The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-07-17
Geological Observations BY Prof.
Henry Landes.
ASSAYS ARE NOW IN PROGRESS
DescriDf1en OF Rocks. Fissures,
Veins ana De possts-Eroana Along
the OkanWgan the Oldest In the
stase-Two Classes Of Deposits
ana How They Di1er-GO0d Pros
pect 1t Palmer MOuntala Tunnel.

In the course OF his trip through the
ColyiiIe reservation. Prof. Henry Landes.
who holds the chair OF geology and min
eraiogy a, the University OF Washington.
has made study of the geological char
actsr OF that section and Is now making
assays Of a number OF specimens which he
brought back. Going by rail to Marcus.
he there found the buggy and team which
Mr.. Giese, the German consul at Tacoma.
had agreed to loan him. and drove through
Grand Forks and Republic TO Brewster, on
the Okanogan river, where he met Mr..
and Mrs. +. Haber. They then Travelled In
Palmer mountain. Kruger mountain. up the
Similkameen and over Gold hill. They then
drove from LOOMS to Conconully and down
tho Okauogan and Columbia rivers TO We
natchee. where they took the train for
Seattle. Thus In the course Of about a
month the professor travelled about 800
miles from the time when he left the rail-
road at Marcus until he reached We
natchee.
In an interview with Post-Intelligencer
reporter, Prof Iandes summarized the re-
suits Of his observations. saying:
THAT part OF the state on both sides OF
the Okanogsn river and extending from
the boundary east and south towards the
Columbia river seems 10 be the Oldest geo.
logically, older than the Cascade noun
tains. and seems to be the source from
which the sedimentary deposits OF the Cas-
cades have come. All over that section OF
the state the remnants of stratified sed,-
mentary rock are found, especially along
the Okanogan river. We found In going
up the OkanoSan that the stratifed rocks
showed very frequently almost ali the way.
the oldest OF these rocks that is. those
Immediately everything the granite. are the
q1artxites, gneisses. mica schis+s, followed
by limestone, micacious and bifuminous
slate The Ivanhoe lodges are In b!tumin-
Gus states. which carry such high per-
eentage Of bitumen that they would cause
a coal excitement in some places. Then
comes conglomerats, then sandstone the
latter being oyerlaid conformabIy upon
Mount Whitestone by sheet of columnar
basait.
Thin Seams Of Coal.
I'm the white conglomerate OF Mount
whitestone there are a number Of thin
seams Of coal II Is low grade Ignite.
simply formed by small bits OF driftwood
which have become imbedded In the con-
glomeraie, and being in thin seams Of no
extent, is valueless from an economic
standpoint The coal reported from the
reservation and other parts OF that region
is. l presume OF the same characSer. The
fmestones are for the most part quite Inn
pure. containing large percentage OF sand
and clay. but occasionally this stone Is
quite pure. yielding a good quality OF lime.
THE sedimentary series, which at one
time covered the whole region. has been
greatly disrupted. broken and faulted by
the injection o. the igneous rocks. or these
igneous rocks there are several varieties,
iiorite being the greatest In quantity and
OF the most Importance. The principal oc-
currence OF diorite about LOOMS Is a great
mass which forms the northern end of
Aeneas mountain and the western half
OF Palmer mountain. The diorite is fire.
quently changed in places TO serpentine.
Second In Importance come the porphyry
bikes. These dikes are both quartz and
feidspathic. and vary from a few feet to
several hundred feet In width. and a
general rule are mineraliZed throughout.
Fer instance, the lodges on Gold hill are
fissure veins OF quartz within these bikes
OF quartz porphyry. and without doubt the
quartz porphyry has been the direct origin
OF these quartz veins The mineraltzed
veins are not limited 10 these igneous rocks.
but occur, as IN the case of the Iyanhoe
and Rainbow. In the sedmeniary series.
Those veins which occur in the sedirnensary
rocks do not. on merely casual examine
ton create as strong an impression of per
sistency as those which occur In the igneous
rocks.
Two Kinds OF Dcposita.
I'VE found two classes OF deposits there
veins which are without doubt true fisxure
veins. and also another class OF deposits.
which might he termed impregnation zones.
In other words. they were simply areas IN
the country rock. very strongly mineral
tyed. In some cases. pockets or masses Of
mineralizei matter without defined walls
bur simply spreading out in ali directions
These local deposits were characteristics
more particularly Of The straiitied rocks.
the Wehe lodges being a good illustration
The only claims We on the Ssmi.ka-
meen are the Grogan claims. where the
veins occur partly ia granite and partly
In mica schis'. They are good Illustrations
az true assure veins. one Of them having
n good ore shoot exposed We could no,
Get Into any % tire shafts. they are for
;hc most par: full Of water. and the tunnels
usually had water In them.
The prospects OF the Palmer mountain
tunnel are very good and II IL quite a -.
Tarkable undertaking for a lncai company
The company has Shown great foresight
and has gone a. the work In a careful and
business like way The length % the tl!n-
mel is ioeo feet q - sp,eni.dly made and
- good Dimensions in fact j. unusually
large. Il IL 81 ar entirely in tiiorite and
vii probably CoutiHgc in tAst rock
sareughouf IS whole lrngth This Is A
very hard rock. but e Is 4 splendid rock
IN which - tunnel. srordsng a safe roof
- that there IS no need 90 arch Il: one
blind lead ~ ge.3-h hearing quartz has been
ssr'iSA- besides several ssskes. the character
- which has a0t been determined These
akrs are apparently ncl more ri.ne-aIixsH
than ife ator3tr. satch - ITSELF slightly
miners. lsxsi tae ra!a.va; having g,ro;,a his
cofne fSofa the dlrtite, Except oH ,1e tua-
rei no work = being some il thai region
tFyon1 Assessment Work
ufux .nH.. ,,.