The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-08-22
Mason County Copper Mines.

james McCauley and Clarence N.
Wallace returned to Port Townsend
Yesterday from Il three weeks eXplor-
ing tour in the Olympic mountains,
and the people OF Puget Sound have
reason to feel gratitied along with the
explorers, at the success of their trip,
says the Leader.
a bout four weeks ago Mr.. McCauley
who is a prospector OF thirty years
experience, came down from Alaska
and was preparing to return Il few
days later when several gentlemen in
this city, who knew him to be one of.
the leading prospectors in the country
persuaded him to go On at least a
short tour to the Olympic mountains
before going back to Alaska. He con-
scented to do so, as much to satisfy
himself as to the truthfulness of re-
ports that had been brought back by
prospectors in the Olympics, as
with the expectation of finding any
thing big. He left for the Olympics a
week later, accompanied by Mr.. Wal
lace prominent young business man
of Minneapolis.
The specimens brought back by
these gentlemen are the richest kind
of native copper. They are mostly
surface groupings, and will doubtless
assay from so to 95 per cent. pure
copper, with tracings of iron. One of
the pieces brought in is practically
pure. 1t was broken off projecting
strata that was probably melted to-
gether by volcanic action, which sep
arated the copper from all other sub
stances in the formation with it. The
other specimens are all rich with cop
per, and indicate big strike.
"The place these specimens came
FROM" said Mr.. McCauley to IL Leader
reporter yesterday, sis about fifteen
miles from Hoodsport, on Hoods ca
nal. 1t is without a single exception
the richest belt have ever seen in
my life. The mountain on which the
ledge is located is mostly bald, cover
ed in patches with timber and brush,
and is just the nature of ground that
ore is usually found in. I have been
mining and prospecting all my life,
and never saw anything that equals
it. The supply of ore is practically
inexhaustible. The belt is from four
to six miles wide, and the ledge flom
which this rock was t:tken is nearly
600 feet wide, and is apparently as
rich as this l brought all the way
through. How deep it runs, of course,
I can't tell, but no doubt is big ledge.
"There is no gold or silver in that por-
ton of the country. Iron is found in
paying quantities in the whole region,
and particularly in this belt that
took the copper from. Some of the
rocks are richer in iron than in cop
per. [ have been all over the mines
of the West for the past 80 years,
but l propose to let even the rich
Alaska mines go and devote myself to
the new discovery in the Olympics,
which [ consider better than any of
them.
"The trip into the Olympics is u
pretty rough one" concluded Mr.. Nc
Cauley, "and we were hampered with
a pack both in and out of the noun
tains. There is one person we feel
very grateful to, however, and I wish
you to be kind enough to extend our
thanks for the treatment we received
from Mrs. Finch, who runs the board
ing-house at Hoodsport, for I tell you
we never appreciated kindness more
in our lives than when we sat down to
some of the best grub we ever ate, at
her table"
Mr.. McCauley and Mr.. Wallace
leave this morning for Hoodsport to
continue their explorations. They
will be accompanied by Frank May
nard, tho arrived few days ago from
Alaska. Mr.. Maynard is also a min
ing expert and has been engaged in
selling mining machinery for several
years, having put nearly all the ma
chinery in the Silver Bow basin in
Montana. He has recently put in a
lot of machinery in Alaska and in
tended to return to Montana this
week, but after seeing the specimens
brought in yesterday by Mr.. McCauley
decided at once to investigate the mat
ter further and will make an extens-
i've prospecting tour. He is fully as
enthusiastic as Port Townsend people
were all day yesterday over the new
lind, and considers it a big thing for
Puget Sound.