W % ■^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 7 // ■& C/jL %2 t 1.0 I.I 1.25 [ana »5 If lit It 1^0 US Iks *- ._ f4iUt. M 1.8 U III 1.6 v] <^ /^ ^;; 's. ^ 4^ iO^^>y. /A IT 4.^ U«^ Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 ,\ ^V ■1>' :\ \ r^ .V ^1^ ^ >> "C u- -- wo 3 .. I -^^ n't to tlie High Rock mines and the adjacent i» opcr:.. .- u ''^.-tian.. >»'< st, .jpon tlio right bank of the Ilivi^i-e (in Li^vre, not far below the Ilig' Fjijls. Si'jn Rock Mine. The '• Jligh IJock" property is owned by the Phosphate of Lime Co. (Limited), London, England. The principal pits have been opened upon Lots 5, 6 and 7. Range \TI., and Lots 1 and 2 and part of 7, Rjinge VIII. The openings are all ou one Itroad belt of pyroxenitic rock, with a general north-west trend. Proceeding in the same direction we come upon the Dugway Pits, and then to the Sta.- Hill mine, belong- ing to the Union Phosphate Mining and Lands Company of New York and New Jersey. In the reverse (S.E.) direction, this belt exhibits remarkably rich surface indications and pockets of phosphate on Lots 1 and 2 of Range VII., Portland West. The richest pit on the High Rock property, now abandoned and partially filled with water, was called the Bonanza Pit. It is on the Bonanza Pit. north-east corner of Lot 7 in Range VII. In shape it is very irregu- lar, both in its horizontal and its vertical sections. At the surface it averages about forty feet wide by sixty-three feet in length. At the water level its section is 60 feet X 66 feet, and its sump is said to be seventy feet deep ; but this is probably an exaggeration. Its depth could not be ascertained with a line, as tlie pit was sunk on an incline J 6 J Al'ATITE DEPOSITS. Economy ol' steam dr.Ils. boneatl. its soiith-ciistorn side, fts I'tilar/roiuont in sinking hu^ been caused l)y un.lorniininjr ti.e southern and easteni sides in " winniiii<" flat stringers of apatite from two Indies to one foot in tliicknoss. Ii. the centre of the pit there rises a kind of island of coniparativoly bari'cn pyroxenltc to a height of some twelve feet above the watJr level. It also has been much undermined on its western side in following a flat stringci' of aj.atite about six inciics thick. A cutting luis been driven from the edge of the hill to di-ain this pit. but it was not driven at a sufficiently low level to afford any per- manent relief It failed to disclose any workable deposit of apatite. But this is not surprising, as the cut d(jes not average over six feet in depth and about thirty feet in length. The countiy rock is a crypto-crystalline green pyroxonite with tinely disseminated aixifite and occasional patches of 'coarsely crystalline white orthoclase. The walls and floor of the pit ai-e everywhere dotted with crystals or scales of dark muscovite. The massive ajjatite occurs here in irregular masses of all sizes and attitudes. This pit is said to have yicldcvl 700 tons of choice a].>atite. I was much imjiressed witli the admirable position of this pit for testing the question of the depth at which such deposits are likely to be woi-ked to any great advantage. It stands on the brink of a hill, pitching sharply to the soutli-west, and the flat, locally known as the Beaver Meadow, lies about 400 feet below the pit. If a cutting were driven into the liill at any sufficient dejith, at right angles to its general trend, it would in all probability disclose fresh deposits of apatite of sufficient extent to yield a veiy handsome profit upon the enterprise. In such an undertaking it would be advisable to use a pair of steam drills to remove this large body of rock as cheaply as possible. It is to be regretted that the few ccm])anies at present employing such machinery in our phosphate mines are running single drills. While they thus save the capital required for the pvrchase of a second drill, and do not require quite so large or expensi e a boiler, they employ almost as much labour for one drill as would suffice to work two. A fireman and a skilled mechanic, with an assistant, are requisite to work one drill. By the substitution of a slightly larger boiler and the employment of an additional assistant, two drills could be worked instead of one. The necessary repairs would cost less, and the work would be done twice as fast. When one drill is being I'un and it needs any repairs, the men are all idle until these are effected. But with two drills there is very little chance of both getting out of adjustment at the same time. The next opening to the Bonanza is about 25 ft. to the south-east of J. TQRMNCE.] OTTAWA COUNTY. 7j it, and is on an extension of the same deposit. It is 84 feet long, ninninf^ S. 60' K. mag., and it averages about 10 foot wide. Its general features ilo not materially differ from tiiose of the Bonanza j)it itself. " Captain pit," also abandoned and full of water, lies to the north- Openings on west of tiie Bonanza . I fs length is 1.50 feet and strike N. G.5° W (mag) . pro|,"rty.' '^ "''* Its greatest width is 41 ft. and the least is (5 ft., averaging 18 ft. Tlu' eountry rock here also is pyroxenite, irregularly impregnated witli apatite. Imraediatoly on the north-east side of this deposit the country njck is a reduish gneiss, with a vertical di)) apparently strik- ing N. 7(t° W. (mag.) Pit No. 4 is 59 ft. long X 10 ft. wide, X 1^ ft. deep. It is now aban- doned, but is said to have yielded about 'MO tons of prime apatite. Pit No. 5 is about 32 ft. long X 15 ft. wide, with a smaller pit (21 feet long) at the north end of it, separated from it by 12 feet of com- paratively barren rock. It is now al)antloned, but is reported to have yielded about 250 tons of choice apatite. At the southern end of the opening, the pit is said to extend forty feet farther underground. But it was too full of water for us to see anything of this subterranean extension. The country rock hero is chieHy ])yroxenite with some white fine-grained felsite, reticulated with gi-een pyroxene. Pit Xo. 6 is about 41 ft. long by 25 ft. wide ; now abandoned. The .".ountry I'ock is a massive dark ])yroxenite. irregulai-ly veined and imprcgn*>,ted with apatite. Pit No. 7 is the nearest one to the company's office, on the northern side of the road from the wharf. Its length is Tfi ft., on a strike N. 57° E. But its width varies greatly. At the K.N.E. end it is 50 ft. wide, in the middle only 16 ft. and at the other end 2:? ft. The