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 MINING ON THE NORTH SHORE, 
 
 L A K E S U P E III O II . 
 
 BY PETER McKELLAR. 
 
 The Bubstsnoe of thlti Pampble!; was contained in two papars, read before the Canadian 
 Institute, in ^oron'^oOast Fabruar/, by the writer. 
 
^mf 
 
 !W" 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Page. 
 
 3 A Silver Mine !« 
 
 Carihoo Lead Mine ^ 6 
 
 Cornish Silver Mine , 19 
 
 Concluding lli'marks 25 
 
 Enteriniz" Lt-ad, Cojuter and Gold Mine 6 
 
 Geologii^al Formations 8 
 
 Gold Mining 20 
 
 Heron Bay Gold Mine 23 
 
 Iron liiver Silver Mine 4 
 
 Jaektish Lake Gold Mine 20 
 
 Jurvis Island Silver Mine 9 
 
 Lot 11.— Location 6 
 
 Little Pic Iron Mine 7 
 
 Montreal Mining Comjiany 6 
 
 McKellai- Island Silver Mine 15 
 
 Princes Bay, or .Sjiar Island Silver Mine 6 
 
 Partridge Lake Gold Mine 28 
 
 Pacific R. R. Terminus on Lake Superior Silver Mine , 24 
 
 Shuniali, or Duncan .Silver Mine 8 
 
 Silver Islet Silver Mine ■. 10 
 
 Silver Harbor, or Beck Silver Mine 16 
 
 Silver Lake Iron, Copper and Lead Mine 19 
 
 Shebandowan and Kashabowie Gold Mine 24 
 
 Thunder Bay ^Silver Mine 7 
 
 Theoretical Views 4 
 
 Undeveloped Discoveries 26 
 
 Walbridge Mine 6 
 
!_l!._ »?«. 'Uki!?_P_u 
 
 ^\ 
 
 PHOGRKSS OF MININC ON TIIK NORTH SIMRi: OF LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 UY I'ETEK McKELLAR. 
 
 J 
 
 Tlve Thunder Hay District ncoujties !i" \ .1, ,>, t.innda l)iirloring on Lako Superior, next the 
 Unitod Stiitep BouiPlary. It is niinuitaii. ■.»., ni character, with l-olil olifrft rising I)0<) to 1,40ft foot 
 alK)ve the lake and vhUl-vh. The valleys are ninin.'ri'U.s and ;,'enerfUly fertile, some heint{ of eonHider- 
 able extent, such as that of the Kaniinistitjuia I'ivur. ho tliat it is cajialde of snjiixirtini,' a nnich larger 
 ttgriewltural population th ui iJio peoydu in gcntira! liave any idea of. Tlie many low and lofty islands, 
 strewn alonif the coast ami in t'.ie hays, ren<ler the scenery pictMres<jue anil Weantiful. 
 
 niSTUIBlTION AND ClfARA' TKK OK TUB ; ro;.i)«iI<A', KOHMATIO.VS. 
 
 The geohii^ical formations of this section iiro : — The Laurentiar Hurenian, and tho T'ppor Copper 
 Rocks, named and described by Sir William Lo^jan (see his "(itolo|,ry 'f Canada"), afterwards tlescsibed 
 by others, and especially by Professors K. JJell and E. J. t'hiiiiman. The Laurentian ami Huronian 
 are the crystalline or azoic rocks, and the l'pi)er Copj)er Rocks are supposed to be the ccinivalent of a 
 part of the lower Silurian, and are divided into two divisions— tho Upper and the Lower beds. 
 
 THE I,AI ItF.XTlAN IIOCKS. 
 
 This series occupies the Height of Laml principally, i>nchin^' the lake sliore in but few vlacea within 
 this <iistrict. It consists of granite, gneies, syenite, and mic.iceoiis schists, almost entirely. Its veins 
 of (piartz and spar carry cop,'er and iron jjyrites, also yalena ami zinc blende occasionally, but {rum 
 my oxjierience I am not favora'^ly impresse<l in regard to its metalliferous (pialilications. 
 
 THE UVROXUN ROcK.s. 
 Tliis series lies generally between the Silurian and Latnentian, striking occasionally in a north- 
 easterly direction, in a broail belt (»r tr<»ugh, back ftiwards tlie Height of Land into the Laurontiau. 
 The principal area occujiied by these belts stretches westward from Thunder Bay tlu-ough Shebandowan 
 Iiake, thence on to the Americjui boundary. 
 
 It consists of greenish and gitenish^grey strata, with a dip nearly vertical. The i>rinci]>al portions 
 have a slaty structure, consistiyg of chloritic, argillaceous, talcose, ;,ilicious, dioritic, ami tine grain 
 micaceous slates, with interstratified beds of massive diorite. It is from these slates wo are expecting 
 great results in mining. 
 
 It is only three years since the first silver .aii.o (3 A) or any other mine (excejit the Little Pic 
 Iron) was discovered in the Huronian, in this .sec;! n. The following summer the Jacktish Lake Gold 
 and Silver Mine was discovere*! in the same scries, lying nearly HK) miles to the west of 3 A. Again, 
 in the stimmer of 1872 the Heron Bay gold and silver lodes were iliscovered in the sjinie formation, 
 lying to the eastward of 3 A about 150 miles ; also the Partridge Lake gold hnle, which seems to 
 traverse the same rocks, lying to the west of Mille Lac. Since then a number of promising silver 
 bearing ludes have been discovered in the Huronian area, which occupies the coast opposite the Slate 
 Islands. 
 
 THK I,OWEH l«KI>S OK THE I'lTKR <OPI'ER ROCK. 
 
 These come next in iwcending order. They occujn' the coast and islands, with the exception of 
 two or three pieces near Silver Harbor, where the older rocks come in, from the east end of Tlninder 
 Bay westwanis on to the American Territory, showing also at a few points further east, underlying 
 the Upper Be<ls. 
 
 They consist of layers of chert, dolomite, and iron ore, the latter being near the base, with thick 
 beds of clay, slate, and grey argillaceous sandstone shales, uiterstratified with beds of c<dumnar trap. 
 
 T'.io intersecting veins carry silver, galena, zinc blende, and copper and iron pyrites, and otber 
 i^,^f.<»ir 'n small quantities, lentil the discovery of the silver and gold IcmIcs ab(jve referred to in the 
 Hwoiu.in series, these slates were consider-.d the silver-bearing formation of the country. 
 
 The Silver Islet, Thunder Bay, Shuniali (now the Duncan), Silver Harbor, Prince's Bay, Spar 
 Island, Jarvis Island, McKellar's Island, Lambert's Island, Thompson's Island, McKenzie, Trow- 
 bridge, 3 B, and McKellar's Point veins are all silver-bearing, and intersect these slates, most of them 
 being undeveloped. 
 
THB rpPBB BEDS OF THE COPPBR ROOKA. 
 
 They ocftipy the principal part of the coast, and almost all the inlands from Thunder Bay U» th« 
 east end of Nepigon Bay. 
 
 They cf»n»i»t of anndstonoii, cunglomoratea, indurated marls, and some intoratratified soapstone, 
 crowned by an immonfle thioknoss of trajtpean be«l8, niont of which are aniygdaloitlal in character. 
 
 The quartz and spar veins which traverse the sedimentary or lower portion, hohl galena, copper 
 ores, ami zinc blende in very considerable quantities ; also gold and silver, as shown by Professor 
 Chapman in his Report of the Black Bay Lode, now the Enterprise Mine. The Silver Like, Cariboo, 
 »nd the above, are the principal lodes known in these strata. 
 
 The above trappean beds are the famous native ct)pper-l>earing rocks of the South Shore and Isle 
 Kovalo. At the former place the workable lodes, conform with the strata dip, at a high angle, 
 and are wonderfully rich. On our side these rocks dip at low angles, and, as far as I can uudorstand, 
 all the exiilorationa and work for native copper were made on the intersecting veins insteati of the 
 Wldod or conformable ones. It may be, that the difference of dip jnay have something to do with 
 their richness, it boing generally considered that strata with a high dip are nujro favorable for mineral 
 veins than those with alow dip. However, since the discovery of silver in Thunder Bay, little or no 
 attention hiis been paid to these copper rocks by the explorer, so that there is no knowing what they 
 may turn out yet. 
 
 Native copper with associated nuggets of silver is the principal metal found in those rocks, but 
 occasionally the sulphurets and other ores are met with in small quantities. The veins, in passing 
 through them into the sandstone, seem to drop ihe native copper, it being replaced by the sul])huretB. 
 Many years ago the Montreal Company and others spent a considerable sum of money mining in 
 these Mcks without success, but that is of little imjiortauce, as there was ten fcimos morj spent in th« 
 soutlrsltore before the mines proved productive. 
 
 TUBORETIOAI, VIEW.! OP TH3 MSTA^LIFBKOUS CUARACTaillSTlCS OF THESE HOCKS. 
 
 Stcne geologists have expressed the opini«m that the native copper of those lodes was derived from 
 the copper ores of tlie Uuronian by the fluid trap in passing up through them ; and it is my opinion 
 that the silver in the fiasurus of the Thundtr Bay slates was derived from the same source by an 
 aqueous s<.lution. The way the discoveries of silver are distributed over that section would seem to 
 substantiate this conclusion, for we find them distributed along parallel belts, which seem to agree in 
 strike with that of the highly inclined Huronian strata which ocuu])y the section, and must underlie 
 these horizontal spates at no great depth. In other parts the .jins of similar charact«;r in these slates 
 have been searched in vain for silver, none being f< und excepting the usual amount found in galena. 
 For instance, a bolt along Thunder Bay from Lnmbeit Island to the Sliuniah Mine, a distance of about 
 eighteen miles, shows silver at different places, which would require two argentiferous parallel strata, 
 on this principle, to account for it. At the 3 A mine the Uuronian are not overlaid by the siluriaa 
 slates — all these veins seem to conform with the strike of the Uuronian and this belt of silver. 
 
 Again, take the other belt of silver discoveries — that is. Silver Islet, MoKellar's Island, Thompson's 
 Island, Spar Island, Jarvis Island, McKollar's Point, and 3 B, in each/)f which the silver shows. It 
 is about 30 miles long, running nearly parallel to and lying about 20 miles to the S. E. of the aW)T« 
 mentioned silver bolt. Here we find all the principal fissure-veins bearing N.N.W. and S.S.E., cross- 
 ing the strike of the Uuronian and the Thunder Bay silver veins; but, strange to say, the general run of 
 the silver conforms with the latter instead of with the veins in which it is found — each of these dis- 
 coveries being on a different vein, and on the whole lying on a line bearing about W.S. W. and E.S.E., 
 which, as above mentioned, seems to conform with the general run of the Uuronian strata, which, in 
 all probability, underlie these slates all through this locality. There seems to be another run of silrer 
 nearly parallel with this, lying two or three miles to the north, on these same N.N.W. veins; for silve; 
 has been found on the McKenzie locations to the north of 3 B; on the Prince's Bay locations to th« 
 north of Spar Island; on Pic Island, to the north of McKellar's Island, and, I believe, in one of Wood's 
 locations to the north of McKellar's Point, the distance between the two extremes being about twenty 
 miles. Here we find two belts, as it were, of silver, the same as at Thunder Bay, which, if this theorr 
 were correct, would show the presence of two or more argentiferous strata in the Huronian, whic^ 
 seems not at all unreasonable, as auriferous and other metalliferous strata are Icnowu to exist in other 
 pai'ts of the world. 
 
 For example, the late discoveries on the opposite shore of Lake Superior, at Iron River, near 
 Ontonagon, show that the silver, both native and sulphuret, exists in large quantities in a sedimentary, 
 sandstone, and clay slate, associated with the ores of copper. The silver is found finely disseminated 
 through the upper layer of a thick bed of slightly metamorphosed sandstone ; also in the lower layers 
 of the black clay slate, which immediately overlie it. The change in the character of the sedimentary 
 deposits at this point shows that a great geological change of some kind had taken place there at the 
 time of its deposition, to which, no doubt, the presence of the silver is due. Here the general dip 
 seems to be at a low angle to the north-east, into Lake Superior, but the whole has been pressed later- 
 ally into undulations nearly at right angles to the direction of the dip, so that the outcrop of the lode 
 has a zigzag course, resembling somewhat that of a rail fence. I have received my information from 
 
MoMn. IXmald and Archibald McKellar, who had taken specimens from the spot and geological nutet 
 oi; the ground, which, upon being laid down on paper, proved to be correct. . 
 
 To return to the Tliun'lur Bay subject. I may mention that l!u> above theory is/impIyan]opinion, 
 which further discoveries may show in a ditferent light. 
 
 The Silver Islet vein, though so rich on the Islet, shows little or no silver on the island near the 
 shore, nor on the mainland, where several pita have been sunk, though it is large and well defined, 
 carrying galena, zinc blon<le, and iron pyrites. 
 
 There is a peculiar metalliferous clyke of diorite (Macfarlane's Ban<l), about ten chains wide, 
 paming along the above mentioned line, by Silver Islet, McKellar 's Island, &c., which differs in ap- 
 pearance from any of the dykes I have seen in the country. It contains several ores, and in places 
 appears rich enough to work for the co]>pcr pyrites. 
 
 Mr. Thomas Macfarlane, who discovere*! the Jarvis and Silve* Islet silver liHles, was the first to 
 bring it to notice. Ho accounted for the metalliferous character ol those veirts tm the same principlo 
 as that of the Kimii^sberg silver veins that intersect tlio metalliferous Fahlbanda. He coiiHiucred the 
 diorite, like the Fuhlbantl^, to carry a number of mctaJH, silver inohuled, whicW were afterward 
 deposited in larger quantities in fissures cutting it. The discovery of silver on it in so many places 
 since would go to confirm this theory, but it w(mld not account for tho silver on the other aide of 
 Thunder Bay and other i)Iace.<«, where there is none of this dierito. At the same time, the same beds 
 of the Huronian Hocks that underlie the HJutes at the silver mines of Thunder Bay might on the other 
 side of a tnMigh <»r Bynclina', throw up under the slates along tho above-mentioned belt, on whicli 
 the Silver Islet and Jarvia laland lie. ^ 
 
 The diorite ia coming through might carry some of tho silver with it, and be argentiferous in some 
 places, though not in others ; for Dr. Ellis, of the School of Technology, Toronto, luialysetl a speci- 
 men of it, in whicli ho found no silver. Of courao more i>roof» aro necessary to establish the above 
 theoi-y ; at tho sametimo it seeriii to mo tho most reasonable, when wo find that aiuiilar strata, sup- 
 posed to be of tho aauio ago, in Norw;iy, contain argentiferous l)elt3 (Fahlbands), wliith enricli tho 
 fissure veins pas-tiiig thmugli theii). 
 
 Let us suppose tliis foruuition in which the Fahlbanda occur overlaid by beds of horiaontal strata, 
 tho same as wo have it on Jjiiko Sujierior, and tho fissures passing through them ; tliere ia no doubt the 
 veins would be richer in tho vicinity of tlio Fahlbau'ls th;iii away from them. 
 
 Believing in the abovo c< inclusions, I have niucli confidence in these veins in the slato that show 
 silver, or at least much at stuface, believing that the source lies in the strata beneath. 
 
 The change in size and character of the veins in jia-ssing from one horizontal bed to another does 
 not seem to mo to be cause for uuich alarm, es;)eciany where tho thickness of tho slates is not 
 much, as ij the case to tho N.W. of Thunder B.iy ; if onco established, as I believe it is, tliat tlieso 
 are not local gsiah veins, but true fissures, with tho metalliferous source deeper <lown. TJio beds vary 
 much in character, being composed of cliort, iloloiuite, clay slate, and trap, some being more subject 
 to contraction and expansion than others, and no doubt their powers or infiuences in depositing the 
 metals and minerals in tlio fissures diller. 
 
 The veins in the Huronian and im tho Macfarlane Bwid will not be subject to these changes, as 
 they continue down in the si'.nie rock ; yet they will be 8uV)ject tcj changes, as all fissure veins are. 
 
 The history of each mine will be given in tlio order of its discovery. 
 
 rr'vcEs BAV, OR siak island silver mine. 
 
