Odds ‘n’Sods — Newsworthy western prospect

In sharp contrast to the general lack of enthusiasm for — and perhaps even hostility against — mining ventures on Vancouver Island today, the city of Victoria’s leading newspaper did give such developments considerable publicity back around the turn of the century.

An example of such publicity is evident in a feature article published in the Victoria Daily Colonist of Jan. 10, 1901, under the headline “The Famous New York Group (Port Hughes).” Excerpts from this article follow: “The property to which we now refer is one of which, although as yet not quite advanced to the shipping stage, great things are expected. It is known as the New York group, and is situated at Port Hughes, at the head of Bedwell Sound, West coast of Vancouver Island. It consists of seven claims and is held by the British Pacific Gold Property Company of this city.

“For the information of the public generally, it may not be amiss to give a few details as to this company and its operations. It was organized some three years ago, and comprises in its board of directors some of the leading citizens of Victoria and of Eastern Canada.”

After a few paragraphs concerning work being carried out, the article continues:

“Average samples from the dump have yielded from 13 to 15% copper, while the higher grade of the chalcopyrite taken out gives 32.62% copper, or within a small fraction of the theoretical maximum yield for pure copper pyrites. An assay of $25.50 per ton in gold from a portion of the same ledge matter has also been obtained.”

A bit further on, the article goes into some more pertinent details of the showings and workings:

“The ore at present on the dump is estimated to be worth several thousand dollars, while that which is demonstrated to exist, by the stripping of the orebodies on the surface, is a very large body of ore indeed, some of which may be actually quarried out. Even the white iron capping encrusting the orebody in the second tunnel which is being driven, in which marcasite or white iron is found in a solid body in the form of beautiful crystals — yields not less than $8 a ton in gold, besides silver, showing that as the copper ore that it covers is more fully exposed, extraordinary high values may be expected.”

Also mentioned is a crosscut tunnel being driven to “tap the orebody at a depth of 300 ft.”

The article ends with some details of financing, which states that the directors of the company were so desirous of protecting the interest of investors, that they agreed to return the shareholders’investment in dividends before the directors received anything for themselves.

Unfortunately, the crosscut that was driven did not encounter an orebody comparable with the one indicated in the outcrops and workings above. However, a few hundred tons were stoped out, and they remain there to this day, concealed with moss and the litter of the forest floor.

In 1970, Teck took an option on some claims I had staked adjoining the old Crown grants covering the workings described above. They ran a magnetometer survey over my claims and, about half-a-mile north of the old workings and on the same geological structure, outlined an intense anomaly. However, probably on the assumption that it was mainly magnetite and of no interest to them or for other reasons of which I am not aware, they did not follow it up.

Nearby, I gouged 8 tons of ore out of a surface cut on an assessment work project. Treated at the Tacoma smelter, it yielded 1 oz. gold, 14 oz. silver and 1,898 lb. copper.

I believe there is unexplored potential for discovering a significant precious metal-enriched skarn deposit in the vicinity of this old prospect and other similar occurrences on Vancouver Island. However, they will remain unexplored unless the government comes up with a commitment to permit exploration, development and mining to take place in areas that are designed as “special management areas,” and under reasonable environmental considerations.

— Walter Guppy, a resident of Tofino, B.C., is a frequent contributor to the column.