average depth in the western half was about 18 ft. (It is probably a good deal deeper now — February, 1884.) But the eastern end wa;; full of water. The cross-cutting at this latter end follows the apparent strike of the country rock, which is here N. 60° W. astron., with a dip appai-ently S. 30° W. < 45-60°. But this observation was not entirely reliable. More pyrite was noticed in this pit than in those above described. In the noi'thern side of the western end, the apatite was arranged in narrow '-^••tlcal bands, and had every appearance of being a vortical vein. And there was a very rich show of apatite covering the bottom of that end of the pit, apparently lyitig almost horizontal. These two masses merge into one another. This affords a good illustration of the difficulty of classifying these ciiissification of deposits of apatite. During the past season I often noticed in the same vein' o? beds. pit patches of apatite that might easily be taken for the contents of a fissure vein, if there were any casing rock on either side of it to sepa- i-ate it from the country rock, and patches of fiat-lying apatite that I 8j APATITE DEPOSITS. Mr. VcniMii" opinion. might casi'y ho called hc(hlo.l if they woiv of any groat oxfont or approximately uniform thicknens and if tho f..untry rock fl!,ovv(>d any planoH cf bedding parallel to the longont axes of Hiic'h patches. Or oIko It might eaHily ho assumed that tho countiy rock had hoen more or less tilted and .>vortin-ned since tho deposit of the apatite, and that tho vertical patches wore interbedded and the norc horizontal ones were veins, if their relations to tho country r..ck wore su(di as veins and beds respectively are wont to maintain. But, unfortunately, I failed to7perceive these concurrent conditions. Tho season's work has loft uj.on my mind a strong conviction that thet;o deposits in Portland and Buckingham arc irregular segregations from the countiy rock ; and are confined to one or more zones of rock that approximately follow tho course of the Eivioro du Indvre in a general X.N.W. direction, and are moi-o or less heavilv impregnated with apatite. Very possibly there is but one such zone, with *,hc Rivit\re du LitH-re occupying a synclinal near the summit of the sei-ios. Tnese phosphate-bearing rocks aro characterized by the predomi- nance of pyroxene in their composition and the frequent presence of irregular patches of coai-sely crystalline lilac or violet-coloured felspar. Mr. H. G. Vennor considered a band of rusty-coloured gneiss to be a guide to the richest oil It iH now abandonod, and most of the bottom is under wutor. But at the woMt ond it m ciiiito shallow, with some whow of masHivo apatite in the l>ottoni and tMid. Tho country rc.tk lioro is jnroxc'nito, with much o,,onina felspar and coarsely crystalline mica. lici<; und elsewhere the mica ^(if^'J};:'" and apatite are distributed (juite independently of one another, occur- °°""""'"'' rin« sometimes toyotlier, but just aj often by themselves. Pit No. 12 is rectan<,nilar and of tolerably u;:ii'orm section, viz., abouC 26 ft, X li'i ft. Ill June h was 44 ft. deep, and liad a tloor ofshlid apa- tite. At about 12 ft. from the surface the apatite is said to have pinched almost completely out, but it soon " camo in '' a;>ain (juite as richly as i)cfoi-o. The country rock is massive pyro.venite. On tlie dumi) we picked up specimens of compact, pale. groenish-yoUow apatite. One large specimen, apparently of massive epidoto, gave ' > reaction;! tor pliosphoiic acid and calcium. Pit No. 13 is 23 ft. long X K! ft. wide X 12 ft. de. ■,. The country rock is terribly mixed up. It Is principally ])yroxenite with patchos Naf.iro of of white and tloah coloured fclopur. Tho weatho'od surfaces about '=°' ""■>■ '■<"'''• this pit are chiefly pinkish fclsite wUh some white qmirtzite.s. The general strike of the beds is N. 50° VV. The dip is uncertain, but seems to be N. 40° K. < 82-90°. The renuiining openings examined on this property were more in the nature of open cuts than pits; being long, shallow trenches, rather low down on the slope of the hill, and not far from the Beaver Meadow. Open "ut No. 1 is 29 ft. wide whore the line ci'osses it. It cuts about 50 feet alon X. 46° "VV (mag). The Fou-ler and Bacon Properties. These are adjacent to each other on the First Eange of Portland East — Fowler's lot being the eastern half of Lot No. 3, and Bacon'i^ being the western half of the same lot. Little work has been done here. The openings on both properties are close to the side line sepa- rating them, and not far from the south side of the range. "Fowler's big show " is a stripping on the side of a hill. It shows a breast of massive green apatite about 10 feet long, freely spotted with large but imperfect cry.stals of black phlogopite. This stripping runs north and south across this bed (?) of apatite. The country rock is „ , ^ ■> >- J Count r.v look pyroxenite and felsite iri-egularly mixed. There are a number of other smaller openings close to this, all showing some apatite. But I did not hear of any ajiatite being found elsewhere on this lot than in this one patch, close to the side line. No attempts have been made to mine this deposit. It has simply been strii^ped on speculation. Now (Feb- ruary, 1884,) I am told that it has been recently sold for a very con- siderable sum. Higher up on the same gentle slope are the Bacon pits on the west liacon pits. half of this lot. The main pit is 19 ft. X 13 ft. X 10 ft. deep, with fjiir shows of apatite in both ends. The country rock is ma.ssive jiyroxenite. There is a small vein of pink felspar in the western side of the pit. Another small opening has been made about 60 ft. N. GO" B. of this pit. And a little trenching has been done in the immediate vicinity. About 20 tons are said to have been taken otf this property and about 10 tons oft' Fowler's half On our way back to the Li^vro we observed the strike on two diffe- rent exjiosures to be respectively N. 15° F., with dip S. 85° E. < 4'7°, and N. 38° E. with dip S. 52° E. < 75° (mag.) La Covipagnie Franraise des Phosphates du Canada. This Company, organized in Fiance, owns a large number of so- called phosphate lots, but their chief work seems to have been con- fined to Lots 1 ami 2 of Bange Til. and No. 1 of 1, nge lA'., Poi'tland East, and Lot 16 of IJange VIIJ. in the same township. 