 About twenty-eight years ago the Prince's Bay mine was worked by tho owner, Colonel Prince, 
 on Spar Island, and on the main shore for silver. The vein on the Island is large, well defined, and 
 composed princijially (»f spur. It intersects tho above-mentioned dyko of diorite, bearing about 
 N.N.W., with a dip nearly vertic;-.!. One of the ribs is charged with tho sulphuretsof co|i])erand .sumo 
 native and suliihuret of silver. Two shafts were sunk — one 24 and tho other 47 feet— but the work 
 was stopped owing to a vein of water having been struck. 
 
 Two or three slnvfts (one IH) feet in deptl)) were sunk, ami a level driven 105 feet on a large lode 
 of quartz and spar, on tho main sliorc, which was thought to be the same as that on tho Island. It 
 can'iestho ores of copper, galena, zinc blende, and some native and silver glance. 
 
 Acconling to Sir Wu). Logan, there was a bunch of several hinulred poiuids < f ore fouml which 
 yielded 3 per cent, of silver — tho silver containing a suuill amount of gold. He couvidereil tliat the 
 result would justify the further working of tho mine for silver if not for copi»er. 
 
 The works were stojtped, and have not since been resumeJ. I believe that the I.slan<l would turn 
 out very rich if the water would allow of its being worked. 
 
 LANUa OF THE MONTREAL MININO ("OMPANV. 
 
 Tliis Cc mpmy engaged Prof. Forrest iShej>pard, with a largo party in the spring of 1840 (about the 
 time the Prince's Mine was working) to explore and locate mining lands on Lakes Huron and Superior. 
 During the summer they ha<l located some eighteen blocks of land along the coast— the Jarvis and 
 Silver Islet looitions included — each block being two miles by five. , 
 
6 
 
 Thoy npent (MnHi<leral)le luonoy iiiiniiii; <m tikti iiHtivo u<){i|){>r Incntions oil .St. I^nnco aikI farther 
 down tliu Liiku, nil of wiiich wore boon aliumlonotl, thuir iittuiition hnviiijj lit-eii tiiriiu<l tu thu Urucu 
 MinuM. 
 
 Agniii ill l.S()H, ftftur the tUiioovory of silver iii Tlmiwlur IJay, the CumpHiiy eiiiployutl Mr. ThoinaH 
 Macfnrliinc to oiploro luul report on their liimlH ; for whicli thov wuio rc-wiiriie<I liy tho iliscovery of 
 two Hilvcr lot'ioH— tho Jtirvia and Hilvoi islot. From thu latter tlicy liad uxtriicted Hilvorto tlie iiiaouiit 
 of Huvcrul thouRuntl dolhirs hv th<> lit of Hu]itunil)(;r, IH'O, thu duy upon whicli thu huIu of thuir landn 
 was concliulud with the Anioriciin Comimny, for the hiuu of if\'2'>,{W). Sinco thun thuy hiivo oljlninod 
 a half intorust in ThonipHt>n'H iHhviid. (For further imrticularH hoc the rejiorta of the Jarvin, .Silver 
 Islet, and ThoinpHon Islund Mines.) 
 
 WALBRinciE MINK. 
 
 After tho Prince's Bay and JVIontruftl Coiii[>aiiy Hii8|)undu<l oi>urationH ahnut 1847, tho np])er part 
 of tho Lake was alniost entirely nogluctel, until iHiVA, when Walbridgo iV' C*>., of Dutroit, hoiiuht the 
 Walhridge Location, in the township of Paipoongu, three iiiilus frnni tho Kaiiiinistitjiiia, and seven 
 miles from Fort William, for 91,2W)or ^1,4«K), from J. Mdntyro. H. IJ. €<».'« Agont, .1. K. McViear, 
 and E. McEach§«.ii. 
 
 This Ctminany worked a party of six or seven miners duiini; tlio siiminurand thu following winter, 
 cross-cutting tlio htde in several i*Iaces, and sinking a shaft about 40 foot deup on the co]iiiur-hcaring 
 part of the vein. They took out a ton or two of ova, containing prol)al)ly 40 to 50 per cunt, of copper 
 
 1>yritos — and tho miners said that it was improving as thuy went down, one stringur of ore in the bottom 
 »eing alxnit two to three inches, and increasing. I myself saw a vory tino show of galena at one of 
 the croas-cuts whun tliey wete working thure. 
 
 Thi' vein is well delinod, vory strong, li4 feet wide, composeil jirincipally of calc-spnr and <\uurtz, 
 which iiold galena, zinc blonde, copper anil iron pyrites, in bunches, stringers, and disseminated in 
 grains. It dips at a high angle to thu south, bearing nuurly east Kml west, tracod for a mile or two 
 along its strike. It intersects tho silicious and argillaceous bods of tho Lower Bods of thu CoppN* 
 Rocks. 
 
 Tho developments were made with a view to sell the mine, which they failed to eil'uut up to the 
 present, and the mine has been idlo since. 
 
 (•AKIBOO LODE. 
 
 The explorer, Ned Duncan (Edward McEaclierii), well known on l>oth shores, having si)ent 
 about 25 years in that business, was mining with a party of men f»n tiie Cariboo Lode, near Black Bay, 
 in the winter of 18G3, in which ho discovered a mass of galena, about three inches thick, iiino foot long 
 by five foot deep. 
 
 This vein runs along in a largo trap dyku, bearin;,' about east and west, with a vortical <lip. Tho 
 veinstone, which is (juartz and spar, runs in bands, streaks, and Imnchus throuirh tho dyku, gonorally 
 ahmg tho Bouth wall, showing dissominatuil galena, zinc blende, and copper an<l iron pyrites. Tho 
 dyko boars about E. and W., cutting a reddish granite, supposetl of Lauvuntian agu. .Since thun vary 
 little work has been done on it. 1 understaml that it is ownod by Dr. Dulhuid and others in Detroit. 
 
 I wiis told that Duncjin McEachern, brother of tho above-muntioiied explorer, hail discovered a 
 rich show of galena on tho sameloile last summer. 1 was shown a tine specimen of it. 
 
 Ned Duncan, in his explorations in Tliunder Bay, Jilack iiay, and other parts of tho coast, had 
 discovered many lodos carrying tho ores of lead and copjier, but none that looked like ])aying from the 
 surface, so it was difficult to find a Company willing to test them in depth, as none had boon proven iu 
 the country. 
 
 LOT 11.— LOCATION. 
 
 In tho feummer of 18G3 my brother, John McKellar, and I discovered a lar3[e sp.ar and quartz lode 
 holding galena and copper ore in the townshiji of Paipooiige, west of Thunder Bay, which my father, 
 Mr. Duncan McKellar, sold to Walbridgo, of Detroit, tho following winter. 
 
 Having been pleased with the appearance of the country, we returne<l the following spring to 
 renew our explorations. 
 
 THE NORTH SHOKE, OR ENTERPRISE MINE. 
 
 We discovered many metalliferous veins, but none of importance, until the 16th of May, 1865, 
 when my brother, Donald McKellar and myself, discovered the famous Black Bay lode on lot C, now 
 known as the North Shore Mine. 
 
 The vein is 6 to 8 feet in width, the gangue being quartz, and calc, and heavy spars ; with a lode 
 of 3 to 4 feet wide of solid ore, consisting of a mixture of galena and copper pyrites, with a small quan- 
 tity of the gangue. 
 
 Prof. E. J. Chapman, in his report of it, gives the percentage of the metals : — Lead, 47 ; copper' 
 8 to 11 ; and some copper ore ribs at 21 per cent. ; besides an' average of the precious metals of about 
 $17 of gold, and 94 of silver to the ton . 
 
 The vein intersects the indurated iparls of the Upper Bed of the Upper Copper Rocks near its 
 junction with the granite. It strikes about E.N.E. and W.S.W., with a dip nearly vertical. 
 
its 
 
 Twd yoiir.i njjo we solil 400 ncros on this Iixlo to Miunlluljutmi it Co. fur ^'_'0,000. A ainall force 
 WM einiiluyod to oj»un it out, uml iiuothur to JtuiM a tniuiwiiy to Hliic-k Bay, n <listiuicoof iicarly aovon 
 luilus ; tint owing, an I nnduiHtanil, tu some tinanrial troul>lu, they linvu hovn unablu toconiplutu it yet; 
 Butho hundreiU of tonx of uro taken out are lying there still. 
 
 A shorter and a better route for the tramway loads t<> a harhor of eleven feet of water on Pearl 
 Bay. ThiH dixeovery Hatiafied uh and otkerit tliat nietaliidid exist in lnr),*o 'inantities in th(^ country. 
 
 Since writing the uliuve, I underHtand that* the Couii)any has l)ecn reorganized under u new name 
 — the Enterprise— and that they are going to coninieneo o]>0rationH iiuniudiately. 
 
 LITTLE Vlr, IKON MINE. * 
 
 In tlio Bpringof Iftfii* Mr. John McKellar, with Mr. W, Pritchard, wont to «©o an iron deposit 
 that an Indian had Hhown the latter some yearn jiruvions, near the Little Pic Jlivcr, about IW miles tu 
 the east of Thunder Ray. 
 
 On examination they found that it existed in inoxhauntible <|uantitie«, to tlio lands were secured* 
 The ore lies in slightly inclined beds, six to thirty feet in thickness. In one place tl>roo bods, one 
 above the other, in the face of a ditt", make an aggregate thickness of 80 to 00 feet. One of the 
 beds shows for about twenty chains along its strike ; at the north end, where it is lost in a small lake, 
 it covers about two acres of ground, rising back in hillocks and moinids. The principal part of it lies 
 between tiftoen and sixty chains of Lake Superior. The ore is magnetic — each bod being remarkable 
 for its uniform character throughout. 
 
 Mr. C. Il<jbb, of thofJeological Survey, rooorted on the jjroperty some years ago. He fo\ind 4<J per 
 cent, of iron in one of the beds, thootiiors yielded alxmt W. A 8i>ecinien taken from <»ne of tho larger 
 beds by myself when on tlio (Jeological Survey yieltled Dr. Hunt about 'AS per cent. Those wore all 
 surface specimens, and by the character of the iron it is expected to improve in dei)th. 
 
 I have been told that tho present owners, Sibley & Co., who bimght it last winter for about 
 $15,000, had a party working it last sunnuer, and that the ore yielde<l Prof, (.'roft ol per cent, of 
 iron. • * 
 
 TIHNDF.It HAV SILVKR MINK. 
 
 The next tliscovery of imi)ortance was tho Thun<ler May Silver Mine, l>y myself, on the 20th of 
 September, 18(i(i, about five miles from I'rince Arthur's Lun<ling. 
 
 At the jioint of exjiosuro tho vein was about 20 feet wide, of quartz, enclosing large masses or 
 belts of tho country rook, which were also cut by numerous stringers of veinstone. It was a wonderful 
 show of silver, consisting of native and glance, with some galena, zinc blentle, and iron pyrites. The 
 ore occurs in bunches — throe to eighteen inches thick by six to forty feet in length — the silver being 
 in strings, leaves, grains, &c., irregularly distributed through tho veinstone which constituted the 
 greater part of tho bunch. At tho first ojiening there were two of tho straiiks, one next the north or 
 lianging wall, and one in the middle. It is not well defined, being generally in ril>s, with considerable 
 slate between. 
 
 Tho richness of this lode croated a good deal of excitement ; capitalists and explorers came the 
 following spring in large numboiB, and lands were taken uj) in ever}' direotion, but they were soon 
 driven away by that unlucky Mining Bill of Mr. Richards. 
 
 In the fall of 1807 Mr. Mclntyre of Fort William, ami myself, brought two half barrels of tho ore 
 to Montreal. A comi)any was fonued — Mr. Hoi>kin8, Governor of the Hu<lson Bay Company, being 
 appointed President. It was divided into 80,000 shares, the pur value of oach being ^'i. Twenty 
 thousand shares were sold for working capital, 00,000 being unassessable. A manager for the mine — 
 Mr. McDonald — was sent for to Europe, and a director appointed in London, England. Even the 
 stamp mill machinery was brought from Eii'^land, when a gi-eat deal better could have been procured 
 on this side. 
 
 The mill was erected at the mouth of the Current River, throe miles from the mine, on a 
 magnificent water-power. A good waggon road was cut to the mine, and a dock 200 feet long was 
 built into the lake, of cribwork filled with stone. Miners were set to work, two shafts sunk to the 
 depth of 68 foot, 300 feet apart, and the connecting level was partly run. Another shaft was sunk 
 to the depth of about 25 feet to the north-east of No. 2 shaft some 300 feet — in all of which they got 
 silver. The surface between them was partly stoped when the manager was discharged, and another, 
 Mr. Mcintosh, put in his place. 
 
 He commenced by driving a drift at the ten fathom level north-westward from No. 1 shaft, to 
 find the vein as he expected \gainst the trap that is sees a little back on the hill, although this trap is 
 in the form of a bed, resting horizontally on the slates, at an elevation of about 80 feet above the 
 drift. He also commenced sinking a shaft half way between No. 2 and No. 3 shafts, which he sunk 
 some 35 feet, the rest of the men being employed stoping the ground between the two extreme shafts, 
 a length of 600 feet, in which the silver was found in bunches, as above described. 
 
 The vein from the surface down, for 25 to 30 feet, passes through dolomite and chert principally, 
 and was strong and carrying the silver. Below that, as far as they went, it passed through argilla- 
 ceous strata, in which the vein was found in small stringers, with some galena, &c. , but very uttle 
 
' 8 
 
 ■ilver. Tho lamo condition of thint^ waa met with at tho Bock or Hilvi r Harlor Mine, but th% 
 Thunder Bay Mine showed much more itilvor. 
 
 Had they spent the money in linkint; instead of spending it on the surface, it is my finn belief 
 that the mine would be working to this day ; for tho change in character of the vein in tho argilla- 
 ceous beds is nothing but what might be expected, as it ia Known that argillaceous strata, by pressure, 
 are liable to expand laterally more than the more solid silicious and dolomitio strata, which, c»f course, 
 would result in partly or completely cloainu tinsures witliin them. (800 Sir Charles Lyell's "Goology,*' 
 page 484, on this subject. He states it to be a common phenomunon in mineral veins. ) 
 
 There seems to mo to be no doubt that the vein, if followe<l down into more solid strata, woidd 
 resume its original sizo and character, with a Ko<)d chance of being much richer as it approached or 
 passed into tho Uuronian, which I do not think liu over a few hundred feet from surface. 
 
 Mr. Mcintosh's theory proved a failure ; tho shaft turned out tho samo as tho others, and the 
 vein or trap was not reached by the drift ; 80 tho works were discontinuetl in the spring of 18(30. 
 
 The valuo of the ore raised — which was, acconling to Mr. Charles Robb'a report, 3,21>4 lbs. — was 
 92,602, or an average of 91,513 per ton. 
 
 Ther»j is no knowing how much ore had been carried away by tho miners and others, but wo hav© 
 goo4J reasons to believe that there had been a good dual. One party left the minu in tho middle of tho 
 night, crossing Lake Superior in a small boat to Poi-tugo Lake, who were said by reliable persons to 
 have brought six or seven kegs of washed ailvor, which could not have come from any other place at 
 tho time. And wo know that the manager, by order of tho Company, had a largo quantity pulverized 
 and washed some time i)reviouB. 
 
 The property contains over 1,700 acres ; and tho amount expended is about 900,000. 
 
 HUUNIAH, OK DUNCAN HILVER MINP. 
 
 TTio next discovery of silver was made by 3Ir. Goorgo A. McVicar in May, 1807, in a largo spar 
 vein ho and Mr. Jolui McKolhir had found somo tinio mwioiis — tho well known Shuniah Mine, which 
 lies about three miles to tho north of I'rinco Artlnir'.s Laudiny. 
 
 Tho vein is 20 to 24 feet wide, rnnnin>^ nearly oast and west, witli a vortical dip ahuost. It is com- 
 posed of coarse cryatallino calc-spar, with alittlo ipiartz. Tliero aro huge vugs found in it inwhicliaro 
 developed imiiienso crysteils of (iog-t<j<)th spar. Sionio galon.v and zinc blende, with considerable iron 
 pyrites, aro distributed tlirough tho lodo — tlio silver, both native and sulphuret, being usually asso- 
 ciated with tl;:; l>iondo. 
 
