Minister of Mines and Petroleum Resources PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA ANNUAL REPORT for the Year Ended December 31 1962 BRITISH COLUMBJA DEPARTMENT OF MINES AND PETROLEUM RESOURCES VICTORIA, B.C. HON. W. K. KIERNAN, Minister. P. J. MULCAHY, Deputy Minister. J. W. PECK, Chief Inspector of Mines. S. METCALFE, Chief Analyst and Assayer. HARTLEY SARGENT, Chief, Mineralogical Branch. K. B. BLAKEY, Chief Gold Commissioner and Chief Commissioner, Petroleum and Natural Gas. J. D. LINEHAM, Chief, Petroleum and Natural Gas Conservation Branch. Major-General the Honourable GEORGE RANDOLPH PEARKES, V.C., P.C., C.B., D.S.O., M.C., Lieutemmt-Governor of the Province of British Columbia. MAY IT PLEASE ! YOUR HONOUR: The Annual Report of the Mineral Industry of the Province for the year 1962 is herewith respectfully submitted. W. K. KJBRNAN, Minister of Mines and Petroleum Resources. Minister of Mines and Petroleum Resormes Ofice, March 31, 1963. Howard Allan Sharp, engineering assistant with the Petroleum and Natural Gas Branch, British Columbia Department of Mines and Petro- leum Resources, died from asphyxiation by hydrogen sulphide gas at 2 p.m. on March 6, 1963, in the Peejay oillield, 53 miles north of Fort St. John. Mr. Sharp was witnessing a production test being conducted on the well Sinclair et al Peejay d-39-E, and became exposed at 9.30 a.m. to a lethal concentration of the gas when he opened the thief hatch of an oil-storage tank. Mr. Sharp is survived by his wife, Janet Grace, hi son, Kevin David, born July 6,1960, and his daughter, Lynda Chris- tine, born January 7, 1962. Mr. Sharp was born in Shmmavon, Sask., on August 31, 1935, and was educated there and at Maple Creek. At the time of his death he was enrolled as an engineering pupil with the British Columbia Association of Professional Engineers. After working with Roy&e Oil Company Limited for five years as draughtsman and geological and engineering assistant, he joined the Department of Mines and Petroleum Resources at Dawson Creek on March 31, 1958. Mr. Sharp was transferred to the field office at Charlie Lake in June. 1960. CONTENTS P&GB INTRODUCTION~~....~~..-...~...~-........~..~~~..~~~..~~..~~.~..~~~..-~~~.~~........~~~-~.......-.....-~~..~.. A 9 Rwiew oP THE MINERAL INDUSTRY~~~.~~~~.......~...~.~~~......~~~......~-~~..~~~~-......~~~~.... A 10 STATISTICS- Methods of Computing Productions...-mmm ~~~ ~.~ -... ~~~~~-~...~~~~~ A 13 Co-operation with Dominion Bureau of Statistics.~~~-m ~..~.~~ ~~-~ A 15 Table I.-Mineral Production-Total to Date, Latest Decade, and Latest Year..-- . .._ ~.~~ ..- ~~~~ ~~.~ ~.~~ ~~~~ . .._ ~.~~ . .._.. ~~~~.._~~~~~~ .._ ~~~. A 17 Table IL-Total Value of Production, 1836-1962~ . ~~~~ _..... ~~~~ ~~~~-..~~~ A 17 Table III.-Quantity and Value of Mineral Products for Years 1953 to 1962...- . ~~ ~._ ~.~ -..... ._........-......... ~~~~~ .._....... -....... -..... A 18 Table IV (Graph) .-Mineral Production of British Columbia-Value, 1836-1962-m ~~ ~~~~.~..,_.~...~~~-~~ ~-~~~~~ ..,.- ~~~~~ . .._. ~~~~~.~ -.... ~~~~ _..... A 20 Table V (Graph) .-Mineral Production of British Columbia--Quantity, 1836-1962~~...~~~~~..~~~ . .._.. ~~~~.~~~~~~~~~~..~.~~~~ ._.... ~.~~-.~~...~~~-~~..~~~~~~ ~~~-.~... A 21 Table W.-Production of Principal Metals, 1858-1962~~~-~...~~~~-~. ~~~~~-..... A 22 Table VIIA.-Production, 1961 and 1962, and Total to Date, by Mining Divisions-Summary~~~ -~ -..... ~~~-~ ~-~~~ ..- ~~~~ . .._ ~~~~ . .._ ~~~~...~-~~~.. A 24 Table V&.-Production, 1961 and 1962, and Total to Date, by Mining Divisions-Principal Lode Metal----- ..-. ~.~~~~~ -.... ~~~,~~~.- ..- ~...- A 26 Table VIIc.-Production, 1961 and 1962, and Total to Date, by Mining Divisions-Miscellaneous Metals- __.... ~~~~-~..- . .._ . .._.. -~.~ ._.. ..- A 28 Table vIIrz.-Production, 1961 and 1962, and Total to Date, by Mining Divisions-Industrial Minerals~~~~~ . ~~~-~~ _~~._.~ ..- ~-..- ._..... A 32 Table VW&-Production, 1961 and 1962, and Total to Date, by Mining Divisions-Structural Materials . .._.. ._....... _- . ~~~.~ -... ~~~.~_.~ . ..- ~..~_ A 34 Table VIIIA.-Quantity and Value of Coal per Year to Date~~~-...~~...~-~~~.. A 36 Table VII&.-Quantity and Value of Coal Sold and Used,..~~~~.~..~.~...~ A 37 Table IX.-Coke and By-products Production for Years 1895 to 1925 and by Years 1926 to 1962...----- . ~~~~ . .._ ~~-_..~.~ . .._. ..-. ~... A 38 Table X.-Dividends Paid by Mining Companies, 1897-1962..-~-~~~~....~~. A 39 Table XI.-Principal Items of Expenditure, Reported for Operations of All Classes-m - ._.... ~~~~ . ~..~~ ~~.~~ -~- -.~ . .._ -..-.._ A 43 Table XII.-Average Number Employed in the Mining Industry, 1901- 62.-m- . ~~_~ . .._.....__. .._........__......-.-...---.- ~_.~~~ ..-..... A 44 Table XIII.-Lode-metal Mines-Tonnage, Number of Mines, Net and Gross Value, 1901-62 _.... ._._........