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Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul cliche, il est film6 d partir de Tangle sup^rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas. en prenant le nombre d'images n6cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mithode. y errata >d to nt r\e pelure, pon d n 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 _____ ^^- _____ GEOLOGICAL SURV€Y OF CANADA. ALFKKI) It. a SEFiWYN, F.JJ.S.. FM.i<., Dihector. RKPORT ON GEOI.OGTCAI. EXin^ORATlONS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA. BY M R . J A M E S R I C H A R I) SO N ; ADDRESSED TO A. H. C. SELWYN. F.R.S.. V.O.^. DIIIECTOII OF THK fiEDl.OiilCAL SUHVKV. I\itr tho former the area examined in 1872 extended from Brown's '""'"'"■ River, a tributary of tlie Puntledge, on the northwest, to Sable River on the sou'.li-ea-5t, on wliicli the Baynes Souml Coal ^liiie is situated, and it also iiicluilcs Denman and Hornby Islands. Altho-'gh measurements were made in 18"2 along the coast from the River Suole to beyond the Qualicum River, nni^e were then made inland ; and it was therefore neces- sary to ascertain the extent of the coal-bearing rocks in that direction. Mcasiirpnicnts With this object in viow. four lines of raeasuremtiit, of from five to six to^the'ikautbrt milcs each, were made through the woods from the coast between Sable Kauge. River Mid a [lolnt to the north-east somewhat beyond Deep Bay, and extend- ing south-westerly to the Beaufort Range. Measurements were also made along the trail mentioned in the report above cited, page 52, as lead- in" across the island to Albeni'. These measurements were extended around and to some distance beyond Home Lake, and others were made from Home Lake to Mount Mark and down the Qualicum River, in all about twenty miles. The next traverse was made up the Little Qualicum KEPORT BY MR. JAMES RICHARDSON. 2Gth River, which is nearly six miles south-east of the Qualicum River, and though locally known as Little Qualicum is really many times larger than ^'ftye'-c of fip the Qualicum. On account of the difficulty of penetrating the thick K'^<*r. woods along its banks, and the only exposures of the rocks being in the bed of the stream, it was ascended by wading in the clear cold water, which is from one to four feet deep ; and in this manner a point was reached estimated to be from si > seven miles south-west from its mouth. The mouth of the Little Qualicum as represented on the published charts is half a mile inland, and this error gradually increases, till at a little more than half a mile to the south-east, the shore line as laid down on the charts is more than a mile inland. Thence the error gradually dimin- ishes to North West Bay, the shores of which are correctly represented. Measurements were made along the coast from the Little Qualicum f'"'" Qualicum ° ^ to tngUshman 3 River to Englishman's River, a distance of about ten miles ; and the ^"^"''' examination of the coast was continued, without measurements, to North West Bay, where Hie south-eastern extremity of the Comox coal area is reached. From this point following around Nanoose Harbour and to Depar- ture Bay, where the north-western boundary of the Nanaimo coal area comes upon the coast, the shores are occupied by crystalline rocks, all of which were examined in detail. In the neighbourhood of Nanaimo several measurements were made ill addition to those of 1872 ; one being about eight miles in length, from Nanaimo Harbour to a point bearing S ll'' W, on the Nanaimo River. The coal-bearing strata were likewise examined along the coast from Nanaimo south-eastward to Dodd Narrows, and thence to Boat Harbour, Chemanis Bay, and to and around Oyster Harbour, which, as already stated, is sixteen and a half miles south-east of Nanaimo, though the i,undg exami- distance, following the coast, is probably more than double. Newcastle,'"'''" Protection, Light House, Gabriola, Mudge and Flat Top, as well as several smaller unnamed islands within the Nanaimo coal area, were carefully examined. Besides these, others in the Strait of Georgia, composed mostly of crystalline rocks, were also examined in considerable detail. The most north-westerly and the largest of these are Texada and Lasqueti. Between these, in the Sabine Channel, a number of small islands were examined, as well as the Sisters to the west of Lasqueti, and Jenkins, Sea I>2, and Sangester to the south of it. The small islands in the Ballinac Channel, known as the Ballinacs, Mistaken, Gerald, Douglas, the Yeo, and Winchelsea groups, Southey and Maude, were also visited and examined. To the south-cast of Nanaimo the coal-bearing strata are much more contorted and folded than they are either at Nanaimo or in the Comox coal-field; and before the structure of this part of the Nanaimo field can be correctly described, further and more extended examinations are p, e^ GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. Colloction o< f086ilS. L"fcqXd.'"