three drums, one for hoisting, one for handling the boom, one for swinging the derrick. Two steam drills are employed in addition to hand drilling, A well constructed powder magazine is located one-eighth of a mile from the quarry. The maximum quantity of powder stored at any one time is ten 25-lb. kegs. The drainage and general arrangements of the quarry are excellent. Gibson's Quarry. This is adjacent to the Crookston and Point Ann quarry, and has connection with the G.T.R. The superintendent is Patrick Varley. About 84 men are employed, of whom 12 are quarry-men and 60 stone-cutters. Two derricks with 87-foot masts and 75-foot booms, and two with 75-foot masts and 70 foot booms are now in place, and three steam hoists, 24 h.p. each, are being installed. The quarry is worked in four benches, and is well laid out and operated in all details. The powder magazine is a secure building of stone, but is defective in the matter of ventilation, and is also rather dangerously near the dwellings of the workmen. Attention was called to the need of ventilation in warm weather, and to the impropriety of keeping fulminates in the same building with the blasting powder. Three steam drills are in operation in this quarry. I MINES OF NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO Introduction. By James A Bow, Inspector HAVE the honor to submit herewith my annual report for 1898. Year. Three trips were made over Western Ontario, during each of which all working mines and most of the properties under Inspections during the development were visited, besides a number of prospects upon which little or no work had been done. The first trip was commenced in the latter part of May. I was accompanied to a large extent by Mr. J. W. Bain, of the School of Practical Science, who was holding prospectors' classes at several of the more important points in the -district, besides giving lectures at some of the principal mines. The second tour began on August 20. This was made in company with Prof. Courtenay DeKalb, Inspector of Mines for Eastern Ontario, who made one trip over the whole Province. The final tour was commenced in November, ad trips to the various mines were made at convenient opportunities, the work of preparing my annual report being proceeded with during the intervals of my stay at Rat Portage. Usually from six to eight weeks is required to make a complete tour. Modes of travel to Nearly all travelling can now be done by railway, steamboat or stage, although the canoe has yet to be resorted to in a number of cases. The steamboat the Mines. service is a conspicuous feature of the larger lakes of the district, owing its existence, of course, to a large extent to the mining industry, and being, on the other hand, essential to the latter. There are said to be over sixty steamers of all sizes on Lake of the Woods, having headquarters at Rat Portage. Many of these are owned by mining companies, and others are supported by trade with the mines. A considerable volume of trade is carried by steamers from various points of railway connection, such as Rat Portage and Wabigoon on the C.P.R. and Tower, Minn., on the D. and I. R., to Mine Centre, the headquarters of the Lower Seine river mining industry, forecasting the inevitable impetus which this part of the district (as well as the country all along the route) will receive upon the completion of the Ontario and Rainy River Railway, now under construction. Even for pleasure parties the accommodations from Rat Portage to Mine Centre are very good, and the trip is a delightful one. A steamboat line, with two portages, has been established between Wabigoon and Mine Centre, via the Manitou lakes, communicating with all points on the latter where properties are under development. In the winter time all important points at any distance from the railway are reached by stage. Most of the mines of course have their own teams. The only advisable way of travelling to Mine Centre in the winter time is via Tower, Minn., from which point it is connected by a stage line, the trip being made in two days, and a stage leaving both ends of the line three times a week. An effort was made to run a regular stage from Wabigoon, but this was given up, although it may be done next winter. Considerable judgment has been exercised in the cutting of Government roads during the year for mining purpos s; these have been made just where needed, and have been of great service to those to whose properties they facilitated access. Regular stages run where business demands, with suitable stopping places for travellers. [49] relapse very disastrous. And the present after all a much more healthful condition of affairs for the laying of the foundation of a large and permanent mining industry, to which this district can, judging by the present rate of progress, look forward to in the not very distant future. Although the history of mining here is scattered over nearly twenty years, the bulk of the industry has grown up within the last two or three years, chiefly under the impetus of the boom of two years ago. But one of the injurious offsets to the benefits of the boom was that all properties were held at such extravagantly high figures that much desirable capital was kept out of the country, owing to the inability of investors to make reasonable terms with property holders; the latter have come to realize their mistake in this respect, but too late to retrieve past opportunities. Another unfortunate circumstance is that many valuable properties are in the hands of parties who have neither the means to develop them properly themselves, nor will accept reasonable terms from those who have; but this seems affairs. of the Woods, six Tremaine batteries of two stamps each; in the Manitou, one Tremain e battery of two stamps; in the