The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-09-27

Prososc.ors working through ths Olym-
&c mountains during the past fe| years
have been divided IN ths.r opinion IS 70
tns prOdgetlvsness OF tns region some
have asserted that the mountains are bar
TeH q the prec2Ous metals. while Others
have declared that non lodges o. frea-
milling quartz. as veil as good placer
ground. f. the reward % the miner Wno
psrsisfenfly plies the aFOcAtion % hunting
cat the hidden wealth az the range
James y. Nesblt and ". II. Meteaf, Two
deputies IN the Office OF County Clerk
Grass. OF Pierce county, spent their gaca-
tiou this summer hunting Tor gold Ia the
OlgmpiGs. They returned last Tuesday.
after fIncing what they believed 10 be a
ledge OF tue free-mtiiing quartz, with as
says ranging as high a. 80 10 the ton.
Mr. Nssbis has mad fifteen years expert
s1ce In mining and is an experienced min
eFaioglst- he believes that the Oiympics
will come day produce immense quaint
ties Of gold. Win SIR. Metcaf he pene-
trastsd the rugged Oiympics. carrying pro-
visions and supplies on his back as FAR as
the headwaters - the Qulnauit river.
From the top OF the range Mr. Nesbit look
cd on the bosom OF the placid Pacific.
To a Post-Intelligeucer representative
yesterday Dir. Nesbit thus described MS
trip:
We penetrated the Olympic range from
Lake Cusnman, a sheet Of water formed
ia a depression Of the basalt formation.
fanking the rang. This formation con
rnaes for a distance OF several miles UP
she S1okonish valley. and is not termin-
sted until an altitude 81 about Co feet
- attained. This contact first occurs about
four miles up the Popuiist fork of The Sko-
komisll from Camp No. g. on the O'NeiI
trail. leading TO the summit Of the divide
between the QulRAuli aud the Sk0kofuish
.t.tl.
pear. and from this point which Is four
miles from Camp No. TO the summit the
formation is crystalline traVersed by "A few
porphyritic dykes This crystalline for
nation Is mainly schistose rock allied 10
granite. forming a contact near the sum
NIT OF the range with a slate rock II is
on tho contact between the crystalline and
plate that evidences Of mineral are most
abundantly found
This formation follows the axlal plane
OF the Olympic range trending iu a direc-
ton northeast and southwest We had
penetrated above the basait formation. dis
covering float mineral an the way. when
IN hunting for the trail. We came across
huge boulders OF an oXidized feldspathic
rock. This We traced 20 its source In a
vein eighteen feet wide on the mountain
side about 90 feet above the level OF the
Populist fork OF the Skokomish river The
ore body b. directly on the contact between
ure.
I'VE did not have the time nor the tools
necessary 20 develop this body OF mineral
hut from preliminary tests made we have
received most satisfactory results After
we returned made another trip 20 the dis
trict in order 70 locate the claims We
have located ten claims along the vein but
80 my opinion careful prospecting Of the
district win reveal many more claims as
good II NOS better. than ours. I state this
fact because the contact between the crys-
iaiiinr schlsts and the slate Is OF indcter-
m.Hhte width, and the formation there
ah0utH O. intersccted hy numerous veins Of
guar.z. carving gold in greater or less
quantities We tested the iioat rock and
fhr surface ore % several veins In that To-
ca'lty and n All ~ them we found colors
~ geld besides free silver
In nv Judgment this mineral formation
follows the plane o. the Olympics from the
extreme east 70 the extreme west OF the
range. ore x the same character has been
fo9nd on the headwafers ~ the nosewal-
Ions Duciahush L{iiawaup. Skakomlsh
aHd ihe south fork OF the Skokomish rIv-
ers. ON the water courses OF these streams
quartz float has heca found. carrying large
quantities ~ gold on the DosewaIlons
ore samples have been assayed yielding s6o0
20 The ton
prospecting I'm tho Olympics IS attend
81 With considerable difficulty. owing "a
the heavy deposit OF surface soil and the
dense growth Of forest and underhrush
In many places e g. almost impossible 20
penetrate, while the areas are few where
the formation ~ the mountains p OK
posed. Prospecting &C. only POSSIBLE whore
snow slides or Rvalauches have barred the
rock 81 the surface soil rendering II pos
siole for q systematic examination OF che
formation 90 Re made A. an instance -
this, we found float quartz in the Sko-
konish river gravel boEs which aeeqye4
richly ~ gold Notwithstanding che fa-t
that The samples hal been weV leschsf
out by he action ~ the elements This
ore undoubtedly comes from tho veins high
m IN the crystalline formation. which =
explored would IN my JUDGMENT. become
famous ne n producer n gold hut fhs sfs
f-uity ~ Locating them Is 50 great fhat
they canuot be found bv any ordinary
methods 81 prospecting auI fiaeaver,- =
made az all VIII probably re tne rpz,ti+
o. a favorable s1}ovsilde or saoyne other
agency.
IT also discovered En- fh@ SRaks~,taA
wash. c'nnahar cre ~ very high grade
which probably VII be found in n'a.a ~
Ire contacf between the ir0cous hassit ara
tho crystalline rock box as ina ~
chance 20 prospect th.v formation III,
give YOU no definite Information ~er,~s.
ing r.
'~rhe t'me g me- far a'stsrt vhs, ~.
Olympic range vTth re uef-av,l- -
VIII become famous a. producer - ~.