The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-08-03
IN THE KOOTENAIS.
VAST DEPOSITS OF MINERALS IN
THE MOUNTAINS OF BRITISH
COLUMBIA.
THE COAL FIELDS ALSO RICH.
A MINER WHO BECAME A MILLION
ARE, A LEGISLATOR AND
A MAGNATE.
HE BUILT DUNsMurR CASTLE.
indians Around Nanaimo-Why They
Turn in Their Toes So
Queeriy..

Special correspondence of the Globe
VICTORIA, b. c., July give hear
a great deal nowadays of the wealth
of the gold fields of British Columbia,
and The vast deposit of precious min
erals in the Kootenasi country. 1t is
not so generally known, however,
that her coal fields yield considerable
proportion of the mineral wealth of
the Pacific province and that the
transportation of the products of the
coal mines of Vancouver Island con-
tribute very largely to her commerce.
The local mines Of British Columbia
furnish the greater part of the fuel
not only to the cities of the province
itself and the towns on. the Sound,
but no small part of the output finds
its market in Portland and San Fran
cisco. Indeed the California metrop-
oils is British CoIumbias great coal
market. The coal is of the bituminous
variety, easily ignited, clear-burning,
and leaving but little ash. It's refuse
is unusually free from clinkers, which
form so common an objection to infe-
rior coal.
The principal coal mines of the
province are located at Nanaimo,
Mortified and Wellington. These
towns are but few miles apart, and
some eighty miles northward from Vic
toria, the capital Of the province The
trip may either be made by land or
water, Nanaimo being built near the
shore of Departure bay. BY land it
has been connected with Victoria by
railroad, which is built through a
country as wild as may be, covered for
the most part with a dense forest of
those magnificent trees which can only
be seen on the coaSt-rising into noun
tains, traversed by streams, and dot
ted with lakes-a regular hunters
paradise. For the woods abound with
noble game and the lakes and streams
are alive with trout and salmon.
Nanaimo, the principal of the min
Ing towns, is by no means a beautiful
place. 1t has some 5000 population.
1t is built on both sides Of a gully and
without any regularity whatever, the
streets being very crooked, and scarce
ly any attempt having been made at
systematic grading. But the scenery
around it can hardly be surpassed.
AT ones feet CLEAN the waters of De-
parture bay; the land rises west and
south into densely wooded mountain
heights. On one side tower the snow
covered peaks of the Olympian noun
tains, and in the distant east Mt. Ba
ker, the highest peak Of the Selkirks.
pierces the clouds.
The mines at Nanaimo are worked
py company which EMPLOYS about a
thousand men. The workings extend
entrely across the bay with a shaft
at each end, and tunnels reach sea-
wards for two or three miles or more
Inc works, both under and over ground.
are very extensive and complete and
nave every modern improvement.
complete underground electric railway
system conveys the coal from the work
lngs to the pits head and it is carried
TO the surface by rapid running twin
elevators. The distance from the ton
to the bottom of the pit is some 700
feet, and all the tunnelling is done that
distance under ground
There was employed in these works
some thirty years ago a miner named
Dunsmuir, who lived with his wife in
one of the uninviting cottages near by.
and went daily to and from his work
with his pail in his hand and his
smoky lamp stuck in his greasy miners
cap. A hard-headed and sensible man
he was, and, indeed. in some kind a
leader among his fellows He had his
ratlings, however. and one of them was
that he dearly loved a. spree And it
took him some time to get through
with these periodicals of his. Well,
On one of the occasions when LIQUOR
had got the better of him, he wandered
Off through the woods, and when the
evil spirits had departed from him, so
The story goes. he found himself in a
strange place and among strange sur
roundings. which he proceeded very de-
iberately to inspect. The result was
that he convinced himself that there
ought to be coal there If 1t were mined
FOR. Being a sensible fellow in the
main, he determined to make the most
Of his discovery. He made good his
claim, and proceeded to bring to the
notice of some men of means the boz
nanza he thought he had struck 1t
turned out all right Operations were
soon begun, the Wellington mines were
millionaire, member of the provincial
legislature and local magnate. He
built in Victoria a magnificent gray
stone structure, now one Of the show
places of the city and known as Duns-
muir Castle, founded a family and mar
led his daughter to a baronet They
Iay that his wife, elevated to so promi-
lent position from the most humble
Of walks in life, has not been spoiled
by the change, but is a very charitable
and worthy person, and that his chill
aren and grandchildren remain plain.
sensible, prudent and economic people.
Dunsmuir, however, was good deal
IKE other labor leaders who attain
success, and FASTENED to forget the