1 14 J APATITE DEPOSITS, I romimKiiie Pit No. 1 Oil Lot 2, Range ITT., is 30 ft. loiig X 10 ft. wide and 25 Phos?,h,'res'au ft. deep. The strike of this opening is ^s". 56^ E. In the S.W. end and {'miada. hottom there is a 2-3 ft. seam of apatite dipping N.W. The country roclc is a massive iron-grey crystalline rock, consisting chiefly of ([uartz, hornblende and mica. The apatite has a good deal of mica associated with it. Thei'e is some brilliant red calcite finely dissemi- nated through portions of the country rock, and also in the apatite itself This pit was being worked at the time of our visit. Pit !No. 2 was aljandoned. Its length was 91 ft. on a strike N. 30^ B. The N.E. cad and centre were full of water. But at the S.W. end there was a little massive green apatite exposed, with coai-se phlo- gopite imbedded in it. The country rock is similar to that about No. 1. Its strike is obscui-e, but appears to agree with the direction of the opening, and has a dip of N. GO^ W < 65°. Pit No. 3 is IG ft. wide by 32 ft. long The country i-ock here is a •"•ranulai- massive pyi'oxenite with somi. white felsite upon the surface with a strike N. 30° E. and dip N. G0° W < 77-00°. A'ery little apatite was visible in the walls of this pit, and almost no mica or pyrite. Pit No. 4 is 20 ft. long by 13 ft. wide and 6 ft. deep. It ditt'ei-s from No. 3 in having large patches of pink calcite in the country rock, holding crystals of green apatite and some mica. In the country rock there are also patches of pale lilac felsite carrying a little apatite Pit No. 5 is a stripping on the side of a hill to the N.W. of M- Folcher's house. It is 15 ft. X 6 ft., and shows a little apatite and mica in pyroxenite. There are four or five other strippings on the side of this hill — west of No. 5. But none of them show any quantity of apatite. Pit No. G is notewoi'thy for the scarcity of apatite in it. Its eastern end is sunk in gneiss, striking N. 30° B. with a vertical dip. But the western part is in pyroxenite showing a little apatite. A few tons are said to have been obtained from this pit. Pit No. 7 is 45 ft. N.E. of No. 6, and is 34 ft. deep. Its section is about 15 ft. X 10 ft. It runs on the strike of the country rock N. 32° E. and has a very i-cgular foot-wall, dipping N. 58° W. < about .S0°. There were no ladders to get into it. We saw very little apatite in the walls. There seemed to be more in the bottom. But it was too dirty for a clear view. The country rock is pyroxenite with a little white felsite and some spots of pink calcite. T noticed a little titanite in almost every stripping on this hill. Pit No. 7 is 08 ft. due cast of my station L. Its area is 20 ft. X 10 ft. and is 4 ft. deep. Here we found a little green apatite and black mica in pyroxenite. i •] OTTAWA COUNTY. 15 J Pit No. 8 is 9 ft. wide X 10 ft. deep, The countiy rock is pyrox- enito, with a little titanito in whits feLsite. Near my station M there are four pits. Pit No. 9 is 17 ft. N. 20^ W. from it and is 23 ft. deep. Its section is 16 ft. by 12 ft. The country rock is massive pyroxenitc. Pit No. 10 is 25 ft. N. 82° W. of No. 9. This is 15 ft. wide and 26 ft. long on the strike N. 08° PI Full of water. The country rock is a massive pyroxenite, containing some tourmaline. A little titanite and some small crystals of chabazite accompany the apatite, and also some black mica and pyrite. Somfe calcite here is very red. Pit No. 11 is 16 ft. from M, bearing S. 20° E. from it. It is 10 ft. X 10 ft. X T ft. deep. The coimtry rock here is chiefly felsito ; country nuk. mostly lilac, but some red. A fair show of apatite in the bottom. Pit No. 12 is 21 ft. from M, bearing S. 10° W. from it. It is cut into the side of the hill. It is 13 ft. X 16 ft., and on its upper side is 23 ft. deep. The country rock is pyroxenite, with spots of dai-k red calcite in one -^v-rner. Some of the apatite is very deep red. On the dump we found specimens of a dark red micaceous mineral containing much water. Its folim had lost all elasticit}^ Doubtless this is an altered mica, (rubellan ?) Pit No. 13 is full of water. Apparently deep. It is 25 ft. wide and about the same length. The country rock is pyroxenite. Pit No. 14 is 25 ft. X 10 ft. Country rock, pyroxenite. Beside pit No. 15 there was an open cut about 40 ft. long, striking N. 26° E. and showing a deposit of apatite averaging 3 ft. in width, as far as it had been sti-ipped. East Half of Lot 7, Range I., Portland JSast. The main pit upon this lot is 32 ft. X 63 ft., on a strike N. 63° E., and is about 43 ft. deep. As this pit was full of water at the time of our visit, and was scooped into a deep cave at the NE. end, I had to take these dimensions from Mr. Piatt, who assures me that over one thou- sand tons of phosphate were taken from this one pit. In its N.E. end black mica is much more abundant than apatite. This pit is richer in mica than any other yet visited. It occurs here chiefly in large im. Abundance ot perfect crystals, whereas it generally occurs mostly in tine scales. We """"'' noticed also at this pit an unusual scarcity of sulphides of all kinds. While this pit was being worked, a great deal of the mica extracted here was used for road metal, for which purpose it is about eq^ual in value to sawdust. Pit No. 2 is cribbed up at its mouth for a windlass and is full of water. Piatt says that it avci-ages 10 ft. X 6 tt., and is 14 ft. deep. I 16.1 APATITE DEPOSITS. Al.'i.icir ('liapleiiu's cuiupiuiy. He ropovtH that 22 tons of apatite were extracted. Wo found zircon on this dump. The country rock around 1 and 2 is pyroxenitc. Pit Xo. ii is a dry hole of ii'rcguhir shape. It averages al)out !