The diamond drill., 1888-03-03

Euitn tnf iUAMOND DHlf<L,
DEAR SIR:--in accordance with the
promise made you some time ago, take
this, my earliest opportunity To describe
TO your readers, in my feeble way. the
country surrounding my new and tenn
porai1ly adopted home. IL must not he
expected oil me, by your readers, that
within the brief space OF ten months, "A
person OF my ordinary ability can ac-
quire a geological knowledge of any
mineral district, without erring TO a
certain degree i'm regard to some matters
of judgment, IL will therefore suffice to
remark that, with the opportunities
presented, have lost little or no time in
becoming acquainted with the very i'm
teresting geological phenomena which
characteriZes portions of the north shores
OF Lakes Superior and Huron. Nv
observations which have, i'm some in
stances, been hurriedly made, have been
confined TO the territory extending from
Point Aux Mines, on the north shore Of
Lake Superior, to point about fifteen
miles east from the once celebrated
Bruce mines," ON the north shore of Lake
Huron, and allowing the possibility OF
error siis above stated, / cannot, like
many Others, dispute the theory advanc-
ed by the eminent geologist Dana, that
this, and a vast area Of broken territory
L,
belongs exclusively TO the Archaean
period. 4
That the work OF the erosive elements
have in great measure, served To con-
found the ideas OF some very prominent
Canadian and American scientists who
have visited this district, is very evident,
from the TACT. among Others, that up To
n very recent period the district mention
cd has been much neglected, while Others
OF less interest, in this province, have
been extensively wrought for minerals.
From a casual observation of the shore
line deposits on Batchewaung and
Goulais bays, and also the contact shore
lines Of the river st. Mary and the north
channel Of Lake Huron, il may be very
readily observed that this entire north
shore is the dividing line between the
exposures OF the Archaean and Paleozoic
times. The north shore of Lake Huron,
as far az my observations have been
made, consists OF n series OF igneous
formations, much disturbed by volcanic
, action, while upon st. Josephs island,
(which is but "A short distance south and
plainly visible TO the naked eye,. verte-
breates, ,of the silurian age, have been quite
frequently exhumed. Notwithstanding
the fact that the above described divid-
ing line il so well defined, the adjacent
territory ON the north, although princi-
pally of igneons origin, il not wholly
without scdimentary rock, which IL made
evident by the existence Of immense
deposits OF magnetism limestone or dolo-
mite i'm the vicinity OF Echo take and in
the Garden river Indian reserve, and AS
| am informed, this species OF marble
extends, i'm deposits, as far north and
west as the Kaministiquia river, and
where found, without having been acted
upon 10y the fracturing elements, is adj
mirably adapted To the finest architec-
tural purposes.
The fact that very little has been
attempted, in the way of exploring for,
and developing the iron ores, which are
known To exist i'm this district, is "a sur
prise To more than one of those who have
quite recently Inspected magnificent
specimens OF that important mineral
which have from time to time been
brought i'm by Indians and others, who do
not seem to fully realize the Importance
OF that class of ore. The neglect OF the
iron industry i'm this region appears to
me, after careful investigation of the
matter. To be owing, to great extent,
10 the fact that, too much attention has
been paid To the shore line formations,
owing evidently, To their convenience
and, perhaps, partially to n failure OF
those interested, to properly study the
general character OF the formation, there
by bringing them IN contact with that
great barrier, n banded formation. This
relntes only however, 20 the harder grades
of iron. magnetic, etc. hatlarge lenses,
or deposits Of hcmatitc iron exist In this
region has recently became an nndisputed
fact, and az the quality IN, as lar as has
been tested, strictly within the Bessemer
limit, can see no reason why the high
grade ores of this district cannot be lnid
down i'm the markets of the United States
at ~ profit that will compare favorably
with thnt of the ores of the Gogebic and
VermilIion ranges, Notwithstanding the
fact that the American import duty oil
seventy-five cents per ton exists. The
writer, during the spring oil 1887, with u
force of only four men, thoroughly tested
the existence of deposit oil hematite IN
the Echo lake region, which was proved
a distance of 475 feet in it's length, and
over fifty-five feet in width, without en-
countcring anything I'm the form oi a
terminus, except the hanging wall. The
rock associated with this deposit ~, as
near as can at present be determined,
aunrtzite and argillaceous slate. This
property has since it's examina ton, been
purchased by the Imperial Land x Mining
syndicate. An analysis oil an average
snecimen of this ore, resulted IA follows: /:
Metallic iron............01 per cent
phosphorus. .........24 thousandths
The ImperiaI Land & Mining Syndicate,
of Wisconsin and Ontario, has acquires
a title to | 100 acres oil choice ninerhi
lands i'm this district, SAID. mnos are