The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1910-07-28
WONDERFUL STORY
OF A BIG MINE.

Spokane. Wash, July 2S.-"Seen'
in trance In 1884 by an itinerant
clairvoyant, then at Colville. Wash.
and abandoned by prospectors after
six weeks work, discovered in 1890
BY a French-Canadian trapper OF the
name OF Joe Bourgeois, who drove the
first stake; located shortly afterward
by Z S. Topping, deputy mining re-
corder at Nelson, b. c.. whose initial
expenditure was $40: developed by
former United States Senator George
Turner and his Spokane associates.
who bought, tho property of Topping
for 100000 and sold 1t to the British
American corporation, organized In
London by Whitaker Wright for s4,-
100000 in 1894. later acquired by the
Lc Roi Mining company, Ltd, since
which time, it has yielded more than
$l1 100000 I'm gold
That, in brief, IS the chronological
history of the famous bonanza mine.
called the lie Roi. In the Rossland
district, British Columbia. where dia-
mond drillers In tho employ of the
operating company have found there
IS no more pay ore in sight The last
ore OF good quality was mined at a
depth OF 1850 feet Meanwhile the
Eastern Star the War Eagle and the
lie Roi No. 2. which should have been
included In the British acquisition.
continue to yield gold and copper in
profitable quantities.
There are so many Incidents con
nccted with the discovery. location
development and sale Of the property
that It is out Of the question 10 men
tion more than a few of the most
striking ones. One of these deals with
the part the lie Roi played in provid-
ing funds for employment in build
ing operations at time when hun
dreds of idle men did not know where
they would get the next meal Men
who in 1894 wore threatening suicide,
I'm 1895 were regaling themselves on
lobster and champagne, But that was
not all
By a logical train of circumstances
came the building OF smeltcrs, the eX-
tension Of copper mining operations
and the construction OF railroads, the
development of other properties and
the upbuildlng OF Spokane's business
and residence districts. The fame Of
Rossland penetrated beyond the Rocky
mountains To New York and Boston
and Toronto and Montreal. and the
fever for speculation In the newly dis
covered mines in the province of
British Columbia spread all over the
continent and crossed the seas.
The lie Roi was discovered twice.
The prospectoIs who did the first work
did not name 1t nor did they locate
their claim, abandoning it in 1884.
The story goes that the first discovery
WAS the result of advice given by a
clairvoyamt at Colville The party of
four, including the woman's husband
and son induced the clairyoyant 10
so into a trance and give them in
structionS. On coming out OF the
trance the woman made a rude chart,
showing the trail TO the Columbia
river. thence to the mouth of Red
Creek, and finally to Red mountain
There" she said, lis a mountain OF
gold"
The pTospectorS followed the WON.
ans instructions and dug into many
groupings after reaching Red noun.
tain but found nothing TO reward
their efforts. Only the richest ore
paid for the cost OF getting It ont
and shipping and treatment In these
days. After 'pecking' at the crop-
pings flor five or six weeks and find.
Ing no free gold the men walked out
In disgust not even taking with them
samples OF the ore found for assayine
purposes.
What followed is best told by Col