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WASHINGTON . GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. HENRY LANDES, STA TE GEOLOGIST. VOLUME I. ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1901. OLYMPIA, WA.Sa: GWIN HICKS, . STATE PRINTER, 1902. vi Contents. PART II. PAGJ!l. THE METALLIFEROUS RE.SOURCES OF W ASBINGTON ExCEPT lRoN, BY HENRY LANDES, WM. S. THYNG, D. A. LYON AND MILNOR RoBERTS ....• •..•• •• , . • . • . • . • • • . • . 39 Introduction . 39 Stevens County......................... 42 Northport District. .... ........ .. ... .. .. ............ 43 Myers Fa.Us District . 44 Fla.t C1·eek District . 44 Colville District . 45 Chewela.h, District . 45 Springda.le District . 46 Cedar Canyon District . 46 Ferry County . 50 Republic District . 52 Lincoln County . 60 Oka.nogan County. 61 Wauconda District......... .. ................... .. .. .... 62 Myers Creek District . .. .. .. 64 Palmer Mountain District. 66 Conconully District . 70 Moses District . 72 Upper Metbow District . 73 Twisp District . 74 Squaw Creek District . 75 Whatcom County . 78 Mount Baker District...................................... 79 Slate Creek District...... 83 Skagit County . 88 Thunder Creek District.......... 89 Bald Mountain District . 90 Chelan County . 90 Horseshoe Basin District. 91 Bridge Creek District........... ............. ............ 92 Railroad Creek District........... ...... ...... ..... ..... 92 Peehastin District . 94 Snohomish County. 98 Darrington District . 99 Stilaguamish District ........................ ........ .. .. 101 Monte Cristo District ..... ..... .. .................... 108 Silver Creek District....... ..................... ..... ... 111 Index District.............................................. 114 King County . ...... .......... .............................. .. 120 Kittitas County ...... .. ........... ... ...... ............. 125 Swauk District ............................ ........ ... 125 Content,. vii MetallUeroue Resources -Continued: uG•. Pierce County.. .•.......................................... 121 Carbon River District ...................................... 121 Lewis and Skamania Counties ............ .................... 131 St. Helens District ..........•............................. 131 REDUCTION PLANTS IN W ASRINGTON...•.••.••.•... , ••..•..• , .. , • 136 Smelting Works . 136 Chlorination and Cyanidation Plants. 147 Stamp M1lls ( Amalgamation ) . 150 Arrastrae . 152 Concentrators and Combination Plants ............ .... ...... 164 PART III. THE NON-METALLIFEROUS RESOURCES OF WASHINGTON, ExOEPT COAL, BY HENRY LANDES... 161 Building and Ornamental Stones.. .. .. ........ 161 Introduction .... ............................................ 161 Granite Quarries ............................................. 164 Index ..................................................... 164 Spokane . 165 Medical Lake . 165 Snake River . 165 Sandstone Quarries . 166 Chuckanut............ 166 Suoia Island . 167 Tenino .. .............................................. .... 167 Wilkeson ....... ....... ......................... ... ..... 170 Serpentine Quarries . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 170 Valley ..................................... ............. 170 Marble Quarries . ............ .............................. .. 172 Stevena County ........................................... 172 Clay Materials ........ .................. ...................... 173 Introduction ............... .................................. 173 Denny Clay Company . ............................... ....... 174 Little Falls Fire Clay Company ..................... ........ 178 Washington Brick, Lime and Manufacturing Company...... 182 Limestone . 184 Introduction . 184 San Juan Islands ............................................ 184 Granite Falls ......... ... ........................... ....... 187 Springdale . 188 R.epubllo ....... ............ ......... ...................... 188 PART II. THE METALLIFEROUS RESOURCES OF WASHINGTON, EXCEPT IRON. B Y HENRY LANDES, WM. S. THYNG, D. A. LYON, MILNOR ROBERTS. W ASRWC'l'ON GEOl,OCLCAf, SUJtVF:Y. A~.SUAI, RHPORT. 