The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-10
EXCITEMENT OVER GOLD FINDS.
Hundreds of Claims Have Been Located
on Islands in the Fraser
Estuary.
Especial Correspondence Of TIE CALL.


ment hitherto unparalleled in Western
| Canada. Even within the district immedi-
ately surrounding Vancouver, which has
not before been regarded as likely to be
| rich in the precious metals, there are
| reports of promising gold finds in the hills
above Seymour Creek, within six miles of
| the city, and at Agassiz, forty-five miles
east, while more guarded reports as to
similar possibilities on the hillsides about
| Mount Crown, directly opposite Vancou-
yer and across Burrard Inlet, are also
| attracting attention. 1t Is also stated that
| the Burrard Inlet mountains in general
contain large quantities of refractory low
| grade gold ore running from Sc to So to the
ton, which ore, though at present incap-
able OF profitable treatment, may some day
| by more perfect appliances be rendered
capable of effective extraction.
| There is also zinc among the minerals in
| the same mountains, though it is not vet
| ascertained to what extent this is capable
of profitable working. Meanwhile at Jeri-
cho, just beyond the city limits, borings
for coal have already struck some small
seams, and the shrewd capitalists behind
the undertaking express themselves very
confident of soon striking much wider
and richer vein.
On Lulu Island and Sea Island in the
Fraser Estuary, at points equidistant
from Vancouver and New Westminster,
traces of gold already discovered in the
course of artesian well boring have caused
the location of nearly 200 claims, covering
several hundred acres of ground in the i'm
mediate neighborhood. 1t may be men
toned that every one of the claimants has
sworn, as required by law, that he believes
that there is ''rock in place" on his loca-
ton. Although there would seem to be
not little of the boom and perhaps fake
element in this Lulu Island excitement,
there are many shrewd men who believe
that there is considerable gold underlying
the land in question.
Meanwhile. further up the coast but
within convenient reach of Vancouver as
a future smelling point, there are being
made good finds of gold-bearing copper
ore, and on various islands of the Gulf of
Georgia, notably Texada, prospecting par
ties have lately been at work with appar-
entity likely results, as regards precious
metals and copper discoveries in several
places.
On Texada Island in particular prospec-
tors who have shown samples of ore de-
clare that they have found tin deposits in
large and paying quantities; but they hold
themselves SO reserved on the matter that
exact particulars have been hitherto IN
available. Should the alleged tin discov-
cries on Texada be verified the results will
| be of inestimable value to the province,
| since the Pacific Coast demand for tin
ware is so large and constantly increasing
| that mines eff that metal would certainly
yield larger returns that most gold mines.
and as certainly, good coal being plentiful
in the immediate neighborhood at Nanai-
mo, lead to the establishment of large
| and hourlshlng tin-plate industry.
| Meanwhile on Vancouver Island new
| discoveries of good coal have lately been
made at Saanich and elsewhere, and hun
| dreds OF prospectors are busy at work in
| the Alberni gold district, in various parts
Of which recent assays have shown such
| rich deposits that Vancouver and Victoria
capitalists are already expanding large
| sums in preliminary operations.
Notwithstanding the promise of good
things to come in and about Burrard Inlet,
close to the mainland cities and on Van
couver Island, within comparatively easv
reach of Victoria and Nanaimo, results are
yet in these parts as nothing compared
with what is being done in the great mine
region of the British Columbia upper coun-
try. The quicksilver mines at Savonas are
IN full work, and word comes that several
other quicksilver deposits will be similarly
operated in the early future, while the
first large shipment of mica from the North
Thompson district has Just been made to
Baltimore. 1t is however in gold, silver
and copper that by far the most valuable
present output of upper country ores is
now being made, and the steady increase
OF the production of these metals in all
parts now worked foretells a boom that
will, in the opinion of American experts.
who are focking into the province by
hundreds, astonish the world at large in
the course of, at the latest, little more
than twelve months.
In the famous Cariboo region the n.y.
draullc gold companies will certainly, ere
the end of their present very short season
OF operation, put out considerably over
500, 900 worth of gold, while at least double
this amount should result from the opera
ton of several hundred busy mine workers
in other parts of a district, the new de-
yelopment of the auriferous mining of
which is as yet only in it's veriest infancy.
Many noted experts agree in saying that
there is far more gold wealth in Cariboo
than has ever yet been extracted and con-
slider that when deep mining is sufficiently
advanced results should accrue which must
as greatly astonish the world at large as
similar operations have done In the gold
fields of Colorado.
In the Okanagan country preliminary
operations are in many parts showing
clearly that there are close to the inter-
national boundary line exceptionally rich
copper deposits, also bearing gold in very
profitable quantities, and as the district is
also splendid ranch country all interested
are certain that although the present years
local output of valuable ore will be small,
there will be sufficient development to en-
courage remarkable expansion of the
general production and wealth of the
Okanagan in the course of the next two or
three years. In East Kootenay, too, good
finds of gold and gslena have been made
at many points, and the North Star mine
will almost Immediately be shipping to
the smelter at Jennings. Mont, large guam
titles of silver-lead ore.
So rich, however are the mines of more
fully developed districts of the province,
notably West and South Kootenav, that
the great mineral possibilities of East
Kootenay are still very largely unascer-
tanned, while many rich and promising de-
posts already located remain unworked
from lack of introduced capital. Among
other minerals yet untouched in East
Kootenay are known to be large deposits
of asbestos.
In West and South Kootenay, however.