°^"^''*^'^' ^^^ >'"' ^^^^ accordingly thought it desirable that before attempting to d<< Islands. J'inkish-red bed. This l)ed is regular and its contact witli tlie over- lying bed is well defined " '' Epidotic rock, regidar and well defined tlironghout ;> I'inkish-rcd rock passing into epidotic rock, the foriner from throe to four inches, and the latter from 22 to 23 inches thick, the whole very regular 2 2 Epidotic rock, regular throughout ' ^ (ireeu fine-grained diorite passing into epidotic rock; one to two inches of the former and nine to ten inches of the latter 1 f* R«d limestone with obscure encriuite stem.'? ^ '• I'Ipidolic rock, very \iniforni and regular in character throughout 2 ■' lieddish very jiure limestone in lieds of from two to eighteen inches I hick, JKiliiing well defined fossils stems of cneriuitcs, corals, and bracliiopods •"" ^ I.niueiliately l)oli)w tlie rock.^ in tlie above section there i.s a thicknC'^s c.^tiniatoil at fVoni 1,")U to :2U0 foot of ^:,:foy limestone, in some parts inter- stratified with fnie-u'i'ained lilaek slate, which scem.s occa.sionally to pas:^ into a dark iine-,::i'ained dioritie rock. In the limestone^ immerons silici- lied lossils are inot witli, and a sniLrle sjiecnnen ot a purtioii or a large 0//i'oceritx was found in tlie bltck slate. These fossil.s, which are i^t well ]n'e.served, have \)CQn c."amined by Mr, Hillings, who has supplied me with the following note on them : — •• 1. Fragment? of a small coral, apparently a Z(V/V"( ;•. '\. The impression of one si.le f>f a Gi/rocray. Thi.s specimen was from the black slates. . Asm iif the The age of the rocks is eitb.er ("nrboniterons or I'criman ; mostrocu?, jirobably the former." I'COXO.MIC .MATERIALS. <.'oaI. — IJeds of coal not previously noticed were ol)served during the season at the following localities, given as they occur from north-west to south-east : — 1. In the Como.x area, on a small brook about one and a-rpiartDr miles south from Fanny Bay. This seam is only three inches thick. 2. On the Nanaimo River, at a point about 8 miles S., 15" W. from Nanaimo Harbour. This is the only workable seam seen during the season. It is from three feet si.\ inches to four feet thick, of good clean coal, and rests on a bed of olack carbonaceous shale with impressions of plants Above it is a.v exposed thickness of ten feet of brown and grey V » » 10 GEOLOGICAL SUVEY OF CANADA. Protection Island. Chilliwack Kivcr. Analvi? by Dr Jlarriiigton. sandstone, in beds of from six inches to three feet in thickness ; the dip of the beds is N. W E. 3. On the north-west end of Protection Island there is a small seam of good clean coal of from one to three inches thick. 4. On the same island, the middle a of touhe south-west side, a seam of similar quality and from three to four inches thick was observed. Oyifcr Harbour 6. About half-way up Oyster Harbour, on the north-cast shore, a seam of not more than half an inch thick is exposed. In July last Mr. John Jessop, superintendent of schools in British Columbia, sent mo a sample of coal from the mainland, accompanied by a note ill which he states that the sample was taken from a seam recently discovered in the Chilliwack district about one mile from the Chilliwack River, anil less than five mile? from the Fraser ; I at that the seam had not been sufficiently examined to ascertain its thickness or extent. The sample has been examined by Dr. Harrington with the following ro- sults: — " A cloun, bright, bituminous coal. By rapid coking it gave, Volatile matter . . . 35.73 Fixed carbon . . . 68. 8G Ash C.41 " It coked, but the coke was non-coherent and brittle. The remarkably small amount of ash which it contained was of a dark red colour." Iron Ore. On the south side of Texada Island, about three miles north west from Gillies Bay, and, about seventy paces from the shore, a small exposure of magnetic iron ore was met with, associated with a coarse-grained epidotic rock, and grey diorite. Immediately north of this exposure the ground rises steeply to about 450 feet above the sea. Here on the east- ern and south-eastern slopes of the hill, for 150 feet down, and ex- tending from 200 to 250 feet in length, is an exposure of rich mag- netic iron ore. On the out-crop^ facing to the north-west the ore-bed, which dips from S. 58° E. to E. < 25° — 30°, is seen to be from twenty to twenty-five feet thick, and