The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1914-03-27
TUNGSTEN IS BONDED.
Deal By Which J. w. Doug
las Takes Over Well
Known Prospect

Herbert Curtis, of LoomiS spent
several days in Oroville during the
past week, and while here closed a
deal by which j. w. Douglas and as
sociates are to take over tungsten
property that Mr.. Curtis has held
and developed to a considerable ex-
tent for the past eight years. The
terms of the deal are not made public.
The trade hinges only upon examina-
ton. That examination will be made
by experts representing Mr.. Douglas
as soon as the country where the
property is located is accessible, and
If the report is favorable the transfer
goes. AS several experts have re-
ported upon it favorably during the
past several years another exporting
is only a matter of form, and Mr..
Curtis has no apprehension whatso-
ever as to the character Of the report.
The ore is there, and lots Of 1t, 1t
carries a high per centage OF tung-
stem, and hence there is nothing left
to the transaction but the transfer OF
coin in exchange for bill Of sale.
Years ago, when Mr.. Curtis was
engaged with the government crew
of engineers planting the bronze mon
uments that at regular intervals mark
the boundary line between the United
States and British Columbia, he dis
covered this tungsten deposit. The
location is some miles west of LoOmis,
near Cathedral peak, a prominent en-
inence in that part Of the county, and
very near the international boundary
line. He did not know what the black,
glazy mineral was that was SO plainly
in evidence in the quartz, and some
old prospectors tried to discourage
him by declaring it to be "black jack,
a foreign deposit of unknown sub
stance, or anticidents, and of abso-
lutely no value. Mr.. Curtis was not
satisfied with the judgment of the
self-satisfied experts. He had local
assayer test several samples, and sent
others away for analysis and assay,
and the returns proved the ore to be
rare and valuable mineral.
Without means himself, he skirmished
around and interested a few resi-
dents in the vicinity of Loomis,
among them Clayton Baldwin and
VIM. Mcdaniel, and subsequently Geo.
w. Loudon. At the time of the first
discovery stock company was form
ed, with Henry Bahrs as promoter.
At that time Mr.. Bahrs was tied up
in the Copper World Extension. No
energetic effort was made to float
stock, and the company died a ling
ering death, as SO many other such
mining companies have in ages past.
Mr.. Curtis had the claims relocated
after the company failed to do even
the assessment work, and for years
he has hung on to the holdings
knowing that he had a good thing
and feeling certain that eventually he
would win his reward.
If any man ever earned a liberal
compensation for steadfast persist
ence and self-denial in the face of
and hardships it is
Mr.. Curtis. This tungsten deposit is
located at a high elevation in the
west of Loomis, and owing
to the early and great snow fall there
are only few months in the year
that the ground is bare. Mr.. Curtis
has made trips to and from the mine
in both summer and winter time and
again, and put in months of hard
work and privation keeping up the
annual representation work. With
little or no ready capital houses have
been built, and much underground
accomplished. A large
quantity of ore abs been uncovered,
and the indications point to an ex-
tensive tungsten deposit. The short
est way out to the railroad is by the
AshnOla valley, a short distance above
Keremeos, B. c. In a direct air line
the claims are only few miles from
the railroad, but most of that dis
tance is straight up in the air. The
Canadian government is to build a
wagon road up the Ashnola, and from
this highway a fairly passable road
can be constructed to the mine. II
MIR. Douglas takes over the property,
and that is settled fact, provisions
will be made to carry on extensive
work, and a means provided to get
the ore to the railroad. There is
every reason to believe that these
claims will eventually become the
chief source of tungsten supply for
the United States, and as it Is a min
eral that commands a high price the
operators will make a fortune of
great proportions from the invest
ment.
aoH