_ - . .._. ~~~~ -~ . ~~~ -..... A 45 Table XIV.-Lode-metal Production in 1962 ~~~~ . ~~~~-~ -....... _..... A 46 Table XV.-Lode-metal Mines Employing an Average of Ten or More Persons during 1962 . .._.....__.......-. -_._-...~ . .._.- . .._.._ ~. A 51 A5 CONTENTS A7 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS A8 MINES AND PETROLEUM RESOURCES REPORT, 1962 PAOB 16. Footage drilled in British Columbia wells, 1959-60m -..-.- -.._ 181 17. Footage drilled in British Columbia wells, 1961-62~ . ..__ --.__- .._.-. -_-... 182 18. Petroleum and natural-gas production, 1954-62 .._.......__.__.........-...... - 184 19. Average dust counts obtained each year since 1937m _.._.__.._......-....... ..____._ 249 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MINISTER OF MINES AND PETROLEUM RESOURCES, 1962 Introduction A report of the Minister of Mines of the Province of British Columbia has been published each year from 1874 to 1959. Beginning in 1960, it is the Report of the Miter of Mines and Petroleum Resources. The Anmml Report records tbe salient facts in the progress of the mineral industry, also much detail about individual operations, including those undertaken in the search for, exploration of, and development of mineral deposits, as well as the actual winning of material from mineral deposits. The Annual Report of the Minister of Mines and Petroleum Resources now contains introductory sections dealing with Statistics and Departmental Work, fol- lowed by sections dealing with Lode Metals; Placer; Structural Materials and Industrial Minerals; Petroleum and Natural Gas; Inspection of Lode Mimes, Placer Mines, and Quarries; Coal; and Inspection of Electrical Equipment and Installa- tions at Mines and Quarries, each with its own table of contents. A table listing the properties described, in geographic groupings, precedes the index. An introductory review of the mineral industry and notes at the first of several of the main sections deal generally with the industry or its principal subdivisions. Notes in the various sections deal briefly with exploration or production operations during the year or describe a property in more complete detail, outlining the history of past work and the geological setting as well as describing the workings and the mineral deposits exposed in them. Some notes deal with areas rather than with a single property. The work of the branches of the Department is outlined briefiy in the section on Departmental Work. This section is followed by notes dealing briefly with the work of other British Columbia or Federal Government services of particular interest to the mineral industry of British Columbia. Information concerning mine opera- tions and some of the activities of the Inspection Branch of the Department of Mines and Petroleum Resources is contained in the section on Inspection of Lode Mines, Placer Mines, and Quarries, early in the section on Coal, and in the section on Inspection of Electrical Equipment and Installations at Mines and Quarries. The section on Statistics begins with an outline of current and past practice in arriving at quantities and calculating the value of the various products. A9 Review of the Mineral Industry, 1962* The year 1962 was marked by a high level of activity and of production in almost all phases of the mineral industry of British Columbia. The total value of products, $229,276,38S,t the greatest for any year to date, exceeds the previous record year, 1956, by more than $40,000,000. Record production of copper, iron, asbestos, natural gas, and petroleum with high production of most other products and prices, that were generally good, account for the increase. Metals made up 69.6 per cent of the total: industrial minerals, 6.2 per cent; structural materials, 9.3 per cent; and fuels, 14.9 per cent. The Canadian dollar was at a discount in the United States throughout 1962, reaching a low of less than 92 cents in June. Thereafter it ranged between 92 and 93 cents. Consequently, British Columbia producers of minerals for export gained by the Canadian premium on United States funds, which for the year averaged almost 7 per cent. As consequences of price movements in the United States and of the exchange premium, the prices of gold, silver, copper, zinc, and iron were significantly higher than in 1961. The United States price for silver began to rise in the latter part of 1961 and rose further in 1962. The average for 1962, 116.029 cents an ounce in Canadian funds, is much higher than for any previous year, including 1919, when the previous record of 105.57 cents was reached. The prices for copper, lead, and zinc in the United States were quite steady throughout 1962. Copper rose about half a cent, and zinc and lead fell about half a cent a pound. Lead had fallen late in 1961 and fell a