The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1898-12-22

II RETURN or THE AR0oNAUr.
II EDITOR IsLANDER:-Orcas II becom
| ing decidedly metallurgical not to -.
] metalliferous. Our light mountain air i
J undoubtedly the predisposing cause
Matters have come to such pass that
b no longer bad form or evidence o
mental weakness to show familiarity
with mining slang. to use long Technical
terms or to enter into an intelligent anG
even learned and obstruse discussion or
formations with frequent illusions t.
ldykes, contacts, kidneys, cash veins and
true assures. Some assures, it seems, are
not true, while others are probably toe
good to betrue). Some of the more high
~ gifted allude darkly to the importance
of the magma and the matrix In . WELL
regulated mining claim, or talk glibly
about the effects Of seismic action, or the
occurrence Of limonite psendOmorphO In
Dutch Guiana. This is the reaction after
the Klondike and when the patient is con-
valescing. Treat him gently and have
the family physician prescribe some
soothing potion. Chloride Of Sodium is
good: Take grain yourself II you feel
bored.
A number Of our local mining experts
have recently returned from the Klon-
dixie, Cripple Greek, Kalgoerlic, Kimber-
ly and other remote points Of the COM
pass, where they were attracted by dis
lance, which ever lends 0nChantment. In q
mad search for the hidden treasure which
Dame Nature has locked up 80 securely in
osVoh .,v1oovfoSro onA horhO ri 70 a iOn
in her rock ribbed vaults.
It was well worth stumbling miles over
the slippery shale Of Orcas to hear the
Knights Of the Golden Fleece get to-
gether and detail their deeds Of daring-do
by field and flood; recount their hair
to see the unlucky rock fiends pass
around their choicest specimens Of rich
float and engage in hair-spliting argu-
ments over the delicate shades of differ
ence between gray copper, galena and
anthracite, calculated to make the unfOr-
tunate ones who lacked nerve and stayed
at home, and therefore were not supposed
to know anything, gnash their teeth.
But the principal topic Of discussion at
this symposium was the long mooted
question as to whether or not there was
pay rock on Orcas. This question, like
BanQuO's ghost, will not down. Their
verdict could be anticipated from the ma
boDed unpromising gopher holes, around
Mt. Constitution, to go to some more
favored locality lover yonder," where
they could chop it out with an axe.
Nevertheless and notwithstanding their
unfavorable Though indefiite and nom
conclusive) decision, the work OF bonn
harding the mountain with the aid of
drill, hammers, Hercules No. 2, ETC.,
goes on, has gone on continuously during
the past year and will continue to do so
during the coming year.
Let us weigh the evidence, such as we
have, bearing in mind the miners max
inn that "a man cannot see into the ground
exact mode Of occurrence and chemical
action in the deposition Of ores and min
oral is mainly 8 sealed book to the ex-
perts; that it varies with the locality, is
only theoretically and imperfectly I'M
derstood by them, as they themselves
admit; that their business is principally
to report on developed properties and not
| to open up and pass judgment on new or
entirely improved districts and ''see what
we have left to 20 on" In the first place
| the location is good. San Juan county is
situated in the mineral belt which ex-
tends from California to Alaska. Good
showings have been made in the past
Columbia, on Texado island about rs
miles northwest, in tina Index, Sultan
and Stillaouamish districts, about the
same distance to the southwest, and in
the Mt. Baker district, about 40 miles
east. We have on Orcas the same andesi-
TIC. porphyng or lava Gaping and in
| Rainier are chiefly composed, the same
rock that is found in the Eureka and
Comstock (Nevada) lodes. Cripple Creek;
Colorado, is covered with the same an
desitic tuf and breccia, also in the San
Juan, Colorado, district. the Andes
mountains. whence its =. name, Andesi-
mining districts abroad. We have dykes
of this in contact with supentine and
granite with quartz groupings two to six
| feet wide which practical prOspectOrs OF
long experience from the Yale district,
B. c.. who lately examined them, pro-
nounced good enough to warrant any
prospector in developing in any country.
Samples of the leading rocks here have
been pronounced by an eminent mineral
opist. to whom they were sent for de-
| termination, to be diOvite, serpentum
synite and granite, all favorable and the
same rs the leading rocks of Texada
island. Most of this quartz assays low
copper ore show 10 to 20 per cent copper.
Galena is found on several claims, while
one claim has lead which shows the ear
marks of q true fishure which can be
traced up the mountain side nearly LOCO
feet by quartz groupings in q line as
straight as an arrow. The vein is six feet
| wide and nearly vertical at q depth OF
| thirty feet, the quartz about two feet wide
and the vein getting wider. Numerous
assays show the values to be increasing
| with depth; from traces near the surface
| to per cent gold, 1per cent copper, The
lead is capped with decOmp0sed iron
rock. The strike of the vein is - degrees
northwest. There is much mineralized
rock all over this and adjacent islands,
but owing to the fact that people here,
with little or no experience, have been
unfortunate in exploring blOwOuts ~
several places, and finding that their good
Hooking rock had pinched out, they very
naturally condemned the proposition IN
This article il not written TO boom any
wildcat scheme, but we would like to IN
duce good prospectOrs to do more explor,
ing work. We feel confident that drill!
steel, picks and powder, used with ski
and properly directed, will accomplish
more than '.jawbone" or printers INK.
Oloa. Orcas Island, WASH, Dec. S, 1888.
Notice.
I have picked up number OF logs
branded similar to the letter A, when
will deliver to the owner upon idenCnca
ton within . reasonable time ana tns
payment Of REASONABLE salvage charges.
Provost, San Juan County, Washington
December I, 1888.