The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-01-01

yet been mentioned. The first is:
NUMBERING.
Many newcomers to the Colville region
| are surprised, because, to hear them tell it.
II always thought that this country was
rocks and sands. am surprised to see SO
beautiful country, and SO much timber"
About half the area of the country is COW
cred with dense growth of Norway pine,
mingled with fir, spruce and tamarack,
forming magnificent region. At this
time the sawmills number perhaps n
dozen, all of which are running full ca
pacity, and shipping largely to the Palouse
ana big Bend country, where lumber is
always in demand.
MINES AND MINING.
For years the sand and gravel bars OF the
Columbia river have afforded an income to
placer miners, but more recently the noun
talns have proven richer in treasures of the
precious metals and the sandbars have
been abandoned to the Chinaman.
The discovery of silver on the Dominion
mountain in 1856 disclosed another great
industry, and since that time mining has
had first place in the progress of Stevens
county. The Old Dominion mine was the
name of the first discovery of ore, which
was galena and black sulphurets, carrying
silver in quantities of from 500 to 5000
per ton. This mine paid from the grass
roots, has paid all expenses of develop
ment and shipment, and, although not
worked on large scale, has produced over
100000 IN bullion. The discovery of this
mine inspired prospectors to go forth in
the land in search of mineral of like
character, and the result has been Of the
most encouraging nature. The whole of the
more mountainous country has been found
to be impregnated with mineral and
number of mines have been discovered and
developed with profit to the owners. For
instance, the Bonanza mine, fifteen miles
north of Colvilie. This mine was discov-
cred in the fall of 1885. Samples assayed
$12 in silver and S42 in lead per ton. There
was no means at hand for treatment, and
the expense of shipping was too great, SO
1t lay idle for four years. Last summer.
when the smelter in Colville started up,
two Chicago men came along, inspected
the prospect, got prices and bargained for
the mine at 5000. Two months run on
the mine gave the purchasers $4,000,
which paid for the mine and left clear
profit of $4,000.
The hills are full of mineral. The gen.
eral nature of the mineral of the country
is lead and silver lying in lime and granite.
1t is estimated that the daily product of
the country at its present stage of develop
ment will aggregate about 200 tons per day
of ore that will assay $50 per ton. Some
of this is reduced at Colville smelling
works, while much of the richer grades
are shipped to Omaha, Denver and to
Montana smelters. Within a radius of
forty miles of Colville there are many
promising mineral claims that are lying
undeveloped save by what little expendit-
ure that is necessary to be done each year
to enable the prospector to hold his claim.
A little capital judiciously expended would
work wonderful change in short time
in the Colville mines.
BUILDING STONE.
Four miles east of Colville and the same
distance from the Spokane Falls & North
ern railroad is large deposit of the finest
marble. This ledge lies in q bluff to the
north and sloping gently to the SOUTH
half mile wide and extending in a north
easterly direction over distance of mile
to mountain. Samples from the ledge
have been tested for both beauty of fin
ish, quality and pressure and have been
pronounced equal in all these essentials to
the finest of Italian. Every shade of color
is entertained in the ledge excepting the
red marble so common in the state of Ten
| nessee. The ledge will produce the raw
material in the largest slabs, which are
free from checks which so frequently rend-
er marble discoveries in many parts of the
Pacific slope valueless This marble quar-
ry has been partly developed and now the
owners are awaiting the time when a
| market can be opened to their product.
A mile north of this marble quarry lies
large body of very fine quality of slate.
The slate is of dark purple or black
color and can be taken out in large blocks.
The cleavage is perfect and can be worked
down to very fine sheets, making splendid
roofing material. Tests have shown the
slate at depth Of eighty feet to contain
considerable percentage of carbon, and it
is not improbable that coal may abound in
the neighborhood.
Sandstone, lime and granite abound
throughout the country, so that there is no
lack of building material of mineral
nature. Near Springdale the lime burning
industry has proven one Of much import
lance. This locality supplied lime to the
entire consumption of the rebuilding Of
Spokane Falls after the great fire.
COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGES.
The Spokane Falls & Northern railway,
which was completed from Spokane Falls
to Colville, distance of lightweight miles,
in October, 1889, and continued on last
spring to the international boundary line,
where it connects by boats with the great
Kootenai mines and the Canadian Pacific
railway, happily opened the door of COM
merce in two directions. One year ago a
half dozen country stores did the trading
of the country in supplies, and the
only money placed in circulation was from
the mining of the interior portion Of the
county. 1t is different today. Then it
was wild waste of territory inhabited by
French and alf-breeds-remnants of the
Hudson Bay Company. 1t took two hard
days staging from the nearest railroad
station with United States mail three times
a week, and a WEEKLY PosT-INTELLIGKN-
GER month old was "a thing of beauty
and Joy forever" Today we have two
passenger trains daily, and half dozen
towns have sprung into the most active
exertion for supremacy. We get freight
from Chicago laid down for $50 per ton.
The coming of a fully-equipped railroad
with so little previous notice Gas it was
here almost before the people knew of IT'D
was dramatic in effect The squaw men,
as the whites are called who marry Indian
women, were detected in what they would
prefer to keep from the outside world, and
there was general awakening of dry
bones" The hegira over into the fast
nesses of British Columbia and the Col