^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ^ .*% K (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol y (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as meny frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Un des symboles suivants apparaTtra sur la derniire image de cheque microfiche, seion le cas: le symbols — ► signifie "A SUIVRE". le symbols V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc.. peuvent Atre f ilmte A des taux de rMuctlon diff Arents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul clichA. 11 est film* A partir de Tangle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche A droits, et de haut en bas. en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants lllustrent la m6thode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 I" .^1 f{\mz\ ^ SILVER MINING IN BRITISH COLUMBIA. By E. D. INGALL, M. E., Chief of Mining Division^ Geological Survey of Canada. fi % Until a comparatively recent period the mineral production of the Province of British Columbia was almost entirely confined to coal and gold the latter chiefly ob- tained by washing the shallow auriferous gravels distributed widely throughout the province. The discovery and working of veins yielding silver ores was all, with the except- ion of a few scattering discoveries, subsequent to 1880. It is not the intention, in this paper, to go into any details as to the history of the silver mines of the province which are so admirably dealt with in the re|)ort of Dr. G. M. Dawson on the Mineral WeaUh of British Columbia, issued with the Annual Report of the Geological .Survey for 1887. A few items may, however, not be an)iss as prefacing the more immediate subject of this paper viz. the more newly discovered silver veins of the West Kootenay District According to Dr. Dawson the large deposit of galena now known as the Blue Bell Mine and situated on the east shore of Kootenay Lake was discovered as early as 1825 by the botanist Douglas and amongst the earlier discoveries of this class of ores is that in the Coast Range of Mountains at Hope on the Fraser River in 1871. The ore discovered there was described as "argentiferous grey copper " containing lead, copper, antimony and iron. In 1882 a number of claims were located on discoveries at Stump Lake in Yale District, of veins, carrying ores rich in gold and silver and from that date to 1889 various camps came into greater or less prominence in that district and in those ol East and West Kootenay which together constitute the S. E. corner of the Province. At the time of the writing of Dr. Dawson's report in 1888, argentiferous ores had beeii reported also from various points in the Northern districts ; in Cariboo, Omenica, Cassiar and further north in the Yukon country but none of these have come into any prominence so far, doubtless on account of the numerous drawbacks due to lack of good coYnmunications with the outer world. Before passing then to the subject proper of this paper, it may be well to point out on the map here (referring to maps shewn), the various other districts in the pro- vince where veins carrying argentiferous ores have been found and uiore or less worked. It is noticeable that at most of these points the ores are mixed carrying much cop- per sulphurets and are often antimonial and arsenical, differing 10 this respect from the prevalent ore of the Ainsworth, Hendryx, .Slocan and Illecillewat' districts where argentiferous galenas aind the products of their decomposition take precedence over all others. The points to which it is desired to draw special attention in thi s paper, are the results of studies made by the writer in 1892 when in British Columaia for the Geo- logical Survey. The t'me at disposal allowed only of the study of the Illecille'vaet, Ainsworth and Slocan, sub-districts of West Kootenay where, however, a large number of clnims were visited and examined with a view to getting the general features of the veins. IllecilU7vaet — Beginning then with the district tributary to 111' ciliewaet on the Canadian Pacific Railway we have within a radius of from 5 to 10 n,iles, a nundier of claims upon which more or less work has been e found to be true for most of the fissures proper. Where they cut the slates, the veins at places show a considerable width of brecciated vein stone, angular pieces of the enclosing rock V)eing cemented together by quartz and other gangue and ore minerals. The commonest occurrence, h 'Wever, is to find veins of from a few inches to two or three feet in width, carrying galena in solid ribs, nuggets, and boulders in a rusty ochreous and sometimes clayey tilling. The galena varies in grain, from large cube down to that with a fine steely frac- ture as shewn by these specimens. It is sometimes