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BY HERBERT WILLIAMS, M.S., MANAGER OP TUB HARVEY HILL COPPER MIKES; ^ei)5 befoi^e il)C jLile^^i-jj ^r)5 ij-lsforicql Sociefij, Qiiebec. QUEBEC: PRINTED BY HUNTER, ROSE & CO., ST. UR3ULE STREET. 1865. ^ ■3. ,'1 :•* -5' i'yklfl^' COPrER MINING IN CANADA EAST. f Bv HERBERT WILLIAMS, M.E., MANAGb;U OF THB HAHVEV Ull-L COPI'KIl MINKS. {Head hftfon the Socicli/, l^th March, 1865.) Tlio discovery of copper ores in the EavStcrn Townsliips may reasonably be within the memory of most persons present, as dating within the last fifteen or twenty years, whilst actual opera- tions for their development only commenced within the last seven years. The first discovery appears to have been made on lot No. 4, in the second range of the Township of Inverness ; and although some very fine samples were exhibited in the City of Quebec, it was sonic time before any notice was taken of the circumstance. I believe it was not until some samples were shewn to one of your most enterprising citizens, Dr. James Douglas, whose characteristic shrewdness induced him to enquire into the matter, that a move was made, the result of which was the formation of the Megantic Mining Company. The second discovery was that now known as " The Harvey Hill Mine," situated on lot 17, in the fifteenth range of the Township of Leeds, which was also secured by the same gentleman and his associates, who organized a company under the name of '^ The Quebec and St. Francis Mining Company." This second discovery seems to have created some excitement at the time, as several other companies appear to have been organized for Avorking copper mines in the Eastern Townships about this period, and beyond the purchasing of large tracts of land and the procuring of charters of incorporation, little appears to have been done by any of the (Jompanieg, excepting the Quebec and St. COl'l'EU MININt. years but small quantities of ore were obtained from tiie (quartz courses, the chief portion having been obtained from exploratory drivages on the interstratified bed. In following the course of this synclinal in a south-westerly direction, the copper-bearing slates present themselves in several places. Tiiere is no difficulty in tracitig them, notwithstanding the absence of gossan. Th.;re are other characteristics observable by which their existence is identified, one of which is the associa- tion of chloritoide with the slates. The metamorphie acticu of the copper on the slate is charac- terised by some peculiar alterations in that rock whenever the copper is in contact with it. A. more minute study of the pheno- mena as presented to view would be in ihe highest degree interest- ing to geological science, and most valuable to the practical miner. These phenomena are observable over extensive areas in the Township of Leeds, as also in the Townships of Ireland, Inverness, Halifax, Wolfcstowu, Chester and Ham. Copper ore is also found in these several townships associated with a yellowish-brown weathering dolomitic limestone, and the discovery of its existence in quantities sufficient to render its extraction highly remunerative may be reasonably expected after careful exploration. Up to the present time, although explorations in the townships above enumerated have been on a very limited scale, there are several exposures of copper well worthy the attention cf capitalists. The Township of Chester seems to have drawn the particular attention of explorers. Some of the discoveries in that township may 'be regarded as presenting the most promising indications; particularly the Viger Mine, situated on lot No. 8, in the sixth m. a (I a range. On the adjoining lot, No. 9, in the same range, some very pre- COPPER MINING IN CANADA EAST. 13 t there ility of IS com- et that otained btiiincd iresterly several tanding servable assoeia- charac- 3ver the e pheno- interest- )1 iiiiner. 4 ia the iverness, ssociated and the nder its ed after ownships lere are ipitalists. ^articular township ications ; the sixth very pre- mising indications are also exposed by the partial explorations which have been made on the jiroperty. On lot No. 11, in the tenth range, some very fine samples of variegated copper were broken oii the side of the Nicolet River, where it passes through that property, and on lot No. 11, in the eleventh range, a band of copper-bearing slates, several feet in thickness, was exposed during the past summer. Along the continuance of the second synclinal, from Chester to St. Armand, there hav^ been numerous explorations made, and copper discovered in nearly the whole of the intervening town- ships. I have not yet had an opportunity of examining them, therefore I cannot speak more particularly as to their promise of productiveness. The third synclinal is described as " extending from the '•' Owl's Head Mountain on Lake Memphremagog, to Ham, and " includes the Stoke Mountains. An extension of this is traced '' north-eastward to Vaudreuil and St. Joseph, on the Chaudii^re ^' and beyond it, into Buckland. Between the souti: -western " portion of this synclinal and the second one, is a large area occu- " pied by newer rocks, of the same age as those which limit the " belt to the south-east. They include the slates and limestones '^ which occupy the northern r-art of Lake Memphremagog ; and, " extending through parts of Oxford and Brompton, cover a con- " siderable area in the contiguous parts of the Townships of " Windsor, Wotton, Ham, and Stoke. Thdse unconformable '' rocks overlie and conceal a large portion of the strata of the " third synclinal j but along the eastern limit of this are exposed *' the copper deposits of Ascot, Ham, and Garthby." The Ascot Mine was discovered about the year 1859, and was leased by the late Thomas McCaw, Esq., of Montreal. The copper-bearing bed in this mine differs very considerably from that at Harvey Hill, both in its composition, extent, and regu- larity, the ore being the yellow sulphuret (copper pyrites), asso- ciated with a little iron pyrites ; the matrix is composed of an impure limestone associated with chloritic schist; the average thickness of the bed varying between five and six feet. m 14 COPPER MININCS IN CANADA EAST. The limited means of the proprietor in this case for carrying on works, the very nature of whicli necessarily required a larpje amount of capital to open them up, with a view to tlie more profitable extraction of the ore, only enabled him to carry on such works as yielded ore in quantities