 At tho first opening tho silver was found in small buiichoH, in tlio fonn of leaves and tino strings, 
 penetrating tho (piaitz, spar, blende and galoii:i, in a streak of these minerals which was ninning along 
 within a couido of feet of tho south wall ; but in sinking tho shaft it was lost about 18 feet down, and 
 again found in tho mi<ldlu of tho vein when cross-cuttin;^ the lodo at tho foot of tho shaft at tho ten 
 fathom level. Hero tho ores were found in streaks, and bunches around encloseil angular masses of 
 black clay slate. 
 
 The sitrfaco show of this mino was small compared with that of tho Thunder B.ay Mine. 
 
 Immediately after its discovery, Messrs. McVicar and McKellar entered into an agreement with 
 Withers, Morse & Co. (American Co.), who hiul arrived there with a surveyor to take up tho lands 
 surrounding tho Thunder Bay Mine. The Company agi-eed to work tho mine, pay them 93,000 down, and 
 90,000 of the first proceeds of tho mine, with an unassessivblq one-tenth interest each. The Company 
 sent for mineVs to the South Shore an<l connnenced work immediately, which they continued during 
 the summer and following winter, cross-cutting the lode in several places, and sinking two shafts, one 
 30 to 40 feet, and the other 60 feet. From the foot of tho latter they drove a cross-cut across tlie lode, 
 finding tho silver as above mentioned. Several barrels of ore were taken out an«l tested, tlio yiehl 
 being rather small, or from 9200 to 9300 per ton, as I understood. Twenty to twenty-five thousand 
 dollars were extravagantly spent, and the mine was stopped for want of capital. Prof. E. J. Chapman, 
 of Toronto, reported on it, giving it as his opinion that it would bo a paying raino. if only followed 
 down deep. 
 
 The Company disagreed among themselves, and the original owners had to enter a suit in Chancery 
 against them, which lasted for several years, and was finally settled by tho Company paying tho 
 expenses and 95,000, and turning over two mining locations in that vicinity. 
 
 In 1870 the mino was sold to James Carson & Co., of New York, for 975,000, if I remember 
 rightly. Under this Company tho mine had been worked until the miildlo of last summer, sinking tho 
 main shaft to the depth of 135 feet, and driving galleries along the lode at tho first and second levels, 
 and cross-cutting tho lodo at several places, one of which was driven to the south fcr probably 100 
 feet in expectation of cutting another vein, in which they failed. They got silver in several places in 
 tho drifts, which they began to follow up a few days before receiving orders to suspend operations, 
 and had taken out a barrel or two of very rich ore. 
 
 Tho cajitain of the mino told me himself, after the mine had stopped, that he believed it would 
 about pay its own way now. A good many t]iou3an<l dollars had been spent by thia Company, and 
 that t<jo in tho same manner as was done by the Thunder Bay Mining Company, proving and 
 re-proving the surface instead of sinking, as they had been repeatedly advised to do. 
 

 I WM down in tho shaft Rftor thoy stnppod ninking, iind the vein in the tKittoni looked reinarki\hly 
 well. All that wa» wnntud was thu siiT^r, and it sooniod as though it nnist como in h<niii. There wmi 
 A bruati streak charged with tho sulphurcts of iron, lead and sine — the tirst of those l>eing thu principal 
 pari. 
 
 Tlie wall rook is chan<||)d in tho lower .')() to 40 foot, tho silicious and the argillaceous slates holding 
 • considerable reddish chert or jasper, in tho form of thin layers and niasnos gunerally of a lenticular 
 >hape. Above this I noticed a bud of black cbiy slate, and higher u|» again towards the surface are the 
 doloniitjBS and dark cherts — it is the sauio formation as tliat of tho Thunder Hay Mine. The vein is 
 very large all the way down ; it is only in thu cross-cuts that the north wall ciuild be soen. 
 
 Tho mine was recommenced is November last under a new company an<l a now name, Duncan's 
 Mine, an<l wo have been hearing favorable reports from it since. Ijattdy I received a letter from 
 Thunder Ray, dated the 18th of December, stating that thoy ha<l struck a rich streak of silver in the 
 main shaft at 141 feet deep. I know that this information can be relied on. 
 
 Latest news from this mine comes in a letter from tho corresptmdunt of Tk* Olobti, «lated P. A. 
 Landing, May 24th, 1874, in which he dtatos that ho had just boon at the Duncan Mine, and thatCapt. 
 Nichols told nim that they had a streak It) inches thick of silver ore in No. [\ shaft at the depth of 
 170 feet, but that they would not follow it up just now, as tliey had iitrict orders to continue the shaft 
 on down. Ho also states that ho w;i.<i shown a i)ieco from it weighing 3() lbs,, which the Cajttain said 
 was only an ordinary specimen, and wo\ild yield at least 1^5, 000 to the ton. 
 
 .lARVIH ISLAND. 
 
 In the winter of 1867 and 1808 the Government placed an annual tax of two cents per acre on all 
 the patented land on Lake Superior, which worked much go<Ml, as parties holding much land, and 
 having to pay such heavy tax, sot to work to explore and Hn<l out its value. The result was the 
 discovery of silver in the Jarvia Island and in the far-famed Silver Islet, which in all probability 
 would still be unknown, and for years to c >me in tho hands of the Montreal Mining Company, aa it 
 had been fur many years previous. 
 
 In the spring of 1868 this Company secured the valuable services of tho well known Mr. Thomae 
 Macfarlane, with a party of men, to examine and repf>rt on their lands on Lake Superior. 
 
 His tirst explorations were made on the Jurvis Location, situate about 22 miles to tli« south of 
 Fort William, on which he discovered silver in a large lode of heavy and calcareous spars and quartz, 
 on the island of the same name, which lies one and a half miles off the shore. The island is about 
 twenty chains wide whore the vein crosses, a considerable portion being deeply covered with earth. 
 The vein ia well defined, eight to ten feet wide, with a dip of about fifty degrees to the east north-east. 
 The silver shows in leaves generally, but also in strings and small nuggets, through the spar, zino 
 blende, and the black carbonaceous matter. Mr. Macfarlane sunk a shaft about twelve feet deep in 
 the summer of 1869, taking out some fine silver «re. Again in 1870 he followed it down some twenty 
 feet more, taking out a considerable quantity of ore . 
 
 This location passed into the hands of the Ontario Mineral Land Company about the Ist of Sep- 
 tember, 1870, along with the Silver Islet and all the other lands owned by tho Montreal Mining Com- 
 pany on Lake Superior. 
 
 This Company, in June and July of 1871, employed a small party mining on this lode for a month 
 or two, when thoy sold it for ?150,000 to Messrs. R. F. McEwen of London, and Simon Mandlobaum 
 of Detroit. 
 
 Since then the mine has been worked with considerable energy. The first shaft has been sunk 
 about 100 feet, and two others about seventy feet each, the first thirty to forty feet being an alluvial 
 deposit. The ten fathom level was being driven to connect Nos. 1 and 2 shafts wlien I was there last 
 winter, and I presume it is through before this. 
 
 Thoy drove a winze ilown below this level thirty-five to forty feet, in which they fotind a rib of 
 ore resting against the hanging wall. It increased from an incli or so t(j <iver a foot in thickness in the 
 thirty-five feet. The ore consists of spar charged with argentiferous zinc blemlo. I hoard it iissayed 
 from ^100 to over 8200 per ton. I have no df)ubt, when fellowed, it will be found very rich in silver 
 in places. The vein is fouu<I to be very l.irgo, well defined, and regular. A''ery littlo silver was found 
 in driving tho drift save the indioati<m — it being seen as a sulphurot coating the blciulu. 
 
 They commenced in thu fall, stoping away the ground next No. 1 shaft, and according to the re- 
 ports they are taking out rich ore. I saw a specimen froiB it J)eforo Ic.iving Fdrt William in the fall, 
 wjiich was charged witli both the glance and native silver. Captain Pluuiuiur informeil me that he had 
 broken fine specimens of silver out of the lode «uder the water, on tlie west side of the island. 
 
 The true fissure character of the lode is <iuite evident V)y its appearance. Again, it intersects the 
 immense diorite dyke of Silver Island, so that thoru will be no danger of its giving out, or losing its 
 character by sinking. 
 
 A number of go'jd 8ubstanti<al houses were erected in the fall of 1872, and everything is in good 
 working order, with a force of twenty to thirty men at work. On the whole it may be considered a 
 mine of much promise, although it has turned out but little silver for the work done. It belongs to 
 the same class of vein as that of the Silver Islet, which has been proven to a depth of 300 feet alreatiy, 
 
 2* 
 
10 
 
 and shown to carry the precious metal in svich large quantities. They bear in the same litirection, 
 carry the same minerals and metals, and intersect the same formation, with the comparison of site 
 being in favor of the former. Even at Silver Islet a good deal of work has been done where it shows 
 very little silver. 
 
 Smco writing the above I received a letter from Thunder Bay, dated 18^1 December, stating that 
 Captain Plummer had discovered a rich streak, six inches thick, of silver ore on the foot wall of the 
 vein, in cross cuttinK the lodeat 110 feet down, at the bottom of Macfarlane or No, 1 shaft. I have no 
 doubt this streak will continue up along the footwall to within 40 or 50 feet of the surface, at about the 
 place the ore gave out on the hanging wall in going down — the streak having moved from the one side 
 to the other. It seems Ihat it is much richer than any got near the surface, so the streak appears to 
 improve in depth. It will be remen.bered that the vein is much wider than the thickness of the shaft, 
 so that a portion of the vein next the foot wall would be unseen all the way down, as the shaft followed 
 the hanging-wall. 
 
 Later still : I received in April, by mail, a specimen from Mr. Mclntyre, of Fort ^yllliam. It 
 comes from the f<»(.t of the main shaft, 140 feet from the surface, and is very fine ; it being chargeil 
 with silver mostly glance, in the form of leaves, &c. The vein is said to improve in appearance by 
 sinking. 
 
 SILVER ISLET MINE. 
 
 A month or so after the discovery of the Jarvis, Mr. Macfarlane turned his attention to th« 
 Wood's Location, which lies a few miles to the east of Thuniler Cape. 
 
 During his examination he discovered the Silver Islet Lode, the silver being first noticed by one of 
 the party named Morgan. The Islet was about 75 feet long, rising six to eight feet above the Lake, and 
 lying about half a mile from the main shore. 
 
 The vein crosses the Islet in two branches, about 20 feet apart, each 4 to 6 feet wide, bearing about 
 N.N.W. and S.S.E. with a dip nearly vei-tical. The veinstone consists of calcareous or bitter spar, of a 
 reddish white colour, with some quartz, &c. The rich streak of ore consists of spar, fine grain galena, 
 and occasionally zinc blende. Tlxrough the whole, especially the galena, the native silver is more or 
 less thickly disseminated in fine strings, &c., the sulphuret of silver being occasionally present, also 
 small quantities of nickel and cobalt. This streak is two or three inches wide generally, but in places 
 it spreads out to a foot or more. It becomes poor and disappears in places, and again comes in ; and 
 in sinking, in some of the layers between two floors it is found to be rich and in others poor. These 
 floors, if I remember rightly, dip at a low angle to the north, and are generally two or three feet apart. 
 
 The west branch, or vein tha^. showed the. most silver at surface, is the one upon which the work 
 it being carried on. It crossed at the west end of the islan4, being almost entirely covered by water, 
 though shallow, for 50 feet or more along the lode, so that the men had to work in the water in 
 taking out the ore. 
 
 The Islet lies on the above-mentioned dyke of diorite (Macfarlano's band), which is rather coarse in 
 texture away from the walls. A portion running along the middle shows a reddish or brown 
 appearance, owing to the color of the feld8pu,r, the rest being greenish grey in color, with white or 
 greenish white feldspar and dark green hornblende, &c. It differs in appearance from any of the 
 numerous trap dykes I have seen in the country, and is very wide. Here it intersects the slightly 
 inclined bluish or greenish grey shales, which seem to occupy a position near the summit of the Lower 
 Beds of the Upper Copper Rocks. 
 
 They succeeded in taking out several hundred weights of the ore, > hich Mr. Macfarlane brought 
 with him to Montreal in the fall, and had it thoroughly tested, various grades yielding from one 
 thousand to over three thousand dollars per ton. 
 
 In the spring of 1869 he resumed his explorations, and did some mining on the Jarvis Island, as 
 above mentionetl, and some on Silver Islet, ''"rom the latter lode he succeeded in taking out several 
 tons, although the work had to be carried on in from one to three feet of water. Mr. Charles Robb, 
 of the Geological Survey, in his report gives the amount ot ore raised in 1869 at 10,791 pounds, or 
 over 5^ tons, valued at J$6,976, giving an average of §1,292 per ton. They built a house or two on 
 the mainland and one on the Islet, and left a party of seven or eight men to mine and take out timber 
 for cribwork during the winter. 
 
 They commenced to sink a shaft on the dry part of the Islet, m the country rock, with the 
 intention of intersecting the lode at the depth of 30 fee*, whore the water would not. trouble them. 
 By the time they had got dnvra about 18 feet a heavy storm came and filled it \ip, piling the ice high 
 above it, and knocking the floor of the boarding-house through, and nearly carrying tlie whole thing 
 away, leaving the men in great danger. That put a stop to that work ; but some time in February or 
 March the shallow water had frozen solid to the rr)ck, autl the miners cut thruugh it and succeedeiti in 
 taking oiit, according to their own estimates, about §25,000 of ore in about a week, when a storm 
 broke it up again. 
 
 Mr. Macfarlane was in M(jntreal during the winter, and made an estimate of the anwunt neces- 
 sary to place the mine on a safe footing for carrying on the works, and, as I under-stood, asked the 
 Company for $50,000 to do it ; but they refused, although the evidences of its richness were so strong. 
 
11 
 
 No (l(»uht, they had the npinion of some pretended mining men who- had been in the country, which 
 was to the effect that all these veins would " play out " in sinking 30 feet ; i>eoi)le will not bo deceived 
 any more by such a theorj', us time has shown ita simplicity. 
 
 The men continued doinjf what little they could on the Islet on calm days, and taking out timber, 
 etc., until the mine was sold in September following. 
 
 In the winter an-l spring of 1870, Mr. Macfarlane entort;d into negotiations with Anicriciin capital- 
 ists for the stile of Silver Islet, with the consent of tlie Comjiany. Captain Wni. B. Frue, of l^ortage 
 Lake, south shore of Lake Superior, a person of long experience in mining, went with Jf r. Macfarlane 
 on the openin* of navigation to see it. He was so favorably impressed with its a;i;>oarance, that ho 
 and Mr. A. H. Sibley liibove-mentiontd capitalists) became very .sai'gulne, but wuic in danger for 
 some time of being thrown to one side altogether, as tlie Montreal Company had entered ii-to an 
 agreement with an English Company for all their laiids on Lakes Huron and Suj>erior, inclndivij.^ Silver 
 Islet. However, the English and An;erican Com[)anies came to an understanding of buiiig eipially 
 interested in carrying out the a-^reement ; but when the lirst day of payment arrived the English 
 Company backoil out. h:i<1 the American stejiped in and took the whole. j>:iying .?."iO,(KX) in g<^ld on the 
 Ist <if September, IsTO, the rest in throe instalments, making in all >?l2r),<X)0, the amount of the 
 purcliase. 
 
 Imiiiediately on closing the bargain, Jlr. Sibley tele'^'raphod from Montreal to Capt. Frue, at 
 Hougliton, Michigan, who chartered a steamer to transport some thirty men, with the necessary i\i\t- 
 fjlies and heav}' timber f' ir a breakwater to Silver Islet. Arriving safe, he immediately commenced 
 building the coffer-dam, I'cc, and by the lieginning of October they were enabled to omiu'nce mining. 
 Again the works were interriiptod for a week or s©, in the first jtart <if November, V>y a st'rni, which 
 carried away part of tlie coffcr-d.im. After all the difliciiltius thty had to contend Avitli, they had 
 shipped ore yielding .*!10S, out), as stated by Capt. Frme, l)y the closj of navigation. They continued 
 mining, with few interruptions, until a severe .storm iu the Grst {(art of March had carried away nearly 
 half the crib-work, filling the mine with water and ice ; but the works were again restored, ami mining 
 recommenced some time in iluy following. 
 
 The difficulties Captain Frue had to coate'.id with were very groat. The Islet ujKm whioli he had 
 to carry on the mining was nothing more tliaji a low rock rising out of Lake Superior v\cv half a 
 mile from shfire. The Company owned and euifdfjyed three strcng tug^ f'.>r carrying the men back- 
 wards p.nd forwards to their work, towing r.ifts of timber acrtiss Lake Sui)eri(jr, and cribs and rock 
 from the main shore to the Islet. The latter were brouglit out on Inr^e scows. 
 