enriched by the presence of ruby silver and the richer silver minerals scattered through it. What is known as " carbon- ate " ore occurs with the galena, but this is not really carbonate of lead, as one might suppose, but is the ochreous gangue material in which the silver occurs disseminated in the metallic or native condition and in the condition of the richer silver minerals with doubtless some carbonate of lead. The whole probably results from the decom- position of the gangue and of the silver-bearing galena of the vein. Other minerals are associated with the galena in places and in varying quantities. Of these, zinc-blende is the most prominent ; iron pyrites occurring in fair quantity, and other metallic minerals being only occasional. The pure galena in solid ribs seem to affect more particularly the narrower veins, cutting the shales, whereas the big developments in the calcareous parts carry gener- ally a large proportion of zinc blende which lessens fher value, this mineral being ob- jected to by the smollers, when its percentage is large. Another class of the veins found, show various rich arsenical and antimonial silver minerals in a gangue com- posed principally of quartz. Development work on these veins has in a number of cases opened up most pro- mising exposures of ore. In one case a tunnel was seen on a new prospect where for all its length of about 75 feet, it was estimated that the ground broken had been from 50 to 60 per cent., pure galena assaying 125 ounes, to the ton. Or again, at another place, a prospect pit was seen showing a 2 loot rib of absolutely pure steel galena with ruby silver, the ore assaying 860 ounces to the ton. When one sees such exposures of ore as these, at a number of places in the district a? the result of merely prelimin- ary development work by the prospectors themselves, and taking into account the many other veins found in the district, having good, if not quite so extensive, shows of ore, one cannot help feeling that the district has a very hopeful future before it. These ores are rich in silver as shown by the results of some 50 assays made in the chemical branch of the Geological Survey, of specimens of galena collected by my- self which run from 50 ounces to 360 ounces, the majority from the black shale series in the Slocan district averaging perhaps 100 to 125 ounces per ton. Some specimens of so-called "carbonate " gave little or no silver, whilst two specimens of this class of ore from different claims gave 700 ounces and 1630 ounces, respectively The galena from the veins on the schistose formation seems to average lower in silver than that occukfing in the shale fSrmation. A The other districts of West Kootenay now prominent in respect of their silver ore» are Ainsworth, Hendryx and Toad Mountain districts, all of which have been well de- scribed by Dr. G. M. Dawson, of the Survey, in his report of West Kootenay. The ores of the latter district, however, are more mixed, copper and the richer silver minerals occurring with the galena. They also carry a little gold. Other camps which have come into prominent notice of late are those of Goat Hiver and Trail Creek. Three smelters have been erected in the district, one at Golden, one at Revel - stoke (now washed away by floods), and one at I'ilot Bay on Kooienay Lake. The latter, however, has not been completed owing to some disagreement amongst the capitalists concerned. The two former works consisted each of a single water jacket lurnace with roaster and appurtenances, but the I'ilot Bay works have been projected upon a more exten- sive scale. The plan includes : Concentrator Building 85 x 100 Sampling Works 100 x 108 Roaster 100 x 1 70 Smelter 58 x 98 Refinery 120 x 245 Assay Office 2D x 80 Boiler House 40 x 48 Blacksmith Shop 20 x 40 ' Machine Shop 20 x 40 Office 30 X 45 Boarding House ... 25 x 60 As none ol these works have so far been running all the ore produced has been shipped to smelters in the United States at Tacoma and .San Francisco. Pack trails traverse the country and some few wagon roads connect the chief camps with steamer navigation on the lakes and rivers, whereby connection can be made with the Canadian Pacific Railway and the American railways to the south, whilst other projected connecting railways now being built will give a still better chance of success. To a certain extent the mines are waiting the completion of these l)etter means of communication, which are rendered the more necessary by the present low price of silver, but notwithstanding this discouraging feature and the existing commercial de- pression, the amount of discovery and development work prosecuted has lieen quite considerable, and we can, I think, still feel very hopeful for the future of silver mining in British Columbia.