sulticient to pay for the labor as he went on. In this he was tolerably successful, some of the ore yielding' in the rough state as broken in the mine, and without any dressing, as much as eight per cent, of copper ; whilst the poorer portion, from the nature of its matrix, could at small cost be dressed to an average of twelve or fourteen per cent., with but small loss of its copper contents. The ore from this mine was discovered, at the .smelting works at Boston, to contain within itself all the elements necessary fur its reduction and liquefaction in the furnace, without requiring the aid of any foreign flux or admixture of other ores for the purpose of smelting it. In addition to which it was ascertained that this ore answered admirably as a flux for such ores as those from the Acton and Harvey Hill Mines, which arc deficient in sulphur, and those from the Clark and other mines, containiug silicious matters, requiring lime as a flux in their metallurgical treatment. The ore from this mine therefore may be regarded as of some importance, should smelting works be established on a large scale in the province, as may bo inferred from the fact that this mine was, in the full of 18G3, purchased by an American Company who erected furnaces at Lonnoxville for the smelting of the ores irom this and other mines in the province; and operations were carried on by them for some time successfully and profitably, but the lamentable difficulties of our neighbors for the past few years, and the great difference between the value of their currency and ours, compelled, a few months ago (like many other enterprises in this province carried on with American capital), the temporary suspen- sion, at least for the present, of their smelting as well as mining operations. About a mile to the north-east of the Ascot Mine is the Clark Mine, also possessed by an American Company. Here a bed of E^ COPPER MINING [N CANADA EAST. 15 ying on a large le more on sueh labor as ■ the ore lout any le poorer cost bo ?ith but works at y for its iriug the i purpose that this froui the sulphur, f silicious reatment. of some argc scale his iiiine 3any who ores Iroui e carried but the rears, and and our?*, ses in this ry suspen- as mining the Clark 3 a bed of copper-bearing slates of considerable thickness was discovered, and operations have been vigorously carried on for the last year, and liirgo (juantities of ore have been taken out and sent to market. or I ho approximate quantity of ore (extracted or its copper con- tents, I am not aware. There are several other localities in he iieigh})orhood of Lenuoxville where copper ores in promising (junntities have been met with. Id the Township of Ham, on lot No. 28, in the fourth range, near to the line of Wolfe.stown, some considerable work has been done witliiu tlie hist two or three years, on a mass of dolomitio limestone averaging over one hundred foet thick. On the upper strata of this limestone, to a depth of twenty or thirty i'eet, the variegated and yellow sulphurets of copper have been found in nodules, and lenticular masses of no mean promise. The band of copper-bearing roek has been traced for some distance. "When I visited this mine about \'o years ago. alarge pile of very promising I'le had then been taken out. Some machinery has since been erected for crushing and dressing the ore, and this mine may, 1 think, be leasonably regarded as one likely to become permanent. On lot No. 20, in the seeond range of the Township of South Ham, several veins have been discovered subordinate to the strati- fication, varying in thickness from two to ten feet, and presenting at surface promising indications, by exposures of copper pyrites and green carbonate of copper in costcens made on the lot. In the Township of Garthby, on lot No. 22, on the first range north, there appears a largo mass of iron and copper pyrites subor-' dinate to the stratification, which consists of calcareous serpentine. The entire thickness in which the sulphurets are minaled with the roek is over twMity feet. Samples of copper have been broken from the mass, yielding by essay as much as twenty-two per cent., whilst samples of sulphuret of iron have also been broken, which on being submitted to assay, Avere found almost entirely free Jrom copper. An opening was made on this a couple of years ago, and sunk to a depth of about ten feet, and the sulphurets were ibund to 16 COPPER MININa IN CANADA EAST. I continue for that depth with some regularity, A shiil't was then commenced a little distance to the south-east of the outcrop of the mass, the object beinj[; to prove its nature at a depth of about ten fathoms from surface. This reached a depth of between f^evcn and eight fathoms, when the quantity of water met with wjih .such as required the aid of pumping machinery to enable the Avork. to be proceeded with, and the same was in consequence suspended. From the foregoing remarks, the existence of copper ore over a large area of the Eastern Townships, along the divisions laid down in the able Geological Report of Sir W. h). Logan, as described in the three synclinals, maybe regarded as fully established. That copper mines in the Eastern Townships present fcuturcs of future promise, and inducements for the investment of capital for their more perfect and permanent development, will, I have the fullest belief, become patent within the next few years to capitalists seeking legitimate enterprise. I must not, liowever, forget to lay great stress on the economical expenditure of labor, as well as capital, in all mining operations ; as much injury might be done to the mining industry of the country by injudicious management of labor or disadvantageous expenditure of capital. In conclusion, it must not be supposed that the mere discovery of copper ore constitutes a mine, as was the case at Acton, which may be truly regarded as one of the most extraordinary occurrences ever met with in the history of mining. On the contrary, it will be found in Canada, as in other countries, that it most frequently requires a large expenditure of capital, and the patient and perse- vering prosecution of works of an exploratory nature, for several years, before the long hoped-for return finds its way intj th« treasury of a company. was then utcrop of of about jcu seven wtiH such ork to be ded. re over a aid down cribed in , features r capital have the apitalists 3onomical erations ; f of the intageous liscovery m, which 3urrences •y, it will [•equently nd perse- ^r several into the