Our exploration of one of the upper portals of the Bralorne mine in Bralorne BC. The Bralorne property is centred on a gold-quartz vein system. The Bralorne mine, comprising the King, Empire (or Ida May) and Crown workings, operated continuously from 1932 to 1971. Production during this period and from older operations totals 4.9 million tonnes of ore yielding 87.6 million grams of gold and 21.9 million grams of silver, for an average recovery of 16.1 grams per tonne gold and 4.03 grams per tonne silver (MINFILE 092JNE001). The property is a consolidation of 133 Crown-granted claims and fractions, many of which were staked in 1897. The staking began after the discovery of gold-bearing quartz veins on the north bank of the lower course of Cadwallader Creek (Cairnes, 1937). Access to the area at that time was 110 kilometres by difficult trail from the railway. The original lode claims were explored individually or in small groups (the Lorne and Pioneer groups of claims were staked in 1897) and by 1898 almost all the veins that would be mined had been found. Gold was first recovered by hand crushing and panning the oxidized quartz from surface exposures. Adits were developed on the promising leads and gold was won in quantity from the ore by improvising primative mills. At Lorne two 12-foot arrastres were erected driven by a 28-foot overshot water wheel to process in a few tons of ore per day and in 1900 a 5-stamp mill was set up to increase production. On selling the Pioneer property, Arthur Noel purchased the Lorne mine from William Sloan and Dan Hurley. Prior to this the Lorne, King and Woodchuck veins had been successfully worked by Mike Gaynor, Nat Coghlan, William Young, John Williams and E.J. Taylor. In 1910 Lorne Amalgamated Mines Company gained control of the King mine and the adjacent key ground that included the Lorne, Golden King, Woodchuck, Wood Duck, Telephone and Marquis Crown-granted claims. After some shallow surface workings were completed the No.3 adit-crosscut was driven 335 metres to intersect the King vein. Work on the property was facilitated in 1915 when the Pacific Great Eastern Railway reached Lillooet on the Fraser River. Supplies from the coast were then routed 90 kilometres westward by road following the Bridge River. By 1920 some 900 metres of underground drifts and crosscuts had been developed and about 150 kilograms of gold produced, however, increasing sulphide and arsenic content in the veins at depth made gold recovery by amalgamation too low to pay in so remote an area. In 1928 Lorne Gold Mines Limited (Stobie, Furlong and Company) was incorporated and acquired the Alhambra and Blackbird claims, the Empire mine on the Ida May claim and the Coronation mine workings to the southeast. Proceeds from the sale of stock were spent driving a 900-metre adit tunnel 800 feet (245 metres) below the surface showings and by 1929 the principal veins in the King mine were delineated but in 1930 underground development was suspended because of financial difficulties. A new mining era began in 1931 when Lorne sold 60% interest to Austin Taylor and Associates who then organized Bralorne Mines Limited and took control of the property. A 100-ton mill was installed employing blanket concentration and floatation, thus commencing a 40-year period of continuous production (Photo 1). In 1935 milling capacity was increased to 475 tons daily.
Universal Coordinated Time UTC – ZULU is a 24 hour clock
. In March, 1946, when I was 20 months old, we moved to Minto, in the Bridge River Valley, BC. Minto is now flooded out by Carpenter Lake a Hydro-Electric Reservoir. My Dad had been hired on the Bridge River Power Project as a heavy-duty mechanic and welder to work on the Lajoie Dam. Most all of that electricity is dropped down into the Lynn Valley, North Vancouver, BC substation (follow the high-tension from just west and above Karen Magnussen Arena; two blocks south, following trails in the green space to https://mapcarta.com/W117564281) ~ So, When you turn on your cellphone, lights and TV please remember to thank my dad, Clarence Fredrick Webb, for sliding around on his back in the minus 40° C degree frozen mud to fix the equipment used to build the Lajoie Dam. My first best friend in Minto was Frenchie, an 75 year old prospector. He delighted in letting me hang around as he, all by himself, built his retirement log cabin. He showed me how and where to find gold, and extract it from the ore. I showed him how to make my grandmother's peanut butter cookies. When I turn two years old, for my birthday present, he had me put out my left hand, palm up. He dropped a small bead of mercury there, for a minute. WOW ! I'd never seen anything like that in my whole life, to date. Placer gold has come from black-sand in the creek and river bottoms. Frenchie helped me figure out so many things. Like, where does all of that black-sand containing gold come from. Up? Those who dance with earthquakes and volcanoes are considered mad by those who cannot smell the sulfur. In February, 1947 he put the pointy end of his shotgun in his mouth and blew his brains out. I still miss him, even to this day.
We begin to deal with BIG (MEGA) EARTHQUAKES at New Cascadia Dawn© - Cascadia Rising - M9 to M10+, An Intelligent Grandfather's Guide© The next website to look at is Simon Fraser University (foreground) Kulshan Stratovolcano© / Mount Baker Stratovolcano (background)© ~ Image by Stan G. Webb - In Retirement©, An Intelligent Grandfather's Guides© next, The Man From Minto© - A Prospector Who Knows His Rocks And Stuff©
Learn more about the Cascadia Volcanic Arc© (Part of Pacific Ring of Fire) Cascadia Volcanoes© and the currently active Mount Meager Massif©, part of the Cascadia Volcanic Arc© [ash flow, debris flows, fumaroles and hot springs], just northwest of Pemberton and Whistler and 40 kilometres west of Minto (BRV), Canada ~ My personal interest in the Mount Meager Massif© is that the last volcanic vent blew north, into the Bridge River Valley [The Bridge River Valley Community Association (BRVCA), [formerly Bridge River Valley Economic Development Society], near my hometown. I am the Man From Minto© - A Prospector Who Knows His Rocks And Stuff©
. Earthquake Drill
3rd Thursday in October 19, 2023 at 10:20 AM Pacific
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