^\ QUAMICHAN HOTEL • •• 1 IIC •• This Space is Open DUNCANS Now Open. Re-built aud For Re-furnished. Heated by Advertisement Hot Air. Sample Room for Commercial Travelers. at a Boats for Fishing. Special Rate. F. NELSON, Prop. Crofton Gazette ant) Cowicban flews Devoted to the Mining and Agricultural Interests of Vancouver Island, Texada Island, and Coast Mainland Districts. VOL. 1. CROFTON, B.C., WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 1002. No. 25 THE TYEE AERIAL TRAMWAY. MINING NEWS. The '''cut" shown below (from an interesting series in last Saturday's "Times") illustrates the Tyee Copper Company's ANOTHER STRIKE ON THE LENORA. ore bins, whilst under construction at the terminal Another rich strike has just been made on the Lenora- of the aerial tramway. The E. & N. railway siding, at which Mt- Sicker mine in the third floor of the east drift on the l No. 1 tunnel level. The ore to look at is as promising as these bins have been constructed, is about i A miles north of any yet I'c und in the mine, but the value and extent of this Somenos station, at the foot of Mt. Sicker. From here the new and unexpected discovery in what was practically virgin aerial wire tram line takes as direct a course as possible to ground will take a few days yet to prove. the Tyee mine at the top of the mountain. The distance is about 3J4 miles, and the ^th-inch and i inch wire used MINING IN THE KOKSILAH VALLEY. for the line will be stretched between some 40 towers. It is Mr. Macleay's recent strike of rich mineral ground in the Tyee Ore Bins under construction at E. & N. Railway Siding one of the longest double wire aerial tramways that the B. Koksilah Valley has led to quite an important "rush" into C. Riblet Co., of Nelson, have ever constructed, and they the district, and claims are now staked over all the adjacent have had an experience of the work which has made their "country. The scene of the discovery is some six or seven miles up the river, and it is possible to drive to within a mile name famous on the continent. The ore buckets will carry and a half of it. Mr. Macleay has already had an offer half a ton each, and it is calculated that they will be able amounting to many hundreds of dollars for a one-sixteenth to convey if necessary more than 300 tons of ore a day from snare in his property, but the prospect is too encouraging to the mine to the railway siding. The bins themselves will di pose of this. Enough ore has already been mined to pay have a capacity of nearly 600 tons. The system will work working expenses, and these are not heavy, the proximity of Cowichan station being a very valuable feature in the automatically. Each car as it reaches the bins will by a matter of transportation. mechanical process dump its load, and re-latching by an in­ genious device will be carried along the wire way back to THE ENGLISH CLAIM, MT. BRENTON. the mine for a ifresh load. Mr. R. N. Riblet has been per­ In last week's issue of the "Gazette" a statement appeared sonally superintending the work of construction. that Mr. J. G. Richards, of the Bank Exchange, Victoria, THE CROFTON GAZETTE AND COWICHAN NEWS. was a naif owner with Mr. Creeden, of Mt. Sicker, of this ditions has not been developed at all, but in which large very pi omit ing property. The "Gazette" reporter must have deposits of low grade ore exist- Those interested in our been dreaming of Mr. Richards' excellent "Pacific Beer," greatest industry will watch very closely the introduction and mixed up his name with that of his assistant, Mr. R. J. of this new process of concentration. It may make a very Johnson, who is the fortunate possessor of the half share in vast difference in the miming outlook 'for this provinve." question. MINERALS AND MINING EXHIBITION. THE COPPER CANYON MINE. The secretary of the Provincial Exhibition, to be held un­ Exploratory and development work is proceeding on this der th? auspices of the British Columbia Agricultural Asso­ property. In the tunnel now being driven a large body of ciation at Victoria, from the 7th to the nth of October, 1902, ore has just been encountered of a character closely resem­ is addressing the following letter to all who are interested bling the main leads of the Lenora and Tyee mines. in the mining section. The opportunity afforded by this exhibition, both to individual mine owners and to mining AFFINITY OF OIL FOR METALS- companies, to advertse ther propertes is a very valuable one, and will no doubt be fully taken advantage of. The The following admirably lucid article treating of the new invitation to exhibitors fully explains the scope and object Elmore process of oil concentration recently