The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1896-05-13
Rainy Lake Gold.

following to say to a Winnipeg Free
Press reporter regarding the proper
ties and the company which he repre-
sents:
"You Winnipeg people he said,
do not seem to understand what is
being done fo r you in the Rainy river
district-(I speak Of 1t as the Rainy
river district, although my interests
lie on Lake of the Woods, because
that is the official name given it, and
it includes Lake OF the Woods, Rainy,
Manitou, Wabigoon, Saskatchewan,
Mile Laos, and other lakes, the Seine
river. in fact the whole mineral belt
extending from Port Arthur TO the
eastern border Of Manitoba) are
building up an industry there that is
bound to make your city a second
Denver or San Francisco. Why. even
the people of Rat Portage do not real
iZe the immense riches with which
they are surrounded. Some day,
when you all wake up and see the
tangible results of our work you will
be astonished beyond description.
When 1 first saw the district, eighteen
months ago, / was satisfied that it
was most valuable and promising
gold. The general features forma-
tion, ETC., reminded me of West AUS
tralia, where so many rich finds have
been made, but with this important
difference, the West Australia gold
reefs are found in an arid and treeless
country far inland and remote from
any settlement. while here we have
the mines right alongside the c. P.
r. track, on the shores Of navigable
lakes and rivers, and with ample tim
Der for building and fuel right on the
ground.
l must confess that | was surprised
that so little had been done in the
way of development. but that was ex-
planned to me by the difficulty over
the provincial boundary. the impossi-
bility OF Obtaining title that had ex-
listed, and lastly, tie unfortunate
looses incurred by aE..nteur miners,
who had squandered lot of money in
useless work through sheer ignorance,
and thus deferred others from engag-
ing IN the business. Somehow when
8 man makes a failure at mining there
is more talk about it than where a
score fail at any other business. Take
farming, for instance, how many hun
dreds Of amateur farmers have gone
to smash on your prairies, yet no one
will say that Manitoba is not grand
agricultural country. Yet it seems
to be expected that man who goes
into mining should make it pay from
the start, Notwithstanding the fact
that he has had no previous experience
in business that above all others re-
quires expert skill and thorough IN
erstanding of all its features.
1.-The Sultana was the only mine
working when l arrived in the coun-
try. Its ten changing stamps were a
welcome sound to me, | must confess,
in the midst of the general apathy
which seemed to pervade the whole
district. 1 took hold earnestly to see
what could be done to improve mat
tiers, and although my interests were
entirely in the Regina property at
that time, never Withheld advice and
assistance to those who applied to me,
and 1 am happy to say that 1 have
been the means OF contributing in
some degree to the advancement made
in the past year and half.
Il think our progress has been high
II satisfactory and that you will agree
with me when l tell you what has
been and what is being done. We
have now in the Lake of the Woods,
in and near Rat Portage, the follow
ing stamps: Sultana, 10; Regina, 10;
UOlO 11ili, ~. ICOuSoiou WOlhS, ~
These are practically all that are in
actual use at present, but in addition
we have the following in course of err
ection and contracted for: Oliver Dau-
nais, the Nonsuch mine, 20 stamps:
Halstead and Partridge, the Scramble
mine, 10 stamp; Goodhue & Co, the
Eshweller mine, 10 stamps; Haycock
10 stamps: Empress mine, 10 stamps
Foley mine, 40 stamps; Saw Bill mine
10 stamps; Harold mine, 10 stamps
Virgins mine, 20 stamps; Lucky Coon
10 stamps-or in all two hundred
stamps, where only ten were dropping
eighteen months ago. In addition
there are 20 stamps on the Minnesotl