• ft. X "7 ft. and is 13 ft. deep. Tlie country roclc is pyroxenile, with a good deal of pink felsito. Pit No. 4 is a tunnel driven into the hill. It is 6 ft. high X 8 ft. wide, and is 16 ft. long. Tlie country rock is chiefly white (with some pink) felsite, V(;ry little apatite is vjsilde in tlie sides and end of this tunnel. About lifty tons of apatite are said to have been obtained here. Ta7no Lake Mines. On Lot 14 of Eangc V. in Portland East there are tliree ])its lying close together. They are small and shallow and )fler no features- worthy of note. The counti-y rock is pyroxenite, showing but little red and green apatite in patches througii it. Found the strike of country rock near oiie of these ])its to be N. 28°' W. with dip S. 62° W. < 88°. Another expos\n'e a little to the east of this gave the dip as X. 60° E. < (]T . It seems likely that these pit* are on the summit of an anticlinal. Major Chapleau's Co. own Lots 16, 17 and 18 in Jlange VI. of Port- land East. During last summer they woi-ked almost exclusively on the N.W. corner of Lot IT. The long opening is (!G ft. long on a strike N. 10° E. At the south end it turns off abruptly to S. 40° K for another 60 feet. The deepest sinking was done in this eastc/iy extension. But it was nowhei-e over 9 ft. deep at end of September. The country rock is a massive i^yroxenite. On the gentle plope just below this pit to the south, is a series of stripjjjngs, showing jiatches of red and green apatite in the pyroxenite. The a])utite mined was green and massive, with no crystals. This pit is remarkably free from mica and pyrites. The strike of rock near the boarding house was noted as N, 0° W. On Lot 16 we saw a couple of small abandoned openings by the roadside. The Haycock Mine. This mine, on Tamo Lake, was worked in the early part of the summer by Messrs. Van Rensselaer, Falding& Co. of New York, under contract with the Dominion Phosphate Comi)any of Montreal. Tlie chic-i' woilc done was the cutting of a deep, open drift, with a steam drill, I'roni the western slope of the ridge of pyroxenite — along the course of which all the old pits had been sunk — into its I'oart. The direction of the cut was N. 80" E., and its length was 117 ft. \\ was ciu'ricd in 18 ft. wide, and its greatest depth was 37 ft. The bi'ginning of the •] OTTAWA COINTY. IYj »l>uning!i. cut was through roil and gi'oy quartzitcs, s-triking N. 15°, W., with a dip IS". 75° E, < 80°. But almost the outii-o cut was through greyish pyroxenito. Very little phosphate was found in this cut until the ahandoned 'tuyi'ock " Deep pit " was reached. In it they sti-uck a very good floor of solid apatite, which they were Just Iteginning to exploit at the time of my last visit. This cut and all the other openings in this property are on Lot 18 of R. VII, Portland Iv.st. Pit No. 1 is M rt. X 70 It, on a strike of X. 15° W. Its greatest depth is 12 ft., but it would not avei-age more than (J ft. Country rock is pyroxenito. We found here a line specimen of crystalline tour- maline on pyroxenito. rhere are twelve small ]jits to the north-west of the steam cut. Thoy all occur in one bed of vertical, massive pyroxonite, striking N. 15° W. The greatest width of these pits apart, in an E. and W. direction, is 110 ft. The country rock in all of them is massive pyi-oxenite, with stringers of calcite. Wo tbund here crystals of white and yellow chabazite. La Compagnie Fi'unf/aise des Phosi)hates du Canada is working also on Lot 17 of Range VIII, in Portland East. Pit No. 1 is 13 ft. X 15 ft. on a strike of N. 11° W. It was full of water and reported to be 25 ft. deep. From the north end of this pit the suiface has been stripped on same strike for 115 ft., and shows patches of apatite with much mica and a little pink culcito, scattered through the pyroxenito. Pit No. 2 is 9 ft. deep by 7 ft. in diameter. Pit No. 3 is quite shallow. It shows very little apatite in the country rock, which is chiefly white felsito, enclosing patches of mas- sive green p^-roxenite. Pit No. 4 is the only one now^ worked. It is of very irregular shape. It is 20 ft. long X 10 ft. wide, at its deepest end. The strike of this opening is N. 65° W., with a dip of S. 35° W. < about 75°. Its greatest depth was ab tut 20 ft. Both pyrite and pyrrluitite occur in this pit — the former being in the larger (quantity. The Waft Mine. This mine is situated on Lot C of Range I., Portland East. Pit No. 1 is tilled with water. It is sunk on an incline, and said to be IGO ft. deep. The section at surface is 15 ft. X 14 ft. At a depth of 15 ft. it deci-eases to 14 ft. X 8 ft. It was Avorked by a horse whim. The country rock is chiefly pyroxenito Avitli disseminated spots of apatite. It contains very little mica. The rock in the vicinity of thi.- 18 J APATITE DEPOSITS. Walt miiip openings. pit strikes N. 50° E. with u voi-tical ions of Ihis j.it arc 13 ft. X lU. ft. Phitt says that it is 50 ft. deep. It has a log building over it. The conn tiy rock is similar to that of No. 1. Pit No. 3 is lOi ft. X "i ft., and has a windlass over it. It was 1() ft. deep to surface of water — 5 ft. ilcep. The country rock is iivroxcnite, with a good deal of apatite disseminated in patcliey tiirough it. There was a good deal of felsitic rock upon the dump, essentially composed of white felspar — with embedded particles of crystals of pyroxene. At a distance of 40 ft. from this pit, N. 15° W., lliere is a pit sunk in grainte (?) showing also s(mic quartzitcs. A^ery little mica in these rocks. Pit No. 4 is 15 ft. X 23 ft. Filled with water to within 11 ft. of the surface. Total de])tli about IS ft. The country rock here is pyroxenite with a good deal of disseminated apatite, and also patches of it, and an almndance of mica. Specimens of crystalline titanite and calcitc, crystals of hornblende and tourmaline, and lumps of white and grey felsitic rocks wel'c collected here. In tlie autumn Mr. William Allen of Ottawa took possession of this ])roperty, and has ace been working steadily upon it. Cameron's Property. This name is often applied to Lot 2*7 in Range VIll. of Portland East, Pit No. 1 is 62 ft. X 24 ft., with strike N. 45° E. Its depth was 58 ft. to the floor of the pit, with an 8 ft. sump. This pit is a large, irregular cavern about 18 ft. high at the bottom of an inclined shaft 22 ft. X 24 ft. in section. The apatite was chiefly red. The foreman reported that about 1,800 tons of apatite had been extracted from it. Steiim hoistiiiB This shaft is the only one in the valley of the Liiivie with a steam- hoisting engine. The country rock is pyroxenite with some apatite and much calcite of groat variety of colour. Some patches of lilac fclspathic rock. Very rino specimen of pink, green and white wilsonito and scapolite were obtained here. Strike of tl-.e rock near here is N. 20° AV. Pit No. 2 is 10 ft. X 24 ft., and is 42 ft. ilecp. The apatite hero was green. About 25 tons were extracted. The country rock is iiyroxenite and a white and lilac fclspathic rock with pyrite, a little mica some wilsonite, pyrrhotite, a little chalcopyrite and soma calcite. This property is owned by the Philadelphia & Canada Phosphate Mining Company. (Engine. TORRANCE.] OTTAWA OOUNTT. 