barite and calcite 
 had been the preponderating minerals in the vein-stuff, which were 
 accompanied by a little colourless ([uartz and some green and purple 
 fluorilc, in which gangue, in tho orey parts, were to be found blende, 
 galena and pyrites, tho silver being in the form of argentite in leaf 
 and nugget. 
 
 Tho enclosing country rock is vciy similar to that at the Silver 
 Mountain Mine, the argillito being black and soft. The enclosing rocks 
 are similarly faulted by the vein, but in the opposite direction, and 
 lo ji much less extent than at that place, there being here a down- 
 throw on the south side which only amounts to some sixteen feet. The 
 capping trap has been dcsci-ibed as a tolerably tine-grained, very much 
 altered diabase by Mr. W. S. Bayley, who made a microscopic study of 
 a specimen of this rock taken from near the vein. (See Ai)pendix I., 
 Xo. 25!)). 
 
 The woi'kings on the vein have all been prosecuted in the upper 
 jiortion of tho black argillites, and are comprised within a depth of 140 
 feet below tho capping trap as shown in tho illustration (Plate IX, tig, 2) 
 which gives tho developments made on the vein up to the end of 1886. 
 These have all been made by the original owners, who have .:ot had 
 capital enough at command to open up the vein to a greater extent, 
 although the I'csults have certainly been encouraging. 
 
 About ten chains N.W. from this place occurs another very 
 similar but smaller vein which was found cutting the capping trap, 
 and a small amount of test work done to trace it down into tho under- 
 l3'ing black shales which was, however, stopped before anything very 
 definite luul been proved, owing to the parties who were prosecuting 
 the woi'k, linding that the vein was not on their own j)ro))erty. 
 
 Palisades \'ein. 
 
 Here a vein has been located and some little work done to test it. 
 It contaiiis tlie usual metallic minerals, which are plentiful in ])laces, in 
 a gangue of calcite with colourless white and pale amethyst quartz 
 and a little fluorite occurring in scattered particles and mammillated 
 layers, the surfaces of some of which have a tendency to assume an 
 amethyst colour, tho rest of the mass being emerald green. The vein, 
 
T" 
 
 •] 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR.' 
 
 93 n 
 
 iJ 
 
 
 where worked on, is ontirol}- in the .soft black argillitos and f'l^''^lcs The^SUver 
 below tho lower tongue of the trap sheet which caps this hill. Of ^1"^ B'oup of ^'oins 
 trap, Mr. W. S. Bayley says " this is a medium-grained diabase with 
 the typical diabase structure." (See Appendix, specimen No. .338). 
 
 The developments to the end of 1887, consisted of a small cross-cut i^eveiopmcntg. 
 tunnel driven southwards into the baso of the hill at a depth of about 
 40 feet below the outcrop of the vein and the base of tho trap sheet, 
 which, at a distance of iifty feet in from its mouth has intersected the 
 vein, from which point a shall has been sunk on it said to be fifty foot 
 deep, and to have shown the enclosing rock to be argillitc all the waj* 
 down. At the end of the tunnel, the vein consists of numerous 
 blanches and stringers distributed through a thickness of about ten' 
 feet of the argillites. 
 
 Scripture's Vein. 
 
 This is a two to three feet vein showing in the capping trap bed of 
 Silver Blutt', and <he sedimentary beds below it. It is filled mostly v.; n 
 with crystallised barite, giving tho veinstone a confused interferont 
 platy structure. The vein has a somewhat banded appearance at this 
 place, owing to tho presence of a two to four inch rib of green fluorito 
 on each wall, and to a banded appearance of tho bai-ite filling near the 
 walls. A little white quartz is also present. Very little metal'ic 
 minerals were visible, but as only sixty feet of the vein was exposed in 
 tlie cliff*, the talus covering up all below, and as no development woi-k 
 had been done on it, very little is as yet known about it. No appre- 
 ciable faulting of the rocks has been produced by the fissure. 
 
 The enclosing rocks of this vein consist of an upper bod of the usual Enpio-insr 
 
 ro c k '^ • 
 
 trap of thodistrict underlaid by a highly siliceous, wavily-beddcd, flaggy 
 rock with marked vertical Jointing in two directions. These hav^ 
 already been described more fully, and their microscopic characters 
 referred to. (See Appendix I., specimei!*. Nos. 301, 302 and 303). 
 
 Silrer Hill. 
 
 Two veins have been located ut this place and w^orked upon to a small 
 extent. Tho most southerly one presents the featui-e, at one opening, y, m 
 of two distinct ribs, one made up of barite crystallized in radiating '^^.'"""°*^"'''*'*" 
 platy forms, whose interstitial spaces are filled out with ci-ystalline 
 eolourloss quartz, whilst tho rest of tho vein al, this spot consists 
 ibr tho most part of calcite, in coarsely crystallised masses, accompanied 
 by a fair amount of, mostly colourless but sometimes amethystine, 
 quartz, some barite and a little pale green fluorite At another open- 
 
 ii 
 
I -! 
 
 TU 
 
 
 ■ S- 
 
 I -I; 
 
 I » 
 
 94 H 
 
 OEOLOOICAL SURVEr OF CANADA. 
 
 continued. 
 
 TheSilver ing again, the vein consists almost altogotherof calcite, with quartz and 
 group^f veins gr«en fluoiite and very little oarittj. The work done on this vein to 
 the end of 1886, con.-isted of a few shaljow test pits, sunk at intervals 
 apart, over a distance of 150 yards on the outcrop of the vein. 
 
 The other vein cuts the hill and is smaller and less definite than the 
 last, averaging about one foot thick as fur as e.Kposed, and showinii; 
 similar filling to the other, only that the barite is absent The work 
 done to the end of 1886 was slight, consisting of three small open cuts 
 driven in on the vein, one above the other, on the west side of the hill. 
 The enclosing rocks of these veins consist of highly ferruginous cherty 
 rocks, accompanied at places by compact jaspei* bands and ferruginous 
 dolomite beds which, on the hill, are capped by a bed of trap. A 
 little native silvei 
 hill. 
 
 and argentite has been found in the vein on the 
 
 Silver Falls Vein. 
 
 
 1 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 Vein This is a large vein, and. as far as proved by the present develop- 
 
 charaotenstics. jjjonts, differs somewhat from the rest of the veins in the district. In 
 the shaft, at the surface, it showed vein matter over a width of fifteen 
 feet, but at the time of my visit, October, 1886, the work done had not 
 been sufficient to demonstrate exactly its dimensions and nature. In 
 a sample of about ten pounds, obtained by the owners from some 
 distance down in the shaft, the vein stone consisted of an intimate mix- 
 ture of compact quartz with some dark material, giving it a general 
 dark greenish-grey appearance, which was relieved occasionally by 
 the occurrence of quartz of a j^ale pink, amethyst, or more often 
 white colour, with pale pink and cream-coloured dolomitic spar occa- 
 sionally. The jointing surfaces were faced with a dark, probably 
 plumbaginous coating. At other places, the pink spar constituted the 
 bulk of the vein, and on the presence of this spar and its resemblance 
 to similar vein-stone which had accompanied the silver of Silver Islet, 
 the owners based hopes that similar rich ore might be found in their 
 vein. In places a good proportion of finely disseminated iron pyrites 
 was visible in the above described sample. 
 
 The enclosing rock of this vein consists of the jaspery and cherty 
 rocks of the lower division, which here, adjacent to the vein, present 
 the unusual Icature of being much contorted, which is in great contrast 
 to the usually flat j)osition of the rest of the Animikic formation of the 
 vicinity. This disturbed condition will be apparent on referring to 
 the map, from an examination of which it will be seen that the beds 
 turn down sharply on the hanging wall of the vein, whilst thoy dip 
 steeply the opposite way on the other side, and again reverse their 
 
 Enolosinf: 
 rocks. 
 
INQALL.] 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 95 H 
 
 
 IV ' 
 
 111 
 
 % 
 
 (lip about seventy paces further down the creek, where theyjshow in The Silver 
 a little fall of about twenty feet. This is probably a local effect pro- group of'vein? 
 diiced by the vein, which has probablj' faulted the rocks. These rocks 
 liore carry at places little interbedded lenticular patches of crystal- 
 lised vein minerals, which enclose sometimes a little iron and copper 
 pyrites, and all of which are probably due to infiltration into spaces 
 formed by Jhe folding of the rocks. 
 
 To the end of 1886, the work done consisted of a fifty-feet shaft sunk work done, 
 on the veir>, from which, at a iLpth of about forty-five "feet, a cross-cut 
 fifteen feet in length was driven acro,s8 it. Besides this, some surface 
 strippings were made, extending over a distance of about fifty yards of 
 the outcrop of the vein. 
 
 Ji 64 Location. 
 
 Several large veins occur on this property, of thicknesses varying y,j|; 
 from three to eight feet, and showing all the characteristics of definite <''^"'''"''<"'''''°^- 
 tissures. In their contents, the various forms of quartz preponderate, 
 wii cii are accompanied in places by varying proportions of green fluor- 
 • !■', calcite, and occasionally a little barite. At one exposure, the vein 
 consists almost entirely of solid vitreous silica, and has a marked, 
 banded or combed appearance from the " cone in cone structure " pro- 
 duced by the difi'eient coloured layers (amethyst, white, translucent, 
 etc.,) of the quartz being arranged parallel to tlie faces of the terminal 
 pyramid. The fluorite seems to have been mo.-itly deposited between the 
 inegular surfaces of these layei-s. The metallic minerals represented by 
 blonde, galena and pyrites occur occasionally, both disseminated, and 
 the latter also as very thin films coating cleavage ])lanes. Jointing, etc. 
 The enclosing i-ocks comprise the jaspery, magnotitic and rusty silice- 
 ous bed 'if (he lower div? 'on. TSee Appendix 1., Spec. No. 281.) 
 
 The work done has been so far confined to the tracing of the veins ,,, , , 
 
 ° vi orK done. 
 
 and to ;iiO sinking of shallow test pits on their outcrops. 
 
 Other Veiri^. 
 
 Several othe- veins have been located in this district on which a 
 little test work has been done, viz. : on Locations M 79 and /i 111, and 
 on Tchiafan's vein on Location R 115. Thc^e are all in the siliceous 
 I'ocks of the lower division. Ji 79 vein is filled at one ])lace with a 
 gaiigue of saccharine quartz and spai-, the latter mostly calcite, 
 wli'lst at another opening it consists altogether of comjjact vitreous, 
 iron .lined quartz resembling the gaugue of the gold veins of the 
 llu,< iuu areas of this region. It carries a little disseminated pyrites, 
 gale'u; ;.,.id blende. 
 
 '■ r 
 
 1 ::■ ;t 
 
 I t 
 

 ■'■■■ 
 
 
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 < 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 i\'; 
 
 
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 1 1 *■' '' 
 
 } 
 
 ' if ; 
 
 I 
 
 
 II H 
 
 ' f 
 
 
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 1 I i 
 
 The Silver 
 Mountain 
 grour) of veins 
 continued. 
 
 Vein in 
 Archean rook.-- 
 
 9G II 
 
 OEOLOniCAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 The E 111 vein is very similar to most of those already doscvibcd, 
 ( ai-rying a little of the usual metallic mineials in a gani>ue of calcite, 
 amethystine and colourless quartz and gi'ceti fluorito. On this vein tho 
 prospecting work done lo the end of ]88(! had been inconsiderahlo, 
 consisting of several test pits on the outcrop of the vein, tracing it 
 i'oi- a distance of about two hundred feet, and a small thirty feet tunnel 
 driven into the base of the ridge on which the vein outcrops and cross- 
 cutting tho same at a depth of about twenty feet below the surface. 
 
 Tchiatan's vein is large and compact, about three to four feet thick, 
 on which, besides some surface work in the outcroppings of the vein. 
 a shaft has been sunk said to be forty feet deep. Judging from the 
 ore dump at this point, the vein has carried considerable quantities of 
 blende, which, with a little galena, occurs in a gangue similar to those 
 ali-eady described, but carrying occasionally a little flesh-coloured 
 barite. The blende is . 'I«t-col)ured, and occurs largely crystallized 
 in solid ribs and masses.* iamiration of tho rock broken shows 
 
 that the beds encountered n. .iking this shaft somewhat resemble 
 those already described as occurring at tho south end of Contact 
 Eidge, viz., red jaspery beds separated by dark-green chloritic layers. 
 
 Tvoodside's Vein. 
 
 This example ditTers from the others within this area, in that it 
 occurs in the Archean granitic and gneissic rocks underlying tho 
 Animikio, the northern fringe of which is most probably located in 
 this immediate vicinity, being covered up by tho drift which hides every, 
 thing for some distance to the S. of the AVhitefish river. The vein in 
 its nature and contents is very similar to the rest, and carries blende- 
 galena and pyrites distributed through tho usual gangue in modei-ate 
 profusion. t The pyrites occurs occasionally in peculiar ring-like or 
 rather more hexagonal arrangements in the calcite, the centres of the 
 rings etc., consisting also of the latter mineral. Purple fluorite also 
 occurs in the joint fissures of tho enclosing granitic and gneissic rocks. 
 The work done up to the middle of October, 188(j, consisted of some 
 explorations and pits in the out-crop of the vein over a distance of 
 about 100 yard-, and of u Iwenty-tive foot shaft, sunk on the hangini;' 
 wall, which had just reached the vein at that depth. 
 
 WiiiTEFisii Lake Group. 
 
 The chief examples of tho vein phenomena of this group w hich were 
 visited are described below, together with the special conditions of 
 their occurrence. Thoy all occur in the "district immediately sur- 
 
 •Seo Uei ort of Geological Survey of Canada 1887, Part T, Assoy A'o. 43.— Idcm,1886, Assay No. 45 
 fldom, PartT, Assay No. 44. 
 
 
 INOALL.] 
 
 rounding tl 
 Bluff, Caldx 
 Elver Mini 
 except the 
 division, 0( 
 distance of 
 Archean gi 
 
 The veir 
 contents as 
 a gangue c* 
 less, white 
 occasionall; 
 at all the p 
 plentiful a 
 are almost 
 
 Up to tl 
 had been fc 
 silver had 1 
 as to rende 
 here and t 
 
 The roc 
 
 piosented 
 tho Animi 
 division, 
 occupy all 
 tho divide 
 contact wi 
 with the CI 
 in the hij 
 urgillaceoi 
 tendency 
 further soi 
 ever seen, 
 developed 
 this forma 
 
 These b 
 others sur 
 by the usi 
 tho lake 
 Hh(>et of tl 
 most of tl 
 along the 
 
'1, 
 
 e, 
 
 10 
 
 it 
 
 le 
 of 
 
 •] 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 97 H 
 
 rounding this Lake. Thoy are known as the Sunset Lake, Medicine Enclosing 
 Bluff, Caldwell's, Scripture's, HurlburVs, Gerotiafs, Laplante's, Arrow > 
 
 River Mining Co.'s and Whitefish Lake Mining Go's veins, and all i 
 
 except the three first mentioned, which are in the upper black argil lite • 
 
 division, occur in the lower siliceous rocks, and are located within a 
 distunce of about two miles from where these rocks abut on the 
 Ai'chean gneissic and granitic rocks to the north. 
 
