The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-04
RICH PAY DIRT FOUND.
YelIoW-Streaked Lodges Struck
on Mountain and in
Valley.
MINERS FLOCK TO ALBERNI.
The South African Craze Repeated,
Though on Smaller
Scale.

VICTORIA, B. c., Oct. ga gold craze,
similar to that which is attracting hordes
of capitalists and adventures to South
Africa, though on somewhat smaller
scale, has seized upon the people of Vic
toria and Western British Columbia. Big
finds have been made in the Alberni gold
fields, on Vancouver Island, and about
eighty miles from this city.
Every day men come and go between the
hills and the little town of Alberni on
Barclay Sound. Those who go out from
the town bear heavy packs of supplies and
blankets to serve them while on their pros
pecting tour. They return with heavier
packs. The supplies have been consumed
and in their place are huge fragments of
quartz, broken from the outcropping of
some distant ledge and put aside for assay
The existence of gold in the Alberni
locality has long been known. AS far
back as 1873 Assayer Phillips of San Fran
cisco visited the benches of China Greek,
which has since been taken up for hydraul-
licking purposes, and reported favorably
upon them. He said at the time that
sooner or later Alberni would be noted for
its diamonds. He believed that he saw in
presence of brilliants of pure quality.
Of the value of the quartz he did not
speak with much certainty, as none of the
lodges had then been opened up, and there
was very little in sight to encourage the
examiner. In consequence of his report a
company of Victorians, who had taken up
claims on China Creek Zone of the aurifer-
Gus veins OF the locality stored their tools
and left the section. Prospectors have
now these implements, rusted and worth
less.
The principal theater of action in the
district now is Mineral Hill, which lies in
a southerly direction, some thirteen miles
from Alberni. The approach to it is steep
and rugged, but the mines so far known
are located on the hills crest. They are
the Missing Link, Champion and Alberni
High-grade ore has been struck in all
three. The Missing Link resembles the
Alberni rock closely, being of a dark blue
color, thickly spotted with free gold and
assaying from 800 to $500 to the ton. The
Champion rock Is of gTayish blue hue
and carries great deal OF sulphurets. The
location OF these mines is 1900 feet above
sea level, and from them is obtained a
splendid view of the surrounding country.
with peak rising behind peak and the dis,
tant ocean plainly seen on clear day far
to the west, presenting d panorama of
various colors and of snoW-capped pin
nacles.
At first it was supposed that the mineral
wealth was confined to the west side of
Mineral Hill, but recent explorations of
prOspectors have demonstrated that there
exist lodges of great width and of much ap-
parent wealth on the east side. An opin-
ion OF competent miner is that Mineral
Hill is one mass of gold-bearlng ore and
that the mineral belt is about thirty-five
miles in length by twelve miles in width,
extending in northwesterly direction to
Alberni canal.
So far there have been no discoveries on
the east shores of the Alberni canal worth
mentioning, but paying lodges are said to
be there. Placer diggings were struck in
1865 on Bear Biver, stream that falls into
Clayoquot Sound, on the west coast, some
thirty miles north of Alberni. The placers
were soon worked out, and as no one
looked for quartz in those days the place
was abandoned. Interest has recently been
attracted to Bear River and in early spring
the country about Clayoquot will be thor
oughly examined.
From Mineral Hill in a northwesterlv
direction quartz is found in nearly every
hill. One vein is eighty feet in width. 1t
lies at the head of Granite Greek, in the
mount
Lorlmer. The assay returns have been
very small, but the quantity being I'M
limited, it will pay to work. The country
along Granite Creek appears to be highly
mineralized. Floa rock is found every
where, and lodges of seven feet or less in
width are frequent. At the headquarters
OF this creek quartz carrying sulphurets
and in some cases free gold is abundant.
On Coleman Greek a party is now work
ing on the mountain deposit resem bling
a great quarry of queer looking rock.
Some of this has been assayed and the dis
coverer states that he has had an ASSAY OF
$3.50 to the ton. The Star of the West
shows all assay value of $63 20, the Happy
Lover $40 and the Islander SAL 90. This
latter assay is by Price of San Francisco.
In South Africa $40 rock is a bonanza and
pays 100 per cent on the capitalization of
the company.
Two or three years ago it would have
been impossible to make rock like that
found in South Africa and Alberni pay the
cost OF working, as much passed away with
the tailings and was lost. But now the
cyanide process has made the saving Of
gold from ore hitherto regarded as refrac-
tory an easy matter, and therein lies AL
bernlS hope.
A circumstance which strikes the visitor
to Alberni favorably is the confidence the
prospector has in the ultimate success OF
the mining enterprise. Every man carries
his hope and expectation of happiness in
his coat pocket or IN his hand. The ever
ready magnifying glass is constantly in ac-
ton and on all sides groups of men may
be seen peering through its lens at the
latest find of quartz. At every doorstep
and windowsill, on every sidewalk, in the
hotels, the shops and in every quiet family
circle, quartz is produced for examination
and criticism. 1t forms the entire burden
of conversation by young and old. All
other matters sink into insiguificance.
Even the impending provincial election is
forgotten when a prospector reaches the
town and opens his pack to show his gold
rock and tells of the glories of some new
find.
With such prospects ahead it is nat
urai to think the mining feeling is buoyant
here, and Victorians cannot be wondered
at for anticipating in the near future a real
South African boom on Vancouver Island