184

“We spent several days prospecting this ledge, made a, location, and took away with
us samples to have assayed at Barkerville. The ledge is over 5 feet thick, crops out along
the surface for about 600 feet, and dips at an angle of 45 degrees or thereabouts. Its direc-
tion, without making allowance for variation of compass, is 65 degrees east of north. The
country rock is of slate and the ledge cuts through it nearly at right angles. About one-
quarter of the vein is largely impregnated with argentiferous galena ore, assays from which
gave $19.98 silver and traces of gold, and the quartz rock a small amount of gold per ton.”

1884. Assay office at Barkerville closed.

Burns Mountain Quartz Mining Company pushed their tunnel ahead
to a point at which they expected to crosscut the ledge. Failing to find
this, work was suddenly stopped.

Twelve-foot shaft was sunk on a ledge 30 miles south of Barkerville
by Dominion Quartz Ledge Company.

1885. Geological survey of the district by A. Bowman. No material development of
the quartz ledges. : Les fi i

1886. “These gentlemen (Messrs. Koch and Craib, “mining experts from California’)
are quite agreed as to the manner of treatment to be pursued in the reduction of our ores,
and when we consider the time, labour, and capital expended in the attempt made in 1878
to work our ledges, it seems almost incredible that those men who were placed in positions
of trust as experienced quartz miners, did not introduce either concentrator or chlorinator,
a “sine qua non,” we are now informed, to the successful working of these ores.

“Mr. P. C. Dunlevy, of Soda Creek, proprietor of the Island Mountain mine, was the
first apparently to grasp the new order of things, and believing that a quartz mine in
Cariboo was no longer to be a place in which to sink capital without a probable chance for
a return, has commenced the vigorous prosecution of work on his mine, continuing the
tunnel ante the mountain on the ledge, which improves as depth under the mountain is
reached.

“The British Columbia Milling and Mining Company having re-located the old
Cariboo location on the Bonanza Lode, have called for tenders for the sinking of 50 feet
in the old shaft.

“The Burns Mountain Quartz Mining Company have during a great part of the season
had men under charge of Mr. Jaques, of Victoria, at work running drives in search of the
main lode, but of the result of their labour I am not informed further than that they have
now driven in over 800 feet, and consider the indications good.

“The Dominion Company have re-located the old Steadman Lode of Richfield, and
are sinking on the ledge which shows a remarkably firm body of ore and a well-defined ledge,
within good casings.”

1887. Upwards of 100 miners were engaged during the season in work connected with
the development of the quartz veins.

British Columbia Milling and Mining Company employed a large
force in sinking their shaft to 100-foot level, then drifting 100 feet on the
vein. Here the vein is 26 feet wide and “shows some very rich rock, al-
though much the greater portion is considered worthless to work under any
process known at present.”

Island Mountain Company employed forty to sixty men in removing
their 10-stamp mill from Kurtz and Lane works to Jack of Clubs lake, in
putting up buildings, erecting machinery, and taking out ore. Some half
dozen men are working in the mine taking out ore. Some excellent ore was
reported as being mined.

About one hundred quartz claims have been recorded this year. Many
are new locations.

On Lowhee creek, Messrs. Pinkerton and the Flynn Bros. are putting
up an arastra to thoroughly test their ore.

The Black Jack claim “has developed a very rich body of ore, and is
now taking out rock from which (after being pounded in a mortar) a good
prospect of free gold is readily obtained.”