 The veins visited in this area were found to have much the same General 
 contents as those already described, viz., blende, galena and pyrites in of veinsT/thTi 
 a gangue composed of vei-y varying percentages of calcite, and colour- *"'"'*• 
 le^s, white or amethystine quartz with green fluoi-ite, barite being only 
 occasionally present. The metallic minerals are by no means present 
 at all the places at which these veins have been exposed, being fairly 
 plentiful at some of the places, whilst at others, the gangue minerals 
 are almost or entirely free from them. 
 
 Up to the end of 1886, no extensive bodies of silver bearing ore 
 had been found in any of them, and in fact at those places where good 
 silver had been reported as found, it had been removed so completely 
 as to render it difficult to find more than traces of the silver minerals 
 here and there. 
 
 The rocks of this area show much the same features as those Geological 
 piosentcd by the Silver Mountain district, viz. : a general division of district! "^ ^'" 
 tho Animikie rocks into an upper argillaceous and a lower siliceous 
 division. The latter form the northern fringe of the formation, and 
 occupy all the lower lands to the noi'th of the range of hills, forming 
 tho divide between Whitefish Lake and Whitefish Elver, their line of 
 contact with the Archean rocks to the north, being roughly coincident ; 
 
 with the course of that river. Passing southward from this, one comes 
 ill the higher levels of the south side of the river valley to the more 
 aigillaceous beds of the upper division, which shew, however, some 
 tendency in character towards the lower siliceous division, whilst 
 further south on the other side of the lake the lower beds are rarely if 
 ever seen, and the upper argillaceous beds seem to be more largely 
 developed and to closely resemble the typical black soft argillites of 
 tiiiiH formation. 
 
 These beds in the already mentioned range of hills north of, and in the ivapg. 
 01 hers surrounding Whitefish Lake are all capped at about the same level 
 hy the usual columnar trap, whilst at lower levels on the north shore of 
 tho lake there are evidences of the existence of another and inferior 
 shoot of the same. This inferior sheet shews at the water level along 
 most of the north shore of this lake, and is noticeable in passing noi'th 
 iilong the trails leading from the lake to Laplante's vein near Little 
 
 ! ; 
 
 i ' V 
 
 ' f 
 
 '■ ; ' 
 
 \ *■ 
 
 , :>,; 
 
 
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 f' 
 
 
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^''!'i 
 
 V 
 
 TJIlf'. 
 
 98 H 
 
 QEOLOQIOaL survey of CANADA. 
 
 ! i 
 
 Gull Luke, and to the Arrow River Mining Co.'s vein on Whitefish Rivoi . 
 Vertical The vertical dimensions of the sections obtained in passino over 
 
 seotion of i . i • ■ , . . 
 
 the formation— these trails wero measured with the aneroid on several occasions, and 
 
 Laplante's t ^ n . t. 
 
 Trail. gave the following mean results — 
 
 Trail to Little Gull Lake :— 
 
 500fcet Topofhill 
 
 400 to 500 feet Upper trap sheet. 
 
 260 " 400 " Exposures of argillaceous beds. 
 
 200 " 260 " Covered. 
 
 " 200 " Over lower trap sheet. 
 
 In descending the northern face of this hill, these same argillaceous 
 beds were found to underlie the upper trap, but seem to have thinned 
 out in this direction, and they measure here only about 50 feet, the 
 lower siliceous beds occupying all below this until the Archean surface 
 rises from beneath them to the north. To the west of this hill lies the 
 one on whoso northern and eastern slopes are located Iho worlyngs on 
 Giroux's and HurlburVc 7>ins and the lower surface of the trap sheet 
 capping it having been measured in the same way, is found to occur at 
 a height of about 450 ft of above the lake with a thickness of about 
 100 feet, whilst^furthor in^rth, the lower surface of the trap capping one 
 of the Outpost Hills immediately north o^ Laplante's vein, was found 
 to be at an elevation of about TOO feet above Whitctish Lake, and its 
 upper surface at nearly 800 feet. 
 
 In passing over the trail a mile or two west from the last mentioned 
 
 wtioai'seotion onO) fi'om the lake to i)\Q Arrow River Mining Co.'s works, the following 
 
 ation? '"""' vertical section was obtained in a similar manner. 
 
 360 feet Topofhill 
 
 280 to 860 feet Upper trap sheet ) shewing in a hill a little 
 
 180 " 280 " Argillaceous beds) to the east of trail. 
 
 140 " 180 " Covered 
 
 " 140 " Over lower trap sheet. 
 
 This hill is one of those forming the divide range between the Lake 
 and Whitefish Eiver, and in descending its northern face a diminish- 
 hment similar to the above-mentioned, is observed of the thickness of 
 the upper division beds lying between the capping trap sheet and the 
 lower siliceous division rocks, the latter constituting all the rock 
 exposures along the trail from this point, on in a northerly direction 
 till their contact with the Archean is reached. 
 
 In neither of these sections is the lower trap sheet mot with in 
 •descending the northern face of the i-ange, as the ground never comes 
 
 % 
 
,NG*iL.] LAKE SUPERIOR, 99 H 
 
 down to the level sit which its upper surface shews on the Whitofish 
 Lake side, so that the question as to whether it extends that distance, 
 iind therefore ui.dorlies the cherty rocks there exposed, or whether it 
 tliins out in going north, is still unsettled. 
 
 The composition of these various rocks has been described in the 
 foregoing parts of this report, and the features presented by them at 
 tho various points visited, are dealt with later, so that nothing further 
 need here be said. 
 
 Sunset Lake Vt>n. 
 
 This vein at the place where the chief development work has been wiutofishL. 
 done upon it is enclosed in siliceous beds, Ij'ing on a sheet of trap which *'^°"'' '^^ '^""* 
 shows in a little cliff to the south of the workings on the north shore 
 of the little lake, known by the above name. About 100 yards to the 
 north of this spot, beds of a higher horizon show in a bluff, consisting 
 oi black argillites capped with the usual columnar trap of the district. 
 The vertical section of the beds here, is therefore, as follows, com- 
 mencing from the level of Sunset Lake upwards. 
 
 130 to 160 feet An estimated thickness of columnar trap. ^cticHfofthe 
 
 110 " 130 " Black argillites and shale. formation. 
 
 30 '' 110 " Covered. 
 
 20 " 30 " Covered (at thirty feet worku /s on the 
 
 vein in the siliceous beds). 
 " 20 " Lower sheet of trap. 
 
 This brings us to the top of the ridge separating Sunset Lake from 
 Whitefish Lake, from which point there is a fall of about 280 feet to 
 the level of the latter lake, in the descent of which by the trail, how- 
 ever, the rocks below tho upper trap are all found to bo covered up. 
 
 The lower trap sheet shows considerablo evidence of being an intru- sheet. 
 sion. It is darker and more compact than the upper one, especially 
 towards its upper surface, where it has been in contact with the over- 
 lying rocks, which, by cooling this part more rapidly than the central 
 portion, would have produced this compactness, whilst in descending 
 tho little cliff, wo find the rock assuming a much coarser and more dis- 
 tinctly crystalline texture. The extremely smooth upper surface of 
 this sheet would also seem to point to its being an intrusion amongst 
 smoothly bedded rocks, as the absence of any grooving or polishing 
 foibids the supposition that it is, like some of the similar smooth sur- 
 fiicos of this district, due to ice-planing. 
 
 The work done on the vein has been very little, consisting of a fifteen- 
 .t'eet test-pit and some surface work in the outcrop at various points. 
 
 ■ 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 k t ^ . 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 $'■' •'• 
 
 
 1 
 
 k 
 
 1 
 t 
 
100 H 
 
 QEOLOOICAL SURVEY OF CANADA, 
 
 Medicine Bluff. 
 
 Two veins have been tested to a small extent in this vicinity, oi. 
 
 ■: i 
 
 < 3 
 
 Whitefigh L. 
 group of Tein8 
 
 oontinued. mining locations E 208 and R 119 respectively. The work to the cii'i 
 of 188G, at the former place, consisted of a small cross-cut, driven 
 
 Location R208i about thirty feet through the argillite into the side of the bluff near 
 the top to intersect the vein, which hero dips at 80° to the noi-th, 
 from the end of which drift a little pit has been sunk. These develop- 
 ments have not been prosecuted far enough to prove much about the 
 vein. Medicine Bluff itself consists of black, soft argillites and shales, 
 capped by a columnar bed of trap. About half a mile to the east of 
 the before-mentioned workings, the section presented in the bluff is as 
 
 of the form- foUows : — The Contact of the argillites with the trap is found to be 
 
 * '*"*• 400 feet by aneroid above the water of Whitefish Lake, the traj) 
 
 having an estimated thickness of from 100 to 150 feet above this point, 
 whilst below it the argillaceous beds show at intervals for a distance, 
 vertically, of about 150 feet, everything below this being coveied 
 uj> by detiital matter fallen from the cliff above. The name Medicine 
 Bluff is derived from the occurrence in the face of the cliff of a rainei;il 
 eftioi escence, w .ch is probably alum, stained with hydrated iron oxides 
 derived from the re-action of the oxidation products of the pyrites on 
 the shale in which it occurs. It is said that the Indians gather it for 
 medicinal purposes, hence the name. 
 
 Location R IIP. The vein on R 119 location lies about half a mile to the west of tht^ 
 last-mentioned point, and skirts along the base of a bluff which rises 
 out of a swamp, and consists of columnar trap for the greater part of 
 its height of 300 feet, as measured by aneroid. Just at its base, argil- 
 lites are seen to underlie it, only showing, however, a thickness of a 
 few feet above the surface of the swamp. They appear to be mostly 
 soft, but not so dark in color as the typical black ai-gillite, whilst at 
 other places there are portions whose coarsei* grain would relate them 
 more to sandstones. The work done consists of a cross-cut driven in 
 through the argillites of the hanging wall for a distance of about 
 twenty feet, when it reached the vein. At this spot, the edges of the 
 argillites lyin^ in a horizontal position come abruptly up against the 
 trap forming the cliff, and there is some appearance of this trapbeini>- 
 a dyke running parallel with the vein, and cutting both the befoie- 
 mentioned horizontal trap sheet and the underlying argillites ; but 
 further work is required to prove this. It is also difficult to decide, 
 without working over a much larger area than was possible in visitinii' 
 this spot, whether the capping trap here found at the level of the lake 
 is part of that sheet which in the vicinity rests on the argillites at 
 
 k 
 
 ! M, 
 i 
 
 
 
T 
 
 INliAlL.] 
 
 LAKE 8UPEEII0R. 
 
 101 H 
 
 1 
 
 a height of 400 feet above this level, and is faulted down into its whiteflnh l. 
 present position, or whether it is a sheet occurring lower down in the ?^ontfnuedI" 
 formation. 
 
 Caldwell's Vein. ' 
 
 This vein shows a little to the west of the trail going to Little Gull 
 Lake from Whitefish Lake, cropping out on the side of the hill which 
 rises to the north of the western end of Whitefish L.iko, over which 
 the trail passes. Where seen, it is enclosed in rather hard, dark argil- 
 lites, which show a tendency in places to approach in their nature the 
 more siliceous lower division beds. The vein shows here about four 
 foet thick, dips steeply to the south, and passes a little above this 
 epot upwards into the trap sheet which here caps the argil lites and Rocks faulted 
 forms the top of the hill. The vein is here seen to have faulted the 
 enclosing rocks several feet. Little or no work has been done on it. 
 
 by vein 
 
 Scripture's Vein. 
 
 A vein known by this name occurs some distance further up this 
 trail, where it is seen to be enclosed in the typical jaspery and wavily 
 bedded ferruginous cherty rocks of the lower siliceous division, which, 
 in the neighbourhood of the vein, are plentifully penetrated in all 
 directions by stringers tilled with crystallised quartz, the vein itself 
 being entirely made up of this mineral of the various colours preva- 
 lent in the district, and showing a tendency to a cone-like structure. 
 The vein is solid, and four feet thick, dipping to the south. The work 
 (lone consists of an open cut driven into the side of the hill which it 
 intersects. 
 
 HurlburVs Vein. 
 
 Passing westwards from Scripture's, we ascend the steep east-facing 
 slope of a hill, showing about 150 feet of the wavily-bedded silico- 
 ferruginous rocks capped by a sheet of trap about 100 feet in thick- 
 ness. A little pit about six feet deep has been sunk in the vein where 
 il outcrops about fifty feet below the trap. About half a mile further 
 west, on the run of and presumably on the same vein, some little work 
 has been done in its outcropping, and it is said that good ore, carrying 
 native silver, has been obtained at both of these places. None, how- 
 over, was to be seen at any of the accessible points, although an assay 
 of some picked pieces from the first-mentioned developments gave 
 nearly two ounces to the ton,* showing that the metallic minerals 
 thorein contained carried silver, as none of the silver minerals proper 
 
 • See Report of Geological Survey of Canada, 1887. Part T Assay No. 38. 
 
 i 
 
 % 
 
 \i 
 
 i 
 
 '.t 
 
 n 
 
102 H 
 
 fiEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 ( 1 
 
 i '' 
 
 ■ i 
 
 /• 
 
 Whitefiah L. 
 group of veina 
 — flontinued. 
 
 ! S 
 
 could bo dotccted in the rock, even with tho lens. The latter, or most 
 westerly workings, occur on the north slope of the same hill, and the 
 enclosing rock of the vein is here a hard, dark siliciticd argillite, the 
 edge of the capping trap sheet showing a short distance (o the south 
 at a little higher level than the workings. 
 
 Gerovx's Vein. 
 
 The workings at this place are apparently upon tho extension ot 
 Hulbnrt's vein, and aro situated on tho north face of the same hill, 
 about half a mile west of tho last-mentioned ]'Oint. At Gerour's work- 
 ings, the enclosing rocks belong to tho typical chorty and dolomitic 
 beds of the lower division, ])ot\veen which and the overlying trap sheet 
 intervene some ton to fifteen feet of tho black, soft argillitcs which 
 show in a thirty-feet cliff about one-quarler of a mile south fi;om the 
 workings. 
 