 The cribs wore large, built of heavy square timber, which were made as strong as possible with 
 timber and iron bolts. These cribs being put in place, were filled up some six to ten feet aliove the 
 water with rock, but the outsiilo cribwnrk facing the main lake, wliich is seventy-five feet <jr more in 
 length, is built tip nineteen feet above the water, and filled with fifty thousand tons (jf rock, according 
 to Mr. Sibley's rejjort. The outside wall slojies or <lips into tlie lake, which, I think, is abo it sixteen 
 feet deep there, at an angle of about TC to the horizon. To give an idea of the power of the Lake 
 Superior sea, I will give a few facts : — The large crilis above refevred to, when filled with st<jne and not 
 firmly roofed Avith timber, would be carried aAvay, the stone having been scooped out by the ."ea until 
 light enough to be removed bodily. In the fall of 1872, after a heavy storm, Cai)tain Frue slmwefl me 
 on the outside cribwork, at the elevation of nineteen feet above the water, where the sea or spray had 
 scooped the .stones away from the front to the dejith of two or three feet, and from the ai)i)earance i^ was 
 (juite evident that nothing but water could have been t\u- agent. I see by Captain Frue's Kei)ort that 
 on the 1st of Septe\iiber last, a heavy storm swe[>t away eight feet deep by sixty feet in length of the 
 top of this crib-work, denudishing the blacksmith's shop that stood forty feet back from the front, and 
 whirled rocks arovmd the Islet like hailstone, damaging a number of buildings. It als<j tore away nearly 
 350 feet of submergeil criljs. 
 
 The mine had tf) be worked entirely from one surface opening or shaft, which was a great disadvan- 
 tage, as but few miners could lie employed for a longtime. The shaft was built of timber, and made 
 water-tight from the solid rock to the height of fifteen U> twenty feet above the water, so that the water 
 could not get into the mine even if it should get over the crib-work. Fi'om this opening the mine was 
 continually enlarging by sinking and by driving along each way on the lotle, taking care to leave a 
 strong backing to prevent the lake from breaking in. By the time they had got down some 80 or 100 feet 
 they had gained distance enough on each side t() sink winzes, which would be connected at certain dis- 
 tances, or at each level, by galleries to the main shaft, which was then closed in all the way up. This 
 wottld jfurify the air by causing a circulation, and allow them to emidoy more miners to advantage 
 than they could do when it was all one open cut. On this principle the works have been expanding 
 lengthways on the lode and in depth, and now they are downi over 300 feet below tlie surface of Lake 
 Superior. • 
 
 When I passed there last fall they had cut a strong vein of water, which at first threatened to fill 
 up the mine, but when they got the new engine to work, as I was told, it was able to keep the water 
 down ; but a larger pump is required, which they sent for, but it was frozen in on the south shore, 
 and they will have to wait until navigation opens. However, they axe able to carry on the mining in 
 the other parts of the mine, and 1 see by the last letters from there that it is looking as well as ever. 
 
12 
 
 In the winter of 1871 thev droT« a cross-cut some thirty feet to cat the east vein, which they said 
 liurge and looked very well, but it made too much water, so they had to close it up. 
 
 At surface, improvements have been continually going on. They have enlarged the area of tlio 
 Islet from less than a sixth of an acre to more than two acres, and built ten or twelve good buildings 
 on it. On the main shore they have built extensive docks, a large store, church, school house, and 
 about forty dwelling houses.. I suppose the whole population is over three hundred, there being on 
 an aven^ge^bout one hundred and thirty laborers employed on the location. 
 
 I have no doubt the value of the prodiict of this mine is greater, for the amount of ground 
 opened, than that of any other mine, but owing to its peculiar situation man/ mines yield much more 
 annually than it. 
 
 The following is the amouni given by Charles Robb, Esq. , of the Geological Survey : Quantity 
 of ore raised in 186!), 10,791 lbs.; value of same, ^,976 ; averaging ^1,293 per ton of 2,000 lbs. 
 Product for 1870, 172,825 lbs. of ore ; value of same, 8105,328 ; showing an average of about 61 cents 
 per pound, or $1,218 per ton. Product for 1871, 969,454 lbs.; value of same, ^45,397, at a rate of 
 66^ cents, per poun<l, or $1,330 per ton ; showing an average yield of a ton and a half per day, 
 
 E. Learned (Treasurer), in his report gives the value of product ftr 1870 and 1871, at $797,448.68; 
 showing a discrepancy of $46,723.68 between the two reports. It appears tome that the ore taken 
 out in the winter and summer of 1870 is not accounted for at all. 
 
 The following is the Report of Edward Learned, Treasurer of "The Canada Lands Purchase,' 
 published by order of the Board of Directors, 30th December, 1872 ; — 
 
 Gold. 
 
 1870, Heptember 19. Paid 1st instalment on purchase of the property of the Montreal Mining 
 
 Company 150,000 00 
 
 1871, January Ist. Paid 2nd ditto 50,000 00 
 
 " July 1st, " 3rd ditto 50.000 00 
 
 SeptemberSO, " 4th ditto 75,000 00 
 
 " " Interest on above iostalmcnts to Montreal Co 8,303 00 
 
 Currency. 
 " " Premium on $183,363, gold, and interest on loans to pay above instal- 
 ments 13,846 00 
 
 1871 and 1872. 
 
 Paid for smelting silver ores produced from Silver Islet Mine '60,116 11 
 
 ' ' Canadian Customs on supplies and machinery purchased in the United States 3, 584 36 
 
 ." Freight and insurance on ores and supplies 36,614 12 
 
 " For steam tugs "Ed. Gallagher," "Helen Grace," " Silver Spray," and two large scows. . 30,443 01 
 
 ' ' For explorations and surveys on different locations 4,222 78 
 
 •" Fori taxes on property for 1870 (S being paid by M. M. Co) 749 22 
 
 " For taxes for 1871 2,135 56 
 
 " For drafts of Superintendent for supplies, labor, etc. , on Islet and mainland 131,662 60 
 
 ' ' Premium on gold purchased to pay above drafts and interest on same 11, 284 79 
 
 ' ' For mining plant, engine, and engine-house, pumps and fixtures on Islet 7,066 04 
 
 " For boarding-house, office, aisortmg and change house on Islet 4,651 28 
 
 " For breakwater, coffer-dam, and shaft on Islet dwellings, boarding-houses, stores, ware- 
 houses, and stables on mainland 22,325 01 
 
 •' For teams, office furniture, bedding, &c., &c.. s 5,245 62 
 
 " For harbor, breakwater, building roads, clearing lands, &c 14,556 11 
 
 " For general expenses, including law fees and legal expenses in Canada and New York 21,872 89 
 
 " For \Vm. B. Frue, on special contract for services 25,000 00 
 
 " First dividend 166,666 66 
 
 " Second dividend 96,000 00 
 
 Cash on hand 69,665 11 
 
 Total $1,022,020 64 
 
 DK. 
 
 1870, Aug. 27. 
 
 Amount received from shareholders to pay first instalment in gold $50,000 00 
 
 Amount received for working capital, currency 23,100 00 
 
 1871 and 1872. 
 
 Sales of silver, being product of mine for 1870 and 1871 797,448 68 
 
 Sales of Jarvis Island property (6,400 acres) . 150,000 00 
 
 For interest on same 1,471 96 
 
 Trcal .......^ $1,022,020 64 
 
 ASSETS. 
 
 Cash on hand 1 66,665 11 
 
 Atlantic Mutual Insurance Company's scrip for 1871 1,410 00 
 
 Atlantic Mutual Insurance Company's scrip for 1872 4,950 00 
 
 One half the stock and franchise of Montreal Mining Co 
 
 16 locations on Lake Superior, containing 94,298 acres 
 
13 
 
 64 
 
 UA BILITIBS — NONE . 
 
 BXHIBIT OF ACCOUNT TRofd FEB. IOtH, 1872, TO DEC. 3l8T, 1874, BY THE PBB8IDENT OF THE 
 
 COMPANY. 
 
 Profit and Lobs Sumlries 
 
 Silver Account, for Sales of .Silver . 
 
 General Operating Expenses 
 
 . Premium in Currency paid on CJold Drafts 
 
 Smelting' 
 
 Freight on Ore and Silver 
 
 Insurance on " '* 
 
 Interest . . 
 
 Surveying Explorations, &c., of Company's Lands 
 New York OtKce, Expense, Salaries, &c 
 
 " " Stationery aud Printing 
 
 " *' Teieffraphs 
 
 " ." Letja'. Expenses 
 
 " " liuv. aud Postage Stamjis 
 
 Dividends No. 1 and No. ;. 
 
 11 rouiiths, endinif 
 Dec. al, 1872. 
 
 $4,258 75 
 344.1<J9 56 
 
 348,458 30+ 
 
 ToUls ... 
 balance 
 
 107,080 88 
 
 14,239 50 
 
 23,63/ 24 
 
 4,190 6U 
 
 3,100 25 
 
 1,772 55 
 
 1,540 64 
 
 1,861 00 
 
 819 83 
 
 55 96 
 
 7,186 00 
 
 236 17 
 
 18O,0uO 00 
 
 12 montha, ending 
 Dec. 31, 1873. 
 
 $20,240 43 
 547,556 24 
 
 8567,796 6 = 
 
 149,024 37 
 
 25,976 57 
 
 48,603 65 
 
 4,008 64 
 
 5,071 90 
 
 1,846 49 
 
 282 86 
 
 9,998 67 
 
 208 95 
 
 422 37 
 
 2,020 52 
 
 51 55 
 
 180,000 00 
 
 ToUI. 
 
 $916,254 97 
 
 §346,221 68+ $427.51 144: 
 
 $2,236 62+1 $140,285 23 = 
 
 $773,733 12 
 $142,521 85 
 
 BALANCE SHEET, DEC. 31, 1873. 
 
 ASSETS. 
 
 Pieal Estate ami Mines , 
 
 Wyandottf Silver Smeltini; Works Stock 
 
 Mine Equipment uud Machini'ry 
 
 Building A L'cimnt 
 
 Construction Account, Docks, Harbor Breukwaters, &c 
 
 Tugs Account 
 
 Burleigh Itiill nnd Air Conipicssor 
 
 New Engine and lloistin ,' Machinery 
 
 Mine Agent, W. B. Frue, Supplies, &c.. 
 
 Insurance Scrip 
 
 New York Ollice, Furniture, Safe, Desks, &c 
 
 Cash iA Bank »..., 
 
 $.1 
 
 ,744,013 
 
 l2 
 
 
 ;'..'», ."iOO 
 
 0» 
 
 
 7,0rirj 
 
 04 
 
 
 79,733 
 
 9« 
 
 
 l:{.'5,2-:> 
 
 1« 
 
 
 25,4G0 
 
 7^ 
 
 
 4,.';io 
 
 66 
 
 
 ?T,8]1 
 
 96 
 
 
 122,964 
 
 66 
 
 
 7,lt90 
 
 00 
 
 
 1.1 r>o 
 
 00 
 
 : 
 
 11,735 72 
 
 $6 
 
 ,227,858 
 
 94 
 
 LIAIilLITIES. 
 
 Capit.al Stock $6,000,000 00 
 
 Bills Payable 7.'),000 00 
 
 Drafts on Mining Agent ,i'« <rttn«(7?< 10,337 09 
 
 Balance... 
 
 CONDEN.SEl) INVENTORY, BY WM. I!. 
 
 C>M^,,:]V 09 
 142,-;21 85 
 
 ERrE, JANUARY IST, 1874. 
 
 Real Estate, Mineral and other Lands $5,744,613 12 
 
 WINlNO PLANT. 
 
 New and Old Hoisting Engines 
 
 Pumps, liods, Bob, \Vi,e Kope, Kilibles, and Tools of all Descrijitions. 
 
 Engine and Boiler House, &c., including all Buildings on Islet 
 
 Breakwater, Engine and House Foundations 
 
 Tugs', Scows, Fixtures — 
 
 38,241 66 
 
 9,638 41 
 
 24,973 92 
 
 112,3-15 5> 
 
 25,3i;0 00 
 
 $210,549 63 
 
 BUILDINOS. 
 
 Cost of Buildings on Mainland : -. $48,885 54 
 
 do<;kr, harbor imi'roveme.nts, road, Ac. 
 
 Steamboat Docks, Harbor Breakwater, Lumber Dock and Dry Dock $23,120 44 
 
 Constructing RoadB and Clearing Lands 4,280 00 
 
 3* 
 
 $37,490 44 
 
14 
 
 AVAILABLE AK8ET8 AS CAPITAL FOR WORRIXO MINK. 
 
 Cub on Hand in Office 
 
 ATailable Supplies of all kinds on hand 
 
 Silver Ore on hand, 23,308 tons at $1,000 
 
 (The above muHt mean 23 tons 808 lbs.) 
 
 Wyandotte Silver Smelting Co. Stock; 2, 220 Shares at |25 
 
 Merchandize in Store at Landing, per inventory 
 
 12,988 01 
 
 65,662 93 
 
 23,164 00 
 
 55,500 00 
 
 45,800 42 
 
 ' 1182,555 36 
 
 LIABILITIEH. 
 
 \ As per Balance Sheet of Ledger, Deo. 81. 1873 |13,408 97 
 
 We can see by the above Reports that tlio Silver Islet Mine has been a very profitable concern to 
 the promoters — paying a yearly retiim of abont $2 50 on the $1 00 from the conimencement up to the 
 present. It is tine the ilarvis Island brought them in 8150,000, but then the available assets equal 
 m*re than three times that amount. The total investment was 873,100, ^50,000 in gold to pay let 
 instalment of purchase, nnd $23,000 for working cai)ital ; after which the mine paid its way, besides 
 paying, in dividends, back to the stockholdei-s l?202,6(i0 60 withm a year and a-half of its commence- 
 ment ; and within three years and four months, or up to the Ist of January last, $022,666 66 ; which 
 equal an annual rate of interest tif 255 per cent. Besides that, according to Captain W. B. Frue's 
 Report, there are 20,000 tons of o^e piled on the Islet, yielding ?45 to $50 per ton, as shewn by tests 
 made at Wyandotte, in quantities of ten tons ; and thousands of tons of the game kind are left 
 standing in the mine waiting the erection of the reducing mills — and, of courae, ns the works progress 
 the quantity will increase. Hitherto none but rich ore, giving an average yield of about $1,300 per 
 ton, was made available, as the poorer ore would not pay to be shii>ped to, antl treated by, t!ie Wyandotte 
 Smelting Works, as they are intended for thu richer ores. Now the value of the above-mentioned 
 20,000 tons equals $900,(XX) by their lowest calculation. We will allow $10 per ton for reduction, or 
 $200,000 for the pile, leaving $700,000 ; but granting a difference of 10 per cent, in the loss of silver 
 between the two treatments, there would still be over .$()00,000 of clear profit, which would swell the 
 dividends to nearly double what they have been. I think the allowance of $10 j)er ton for reduction 
 is quite sufhcient, for we find by J. Ross Browne, that the average ct)st per ton f(jr reducing the ores 
 of the same grade on the Combstock Lode was $12 to $10 ; that too seven years ago, when labor and 
 everything else cost more than double what they do on Lake Supi'rior. 
 
 Hitherto the expenditure outside of mining has. been much greater than it will be in future ; as 
 the breakwaters, cribwork, docks, buildings, &c., necessary for carrying on the mine are finished, with 
 the exception of the Re.iucing Works and a portion of cribwork, tlie latter not costing over $26,000, 
 as su.ied by the President of the Company in his Report, and the former, when in operation, are 
 expocted to largely increase the profits of the mine. Captain Fnie states that he is satisfied that that 
 mine could be worked with profit by the low-gi'ade ore independent of the packing ore, or that which has 
 
 produced all the silver up to the present. 
 
 i-'.A: 
 
 |5=.«hl^---'« 
 
 Th'3 following diagraui is a section of the Islet and the underground works conformable with the 
 vein in dip and strike. 1 have laid it down from the exi'licit account given by W. B. Frue, .of the 
 same, up to the 10th February of the present year : — 
 
 BCALB, 120 FEKT TU AK IHOB. 
 
