Ashland Emery and Corundum Company

This company, successors of the Ontario Corundum Company, are now prospecting on lots 15 and 16 in the thirteenth concession of the township of Carlow. Work was begun under superintendent W. Mackie on January 1st, 1906. Open cut work is being done on the hill at an elevation of about 400 feet above the mill and east of it. The

mill formerly owned by the Ontario Company has been taken over, and the corundumbearing rock is being milled. The mill was put up in 1904 immediately after the old mill had been destroyed by fire, and is described in the last Report of the Bureau of Mines. The Armstrong property was worked by this company until June 1st, 1905.

The National Corundum Wheel Company, with head office at Buffalo, have done some development work on their property on lot 13 in the first concession of Monteagle township. The corundum-bearing rock is hand picked and the high grade material is shipped to Springfield, where it is refined. Mr. George W. Weese of Bancroft is looking after the development work for the company.

FELDSPAR MINES

The production of feldspar is increasing yearly. Feldspar properties are in demand, but are saleable only if near transportation facilities. Consequently fairly good outcrops of feldspar have not been exploited owing to their distance from a railway. The activity in the building of railways will tend to open up many more good properties.

Richardson Mine

This mine, owned by the Kingston Feldspar Company, is still the chief producer of feldspar in Ontario and conditions at the mine indicate that it will be a heavy shipper

for some time. The output from the mine is now about 130 tons per day. The system of haulage from the mine to the Glendower siding is the same as that described in last year's Report, except that the road from the mine to the lake shore has been straightened and shortened, making it possible for the teams to make another trip per day.

No. 2 pit on the southwest side of the quarry has a depth of about 75 feet and an area of 250 feet by 50 feet. No. 2 pit on the northeast side has an area of 300 feet by 50 feet and an average depth of 50 feet, but there is a difference in elevation of 65 feet from the top of the stope to the sump. A shaft 30 feet deep has been sunk between No. 1 and No. 2 pit, and the water drains from the whole pit to the shaft, where a No. 10 Cameron pump raises it to the surface. The feldspar in No. 2 pit is dipping to the northwest under the body of quartz which appears on the surface.

A new rock house has been built on the hill near the boiler house where No. 1 derrick was situated. This is 53 feet high to the sheave, and hoisting is done by means of bucket attached to the car on a 2-inch cable passing over the top of the head frame and solidly fastened at each end. The car with the bucket attached runs down the cable way to the pit, where the bucket is lowered to the desired position. Hoisting from the northeast end of No. 2 pit is by derrick. Sizing screens and sorting floors are placed in the rock house. The impure ore is sorted out on the floor of the rock house. and the good ore is run into pockets from which it is emptied into the buckets on the wagons. A force of 48 men is employed under superintendent Mr. M. J. Flynn.

The Jenkins mine, a short distance from the Richardson on the south half of lot in the third concession of Bedford was closed down last year and has not as yet been re-opened.

Border Mine

This mine is situated on the west half of lot 5 in the twelfth concession of the township of Portland, and two miles northeast of Verona. The mine has been closed for about two years, but work was again begun about the middle of May, 1906. The feldspar is being taken out of an open cut some 200 feet long, 20 feet wide and 25 to 30 feet deep. The dike of feldspar here runs in a northeast by southwest direction, and cuts across the gneiss formation. Bodies of quartz are found in the dike where it has crystallized out from the magma. The feldspar is hauled from the mine by waggon to the nearest station, Verona, for shipment. Mr. W. H. Oliphant is superintendent. employing a force of 10 to 15 men. The property is owned by the Pennsylvania Feldspar Company.

Kingston Mining and Development Company

This company began work in September 1905, on lot 16 in the eleventh concession of the township of Portland about two miles west of Verona. The workings consist of an open cut 200 feet long by 25 feet wide and 8 feet deep. The feldspar occurs in a large pegmatite dike, and is the predominant mineral in that part of the dike being worked. A few hundred feet south on the dike large bunches of quartz are seen to outcrop. The dike occurs cutting a dark gneiss. A small boiler furnishes steam for use in drilling. The feldspar is hauled by teams to Verona where it is shipped to East Liverpool, Ohio.

The president of the company is Mr. W. Collier, and the foreman, Mr. H. Leeman. employing a force of 18 men.

MICA

During 1905 there were very few mica mines in operation in the Province, but the increase in the price has revived the industry to such an extent that three or four new properties have commenced operations. Another factor is the increased demand, and consequently the increase of price for small sizes. The cause of the increased consumption of mica is the activity in the manufacture of electrical machinery. All the large electrical companies have their factories running to their fullest capacity, thus creating a very large demand for mica, which is necessary for insulating purposes.

In addition to the mining of mica the work of preparing it for use in the manufacture of micanite has created quite an industry. The mica factories are nearly all situated in Ottawa, where the supply of mica can be drawn both from the mines of Quebec, which are nearly all in that section, north of Ottawa between the Gatineau and Lièvre rivers, and the mines of Ontario. In the preparation of mica for the market the most expensive part of the work is splitting the mica into exceedingly thin sheets to be built up into micanite. This labor has to be performed entirely by hand, girls being chiefly employed. In Ottawa alone over 800 girls are engaged in splitting and trimming mica.

General Electric Company

Except for employing a few prospecting parties, this company's operations in 1905 were confined to working the Lacey mine in Loughboro township some four miles north of Sydenham. This mine last year furnished over half of the total production of the Province. The main shaft (depth 185 feet) has not been sunk any deeper since last inspection, the greater part of the work being done on the first, fifth and sixth levels and on the side cut from the second level. On the first level (depth 60 feet) 20 feet in, on the cross-cut from the southeast drift at 100 feet from the shaft, a drift has been run back towards the shaft parallel with the main drift a distance of 25 feet. This drift runs to the end of the new stull on this level.