 A curious feature here presented consists in tho occui-ronco amongst 
 the chorty rocks proper of a light green dolomitic rock, whose colour 
 is found to bo duo to tho plentiful distribution through it of a pale 
 green aboresccnt or fibrous mineral, probably actinolite, which has 
 most likoly been developed in the dolomitic bed by subsequent meta- 
 morphism. 
 
 Below this point, tho ground falls away rapidly to the north and 
 west for a vertical distance of about 200 feet, over which area nothing 
 but chert and jasper bods ai'O to be seen, which a mile west of this are 
 found to abut against the pale pink gneissic rocks of the Archean. 
 
 Lap [antes Vein. 
 
 About a mile and a half north-east from tho last mentioned, on the 
 Contaptof line of junction between the Animikie and Archean rocks, test shafts 
 
 Animikie and "' 
 
 Archean rooks, have been sunk on two veins running parallel to each other on either 
 side of a ridge of the latter, which is flanked on both sides by the 
 Animikie jaspers and cherts. Tho shaft on the east vein is about 
 thirty feet in depth and sunk on an indcfinito vein or lot of branches 
 and sti'ingers distributed through a dark-green, slicken&ided, chloritic 
 material, which may be possibly part of the vein, and having a general 
 dip towards tho north-west, whilst tho strike is north-east. In the 
 thirty-feet shaft on the opposite side of tho ridge, a well-defined, solid 
 four-foot vein is visible, going down about vertically as far as followed. 
 It has evidently faulted tho enclosing rocks, as the one wall consists of 
 (he gneiss, etc., of tho above-mentioned ridge, whilst tho ferruginous, 
 jaspery and chorty beds form the opposite or W. wall. Just at the 
 
 lop of the 
 well shown 
 lM)rizontal 
 no thicker 
 
 At tho p 
 
 companies 
 
 same vein. 
 
 whilst at a 
 
 is so comr 
 
 split up. 
 
 opmcnts h 
 
 an area of 
 
 rocks for 
 
 trail leadii 
 
 about a qv 
 
 come in c( 
 
 peculiar f( 
 
 shaft of J 
 
 argillitcs 
 
 much silic 
 
 to be free 
 
 resemblec 
 
 A pecul 
 
 which oft 
 
 the cleavt 
 
 not deteri 
 
 vescence ' 
 
 features s 
 
 lite and ( 
 
 of dark s 
 
 greenish- 
 
 (lecompoi 
 
 -hafts 8u: 
 
 apart of 
 
 between 
 
 About 
 
 liave be( 
 
 ceous ro 
 
h 
 
 NGALl.] 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 103 H 
 
 top of the shaft, the original contact of these two systems of rocks is whiteflsh Lb 
 well shown, the gneiss being overlaid by a thin sheet of jasper in afSutSiued. 
 horizontal position, which at places has been denuded otf so as to be 
 11(1 thicker than one's hand. 
 
 Arrow River and Whitefish Lake Mining Companies. 
 
 At the place shown upon the Sketch Map, the two above-mentioned 
 companies have done a small amount of testing, both working on the 
 same vein. It shows as a solid foui'-feet vein on the surface at one place, 
 whilst at another thoie are c\'j;ht to ten feet of solid vein stuff, but as 
 is so common in these veins when followed down, it is at places all 
 split up. Its dip would ajipear to bo to the south, although the devel- 
 opments have not gone far enough to prove exactly. It outcrops in 
 an area of the typical lower siliceous beds which show as the surface 
 rocks for over half a mile south of the vein, being exposed along the 
 trail leading to this place, and are again seen on the Whitetish River, 
 about a quarter of a mile to the north of the same spot, where they 
 come in contact with the Archtean. The enclosing rocks present no 
 peculiar features, except in the occurrence towards the bottom of the 
 shaft of a rock having more the color and texture of some of the 
 argillites of the upper division, but which differs from them in being 
 much silicified and hard. The bedding planes of the rock were found 
 to be frequently coated with a black material that rubbed oft' and 
 resembled graphite. 
 
 A peculiar feature is presented by some of the calcite in the gangue, 
 which often has quite a pearly lustre and tendency to curvature of 
 ihe cleavages, which variety is often stained dark by some material 
 not determined, but that it is merely calcite is shown by its free oft'er- 
 vescence with acids and by its cleavage angles. Other somewhat marked 
 features are the occurrence of the quartz in veins intersecting the cal- 
 cite and crystallized in the fieer spots and cavities, and the presence 
 of dark streaks through the gangue, which, judging from their dark- 
 i^reenish-black, lustrous appearance, are probably some chloritic 
 decomposition product. The work done consists in the main of two 
 -hafts sunk on the vein, each about thirty feet deep, at a distance 
 apart of about 900 feet, with some little workings in the outcrop 
 between them. 
 
 About half a mile to the south of this point, a couple of shallow pits 
 have been sunk on a solid five feet vein which is enclosed in the sili- 
 ceous rocks. As far as can be seen it dips to the north at G5° to 10°. 
 
 1 ' 
 
 1 ' ^ 
 
 I '■ 
 
 
 I 
 
 
 i ■ i 
 
 1 
 
 r 
 
 ■«; 
 
 -^ 
 
 J^ 
 
 n 
 
 V 
 
 fl 
 
I ;• 
 
 i 
 
 !i 
 
 f ^ 
 
 i ii 
 
 Strike 
 diraottoiis. 
 
 Dipi of veins. 
 
 Phyaioal 
 oharaoteristics 
 of Toins. 
 
 10 i h qeological survey of canada. 
 
 , General Chahacterestics of the Silver Veins. 
 
 In order to conipleto the study of thin subject, it will be here neces- 
 sary to give a resume of the chariicteristics of these veins, and to men- 
 tion some of the general conclusions which may be based thei-eon. 
 
 A study of the Sketch Map will show that as regards their strike- 
 directions, they resolve themselves into three groups: A N.W. 
 group, a N.E. group and an B. and VV. g»oup. The N.W. direction of 
 strike is most characteristic of the Coast group, the famous Silver Islet 
 vein being the most striking example of this, whilst all the i-eet of this 
 group run parallel with it. The chief example outside of this is the 
 Heaver Mine. 
 
 All the veins of the Kaobit Mountain group, with the already men- 
 tioned exception of the Beaver, may be classed as N.E., whilst the 
 Thunder Bay Mine vein also belongs to this series. 
 
 The last series do not run in general due east and west, but a little N. 
 of E. and S. of W. To this series belong nearly all the chief veins of 
 the Port Arthur group, with the exception just mentioned, and nearly 
 all the Silver Mountain group. 
 
 The dip of these veins is not sufficiently worked out to form any 
 basi.s for classitication as most of them have not been followed deep 
 enough to be quite sure of what their real underlay is, and some of 
 them have changed their direction of dip in depth as at the Shuniah 
 Mine. In this connection, it may be useful to suggest that when too 
 little of a vein is visible to decide its directioii of dip, the study of 
 the displacement of the rocks generally produced by these fissures will 
 often aid in determining this point, as in nine cases out of ten, the 
 lowering of the rocks has been on the hanging wall side, whilst the 
 extent of the displacement may give a rough idea of the strength of 
 the fracturing force producing the tissuro, and therefore of the extent 
 and detiniteness of the vein. 
 
 The physical characteristics of these veins present some features of 
 interest M'orthy of notice by those working on them. These, as one 
 would expect, vary with the nature of the enclosing rocks ; in the dif- 
 ferent varieties of which the tissuring force would have different effects. 
 Thus, as a genei al rule, the veins in the trap beds are wide and solid, 
 the proportion of the wall rock enclosed by the vein tilling being com- 
 paratively slight, whilst in the argillites below, they are apt to be very 
 irregular, and at times difficult to follow, being at one place large and 
 solid, and at another all divided up, and represented by numerous 
 small stringers and branches distributed through a great thickness of 
 the argillites, these changes often occurring very suddenljMn following 
 
 them. Th 
 
 tending to 
 
 wore more 
 
 in the mor( 
 
 to fi-acturo, 
 
 l)oing a mo 
 
 those verti 
 
 This would 
 
 solid, whili 
 
 ould rese 
 
 to be so. 1 
 
 of most of 
 
 them from 
 
 been opcn< 
 
 or in their 
 
 almost alt< 
 
 These ii 
 
 tors, and I 
 
 in view oi 
 
 out that t: 
 
 where the 
 
 is considei 
 
 luring for( 
 
 it tie pluc 
 
 iluo'.igh tl 
 
 and solid 
 
 instances. 
 
 hardly be 
 
 way. Sol 
 
 tlie vein i 
 
 Slickensid 
 
 The vei 
 
 and fluori 
 
 (litferent 
 
 cics, and 
 
 the orey ] 
 
 lioing the 
 
 bably chl 
 
 lustre, w 
 
 Saponite, 
 
 extent at 
 
 tuund hi 
 
,-<aALL.] 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 105 H 
 
 tliom. This is Just what might bo expected of the action of a force 
 tmding to produce a fracture in wuch rocks, for where the argillitcH 
 wore more compact, the force would act ordy ovei' a small space, whilst 
 ill (he more shaly parts there would be a tondenc}' to give rather than 
 ti) fracture, and the force would get distributed, and again, the trap 
 l)oing a more rigid and compact rock with Jointings far ajiait in it, and 
 those vertical, one would expect a wider tissure with detinite walls. 
 This would also apply, of course to the lower siliceous division where 
 solid, whilst in the varieties with much bedding structure, the results 
 uuld resemble more those produced in the argillites, and this is foimd 
 to bo so. This would pi-obably account for the great width and solidity 
 of most of the Coastgroupof veins which, in a general way, distinguish 
 (hom ivom most of the rest of the veins under study; the former having 
 been opened upon nearly altogether where they intersect trap dykos, 
 or in their immediate vicinity, whilst the workings on the latter are 
 almost altogether in the veins where they cut the argillites. 
 
 These irregularities in width have in some cases disheartened opera- rrrefcuinriHoa 
 tors, and led them to believe that their vein had "pinched out," but "he veins!" * 
 in view of the explanations just tendered it may be usefully pointed 
 out that such fears will generally prove to be unfounded, and that 
 whore the extent of the accompanying faulting of the enclosing rocks 
 is considerable, and there is other evidence to believe tliat the trac- 
 luring force was such as to produce an extensive and persistent fissure, a 
 ittle pluck and energy in following it up will generally take one 
 Uiroiigh the disturbed parts to where the vein will again be found wide 
 iuid solid, and this has been found to be the case already in several 
 instances. The definiteness of the bounding walls of the veins, it nead 
 hardly be pointed out, also varies with the rock they are in, in a similar 
 way. Some of them, as at Jarvis Island, show slickensided walls in siickensidM. 
 the vein matter itself, and other evidences of movement since filling. 
 Slickensided surfaces are, however, not very common in the district. 
 
 The vein-filling minerals consist in general of quartz, barite, calcite Contenu of th« 
 and fluorite constituting the basis of the gangue, in which occur the 
 ditterent metallic minerals, viz., blende, galena, pyrites of various spe 
 ties, and occasionally some sulphurets of copper, whilst the silver in 
 the orey parts occurs as argentite and in the native state, the former 
 hoing the most common. At places, the veins carry a dark green, pro- chioritio and 
 hably chloritic material which on some surfaces has a bright, waxy matertais, 
 lustre, whilst occasionally a soft, greasy, talcose material, probably 
 yaponite, accompanies the ore, notably at the Beaver Mine, and to a lesser 
 vxtentatone or two other places. Carbon in various forms has also been Carbon, 
 found here and there, whilst in some of the vugs in the veins, which 
 
 'i 
 
 
 !f,f 
 

 ! t 
 
 H 
 
 i & 
 
 HI 
 
 106 H 
 
 aF.OLOQICAL SURVEY OP CANADA, 
 
 ha^e been found near the surface, stiff clay and ochreous material have 
 Bometinies been obtained, along with nuggets of argentite, the forme]-, 
 however, having evidently been washed in from the surface, and has 
 thus imbedded the silver minerals already exiisting in the ougs. 
 Siiverlsietvein These, then, are the mineral constituents of these veins but the 
 exceptional, sn^^pf jgigf vein foims somewhat of an exception, in that it carried, 
 besides these, various arsenical and antirionial ores of silver with com- 
 pounds of nickel and cobalt, and other metallic mineials which have, 
 so far, not been found in the rest of the veins. Other salient features 
 were the pink and ci'cam-colored dolomitic spar which so frequently 
 formed a characteristic and prominent constituent of the gangue of 
 tiie rich ore, and the pi'edominance of native silver in the I'ich party, 
 wheieas in the rest of the veins, though this form of silver occurs iu 
 considerable quantity at places, yet ai-gentu^ seems to be the form in 
 which it is generally found. 
 GftSHnd It is interesting to note that both the mineral waters and the 
 
 '"'"*"*'"''**"• inflammable gas that were met with in opening up the Silver Islet 
 Mine have also been encountei'cd at other points in the district.* At 
 the Babbit Mountain Mine, in one of the lower levels, I saw water run- 
 ning over the breast of the drift which gave off a faint odor of sul- 
 phuretted hydrogen, and was depositing a white flocculent material, 
 whilst both at this plnce and at the Beaver Mine I was informed that 
 small quantities of inflammable gas had been met with. 
 Variations in The general appearance of the filling differs veiy much at different 
 g^'gli^,'"*"""*^ places in the same vein, owing to the frequent variations in the pro- 
 portions of the different minerals constituting it, and to the various 
 colors some of them assume. The texture of the vein rock differs also 
 very much, owing to the differences of ciystalline aggregation of the 
 minerals, varying thus from a compact, vitreous, crystalline or 
 saccharine to a very coarsely crystalline gangue, whilst at other 
 places, the vein-stones present more of a bucciated appearance, con- 
 sisting of angular fragments of the enclosing rock, cemented together 
 by the gangue minerals, and often with empty spaces between. 
 
 The coarsei" textured vein-stones are generally found, as might be 
 expected, where the clear space to be filled up has been large, which, 
 as pointed out, has generally been in the trap, so that the Coast Group 
 of veins often present this character, as do the others also where they 
 outcrop in the trap, and it is in these positions that the largo crys- 
 tal-lired cavities and vugs occur. The minerals which mostly affect this 
 
 * Iiiflainnble gas also conies up at several points in and around Thunder Bay, causing consider- 
 able ebuUition in the water and kee|)inK it open all the winter. On one of these Mr. Murdoch, 
 O.K., has placed a i^inall tank connected with an inverted funnel anchoied on the bottom and it 
 affords sufficient gas to keep a good sized light burning.— A. H. C. Ski.wvn. 
 