15 
 
 one and a half 
 (lyko (if (liorite) 
 near tho uiicldle, 
 
 The above section is intended to give a general idea of the cribwork and the undergroond work 
 to those who have never been there, and it will be found sufficiently correct for that, although a 
 portion of it is laid down from memory ; but the depth of the shaft and the length of the works on 
 the vein, and the height of the breakwater, are taken from the above-mentioned Report. It also 
 iRews the short piece of the lode they were enabled to work from the danger of letting the lake water 
 in. 
 
 I have been more particular in showing what the miae really has done, as I meet so many who 
 think it is of little inijMirtance after ail, and that it returns but a small interest to the investors. The 
 Stock is put down at ift(J,OOO,0OO, and any person buying at that rate would only receive 3 per cent, 
 per annum up to the present. But such would be the result were the mine ten times richer than it 
 is, providing the value of the Stock were increased proj)oi-tionally. It is tho original investors that 
 make the money out of it, as they only paid $1 for what one would pay about §80 now, were he 
 buying at par. 
 
 Had this mine been on the mainland, an<l worked under favorable or onlinary circumstances, 
 what a rich mine it would be. Even wliere it is, with all its disadvantages, it is protlucing largely, 
 and has been a very profitable mine to tlie stockholders, and no doubt further developnjents will show 
 many sucli mines in this extensive metalliferous section. 
 
 "* MCKELLAR ISLAND ^,ILVEU MINE. 
 
 The next discovciy of importance was made in the spring of 1809, <m tho McKellar Island Lode, 
 by Messrs. John and Donald McKellar. 
 
 The island contains 4| acres, rising about 80 feet above the lake. It lies about 
 miles to the soutli of Pic Island, on " Macfarlane's Band " — (tlie above mentioned 
 about half way between Silver Islet anil Jarvia I.sland. The vein crosses the island 
 bearing about north north-west, with a vertical dip nearlj'. 
 
 It is by far tlio strongest or largest lode known, as far as I am aware, in this N.N.W. system of 
 veins, or in any otlier sysiem in this locality, it being 45 feet w;i(Ie, with smooth walls, and I may say 
 free from the country rock. It shows a banded structure, parallel with the walla, and the veinstone is 
 very white, contrasting strongly with the greenish grey diorite. It is composed of heavy and calca- 
 reous spars and quartz, with ilisseniinated galena, zinc blende, and iron and copper pyritci, which in 
 places form streaks ii) which wo find silver leaf. 
 
 Within a few feet of the vein are branches two to three feet wide, wliich show much more silver 
 than the surface <jf the main vein does. On tliese the ]>rincipal work has been done. Two or three 
 pits have been sunk si.v to ten feet deep, from which considerable ore has been taken in siidcing. 
 These briinches show regular floors about two fuot ajiart, dipping about 40' to the northward. 
 (The same phenomenon was noticed in the Silver Islet Lode. ) Some of the layers between these 
 floors were much richer than others, but on the whole they improved with the depth. The silver, 
 which occurs in small nuggets and fine string.s when native, and in leaves when a sulphuret, is dis- 
 seminated through the spar and blende, but more especially thnmgh the latter, with which the 
 silver glance seems always present, inturlaniinatcd in thin leaves, assays of which show ?(J00 to the 
 ton. But the blende from one of these branches is thickly penetrated by .strings of native silver, 
 which show well ujion being ground upon a grintlstone. The blende is tho principal ore, and is 
 scattei'ed more or less through the veins, but more abundantly along the walls. 
 
 An American Company bargained for this mine a year ago last fall, p.aying some money down on 
 it, but owing to the didl prospects of niining here la.st summer, when the time of payment arrived 
 they forfeited the amount paid ; but since the mines have begini to impi-ove they seem ready to take 
 hold of it again. However, it will not be long before it is worked, as it has all the appearance of 
 being a good and lasting mine, and in a geological point of view, it is precisely the same as the 
 Silver Islet and Jarvis Island mines. 
 
 The silver excitement brought many men into the country in <ho summer of 18G9and Bunimers fol- 
 lowing, most of whom turned (nit explorers, who went searching the ctumtry for silver veins. The result 
 was, as a rule, that tbo ^vst vein met with, whether good or I ad, on unpurchased land, would be taken 
 up and highly rei)resented to moneyed men who knew little or nothing about mining themselves, and 
 who would invest, thinking they had made a great " strike " by securing such a large mining interest 
 with so small an " outlay." After spending more money in examining and trying to sell the jtroperty, 
 the most of them would find out that they had failed in getting a prize after all, and so get disgusted 
 with mining and mijies, putting them all down as worthless because they happened to get hold of the 
 wrong thing. Again, false i-cports have been got on mines, from pretended or unscrupuhms mining 
 men, by which companies have been deceived, so that the reputation «f this section has suiiered very 
 much from these causes up to the present ; but the time is at hand when such influences wiU have no 
 weight with the public, as there will be precedents to show the true and genuine chai'acter of this 
 mining region. 
 
 SILVER HARBOR, OR BECK .SILVER MINE. 
 
 The next discovery of silver was the Beck or Silver Harbor Mine in the summer of 1870, by the 
 explorers, Messrs. Ambrose, Syrette and Campbell. It lies at Silver Harbor, on the coast of Thunder 
 Bay, about 14 miles N.E. of Prince Arthur's Landing. 
 
 The vein at surface is eight or ten feet wide, enclosing a considerable amttunt of country rock. It 
 bears about E.N.E. and W.S.W., dipping at a high angle to the N.W., or nearly vertical. Thegangue 
 
 
16 
 
 
 ll 
 
 cinusts principally of quartz, holding a considerable quantity of iron pyrites, zinc blende, galeim, and 
 in places a good deal of silver, some of which occurs native, most being a sulphuret. Some fiae 
 specimens of glance were taken out, weighing an ounce or more, and on the whole the show was very 
 fine ; and, no doubt, there is more where it came from, if they only follow it up. 
 
 The character of this lode is very much like that of the Thunder Bay Mine, and it traverses the 
 same geological formation, and in fact it seems to be in the same silicious and dolomitic bed that we 
 see at the above-mentioned mine, with the same thick bed of trap resting on the slightly inclined 
 slates, immediately to the north-west of it;, 
 
 It seems to me that this vein must occupy a fissure of considerable extent ; for wc fin<l tliat that 
 thick bfd of trap and a considerable portion of the slates have been swept away, fumfiiug a valley 
 about 100 feet cleep along the line of the vein ; while the trap on the N.W. side is Been resting as an 
 outlier on the slates, and again, on the S.E. side, it is seen occupying the same jiosition and dipping 
 into the Way. 
 
 This mine was secured and o^vned by Mr. John Clark, Capt. Symes, an'' the above-mentioned 
 explorers. The Silver Islet Corai)any and Captain Beck made (offers of piu-cl. : ; that of tlio latter 
 was acccjitcd, which was something cas folloAvs : — Captain John Beck and his Toleilo associates paid 
 ^10,000 casli, antl Ijoiind themselves to spend §100,000 in developing the property before the others 
 would be called ujiou f(jr assoasments for the one half i>art, while the original owners retained the 
 remrhiing portion, 
 
 Capt. Beck arrived late in the fall to commence operations. He worked ten to fifteen men all 
 winter, built throe or four houses, exploited the surface, and sunk a shaft some 40 feet deeji. They 
 took out some very fine silver ore, specimens of which ai'e scattered far and wide. The vein sliowed a 
 considerable (juantity of silver in the upper silicious and dolomitic b«l, but toward tlie bottom of the 
 shaft, in the argillaceods beds, it was irregular and poor. So the shaft was discontinued and their 
 attention turned to workinji the surface bed — the very same course that the Thunder Bay Company, 
 and, I may say, the Sliuniah Company followed. 
 
 Another manager, Mr. Griffith, was appointed to manage the mine the following winter (1871 and 
 1872). The same course as that of his predecessor was followed l)j^ him in working — that is, driving 
 and sinking in the surface bed. A number of tons of ore were selected and sent beloAv, which turned 
 out biit a few <l«(l]ars per ton, as near as I could get at it ; and no wonder, by the way it was assorted. 
 I examined a lot of it myself when in the barrels, and the greater part was very prxir, al:hough some 
 was good ; but always in a new mine, at least in this country, the richer sj)ecimens are distributed by 
 the members of the Company amongst their friends, which shows the mine to disadvantage. 
 
 A number of good substantial buildings were erected on the location, and alaoa good dock, where 
 the largest steamers can lie alongside. In the fall of 1872 the works wore suspended, but they will be 
 resumed s'.gain without a do\xbt. The buildings and dock have been used by the 3 A Company ever 
 s:uce, as tiie stock in the tv.o mines is owned piincipally by the same parties. 
 
 I do not think th;it they would refpiive to sink deej) in this lode to reach the Huroni.an rock (which 
 no doubt underlies iniconfonuably), as the junction of the two formations lies witliin half «i mile to the 
 north of the vein; for I do not believe that they come together 'ly a great dislocation or fault, as I find 
 in many i)lace3 that they bear the same relation to each other, in regard to position, as they did at the 
 time these silurian beds were building. My rea.sons for forming this oinniun are drawn from (observa- 
 tions in several jdaces of the line of contact, wliich as ii rule is low, and covered with alluvirj deposits; 
 as on the Silver Harbor L<cation, where it lies in a wet tamarac swamp. But along the junction, five 
 or six miles to the west, I have seen many places where the deeji cuts in the Hurouian slates are filled 
 up by the silurian chei'ts and dolomites of the vicinity. Had there been a fault, with much depression 
 on the siluriMi side, those cuts above mentioned would be filled, if at all, by sedimentary strata be- 
 longing to a higher horizon. Again, to the east of 3 A, towards Blende and Silver Lakes, we fin d the 
 silurian forming deep bays into the Huronian, and, in places, completely surrounding largo patches of 
 the latter— at the same time it may, in places, occur in a slight fault, as such is not uncommon in the 
 Btction. 
 
 3 A SILVER MINE. 
 
 Some time in the beginning of winter, closing 1870, the rich discovery of silver on the 3 A Lode 
 was made by some of the miners working the Silver Harbor mine. 
 
 m" The 3 A Location adjoins the latter mentioned mine on the north, and was taken, or about being 
 taken up, by that Company at the time of the discoveiy. 
 
 This lode is frc m eighteen inches to two and a half feet thick, consisting of quartz and spar, 
 through which are irregidarly distributed the ores of iron, copper, lead, zinc, nickel, and silver, with 
 some cobalt and gold, as shown by the assaya The silver is found native, and combined with sul- 
 phur and nickel,' thickly penetrating the veinstone in tmall and large patches, in some of which it is 
 very heavy — quite as rich as the Silver Islet ore. A mass of this ore, about eighteen inches thick, is 
 t«i be seen in Hime & Eaincs' window on King Street, Toronto. The vein stiikes about east and west, 
 nearly parallel with, and about a mile to the north of the Silver Harbor vein. 
 
 It occurs in the Huronian series, which, in the vicinity, consists of thi' k beds of diorite and fine 
 grain greenish-grey slates, some of which are chlcritic, talcose, calcareous, ai^d ferruginous, with some 
 awpentine alongside of and in the vein. This formation, with which the vein seems to conform, dip*. 
 
17 
 
 here, and in general at a very high angle, approaching the pen)cnfHcnlar. It is much more ancien^ 
 than that in which the other mines above dusciibod occur. The discovery of the precious ore in these 
 older rocks, which are known to un<lerlie unwjnfoniiably the h<jrizontal silver-bearing slates of Tliunder 
 Bay, should be sufficient evidence to show that the silver does carry down, and is not oonhned to the 
 B\iHace bed, as supjtosed by some. Now we have nn undeniable proof by practical results, showing the 
 rich silver ore at the depths of 140 feet in the Jarvis, 170 feet in the Shuniah, and 300 feet in the Sil- 
 ver Islet lodes — the three deepest points reached in the N(»rth Shore Silver Mines. 
 
 During the winter of 1871-2, two miners worked on this lode, cairying the ore taken out in the 
 day time to their boanJing-hrmse at the Silver Harbor Mine every night. They sunk a jiit s«.rao 
 eighteen feet deep, from which they had taken '2'2 barvolB of ore, as they told me themselves a few 
 days after they stopped work, whou I was seeing tlie mine. They .'<howed me part of it, and it was 
 very tine, equally as rich as the Silver Islet ore. I have not >»ueii aide to lind <jut the actual value of 
 the product; it was bought by Mr. J. S. Lyon, of Ruff;ilo, wliere he had it reiluned by Kayser, James 
 &Co., acconling to the Ihiffalo CoHrlcr. Some of the bars of silver were left on exhibition for some 
 time, then sentto the United States Assay (MKce in New York, wliicli, acconling to the Chief Clerk, 
 Mr. J. M. Floyd, yielded !?17.80 of gidd to 3;J01.45 of biiver. The amount of silver or nickel, either 
 to the ton or the whole bulk, was not given. 
 
 An Act of Incori>oration was granted the owners of the 3 A {iroperty in March, 1873, the capita^ 
 stock being placed at $1,500,000, divided into 100,(100 shares at .^25 each. Towards fall in 1872, 
 Captain Slawson, a pers(m of long experience in mining, was apjtointed manager. He commenced to 
 sink two shafts on the lode, 310 feet apart, liy the opening of navigation. No. 1, or W shaft, was 
 sunk to the depth of 77 feet, and No. 2 shaft to the lUpth of UJ» feet: both were discontinued for the 
 want of pumps to keep the water out. In No. 1 sliaft they jiajsed through a rich Imnch of silver 
 between 40 and 50 feet from the surface. In No. 2 tlicy jiassed through silver ore at four or five points, 
 as I was told by Captain Slawson, which is corroborated by Prof. Nicholson's report. The Captain 
 showed me a box of ore taken from the two shafts, which was very rich, sliowing the gangue thicidy 
 penetrated all through, ds well as a large quantity of nickel, in the most of them. He told me he had 
 sent a box of specimens to the Company; the result of which will lie seen by the following extract 
 from the jB«^c«'/o Cuurier: — "Soon after taking charge he (Cajitain Slawson) forwarded by the first 
 messenger to Mr. George Truscott, the Vice-President of the Company, a box of fire frtim 3 A. A 
 sample of tarn was promptly sent t<j the As8<ay OfHce of the Wyandotte Silver Smelting and Refining 
 Company, anc the reptn-t upon the same was received here yestenlay. The Superintendent, W. A. 
 Courtis, and the Assayer, J. B. Cleveland, certify otticially that the assay shows a yield of 2,465.7-10 
 ounces tine silver to the ton of 2,000 lbs., the coin value of which is 83,20,5.41. The assay shows 
 1.4-lOOths per cent, of cobalt, and twenty-tive per cent, of nickel, a valuable metal. 
 
 " In the Superintendent's letter to Mr. Truscott, ho says : — 'As you see from this Jissay, ore of 
 this kind would be very valuable ; though the nickel would make the separation of the silver more 
 diflicult, it would add to the value of the ore from 50 cents to 70 cents per pound of nickel ccjntained 
 less freight on matter to New York.' " 
 
 The quantity of ore taken out during the winter was small ; however, much could not be expected 
 in a vein where the ore makes in bunches like this, as they had to f(dlow the shafts right straight down, 
 therefore were unable to follow a streak of oi'e to tlie one side or the other; and the chances wei'e as 
 much in favor of passing through the tail end as through the miildle of a bunch. It is never expected 
 in the native copper mines of the South Shore belonging to this class, i^r those showing the ore irregu- 
 larly distributed in heavy bunche.s — such as the Minnesota, Clitt", Ridge, itc, to pay the expense of 
 sinking or anything like it. I often heard it said of the Minnesota Mine, that they seldom struck 
 copper in sinking the shafts, although so rich. It has paid §1,750,000 dividends upon an investment of 
 ^36,000. 
 
 Allowing the 3 A to be a x'ich paj'ing mine when tlioroughly opene<l out, it could not be expected 
 to pay dividends, if systematically worked, until two or three shafts were down two to three hundred 
 feet, with the connecting galleries driven .at each level of GO feet. Then a large force could be employed 
 stoping out the bimchea of ore, which seem to be rather plenty, also large, judging l)y the «juantity 
 taken out of the first, while the barren ground would l)e left standing. Again, the Fame amount of 
 vein can be removed by stoping for about one quarter the money it would take to do do it by sinking. 
 
