The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-05-27
RICHES G RAINY RIVER
GhziDIAN MINING COUNTRY SUR
PRISED THE ST. PAUL MEN
JUST RETURNED
QUARRY GOLD IN DAYLIGHT
GEs4erOpping LOdes Are Capable of
Mining without Shafts and
Lower Levels Add Extra
Premiums.

Returning from a recent trip to the
Central Canadian gold fields, a number
of St. Paul capitalists, piloted about the
Lake Of the Woods country and the
Rainy river district by n. c. Westerfield,
of this city, who controls many valuable
gold properties in the almost unknown
III Dorado, are thoroughly imbued with
the great future before the country they
visited and are preparing to get in on
the ground floor in investments that it is
believed will rival the success of any
gold mining ventures in the world. They
saw the gold in abundance and know
1t exists in huge, rich veins all through
the country inspected, only awaiting the
advent Of sufficient capital to take it
from the ground. Among the residents
of the Lake Of the Woods country the
gold fever IS consuming. Everybody owns
gold mine or two and outside syndl-
Gates are already taking out hundreds
of thousands of dollars annually in the
precious metal; but even this being the
case, gold mining in Central Canada is
stlll in its infancy, and there are vast
tracts of land bearing the gold-laden
ore as rich and even richer than any
properties that have yet been developed,
merely awaiting the open sesame of cap
ital. IN the years to come, when the
enormous mineral wealth of this vast
section has been revealed capitalists will
marvel that the wealth poured into the
Elondike South Africa and other re-
mote gold fields was not directed toward
the development of a country so much
more accessible, as rich in gold produc-
ton as the famous Transvaal mines and
possessed of many natural advantages
that make the profits proportionateiy
greater.
STORY OF THE TRIP.
The party visiting the gold fields con-
sisted by n. c. Westerfeld, A G. Gal
lasch, ]. T Schusler. Chester r. Smith.
Ronald Stewart, St Paul; E. J. Edwards,
Alexander Campbell, j. J. Windle, Mime
apolis; L. Ellington, Crookston; ]. Jacob
son, c. Larson, Alexandria; d. o. Ander-
son, Manistique, Mich. w E. Barrett.
Grand Rapids, Mich. Leaving this city
over the Great Northern railroad We'd
nesday evening, May 16. the party was
detained an hour in Minneapolis, but
arrived safely at Winnipeg via the Can
adam Pacific road, on time at II o'clock
Thursday morning. Here Mayor Wilson,
and several members of the Winnipeg
council met the party and escorted the
travellers to the Leland hotel where
ample hospitality was provided. Mayor
Wilson made a short address Of well
come and extended the hospitality Of 1
the city to the visitors. After the dis
cussion of an elaborate dinner, the party
was given a carriage ride about the
city, viewing the points of interest. In
the afternoon the party left over the
Canadian Pacific road for Rat Portage
where the real object of the trip, an eX-
animation of the gold fields, was to COM
mence Reaching Rat Portage in the ev-
IL, r1,N
and early the next morning embarked on
the steamer Balmoral for an inspection
trip on the Lake of the Woods.
I'm the bright sunshine of a perfect
northern summer day. the sight that
greeted the excursionists on the trip down
the lake was one Of wild grandeur For
miles ahead stretched the waters of the
lake, while hundreds or islands, large
and small, covered with abundant green
foliage, dotted the blue waters like stars
I'm the heavens, and on either side rose
the sometimes pTecipitous shores, heavy
with timber, revealing in the rocky cliffs
disappearing in the water the geological
formation indicative of the vast hidden
wealth.
ENTERING THE MINES.
The first idea of the richness of the
gold district was explained to the party
as the boat steamed by a small island,
five miles from Rat Portage, where is
located the Little Bobs" mine a prop
erty discovered only last fall to bear I'M
usually rich ore. An Indian stumbled on
the gold vein, cropping out on the side
of the island, while trapping. He told
of the find at Rat Portage and a resi-
dent of that city purchased the property
and claim from the red-skin for $50 This
spring the Little Bobs" property was
sold to a syndicate for $1O,000 while the
Of the stock besides. The ore here has
assayed much richer than many of the
larger properties in the Vicinity. So far
only preliminary developing work has
been done on the property, but the re-
suits are more than satisfactory, and
when a stamp mill gets to work at the
mine it is believed that 1t will average
an output of between SIS and $40 a ton.
Assuming that the district is all that
appearances and the tests already made
indicate as to its gold deposits, Mr.. n. {.
Westerfeld, of this city, has in the
Homestake mine, a property on a pen
insular eighteen miles southwest of Rat
Portage, where the eXcursionists made
their first stop, one of the most valuable
properties In this section. 1t is known on
the maps locating the mines throughout
the district as j. C. 102 and 1903, and COM
prises 400 acres. The property is over
a miles in length and half a mile in
width and is almost solid bed of gold
bearing ore throughout. The vein upon
which work is at present being conducted
starts at the shore line and runs the
length of the property, varying in width
from fifty to 500 feet, while on the east
ern part of the land is a second vein
giving evidence Of rich deposits No other
mining property in the district possesses
such a large body of ore, which fact
makes the Homestake of unusual value.
Assuming that the mine will carry the
same values as are now shown, So to
$S.95 a ton, 1t has been computed that
If will take 40 years to exhaust the al
most unlimited supply of ore, at the rate
of 600 tons per day.
ON THE HOMESTAKE LODE.
The Homestake mine is at present in
The hands of the Homestake Gold Mining
company, of Ontario, a close corporation,
that has already the development of the
property well in hand. In the center OF
the main vein a shaft has already been
sunk twenty-siX feet and the indications
are that the ore is becoming of higher
grade. II is the purpose OF the company
to spend all the money necessary anu
about two years time in developing the
mine when a stamp mill will be put in.
The ore of the HomestaSe mine, and in
fact Of all of the mines Of the district, Is
free milling ore, responding easily and
satisfactorily to the stamp mill process.
Several members of the party are mem
hers of the Homestalle company, and
Viewing the property for the first time,
were highly elated over the future pros
poets Of the property.
Leaving the Homestake property the
marty re-enibarked on the boat and start
ed for the Mikado mine, one of the only
Two mines in the district fully equipped
with a stamp mill ana showing the actual
......lts Of he mining nossibilities of the