 INGAll.] 
 
 connection 
 
 frequency < 
 
 numed grc 
 
 finer grain 
 
 .'illy of vai 
 
 ho pointed 
 
 general pr 
 
 etc., and n 
 
 Througl 
 
 minerals i 
 
 ])lentiful, ^ 
 
 tree from 
 
 and more 
 
 parallel t 
 
 allected b; 
 
 The dis 
 
 irregular, 
 
 veiy vary 
 
 iueas of 
 
 extent wh 
 
 success ai 
 
 The de 
 
 foUows:— 
 
 ciystallin 
 
 latter beii 
 
 whole vei 
 
 spaces be 
 
 a jaspery 
 
 tals. It : 
 
 quartz ar 
 
 cite, whi( 
 
 ityofapf 
 
 faces OS t 
 
 cite. Th 
 
 this riim 
 
 sediment 
 
 particula 
 
 but sora 
 
 more oft 
 
 liinationi 
 
 coarse c 
 
 vugs, it 
 
 but som( 
 
 ', 1 
 
INQAll.] 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 107 H 
 
 connection seem to be the barite and caleite, especially the former, the 
 frequency of whose occurrence characterizes the gangues of the above- 
 named group of veins, which thus contrast with the more commonly 
 finer grained vein stones of the other groups, which consist more genei-- 
 ally of varying amounts of caleite, quart;^ and fluorito. It need hardly 
 ho pointed out, however, that these distinctions are only based on the 
 ifcneral prevalence of certain constituents and conditions of texture, 
 etc., and not on any hard and fast lines. 
 Through *hese different kinds of gantrue are distributed the metallic iMstribuiion 
 
 " , » & of nietallio 
 
 minerals in a very irregular manner. Sometimes they are very minerals" in the 
 
 ^ <=> . veins. 
 
 ])lentiful, whilst long sti-etches of vein are frequent, which are quite 
 fVee from thetn. When they are present, they occur mostly in bunches 
 and more widely disseminated whilst more rarely they show as streaks 
 parallel to the vein walls, a mode of occurrence more frequently 
 allecled by the Coast group than by the others. 
 The distribution of the silver minerals in the veins is similarlv very ^o'^oof 
 
 • _ *' occurrence of 
 
 irrcguiur, so that the rich ore generally occurs in detached bodies ofsiiyeroreinthe 
 
 o > ts J veins. 
 
 very varying dimensions, suriounded bj'^ very poor or quite barren 
 areas of the vein ; the fi-equency with which they occur and their 
 extent when found, constituting, of course, all the difference between 
 success and failure of the mines. 
 
 The details of the chaiacteristics of the different minerals are as itospnptiona 
 follows: — The quartz occurs massive, crystnliized, and m granular miiicrai- of the 
 crystalline form, transparent, white and amethystine in color, the^*^"' 
 latter being very charactciistic of these veins, it sometimes fills theQuft^. 
 whole vein, and is occasionallj' seen crystallized in the wedge-shaped 
 spaces between radiately arranged crystals of barite, and also similarly 
 a jaspery form was seen to have filled out spaces between caleite crys- 
 tals. Jt is also very frequently the case that thin tilms of colorless 
 quartz are found in the cleavage planes and minute fissures in the cal- 
 eite, which filmsdonotshowon the fresh fracture, owing to thesimilar- 
 ily of appearance of the two minerals, but stand out on weathered sur- 
 faces as a regular reticulation from the lemoval of the surrounding cal- 
 eite. The smaller vugs 'ii'o generally lined with pyramidal crystals of 
 this riineral. It is more common in the veins where they occur in the 
 si'dimentaiy beds than where they are in the trap. There is notliing Hiirite. 
 particular to note about the barite except that it is generally white, 
 but sometimes flesh-colored, and occurs sometimes crystalline, but 
 more often largely crystallized in confusedly interferent platy com- 
 liinations. The caleite occurs both crystalline, crystallized and in Cuioite. 
 loarse cleavage masses. Where it occurs freely crystallized, as in 
 vugs, it most commonly takes the shape of double-ended scalenohedra, 
 but sometimes exhibits the prism terminated by faces of the rhombo- 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 i ': 
 
 IM 
 
108 H 
 
 OEOLOOICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 Chlorit' 
 
 etc. 
 
 liedron. Mr. H. P. Brnmell, who applied the alcohol flame test to a 
 larii;e number of specimens of this mineral from this district, reports 
 finding strontium in nearly all. 
 
 Piuorite. Tiie fluorito occurs granular, crystalline, crystallized and in mam- 
 
 milhitod forms, whose surfaces are often made up of faces of the cubo. 
 AVhon crystallized, it occurs in well-formed cubic crystals or in groups 
 of the same. Its color is most oommonly light-green, but it shows 
 amethyst tints nearly as often, whilst some of the layers of green 
 fluorite show a tendency to this amothyst color on their mammillatcd 
 surfaces. Occasionally, detached, well-formed crystals, occurring in 
 vugs, are pale yellow or colorless. 
 
 The description of the saponite has been given in mentioning its 
 occurrence at the Bearer Mine, and the presence of chloritic mn'^'-ial 
 lias also already been alluded to. This latter, although not part the 
 veinstone proper, is yet of frequent occurrence, and its very dark- 
 green or almo.ii, block, soft varieties have been occasionally mistaken 
 by prospectors for plumbago, which is considered a favorable indica- 
 
 0»rbon. tion in the district. The association of this latter mineral, and the 
 
 occurrence of other forms of carbon in connection with those veins, 
 has already been mentioned at several places, and the favor with 
 which it is regarded as an indication arises from its close association 
 with the rich ore of Silver Islet. The anthracite-resembling form 
 which is occasionally found in the veins, as well as in the enclosing 
 rocks, would seem in composition to be almost pure carbon, showing, 
 as it does, no volatile matter on being heated. It has been described 
 as altered bitumen in the "Geology of Canada," 1863. 
 
 Water and (fas. An anal3'sis of one of the mineral waters has already been given in 
 speaking of Silver Islet, so that no more need be hero said regarding 
 them, except, that if the managers of the mines could be induced to 
 collect samples, further examinations might give interesting results. 
 Of the gas we unfortunately know nothing, except that it is inflam- 
 mable. I was never fortunate enough to be present when any was met 
 with, but explained to some of the managers how it might be collected, 
 thinking that a preliminary examination of such a sample might be of 
 use, t)ut my efforts to secure some have so far been in vain. 
 
 This completes the description of the non-metallic contents of the 
 veins, the characters of the metallic minerals being given below. 
 
 Blonde. dealing with them in the order of their prevalence. The blende comes 
 
 first in importance, being the most plentiful. It occurs both crystal- 
 lised and in cleavage masses, often of considerable extent. It is 
 sometimes disseminated through the gangue, and often forms solid 
 ribs, etc., traversing it. It frequently occurs^thus along the walls of 
 
 INGAU.] 
 
 the fissure? 
 
 tlio veinsto 
 
 the foinnor 
 
 more mase 
 
 or almost I 
 
 The gall 
 
 exist in si 
 
 also show 
 
 jointings a 
 
 leaden surl 
 
 of argenti 
 
 by cutting 
 
 the charat 
 
 and this n 
 
 veins, in b 
 
 in combin 
 
 The p} 
 
 1 i occurs 
 ([uartz or 
 in the gai 
 the jointi 
 sometime 
 times in 
 (juantity 
 Bay. 
 
 Bosidof 
 connexio 
 ever, rati 
 (iroup, I 
 argentife 
 So mu 
 the silvo 
 lie now 
 ii;oneralb 
 largely, 
 through 
 silver, 
 gangue 
 all. Th 
 various 
 ciystals 
 surfaces 
 
 i : 
 

 •] 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 109 H 
 
 the fissures, and as crystallino growths starting out from them into 
 the veinstone. It shows both lighter and darker coloured varieties, 
 tlie fornier more often as detached disseminated crystals, whilst its 
 more massive occurrences are gonci'ally of a very dark brown colour 
 or almost black. 
 
 The galena does not play puch an important part, nor generally (iaiomi. 
 exist in such considerable masses, but is generally disseminated, ft 
 also shows sometimes as films, sheets and little patches in the 
 jointings and cleavages of the veinstone, which, from having a dull, 
 leaden surface and dark colo', somewhat resemble similar occui-rences 
 of argentite, from which they can be readily distinguished, however, 
 hy cutting with the knife, when they break up into little grains showing 
 tlie characteristic bright cleavage surfaces of galena. Both the blendt; 
 and this mineral are often found in the owjs and open spaces in the 
 veins, in beautifully perfect crystals, the latter showing most commonly 
 in combinations of the cube and rhombic dodecahedron. 
 
 The pyrite is found to a lesser extent than the two last mentioned. Pyrite. 
 it occurs often well crystallised in small cubes coating the crystals of 
 ([uartz or calcite, which are found lining vugs and also disseminated 
 in the gangue and to a less oxtenc in films and dendritic markings in 
 the jointings and cleavages of the gangue minerals. It is also found 
 sometimes in the rocks of the district, especially in the trap, but some- 
 times in the argillites, cherts, etc., and occasionally in considerable 
 (juantity adjacent to some of the veins as at the 3 B vein, on Big Trout 
 Buy. 
 
 Besides these more important metallic minerals, others are found in Other metaiuo 
 connexion with them, viz., marcasite and pyrrhotito, which are, how- 
 ever, rather rare, whilst copper is repi'esented, especially in the Coast 
 • iroup, by chalcopyrite and copper-glance, the latter being often 
 ui'gentiferous. 
 
 So much then for the metallic minerals which form the associates of ooc-irreno of 
 the silver minerals proper: the mode of occurrence of the latter willu,'i',iefjfg''. 
 lie now described. In the ore bodies, the metallic minerals ai-e 
 :j;cnerally present in large quantity, blende generallj'^ predominating 
 largely, although galena sometimes plays a prominent parr, and 
 through these minerals are found distributeil the argentite and native 
 silver. Sometimes these silver minerals are distributed through the 
 i^'angue minerals themselves, the others being hardly represented at 
 all. The argentite which is the most common is found in nuggets of Argentite. 
 various sizes in the vugs bearing the impress of the quartz or calcite 
 erystals which usually line them, and also in thin films coating the 
 surfaces of such ci-ystals, and in the joints and cleavages of the gangue 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 ^ 
 
 ! 
 
 •■1. 
 
 
 
 11 
 
 
 
 '*? 
 
 
 
 1^ 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
IIOh 
 
 GEOLOaiCAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 
 Native silver. 
 
 Dendrites. 
 
 Results of 
 assays made. 
 
 :1: 
 
 I 
 
 minerals, whilst it is also occasionally recognisable in the cleava<rc.s 
 of the blende. Where tilling in larger cracks, it, of course, occurs in 
 thicker sheets, whilst at times, when very thinly distributed over 
 cleavage planes, it assumes dendritic forms. Sometimes these films 
 are found to merge at places into the native metal as if from a partial 
 reduction of the sulphide. It is sometimes stated in the district that 
 it occurs in the argillites themselves, but in these cases it is always 
 tbuiid to be in thin joints and cracks in them. The native silver occurs 
 in thin sheets, films and facings in a similar way to the last and also in 
 wire and fern-like forms, the latter in vugs at times forming a very 
 beautifully moss-like lining to them. In one or two instances these 
 wires etc., were found seemingly penetrating small crystals of blende, 
 or as if that mineral had crystallised around them. W ith the exception 
 of Silver Islet, this form of silver seems to be more characteristic of the 
 ore bodies near the surface and to bo replaced by argentite in depth, 
 which would seem to show that it is probably due to the reduction of 
 that mineral to the metallic state by surftvce waters. 
 
 Besides the dendritic occurrences of argentite, other dendritic films 
 and stains arc common in the cleavages and jointings of the veinstones. 
 These have often been mistaken by prospectors for argentite, but to 
 the experienced eye, whilst greatly resembling it, they have yet a dis- 
 tinguishable difference of colour and lustre. In composition they are 
 probably oxides of iron or manganese. 
 
 Assays have been made in the laboratory of the Survey, to the 
 number of about forty-nine, of specially selected specimens, with a view 
 to get some further knowledge as to whether or no the other metallic 
 minerals carry the precious motais. These specimens were selected 
 on account of their holding as large a proportion as was obtainable 
 of the metallic minerals, and where possible, which was seldom how- 
 ovei', these different metallic minerals were obtained free from admix- 
 ture with each other.* A careful a-ecord was kept of the minei-a! 
 contents of each one submitted for assay and the study of these in 
 connection with the results obtained point to the following conclusions, 
 viz: — that the metallic minerals when free from visible silver com- 
 pounds, cany none of that metal, or when they do so, its proportion 
 is very small. The likelihood of their carrying any silver seems to be 
 in the order in which they are here named, viz : — blende, galena and 
 pyrite, only one instance being found in which the latter mineral did so, 
 where being the onlj' one visibly pi-osent in the specimen of veinstone 
 treated, the assay yielded about half an ounce of silver to the ton. 
 
 * See Reports of Qeologioal Survey for 1888 and IR 7. Part T.— In nearly all the instances of 
 specimens submitted for assay they carried enough of the metallic minerals to constitute good 
 milling ore, had these minerals proved to contain as much silver as was credited to them in the 
 listrict. 
 
 All the 8 
 hut only sho 
 always in b 
 absent excoi 
 in connect! 
 with that m 
 As has be 
 mines, thos 
 enriched w 
 that the vei 
 connection 
 that this is 
 accompanie 
 jfave about 
 irangue car 
 80 high a y 
 In the s 
 between th 
 and the pr 
 found on r( 
 the Chemic 
 loturns of 
 tlirough sii 
 previous tc 
 A much ( 
 allowed of 
 various mi 
 to the cont 
 formed at 
 some sugg 
 of the film 
 sures tra^ 
 been infilt 
 these min 
 to have b( 
 existence 
 other. T 
 niary anc 
 tinely for 
 sometime 
 I'liese ar 
 
 • See Repc 
 
T^^I^ 
 
 INCiALL.] 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 Ill H 
 
 All the specimens were also examined for gold at the same time, 
 hut only showed traces of it in a few instances, and in those nearly 
 always in specimens where the blende preponderated, pyrite being 
 al)sent except in one instance, although one might have expecjted gold 
 in connection with the pyrite considering its frequent association 
 with that metal in gold veins proper. 
 
