The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-08-13
GOLDEN LfLLooEr.
Millions OF the Yellow Metal In eiGhi
An Irr,suaflr Rfrh Issx.,.4<.r

GOLDEN LTLLooET.
Millions OF the Yellow Metal In sight
An Unusually Rfch District.
The following article BY ?. Isezke. NJ G..
OF Golden. appears in the last issue OF the
Chscago. Mine, Quarry and Ne.asargical
News:
Placer gcid can be found almost the
whole world ever In more or less paying
quantities. from the beach OF the sea 20
the highest mountain top. We al ask.
and ask again: Whence came this gold
TIE answers we invariably set are very
vague snG shifting. Some viii state that
was formerly IN solution. and has eeea
precipltstsd by some agent or other-they
cannot readily explain what. Others viii
explain thAs the whole earth was under
glacial action ard the gold was brought
down BY them Then again. the action OF
water and heat On the rocks have caused
their 1isintegration and the gold has been
brought down the streams. etc. by water
20 its present domus- The last Is. be-
Iieve. tbs one that - generally accepted.
and We VIII leave 1t NJ that. and conGlne
ourselves merely 70 the places and con-
cisions In and under which II IS found
"A the eastern part Of British Columbia:
Commenting a. Golden. we viii proceed up
the Columbia valley. At the north OF
Golden Win be found high bank OF strait
fed gravel. This bank has height Of
some 800 feet, and Is mostly composed OF
material coming from the rocks Of the
Paleozoic period. On the south side Of
Golden will be found at 4 distance OF
two or three miles similar banks Of gravel.
and with the exception that their COM
position is such 10 show they have had
no connection with that on the other side
Of the valley. the latter contain gold and
are remains, so 10 speak. OF the Azotic
period. while the former contains no gold.
The gravel banks near Golden are COM
posed OF material of all characters IL You
examine botn sides of the valley. you can
obtain pebbles OF all ages from the Igneous
to the Jurassic epochs Proceeding up the
river the character OF the gravel banks
noticeabiy changes. and sixty miles up
they may be designated as sand banks
or sand hills. and sixty miles further are
mud banks. All these, however, contain
no gold. do not say in such anantities
that 1t would warrant its extraction Now
these gravel. sand and mud banks are
found Gaping the hills and beaches that
flank the whole OF the Columbia river
valley. and at various elevations above
the present water level from twenty feet
to mile. They extend 10 the fcoi-tne
extreme foot OF the mountains Near Col
den the banks may be called TIL, ana
a the head OF, the Columbia they have
the appearance OF glacial mud II Is OBJ
viogs that this material that constitutes
the banks has descended the slopes or the
mountains and ridges at whose bases thsy
are now found. But by what force have
they descended? Water? Certainly not.
Are they moraines? No. They appear 20
be simply beds OF till which have erept
down the deeiivities of the hills and noun
tains. AS said before. gold can be fonaa
In all these beds. and in some places IN
paying quantities. The creeks that flow
from the mountains on the left bank
OF the Columbia river ali contain
gold They have cut their course iirst
through the beds of till and subsequently
through the rock, till In many cases they
have formed very deep canyons. Inc oed
rocks of these canyons are as smooth ds
they can possibly be made, and the gold
in consequences has mostly been driven
to the mouth Of the stream. Anywhere
on the rim-rock for some height up the
sides of the canyon gold may be found
in large pieces sticking in the little holes
or creyices. indicating that a large amount
of gold must In pas; periods have passed
down the creek toward the mouth There
Is without doubt at the mouth OF some or
rather most of these creeks, very valuable
deposits OF auriferous gravel, but owing 10
their depth il requires an amount or CAPT.
tai to work them that IL Is not at the
command of the ordinary miner of Brit
ish Columbia The streams Rowing east
into the Columbia river from the Seikirk
range OF mountains have one peculiarly
In common, that they rise In the older
formations (Archaean) and flow down
through forrna tons continually decreas-
ing In age, as the Columbia valley may be
said 10 flow directly down the transition
line of the Silurian and Huronian systems.
The summit OF the Rockies is carbonifer-
GUS and that OF the Selkirks igneous. ana
tba Columbia river flows Immediately be-
tween them. In most OF the creeks mug
gets of considerable size may be found
anywhere along the course. These nave,
however, come down the stream subse-
quently TO that which may be found IN the
"tflI." as nothing but comparatively fine
gold has ever been found there. This
proves that we have In the creeks two
Characters OF gold: that which has come
from the "tili'' and what has been brought
down from the higher mountains by the
water OF the stream. The former Is small,
raueh-edged gold, and the latter large.
aaftened gold ] think there can be no
doubt but that the fattened gold came
down the creek some distance. the disin-
'tegration OF the rocks releasing the gold
from its situs. There are now In British
Columbia large beds OF till which viii give
abundant returns IL worked by hydraulic
processes from TO 10 and % cents 10 the
cubic ward, and in many instances hy-
draulic pressure could be obtained AZ
very small cost Because these beds VIII
not Weld proftably 10 the rocker or sluics
they have been abandoned as mot pay
ing But this is entirely a mistake ur-
der hydraulic appliances. In fact, at the
present time, some of the Californian min
ers are turning their attention 10 them.
and xe see fair prospects to have consid-
erahIy activity In this industry In the near
future