19 J McLaren's Mine. This is the popular name of Lot 27 of Eango VIII. in Portland East. Pits 1, 2, 3 and 4 are all on a belt of rock running N. 50° K. The countiy rock of 1, 2 and Jj is pj'roxenite with much disseminated apatite, a little mica and some felspi thic rock. Pit Xo. 3 has a good show of phosphate, mixed red and green. It yielded over 30 tons. Pit No. 4 I i 20 ft. X 6 ft. and about 20 ft. deep. It shows a vertical wall of mica (?) running IS". 50° E. Pit Xo. 5 is 16 ft. X 10 ft., with a depth of 25 ft. It has yielded 20 tons. The country rock is a dark, fine-grained pyroxenite with some I'elspathic rock. Other minerals are very scarce in this pit. A number of tine specim<>ns of stilbite were collected on this pro- stiibite perty, and also some very interesting specimens of apatite, in which the red and green colours were so mingled as to imitate woody fibre. Croffs Mine. This is on Lot 24 of Range VII. in Portland East. The Big pit is fiO ft. X 30 ft., and is 20 ft. deep to the surface of the water, which is about 15 ft. deep. The apatite here is both red and green. The country' rock is pyroxenite with a little red calcite in patches through it. Crystals of pyroxene, hornblende and tourmaline are abundant. The two latter occur with the calcite. Apatite occurs m the walls of the pit in irreguhir veins and patches. A small piece of steatite was found upon the dump. The other (small) pits showed some red and green apatite. The country rock is pyroxenite with veiy little calcite. The Boss Property. Lot 2 in Eange VII. of Portland West has been already referred to in this report. The country rock is pyroxenite and a greyish felsitic rock. There are very good surface shows of green apatite with very little mica and pyrite. The general strike of these shows is X. 55° "W. It is a pity that so little work has yet been done to test this property. It is situated on the same great l)clt of rock as the High Hock and Star Hill mines. I consider it to be decidedly one of the most promi- sing lots for permanent work to great depth. Kendall's Mine. Is situated on Lot 26 in Range XI. of Buckingham. The apatite obtained there was extracted chiefly from a cut in the side of a hill. About 100 tons of hard compact apatite was mined from a vein about 20 J APATITE DEPOSITS. 18 ft. wide in massive pyroxonito. This phosphate is much coloured by ferric oxide, resulting from the decomposition of pyrito. Plates of mica occur in the country rock, associated with the apatite. Vennor's Lot. This is the popular name of Lot 26 in Eange Xll. of Buckingham. Pit A. is about 10 ft. X 12 ft. and 22 ft. deep. The country rock is composed essentially of pyroxene and scales of mica. The aj)atite is whitish-green. The general colour of tu'i rock is the same. Some specimens of apatite were almost white. But the paleness of the colour was largely due to the finely granular texture of the rock. Pit B. is 9 ft. X C ft. and 14 ft. deep. The rock is similar to A. On Lot 24 in Range XIT. of Buckingham, we obtained very fine specimens of pyrophyllito associated with noble serpentine in a white rock of unknown composition. There are also two small shows of apatite on Lot 27 of Range XI. of Buckingham. Statistics of the Tkape. F -om Mr. John Lewis of the Montreal customs T obtained the fol- lowing figures, for which I desire to express my thanks. Shipments of phosphate from Montreal in the twf) years ending on 31st December, 1882, and 31st December, 1883, respectively— 1882. 1883. 2nd Quarter — 3rd " 4th " 8,946 tons=$l 77,741 5,657 " 112,275 1,982 " 42,003 6,619 tons=$140,038 9,729 " 210,582 3,118 " 65,342 Total.... 16,5a5 tons=$332,019 19,466 tons=S421,962 The collector of customs at Quebec kindly informs me that during the year 1883 there were exported A'om that port 200t> tons of phos- phate. The collectors of customs at Kingston and Bi-ockviile kindly inform me that no phosphate was shipped during the past year from their respective ports. From Mr. Joseph Nimmo, jun., of the Bureau of Statistics at Wash- ington, I received the following very interesting and valuable table of the imports of "Crude Phosphates, Kainit, Super])hosphates, and Fertilizers," into the United States in the year ending SOth June, 1883. t TORHANCt.] OTTAWA COUNTY. 21 J )ure(l itite. am. ck is ite is ■^oine ■ the fine .vhite n. of 3 fol- phos- iform their ^Vasli- ble of , and June, t OO T ^mt J TRADE 'n'ATISTICS. Suiiill import!' to TiiitiMl State." Iri)iii Cunuila. Prices. Inspectors aud analysts. From tliiH ntatenient 1 lourn tho oxtinoi'diniiry fuel that ni\]y 25-lr loiiH of cruflo j)h(wphnte wore imported from Caniidii in tiuit year, altlioii^li a vci-y lar^o amount of Ainei'ii'iin capital is iiivcstod in our piiospiiate miiR'H. One of tho most pi'oduttive mines for years past has boon owned by an American compuMN-, viz.. The Union Phosjjhato Mining and Lands Company, and another — viz., tho Kmerald Mine — has lieen recently purcliased by American capitalists. As far aa 1 can learn tho total output of these mines hasaUvaysgono to Britain. As 1,262 tons of crude phosphate and TfttW tons of superphosphate ■wore im])orted int<. tho United States from Hritain in that year, It is highly probable that a very considerable quantity of our Canadian apatite has been used in enriching Amei'ican lands after a voyage across the Atlantic and back. In regard to the destination of the l!),(in6 tons ofphos[)hatp exported from Canada in A.I). 1883, I obtained no tiguros. But Dr. T. Sterry Hunt, F.R.S., &c., in hit ""dmirable paper on tho "Apatite Deposits of Canada,'' presented to the Am. Inst, of Mining Engineers, states that l,57li tons were delivered in Hamburg and fJ.'jO tons in Stockholm, tho rest going to British porte Prices fluctuated very considerably during the year. Mr. Lomer, of Montreal, tells me th; i in the spring of 1883 ho obtained Is 6d per unit ibr tho phosphate that ho shipped to Hamburg tind Stockholm. But in Oct., 1883, ho was otiered only Is 2d per unit for 80 per cent, phosphate. Messrs. Gillespie, Moifatt & Co., of Montreal, obtained Is Hd per unit for a consignment to Avonmouth of 75 per cent, phosphate, when similar apatite was worth only Is ttd in London. This shows the diiterence in prices at different centres of consumption. If the government had a mining bureau receiving quotations of prices from these various points at regular intervals, their prompt pub- lication in our papers as an official