 As has been mentioned in connection with Silver Islet and the older 
 mines, these metallic minerals or rather the galena and blonde get 
 enriched with silver in the oi'e bodies, and it has often been assei-ted 
 that the very dark-coloured blende which so frequently occurs in this 
 connection is always rich in silver, but sOiUe of the assays made prove 
 that this is not always so. Of two specimens of such blende each 
 iiccompanicd by a little gangue, one showed no silver and the other 
 i^ave about 337 oz. to the ton. In the latter instance, the attached 
 t^angue carried a little visible argentile, but not enough to account for 
 so high a yield.* 
 
 Irj the study of these assay results, no connection was noticeable Assays, 
 hotwcen the different kinds of gangue in which the minerals occurred 
 and the presence of silver. Further details of these assays will be 
 found on referring to the reports of Mr. Hoffmann of the work of 
 the Chemical Branch of the Survey for 1886 and 1887, and other assay 
 loturns of specimens from these veins will also bo found scattered 
 through similar reports in the volumes of the Survey for some yeai-s 
 previous to this. 
 
 A much closer and more extensive study than the time at disposal has 
 allowed of, would be required to determine the relationships of the 
 various minerals to each other, and whether they all owe their presence 
 to the continuous action of one set of forces, or whether they have been Materials, 
 f'oi-med at different periods. So far as the study has gone, however, 
 some suggestive points have been made out. For instance, the presence 
 of the films of silica deposited in the cleavage planes and minute fis- 
 sures traversing calcite would seem to prove that quartz must^ have 
 boon infiltrated after the calcite had been formed, whilst in other casos^ 
 these minerals are found so related to each other that they would seem 
 to have been formed about the same time, wliich is probably due to the 
 existence of quartz of two different ages, one deposited later than the 
 other. There are some similar evidences of the presence of both pri- 
 luaiy and secondary calcite, the latter kind showing in the vwjs as 
 finely formed small transparent crystals, generally scalenohedra, but 
 sometimes a combination of prism with rhombohedral terminations. 
 Tiiese are there superimposed upon minerals which are otherwise 
 
 Relationships 
 of different 
 
 Primary aud 
 secondnry 
 quartz and 
 calcite, etc. 
 
 ' See Report of Ueologicai Survey of Canada for 1887. Part T Assays 35 and 36, 
 
 'tel 
 
I L 
 
 
 112 H 
 
 OEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 i I 
 
 generally found coating the other kinds of calcite whose coarse cleava^,'* 
 masses and opaque white appearance contrast strongly with the 
 characters presented by the secondary foi-ms. 
 Ihvbabie mode The mode of occurrence of the silver minerals, too, would seem to 
 
 of deposition of . 
 
 siivermineraiB. show that thoir presence was due to a later infiltration of silver-bear! ni; 
 waters subsequent to the deposition of thegangne minerals ; occurriiiij 
 as they do, deposited in the fissures which traverse these, in the cleav- 
 age planoii of tho calcite and coating crystals of silica, etc., and as one 
 would expect forming larger masses or nuggets in the wider spaces or 
 cugs in the vein. This deposition seems to be confined to the permeable 
 minerals and parts of the gangue as might be predicted, and I cannot re- 
 collect seeing the silver compounds actually in minerals such as quai-tz 
 or barite which are evidently not adapted to this method of enrichment. 
 It would also be in keeping with the facts noticed regarding the other 
 minerals; the compact pyrites not being argentiferous, whilst the pre 
 sence of cleavage planes in blonde would allow of its enrichment in 
 this manner at points where such deposition was going on. It is also 
 noticeable that, so far, no instance has been observed of the secondaiy 
 calcite carrying silver in this way. Mr. Courtis records a curious asso- 
 ciation of minerals which he observed at Silver Islet. He says : — "The 
 breast of the stope showed a coating several inches thick of a spongy 
 silver in which were imbedded, like plums in a pudding, double-ended 
 quartz crystals."* 
 
 Many suggestions have been made by various observers as to the 
 probable source whence these silver minerals have been derived. 
 Some have thought them to be due to the same volcanic action to 
 which are attributable the presence of the traps in the formation, and 
 that the silver has been brought up by thermal waters accompanying 
 these intrusions, but, as the fissures intersect and dislocate the trap 
 sheets and dykes equally with the other rocks, the former must have been 
 formed and solidified long before the fissures. The fact, however, remains 
 thatall the ore bodies found so far, occur near or within a reasonable dis- 
 tance of trap in some form, either m dykes, as in the case of the Coast 
 group, or in sheets, as with the other groups. This suggests the idea 
 that the silver may be derived from them by decomposition of some of 
 their mineral constituents carrying minute quantities of silver, by waters 
 infiltrating downwards through all their joints and pores, and that these 
 waters passing onwards and soaking into the permeable parts and 
 minerals in the gangue of the veins, have there deposited their silver 
 contents, the various forms of carbon present in the sedimentary rocks 
 having had some influence in effecting this precipitation. The presenct 
 
 * See Transactions American Institute of Mining Engineers, Vol. XV, page 674. 
 
 Possible sourcej 
 of silver. 
 
 JNGALL.] 
 
 of the soft 
 
 lion would 
 
 (lecom posit 
 
 most favoi 
 
 would be :- 
 
 of the ganj 
 
 of carbon i 
 
 silver-bear 
 
 of the infil 
 
 expect mo 
 
 sheets tha 
 
 would be ( 
 
 onlj be a 
 
 expected 
 
 occurrenc 
 
 much in t- 
 
 in termed! 
 
 the metal 
 
 Movem 
 
 is some e 
 
 ditions bj 
 
 These by 
 
 the trap 
 
 tion, to r 
 
 near the 
 
 the trap 
 
 will be SI 
 
 are just 
 
 hypothes 
 
 yet man 
 
 particula 
 
 point thi 
 
 carefully 
 
 tigating 
 
 In cor 
 the Stan 
 rized as 
 
 Part ( 
 has bee 
 might, i 
 
i • ^■l♦:: • ' 
 
 le 
 
 [O 
 
 if 
 
 INGAIL.I 
 
 LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 113 H 
 
 *l| 
 
 of the soft talcose and of the various chloritic materials in this connec- 
 tion would seem to bear out this assumption, as they are just such 
 decomposition products as would result from this kind of action. The 
 most favourable conditions for the production of such results then fo^dfuins of 
 would be : — 1st. Such a combination of mineral and physical chai-acters gjivermineralB 
 of the gangue as would render it easily permeable. 2nd. The presence 
 of carbon in some form. 3rd. The presence in the adjacent trap of the 
 silver-bearing constituent, and also of a jointiness and fissuring allowing 
 of the infiltration of the decomposing waters. In this way we would 
 expect more etfect from the very jointy, columnar and more extensive 
 sheets than from the more compact and less extensive ones. Thus, it 
 would be onlv where all these conditions were combined, which would 
 ordj be at spots, that the deposition of the silver minerals could be 
 expected to take place, a view that goes far to account for the mode of 
 occurrence of the rich ore in the veins in detached bunches varying 
 much in size and fi-equency, and for the total absence of silver in the 
 intermediate stretches of the veins, as well as for the curious fact that 
 the metallic minerals carry no silver remote from the I'ich parts. 
 
 Movements subsequent to the formation of the veins (of which there 
 is some evidence at places) would also tend to produce favourable con- 
 ditions by fissuring and rendering the gangue minerals more permeable. 
 These hypotheses might be held, by those who have the idea that 
 the trap forms a single flow or sheet at a definite horizon in the forma- 
 tion, to necessitate the conclusion that the ores would be found only 
 near the surface, but when we remember that this is not so, and that 
 the trap sheets exist at various horizons all through these rocks, it 
 will be seen that no basis for such an assumption exists, and that they 
 are just ai. likely to be found in depth as at the surface. The above 
 hypotheses must, of course, be only taken as suggestive, as there are 
 yet many gaps in the evidence and points yet open for study, one in 
 particular as to whether the traps do or do not contain any silvei', a 
 point that can, of course, only be settled by an extensive series of 
 carefully made assays of these rocks, such as have been made in inves- 
 tigating similar phenomena at other places. 
 
 Conclusion. 
 
 In concluding this study of " Silver Mining on Lake Superior " from 
 the standpoints enumerated in the preface, the results may be summa- 
 rized as follows : — 
 
 Part of the area of the Animikie or silver-bearing rocks in Canada Euent of 
 has been fairly prospected, although not nearly so thoroughly as it tion*e/piore% 
 might, and probably w^ould have been, but for certain adverse, economic 
 8 
 
 !' ? 
 
 if 
 
tmvi. .11 i^wt^p^r^ 
 
 114 H 
 
 GEOLOaiCAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 General 
 resnlts of 
 explorations. 
 
 f:i!: 
 
 
 Results of 
 prospecting 
 •and develope- 
 ment of silver 
 veins. 
 
 Lessons taught 
 by past 
 
 experiences in 
 the district. 
 
 conditions previously mentioned. This search lias led to the discovery 
 of very many veins, some of which have been proved by development 
 to contain extensive bodies of very rich silver ores. A great many of 
 the other veins found have also yielded smaller quantities and speci- 
 mens of similar ore, whilst in a great many none has been found so fiir^ 
 In the two latter cases, howevei-, it generally appears on investigation, 
 that the work done to test the veins has been so slight as to leave the 
 question of their capabilities as ore-producers still unsettled, which 
 also applies to many of the mines which were opened during the earlier 
 periods of the history of the district and are now closed. In these, 
 although much more was done than mere sui-face testing, and although 
 shafts, etc., were sunk, still these underground developments wei-e in 
 most cases not sutlicieutly extensive to disprove the existence of ore 
 bodies of suflScient extent and fi-equency to pay. 
 
 Amongst the chief results of all this prospecting work have been: 
 the proving of the widespread occurrence of rich silver ores throughout 
 the foj;mation, and the existence of very numerous veins, on very many 
 of which, if properl}' handled, successful mines, besides those already in 
 operation will be opened uj). Of course, many of them may not thus 
 reward the ettbrts made to develop them, but this is no more than 
 occurs in every mining district in the world, and we cannot expect the 
 one under study to prove an exception. 
 
 One of the most important lessons taught by past experience is, that 
 owing to the mode of occurrence of silver in the veins, they require 
 more extended underground developments to prove their value than 
 most other lodes, and that unless this is borne in mind and acted upon 
 in the future, and unless the developmental works and drifts are kept 
 well ahead of the stoping out of the ore bodies already tound, and the 
 operating companies provide in the start a sufficient capital to do this, the 
 failures of the past will be repeated in the future. Eegarding the statistics 
 of the yield of silver from this district further details \vill be found in 
 the article on silver by myself in the Eeport of the Geological and 
 Natural History Survey of Canada for 1886, Part S, pages 73-5. 
 
 NOTE 
 
 No. 85.- 
 
 posed of f 
 
 jtpar is in j 
 
 between^ t 
 
 result of tl 
 
 These are 
 
 l)iit are n 
 
 chlorite ai 
 
 curs in ir 
 
 portions o 
 
 present. 
 
 gi-ains bei 
 
 tion, resul 
 
 tibrei whi 
 
 Magnetite 
 
 hornblend 
 
 felspar. 
 
 brown bic 
 
 From t 
 
 sary to r 
 
 syenites,'* 
 
 junction ( 
 
 i: 
 
 li 
 
 '■>■ 
 
 
 is 
 
 ; 
 
 
 
 
 ' J! 
 
 * Copper-I 
 t Amer. J* 
 
l-„ ^,1 
 
 APPENDIX I. 
 
 NOTES OF MICROSCOPICAL EXAMINATIONS 
 
 OP 
 
 ROCKS 
 
 FKOM TUB 
 
 THUNDER BAY SILVER DISTEICT. 
 
 By Mr. W. S. BAYLEY 
 
 or 
 
 THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY, 
 
 Baltimore, U.S.A. 
 
 No. 85. — McKellar's Point (from near the end). Thiw rock is com-jiioroaoopicai 
 posod of felspar, quartz, green hornblende and magnetite. The fel- roSof^sfivir 
 rtpar is in >adely outlined lath-shaped crystals, and in irregular grains fo'^^'^''""- 
 between' the other constituents. It is very much altered, and as a 
 result of this alteration, is^fiUed with inclusions of red iron compounds. 
 These are scattered throughout the material of the crystals and grains, 
 hut are most abundant around their exterior portions. Kaolin and 
 chlorite are the remaining products of its alteration. The quartz oc- 
 curs in irregular areas and in club-shaped masses, intergrown with 
 portions of the red felspai*. The green hornblende is only sparingly 
 present. It is found in little plates and shreds, and in allotriomorphic 
 grains between the other components. It has undergone chloritiza- 
 tion, resulting in the breaking up of the grains into small particles and 
 tihrei which are irregularly intermingled with the felspar and quartz. 
 Magnetite is closely associated with the chlorite derived fi-om the 
 hornblende. It is also occasionallj' present in little grains in the 
 felspar. In the latter case it is sometimes surrounded by rims of 
 brown biotite. Apatite and sphene (?) also occur in small quantity. 
 
 From the examination of this single specimen it would fjoem neces- ■ 
 sai y to regard the rock as closely allied to those of Irving's augite- 
 wyenites,* which are like the contact rocks on. Pigeon Point,f at the 
 junction of olivine-gabbro andean acid eruptive. 
 
 • Copper-Bearing Rooks, p. 112-125, Pt. XIV. 
 t Amer. Jour. Soi., Jan. 1889. 
 
 9* 
 
 ii^iji. 
 
 ■I 
 
 
 
 
 ■,;.-: :..^ 
 
 4m 
 
116 II 
 
 (•NTARIO. 
 
 Mioro!<ci.|)iciii No 113. — Jarvis Island (from North of Shaft). In number 113 the 
 rook» of «Uver original Btructui'o of the rock is still pro.sorved. Very much altered 
 oontfiiuei?r lath-shaped crystals of pla^ioclase lie in a mass of red felspatliic 
 substance and secondary quartz. The quartz is either in little club- 
 shaped masses tilling the angular cavities between tho large plagioclase 
 crystals, oris in micropegraatitic intergrowths with the red felspathic 
 substance. Wedge-shaped aggregates of chlorite, brown mica and green 
 horn-blende, in the midst of which are often to be detected little areas 
 of augite, leave no doubt that the latter mineral was once an important 
 constituent. Apatite, magnetite, pyrite and a few plates of hematite 
 are the remaining components. 
 
 The rock is evidently a much decomposed diabase. Its characteris- 
 tics are very similar to those of diaba.ses which have suffered alteration 
 as a consequence of their penetration by solutions emanating from 
 masses of acid eruptive rocks. 
 
