Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1899-09-09

Now comes the craze for gold and cop
per that has discounted both of these
previous sources of revenue.
w. Ireland, the editor of the North
Star, of Parry Sound, who has watched
the growth of the mining industry
probably closer than any other person
in the district, says of it:
''By some of the settlers of the Parry
Sound district it has been believed for
a number of years that minerals existed
in paying quantities. Several expert
ments have been made on a small scale,
and each experiment has brought to
light certain amount of either gold,
silver or copper. These experiments
were made by men who had but the
crudest knowledge of geology, and,
while they aroused hope, it was usual
ly but short-lived, for when expert geol-
ogists were consulted they invariably
insisted that it was impossible for min
eral to exist in paying quantities in the
Laurentian formation of which the en-
tire district was composed. 1t has been
these expert opinions that has retarded
the growth of the mining industry in
the Muskoka and Parry Sound districts.
THE first of the men to be discour-
aged in this way at time when sue
cess seemed to be in his grasp was
Judge McCurry, whose experiments
were made some 30 years ago. He was
enthusiastic, not over the existence of
gold or copper, which are attracting at
tention now, but of silver, and discov-
cred what promised to be a profitable
lead. Since that time both gold and
copper have been found at different
times, but the prospectors lacked the
capital to work their leads, and the men
of the cities who had the needed means
were afraid to invest it because of the
adverse opinions given by the experts.
Not only were there a number of
leads of copper, gold and silver found,
but also of mica. In fact, in many
places throughout this district there
are immense deposits of mica to be had
without any effort but that of picking
it up off the ground. Most of this mica,
however, is of a poor quality, and is
either black or is stained with a vege-
table stain, but by digging a little some
of excellent quality may be found.
This, like our other minerals, has been
| neglected because the men with the
needed means have chosen to accept the
! geologists' statement that the Lauren
tian formation could contain no min.
erals. But the district owes consider
able to mica, for it was for mining that
that the first mining company in the
district was organized. In addition to
the mica leads that have been devel-
Oped TO some extent, it is said that
there is a good showing Of mica at the
southern point of Doe lake, near Scotia
Junction, and also in Kahpeekog and
| Healy lakes, lying between Lake Joseph
and Georgian bay. Gold has been found
in paying quantities few miles from
Balla, on Lake Muskoka, and smaller
leads have been found in other parts Of
the territory. Around Parry Sound con-
siderable gold has been found in cone
nection with other minerals, and. while
! these leads have not been worked for
the gold they produce, it is only ques-
tion of time until the district becomes
one of the factors in the gold produc-
tion of the country"
There is probably no man in the Par
~ Sound district who has done more for
the mining industry than Mr. McGown.
He Is the discoyerer, and for him the
McGown mine was named. This is one
OF the best paying properties in the dis
trict, but, like all OF the mines in the
territory, had hard time to find the
necessary capital TO work it. In fact,
it was not until capitalists from the
United States became interested in the
minerals of Parry Sound that sufficient
capital was found TO work this proper
~. Last spring this mine was pur-