bulletin or otherwise, would greatly benefit tho trade. Such an office might also materiitity help to develop a direct trade with the sea-board of the United State- by .v the ixovorninont in this niiittor. The only suggestion tliat I could mnUo is this, and it is of a vory local chanicter. The apatite mined in the valley of the Li»>vrc might lio ci-ushod in a suitalilc mill at the falls Imniodiatoly liclow the steam- boat landiiii-- at a tixod tariti' and put up in barrels Un- shipniont. Such Sunu'li'iK. a mill could have a mcchanicul ort-samphM- ntUiched to it in such a way that a certain delinite percent4ige of the crusliod product would be mechanically sc|)aratcd and delivered as a sample of the lot. This conlil be analysed by a chemist attached !o the mill and his certiticate delivered along with the consignnient, or else the wimple could hv scaied and delivoi-ed to the owner for analysis by any other "liiuuist. Such a mill should be able to cr ish this upatite more chcaj)ly than any Kni,'lish mill, because the apatite would i-equire no extra handling. All of it has to be landed from the barges near that particul.ir jtoint and loaded on wagons to haul it to the railway station. It \-ould not be difficult to arrange machinery to unload the barges and transport the apatite to the mill very cheaply with the aid of this water power. The freight to Britain on this phosphate might be rather higher thunwhe.* in bulk. But there would b.> .w loss o- deterioration in iranshipme.d. Ballast could not get .nixed with it oi the Montreal wharves or in the ve.s.sel"s hold, and the charges for loailing ami unloading, iScc, would be lower. The grente;*^ advantage, however, would be in the certainty of obtaining a fair ant! accurate sample of the entire shi'pment. As long as phosphate is 8hipi)e('i in bulk no two samples cai. be taken from the same lot oi' preriseUj the same composition. If they are selected by some proper rule they should always approximate to one another nioi'o or less closely, but they can never agree. This lack of correspondence has very frequently caused serious trouble between the Canadian shipjiers and English buyers. But the shippers have always been forced to give way and comfbi't themselves with some sorry theory about deteriorations and loss of weight in pro- cess of transkipmeiit or discharging at t'\e British port. OENERAL REMARKS ON APATITE INDISTRY. I fail to agro; entirely with Dr. Hunt's views upon the nature f't'J^e^Yon'origin these deposits, lie divi le:-i them into only two classes, — viz. : bed f'"*-' Jipj^.'le'^'*'"''' fissure veins. This is co "cct if wo use the term bed in a sufficiently ''er"iti=. broad sense. But the • mniO'iiy of the deposits that T have yoi seen are very irreguiui scgregatiijiis from the ])hosphate-bearing country rock, which is gei;erally a massive pyroxenite. As hese deposits are tbund in a certain bed, which is more or less i'ichly im pregnated with phosphate and may sometimes be traced for a consider- 24 J TRADE STATISTIC^. Condemnation of exi.-^ting methods of ai>atite mining. able distance, suoli (lep().sit8 nniy bo said to be merely a bed of phosphate of iri-ei-'tilai' richness. But I take exception to this kind of cLassitication as being misleading. And it seems to imply the submarine origin of these deposits. Whei-eas the origin of these pyroxenic rocks may possibly be due to contemporaneous intrusion. There has always been phosphoric acid in the earth's crust — long before any form of life existed upon our gloiie. "Why should wo con- clude, without absolute and undeniable evidence, that this massive crystalline ajiatite was necessarily accumulate.! by organic action? In my opinion this is an ojjcn question. But every scicntitic man, at all familiar with the past histoi-v and present aspects of our Canadian phosphate industries, must endorse his condemnation of the present methods of development, which he describes as follows : — "The larger part of the productive workings are upon the bedded de])osit8. These, however, are for the most part opened only by shallow pits ; a condition of things which is explained by the peculiar character and the fre([uency of the deposits, and also by the- economic value of the apatite. This mineral, unlike most ordinary oi-cs, is, in its crude state, a merchantable article of considerable value, and tinds a ready sale at all times, even in smtdl lots of tive or ten tons. Like wheat, it can be converted into ready money, at a price wliich genei-- ally gives a large return for the labour expended in its extraction. Hence it is that fiirmei-s and other persons, often with little or no knowledge of mining, have, in a great number of jdaces, opened pits and trenches for the pui-pose of exti-acting apatite, and at tirst with very satistactory results. So soon, however, as the openings are carried to depths at Avhich the process becomes somewhat ditficult from the want of appliances foi- hoisting the materials mined, or from the inflow of surface waters, which in wet seasons till t!ie open cuts, the workings are abandoned for fresh outcrops, never far off. In this way a lot of 100 acres will sometimes show tive, ten, oi- more pits, often on as many beds, from twelve to twenty feet deep ; each of which may have yielded one or more hundred tons of apatite, and has been abandoned in turn, nut from any failure in the supply, but because the minei-al could be got with loss trouble and cost at a new opening on the surface near by." "These conditions arc .>rice. '' The Canadian a])atite shipped to England has yielded for various lots from 7") to 85 per cent., 80 per cent, being the average from the best conducted mines, thougli lots fnmi mines where care has boon used in the dj-essing and selection of the mineral for shipment have yielded 84 and 85 per cent. Many of the smaller tninors to which we have alluded, selling their product to local buyers, take little pains in dressing, and hence tiieir product is apt to be lower in grade. It will Statistics of sliipment. 