 No. 128. — .Tarvis Island (from North Side of Shaft). Number 128 
 ajjpears to be a rock whose characteristics are intermediate between 
 those of No. 85 and No. 113. The outlines of the felspars can be 
 detected only in rare cases. The quartz is present in those foi-nis 
 usually resulting from a secondary' origin. Green hornblende is more 
 abundant than in either one of tho two rocks described above and ia 
 not infrequently possessed of its own crystal lographic outlines. Only 
 the minutest traces of augite can be discovered. Magnetite is more 
 abundant than in the tirst two rocks, and is usually in rod like forms. 
 A little apatite, loucoxone and secondary brown mica are also present 
 
 The nature of the rock is pi'obably the same as that of Nos. 85 and 
 113, i. e., it is was originally a diabase, which has been altered in the 
 same way as has the gabbro in Pigeon Point, at its contact with an 
 acid eruptive rock. 
 
 No. 127. — Jarvis Island (altered argillite). This rock is quite 
 different from either one of the others described. It is probably an 
 altered slate or aririllite. The least altered portion of the section 
 examined consists of quartz, felspar and chlorite, with a few othei' 
 subordinate substances. Its structure is that of a typical phyllite. 
 
 In the more altered portion, the felspai* is bounded by traces of 
 crystal outlines. It is red through the inclusion of little plates of 
 hematite, and can occasionally be detected with twinning lamelhe. 
 The green mineral coiresponding to the chlorite in the least altered 
 portions, is here grouped into little sheaves of fibres, which, between 
 crossed nicols, give bright polarization cojors. It has been changed 
 into a micaceous substance with many of the properties of green biotite. 
 
 In its original state the rock was probably a slate, which under the 
 
 ill 
 
lie 
 
 0(i 
 
 lie 
 ib- 
 
 ■se 
 
 tic 
 
 t'n 
 
 Bits 
 
 III 
 ite 
 
 NORTH SIIfUlE OP LAKE 8irPERI(»R. 
 
 117 H 
 
 iiiHuenco of Honie eruptive inasH (probably of the composition of ^•^' c^Jir'^liTeri''*/ 
 Hf) or 113) haw recrybtallized, with the aiidition of folspathic «iibstanco |-;;o^|^!i^[^' silver 
 derived from the eruptive whii-li produced the recrysta'ii/atioii. .oMHmn.i 
 
 Of the F^ollowino Thirteen Specimens, the Sr.iDES were Received 
 
 FROM Mr. E. D. Inoalf-. 
 
 Vou will notice the three traps (Nos. 25!», 301 and 3:}8) are, as you 
 intimated in youi" note, very similar, and are probably j)art8 of the 
 same great flow. They ditfer merely in state of [(reservation. 
 
 f he gi'anito (No. 277) possesses peculiarities which distinguish it 
 tVoiu ordinary intrusive granite. The pressure phenomena show that 
 it has undergone considei'able change since it was first produced. 
 It would be supposed that as a consequence of this pressure, schistosity 
 udiijil have been induced. The specimen sent me is too small to dis- 
 tinguish this structure, if it does exist. The question whether the 
 vovk is metamorphic or intrusive will have to bo loft for you to decide. 
 A> a result of the microscopical examination, it would be most luitural 
 to Nuppose that the rock (whatever it may have been originally), was 
 subjected to pressure after the present minoi-als had been formed, other- 
 wise the structures observed would be impossible to explain. Whether 
 tlie same causes first produced the rock and then by further action 
 |iro(liiced in it these pressure effects, is difficult to determine. While 
 ihe question as to the origin of this rock is not positively decided, it 
 would, I think, be safe to say that it is probalily of metamorphic 
 <;rii>iii. 
 
 N'os. 259, 301 and 338 are all typical traps, e. i. are diabases, more or 
 less altered. Of these. No. 338 is the least changed. 
 
 Xo. 338. Palisades. — This is a medium-grained diabase, with the 
 typical diabase structure. It consists of lath-shaped crystals of twinned 
 plagioclase in a ground mass composed almost entirely of augite. The 
 lila^ioclase is fresh in part, when it is almost glassy in appearance, 
 ami possesses very well defined twinning lamelhe. The angles of 
 extinction measured against the line of union between contiguous 
 laniellro indicate that the predomjnating varietj- is labradorite. 
 
 Most of the plagioclase, however, has undergone alteration, and has 
 'iius given rise to secondary products, the most important of which 
 are calcite and chlorite. The former occurs in very small quantity, 
 and is found in little irregularly shaped grains near the periphery of 
 the felspar crystals. The chlorite penetrates the plagioclase substance 
 in little veins, and is also found around its edges. 
 
 m. 
 
 ^ff 
 
 ■■-w 
 
 ?. ''^^ 
 
IIHh 
 
 ONTARIO. 
 
 .u.] 
 
 Microsoopioai Tlio iiugito JH of u very light wine color. It flllt* in the intorsticc!^ 
 
 rooks of silver botwcon tho folspjir. Whon froHh, its cleavage is very perfect, the section 
 
 oonTinuedr seemingly being made up of little square blocks of augite. Tn mcNt 
 
 cases, this mineral has nndergono considerable change. Chlorite and a 
 
 yellowish green aggregate of an oarthy substance have taken its place 
 
 In one or two instances, a yellowish substance, consisting of an 
 aggregate of little ribres; looks very much like serpentine, which bus 
 been stained yellow by iron salts. It may be due to the alteration of 
 an original olivine constituent. Magnetite in grains, apatite in long, 
 slender needles, and a little Icucoxene, occur as accessory minerals. 
 
 No. 301. Sri.VEU Bluff, R.Hl (Trap from six inches above contact). 
 is not quite as fi'csli as 338, nor quite as much altered as 259. 
 
 Litt' ^ cores of augite can be detected in the abundant chlorite which 
 makv. up the greater part of the slide. The magnetite, instead of 
 existing in little irregular grains scattered among the other constitu- 
 ents, occurs in skeleton crystals, as is frequently the case in basalts.* 
 
 No. 259. Crown Point (Trap from above tunnel) is a tolerably tine- 
 grained, much altered diabase, in which the original structure can 
 still be very readily discerned. 
 
 The felspar oecurs in lath-shaped crystals, with very ill-defined 
 outlines. These ci-ystals often contain so many inclusions of various 
 kinds, and are frequently so much altered, that they are in some cases 
 almost opaque. Chlorite, mica and calcite are the predominating j)ro- 
 ducts of alteration. Where it could be measured, the angle of extinc- 
 tion in this felspar was very small, thus indicating oligoclase, as the 
 priDiiipal felspathic constituent. 
 
 The augite, which originally filled in tho spaces between the felspar 
 crystals has almost entirely disappeared, and in its place there is found 
 a yellow mixture of chlorite and another mineral of a finely fibrous 
 structure. The pleoehroisui of the chlorite is scarcely perceptiole, and 
 the polarization colors between crossed nicols are extremely weak. 
 Eutile and leucoxene usually accompany these secondary products 
 as inclusions, and a very small amount of secondary brown pleochroic 
 biotito is not uncommon around the edges and in the interior of the 
 aggregates. 
 * Large crystals of very light green apatite and considerable magneHte 
 
 are scattered throughout the rock, thcJatter being often surroundod 
 a rim of biotite. The similarity between these three slides is so 
 that they may well (as far as the microscopic examination go* l>o 
 considered as sections of vocks which oiiginally formed part of the 
 same " flow." 
 
 •Roseiibusoh : Mikroskopische Physiographie 1, 1885. btuttgart. Taf. III., Fig. 2. 
 
 No. 277. 
 
 yranitito, 
 
 Survey. 1 
 
 istica whicl 
 
 liescribed a 
 
 aie quartz, 
 
 The qui 
 
 substances 
 
 rich in liqi 
 
 The ort 
 
 principal \ 
 
 of chlorite 
 
 f'olspar is t 
 
 kinds : — 1 
 
 of 90\ T 
 
 sions. 2. 
 
 has sutt'er< 
 
 will be m( 
 
 Another j 
 
 which itv 
 
 of change 
 
 could onJA 
 
 The chl 
 
 possesses 
 
 oped. Tl 
 
 cases, trac 
 
 The mc 
 
 All the c 
 
 are not ai 
 
 pieces of 
 
 chlorite o 
 
 if it had 
 
 The m( 
 
 in the pit 
 
 well mar 
 
 hile the 
 
 vtM'Y ''bai 
 
 1 additi 
 
 twisted, _; 
 
 i'or this 
 
 clase wer 
 
 twinninij 
 
 * Lehman 
 
ut.] 
 
 NORTH SHORE OF I,AKE 8UPEEI0H. 
 
 11!) H 
 
 No. 277. Woodside's (Crranite) at first wight appejirtj to l»o a typical Micro.'^oopioai 
 uranitito, very much like the lluroniati granite of the Wiwcousin rocki of silver 
 Survey. A closer examination, howovoi-, shows it to possess character- ,.onHnued~ 
 i-^tics which Horvo to distinguish it from most of the granites heretofore 
 described as existing in this noighhorhood. Almost the only constituents 
 ;iro quartz, oi'thocluse, plagioclase and chlorite. 
 
 The quartz is clouded with inclusions of i-od and green earth}' 
 ■substances, little folia of chlorite and hematite, and is particulai-ly 
 rich in liquid inclusions containing movable bubbles. 
 
 The orthoclaso is clouded in consequence of its alteration. The 
 principal pi-oduct of this alteration is kaolin, though frequently scales 
 of chlorite are ([uite abundant. Hy far the greater pi'oportion of the 
 felspar is triclinic. This triclinic felspar seems to bo of three distinct 
 kinds: — 1. Microcline, with its twinning lamella', crossing at angles 
 of 90'. This is very fresh and glassy, and contains almost no inclu- 
 sions. 2. A plagioclase, with tolerably broad twiiming lamella'. This 
 has suffered altei-ation to a considerable extent. For reasons which 
 will be mentioned hereafter, its extir\clion could not be measured. 3. 
 Another plagioclase, with broad twinning lamellre, the extinctions of 
 which it was impo.ssible to measure, in consequence of the great amount 
 of change which it has undergone. The twin structui-e in many cases 
 could only be detected aftei- very careful search. 
 
 The chlorite is evidently the product of the alteration of biotite. [t 
 possesses all the characteristics of chlorite which has be^u Lhus devel- 
 oped. The original structure of the mica is ])reserved, and .n not a few 
 cases, traces of the biotite can still be detected. 
 
 The most interesting point in relation to this rock is its structure. 
 All the constituents look as if they had been crushed. Their contours 
 iiic not as reguhii- as in the case of most granites. On the other hand, 
 pieces of one mineral seem to have been shoved into the others. The 
 chlorite occurs in very thin plates between the felspar and quartz, as 
 if it had been squeezed by great pressure. 
 
 The most undoubted evidence of pressure, however, is the existence 
 in the plagioclase of a vei-y well marked cleavage, in most instances as 
 well marked as in the case of calcite. In one piece of microcline. 
 
 liilc the centre was to all appearances compact, the edges possesseil 
 very sharp cleavage lines, cutting each other at angles of 82<'-83^. 
 addition to this, almost all the twinning lamellic are bowed and 
 iwisted. just as in the case of the ])lagioclase in the gabbro of Penig.* 
 For this reason, as mentioned above, exact determinations of the plagio- 
 clase were impossible. In addition to the original twinning, a secondary 
 twinning v .s often observed, as a consequence of the action of pressure. 
 
 * Lehmiinn ; Kntstehung dcr ttltkr.vftalliiiischen Schiefergestciiic, etc. Taf. C, Figs. I and 4. 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 i 
 
120 II 
 
 • •NTAKIO. 
 
 Microscopiu 
 chnraoters ol 
 rocks of silver 
 formation— 
 continued. 
 
 ^1 « 
 
 ! 
 
 No. 281. R. ()4. Location (Chert). — This rock is composed in greater 
 part of what were originally round and irrogulai' pieces of felspar, in ;i 
 ground mass of quartz. The felspar has for the most part been entirely 
 re|)laced by its various decomposition pi'oducts, viz., calcite, chlorite 
 antl hydrated iron o.^ides. That portion which lias not undergone this 
 alteration has been completely replaced by .silica, so that round, cloudy 
 areas uf silica ( principally in the form of chalcedony) now appear 
 where originally felspar existed. These pseudomorphs are usually 
 marked by a rim of green or red color, probably due to chlorite and 
 iron oxide, whicii separated out either ])revious to or coincident with 
 the silicification piocess. Immediately outside of these i-ims there is 
 deposition of chalcedony-, which forms a feathery periphery extending 
 from all sides into the iiiterstices between huge quai'tz grains, which 
 in turn form a mosaic in the centre of the spaces between the original 
 gi-ains of felspar. 
 
 Scattered through t]n- slide, both in the larger grains and also in the 
 interstices between these, are littie cloudy, almost opaque, areas, which 
 under crossed nicols, resolve thosnselves into calcite. The centres of 
 these little areas are dark and structureless, while the outer portions 
 are composed of the perfecrtly crystallized mineral. This calcite has 
 every appearance of having been eidarged, after it had once been 
 formed, by the addition of new material around the opaque portions 
 in a manner analogous to the enlargements of quartz grains, so dis- 
 tinctly shown by Profs. Irving and Van Hiwe, of the United States 
 Geological Survey. 
 
 The present condition of the rock seems to be due to a vei-y thorough 
 pi'oce.ss of silicitication. 
 
 No. 30H. Silver Bmikf, (E. 61) — {About fifty feet below contact.) Is of 
 the same general natui'c as the above. In this, however, the calcite 
 occurs with chlorite and othei' alteration products of felspar to form 
 complete pseudomorj)hs of this mineral. Round and angular grains 
 consist now of chlorite and ciystallized calcite, mixed with magnetite 
 (which is usually tbund ai-ound the edges of the grain), imd a brown 
 earthy substance. The outlines of the original grains are well pre- 
 sei-ved by the rim of magnetite, but their material has entirely disa})- 
 peared. h'roin the large amount of nnignetite and other iron minerals 
 present in the slide it may be doubtetl whether the original grains were 
 not augite or some other iron- bearing mineral. 
 
 A lew grains are composed entirely of silica, as in the case of section 
 281. 
 
 The interstitial silica in this slide differs from that in 281 in that it 
 is present on ly inthe ti)rm of a mosaic of quartz grains. 
 
 INGALI.] 
 
 No. 302. 
 
 This rock 
 
 such deep- 
 
 'las entire 
 
 Under t 
 
 pale yello 
 
 ing betwe 
 
 probably 
 
 colored he 
 
 together ' 
 
 entire roc 
 
 way have 
 
 A chem 
 
 No. 317 
 
 described, 
 
 altered is 
 
 almost im 
 
 Little ] 
 
 ((uartz gr 
 
 tered thrc 
 
 hornblend 
 
 areas, wh 
 
 have repl 
 
 accumula 
 
 In som 
 
 and acicu 
 
 In these 
 
 diabases. 
 