to rest on grey crystalline limestone, with which, for about two feet down, are interstratified bands of ore, of from half an inch to one inch in thickness. The hill still rises to the north and north-east, but along the flank, and at about the same elevation, in a north- westerly direction for nearly a mile, the ore is occasionally seen, and in one place there is a continuous exposure of it for about 250 feet, the bed apparently varying in thickness from one foot to ten feet. In the con coaled intervals its course appears to be indicated by a coarsely crys- talline epidotic rock carrying ore in places, but with the grey limestones apparently overlying it to the north-east, and the grey and green dioritic rock beneath it to the south-west. Where the ore-bed is exposed in this part of th- hill a similar arrangement of the beds is observed, and what Iron orejesftiia filand. Crystalline limMtoue. Epidotic and dioritic rocks, REPORT BT MR. JAMES RICHARDSON. 11 here appears to be the base of the limestone exhibits interstratifications of ore similar to those described at its summit in the first exposure. An overturn dip is probably the cause of the apparent differences in the arrangement of the beds. In a north-easterly direction from the first noticed exposure for a quarter of a mile no ore is seen, after which it is again found, at first in irregular patches mixed with epidotic rocks, and then, its course becoming more northerly, for more than half a mile the bed presents an irregular surface exposure of from 600-900 feet of nearly pure ore. In this part the dip could not be ascertained with certainty, and I am therefore linable to estimate the thickness of the ore. Loose TWcknMs oi „,. .. -niii nil tUe oro-bed. pieces of limestone with mterstratified ore-bands were found on the west side, while to the east the ore is bounded by grey and green dioritic rocks. Circumstances did not admit of my remaining on the island long enough to trace the continuation of this valuable deposit of iron ore. Mr. Henry Trim, of Howe's Sound, however, who has explored the island, informed mo that the ore is to be seen occasionally in considerable exposures to near the north-east coast of the island, a further distance of more than three miles. These iron ores could scarcely be more favourably situated than they are, either as regards mining, smelting or shipment. There is deep water close to the shore, and wharves might be easily and cheaply constructed, at which vessels could always load in safety, except during the heavy south-east winds which occur occasionally from the middle of September to the end of March. But during these. Gillies Bay, only three miles distant, would afford a safe and convenient harbour of refuge. There is saie Harbour also another harbour at the north end of the island about seven miles distant which would afford shelter in all weather. The site of the ore is eighteen miles from Comox Harbour, twenty-one miles from Deep Bay, and about twenty-three miles from Fanny Bay. These are all good and safe harbours, and are only a short distance from the productive coal- seams of ihe Comox area. h\ the event of charcoal being required for c^a^coai. smelting the ore, abundance of wood suitable for making it can be pro- cured on the island. Iron ore is reported to occur also in the following localities : 1. Fifty yards from the Yale and Cariboo waggon read, up a ravine half a mile below Nicoainceii in the Lytton district. A sample of this ore was given me by J. W. McKay, Esq., Chief Factor in the Hudson's Bay Company's service at Victoria. It is a magnetic ore, and is stated to occur in a vein eight feet in thickness. 2. About one mile up the river at the head of Knight's Inlet, on the left bank, and about 1,200 feet up the mountain. A specimen of this ore, 12 GEOLOGICAL SUKVEY OF CANADA. Limestone and the foregoing particulars, were given mo by Mr. Alexander Donald- son, of Victoria. 3. Six miles west from Menzie's Bay, A^incouver Island, near Seymour Narrows. I did not learn the extent of this deposit, but it is said to bo considerable, and is close to some of the coal seams of the Comox area. 4. On the west side of Fitz Hugh Sound, at the entrance to River's Inlet. 