 The stockholders and public at large were very much disappointed by the result of the winter's 
 mining, as they were expecting a large shipment in the spring, by reason of its being too highly repre- 
 sented in the first place — their calculations having been based, no doubt, on the lode being e<iually as 
 rich tliroughout its length and depth as it was in the first pit or biuich. 
 
 Captain Slawson being indisposed, left the mine in the spring. 
 
 We have no account of the ore taken out during the winter, but there'muat have been a b- i rel op 
 two at least. 
 
 Soon afterwards Captain Tallon took charge, and the works were again resumed with vig> r. He 
 seems to be a man of experience, caution and sound judgment. I visited the mine in Augiist; the two 
 main shafts were nearly filled with water, but they were mining in the old pit sunk in the winter of 
 1871, which lies 30 to 40 feet east of No. 2 shaft, from which very fine ore of silver was being taken out 
 .at the time. There was but a small force employed then, which by the close of navigation had been 
 increased to tfce number of 32 men. Seven barrels of ore were taken out and sent to Wyandotte 
 
18 
 
 Smelting Worl.s in the full, which is said to bo worth #500 to f»>00 par liairel. I have been informed 
 by Mr. John Clark, of thin city, one of the principal stockholders in thf Company, that thoy are 
 expecting the returns of the ore every day. We ore informed by all the letters from TJiunder Bay 
 that thuy have been barrelling up at least one barrel of ore a week since navigation closed. 
 
 The correspondent of Tin: Globe, in Iuh letter dated the 20th of December, states that he had beem 
 at the mine that week, and that they hivl si.x btvn-els tilled then, and a spionlid 8h(jw (jf ore in sight; 
 so I expect they would have about eight barrels by the close of the year. In this letter it is stateil 
 that one i)arty was drifting from the main sliaft, at the depth of 20 foot; another party at the depth of 
 40 feet. 1 think tlie latter party must have been working in the first level, which is 50 feet from 
 surface, ao shown on a plan or section of the mine mtuleby Captain Tallon, 2Gth iNovember, which was 
 kindly lent me by Mr. Clark. Already it seems that the mine is about paying its wiy. Allo\yiig the 
 jirodnct at a barrel of ore a week, valued at 94(X) per ban'el, would bo a yicldof over ??1, COO jier month, 
 which should about cover the jiresent running expenses. 
 
 These results from the mine at its present stage I consider very satisfuctojpy. I do not suppose 
 that there is any mining mun who kn<»ws the formation in which it lies, and has any geological know- 
 ledge of f<jnnatioiis, but will allow that tlie cliances are in favor of its improving in depth, as we 
 know it is not a sliort lissure or gash, it having been traced for over 30 chains on the location as well as 
 across 4 X<jn the west, as I undurstan<l ; and 1 saw by the last letter in The GloW from that locdity, 
 that the twelve men who have conumenced wtirk on 4 A had cleare<l away the earth from the surface 
 of the vein, which is said to be 3^ feet wide, and were ready to commence sinking. But allowing that 
 the 3 A vein should not impr'jvo or di8imj)rove, but continue the same ratio between the ore and the 
 vein it has done up to tiio present, there is no iloubt it will be a good i>aying mine wlien farther 
 developed. Let us m dee a rough estimate of the value of the ore taken out, ajul the anioiuit of ground 
 worked, to see how tliey cotnijare. Wo will allow the size of the shafts to be feet by 12, the drifts 
 and the winzes feet l«y G. 
 
 Solid fathoms. 
 
 Beck's Shaft or Pit of 1S71, a depth of IS feet ^ 
 
 No. 1 .Shaft, a depth of 78 fe.jt 26 
 
 No. 2 Shaft, a depth of 101 feet... 33 
 
 Winze connecting Beck's pit with first level, a depth of about 42 feet 7 
 
 Drift K. from No. 1 and No. 2 shafts in first level, 65 feet 11 
 
 Drift W. from No. 1 shaft in tirst level, 02 feet 10 
 
 Drift E. it W. from No. ] shaft iu first level, 6 feet 1. • 
 
 About the number of solid fathoms worked up to 4th Jan., 1874 100 
 
 Allowing the 22 barrels taken out in 1871, for which ip2,200 wore paid for at the Mine, along 
 
 with the ore given away otherwise •'iiS.OOO 00 
 
 The ore taken out by Captain iSlawson .\ 1,030 00 
 
 The seven barrels sent down last fall .. 2,600 00 
 
 The ore taken out from the close of navigation up to the fourth of January at eight barrels 3,0)0 00 
 
 Total value of product would ecpial §9,500 00 
 
 which I do not think is far out of the way ; besides, there have been a great many rich specimens given 
 away. There is one in Toronto now which weighs 150 lbs. These estimates would show an average 
 of $95 to the solid fathom of ground ; besides there is a great deal of ore left at tJie mine which could 
 be worked with reducing mills on the spot, though considered too poor to send to Wyantlotte. And 
 when the mine is ready for stoping, the barren ground will be left standing, and the ore could be 
 taken out, as it is confineil within two or three feet, without stoping the whole width of six feet, all 
 of which would increase the \^lue per fathom. 
 
 iitnininiMimiitMmiiuaujniiiiuirauiiHiijeiuii 
 
 I- 
 oil 
 
 /VB I LsvKt. 
 
 N' Z LtvKu 
 
 SECTION OF 3 A MINE- 
 
 -SCALE 90 FEET TO AN INCH, FROM CAPT. TALLON's LETTERS AND SKETCH, 
 UP TO UAKCH, 1874. * 
 
19 
 
 00 
 00 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Mr. Mur<loch ainl party, of the C. P. R. R. Survey, who loft Thuniier R.iy on tho Itith of May, 
 arrived in Torooto a few d^-s ago. They state thit 3 A i« looking remarkably well. 
 
 I Boe by a letter in Thfi Globe of to-ilay (25th May) from its own correspondont, who ha<l his infor- 
 mation from the Ca!)tain of this niino, that tho shaft was ilown 150 feet, and all the force employed in 
 ■inking, and that the vein looked very well in the bottom, and that they wonld have twenty to twenty- 
 five barrels of silver to ship in tho sjiriui,', bosidus hfW'ing at the mine a largo quantity of lower grade 
 ore. Now it will be seen that tho mine has turned out fully as well as Wii.< expected in the first part 
 of tho winter — by reference to the first part of this paj)er on tho mine, which w,w written in tho begin- 
 ning of February — that is, one baiTol i)or week. Tliere was not over two barrels of ore takon out of tho 
 mine tho winter before last although the force employed was nearly a^ lavifo as th.vt of last winter, 
 which shows an improvement of the product, in a yeai*, of about 12 to 1, and it may bo oxi)ected to 
 increase according to tho development. besides tho ricli ore thoy banc! n\> at present, it must be 
 remembered there are large fjuan;.itie.i of lower grade ore being taken <:)Ut, th-it are likely to swell the 
 value of the product immensely when they have Reducing Mills on the ground. 
 
 COR.MSn SILVER VINK. 
 
 The Cornish mine, which lies about two and a half mile? to tho north-wost of the 3 A, was discovered 
 about two years ago by two Corni.sh minei's. Fmm personvil knowledge I can say nothing of tho lode. 
 as I never examined it. It traverses the Huronian rocks, and I undor^tand it isfargo, well defined, 
 and cai'ries considerable galena, zinc blende, and ircn jiyrites. Rich sj)ocimens of silver ore, said to 
 come from it, resembling that of the Buck mine, were exhibited over tho country tho summer and 
 winter following. 
 
 The company was organized last winter by Messrs. John Shore, Assaver, and Peter Body, Mining 
 Captain, both of Prince Arthur's landing, who, as well as Mr. McDermid, Aasayer for the Silver Islet 
 Company, wrate reports showing it to be very rich in tho ores of silver. 
 
 Active operations were commenced early in the spring of 1873, which have been steadily oontimied 
 up to the present ; but, as far as I could learn, it failed, uji to the close of navigati(jn, to prove the 
 existence of the silver as represented in the reports. However, by the opening of spring the truth will 
 be known, as they are working a force of about twenty-seven men this winter. 
 
 This is the only real Canadian Company that is engaged in extensive mining on Lake Superior, 
 it being composed principally of Ontario men. 
 
 The above article on this mine was published in The Globe last February ; since then, I have 
 received information from Thunder Bay to the effect that the mine hswl suspended operations altogether, 
 and it is nothing but what I expecte<l from the beginning. 
 
 THOMPSON ISLAXD SILVER MIXE. 
 
 The Thompson Island lies on Macfarlane's Band, between McKcllar Island and^Spar Island. It 
 was located by Mr. Thomas Macfarlane, for the Montreal Milling Company, in the sunnuer of 1860, 
 gimply becaase it was on the above mentioned band or dyke of diorite, with veins passing through it, 
 which showed no silver as far as his examination went, b\it for reasons given in the first part of this 
 paper he suspected its presence, which woidil only requLi-e mining to find. 
 
 The patent was not issued until some time after the sale of the Montreal Company's lands, which 
 caused a dispute to arise between the two Companies as to the ownership, \f hich was finally settled by 
 each holding half the stock. 
 
 Mr. Alexander Mackenzie, with a party of five or six men, was appointed to examine the island 
 last summei*. He succeeded in finding silver in a large spar lode, which bears about N.N. W., tho 
 silver being finely disseminated in minute particles or strings, when native, and in thin leaves when 
 combined with sulphur. They are sinking sn the vein this winter, and I see by tho list reports that 
 they still continue finding the silver. This information is reliable, as it comes from Capt. John Plum- 
 mer, of the Jan'is Island, in a letter dated some time in January to his father, Mr. Phir..mer, of this 
 city, who kindly showed it to me. It al.so confirmed the report previously mentioneil in this paper, 
 of their having cut a streak, carrying' native and silver glance, on tlie foot-wall, at the deplli oi 110 
 feet in the Jarvis Mine. 
 
 SILVER LAKE MINE. 
 
 This property consists of three locations — No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 — bordering Silver Lake, in tho 
 townshiji of Mactavish, on the east, south, and west. It c>ntains deposits of iron, lea I, and copper, 
 which were discovered by Mr. Donald McKellai- and myself in the suunner of 1805. Shortly after, it 
 was pxirchased, but no further attention was paid to it, owing t(j its Ij'ing about live nales back from 
 Thundoi- Bay, until Prof. Nicliolson and hi: Ellis of Toronto went to see it last summer, each of whom 
 expresseil a high approval of the deposits, more especially of the iron. The former of these gentlemen 
 entered into an agreement with the owners (Mr. J. Mclntyrc, the heirs of Mr. T. W. H'jnick, ami my- 
 self) for the purpose of developing the pr(jperty and organizing a Company, and now work is being 
 commenced. 
 
 Abo' : thirty chains west of the Lake, on No. 1 Location, covering some 30 or more acres, lies tho 
 iron, iu.. mixed and interstratified with silicious and argillaceous rock, which occupy/a positien near 
 the base ol c'ue Lower Beds of the Upper Copper Rocks. The ferruginous strata is probably 200 feet 
 
20 
 
 or more in thickness, flipping at a low angle south eastward, some of which is very pure ore, aa shown 
 by Prof. Nicholson in his report of the property in which ho gives the an&lyses of the ore by Prof, 
 droft and Dr. Ellis at G8.88 and 09 per cent, of metallic iron ; lonving therefore but about 1 per cent, 
 for foreign matter — it being the hematite ore, it can contain no uioru than 7o per cent, of iron. 
 Owing to the overlying sou an<l thick growth of timber, it is imiMjsaible to form a correct estimate 
 of the quantity of ore until it is developed to some extent. 
 
 There are larjj^e veins of quartz and spar, carrying a oonsidurablo galena, passing through the three 
 locations. The richest exposures nro to be seen on No. 2, where the ore shows in ribs 2 to 18 inches 
 in thickness in two parallel veins, which are separate some 5 chains. The one is about 3 feet wide and 
 the other 10 or 12 feet, bearing nearly east and wuitt, an<l dipping at a high angle to the north. This 
 ore yielded Dr. Ellis Uti per cent, of lead. 
 
 The principal copper lodo intersects No. 'A Location, boarin^^ about E.N.E. Tho metalliferous bolt 
 seems to l)e coraimsed of slightly altered countrv rock (induratod marl), which is penetrated by con- 
 siderable ({uantitios of the pyrites and carbonate of copper, in strings and irregular masses, with small 
 quantities of spar an<l <puirtz. 
 
 I have no doubt but these veins may be found rich in the precious metals by sinking, aa what 
 appears to bo tho same run of ore, in the same formation known now as tlio " Enterprise Mine" near 
 Black Biy, yields 921 to the. ton of gold and silver, as shown by Prof. E. .1. Chapman. These lodes 
 will be found persistent in depth as thoy occupy true fissures, fur tho principal one runs in the line of 
 a groat fault, which increases in its westward course, as the indurated marl is seen to lie in an almost 
 horizontal position, an<l occupy the country to the north al(mgu<lo of tho vein, all through this property 
 and for several miles further west, while on the south side in going west, the indurated marls are 
 succeeded by the sanilstones ami conghmieratos, then hj the argillaceous, silicious, ferruginous, 
 dolomitic, &c., strata of the Lower Beds, and then by the Huronian scries, which comes to surface 
 near the western boundary of tho i)roperty. 
 
 UOLU MININO ON LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 Previous to the summer of 1871 free gold was not known to exist on the north shore of Lake 
 Superior, in Canadian territory ; yet the pyrites «f copper ami iron wore shown by assay to be aurifer- 
 ous in several places, as in the Prince's Bay Location, L.C., Black Black 3 A Mine, and in other places. 
 
 The general characteristics of the Huronian slates of Lake Superior resemble those of the most 
 gold-bearing formations of the world so much that I invariably looked for gold whenever I came across 
 veins in them, but always failed until the summer above mentioned. 
 
 JACKFISH LAKE GOLD UINE. 
 
 The excitefmont caxised by the Silver Mines of Thumler Bay spread among.^t the Indians, who also 
 began to look for metalliferous veins, by bringing specimens from every white rock they met with. 
 Two of those, J. Baptist and M. Puchat, who were in the employ of the H. B. Co., under Mr. Neil 
 Whyte of the Beau Blanc Post, broke some specimens ^ong the trail on their way home from Fort 
 William, <me of which showed the ores of lead, copper and iron, which are very common in the veins 
 near the coast, but not in the old rocks back. Mr. Whyte sent the specimens to Fort William in the 
 winter of 1870-71 to show them to me, to see if they were of any value. 
 
 Mr. John Mclntyre, of Fort William, got the Indians to bring in more specimens, and some of 
 tho wjiU rock, which was talcose slate. From tho appearance of the vein-stone and slate I felt confi- 
 dent that the vein did carry gold, although tbi specimens did not shew any ; so Mr. Mclntyre sen^two 
 of the Indians along with me to show it. We started in July, 1872, following tho Dawson route a dis- 
 tance of 45 miles, to Lake Shebandowan, whore wo procured a canoe and provisions for tho rest of the 
 journey, which was 30 miles by water, to bring us to the west end of the lake; then, according to the 
 Indians' calculations, 25 miles to the vein, by portages, small lakes, and streams ; which afterwards 
 proved to be onh' 12Jt miles when the roa<l was ?ut out and measurcil. 
 
 On reaching tho place I commenced my ex.vinination, and w.is so(m rewanltMl by finding the free 
 gold in tho form of thin leaves coating tho bitter spir. At the point of exposure the lodo is running 
 along in tho facu of a stoep hill, and large blocks of the vein rock had fallen down, making it appear to 
 tho Indians to be running at right angles to ilfs real course; therefore they wore unable t.) ti-aco it up 
 or liiid it in any other place. Before leaving for Thunder Bay I traced the vein by its outcrops for 
 about three quarters of a mile, finding it of similar character throughout. 
 
 On our return Messrs. Mclntyre, Whyte aqd myself agreed to take tlie late Mr. Tkomas W. Iler- 
 rick in \.'ith us, ho being a P. L. Survoj'or, and associated with us in other mining locations. The 
 Indians were to have an undivided one-third interest in the first location, free of all expenses. 
 
 Sometime in August Mr. Herrick'and myself, with a party of men, loft Fort William to survey 
 the lands. While the survey was going on I was engaged in the examination of the lode and the rock 
 formations of the locality. 
 
