136

6 feet wide. None is of commercial importance where developed in the
adit. The adit, however, proves that the Portland Canal fissure zone has
considerable depth as well as length, and that the veins are little if at all
lower in grade in depth than they are near the surface.

Portland Canal Mining Company (Locality 87)

References: Annual Report of the Minister of Mines, British Columbia, 1906, 1907,
1908, 1909, 1910, and 1911; Geol. Surv., Canada, Memoir 32.

The Portland Canal Mining and Development Company, Limited,
was organized in 1907 to develop the Gypsy and Little Joe claims on
the south side of Glacier creek about 24 miles from its mouth. The com-
pany was referred to later as the Portland Canal Mines, Limited, and
finally in 1910 as the Portland Canal Mining Company. By 1910 enough
ore had been developed to warrant building an acrial tram from the mine
at an elevation of 2,400 feet to the mouth of Glacier creek where a con-
centrator was built. Mining ceased in 1911 after a production of 7,000
tons of ore, which yielded 2,000 tons of concentrates.

The property is in the southern part of the Portland Canal fissure
zone and the deposits strike northwest and dip southwest, closely parallel-
ing other deposits in the fissure zone. The country rock is argillite cut
by several, narrow, lamprophyre dykes. The argillites are sheared locally
and the strikes of the shearing, veins, and dykes, are all roughly parallel.

The mineral deposit consisted of a quartz vein traced on the surface
for 2,000 feet or more. It was 8 feet wide and well mineralized with
galena, sphalerite, and pyrite. The vein matter carried good values in
silver and a persistent streak of pyrite up to 14 inches wide contained
good values in gold. The average ore contained 0-12 to 0-30 ounce of
gold and 5 to 25 ounces of silver a ton, and 3 to 12 per cent lead. The
values depended on the proportion of sulphides in the vein. Average ore
contained about 25 per cent pyrite, 5 per cent galena, and 7 per cent sphal-
erite. Pure sphalerite assayed 0-10 ounce of gold and 4 ounces of silver
a ton. Pure pyrite assayed 0-30 ounce of gold and 17 ounces of silver a
ton. Pure galena assayed 0-10 ounce of gold and 85 ounces of silver a
ton.

The vein dipped 25 degrees and was developed by three drift adits
50 feet apart vertically and connected with raises. The lowest adit is at
an elevation of 2,400 feet. Two ore-bodies were mined. One was 160 feet
long and 2 to 10 feet thick, and extended more than 240 feet down the
dip. The other was 120 feet long, and also 2 to 10 feet thick. It extended
more than 150 feet down the dip.

Portland Ibex Group (Locality 30)

References: Annual Report of the Minister of Mines, British Columbia, 1910, 1911, and
1925; Geol. Surv., Canada, Memoir 32.

The Portland Ibex group of claims is east of American creek near its
mouth. The property was developed in 1910 and 1912 by the Portland Bear
River Mining Company. A 200-foot adit follows a small quartz vein in a
brecciated zone in argillite. Samples assay 0:25 ounce of gold and 12-60
ounces of silver a ton.