Most of the gold production of the Slough Creek section has come from the bedrock
benches lying along the south side of Slough Creek between Nelson and Burns Creeks,
and from Nelson and Burns Creeks themselves. Undoubtedly the richest ground worked
was in the channels of the two creeks, where several reconcentrations of gold-bearing
gravel may have been effected. The gold was coarse, nuggets up to 16 and 17 oz. having
been recovered in late years from the Ketch and the Point Company hydraulic workings.

FINENESS OF PLACER GOLD.

The fineness of the placer gold from various creeks in the Stanley area is shown in
Table VI. The tabulated figures were obtained from official receipts of gold shipped to
the Mint, except for four quoted from ‘ Gold,” a small pamphlet published in 1871 and
written by F. G. Claudet, who was superintendent of the Government Assay Office in
New Westminster.

Table VI.—Fineness of Placer Golds.

TRUE FINENESS

RANGE IN BULLION | AVERAGE BUL-
; phar Weight FINENESS. io FINENESS. | 4 y Lure eb 000.
Location. Source of Data. Part fo) :
cela! Gold.
Gold. Silver. Gold. | Silver. Gold. Silver.
| Oz. | | | | |
Lightning Creek....| Stanley Mines, Ltd......... 12 | 862 8872-893 84-92 891 89 909 | 91
B & K placer at mouth | | | |
of Amador Creek........ 1 | LDA AEE ae es ceteris 847% | 87 907 | 93
Butcher Bench................. 5 | 129 881 -—890 | 86-97 885 93 905 95
Dumb arslate ee sees 6 | 342 | 8363-8643 | 98-107 855 102 894 | 106
Sil ae me so fame | sar =898 |e Sone ee Ngee isles
Donovan Creek....... M. Sundberg hydraulic... 6 | 724 | 9053-912 85-894 908 87 9122 | 87%
Rottacker placer.............. Vor peencee eee lignes 915 85 Bib Flees 8b
Anderson Creek..... 1dpeod he Oe 3 6 | 9083-9134 | wu... (Sia el eee ema | a atiy
Jawbone Creek....... H. M. Bryant.................... 3 TD EE E0042 0a | verte 90 Gee eee | = es | Miia.
Last Chance Creek.| W. M. Hong................-----. 3 61 | 895 -900 | uuu... SORT lia ee. Cig. 22 fe ge es
$5: Gold oui we sails ye res aera ie ae Pees ples es: 90 baum (eee oF ct | seucgeres
Perkins Creek......... Estman hydraulic............ 3 45 | 8894-892 89-92 890 SOP er o0S an 92
Grub Gulch.............. Ennerdale placev............. 9 298 | 8813-8904 | 84-92 S865 (ess Se o0r | 90
Van Winkle Creek.| “ Gold ?.....-.sssssssssssseeeeeoee clpealipathie = | 899 -923 | ......... 908i alsece.. laden. eee
Houseman Creek....| Eagle Creek hydraulic... al 56 | ig etal a | ina 8702 1123 | 886 | 114
Slough Creek........... The Point Company | | | | |
(benches) ...00...22..eeeeeeeee 15 | 903 | 9042-9202 | 62-78 915 67 | 932 | 68
The Ketch (benches)...... 9 8,575 9014-912 | 66 907 | 66 | 932 | 68
Coulter Creek.......... Coulter Creek hydraulic. 38 | 285 894 -905 | 77-79 908 Stale Oe eee| 79
Devils Lake Creek..| L. Bedford hydraulic...... 1 Sale| WAR SLES | ents 9142 61 | 987 | 63
E. Rask hydraulic........... 5 57 | 900 -—906 | 72-78 903 | 75 | 923 | T7
Burns Creek............ SS Gol dugen seen Sete ne dee 2: fen ee [SObe—92 0a eae. COB ae eee ae

| | | | | |

* From “ Gold,’”’ by F. G. Claudet, Superintendent of Government Assay Office, New Westminster, published by
Mainland Guardian, 1871.

+ Specimen.

Note.—Fineness figures, except for those quoted from ‘‘ Gold,’ have been obtained from official Mint receipts
of gold shipped to the Mint by the various operators.

The bullion fineness of gold shipments from any one operation shows only a small
range. For the most part the range is 10 parts per thousand or less, but reaches as
much as 16 parts per thousand for gold from the Point Company operations on the
Slough Creek benches. No information is available regarding the range in fineness
of small individual pieces of gold making up the shipments.

In all instances the Mint figures of gold and silver fineness add up to about 970 to
990. The remaining 10 to 30 parts represent base metals, lead, copper, mercury, etc.,
that in part may have been original constituents of the natural gold or may have
become combined during fusion at the Mint. Wherever possible, the true gold fineness
has been calculated on the basis that the sum of the gold and silver finenesses equals
1,000 parts. These figures are referred to as the true fineness, the others are termed
the bullion fineness.

39