Surprise.

Surprise workings. shipped.

Is being worked by Mr. A. Smith, of Kaslo. About 800 feet of tunnel has been run on this property, driving the Last Chance No. 3 tunnel through the Noble 5 with a view to cutting 750 feet vertical depth under the old Six men were continually employed doing this work. No ore was

Mr. J. A. Whittier has been in charge of operations at this mine, Goodenough. driving a long tunnel to tap the vein at 450 feet below the old workings. This tunnel will be about 1,500 feet long when completed. So far 450 feet of it has been driven and occasional pockets of galena found, whilst a large body of zinc ore has been encountered. It will be late next year before this long tunnel is finished. This same company has a lease and bond on the Bluebird, and is taking out some good galena ore. Owing to the continued litigation, nothing much was done on the Slocan Star property; some development, but no ore shipped.

Vancouver.

This mine is doing remarkably well at present and is turning out 10 tons of silver-lead concentrates, and 10 tons of zinc concentrates every 24 hours. Some 12,000 tons of ore have been milled, which has made 1,050 tons of zinc concentrates, 850 tons of silver-lead concentrates and 70 tons of hand-sorted galena. Development consists of 1,270 feet of drifting, cross-cutting, etc. An average force of 50 men has been employed, but at present the company has 70 men on the pay roll.

Nothing much is being done on the Washington mine, as the company is waiting for a more favourable market for zinc, having large bodies of that ore blocked out. Some 25 tons of galena has been shipped this year.

Dr. Gomm is still pounding away on the Ya-Ya and has driven about 350 feet of a drift and expects to get his ore-body at any time.

The Wakefield, Buffalo, Mountain Con., Ruth, Wonderful, American Boy, Sunset, California, Alamo-Idaho, Queen Bess, Corinth and Sunshine have nearly all shipped some ore and done some development work, but I am unable to state just the amounts.

Ore output, over 3,000 tons, with 1,000 tons of zinc just being sacked for shipment.

Average number of mines working for the year, 14 per month.

Average number of men employed per month, 175.

SLOCAN CITY MINING DIVISION.

REPORT OF H. R. JORAND, MINING RECORDER.

I have the honour to submit my report for the Slocan City Mining Division for the year ending December 31st, 1907.

The ore shipments for this Division again show a slight decrease from those of the previous year, which is due to various causes.

Arlington.

SPRINGER CREEK.

This mine has been a steady shipper during the year, shipping some 920 tons. During the fall of this year the management decided to instal a diamond drill at the property with a view to prospecting its ore bodies at depth. The drill is to be run by electricity generated by water power. The water power and the electric plant are already installed, and the drill will be at work before the end of January. Some 14 men are now employed at the mine and this force is to be gradually increased as new ore-bodies are discovered.

Ottawa.

The Ottawa mine was closed during part of the year, which accounts for the small shipments of ore to its credit, only 170 tons having been sent to the smelters. Word has just been received from the owners instructing the local manager, Mr. Foley, to begin work again. Only a small force will be employed at the beginning.

The Myrtle and the Tamarack were both worked in a small way during part of the year, the former shipping 10 tons of ore and the latter 20 tons.

The Graphic is now being worked under lease.

TEN-MILE CREEK.

This property has been worked during the whole year with most Westmont Group. encouraging results. Twenty tons of high-grade ore were shipped during September and another carload is now ready. The seven claims comprising the group have lately been acquired by the Westmont Silver Mining Company, Limited, a company incorporated in Ontario for the purpose. Active work will be continued during the coming year and the force at the mine increased.

Neepawa.

In the beginning of December Messrs. Jacobson and Hendricson secured a lease of this property. After a raise of ten feet on the vein a body of high-grade ore, about two feet in thickness, was encountered; about ten tons of this is now sacked and ready to ship. Only four men are now employed, owing to the difficulty of getting in supplies at this time of the year.

TWELVE-MILE CREEK.

The only property worked on this creek during the last year is the Midnight, from which a shipment of ten tons of ore was made in the spring.

LEMON CREEK.

No work has been done on this creek during the year other than of the usual assessments.

