The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-05-24

gar and pickle manufactures: TIVE large
and complete soap factories, and three
devoted TO the preparation OF soda and
other aerated waters, carriage, eoet
and shoe and powler manufactures:
brush and broom works. stairhuiidtng
works; sash and door factories and saw
and planning mills In abundance; a large
and vcsl-equipped trunk and vaiise fac
tory. marble, granite ard sheet metal
works: shirt and clothing rianufac-
tories. pottery and terra Gotta works.
wire works: a match factory. and hest
OF others. as the auctloneers say. 'too
numerous TO mention. but all worthy Of
attention
The list above given is very far from
complete; il VIII serve, however. TO IL
lustrate that the Victoria OF today Is
more than a summer or health resort.
more than great shipping point. more
than the headquarters OF such industries
OF worth as the salmon canning or the
sealing-that II IS even now one OF the
most important producing cities OF the
Northwest.
Already many of these factories are
sending considerable portions of their
output into the markets of the South seas
and the Orient. of Europe and OF South
Africa AS the merit Of victoria's manu-
features becomes more and more recoS-
ntzed. this trade may be expected to grow
until In Victoria Is found an important
manufacturing as well as shipping city.
Only very small percentage of the
existing manufactures of the city have
received assistance of any kind to induce
their establishment In Victoria. although
the civic authorities have shown a readi-
ness at all times TO consider the merits Of
any scheme looking to the Increased pros
perfty of the community. The manufac-
turers in business have pitched their
tents. or to speak more correctly. fred
their furnaces. here because they realized
that the provincial capital possesses adj
santages of location and situation I'M
riyaied in the Northwest from the manu-
facturer'S standpoint Their success. too.
is forcing others TO recognize the facts,
and hence II IL that half a dozen promi-
nent concerns from least OF the noun
tains. among them the Canadian Electro
Plate Company, are at the present time
considering the ACCESSIBILITY OF casting In
their lot with victorians,
Mining interests.
II was the discovery Of gold in the sands
OF the Fraser river that first caused a rush
OF population to British Columbia. over
and above that which had been brought
her ethrough the establishment of the Had
sons Bay Company. The discovery of the
famous aiiuyial deposits OF Ssrihoo was
chiefly responsible for the permanent es-
adjustment OF a considerable population
in Victoria and New Westminster ard
generally throughout the country reached
by the Fraser and Thompson rivers Fol-
lowing In the wake of the gold movement
was the expansion Of the coal timber and
ash industries. and to a limited extent,
agriculture Since the sixties, there have
been several business depresssons conse-
quent on the decline Of the gold product
in cariboo. Csssiar and the KootenaI and
Yale placer fields. Since the quartz boom
IN Cariboo In the seventies. very little at
fention was paid TO the precious ores OF
the Province. A few abortive attempts
were made in Cari5oo and elsewhere. but
it was not until the discovery of the Silver
King group OF mines in West koosenal,
in 1855. that mining the precious ores was
given good start The quartz mining
industry now bids fair to again bring pros
perity TO British Columbia. and West
kootenai has already appriclably affected
the trade of the province. Under the di-
rection Of the late Richard Day Atkins,
tho work OF developing the Silver King
group was begun, and the uneovering OF
phcnomerally rich silver-copper ores. caus-
ed a general prospecting OF the Kootenaf
Lake district The rich finds made in
the SLOGAN and Trail Creek districts are
now matters Of history. The mountain
Businesses have been penetrated By trail.
wagon road and railway, and the produce
ton OF the precious metals climbed last
year from the half million point around
which II waverea for many years 10 be-
tween three and four millions of dollars.
while the present year British Columbia
bids fair TO add to the worlds wealth by
over double that sum.
The general investment In kootenai gold
and silver mines spread in lesser degree
to other parts OF the province. Lodges OF
gold bearing rocks have been found where
no one ever thought OF looking before. On
Vancouver island and on the islands of the
archipelago lying between Vancouver ISL
and and the mainland many quartz claims
have been located. This Is also true OF the
interior from one end Of the province to the
other.
The recent complete descriptions of the
Kootenai and other rich British Columbia
mining districts which have appeared In
the Post fnteiNgeneer make any further
mention OF them here superhuous. But
while Victoria stands more or less iSp-
mately related 70 all these. there Is an
other. the Alberni. which Is still closer at
hand. being situated on the island itself.
II is the persistency and faith OF Mr..
Henry Saunders IN that district that has
finally caused the mining and investing
public to pay attention 20 the lodges OF
gold bearing rock lying almost at vfcto-
dreds OF claims have been recorded and
some preliminary work carried on. 1t was
oaiy' the ether day, however that the first
practical step was made toward demon
strating the value OF Aiberni ores The
Consolidated Aiberni Mining Company.
with Mr.. James Dunsmuir president, and
Mr.. Henry Saunders secretary began the
work OF sinking on the Aiberni ledge
which has invariably run from hundreds
into thousands Of dollars per ton In the nu-
merous assays and MIL tests made. 50
soon ns this present work establishes the
continuity Of ore and value. depth Is
reached. there Is no mining district In Brit
ish Columbia with brighter prospects than
Aibern.- Mineral hiii. In which group OF
mines the Consolidated Aiberni four claims
are situated. consists Of a great mass OF
mineral about i5. no feet square In this
the surface Is marked with very nu-
ruerous lodges. varying from few inches
TO twenty feet in width. In many other
sections % AIberni district rich f4ads have
been mace. some Of them showing the
same character OF ore which has made
Trail creek famous. This IL true especially
OF Copper island and the ssrita valley.
running northward along the west coast,
and IN cowichan and Nanaimo districts
and In Texada island the precious metals
are found and are being investigated The
cheapness Of transportation and OF Hsp-
plies and labor. the easy access to the
mines and the mild weather Of the Coast
make these mines specially attractive 10
the Investor. ana their development 20 a
producing scale il sure TO result In a very
short tine.
Besides the precious metals. both Van
eouver and Queen Charlotte islands con-
tam valuable coal measures. the Develop
rnent OF which has already played an i'm
portant part in victorfa's Industrial life
and Is destined 20 be OF stiu greater value.