The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-09-22
TRAIL CREEK MINES.
craphie Review of the British
Columbia Sulphide District.
AZ uNBoUnoEo MINERAL ZONE.
inscription OF the Varied Wealth OF
N Already Famous District-Cry-
ing Need of smeiter.


s.,gnae9 correctly on the maps. nor
!. sac possibilities os It's prospects and ore
sSsses can & be diagnosed satisfactorily
4 ,ss chemical laboratories. Trail creek
.rooer Is minor tributary q the upper
r.srustss which makes A rapid descent
= ne river from the higher attitudes OF
cas- range Immediately west. pursuing A
ernrse nearly parallel 10 the international
AT.ndary. IN six iIneai miles Of water
.hed Il drains an env!r0ned slope OF
-.ages and gulches comprising thirty
saaare miles. at the upper or western linn
= Of which the highest elevation is about
,sn feet ThrOug bout this fairly known
rszgon the country rock Is similar, ana
ia east and west trend distinctive: while
he ores are significantly characteristic
Yet forty miles away 70 the east on the
salmon river. and again beyond the divide
A. tae west, the same promising materials
existing in Ike conditions have been found
n abundance this summer. From these
,snsots discoveries Il Is argued by the
more sanggIne prospectors and operators
ths. the gold bearing sulph!dc ore zone IN
british Columbia Is boundisss and mex
sansticle. II Is interesting enough 10
listen patiently 20 such theories. Belief
ID them Is another thing.
PecuIfaritie@ OF the Mineral Zone.
As 20 the permanence and qualities OF
she ore bodies IN the Tran creek district
ere authority viii say they are wonderful:
another that they are a mystery and n
third and more explicit. that they exist
N the richest discovered area of a vol
sznic mineral belt which plainly traverses
the continent from beyond Sudbury Can
s1a--where the Standard OF syndicate are
exploiting copper and cobalt beds--through
the copper and iron deposits OF Michigan,
and on TO the western slope OF the Cas-
ea3es The formation is exceedingly
tough: the ores dense. The cost OF work
averages not less than $50 a foot. Iron
and copper persist In varying percentages
under suphide conditions. not even regu-
lated In distinctive characteristics by the
loealities or lodges. with gold for COM
panion So notable are the mineral COM
baations that neither the experience of
tas crucibie nor the optical skin OF the
prufoundest expert can enable one to es-
innate correctly the value OF two samples
o, ore similar In appearance coming from
different strikes, even In the same vicin-
i;y. And this is also true or the samples
from the same mines that the smelter re-
turns from the War Eagle shipments
which have largely exceeded the sample
calculations. Ordinarily the reverse is the
experience In mining
Following the Formation North.
As the channel OF the Columbia il fol-
lowed toward the lake system. Ii is noted
that the lime agglomerations give way 70
steadler and more distinct formations
The duartzite belt over which the river
rours at Kettle Falls can be traced TO
Idaho on the east and west through the
Colvllle reservation. This break seems TO
mark the point az which should be OBJ
served the geological relations extending
norihward. While 10 the south the lime
country rock contains rich minerals and
son1e paying propositions. the deposits are
paekety. and the locations denominated
fskuFes or veins run in all directions. hav-
Ina aeither continuity nor likeness NJ
eontarmation. North OF the quartzite
line comes In again, but IT becomes more
Uniform IN character and is scanned east
ana west with low grade argenttferous
eFes sandstone. shale and nicacious
sfante alternately parallel to within
SCOUT ten miles OF the international boun-
cary where two contracts OF shale roof
aaa silar'an floor eqclose immense lodges
e. glsisnlng white silica. said to accom-
forty miles
IL Is on these contacts the tabled miner
a. wealth Of the Indian reservation is
supposed to exist
Immediately ar the boundary sulphide
ores or lower grade than those OF Trail
creek make their appearance in irregular
strata OF shale and limestone The trend
q these veins Is also east and west. oc-
eAslenally broken by lime horses" and
vailed now and again BY the dyerite
.hieh begins 10 show itself unexpectedly.
iArse bodies Of $40 and SIC igoid) sulphide
materials are opened at the surface on
taese finds while pocket prospecting along
~ veins discloseS seams OF gaIena tint
- with zinc. which assay high in gold
&c galena does not seem to continue
WIN depth Of development, but is dis
placed by sulphldes.
The Center Of Mining Activities.
Moving north into and m or the noun
aihs The denser metamorphic rocks make
lf'hlanent appearance, until At length the
e.tsae az Sheep and Trail creeks is reach
- when the Carhonized dyerte leviathan
- ne camp. Red mountain. honeycomhed
p ihoie-l'ke holes. and studded with new
naae SHAFT sheds and cabins. bursts upon
re View On the lower reaches are the
war Eagle Il Roi an Josie mines. all
saippers, whose total WELD for the last
.seal year was sisS 375. =. az which SO
- gold.
The music OF the mines now foods the
lWssi0ation with all its thrilling dis
n&nce Rapidly reverherating thunders
: ,Tom below. and artillery-Ika explosions
.lom above ground COMPRISE the theme OF
sasc reluctance with which nature re-
,sSeS those treasures from her bosom.
..hor chords. the far-awav ciink from
re drlli head as 4 IS driven home the
,91ied cl30s Of machinery and tho ret
eHE of ORC chunks down tho bunker
81, ',s' crowd this symphony or spcculp-
~ human struggle
hea mountain. the scene 81 the original
.se.Ner.@s ard the present seat of pro
'Fe activities, is appropriately nam
Almost wholly 60uu6e6 o. THINKER ana
ee~s"r shr1 hhcrfes the sau<flirarN-
80 NTH which q is hcdaubes from baSo
apeN the clements have extracted from
y" hiaNrai ~ It's veins This distinguish
- pecrfa~'fv undoubtedly made II thN
- of r~~t attraction % the earlier pros
Tots althouch its white rejrhhor 10
so1tf- ~. X mountain. was known 20
AIN Tire Coli quartz ledces only
-, n7'i'S sc7o-atcs the two. Yet in min
ct~ercrt
>poknn" Captures the Mines.
AT'er the s0-oai]nf i~ou croopfrre of Red
,,Rtai7 were found several wears ago
- were 0ros0eetea ga a 6esu1torv ard
1t-aeartti fashion Pr0Snactc~S ana
p",fleal miners of iorc experience in the
81 AarHtaf1 caUrs- snt many rerut-
tNhe~fs- actually condemned the dis
Nf'eS tn other sections notably in
Tsao. these 7vvitic materials were
s.eo' aud 20 ore having had any pre-
So 'T}al Wfth Ike proportions held out
s"g TEST hope Tor thu fGt,t-e o. Trail
- Ire after another combination or
..ltFSliio srtcesSivaly tried - deter
mat hf6 mountain was mountain
- ~.1f"s a1d one after another succur,A-
~Htl ~ lrTEth the resolutcness and
49,, 81 INC SUoGRne operators. strenu-
= S@Nnot 'N1 SUd encouraged by Af~ II