REPORT OF HARRY WRIGHT, GOLD COMMISSIONER.

I have the honour to submit my annual report on the Nelson Mining Division for the year ending the 31st of December, 1907.

During the first part of the year there was great activity in all branches of mining throughout the district, but the financial stringency occuring during the latter half caused considerable curtailment of development. In the case of those mines the principal output of which consists of copper, the phenomenal fall in the price of that metal also caused a cessation of production. In nearly all cases, however, where these deterrent circumstances were inoperative, there has been good progress made, and the results of the year's development have been such as to inspire increased confidence in the mineral resources of the district, and to presage a considerable renewal of activity as soon as these unfavourable conditions, which may be regarded as of a purely temporary nature, have been improved.

SHEEP CREEK.

As in the previous year, the scene of the greatest activity in mining was the Sheep Creek district. The joint output from the Queen, Kootenay Belle, Mother Lode, Nugget and Emerald makes a very considerable total from the Sheep Creek belt, while in the immediate vicinity, the Arlington, Second Relief and Keystone mines have all been producers on a considerable scale.

Yukon.

These properties, near Ymir, were bonded in February last to a syndiYankee Girl and cate of American capitalists, who operated the properties for six months and, during that time, drove over 1,000 feet, in development of the ore bodies, besides erecting an ærial tramway from the Yukon to a spot on the Dundee waggon road near Ymir. In August, however, the condition of the money market on the other side forced these American capitalists to relinquish their bond on the properties. The owners have since shipped a few carloads of ore, running from $20 to $25 a ton.

Ymir.

The Ymir Gold Mines, Ltd., the English company operating the Ymir mine, was reconstructed in the early part of the year, and the sum of $200,000 provided for additional development of the mine. A crew, averaging about 40 men, has been at work during nine months of the year, efforts being principally directed to locating the vein which is indicated by rich float as existing above the old Ymir vein. Some development was also done in the deep levels of the mine, without resulting, however, in the finding of any considerable body of pay ore. Small bodies were found and about 1,000 tons, averaging $5, was put through the mill.

This group is still under bond to Mr. James Cronin and his associates. Queen Victoria. Development has been carried on throughout the year, with an average force of 25 men. Although some 250 feet of tunnelling and raising has been done in the course of development, the nature of the immense outcrop lends itself to economical mining by the "glory hole" system, and most of the mining has been done in this manner. Some 3,500 tons of ore have been shipped to the Trail smelter during the year, the average assay being 2.6 per cent. copper, 1 ounce silver, and a little gold to the ton. As the

principal values are in the copper contents, the output has been curtailed since the decline in the price of that metal. The development during the year has sufficed to show the existence of an immense body of low grade copper ore, while the natural facilities presented by the property for the economical mining and handling of the ore ensure a very low cost of operation. An ærial tramway has been constructed from the mine to connect with the railway spur at the bottom of the hill.

Eureka.

The decline in the price of copper also caused considerable impediment to development on the Eureka mine, the output of which consists almost entirely of that metal. Some development was done, however, and 620 tons of ore shipped, the average assay being 5.5 per cent. copper, 2.0 ounces gold, and 2.40 ounces silver per ton.

The Poorman-Granite properties have been worked conjointly, under a lease, by Mr. Thomas Gough, who has had a very successful year. During the year 6,000 tons of ore were treated in the ten-stamp mill on the Granite, producing a gross amount of approximately $50,000. At the Referendum mine, on 49 creek, development has been pushed to the 200-foot level and a small mill has been operated during the latter part of the year, the total crushed being 250 tons, producing $2,100.

Queen.

Mr. William Waldie, the owner of the Queen, has operated this mine continuously throughout the year, with very satisfactory results, both as to production and development. The ten-stamp mill has run almost continuously during the year, and has crushed 8,845 tons, producing by amalgamation over $70,000, and over $30,000 in concentrates. The average number of men employed was 28, and in addition to the work done in mining ore, new development work was done to the extent of 300 feet in drifting and cross-cutting, and 150 feet in sinking and raising. During the year Mr. Waldie also acquired the Yellowstone group adjoining the Queen, a property formerly owned by the Yellowstone Mines Co., Limited., and successfully operated by them for many years. Although no development was done on this newly acquired group during the past year, it is the intention of the present owner to re-open the mine this spring. In view of the large bodies of ore developed on the Queen and the anticipated production from the Yellowstone, Mr. Waldie has doubled the capacity of his stamp-mill and will shortly be operating 20 stamps instead of 10, as heretofore.