1001. PLATE VI. A map Indicating tbc locations o! the principal mining districts, and tbe approximate boundaries of tbe region lo which metalll!erous deposits occur. THE METALLIFEROUS RESOURCES OF WASHINGTON. INTRODUCTION. In at least thirteen of the counties of Washington metallifer ous deposits are known to occur, and in all of these counties from one to several mining districts have been organized. The metallic minerals are practically limited to that area on the geo logical map which is designated as the region of metamorphic and igneous rocks of unknown age. Veins of ore therefore occur at many points throughout northern Washington from the neighborhood of Mount Baker eastward to the Idaho lipe, and from the international boundary southward along the length of the Cascades to within a few miles of the Columbia river. The Olympic mountains presumably contain rocks analagous to those of the Cascades, but it has not yet been demonstrated that val uable metalliferous deposits occur within the Olympics. In this brief description of the metalliferous resources of the state it is not feasible to separate the metallic minerals one from another and give an account of the occurrences of each. In most cases these minerals occur together, oftentimes in the same vein, and generally in the same district. Of the various classes of ores the sulphide ores are by far the greatest in abundance. Along with the sulphides, arsenides and antimon ides are very common. Oxides and carbonates do not com monly occur, and native minerals are conspicuously rare. Gold is found in all of the mining districts, and even in all veins. It occurs most frequently associated with iron pyrite, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite and galena. In a few dis tricts, as Mount Baker and Squaw creek, gold occurs with tel lurium as a telluride. It does not commonly occur in quartz in a free-milling condition, at least very far below the surface. (39) 40 Annual Report Washington Geological Survey. Many stamp mills have been erected which treated gold-bearing quartz successfully when the ore was taken from the surface, but this process had to be abandoned when depth was attained where the ore became base. Comparatively little gold is ob tained in the state from placer diggings. Placer deposits do not seem to have been formed to any large extent, presumably because of an absence of quartz ledges which carry free gold. Silver is as widespread in its occurrence as gold, and prac tically none of the ledges are free from it. It occurs most com monly as a sulphide, in close association with other sulphide minerals, notably galena. In some of the districts silver-lead ore is the chief product. In other districts, as Cedar canyon, silver is practically the entire product, occurring in the native form as well as a sulphide. In other instances, as about Re public, silver occurs in small quantities, especially in compari son with the gold values. The copper minerals are widespread in occurrence, there being very few metalliferous deposits of any kind which do not contain some copper. It is not uncommon to find gold, silver and copper in about equal amounts as regards value. In some districts, as that of Republic, copper minerals, if present at all, occur in exceedingly small quantities. On the other hand there are some districts, as Index and Carbon river, where practically all of the values in the ledges come from the copper minerals alone. The most abundant copper mineral is chalcopyrite, with bornite as a natural though minor associate. Tetrahedrite or gray copper is not uncommon, and chalcocite is found in some veins. Native copper has been found at several places, as at Eatonville and on the Quilcene river near its mouth, but it is comparatively rare. The oxides and carbonates scarcely occur at all west of the summit of the Cascades ; they occur in small quantities at many places in eastern Washington where weath ering has not been followed so closely by erosion, as in the humid regi0n nearer the coast. About the only lead mineral found is galena, which occurs abundantly in association with the other sulphides. While it is very rare at times, it is yet a common mineral in a large major ity of the mining districts of the state. In some districts, as Colville, Horseshoe basin and others, galena constitutes the chief metallic mineral of the ore veins. The Metalliferom Resources of Washington. 41 Zinc, in the form of sphalerite, or zinc blende, is also of widespread occurrence, although the amount found in any one vein is never large. It occurs in intimate association with the other sulphides, especially with galena. Arsenic occurs very commonly in the ore veins, usually in the form of arsenopyrite. This mineral is always gold-bearing and for that reason its presence is looked upon as desirable. In some cases, as in the Monte Cristo mme, arsenopyrite occurs in such large quantities that the arsenic constitutes an important commercial product. Native arsenic, realgar and orpiment also occur, notably about Monte Cristo and Goat lake. Antimony, sometimes in the metallic form, sometimes as stib nite or tetrahedrate, occurs in more or less abundance in many districts. In a few instances, as at the Happy Thought mine, on Miller river, King county, the quantity is sufficient to make it of commercial importance. Molybdenum, in the form of the sulphide, molybdenite, fre quently occurs in the ore veins, generally in very small quantities. In the Crown Point ledge, on Railroad creek, it occurs in suffi cient amount to make it worth the