Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-21
STORY OF THE LIE R0l.
lis Discovery and lis First Sale for Few
Dollars,

The story of the discovery and de-
velopment of the lie Roi mine. which
sold the other day for greater sum
than any other British Columbia prop
erty ever sold for, has been told, but
1t is interesting enough to bear repeat
ing, says the Spokane Spokesman Re-
view.
Joe Burgeos and Joe Morris, two
| French Canadian prospectors were
| the discoveries of the property. Joe
Burgeois, who had mined in placers
| but never In quartz. was sent to do as
| sessment work on the Lily May, the
| first claim located In Rossland. This
| work performed Burgeois loafed and
smoked and waited for supplies that
We're coming from Nelson. Looking
across at Red Mountain he saw 1t was
| bare in places, and could be easily pros
| pected. In the meantime he had become
associated with Joe Morris. a prospec-
| tor, and the two went across the can
| yon and discovered the bold iron cap
ping of numerous strong veins, on
these they located the lie Roi, the War
Eagle, the Center Star. the Idaho and
the Virginia.
But with prospective millions in their
| grasp Burgeols and Morris were poor
men, so poor that they could hardly
claim "A grubstalSe. Burgeios with his
scant outfit tramped over to Nelson.
| There he showed his samples with little
| announcement. Iron pyrites,' said
the local expert. what does 1t assay?'
Ten dollars in gold. five per cent
copper and n trace of silver"
| That's a bad showing Burgeois, bet
| ter drop II"
Burgeois was decidedly blue and dis
| couraged until he run across Colonel
Il. S. Topping. Topping had been min.
| ing recorder, and was running n small
store at Nelson. He questioned Bur-
geois and found that the only assay
was from the Virginia.
THE others may do better" he rea-
soned. ITS clean ore and the veins
| are big"
The outcome was that Burgeois and
| Topping made "dicker." Topping
was to pay the fees for locating the five
claims and was to have his choice OF
one of the properties.
Burgeois came back to Trail creek,
stripped off the iron Gaping, put in u
few shots and found clear ore above
the fir roots. Topping followed and
made crude ASSAYS which gave more
| encouraging returns: and the three
| Topping, Burgeois and Morris-gather-
ed around their lonely camp fire and
! resolved to stay with the strike and
give a fair trial.
That is the story as narrated by
| Colonel Topping of the discovery of the
| mines Of Trail creek.
Burgeols sold his holdings for $4,000
or $4,000 and went up into the Fort
Steele district and located silver-lead
claim. sold 1t for 100000 and then went
to the Northwest Territory, bought a
5.000-acre ranch and sent back east to
Canada for his relatives. The dream
Of his life has been realized. He has
"struck 1t rich and settled down.
Morris carried $4,000 or $4,000 out
of the camp, came down to Spokane.
married a school teacher and bought a
home on the north side and has since
become n farmer.
From the start Topping had faith in
the camp. He calculated that there
would be movement of prospectors
and went down to the mouth of Trail
creek, seven miles from the lie Rol and
War Eagle groupe, homesteaded zoo
acres and built hotel on the pictur-
esque bank of the Columbia. He Is
there yet.
In the fan, Of 1890 George NJ. Foster
was at Colviie trying a lawsuit and he
came interested in the lie Roi. He
entered into bond with Topping
whereby he agreed in consideration OF
fourteen sixteenths of the mine to ex-
pend s., 900 in development work. Fors'
ter returned to Spokane and took In
upon the deal Colonel I. n. Peyton OF
Spokane; George Turner, oliver Du-
rart. w. NJ. Rldpath and Alexander
Tarbet. Colonel Pcyton afterwards
bought Iopplns 3 remaining interest III
viding II among a few of his friends
chiefly in Danvllla, Ill.
About two year. land n half ago tbs
stock in the lie Rdi was being peddleC
about the city for 30 cents a share ant
almost any price 1t would bring. II
has since been quoted rs high as 81.
There have been no great changes ir
the holdings of stock in the property
since the company gathered in abou
everything in sight at about 40 or 81
cents about two and half years ago
The stock of the principle holders was
then pooled and since that time has
been in the hands of two trustees. Tn
dividends due the stock have been pait
to the trustees and they in turn ISSUED
their checks to the individual holders
The floating stock never amounted T.
over 10 per cent. of the whole capital
izaton since the pool was formed.