The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-07-30
new GOLD DISCOVERIES.
Work of a Prospecting Party Sent
Out Last Year.

-, Ao,o Wno are OuGnGGlnS mere for the
Aionuike Is Mr.. NJ. I. Fitzgerald. Re-
territories, he said: ''The KIondike is
put a speck on the map of that great
gold country. Last season I spent six
months in the Peace river country In the
interest of the Forty. third Mining Com
pany OF Ottowa, going in the capacity of
a prospecror. Our exploring party in.
Guided thirty-one men and sixty. three
horses. Ashcroft, British Columbia, on
the Canadian Pacific railroad, was the
starting point, thence over the Cariboo
wagon road to the Quesnelle river, 800
miles. Crossing Timer Frazer river. we
travelled northwcsterly, following the
old telegraph trail to Stewart Lake, 'stop-
ping at Fort st. James. distant 900 miles
from Quesnellc, and 430 miles from Ash
croft
We struck the gold country at Horse
lly and were in iu the rest of the journey.
Crossing Stewart lake Mt Fort st. James,
we took the trail to Manson creek, tray
cling loo miles to the Omineca country,
where Col. Wright, uf Ottowa and Cap.
tain Black, OF Victoria are opening up
large hydraulic mines for their respective
companies. Here coarse gold is found
togethrr with nuggets of silver, being
the only place in America outside of
MeXico where silver in tits form has
been discovered. Camping at Black
Jack, we prospected the country and
made number of locations on which
machinery has since been placed, and
mines are now in operation.
"breaking camp ut Black Jack, we
crossed the Omineca river, into an unex
plored region, travelling north 27O miles
from Omlncca, or $40 miles northwest of
Ashcroft, our initial point. This
brought ne intp fba Douco ,;,o,
where we spent the balance of the season,
prospecting and locating mining claims
we took up $500 acres OF placer
ground ting the Peace river At a depth
OF eighteen feet we struck bedrock and
found the ground to prospect 1890 to the
cubic yard, and in some instances as
high as $500 were obtained. The largest
results we're obtained on the river bars
me gold is coarse and is what is termed
barley gold. with occasional nuggets
worth from SIG TO SIS. Peace river is
about the size of Frazer at Quesnelle,
fully half mile wide, flowing east
through low country for distance
fully 1,50O miles into Great Slave Lake
with its sources on the eastern slope of
what we termed spurs of the Rocky
Mountains and far south of the Klondike
and Stewart rivers. 1t will be the first
country to receive the overflow from
klondike and Yukon. and its record will
prove interesting.
while the season is short, like that oil
the klondike, there are some advantages
possessed over that country. The ground
never freezes.to..such depth. and mining
is much easier. What is known as the
Arctic Divide lies south of Peace river,
but the vegetation grows quite rank In
the few short months Of summer. Such
vegetables as turnips, onions and radishes
have been grown along the shores of
Stewart Lake.
"A wandering band of Indians known
as Foxes very peacefully disposed, live in
this country, trapping aud Hunting for
the Hudson Bay Company. propose
prospecting the country between the
klondike and Peace rivers, and will 90
out we'll prepared for the journey. The
Northwest territories are now surprising
the world, and they have still greater
surprises in store"