 The surrounding country is covered with the usual timber found on the high lands, such as 
 tamaiack, spruce, small pine, poplar, and birch, which in general are small, thougli occasional patches 
 of large timber are met with. The flat mossy tamarack swamps that prevail in this section are sur- 
 rounded by low rocky and sandy ridges, which seldom rise above au elevation of 200 feet. 
 
21 
 
 as 
 es 
 ir- 
 
 Tho rock formation consists of the usually fino-textured greoiiiHh slatos of the Uurr>nian series — 
 ■Ooh as dioritio, chloritio, talcose, siliciouH, and fine grain micaceous slates, intorstratifio<l with bods 
 of massive diorite, and an occasiDual be<i of furniginous quartz iin<l niagnetio iron oru. Thoso 
 magnetic beds are from 20 to 160 feet in width, and show a ribbon-like structure, being intorIamiuate<l 
 with layers of quartz, and can bo traced for miles along] their strike; no doubt the time will coma 
 when some of them can be worked with profit. 
 
 The rock on either side of the lode for some distance is comi>o8e<l of the greenish Hliiten, taloose, 
 chloritic, and dioritic, with the massive diorite and iron oro beds ; while resting on thoiu, ti> tho north- 
 west of the lode about a mile, is a great thickness of tho above-mentioned micaceous slates, which aro 
 dark in color, and in places pass into clay slate, showing a transverse cloavago. Thoso are cut ia 
 every direction by masses or irregular veins of <iuart7., which appear to belong to the gaHJi-voin system. 
 Again, to tho south-east, some two miles beyond the vein, are (lovelopo<l groat thicknesses of greenish- 
 white, silicious, slate cunglomoratos. Thu whole of these slates seem to lie conformably on one 
 another, dipping to the N.W., at an angle of 50^ to 80». 
 
 About throe-fourths of a mile to the N.E. of tho vein lies tho Jackfish Lake, which is over a 
 mile and a hiilf in lungtli. Its bud is worn out of massive reddish granite which must have been forced 
 up througli the above-mentioned slaty strata, as we tind thein displaced and altered in a]ipoarauce next 
 it. In coniin<^ from the 8. W., wo tind that tho slates within half a mile of thu Lake change in their 
 strike from E.N. E. arouml to tho N., and then to the N.N.W., tho an'^Iu of dip incroasing with 
 the ' hango of strike from 50" until it has reached tho vortical, then after passing thu broadont i)art of 
 the granite, west of tho Lako they again change ami gradually g.iin their original dip and strike. To 
 the south-east side of tho granite and Lake, tho chnngo in tho strike of tho slates is but sliglit, but 
 their dip becomes nuiiriy vertical ; besides, they ;u"e changed into a uort <jf gneiss for aomo distance from 
 the granite. 
 
 The general width of this igneous bolt of rock is one-half to three-fourth* of a niile. It extends 
 north-eastward for many miles, intersecting tho striko of tho slates at a small angle. On Jacktish 
 Lake, whore it terminates abrujitly in its westwanl course, with the exception of tho small branches it 
 sends forth, it .spreads out to a mile and one-half in width. These branches cut the slates in all direc- 
 tions nuiir the Lake ; but the most of them at no great distance seem to f.ill in and follow thu cloavago 
 plains of tho slates, and they aro seen to continuu for several miles from their nucleus, as it wero. 
 
 Tho vein may l)u said to consist of two ribs or b.inds of quartz, each averat,'ing from 1 to 3 fuot in 
 thickness, with a parting of talco.so slate of 2 to 4 feet in thicknes><, making iil all a width of 7 or 8 
 foot. Tho slaty parting is filleil with crystals of iron nyrites, and carry sonio gold, but whetlior in 
 paying (piantities or not I could n<jt say. The (piartz an I associated bitter spar make an ag^'rugato 
 thickness of 2i t(j 4 feet ; all of which are charged with galenaand copper, and iron pyrites, with somo 
 zinc blende, gold, sulphido of silver and telluriuiu. 'J'he latter two (jecur throuyli the quartz iu 
 bunches, consisting of an arborescent nucleus of thu malleable ore, aroiuid which, irom ono to several 
 incnes, the (piartz are reiidereil very dark from tho presence of thin leaves an<l minute particles of tho 
 silver or<\ Nuggets and leaves of gold are almost invariably found inthe.so branches, and the tulhirium 
 ctmtains about ^0 of gold to the ton ; as 8h(jwn by Dr. Ellis, of the School of Tochnolof.'y. Tho gold 
 is also fountl in leaves coating tho bitter spar, and in small nuggets penetrating the <piartz, galena, 
 zinc blende, copjier and iron pyrites. It seems to bo i)resont in moro or loss (piantities throughout tho 
 whole lode, Jia shown by many trials both by the lire assay and the simple way, crushuig, roasting an<l 
 washing. 
 
 It may give you a better itiea of the value of this K»de when I tell you that Captain VV. B. Frue, 
 of Silver Islet, and associates, pai.l $20,000 for loss than a half interest, on the strength of the speci- 
 mens and the description I ha<l given of it. When Capt. Frue himself examine<l it the following winter 
 he said it was even better than it was represented ; and at the time they bought, they knew it was on 
 Indian territory, and that there was a strong party trying to overthrow our claim by gutting up falso 
 maps, &c. 
 
 In January, 1872, W3 had a house built at the mine ; then C.vptain Frue sent out tive minors, who 
 worked until the latter part of M irch, cross-cutting and sinking on tho lode. They blasted out about 
 100 tons of ore, which is lying on the bank; 12 J lbs. of it were sent to Wyandottu. We got some very 
 rich specimens of gold out of the bottom. We also had a road grubbed ton feet wide, between Sheb- 
 luidowan and the mine. 
 
 The' Indian Chief Blackstono an-ived at thi mine a few days after thu miners hid run away to 
 Thunder Bay, and he ordered us all to leave until the Government would settle with tho Imlians, for 
 ho said'if wo were to stop that hundreds of wiiite people would go right into their country and take up 
 their land ; then the Government would not settle with them, and it would create trouble 'between 
 the Indian ami the white man. We were all to leave the next day anyhow, except two men to take 
 care of the place until after the break up in the spring, as the miners had r\ni away. So I told tho 
 Chief if he would promise that everything left wouhl be safe, which he did, we would go. 
 
 The result of the 12G lbs. of ore sent to the Wyandotte Smelting Works, was an average of ^500 
 to the ton, about ^0 of silver, the rest of gold. The button of gold produced, which weighs some two 
 ounces or more, is in the possession of Mrs. J. Mclntyre, of Fort William, to whom it was presented 
 by Captain Wiu. B. Frue. We do not expect that the average of the ore will equal the above result, 
 
 s 
 
yo 
 
 unless th« luiiiu iniprovos much in tloptli. Wo codld soarcoly expect sucli a lur^o iivora((o wliontheore 
 is there in suchliirjre quantities. Tuko tlio mines on tint great Conihstnck LcmIo, NevR<lii, which have 
 paid millions of ilullRrs in «livi<lonil«, luul tl»o uveniKo yiol<i of thoni was from $'20 to WO per ton. 
 
 It may seom strange to tlume uniicquaintod with mining how those low grado ore niiiiuH can ho 
 workeil with protit, when mines yiohling from i?1,(MH) to 02,()O() per ton are only ordinary minos. The 
 simple reason is this— that whenever ore yielih an amount j^rcatcr than the expense of minini< and 
 roducing, as long as there is plenty of it the mine ciin hn w«irkod with profit, which will increase in [)ro. 
 portion to the amount annually worked, and thu percentage of thu oru over and al>(>vo the cost cif 
 working. The ex|)enBe of working a ton of ore in diiJerent mines varies from three <iollttrN to thousands, 
 this great ditferoiice being due principally to the amount of waste gr<iu!»d that is ro(iuirerl to bo 
 remr)ved in procuring the ton ni ore. 
 
 Having thoro\ighly examined the fmtcrops of the lodo in (piostion for about three-quarters of a 
 mile along its strike, and having been there when being cross-cuttud in several places, from one of 
 ■which about UX) tfins of ore were taken, and judging from the charact«?r of the lode throughout, I am 
 satistied that there will be no lack of ore, as the whole of the (piartz sueniH to b« more or lens auriferous, 
 therefore can be cheaply worked, or in other words, at a low rate iier ton ; so that it could bo worked 
 with i)roHt at a small fraction of the yiolil of the sample sent to Wyandotte, say $i)i), or 820, (»r even 
 loss per tf>n when we know that ore can bo mined and red\iced at a much lower tigure, where labor 
 and supplies are nnich moro expensive, than with us. 
 
 Take, for example, the above-mentioned mines on the CVimbstock Lodo, Nevada. According to Mr. 
 J. Ross Browne's oHicial report to the Uniteil States, tho tcital expense per t»)n of working the ore and 
 extracting tho silver and gold in tho i>rincipal mines on this lode was 822 to ^iJ.'J, mid that t*>o when 
 miners received on an average '^i jier day and everything else in proportion, which was more than 
 double the i)rico paid on Lake Superior. He also stated that private conqianies having mills of thoir 
 own wore enabled to work mines yielding only .^15 j)cr ton. Again, take the IJlack Hill Mine in 
 Australia, iho ore of which coiUd not have cost ^3 per ton for mining and reilncing, as shown by Mr. 
 A. R. C. Selwyn, Director of the Geological Survey (seo page 281 of the fieological Itoport of Progress 
 for 1870-71). Ho states that tho average yield of tho ore from this mine was only 2 dwts. 21.21-100 
 grains of gold per ton, yet it paid tho proprietors 10 per cent, on tho cai)itiiJ invested. 
 
 Besides the precious metals in the Jackfish Lake Lode, tho ore consists largely of galena, with 
 consilerablo copper i)yrite,s. The galena especially cuuld bo saved, ami I have no doubt it wcjuld pay 
 the tot il expense of working the (jro. 
 
 Tn vcferenco to the character of tho lodo, I am sati.sfiod that it is all right to a much greater depth 
 than we can go. In tho tirst place, I l)elievo it to l)o a true lissure vein. Although it seems, from an 
 examijiation of one point only, to conform in dip and strike with tho formation, it does not; for I find 
 that one of the large magnetic beds lies abo\it (500 foot to the south-east of tho north-easterly exposure 
 of the vein, while the two come within 100 feet of each other at tho south-westerly exposure, where 
 the vein is lost in low land ; in tho next place, it and tho bedded lodes, which are numerous, are 
 distinctly difi'erent in character as well as in tho ores they bear, tho latter being finely gi-annlar 
 schistose, and holding magnetic ore. It diflFers also from those of what ai)pear to he tho gash-vein 
 system which prevails in the above-mentioned tine, micaceous strata, in being persistent in its course 
 for a long way, in being rare in tho locality and also in tho ores it carries, and in its quartz being less 
 transparent and vitreous. 
 
 Again, the veinstone is identical in character, as well as in the ores it contains, with that of the 
 Heron Bay lodes, one of which runs with tho stratification and the other across it at right angles, of 
 which I will give a brief description further on. 
 
 For a vein to run with the cleavage or stratification is no proof against its occupying a true fissure, 
 as is generally believed, for the direction of a fissure depends on the way the forces that caused it were 
 applied, which would be more likely to be exerted along the line of bedding, the way it had previously 
 been when folding or tilting the strata in the way we find it. 
 
 But allowing that it did not occupy a true fissure, the surface characteristics of the lode and of the 
 enclosing formation show clearly that it is sufficiently extensive in depth for all practical mining pur- ' 
 poses. 
 
 I have been more particular in describing this vein, by reason of its being further developed than 
 any of its kind in the section. Besides, if we can show, as I believe wo have, that there is one good 
 gold-bearing lode in this locality, we can safely calculate on the existence of others where there is such 
 a large tract of unexplored country lying on the same formation. 
 
 Explorations ceased almost entirely on the Height of Land in the spring following the above Men' 
 tioned discovery, for the following reasons : — In the first place, the Indians objected on the ground of 
 not having been settled with for the land. In the next place, the policy of the Government was such 
 that no person could see the way clear for securing a piece of land were he to make a discovery ever 
 so valuable. But now that the Indians have been settled with, it is to be hoped that a liberal policy 
 will be adopted there, such as we enjoy along the shore of Lake Superior. 
 
23 
 
 PARTKID^E LAKE (lOLO MI.\r. 
 
 In tin; hjniiiK of 1872 ftii Fiiiliiin (Xmu)vJiiii)Iiri>n:^ht si>L'cimoiiM uf qu u-tz whicli hu Irul mot with 
 in hiM triivulit 111 thu inturior to Mr. J. Mclnlyiu, of Furt William, Hoiuoot wliirli coittiuiioii c>>]i|ioi' iiikI 
 iron pyritort. Tho mipciiriiucoiif tlio spucimoiis, aluii^ with tlio character <>f th»« eiicloHinu fipi-mation 
 of which ho liuij a ttaiiinltt, woro I'ouHtiii'rutl Hurticiiiit iii<lifiiti<iiiH <>f tlic pii'Houco of ^^ojil to justify 
 uiakiiig a 1 rip to thu plaot) for further fxauiiiialinii. So Mr. Arthio AKKfllar, witli tlm aliovo iiion- 
 tioiiud Iixliiiii, loft ThuinK-r Day hooii after, following thu Uaw.iou llniito an fur aH Millu Lae, thuiico 
 westwaril hy small lakoH ami jiortaguH hhiiio 'Jo miles to I'artridgo Lako, whtuu thu Imliaii «h'>woil him 
 the vuiii. Mr. McKollar was not thuro long wlmn ho iliHcovoreil a Hiuall nitggut of goM in tho tpiartz, 
 aftur which ho got many of tho Hami) kimi. Then he traccil tho vein l.y tho outcrops for a milo along 
 its Htriiiu, without any apparent (liminution of .sizo. it (ii«.ipi)uare<i in a lake at tho one end, and in 
 low land at tho othi^r. 
 
 It HuuniH to rim along in a hroad Ixinil (half a mile or more in width), of tinc-textnred dark and 
 greuniHh-grey Hlati'H, which Heem to-conHist of talcoMo, ohloritic, Hiliciou.s and pcir|diyritic Hiatus, which 
 aro cnt occaHionally liy Minall granite veiiiH. Those* ntrata dip at a high angle to the north-wuMt, and 
 are enchmud on tho one hIiIo I>y reddish yraiiite, and on the other hy a i>eeiiliar Hemi-cryHtallino iH>r- 
 phyritic rock. The relation of these rocks ti» one another lias not huon traced (jnt. 
 
 The vein seems to lie very large, averaging from (j to 11 feet in width, comjiosed of vitreous 
 quartz, with an occasional thin parting of soft talco:ie sl.ite. The (pnirtz is partly stained roil liy the 
 oxido of iron, and hlne and green \)y the carhonale of cojiper. It .seems to he sprinkled, as it were, 
 nil over with copper and iron pyrites ami small jiarticles of gold. The latter seems to lie so evenly 
 •listrihiited through tho veinstone that there is little room for choo.sing in selecting Hiiecimens. A 
 fragment of the vein, weighing from 80 to JK) Ihs. , was sent to Montreal, along with otlier sjiecimenH 
 from another part of tho vein three-<|narters of a mile oil". The assays l>y Dr. (jlirclwiiod, of Montreal, 
 yiehled from if-27 to ,«<;{() to the ton, there heiiig hut a dollar or so diH'erence in the yield of the two 
 places. The g((ld is very easily extracted, as it seems to he free through the ipiartz. I have tried 
 many samples of tho rock where the gohl could not bo seen with tho eye, by simjily crushing in a 
 mortar, roasting over tho fire, and wjislung, an<l it never failed to yield a consiilerahle iiuantity of gold 
 dust. 
 
 Tho fact of the gold being .so evenly distvihuted through the (piart/,, and the (pnirtz being Vi such 
 large (luantitios, are I believe sutiicient evidence, although indy C^'J? to^IiO jior ton, tn show that this in a 
 valuable mhie. Tho above descrii>tion of the lode, formations, iV;c., are given as received from tho 
 <liscoverer of the gold, who had taken specimens and geological note.s when tliire, and c;m bedi;]iended 
 upon. 1 may state that this vehi is distinctly different in character from the Jacklish Lake gol<l l»de. 
 Being on Indian territory, no work has been done un it since. 
 
