Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-03-22
Examination of Howe Sound
Copper Group.
BONDED BY BUTTE MEN
Correspondent Reports 26-F0ot Ore
Body Cut-Concentrating
Proposition.

In the current issue of the Engineering
& Mining Journal of New York, w. M.
Brewer. travelling correspondent OF
that publication has a special report on
the prospects on Howe Sound, b. c.,
making particular reference to the Brit
tania group, which has been bonded by
H. l.. Frank, c. l.. Leonard and others
of Butte. The article reads as follOWs:
About Christmas, 1898, some trappers
discovered a zone of mineralized schist OF
considerable extent on the east side Of
Howe Sound, and located the Britannia
Group of mineral claims about thirty
miles northerly from Vancouver. The
discovery was reported to BOscowitz &
Co., a firm Of fur buyers of Victoria. An
examination by these gentlemen led to
their acquiring an interest in the claims.
Work was commenced to determine what
value the prospects possessed. This has
been carried ON until the present day, n
it is only recently that the attention of
mining men in the Province has been call
ed to the fact.
Within the past month several mining
operators and experts from the United
States have been visiting this section and
acquired seven-tenths of the property
from the BOscoWitz firm. On January
9th the writer had the opportunity of
examining the underground workings of
the group. He found the camp situated
about four miles from the beach by trail
and at an elevation of $500 feet above sea
level; 1.3OO of this elevation is gained
within a distance of about three-quarters
of a mile. Although no snow had fallen
in the near neighborhood Of the Sound,
yet at an elevation Of 1000 feet there had
been a sufficient fall of snow to cover the
surface. and the depth Of this mantle in
creased until in the camp itself, it was
some 4 feet deep. Consequently it was i'm
possible to make any thorough explora-
ton of the surface o~utcroppings except
at two or three points where the snow had
been shoveled away and open cuts had
been run to expos the outcrop.
Beyond the fact that the belt of schist
apparently extends from the beach of
Howe Sound with it's line of strike about
twenty degrees south of east some dis
lance beyond the limits of the Britannia
Group. it was impossible during the brief
visit the writer made to the district to
determine the geological characteristics.
Along the trail the geology is almost en-
tirely hidden by debris from slides. Sew
eral mineral claims a been located I'M
der the name of the Goldsmith Group and
extending from the shore line to the west
ern boundary Of the Britannia Group.
Easterly from the Britannia Group IL
mineral claims have been located on
what is supposed to be an extension of
the ore already discovered. Consequent
ly, as a claim is supposed to occupy al,
area of $500 by 1900 feet these locations
extend for a total distance of about six
miles in an air line.
Several outcrOps on the Britannia.
group occur in the form of bold bluffs, an
examination of which caused the writer
to form the opinion that a considerable
on the fOOt-wall side had been
carried off by erosion. The belt of schist
is probably eruptive, having derived it's
schistosity from shearing. It's thickness
annot be determined as long as the sur
face is covered with snow, but the main
crosscut tunnel has been driven a dis
n of about 220 feet in the schist.
which is heavily mineralized with white
iron and occasional splotches of copper
pyrites nearly the entire distance. This
crosscut Is being driven with the expecta-
tion OF intersecting an ore body which
had been opened on the outcrop by an
open cut. That cut demonstrated that q
zone IN the schist carried copper pyrites
as appropriations with the white iron in
sufficient quantity to warrant the pre-
sumption that an extensive body of con-
centrating ore occurred, having the sam.
line Of strike and practically the sans
~NP "o SHS Ia 1lSCll.
The level of the crosscut tunnel 70
about 14O feet below the outcrop. At q
point 1872 feet from the mouth of the cross
cut, drifting was started, apparently in
the belief that ore carrying values had
been reached. This work was done before
the property was acquired by the Ameri-
cans. After a careful examination bv
their experts it was decided that the ma
terial in this drift did not represent the
ore as exposed on the surface. conse-
quently a crosscut was started from the
breast of the drift in a southerly direc-
tion and continued until a body of ore &c
feet in thickness had been traversad.
From its general appearance and the
yield from assays, this body Of ore. while
not possessing sufficient average value
Tor direct shipment, could be cOncentrat-
ed with very satisfactory results. The
results of assays reported by the syndi-
cate showed about 6 per cent. in copper
with low values in gold and silver, from
samples representing an average of the
entire rs feet. A drift was started in
ore along what is presumed to be the foot
wall. This had been run about 30 feet
Wnen work was suspended at that point
FROM the appearance af the ~cross-cut
through this body of ore, the writer is of
the opinion that no well-defned walls
enclose the body. but that the ore occurs
IN a zone or n in the mineralized
scnlst. and. probabl judging from the
NAoScSot dt lUIS D3ftlcuISr
point that these zones will be found to
possess considerable extent.
After suspending work on the drift It
was concluded to continue the main
crosscut tunnel with the expectat ton of
intersecting the same ore body at an
other point along it's line of strike. and
three shifts are working now to accom-
piish that end. 1t is also proposed by
the management to connect the crosscut
leVsi with the outcrop by an upraise IS
We'll as continuing the work of drift,ns.
AT first sight it would appear as though
1t would have been more advisable to
continue working in the drift instead of