 No. 31 J 
 can be le 
 material 
 of a high 
 and some 
 (trains o 
 
 No. 31 
 clouded 
 almost w 
 ([uantity 
 material 
 i^rains ot 
 
 A littl 
 which cji 
 
-] 
 
 NORTH «HORE OF LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 121 H 
 
 No. 302. Silver Bluff, (R, <I1) — {Top of beds dose under trap sheet.) — Microscopic 
 This rock ." very remarkable. If it was ever a chert, it has untler<i;r)no rooks of silver 
 such deop-soated alterations that every vestii^e of its orijijinal nature continued." 
 'lus entirely di^<appeared. 
 
 Under the microscope, it is seen to consist of a granular mass of a 
 pale yellow mineral, highly I'ofractive, weakly pleochroic and possess- 
 ing between crossed nieols bright polarization colors. This mineral, 
 probably cpidote, is intermingled with long fibres of a very light 
 c'oloi-ed hornblenile, pleochroic in yellow and light green tints, which, 
 together with a little chlorite and a few quartz grains, constitute the 
 entire rock. It seems probable that the overlying trap may in some 
 way have given rise to this very peculiar rock. 
 
 A chemic il analysis would probably reveal interesting resalts. 
 
 No. 317. R. 03 RruoE — {Middle hed of ridge.) — Like the last rock 
 ilcscribed, this appears to be a much altered chert. So very much 
 altered is it that a description of its microscopical characteristics is 
 almost impossible. 
 
 Little pebbles of various kinds are included in a ground-miss of 
 ifuartz grains and a black earthy material, with some magnetite. Scat- 
 tered through this ground mass are numerous needles of a greenish 
 Iiornblendo, which in some instances arc so aggregated as to form little 
 areas, which at first glance seem to have the form of a grain which they 
 liave replaceil. Upon closer examination they are seen to be merely 
 accumulations of fibres. 
 
 In some [)ortioiis()f the slide, little lath-shapod crystals of plagioclase 
 and acicular crystals of hornblende occur in a ground-mass of hematite. 
 In these jwi-tions the structure is very similar to that so common in 
 diabases. 
 
 No. 318. R. '.>;! RiDdK — {Bottom bed of mtye. )— Of this rock very little 
 can be learnetl from the section. It is so badly stained with ochrooiis 
 material as to he for the most part opaque. Occasionally a little grain 
 of a highly refractive mineral can be detected. This is usually fibrous, 
 and sometimes possesses an extinction angle very near that of augite. 
 (trains of epidote can also be detected. 
 
 No. 319. R. !)3 RiDOE — {Top bed of ridge.) — This section also is so 
 I louded with magnetite as to render its mici-oscopical examination 
 almost worthless. Bands of black earthy raatci-ial, containing a large 
 'luantity of magnetite, alternate with bands of brightly polnrising 
 material in fibrous forms, which under a high power are resolved into 
 ii;rains of epidote and fibres of hornitlende. 
 
 A little hematite and some chlorite complete the list of minerals 
 which can be determined in the section. * 
 
 
 4-'. 
 
 ft 
 
> I 
 
 122 H 
 
 ONTARIO. 
 
 The sovoral bands are ari-anged in Huch a manner as to suggest the 
 
 Microscopic 
 
 rooks of silver flowage structure of felsitea, rhyolitos and obsidians. 
 
 ooSSnueSr No. 320. il. 93 EiDGE — {Upper beds of ridge.') — Is another 
 
 ver\' 
 
 1 1' 
 
 peculiar and interesting rode. It consists of alternate bands of small 
 crystals of augite,perfectly fresh and unmixed with any other materials, 
 and other bands containing considerable uralitized augite, mixed with 
 plates and needles of a light green hornblende, with many of the char- 
 acteristics of actinolite. Fine fissures extend 'into the rock in u 
 direction approximately parallel to the bands. On both sides of these 
 cracks the minerals are stained wilh a brownish-red ochreous material. 
 
 I know of no rock just like this described in any of the journals. It 
 seems to me very much like an aggregation of augite crystals in 
 diabase, similar to the well known " Olivin-Kncliuri " of basalts. 
 
 No. 323. E. 93 Ridge — {Trap sheet.) — Is a well defined, fine-grained, 
 altered diabase, very similar to many others de.seribed in Mr. Lawson's 
 Eeport, and like No. 259 described for you some time ago. A great 
 deal of the augite is still fresh and of a pale wine color. That which i.s 
 no longer fresh is changed into a yellowish brown earthy substance. 
 A little uraliteand chlorite occur on the borders of some of the augite 
 crystals, but in most cases both of these minerals are so colored by the 
 ochreous material that their detection is not easy. 
 
 No. 325. R. 93 Kiuoe — {Overlying cherty beds.) — is not very different 
 fi'om 303, except in the alteration of the rounded grains. In many 
 cases, these consist of a very dark reddish-brown micaceous substance, 
 mingled with a green mineral (probably of the serpentine group) and 
 reddish-brown iron hydroxide. In some of the lighter colored grains, 
 the remains of a colorless augite can readily be detected. 
 
 In other oases, the entire substance of the original grain has given 
 place to silica in the form of a fine mosaic of quai-tz. In these, the 
 outline of the original grain has been rendered permanent by a ^jne ot 
 little plates of brown mica. 
 
 As in 303, the interstitial substance is quartz. Around th^ edges ot 
 the separate grains, crystals of quartz extend out on 'all sides, like 
 the lining of a vein. Where the 8j)ace between the fragmental 
 grains was small, the two rows of quai-tz crystals mutually interfere 
 and completely fill the spaces; where the intervening space was large, 
 that portion in its centre between the rows of crystals is filled by u 
 mosaic of the same mineral. Cracks which extend through the rocl< 
 contain iron oxides or hydroxides. 
 
 The follow 
 of silver m 
 of which I 
 investigatio 
 
 The refei 
 have been 
 which each 
 
 Trans. Am. I] 
 
 Eng. and Mil 
 
 Pamphlet or 
 shf)re of Li 
 
 Geol. and N 
 ada, Repoi 
 
 Can. Natura 
 " Geology 
 Location, 
 Islet) 
 
 Idem (Pape 
 Superior) , 
 
 Quar. Journ 
 (Pajier or 
 Tlinnder 
 Alining Di 
 el' Lake Si 
 

 APPENDIX II. 
 
 f 
 
 m 
 
 Literature. 
 
 The following list includes all those works dealing with the subject 
 of silver mining on Lake Superior, or embracing references to it, 
 of which I have become cognisant since the commencement of the 
 investigation. 
 
 The reference letters appended to some of them are those which 
 have been used throughout the I'eport to indicate the source from 
 which each quoted item of information was derived. 
 
 Trans. Am. Ins. of Mining Engineers, Volume 11, p. 89 — W. M. Courtis. (a) 
 Idem. " V, "473— Idem. (b) 
 
 Idem. " viii, " 229-^Thos. Macfarlane. (o) 
 
 Idem. " XV, " 671--W. M. Courtis. (g) 
 
 Eng. and Min. Journal of New York, " xxiii, — W. McDermott. 
 
 Idem, " XX vi, — W. M. Courtis. 
 
 Idem. " xxxii, " 251 — F. A. Lowe. (b) 
 
 Idem. " xxxiv, "321— Idem. (d) 
 
 Painplilet on "Mining on the North 
 
 sliore of Lake Superior," 1874 Peter McKellar. (f) 
 
 Geo), and Nat. Hist. Survey of Can- 
 ada, Report of Progress 1866-69, page 313— R. Bell. (h) 
 
 Idem. 1872-73, " 108— :idem. (i) 
 
 Various assay returns included in yearly 
 Idem. reports of Chemical Branch. 
 
 Can. Naturalist, 2nd Series (Paper on 
 " Geology and Silver Ore of Wood's 
 Location, Lake Superior "=Silver 
 
 Islot) Volume iv, p. 37 — Thos. Macfarlane. 
 
 Lli in (Paper on Mineral Region of 
 
 Superior) " vii, " 49— R. Bell. 
 
 Qnar. Journal London Geol. Society 
 (l'ai>er on "The Geology of the 
 Tliuuder Bay and Shebandowan 
 Mining Districts of the North Shore 
 of Lake Superior ") " xxix, " 16 — H. A. Nicholson. 
 
 t 
 
 H'if 
 
1 t 
 
 1 
 
 ! 1; 
 
 ■ > 
 
 
 i k 
 
 
 1 s 
 
 
 ■ I 
 
 
 124 h ontario. 
 
 Milling op Silver Ores at the Silver Islet Mine. 
 
 The following figures are based upon official data of the Silver Islet 
 Mining Co., regarding the working of their mill during a period extend- 
 ing from May 6th, 18*75, to October 31st, 1876. 
 
 Tons of rock milled 24,446 
 
 Result 1 • 853 % "Concentrates" 453* 
 
 98-147 % "Tailings" 23,993 
 
 100-000% 24,446 
 
 Average yield of bar Silver (999 fine) per ton of rock milled. 8 • 33 ozs. 
 
 Average loss in " Tailings " per ton of rock milled 1 -53 " 
 
 Original Silver contents of mill rock per ton 9 . 86 " 
 
 Average Silver contents of " Concentrates " per ton (200 lbs) 449-42 ozs. 
 
 Cost of working ; calculated to the ton of rock milled : — 
 
 Transport; lalet to Mill $0.50 
 
 Stamping and Concentrating 1.97 
 
 Freight and Insurance on " Concentrates " to 
 Wyandotte and expressage on bar Silver to 
 
 New York 0.35 
 
 Smelting and Charges ; Wyandotte 2 . 08 
 
 Total cost per ton of rock $4.90 
 
 • " This was tho ' dry weight ; ' although the Assay for moisture was so imperfectly done 
 about 4 p. 0. of the Silyer was lost." 
 
MIJNK^ AND MlNmCJ ON J.AKE 8UPEK10H. 
 
 PART H. ANNUAL REPORT, 1887. 
 
 By ELFllIC ]1REW INGALL, M.E., 
 
 AfxocUik of lite Jimjal Scliool of Minen, Mhiin;/ Geologist lo the Geological 
 
 Snrreii of Canudd. 
 
 SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT 
 
 TO 
 
 TART T.— B. SILVER MINING. 
 
 Since tho completion of the report on Silver Mining, above men- Uceont 
 (ioiicd, worU has continued to be actively prosecuted in the Thunder Thuiukr" Hay 
 Hiiy district. Information respecting tliis work has been receivcdDistrict. """* 
 iVoin time to time, and is given below. Details on the progress of de- 
 ^tlopniont in this district up to the end of August, 1887, will be found 
 ill Part S, Annual Jieport for 1887. 
 
 Tho chief points of activity S.W. from Port Ai'thur have been at tho 
 l5oavor. Badger and Rabbit Mountain Mines, and further W. at the 
 llasl and West End Mines of Silver JMountain, the former being also 
 l<M(>wn as the Shuniah Woachu Mine. 
 
 liesides tho mines mentioned, however, many others have been oper- 
 ated on a smaller scale, with the object of proving various veins. 
 Prospecting for new vions has also been actively carried on, chiefly in 
 the western districts ai'ound Whitefish Lake. 
 
 !^1-^i- 
 
 Rabbit Mountain Mine. 
 
 The working of this mine was continued with more or less vigour 
 'luring tho year 1887, but operations were suspended on the IGth of 
 l>ocomber in that year. 
 
 Prom information received from Mr. Michael Lynch, who was 
 underground captain at the mine, it appears that the measurements of 
 'III' workings at tho time of cessation wei-e as follows: No. 3 level 
 v.. from No. 2 shaft, KiO feet; No. 3 level W. from the same, 85 foot; 
 No. 4 level Ji). from No. 2 shaft 85 feet, ami W. from the same, 30 feet. 
 
 ti 1*+?^ 
 
 :j!v,:/) 
 
126 H 
 
 OEOLOaiCAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
 
 Recent 
 dovelopments 
 Thunder 15ay 
 Silver Mining 
 District. 
 
 No. 2 shaft has been sunk to a depth of 355 feet from surface. Tlic 
 other woikings had remained as shown in the illustration (see plato 
 VJI.,fig. 2.) 
 
 According to reports received from time to time, rich ore seems lo 
 liavc been obtained in sinking No. 2 shaft, for, besides that mentioned 
 on p. *70 H. as having been observed at the 2nd level, it is asserted that 
 for the last 100 feet of the shaft rich ore was continually met with. It 
 has not been ascertained why work was suspended at this mine, which 
 is still idle. 
 
 Porcupine Mine. 
 
 The necessary financial arrangements not having been made for the 
 commencement of the work on a lai-go scale at this mine, there is little 
 to add to the description given in the body of the report, except to re- 
 cord the discovery of another vein in the vicinity of the original ono, 
 about 400 feet S. of and running parallel with it. Sufficient work haw 
 not been done on this vein to ascertain its dip, but it is considered by 
 the owners to be to the N.W., as they find the trap to be lower on that 
 side from the faulting effect of the fissure. 
 
 Beaver Mine. 
 
 Since the last visit made to this mine in the fall of 1886, during the 
 prosecution of the field work for the main part of this report, a large 
 body of I'ich ore was discovered, particulars of which are given in the 
 Report on Mining and Mineral Statistics for 1887, Pai-tS of the volume 
 for that year and by many others, notably by Dr. Lawson of the 
 staff of the survey who, in a letter addressed to the Director, describes 
 it as follows : — 
 
 " I was in the mine last October, and was at that time not favorably 
 impressed with the lead, and went last Saturday prepared to meet with 
 (he same experience, but this time I was very agreeably sui^iriscd. 
 They arc working the mine by adits run in from the face of a steep 
 hill and by shafts from the top of the hill. The lead when observed 
 by me last fall was very lean and unprofitable, and did not show any 
 signs of becoming richer till some time in Mai-ch, and the management 
 of the mine were so discouragctl that they were on the point of giving 
 it up and abandoning the enterprise. They persevered, however, and 
 in March or April the lead suddenly expanded from a mere stringer or 
 scries of stringers to a wide and exceedingly rich vein of magnificent 
 ore. I was afforded a good opi)ortunity for close inspection for over a 
 whole day. There are many hundreds (I may safely say more than a 
 thousand) tons in actual sight of rich ore which will yield 100, 200, 500 
 up to 800 and 1000 ounces to the ton. 
 