appeared in the of the exhibition, as follows:— "Colonist," and is of general interest to mining men:— Dear Sir:—Your active interest and hearty co-operation "It would be a remarkable thing if the Elmore process of are earnestly solicited to give the deserved prominence to oil concentration did fcr British Columbia what the cyanide the mining section of the Provincial Exhibition to be held process did for the Rand. In South Africa that percentage in Victoria on the 7th to nth of October, and we herewith of the golj which could not be caught on the plates had to call your attention to the great importance of proper repre­ be saved, or else very many of the mines could not have sentation of the mineral wealth of our Prvince, and that been made to pay. The development, of the cyanide process apart from the excellent advertising medium this exhibition solved the problem, and made the Rand the greatest gold- affords, it should be the duty of all mining people to join field in the world. In British Columbia the problem is en­ hands in furthering the development of the chief industry tirely different. In the process of smelting the amount of we possess. gold lost is very very small. But there is an enormous ton­ nage of mineralized rock which, in its crude form, will not Therefore we most earnestly solicit your individual sup­ stand the cost oi smelting. The heavy sulphide ore which port in this matter, and would be glad to receive samples contain high values is cheaper to smelt than this low grade of ore from your mines and the whole camp as well. We silicious ore. A small percentage of the latter can be mixed would request you to label the samples so that no mistakes in the furnace charge, but as it exists in the ratio of probably will be made in displaying them. Kindly forward them, ten tons to one, this does not advance its utilization much. It carriage, paid, to the Secretary Provincial Exhibition, Vic­ is this ore which the Elmore process attacks. < toria, at your earliest convenience. "The affinity between metallic substances and oil is well We are striving to make a special feature of this most im­ known. If only a very little oil is poured into the stream ofiif portant department, and feel sure that it will be the means water concentrator, it will counteract the principle of gravity of greatly stimulating the awakening interest that is being in saving the richer particles, and float them triumphantly taken in the mineral resources of he Province. past every known device for intercepting them. The Elmore Considerable, mining machinery (in motion) will be ex­ process uses this affinity between oil ai.d metal. Experi­ hibited, presenting a most interesting feature to the public; mentally it has been proved successful. It remains to be the mining companies making exhibits will be given every seen to what extent lit is capable of practical application. If facility for distributing their literature, thus bringing them successful the limits of its application to our low grade ores into direct contact with investors. arc not easily set. If we take the Le Roi mine alone, there Trusting that you will not fail to inform all your friends, we have a mine with an immense zone of mineralized rock and also avail yourself of this exceptional opportunity of all containing a certain amount of gold- The attempt made advertising your business and furthering the interests of us to organize the mining and smelting facilities of the property all, to admit ill this rock being mined and treated does not ap­ We have the honour to be. sir, your obedient servant, pear to have been successful, and the old process of selection has been fallen back upon. I BEAUMONT BOGGS, Sec "It is needless to say that this entails a more rapid ex­ haustion of the mime, an increased <:ost per ton for mining, VICTORIA BOARD OF TRADE ON THE PROPOSED and a largely diminished gross output- If, however, by the IRON EXPORT DUTY. introduction of this new idea in concentration, the'low grade At the monthly meeting of the above board the mining ore can be handled at a profit, the whole ore body becomes committee reported adversely to the levying of an export again a commercial asset capable of yielding very large re­ duty on iron. They argue that "the present state of the turns. Tf this is the case with regard" to one of our largest iron industry in this province does not warrant a royalty and richest mines, -what remarkable developments may be beiing put on iron ore exported, but that if the government of looked for tin mines in' which pay ore under present con­ this province considers it advisable to impose an export Northwestern Smelting and Refining Co.