silver district, west of Port Arthur, 10 gravity stamps. The silver mining industry seems to be reviving again at a fair rate. The West End mine is mining, milling and shipping continuously. The Rabbit Mountain mine has lately been acquired by a new company, and sinking in the shaft has commenced. I am also informed that two others of the old mines have been opened again. Mines on Lake of the Woods. A geographical classification is most convenient in giving a description of mines, and I begin with those on and near to Lake of the Woods, which is the oldest of the gold mining regions of Northwestern Ontario. Sultana Mine. No alteration has been made in the surface plant, or in the management or ownership of the Sultana mine, which has been ment of the running steadily and smoothly ever Plant and since the new 30-stamp inill has been in operation and the new hoisting plant installed. The chlorination plant, which runs only in the summer time-the capacity (seven tons of raw concentrates per day) being sufficient for the treatment of a year's product from the mill in the summer months -was put into operation on May 15, and closed down in the early part of October. Manageto be an unavoidable condition of Mine. And lastly, it is a regrettable occurrence for such a comparatively young mining country as ours that large amounts of capital from good sources have been expended in developing and prospecting properties which have not turned out satisfactorily; this, along with the other foregoing facts, resulting in more than one representative of capital having withdrawn from the field altogether. Nevertheless there is plenty of vigor left in our mining industry, which is expanding slowly, but sufficiently fast for those whose interests are locked up in the future welfare of the place. We have now three mines with shafts over 400 feet in depth, one other nearly 400 feet, and three others over 200 feet, besides several between 100 and 200 feet, all working except one. The above does not of cure include the many other properties where work is in various stages of progress, two of which have mills working on large deposits which will not require underground development. Since last year the following additional stamps have been put in: In the Lower Seine, 25 gravity stamps, and one Tremaine battery of two stamps; on Lake The owner and manager of the mine is John F. Caldwell; agent, M. T. Hunter chlorinator, C. G. Rothwell; mine captain, Albert Johnson; and mill superintendent, James Gale. The total force is 78 (including 39 working underground) in the summer time, and 65 in the winter when the chlorination plant is not in operation. ; The shaft has been sunk to a total depth of 400 ft., and will be continued. Unexpected Extent of changes in the ore body have led to the Ore body as shown by important variations in the underWorkings. ground workings. The latest developments appear to show that the ore body is a large irr. gular chimney extending through all the levels from the second down. It is first encountered at a distance of about 150 feet from the shaft in the second level south, and in each succeeding level is found closer to the shaft, showing that it is pitching in that direction, until it meets the shaft between the fifth and sixth levels. The first Level. No further work has been done on the vein in the first level; but the south drift, which is 104 feet in length, has been opened again for tramming purposes. The cross-cut, which is 36 feet in length from the end of the drift to the air shaft, is being extended east to cut a parallel vein. It had been driven 113 feet on November 11, the date of my last visit, and the vein is expected to be cut within the next few days. The vein in question is a narrow quartz lode outcropping along the face of the hill behind the mill. A shaft had been sunk to a depth of 60 feet on it about three years ago, and abandoned. In the second level, which is 127 feet from the surface, the north drift had been driven 54 feet and discontinued for over The second two years, but is once more being extended to cut an ore body at an estimated distance of 450 feet from the shaft. Level. The main excavations underground can hardly be described in terms of drifts and stopes, as is usually the case, on account of their want of uniformity in shape and the irregular method of mining necessarily employed in such an uncommon, and, to a large extent, erratic occurrence of ore. Each drift going south from the shaft opens into a large chamber representing excavations in the ore chimney or shoot constituting the main ore body as described previously. The method of mining consists of running a drift from the shaft to the ore body, and into the same; raising to, or sinking from, the level above for ventilation and from this winze drifting south along the vein at a distance of 15 or 18 feet below the level above, leaving that much rock for a floor to the level. The drift is opened out to the full width of the vein. and the ore underneath removed by underhand stoping, keeping the drift 15 feet in advance of the stope. By this means a firm roof is left as the excavation proceeds, all loose rock being scaled off before stoping below. The south drift of the second level extends for a distance of 110 feet, with a height of seven feet, and a width of from eight to 12 feet, opening at the end into a large chamber 40 or 50 feet in width, 120 feet in length and from 15 to 30 feet in height, extending also downward to the level below, a distance of 60 feet. Underhand stoping, with removal of the floor between the second and third levels, had been going on during the past summer, and this part of the second level has been. abandoned for the present after being properly fenced off. A small drift extends 35 feet south from the large chamber, making