83

Tip Top Claim (Locality 124)
Reference: Annual Report of the Minister of Mines, British Columbia, 1918.

The Tip Top claim is west of the head of Kitsault river and lies south
of the Mathilda claim. The mineral deposits are quartz veins and mineral-
ized zones in the igneous rocks. The deposits contain pyrite and chal-
copyrite. :
Titrite Group (Locality 168)

References: Annual Report of the Minister of Mines, British Columbia, 1930 and 1931.

The Titrite group of eight mineral claims is east of Illiance river near
its head. Shear zones in voleanic rocks have been mineralized with quartz,
pyrite, and chalcopyrite. Small quartz veins contain some galena and zinc
blende.

Toric Mine (Locality 144)
References: Annual Report of the Minister of ‘Mines, British Columbia, 1918, 1919,
1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1929, and 1930; Geol. Surv., Canada,
Sum. Rept. 1921, pt. A; Sum. Rept. 1928, pt. A.

The Toric mine is on the east bank of Kitsault river about 17 miles
from Alice Arm. Access to the mine is furnished by the Dolly Varden
Mines railway to Camp 8 and from this point by a wagon road.

The Toric group of four mineral claims was explored by prospector
owners for many years and they demonstrated the presence of a fairly large,
low-grade mineral deposit containing shoots of high-grade silver ore. In
1924 the property was taken under option by the Consolidated Homestake
Mining and Development Company, Limited, who commenced a more
ambitious program of underground development. ‘The name of the com-
pany was changed in 1927 to Toric Mines, Limited. The company in 1928
completed the construction of a mill capable of milling 50 tons a day.
Operation of the mill began in the late summer of 1928. In 1928 Toric
Mines, Limited, mined 1,540 tons of ore yielding 19,968 ounces of silver and
21,911 pounds of lead. In 1929 the company mined 540 tons yielding
10,565 ounces of silver and 7,196 pounds of lead. The Britannia Mining
and Smelting Company acquired the mine in 1929 and organized the Tor-
brit Mining Company to develop and mine the mineral deposits. In 1930
the low price of silver compelled the company to cease development work.

The country rock at the mine consists of massive breccia and felsite.
Because of overburden the mineral deposit is not well exposed on the
surface. It is exposed best in the adit driven about 150 feet below the out-
crop. On this level the deposit is 280 feet long, 80 to 120 feet wide,
strikes east and dips 45 degrees north. Small faults offset the deposit
slightly.

The deposit is typically a coarse-grained mixture of barite, jasper,
hematite, quartz, and ankerite holding fragments of country rock and a
small amount of pyrite, and galena. At least one shoot of high-grade silver
ore is known. It lies near the hanging-wall of the deposit and consists of
quartz mineralized with pyrite, galena, native silver, and perhaps other
silver-bearing minerals. The deposit has apparently been formed by filling
and replacement in a brecciated zone. The native silver seen on the sur-
face and in the adit occurs as flakes filling small cracks and appears to be
of secondary origin.