Hamilton, John & W.J.

TWO SUCCESSFUL PROSECTORS

            On Thursday two examples of the successful, and true prospector, came into Cranbrook and went into camp in its suburbs, where they will await the passing of the snow from the hillsides before commencing a 200-foot cross-cut tunnel on their Belleville claim, on Palmer mountain, eight miles from Cranbrook.  They are W.J. and John Hamilton, and are both miners and prospectors; they have made valuable discoveries in East Kootenay since coming here, have done considerable work on them, and are starting in to do more; they own a property in Montana which is so valuable that they were recently offered many thousands of dollars for it, and upon which they have run a tunnel of over a thousand feet.  The Herald mentions these facts simply to show that they are “onto their job.”

            Speaking of Southeast Kootenay as a mineral zone, the gentlemen stated that it is, in their judgment and firm belief one of the most fruitful fields for the intelligent and industrious prospector to be found in the world today, accessibility by the C.P.R. being taken into consideration; nor is it an advantageous and desirable field for the prospector alone.  Here exist the same grand opportunities for the judicious investment of capital.  The man with a few hundreds of dollars may find undeveloped prospects which can in a short time be developed into properties that will command thousands while syndicates with larger capital may secure mines upon which sufficient work has been done to demonstrate that they go deep, and carry the ores and values along.  The Messrs. Hamilton not only believe this as miners and prospectors of long experience, but are backing their belief with money and muscle, two things needful for mine getting.

            All the country rock of Southeast Kootenay is of a nature intended by nature to be the storehouse of the more valuable minerals – mainly diorite and slates, in places traversed by porphyry dikes; the dioite, in most mineral districts an exceedingly hard formation to penetrate, here softens with depth.  Quartzite, sienite and granite appear less frequently; the only lime belt of any magnitude encountered by the Messrs. Hamilton lies between the Little Bull and Big Bull rivers.

VALUABLE CLAIMS

            As a result of last summer’s prospecting the Hamiltons have discovered some valuable prospects, and done considerable work on them; they have worked all winter in the St. Eugene and are fully prepared to prosecute to a finish the long piece of work they are about to commence.  Within a few miles of Cranbrook – on Palmer mountain – they have three claims.

            THE LORETTA is not a very large lead, but shows splendid values in gold, numerous assays giving returns of from $36 to $100 per ton.  The ore carries tellurium, that rare metal so seldom recognized by the large majority of prospectors when seen, and which often carries with it fabulous gold values.  Mr. Hamilton is reported to be the first in this district to recognize and classify the mineral.

            THE BELLEVILLE is another proposition belonging to the brothers, and is situated on Palmer mountain, on the right hand fork of the creek.  On this property they have sunk a shaft 39 feet, at which point they struck a spring with such a strong flow that further work was rendered impracticable.  The shaft is all in ore and the ledge 7 feet wide; on the hanging wall there is 2 feet of solid clean zinc ore, the remaining 5 feet being galena, 18 inches of which is solid and practically free from gangue.  The zinc ore streak is distinctly separated from the galena.  The Messrs. Hamilton will in a few days start a cross-cut tunnel of 200 feet on this property, which they estimate will give a depth of 150 feet.

            The Lookout is an extension of the Belleville, lieing higher up the mountain, and is also their property.