5. Iron ore is said to occur on the shores of a bay to the south-cast of Cape Commerell, at the north-west end of Vancouver Island. Limestone. — The cliffs of limestone which form part of Blount Mark above Ilorne Lake arc mentioned in the Report of Progress for 1872-73. It is there stated, page 53, that " reaching tlie west side of Home Lake, and looking northward to Mount Mark, a drift-covered surface rises between 300 and 400 feet above the lake in the distance of about a ([uarter of a mile, and from tliis starts up a wall of limestone Avith an almost perpendicular face, presenting a thickness of probably 1200 feet, which is again c; iped by a great map' of brown-weathering diorite." A great variety of excellent ornamental marbles, suitable for almost all pur- poses, could be procured from these limestones. They are all more or less crystalline, and of white, whitish, dove-grey and bluish colours, but none of the bods, so far as observed, are sulficiently white and fine-grained to afford statuary marble. As a material for building purposes it could not be surpassed as regards durability and the size of the blocks which could be- obtained. Some of the beds present faces of from 30 to 50 feet in breadth, without, so far as could be seen, a single flaw or crack. The wator-powcr. Qualicum River, which discharges Ilorne Lake, would affjrd any amount of water-power — except, perhaps, in unusually dry seasons, during a part of the months of August and September — for driving all the machinery required for cutting, dressing and polishing the marble. 'Vha limestone cliffs are from a mile and a-half to three miles from the outlet of the lake, twelve chains below which is the first fall, of about 30 feet. In the next five chains the river falls about 40 feet, and nine chains further down there is a fall of 25 to 30 feet in a length of about one chain. Tlie next and last fall of any importance is 43 chains still lower down. Here the stream is divided into three branches and falls about 100 feet. In the centre channel the lower 60 feet is an unbroken perpendicular ftill, away in a deep recess or canon, between walls only a few feet apart, of dark, nearly black, dioritic rock. The constant and regular supply of water in this stream, together with the natural reser\ 'ir at its head, and the facilities for utilizing it at so many different levels, afforded by a fall of about 200 feet in a mile, are features which render it pre-eminently valuable as a water-power. The last fall is a little more than four miles from the coast, at the mouth of the p. ( <^i REPORT BY MK. JAMES RICIIARDSOX. 13 river, but the shallowness of the water ami the exposed iiosition render it an indifferent harbour. Deep Bay, however, further west, although small, p^^j, ^^^ is one of the best harbours on the coast, and is only eight miles north, west from the lower falls. At the north-west end of Tcxada Island limestones are well exposed on the coast from one mile south of Point Marshall, around the north-west end, and thence along the north-east shore for about four miles south- east, or altogether for a distance of about seven miles. These lime- stones are similar to those of Mount Mark, being of white, whitisli dove, grey, and bluish colours. Sonic of the white variety is, however, finer grained, and in this respect, as well as in colour, more nearly approaches in character to fine statuary marble, but the beds are here traversed by numerous joints running in different and irregular directions, so that it would seldom be possible to obtain sound blocks of largo dimensions, though there are a few places where blocks might be obtained sufficiently large for ordinary building purposes. Timber^ etc. — On the Di naldson River, which rises in the Beaufort Timber. Mountains and falls int-f^ i.ho Gulf of Georgia about three miles west to Deep Bay, white pine, P. iftrobtis, is more abundant at 800-1,400 feet above the sea than it is at lower levels. The soil on and near the Donaldson lliver at the above elevation is of a mixed clayey and sandy character, and here white pine is very abundant and of large size. The following are the dimensions of one tree of avernge size which was measured as it lay on the ground. Diameter, three feet from the root, two feet, and at 105 feet, eighteen inches. Total length 175 feet — iOo feet without a branch. Many of the trees are considerably larger, and more than 200 feet in height. White pine timbei' is worth nearly double the value of Douglas pine, Abies Douylassii, on account of its superiority for finisliing purposes, and it may be useful to persons seeking for it to know that it will probably be found in greater abundance and of better (juality at the above elevation than at lower levels. With regard to tiie agricultural capabilities of the country examined, I have nothing to add to the information given in the reports of 1871-72 and 1872-73. On all of the islands explored during the season the rocky character of the surface renders them wholly unfit for cultivation. ' I have the honour to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, JAMES RICHARDSON. Geological Survey Office, Montreal, May 1st, 1874. P 10