The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-05-29
GUEMES AND ITS COffI"
MINES.

Mr.. Kelley, Gaemes Island ID"
s,,n;.hes ma AN interesting description
of hi, beautiful island home when ne
would style the sea grit garden spot OF
,,o lever Sound. As you pass from the
'.r.i,. into Guemcs Channel. deep
arm of the great inland sea. beanti
81, land. locked haven lies invitingly
before you at the left, called Ship Har
bor. walled in on the north and cast
nv a continuous line of high fir-tipped
biufr land. Here is the first introduc-
tom to Guemes Island. Just at the
head of the harbor are the recently
opened and
PROMISING COPPER MINE
of Guemes. The bluff at this point
towers up two hundred and fifty feet
above the high water line at its base.
forming a solid wall of hard rock and
partially formed sand stone. At the
top of this immense bluff Is ths only
niece of untillable land on the entire
island. In 1866 Mr.. Munks. the now
wealthy merchant of Fidalgo Island,
located large claim here, and estab-
lished O trading post. A few years
later he abandoned the claim and
moved across the canal to Fidslgo where
he has since grown rich. He had no
sooner abandoned the claim than Mr..
O'Brien settled on it and is still the
proprietor. About this time-1S60-
Dir. O'Brien's attention was directed to
q VEN of rich copper bearing ore
which cropped out on the ridge a few
yards back from the edge Of the bluff.
Mr.. Munks had also discovered it soon
after he first settled on the island; but
after superficial examination of the
vein, at the surface, had concluded that
it amounted to nothing, and therefore
gave ii no further attention. Mr..
O'Brien, however. looked upon it in
altogether
DIFFERENT LIGHT
And had he been possessed of the nee
essary means, would have STRUCK out at
once to unearth the hidden treasure
which his fancy painted in such glow
ing colors beneath the surface of that
rocky headland. 1t required money
to open copper mine. and this he had
not. Neither could he procure assist
auce from those who had it, or like the
famous tunnellers of Dungeon Rock,
devote his time to search after the
treasures, as he was obliged
to have his hands otherwise employed
to keep the 81 pot of existence boiling.
Long years passed, and no. until now
are his hopes of opening a great copper
mine in fair way to be realized. Up
to last winter only o little prospecting
had been done on the vein, and few
feet of ore removed. About Christmas
time work commenced IN earnest. A
forty foot shaft was first sank
on THE VEIN.
Which opened out at the surface but
two feet thick. 1t gradually increased
in dimensions as they advanced. until
ut depth Of forty feet the vein was
four and "a half feet through. They
have been offered six dollars a ton for
the ore taken out on the ground; but
refuse to sell it at that figure. Here
they abandoned the shaft and common
ced q drift down the bluff one hundred
aud fifty feet, expecting to strike the
vein at that distance below the surface.
They have already advanced seventy.
five feet. and expect to strike the vein
twenty five feet beyond. The drift is
run into the bluff on dead level. and
has been tunneled out for the most
part through solid rock six feet square.
A. soon ~ the mine is opened q three
tier pile wharf will be constructed.
which will terminate in i've fathoms of
water. Here ships will load the ore
for San Francisco. The little island
contains about
ELEVEN THOUSAND ACRES
Of land, all Of which-exccpting the
email rocky patch Northumberland
among the finest agricultural laud in
the Territory. Along the high bluff.
which skirt its shores is fringe of fir
timber, but back from this line the
island is one great level plateau. cover
ID with vine maple and alder almost
!, There 10 more arabic land on
our informant claims, than on
Any island on the Sound. The soil is a
rich, dark loan, resembling that of our
river bottoms. and 10 equal TO the rich
est gardens in fertility. The land 10
now all taken our informant states.
Three months ago there were over q
dozen vacant claims on the leland; but
not one 10 left now. They have forty
settlers there at present. besides num-
Der of claims held by "baches" who are
ct present engaged in logging camps
away from them. They have no land
nonopolists. the largest number of
acres held by any one man being $50
. homestead and presumption claim.
The largest number of acres under cul-
evstioo belonging to one claim are
.axty. Over four hundred acres have
been cleared this Spring.