 IIEROK BAY nOLn AN» .SIIAJiH MINE. 
 
 Sometime duriu'j; the summer of 1872, Messrs, W. Pritchard, J. McLauren, and A. or P. Syrette, 
 explorers, and all of Fort William, were prosjiectiiig near the I'ie Kivi'r, which lies over 150 miles to tie 
 N.E. of Fort William, and discovered two veins of ijuartz near Heron iJay, carrying considerallo 
 galena, zinc blonde, iron an<l copper pyrites, al.so gold and silver, as proven by the assays made by 
 Mr. McDermid, of Silver Islet, It lies in tho taleose and ehhjritic slate* of tho Huroiuau serioB 
 which occujiy tlie coast of Lake Sujierior for ten or twelve miles, and runs back towards White Lake 
 Homo 50 miles or more. I have not seen the veins myself, but 1 willijive their character, iVc. , as near 
 aa I cuiild gatl'.er from those who have. 
 
 The veins lie within a mile or so of the Bay ; at the sui-face their widths vary from one to four 
 feet, conijiosed oi vitreous ipiartz with some bitter spar; all the siiecimens 1 saw from it were charged 
 with tho above mentioned ores. (Jne of these veins seems to conform in dip and strike with the slates, 
 which strike about E.N.E., with a dip nearly vertical. 
 
 The other bears nearly N. and S. , intersecting the slates. Ujion this a shaft was sunk some 40 
 feet last winter. The lode is said to be much wider at the bottom and richer in ore than at the surface, 
 it having opened out to 5 or 6 feet. 
 
 The above mentioned explorers, after tho discover}', brought specimens to Capt. Frue, of Silver 
 Islet, who got them assayed by Mr. McDermid, which yielded, as above mentioned, gold and silver, 
 averaging, as I was told by the assayer, about ^70 of each. 
 
 Then Capt. Frue and Mr. Sibley entered into an agreement with those explorers, which was some- 
 thing as follows : — The former party agreed to purchase the lands and test and w<jrk the lodes, i)r 
 sell them to the best advantage for a two-thirds interest, while the discoverers retained the other one- 
 third. 
 
 A party of men were employed sinking on one of the above, as mentioned, last winter, and I expect 
 the work will again be resumed the coming summer, as I see that Mr. Sibley has applied to the Govern- 
 ment for an Act of Incorporation. 
 
 I may mention, in conchtsion, that the general characteristics of these veins in regard to the vein- 
 stone and the ores it bears, and also of the enclosing formation, are precisely the same as those of Jack- 
 fish Lake gold lode and formation— the specimens can scarcely be detected one from the other. I did 
 
24 
 
 not see any specimens of the Heron Bay ore where the golJ or the sulphuret of silver was discernible 
 to the eye, but I underataud that they did find stme. 
 
 I noticed in goiug up the Pic River some years ago a large patch of granite, similar in appearance 
 to that above mentioned as occurring on Jackfish Lake near the gold mine. ^^ is enclosed within the 
 slates, and lies within about a mile or two of the Heron Bay lodes. It must have terminated between 
 the river and the lake shore, near Heron Bay, as I examined the coast and could not find it pass on. 
 Not having seen its line of contact, I am unable to say what relations it bears to the slates, but I have 
 no doubt it is intrusive. Having seen the granite in about the same position in regard to each of these 
 gold-bearing lodes, which lie about 150 miles apart, I thought it worthy of mention, as it may or may 
 not have something to do with the presence of the precious metals in these veins. 
 
 KASHABOWIE AND SliBrANDOWAN GOLD LODES. 
 
 Since the <liscovery of gold at Jackfish Lako, there have been many lodes of quartz foimd on this 
 side of the Height of Land in the vicinity of Kashabowie and tSliebandowan Lakes, which are said to 
 yield by fire assay from a few dollars up to $100 or more jier ton, but as far as I am aware, none of 
 them show the free gold and, with one or two exceptions, the galena, zinc blende, and silver ore are 
 wanting. These, as yet, are totally undeveloped, but in all probabiliiy some of them will be good. 
 
 PACrFIC R. R. TIRMINU3 ON LAKK SUPERIOR. 
 
 We know that these metalliferous slates occupy a large portion of the country from Thunder Bay 
 westward, between the Amtric&n bomidary and the Dawson Route, extending in a few i>l:ice3 to the 
 north of the latter in broad belts, and we know that on the American side of tlie line, in Minnesota, 
 in this same formation, near where it crosses, have been discovered large deposits of iron, which ■vrlll 
 soon be made available, as they < omnienced last summer to build a railway from Lake Superior to tap 
 them, so that wo may look for similar deposits on our side. Therefore from this and the results of the 
 partial explorations already made-^of wliich I have given a short account in this paper — we must con- 
 clude that the met illiferoiis wealth locked up in this extensive tract must be very great between gold, 
 silver, lo id and iron. Now, i:i order to explore and work it to advantage, it would bo necessary to 
 have a railway connecti.m between Like S iperior an 1 the chaia of water courses on the Height of 
 Land which jjonetrates the above-mentioned ti-act in all directions in the form of lakes and streams, 
 otherwise noije but rich mines li the iirecious metals co'ild bo wcjrked, iron mines being out of the 
 question, there being 45 milts over a rough road from Lake S-iperior to the nearest body of this chain 
 of wateri;. 
 
 This railway connection we expect to have in a few years, as the Government is going to build the 
 link betweeii Lake Superior an 1 Fort Garry as soon as the surveys are finished. Some pretend to say 
 the railway is to terminate on Nepigon B'-y instead of TJiumler Bay ; but we cannot believe that the 
 Government will make suc]i a selection, knowing the a<lvant;ige3 of Thunder Bay over Nepigon Bay. 
 The only pomt in favor of the latter is tlie saving of buildin ■;; a iuw miles of railway wlieu building 
 the main lino towards Ottawa ; providing they find a practicable line to pass on the inside of Lake 
 Nepigon, which is very doubtful, as the}' have already spent a large sum of money in the search, and 
 failed, as I understood, up to last fall. 
 
 The points in favor of Thunder Bay are many, and of great importance}. In the first place, the 
 link will bo some 29 miles shorter on the whole distance to Fort Garry by the Tliunder Bay Line, 
 besides offering less engineering difficulties. In the second place, this lino would be the means of 
 opening up a lai'ge tract of good agricultural countrj', besides supplying an essential requisite, which 
 can scarcely be supplied otherwise for years to come, for the purpose of developing the vast mineral 
 resources of the above mentioned tract, by touching on Lacs des Millo Lac ; while the line from 
 Nepigon would be so far north that it would render this mining district no assistance whatever, nor 
 any other of any importance, as it would pass over old Laurenviau gneiss almost entirely, with the 
 exception of the small piece next the coast of Silurian rocks. I:i the thirvl j'hice, Thunder Bay is 
 highly favored in most respects, for being a great sea-port, it is very deep,, free from reefs, wide at 
 the entrance, an! surrounded by prominent land marks, so that any number of vessels could sail in by 
 night or day without danger, while Nepigon Bay is shoaly in places, with lung, narrow-entering 
 channels, so that vessels in many cases would recpiire to be towed in. And in the fourth and last 
 I)lace, the difference of the opening of navigation is of more importance than all the rest put together, 
 providing the trade of the West becomes great — which no one for a moment can doubt, for 
 the Sault Canal opens on an average two to throe days earlier than Thunder Bay, and about ten to 
 fifteen days earlier than Nepigon Bay. This I know to bo the truth, for I have had ten years' 
 experience in that section, and last summer and this spring we went to tlie trouble of gathering all the 
 information on that point that we could, in the shape of written eviilences from the Indians and the old 
 inhabitants of that section, most of whicli we placed in possession of the Government. It is unnecessary 
 for me to state the disastrous etfect the late opening of Nepigon Bay would have on trade in the 
 future, when scores of loaded craft would bo lying for a week or two, some twenty miles oil' the port, 
 every spring, unable to unload their cargo or passengers. By taking into consideration the depth, 
 shape, and latituile of the two bays, any rational person can see that it could scarcely be otherwise 
 than as above stated in regard to the oi)ening of navigation. 
 
mmm 
 
 rr^ 
 
 25 
 
 VARIOUS METALS — UNDEVBLOPBr) DISCOVERIES. 
 
 It 18 unnecessary to say anything about the Otter Head tin, as it is well knowii to have beeu » 
 huge swindle; but there are many undeveloped discoveries lying between tho Pic. and Pigeon Rivera 
 that are worthy of mention, but must be excluded from this i>aper, as it would carry it far beyond its 
 intended scope. 
 
 RESULTS OF NATIVE COPPER MINING. 
 
 It may be well to give the general results of the native copper mining of the south shore of Lake 
 Superior. Tie following table is copied from the North Western Minintj Journal, of Hancock, Lake 
 Superioi, Michigan, dated January 7th, 1874: — 
 
 THE MININO STOCK TABLE AND INVESTORS* OUIDE FOR LAKE SUPERIOR. 
 
 DIVIDEND MINES. 
 
 No. of 
 Shares 
 
 80,000 
 20,000 
 20,000 
 20,000 
 20,000 
 20,000 
 20,000 
 20,000 
 20,000 
 20,000 
 
 Name of Mine. 
 
 Total 
 
 Ass'm'ts 
 
 Paid. 
 
 Calumet A; Hecla... ?S03,000 
 
 Pittsburg & Bo'itoa. ' lli»,00() 
 
 Minnesota ' 440,000 
 
 Quincy ' 200,000 
 
 Central I 100,00) 
 
 Pewabic ' 24!).000 
 
 National I 100,000 
 
 Franklin ' 380,000 
 
 Ridge ' 200,000 
 
 Copper Falls ' 50.),()00 
 
 1 Averaj^e 
 
 Per 
 
 Share. 
 
 ^10 00 
 
 5 50 
 
 22 00 
 
 10 00 
 
 5 00 
 
 14 OO 
 
 ■ 5 00 
 
 10 00 
 
 10 00 
 
 25 00 
 
 \mount of 
 
 Dividends 
 
 Paid 
 
 ^(), 250, 000 
 
 2,280,0.>0 
 
 1,750,000 
 
 1,500,000 
 
 680,000 
 
 400,000 
 
 300,000 
 
 240,000 
 
 110,000 
 
 lOJ.OOJ 
 
 Avera^^fe 
 
 Per 
 
 Sh re. 
 
 §78 00 
 
 114 00 
 
 87 50 
 
 75 00 
 
 34 00 
 
 20 00 
 
 l.JOO 
 
 liOO 
 
 5 5;) 
 
 5 00 
 
 Last dividend, 
 when Declared. 
 
 #5— Nov. 15, '73 
 
 -Feb., 137-2. 
 -Feb. 24, '73 
 -Feb., 1873. 
 -M ir. 15, 11 
 -Fob., 1S72. 
 -Feb., 187-'. 
 -Feb. 15, '73 
 -Aug. 21, '71 
 
 Amount in 
 Treasury. 
 
 $4,000,000 
 
 20,000 
 
 3Ot,O00 
 
 140,000 
 
 25,000 
 
 40,000 
 
 10,110!) 
 
 90,000 
 
 45,000 
 
 Selling price 
 of Stock. 
 
 Otfd. Ask'd 
 
 §140 
 
 5 
 
 40 
 
 30 
 
 8 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 7 
 24 
 
 $142 
 
 41 
 
 30 
 
 10 
 
 3 
 
 () 
 
 ■ 8 
 
 25 
 
 We see by the above table, that the total assessment on the ten mines equilled $3,070,000 and the 
 dividends equalled $13,610,000, showing a balance of clear profit of $10,540,000. The least sum 
 expended on either of these mines (the National) before it paid adividen<l, was $100,000. The famous 
 Calumet and Hecla mine, the richest of them all, and one of the ric^iest in tho world ; as shown by D. 
 D. Ashley, of Bosttm, in his pamjihlet on the Copper Mines of Lake Suiierior, had been worked for 
 five or six. years, the expenditure by assessments being $800,000 before itpaitlits first dividend, which, 
 according to the Oittonijon Miner, was in December, 1809. 
 
 The following statements of the assessments and the products of the copper mines of the South 
 Shore of Lake Superior, are taken from the above mentioned j)ainphlot, dated 1873, by Mr. (T. D. 
 Ashley : — " Assessments levied, as nearly as can be ascertained, since the commencement of o])erationa 
 in 1845, $17,206,500 Ai>Droximate statement of ingot copper produced, and its value : — Copper, 
 135,075 tons ;its value, $76,303,320." 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 On our side of the lake, people seem greatly disappointed when a mine does not pay a dividend 
 the first year it is worked, and it is highly probable that there are other silver lodes in the section that 
 will do so, besides the Silver Islet vein. This we know could be made to pay largely fi-(.>m the begin- 
 ning, with little or no expenditure were it situated on the mainland, and even ao it in, there was only 
 $23,100 paid in by the shareholders, for working c:ipital, to render it a very profitable ctmcern, yet 
 it is probable that the most of the future paying mines will have to be worked from two to five years 
 before they will pay their first dividend. 
 
 To conclude, I think I may safely state that our Lake Superior rocks enclose immense wealth, 
 which only require energy and capital to extract ; and it is to be hoped that our own peoi)le will not 
 hold back and allcv it all to pass into other hands, as I might say they have been doing up to the 
 present. At the same time caution is necessary, as we all know that in all transactions, especially in 
 atining, there are unscrupulous men ready to deceive the public for " the mighty dollar." 
 
 (Copy.) 
 THUNDER BAY 
 
 MINES. 
 
 {To the Editcr of The GioBE.) . ' 
 
 Sib : — The valuable articles by Mr. Peter McKellar, on the Tuunder Bay Mines, now appearing in 
 
 the columns of The Globe, are deserving of all praise for the gcnoial com;)leteue3s of their statomentiu 
 # * ♦ * * 
 
 All mining engineers will agree with Mr. McKellar in his objections to the present mode of surface 
 mining, as carried on at so m.any of tho Thunder Bay Mines. To work those mines successfully, two 
 distinct sets of miners should be employed, one to open out or "make" the mine, and the other to 
 
2G 
 
 take out the ore. A shaft, or, if possiHo, a couple of shafts, should be sunk ctintinuonsly, and drifts 
 or {,'al!erieH (with cuimectiii^j; winzt's where ntces.sary) should be carried from these at rej^lar ten- 
 fathom dcptlis : and when this work is fairly advanced, another set of niinera shoidd connnence to 
 take out the ore by stojiing i)utweou the di-ifts. If pay-atnff were met with in the shafts and drifts so 
 mtich tlie l)ettor, l)nt profit can oidy be fairly looked for in tin:? stopos, as the sliafts an<l many of the 
 (IriftH niaj' lie acciilentally in poor j^round — streak;* of lean or barren country, to use a mining phrase, 
 occurring here and tliere in tJie must producrive mined. 
 
 I am, 8ir, your obedient Servant, 
 
 E. J. Chai'man. 
 
 UniverHhyCollego, Feb. 1!), 1874. • 
 
 The followi)!!,' extracts are taken frnn Prof. R. Bell's Pvcjnort of the " Mineral Bearing Rocks of 
 Lake Suijorior," which was pub!ishe<l in '1 If Glcbf, March, ]i-'7t : — 
 
 " Durin',' two summers I was assisted by Mr. Peter 3IcKc11ar, whose ailmirable jiajier on Silver 
 Mining on Lake Superior, lately jniblirthed in The (ilubc, leaves little to be said at present in regard to 
 the histoVy of tlie mines of tliat region." 
 
 " The Huronian rocks are important as being apparently the mineral-bearing series of the region. 
 Among the economic minerals alreatly found among them are ir(,n, copper, lead, silver, gold, nickel, 
 bismuth, plun^bago, and rocks suitable for rooling-slates, building stones, mill-stones, scythe-stones, 
 and liones. I agree with the opinion expressed by Mr. .McKellar, that the silver in the veins of the 
 overlying formation may have been derived from the Huronian rocks, and that the gold and silver- 
 bearing veins of the latter, so fiiir as known, occ\ir in or near the dolomitic'bands. These Ijanda may 
 have also furnished the caicspar to the veins in the overlying rocks. The gold of British Columbia and 
 other regions occurs in rocks similar to those of the Huronian series." 
 
 I" 
 
 

 <n