2(] .7 TRADE STATISTICS. bo seen, from tlie rule adopted by foreign pwi'cluisers, Ihut there is> great profit in a careful Holeetioii and dressing of the 7ninoral for market. The basis being Is 2d the unit for 75 per eent., with a rise of ono-tifth of a ])enny for each unit, it foHows that while a ton of 75 per cent, apatite will bring only 87s Od, a ton of 80 per eent. will com- mand 100s, and one of 85 per cent. 113s. 4d.'' " In Ihe present state of the industry it is not easy to say what would bo the cost of production. At the outcrop of the large masses of apa- tite, and in the open cuts and ([uari'ies already described, the cost of exti-action and dressing is, of course, vei-y variable, estimates in differ- ent deposiis giving from $2 to $8 the ton. In Ottawa county, where' within the last four years, deposits have been opened and mined on a better system than heretofore, the figures of production and cost are instructive. According to the re])ort of the manager in .luly, 1882, the High-Jkock mine, in Buckingham (sk) yielded, in 1880, 2,-100 tons, and in 1881, 2,000 tons of apatite. An adjoining ]jortion of land having been then acquired, the production of this company's mines in 1882 and 1883^ is stated at 5.000 tons annually; I'rom eighty to ninety men being employed. The cost of the mineral is here given at §4 the ten, dressed, at the mine : in addition to which $3 is j)aid for carriage to the railroad or tjie river, and about $1 additional to Montreal, the port of shipment. The mines in the Ontario district are, for the niost ])ar(, in or near to the waters of the Eideau canal, ov some of the many lakes connected therewith, from vvliich the freight to Montreal is SI. 50 the ton. I am infoi-med by a merchant, who is a purchaser and shipper of apatite, and is always engaged in mining it botii in Ontario and (Quebec, that the average cost for freight trom Montreal to England, with selling charges, is 20s. the ton; which, for apatite of 80 per cent., now worth 100s. the ton, would leave 80s. or $10,3G." •'Deducting from tliis the cost of iti'oiluction and of transportation to Montreal, there remains 'i large profit." Dr. Hunt follows tins with a paragrapli upon the statistics of siiip- ments. When he speaks of 1883 and 1884, he evidently means the fiscal year ending upon the 'SOth June, He says: — ''The aiuount of apatite shipped from Montreal lias gradually increased, and, according to tlie published figures, attained in 1S83, 17,840 tons, of which, it is to be remarked, that 1,570 tons were tlelivered in Hamburg, and 650 in Stock- holm, the remaimler going to Liver[)ool. London and other Britisli ]»orts. Of this about 15,000 tons were from (Quebec, and the remainder from Ontario, &c." Dr. Hunt's concluding remarks sliould obtain as wide a circulation as possible: — "The methods of mining hitherto generally pursued in the apatite deposits of Canada, allow of many impi'ovements which would TORRANCE.] APATITE DEPOSITS. 2; .1 tlie T materially reduce the average cost of production and give a permanency to the industry which the present modes of working can never attain. The reguhirity and persistence of the l)edded deposits, and of some of the veins, warrants the introduction of systematic mining by sinlcing, driving, and stoping, with the aid of proper machinery for drilling, as well a.s for iioisting and y)umping. The careful dressing and selection of the apatite for the market is also an element of much importance in the exploitation of these deposits. The cost of labour in the apatite- producing districts is comparatively low, and there are great numbers of beds now superficially opened, upon which regular mining operations, conducted with skill and a judicious expenditure of capital, should prove remunerative. It must be added, that the areas in ([uestion have as yet been very partially explored, and that much remains to be dis- covered within them, and also, there is reason to believe, in outlying districts ; so that in the near future the mining of apatite in Canada will, it is believed, become a very important industry." With most of these remarks of Dr. Hunt's. I fully agree. But some of them are open to discussion. In his statement of the cost of extrac- tion of apatite from the High Rock mines, lie evidently omits the very important factor of interest upon the Phosphate of Lime Co.'.s capital. I cannot state the amount of this capital positively, but believe that it is £100,000 stg. As it is an English corporation I suppose that live per cent, would be a fair rate of interest for this calculation. For an annual output of 5,000 tons of phosphate this would be a charge of exactly £ I per ton. Thus, the phosphate shipped from High Eock costs about S12 at the railroad depot in Buckingham, instead of $7. Freight by rail to Montreal is $1.25 per ton. Cartage in "^lontreal from cars is 25c. to T5c. per ton. Harbour and port warden's dnes are 11 cents pcj- ton. If shipped by Imrge down the Ottawa from the mouth of the LiiVre Eiver to Montreal the cost is $1 to 81.50, according to desi)atch. The barges can be laid alongside of the ship. Thus the charges for cartage are saved. But this is probably counterbalanced to some extent by the possibility of claiming tor demurrage on the part of the ship or else of the barges, if they are kept waiting. The inai'gin foi" profit for companies of large capital in this phos- .vinrKin o( phate business is thus shown to be altogether too small to permit of reckless or ignorant manageuicnt. (Ireat skill is reiiuiretl to conduct mining o|)erations in such a way as to guarantee the stability of the enterprise while ])roviding punctual dividends. Any tool can extract phosphate f:">in the surface of a phosphate-bearing belt of pyroxenite. But it rctjuires a vary skilful engineer to do it in such a manner as to atford some reasonable hopes of the work being c(jntinued profitably HI 28 J TRADE STATISTICS. Capitiil invested. Competition in European markets. Phosphate deposits '..