 INQALL. j 
 
 " I am SI 
 
 am very gli 
 
 tlie limits o 
 
 engineer or 
 
 cent surve} 
 
 parts of the 
 
 of the mine 
 
 vein runs f 
 
 is soft, beir 
 
 tliystine ([U 
 
 to be a silic 
 
 mine. Thi 
 
 in arg'3ntit( 
 
 galena. I 
 
 ore. The i 
 
 '• The mint 
 
 more valua 
 
 of mining. 
 
 enterprises 
 
 " Port A 
 
 The mar 
 workings 
 liivcn in th 
 10th, 1889, 
 
 No. 2 sh 
 the adit, e: 
 fioin surfa 
 adit, at a c 
 leet E. 
 
 No. 1 w 
 slitift, and 
 lower drif 
 levels at a 
 low the N 
 shaft, and 
 the samel 
 ilepth of 6 
 along No. 
 M. of No. 
 (lone to tl 
 
INQALL.J 
 
 THUNDER BAY DISTRICT. 
 
 12Th 
 
 " I am sure that the owners of the mine have struck a bonanza, and Recent 
 iiin very glad indeed, that their enterprise has been rewarded. What Thunder Hay 
 tlie limits of the body of rich ore are I am unable to say, as there is nODistrU.'"'"* 
 engineer on the property to give data for an estimate, and no veiy re- 
 cent survey of the mine showing the relation in space of the different 
 l)art8 of the drifts and shafts. If you desire it I could make a survey 
 of the mine and give you more detailed information. At its best the 
 vein runs from three or four to five or six feet in width. The gangue 
 is soft, being mostly calcite with some fluor spar and colorless or ame- 
 thystine ([uartz, and through it all there is a soft, greasy material, said 
 to bo a silicate of magnesia, and called saponite by the people of the 
 niinc. This saponite appears to be a later infiltration but is often rich 
 in ai'gontite. Besides argentite there are native silver, sphalerite and 
 galena. I send you by this mail a few specimens of the higli grade 
 ore. The specimens are not exceptional ones. h« -H ?t< * 
 '• The mine may, on further exploitation of greater depths, pi-ove even 
 more valuable and become one of the remarkable finds in the history 
 of mining. It will, I have no doubt, greatly encourage other mining 
 enterprises in the district. 
 
 " (Signed) A. C. Lawson. 
 
 " Port Arthur, June Gth, 1887." 
 
 .i^ 
 
 The management have kindly furnished details of the extent of the 
 workings completed since the compilation of the plan of the une 
 given in the report (see Plate VIIl.) which can be correctetl to March 
 10th, 1889, by making the below given additions. 
 
 No. 2 shaft ; total depth from surface 385 feet. No. 1 level, below 
 the udit, extends E. and W. from No. 2 shaft at a depth of 220 feet 
 from surface measures, 550 feet "W. and 200 feet E. No. 2 level below 
 adit, at a depth of 320 feet from surface, extends '{80 feet W. and 150 
 ll'ot E. 
 
 No. 1 winze is sunk below the adit at a point 185 feet W. of No. 2 
 shaft, and had attained a depth of 280 feet connecting thus with the 
 lower drifts. No. 2 winze connects the two above mentioned lower 
 levels at a point 100 feetW. of No. 1 winze. No. 3 winze started be- 
 low the No. 1 level below the adit at a point a 175 feet E. from No. 2 
 sliaft, and had attained a depth of 50 feet. No. 4 winze, sinking below 
 tlio same level at a point 460 feet W. from No. 2 shaft, had reached a 
 ilepth of 60 feet. This, together with tliree cross-cuts made at points 
 along No. 1 level below the adit, viz., at 300 and 370 feet W., at 40 feet 
 Iv of No. 2 shaft, completes the description of the exploratory work 
 ilone to that date. 
 
 i. 
 
128 H 
 
 OEOLOOICAL SURVEY OP CANADA. 
 
 Recent With regard to the gi-ound Htopod away, it wouUl scorn tliat, hegin- 
 
 Tlmmier"!]ay ning at a point ahout 15 feet W. of No. 2 .shaft to a point 300 feet W. 
 District.'"'"^ of the same, the vein ha.s heen nearly completely removed above tlic 
 
 adit level to within about 10 or 15 feet of the line of junction of tlio 
 
 trap and argillito. 
 
 Badger Mine. 
 
 This mine was stai-tcd since the completion of the report, and 
 has attained considei-able prominence, its dov('lo])nient having been 
 attended with very satisfactoiy results. A reference to the " skctcli 
 map " accompanying the i-eport will shew the position of this mine and 
 the strike or run of the vein which is said to dip S.E. 
 
 The work done to the 1st of January, 1889, is shewn on the accom- 
 panying section (plate X), which was kindly furnished, by Mr. Chiis. 
 Bi'ent, assayer at the mine. It also iilusti-ates the relationships of tiic 
 enclosing rocks, and shows that the geological conditions are similar 
 to those of the other mines in the district, while the details regarding 
 the nature of the vein, noticed by Mr. Coste (see vol. 1887, p. lU s.), 
 show it also to correspond with the other veins. 
 
 The otticial and other reports since received rcgai-ding the production 
 of ore from this mine show a very large yield for the timo it has been 
 in operation. 
 
 Jarvis Island Mine. 
 
 This mine is at present idle, operations having been suspended in 
 October, 1888. The following dimensions of the workings at this time 
 are taken from a section of the mine kindly furnished by Mr. Arthur 
 McEwan, formerly the superintendent: 
 
 Main shaft, 270 feet from sui'facc. No. 1, level driven S. 230 feel, 
 ditto N. 20 feet, with a small amount of stopiug done above the end. 
 The intermediate level between Nos. 1 and 2 extemls N. of the Ihaft 50 
 feet, with a small amount of ground stoped out at the end. No. 2 level 
 moasui-es 23(J feet S. and 90 feet N. from the shaft, with a small amount 
 of stoping done above the N. level. At a depth of 238 feet adrift (No. 
 3) has been run 130 feet N. and 30 feet S. At a point 50 feet S. of tlu' 
 shaft a winze has been sunk below No. 1 level to a depth of 35 feet. 
 
 A rcfei'cnce to plate lY., figure 2, will make these details plain, ami 
 by adding them, the figure will then represent all the work done at the 
 time o^ closing, Avith the exception of a certain amount of cross cutting 
 in various parts of the mine. 
 
 ^riie drawing referred to also shows shafts Nos. 2 and 4, the former 
 50 feet and the latter f»5 feet in depth, with a drift S. from the bottom, 
 
 ill 
 
( 
 
 1 
 
 THUNDER BAr DISTRICT. 
 
 129 H 
 
 .')0 fei't loM/^, iind a cross cut at the end. Another noticoablo point is Ro-ont 
 I hilt the drawing would soom to show that the S. wall of the northern ThinidSr'n^iy 
 ilykc was met witli in the di-if'ts S. of Ihe main shal't at a distance of iMstrlct. """* 
 about 240 feet from the shaft, which does not at all agree with the 
 surface evidence, and is jjrohably a mistake due to the very altered 
 condition of the argillites near the dyke, causing the rock to bo 
 mistaken for trap. 
 
 r 
 
 East Silver Mountain Mine. 
 
 .Since the Inst visit made to this mine in 18SG, work has been con- 
 tiimously prosecuted by the I'inglish company owning it, particulai-s of 
 which to August, 1887, are to be (bund in Part S of the i-eport of tlie 
 survey for 1887, pp. 94-9(1. Of the work done since tlial date to 
 Doccinbei', 1888, particulars have been kindly fui-nished by Mr. Chas. 
 .M. Eolker, M.K., of New York, who then visited and examined the 
 mine in the interests of the English shareholders. From the data thus 
 (ilitained it would seem that the dimensions of the ditterent workings 
 were as follows, which will be understood by a reference to Plate iX., 
 
 tig. 1 : 
 
 No. 2 level, extended to 130 feet W. from No. 2 shaft. No. 1 level, 
 extended to a point 590 feet W. from No. 2 shaft, which shaft has not 
 been sunk any lower than No. 2 level, and does not therefore intersect 
 No. 1 level. Above and below this level raises have been put up and 
 win/.es sunk at various point. Winze No. 1 (shewn in the section be- 
 low '' No. 4 pit"), sunk to a depth of 85 feet. Winze No. 3, at a point 
 ."iliO feet W. from the lastmentioned, extends to a depth of 125 feet be- 
 low this (No. 1) level. No. 4 winze connects No. 2 with No. 1 level at 
 a point 100 feet west of No, 2 shaft. Measuring from this winze W. 
 three " raises" have been put up fiom the back of No. 1 level, viz., at 
 100 feet W, a " raise" of 40 feet : at 300 feet W., a " raise" of 100 feet 
 to the junction of the trap and ai'gillite on the hanging wall of the vein, 
 and finally, at a point 480 feet W., a " raise" of 25 feet. Besides this, 
 Nos. 4 and 5 pits have been connected by a little drift, and ore stoped 
 away around tlie latter pit to a depth of 45 feet from sui-face. 
 
 As mentioned in the report. No. 3 shaft is 820 feet W. from No. 2, 
 and the dimensions of this pait of the mine at the time mentioned 
 were as follows : No. 3 shaft, 425 feet, but since sunk, it is said, to 
 465 feet from surface. No. 1 level, at a depth of 215 feet, driven W. 
 from this shaft 230 feet, with a " raise" of 45 feet put up from the 
 back of same at a point 75 feet in from the shaft. 
 
 No. 2 level, at a depth of 380 feet, extended to 125 feet east and 140 
 feet west, this end having, 1 understand, been since extended to 220 
 feet from the shaft. 
 
 
130 n 
 
 OEOLOGIOAL SURVBY OF CANADA. 
 
 ? 
 
 Reoont 
 (luvelopmnntH 
 Thunder Bay 
 Silver MiniiiK 
 
 District- 
 
 According to lalor information, received April I3th, 1889, work hud 
 been abandoned at this point, and another shaft (No. 4) had been 
 started altout ;{0(> feet west from No. 3. This had been Hunlc ninety- 
 five feet from the surface, and it is staled that from eighty feet to the 
 bottom good ore had been encountered, consisting of argentiferous 
 galena and blende, and said to assay from 880 to $150 per ton. 
 
 It won 111 appear that small pockets of rich ore have been obtained 
 at various places in prosecuting these workings, and it is said that a 
 good bunch was encountered in No. 2 level, at a point about 120 foot 
 west from No. 3 shaft, which is the more interesting in that the lower 
 siliceous division rooks form the foot-wall of the vein at this point. 
 
 In tho vicinity of a spot about 1000 feet north-oast from the mouth 
 of the lower tunnel (No. 1) a number of test-pits have been sunk to 
 tiace and prove two veins found there, which seem to be coming 
 to a junction near this point. It is thought that one of them is the 
 extension eastwards of the main vein from No. T pit (see plate IX.), 
 whilst the other would seem to cui'vo round to a more easterly and 
 westerly course, and thus strike the blurt' somewhere about 500 or 700 
 foot north of No. 1 shaft. These test-pits are on location E. 54, and 
 are close to the lower limit of the upper division beds (see colored map 
 accompanying the report), which are here, however, thrown slightly 
 out of position by tho faulting effect of the Assures. This junction- 
 plane between the upper and lower division beds on the hanging wall 
 of the vein has also been located in the main workings of the mine. 
 At winze No. 1 it is met with at seventy-five feet below No. 1 level ; 
 at winze No. 3 at eighty-five feet, and at 135 feet below the same in 
 No. 3 shaft^ where it was also encountered on the hanging wall some 
 fifty-five feet lower down, showing a very similar dip of the strata to 
 the west, on tho line of the vein, to that represented on the lower sec- 
 tion, appended to the colored map accompanying the report. 
 
 According to Mr. Rolker's observations, with the fresh light thrown 
 on matters by the recent developments, the lower surface of the| tru}) 
 rises slightly in going west, which, with the falling surface of tho 
 cherts, would show a slight thickening of the argillites in that direc- 
 tion, whilst the comparative horizontality of the surface of the ground 
 would ert'eot a thinning out of the trap sheet going west. 
 
 Kecent work around this end of the mountain and tho clearing in 
 connection with it seem to have brought to light evidences of other 
 faultings of the strata besides those found, and shown on the map, 
 which is no more than one would expect, as doubtless all the vein 
 fissures are accompanied by faulting to a greater or less degree, and it 
 is not at all likely that they have been even yet all located, but rather 
 that fresh discoveries of this kind will fi'om time to time continue to 
 reward searchers. 
 
 Work h 
 still in op 
 yet come 
 
 clnHO to t 
 
 sueoesB be 
 
 Besides 
 activity, 
 testing op 
 the White 
 vein of th 
 iiilcs veini 
 Whilclish 
 on the cIj 
 Silver Ti 
 several v 
 been rep< 
 (lata are 
 T am 
 collected 
 regarding 
 mines. 
 Ottaw 
 
 111 
 
 i.r 
 
" 
 
 B 
 
 7 
 
 INliAkL.] 
 
 THUNDER BAY DISTRICT. 
 
 West End Silver Mountain Mine. 
 
 131 H 
 
 Recent, 
 ilovelopment* 
 
 Work has boon prosoiiitod at this mine for Homo timo pawt, and it is .Silver Mining 
 still ill operation, but particularH of tlio developmonts made have not 
 yi'1 conio to hand. From latowt i-oportw, two whafts are being 8unl<, one 
 cloHO to the oaetorn boiindury line of location E. 5(i, in view of the 
 rtucceaa being attained in that dirottion by the Eaat End Company. 
 
 Other Workings. 
 
 Besides the above-mentioned, which constitute the chief centres of 
 activity, exploration has been continued with considerable eneigy, and 
 testing operations have been carried on at many points, but chiefly in 
 tlic Whitefish Lake district. The most prominent are the PeerlesH 
 vein of the Eabbit Mountain group, and on the Crown Point and Pali.s- 
 adcs veins in the Silver Mountain district, whilst westwards, around 
 WhilcHsh Lake, a fair amount of development has to be recorded 
 oil the claims known as the Silver Wolverine, Queen, Silver Fox and 
 Silver Tip, as well as on location R. 119, at Medicine Bluff, and on 
 several veinsin the vicinity of Atik Lake. Finds of silver ores have 
 been reported from most of these from time to time, but no reliable 
 (lata are to hand as to the extent of the ore found. 
 
 1 am largely indebted to Mr. T. A. Keefer and others, who have 
 collected and transmitted, from time to time, the foregoing information 
 regarding the progress in the development of the Thunder Bay silver 
 mines. 
 
 Ottawa, June 1st, 1889. 
 
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR. 
 
 HONORABLE TfOMAS WHITE, MINISTER. 
 
 C6cnUiairiilauANahn-altfiist0ni ^xvAm itfCitirdk, 
 
 ALFRED RCSELWYNCM.G LID FR.S.Ht, DIRECTOR. 
 
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