the total distance from the shaft 260 feet. The third Level. No further work has been done in the third level north, which had been driven 13 feet. South of the shaft a drift seven feet in height and from six to 12 feet in width extends from the shaft to the stope or chamber, a distance of 100 feet. The stope is about 100 feet in length, from 30 to 60 feet in width and has been opened through to the second level. The total distance from the end of the stope to the shaft is 230 feet. Work here has been suspended for the present. The fourth level, 262 feet from the surface, has been driven north 85 feet, and this drift abandoned. South of the shaft 50 The fourth feet of drifting connects the shaft Level. with the stope, which is about 100feet in length, opened out to the full width of the vein which is from 20 to 30 feet, and extending upward to within 15 feet of the third level. The drift near the roof is kept in advance of the stope, making a total distance from the shaft 185 feet. At the fifth level, 337 feet from the surface, a loading chamber or station has been The fifth Level. provided, 18 by 25 feet. A drift seven feet in height by 10 feet in width has been driven north 45 feet, and from the end a cross-cut six by eight feet has been driven west 18 feet, and discontinued. South of the shaft a drift seven feet in height by 10 feet in width has been driven 20 feet, opening in a chamber ab ut 25 feet square roughly, and extending to within 18 feet of the fourth level. A drift near the roof is kept 15 feet in advance of the chamber or stope as in previous cases. The hanging wall here takes a sudden bend to the west, and to support it as the excavation proceeded underneath an arch of rock was left, 30 feet in depth, 12 feet in width and about 10 feet in length, at a height of eight feet above the floor of the level. The sixth level has been established at a depth of 400 feet, with a loading chamber 18 feet square, which gives plenty of The sixth Level. room for handling timber and continuing sinking by independent hoisting machinery with cable extending down the manway from the surface, as described in a previous. report. As the shaft passes through a portion of the ore body between this and the level above the ore has been stoped out from the ends of the shaft to a considerable height from the bottom, necessitating the casing off of the south end of the shaft from the stope by a division of substantial timber 18 feet in width and extending to within 30 feet of the fifth level, with sufficient of an opening underneath for carrying on work south of the shaft. The stope is 45 feet in height, 13 feet in length and 18 feet in width. Drifting south has been carried 30 feet altogether. At the end of the drift a cistern eight feet in depth has been excavated. At the time of my last visit work was confined to making an upraise to the fifth level. North of the shaft the ore has been stoped out to a height of 18 feet, for a distance of 16 feet. Condition of Works. The skipway and ladderway have been carried to the sixth level with substantial timbering. The condition of the the Mine and shaft is good from the surface to the bottom. A heavily timbered pentice has been constructed underneath the skipway preparatory to the continuation of sinking, for which the arrangements have been about completed. Satisfactory ventilation is obtained by a winze connection between all the levels (except the sixth) and the air shaft. For drainage purposes a pump stationed at the sixth level pumps to the fourth, where a new Northey pump with 5-in. suction and 3-in. delivery pipe has been installed, with cistern 20 feet south of the shaft. Water collected at the fifth level is syphoned from the cistern there to the sixth. A considerable quantity of water is coming in through seams in the rock at the sixth level. The condition of the mine and works as recorded in the Inspector's Book has been satisfactory at each visit; the manager and the captain complying with the Mines Act and following recommendations where required. The necessity of careful scaling of the walls and roofs of stopes and watching the same continually is repeatedly impressed upon the captain of the mine.. At the time of Inspector De Kalb's visit instructions were left which will be found in his report. Co. of Burley Mine. Mention was made in last year's report of the Burley mine, which is on water location The Burley D191A adjoining the Sultana, and Gold Mining on the strike of the Sultana vein. Ottawa. The property is owned by the Burley Gold Mining Company of Ottawa, Limited; head office, Ottawa; president, L. Crannel; sec. -treas., A. W. Fraser. As the public are well aware, the title to the property was acquired by the above company after much hard fighting in the courts between them and John F. Caldwell, owner of the Sultana. Work was commenced in the summer of 1897, under the management of J. Burley Smith, and continued on into the winter following, until early in February, when operations were suspended pending the decision of the courts regarding the title. This being in favor of the company work was resumed shortly afterwards under the management of R. H. Flaherty, and has continued without intermission ever since. Development of a Water Location.. Accompanying sketches (p. 64) will show the relative positions of the Sultana and Burley mines; also the construction of the shaft of the latter. The crib is 111 feet from high water mark at the nearest point on Sultana island. As the Burley company own nothing but water rights, their shaft had to be sunk in the The position of it was determined from the result of diamond drilling done the winter previous to the commencement of mining operations, with the drill stationed on the ice and holes bored in the bottom of the lake. water. |