■') phosphates of lime with given quantities of solvents — an objjct to lo considered in the manufacture of fertilizers." He farther reports that — "Since the discovery of the value of the phosphate rock bed of South Carolina, in 18G7, to the present time, about 2,2.10,000 tons have been mined by land and river companies in about equal proportions." Mr. Moses gives a list of companies and individuals engaged in mining, and .states that their aggregate capital is over §2.000,000. In regard to manufacturing, he says that the manufacture of phos- ■M'"'"'f'"'''"'« of phates in South Carolina has been developed on an enormous scale, over $3,500,000 of capital being invested by twenty-one companie^, which have a capacity of 2*^0,000 toTis per annum. Ashley and Cooper Elvers, in the neighbourhood of Charleston, are lined with the tinesi and most extensive collection of fertilizer factories in the world. Others of equal importance are being erected in the Beaufort district. Most economically arranged, and locater! in the heart of the phosphate region, on deep water and on i ailroads, they have such natural advan- tages of position as will give them control of the phosphate trade of the South and Southwest, and perhaps, in time, of the whole country. A total capital of $3,350,000 is invested in this business. The ship- ments have steadily increasetl from 22,589 tons in 1872 to 130,000 in 1883 (up to 1st Juno). This volume contains valuable reports upon Apatite, Marls and Gypsum, etc. From the article upon Apatite, wi-itton by Mr. F. A. Wilber, I must extract one brief paragraph — the concluding one : — " Apatite is used in the ai'ts as a source of phosjjhoric acid and phos- phorus, and its value to the manufacturers of fertilizers depends upon the amount of phosphate of lime which it contains. Since the dis- covery of the deposits of phos])hatic marls in South Carolina the demand for it has decreased, and these latter deposits now furnish the supply of phosphates in the market." The output of the Norwegian mines affords a striking contrast to our Xorwosiim frightfully improvident superficial Canadian methods (or, rather, lack' of methotl) of exploitation. The com])arison is "U the more profitable from the fact that these Scandinavian deposits o?cur in rocks of vcrv similar age and character to our own. That district extends about 50 kilometres along the coast, w'ith a depth of about 5 kilometres. Mr. Krank Adams informs me that Gjogi-en (a Swedish geologist) reports that a single section of about one square mile in extent, viz., Iiho.'^phate. :J0 J TRADE STA'rrSTICS. Hume miirlic: tor sii|ierplii Oecleganlcii, in Ikmla, yielded in 18S2 about 15,000.000 kUu^nimmoH (about 16,500 ton.s). valued at l,Tr)0,000 marks— iiboiu S4;j7,r,m» Thin is only 85 tons short of the total output of all Canada ti.i- the same jjei'iod. I am at a loss to imdcrstand why no 8liipments of our Canadian apa- tite is made diiect to Xcw York via Lake Chami.laii, bv the Arnerica'n companies enyaiii'ed by an Aiiierieaii expert who used a good deal of ]ilumhago from the Buckingham mines, that his company " tried a great deal of the grai)hito some years ago, Ijul were obliged to give it U]> because it did nut run uniform. Some of the eriieibles made from it were as good as any, but others would crack. They gave it a thorough test, and used a great many barrel.s of it." lie thinks that " it contained sulphur and other impurities.'' There is no excuse for dressed gra])hite containing sul])hur, when the ditlerence in the sp. gravity of plumbago (about 2.25 to 2.27), luid pyrite (4,83 to 5.20) is taken into consideration. In the very valuable report on Graphite, l)y Mr. Hoffman (Geolo- . gieal ,Survoy Eoports lS7(i.l8t8), a very simple and cheap method of destroj'ing all other noxious impurities was pointed out and illustnited ; viz : the digestion of the dressed graphites in a bath of hytlrochlorie acid. By this agent the carbonate of lime and oxide of iron are removeil, besides alumina, nujgnesia, a little silica, and traces of manganese. Until acid-ehaml»ers arc erected in Ottawa county or at Montreal, the best plan of working our plumbago deposits would be to dress the lilnmbagoas completely at the mines as mechanical skill can accomplish^ and then ship it to Brockville in barrels for the further treatment with acid before its exjiort. As long as the price of dressed plumbago does not fall below $40 per Ion, many of our Canadian deposits could be protitably worked, always ]irovi'ied that they are managed by competent mining engineers. No mining company need ho])e to succeed in CanJidii or any other part of the world, unless its manager has had a carelul technical training, or the ore is of phenomenal richness. In the volume upon Minertd Kesonrces, already so ot*ten quoted, there i> an instructive article upon Graphite by Mr. John A. Walker. He says that: — ''The only [)lace in the United Slates where graphite is now mined sitcessfully is at Ticonderoga, New York. The Di.Kon Company now mine a grajdiite schist 15 feet thick, carryir.g from 8 to 15 per cent, of graphite, practically an inexhaustible supply." Inregardto ore dressing, he says : — ''Several methods (both wet and dry) have been attempted. The process used by the Dixon Company tit Ticonderoga -p|g|„„ipj.,,.., owes its succe>8 to careful supervision. It is a wet process, in which """*^='- the ordinary process is reversed, the ' tiiils' being the useful product, while the 'heads ' are thrown away. All attempts at dry concentra- tion have failed.'' •t ^^T 32 J TRADE STATISTICS, Qennan black lead. Price of Americin phosplmtts. In 18S2 tho output of tho Ticoncloroffa mine was 400,000 pounds. For 1883, the Dixon Company have an-Jinged to produce 500,000 pounds. The average spot value ma}' be stated at eight cents per pound.'' In rcgaru to the different kinds of plumbago he gives some valuable information : — " German black lead is a product of Bavaria. It is of the amorphous variety, and is dressed chiefly by washing. Its price depends on its percentage of giaphite, and the nature of its impurities, varying from $1 to SIO per iiundred weight in cargo lots. It is used in the manufac- ture of pencils, stove polish and foundry facings. Ceylon plumbago i^ mined at Travancore, Ceylon, and is shipped from Colombo to all parts of the world. It occurs in immense veins of groat j^ui'ity. Cobbing and sizing are the only preliminary operations it undergoes. It appears in the mai'ket graded according to size, as large lump, small lump, chip and dust. Its price varies from S2 for dust to $10 per hundred weight for prime lump, in cargo lots. It is used for all the purposes of tho trade, except the manufacture of pencil loads." "American graphite, from tho nature of its occurrence, appears in the market only in the dressed condition. Its price ranges from |2 to $10 per hundredweight wholesale, according to purity and fineness. Fineness exorciseu considcsrable influence on tho price of graphite, on account of the difficulty of pulverizing it. American graphite is used for all purposes of the trade, and excels all hinds as a lubricant. It is the same geologically, &c., as the Canadian." NUMBER /^/^/V JTHOR (J'a.)^.