The output from the Kootenay Belle and Mother Lode mines, near the Queen, has been treated by a small customs mill erected on Sheep creek by A. H. Tuttle, of Ymir.

From the Keystone mine, now under lease to Frank Finney, 71 tons of high grade ore were shipped to the Trail smelter, and netted the lessee nearly $85 per ton.

The Nugget mine, in the same neighbourhood, shipped 21 tons, producing over $110 a ton, while the Emerald shipped 560 tons of lead ore, producing approximately $10,000. The Second Relief mine was in operation for a portion of the year only, and its ten-stamp mill crushed about 3,000 tons of ore, producing approximately, $25,000.

Arlington Mine. (Erie.)

This property continued, as in former years, to make considerable shipments of crude ore. The vein is a blanket vein varying in width from a few inches to four or five feet of heavily mineralised matter. In development it is necessary to mine a large quantity of waste matter, which is used in filling up the stopes, but the work is so well laid out, and the facilities for handling the ore so well arranged, that the cost of production is probably reduced to the lowest possible minimum. During the year, of the total mined, 1,250 tons were shipped, averaging about

$37 per ton in gold and silver, besides an average assay value of 2.95 per cent. lead and 5.7 per cent. zinc. In new development work, 1,421 feet were driven, and the average number of men employed was 30.

Co.

A considerable production has been made during the year from the La Plata Mining Molly Gibson mine, on Kokanee creek, owned by the La Plata Mining Co., Limited. The 100-ton concentrator was in operation during nearly the whole of the year, although its full capacity was not utilised. Altogether, a total of, approximately, 20,000 tons of ore, carrying silver and lead, was mined and passed through the concentrator, being brought to the mill from the mine by means of an aerial tramway. The product hauled from the mill and shipped to the smelter amounted to 3,600 tons of concentrates, and realised a gross value of, approximately, $120,000. The number of men employed during the year averaged 61.

Hall Mining &
Smelting Co.

In September last the Hall Mines Smelter was closed down, in consequence of the necessity for a re-adjustment of the company's finances. During the early part of the year the smelter was in receipt of a considerable tonnage from the surrounding mines, but financial conditions during the last six months, by their effect on the mining companies, considerably reduced the operations of the smelter. The total receipts for the year from 49 mines are as follows:784 tons from Emma Mine (in Boundary District);

No. 2 was in

The No. 1 furnace was in blast 14 days only, and has now been taken down. operation a total of 200 days, and the total tonnage smelted was 14,117 tons, of which 833 tons was fluxing ore from the Emma mine, 3,493 tons lead and dry ores and B. C. Standard ore, and 9,791 roasted and converted product. The result of these smelting operations was the production of 3,953 tons of lead bullion, containing 593,068 ounces of silver and 4,502 ounces of gold, with an aggregate value of $717,808.02.

The Silver King mine was operated during the year by the company, the Davys lease having expired in the previous year. The total product was 2,279 tons, containing 28,330 ounces of silver and 159,613 lbs. of copper. The average assay per ton of ore shipped was 12.44 ounces of silver and 3.5 per cent. copper.

The Hunter V. mine, at Ymir, was operated during the greater part of the year by the Hall Mining and Smelting Co., on lease from the B. C. Standard Mining Co. The total shipments were 3,961 tons, which were distributed among the Northport, Trail and Nelson smelters. The high per centage of lime in the Hunter V. ores makes it a desirable flux, the average per cent. of lime in the year's output being 43, with 19 per cent. of silica. The contents of the ore shipped during the year total 23,350 ounces of silver and 68.36 ounces of gold. On the cessation of work by the Hall Mining and Smelting Co. in September, the lease held by that company was relinquished and the property has been shut down since that date.

OFFICE STATISTICS-NELSON MINING DIVISION.