Mineral Exploration
and Mining in New Brunswick
Since our teacher was going to be attending
a Teachers’ Institute meeting, Cliff and I ran all the way home, so we could
get an early start on our afternoon off, as this would probably be our last
opportunity before winter set in to gather some of the pretty rocks along
the brook.
By the time we reached the lower interval where Gramp and Dad were topping
turnips, Mum’s old purse was bulging and one strap broke as we hurriedly made
our way through the alder bushes to show them the special rocks we had found.
Gramp watched as Cliff handed Dad the yellow stones that we were certain were
pure gold.
Then, with a smile on his face, he remarked, “It’s too bad you were not
around in 1861 to help a company of Australian and California miners who
came to Hampton to find gold about three miles upstream from the Hammond
River Bridge.”
I knew that many men from New Brunswick went to California and Australia
to find gold in those places but I didn’t think about men coming here from
those countries to seek gold.
Gramp went on to tell about how the miners who returned from far away places
would look for gold when they came back home.
In fact, according to a news item in the Carleton Sentenil on Nov. 22, 1879,
an important discovery was made in Glassville. The informant, an old miner
and returned Californian, said the deposit was one of exceeding richness.
The discovery was accidental and was made by one Durrah, also an old miner.
Shortly after the discovery and before he could advantage himself by it, Durrah
was taken with his last sickness, and knowing his days to be numbered, imparted
the secret to the informant. The newspaper reporter saw a piece of gold measuring
over one and one half inches in its largest diameter.
Carleton Sentinel - Sept. 19, 1891. A gold mine has lately been
discovered by Mr. John Huggard of Biggar Ridge, a gentleman well versed in
mineralogy, who has been prospecting for some time in the vicinity; the mine
is located near Beaver Brook on Biggar Ridge, and is being opened up by a
company of shareholders, namely, John Huggard, Thos. Sommerville, B.R., and
John McIntosh of Glassville, who believe, with others, that when the mine
becomes more extensively developed it will yield very rich profits in gold
and other minerals, which we hope will be the case, as we believe it will
be of inestimable value to the surrounding country.
The St. Andrews Beacon of Oct. 05, 1893 - St. George. Mr. James
Dodds, of the firm of Epps, Dodds & Co., has recently moved into his
fine residence on the Manor Road. Alexander Taylor, of the firm of Taylor,
Bros., is building a very fine residence near the works of Milne, Coutts
& Co. All the granite works here are full of orders and doing a flourishing
business. The prospects of the Granite business here seem to be bright for
the future.
Daily News of Nov. 12, 1879 - An Asbestos Vein. Messrs. John Calhoun
and Isaac Duffy, of Carleton have begun operations in Pisarinco on what is
believed to be a large vein of asbestos. It was discovered about a year ago
by a young man named Robert Spillane, and a blacksmith named William Bolton,
of Portland, who bought the property, but being unable to work it properly
sold their right to Messrs. Calhoun and Duffy. Altogether about a hundred
weight of material has been got out of the rock. Samples have been sent to
New York and Edinburgh and very favorable reports have been received with
regard to it. It is said to be of the very best quality.
St. John Daily Sun - Dec. 27, 1893 - Gold Mines. The citizens of
Point de Bute are of the opinion that they have discovered a genuine gold
mine in their vicinity. The lots have been surveyed and last fall excavations
were made in the most favorable place, which was on the farm of Howard Trueman.
Persons who have had some experience in such matters say that the deposit
is rich in gold and not unlike that found in the Memramcook mine.
St. Andrews Standard - Apr. 29, 1863. We learn from a gentleman
at Letete that the English Company who have taken the Copper mines in that
locality, have a number of men at work under Mr. J.W. Kay, their engineer,
and that they are raising large quantities of the ore, which has been known
to exist there.
Daily Telegraph - Apr. 17, 1869 - Our Marble and Stone Cutters - Home
Manufacture and Industry. . . . The next place he visited was the Stone
Cutting Yard of Mr. Tay, Duke Street, who during the past winter has been
so busily engaged conducting, under the supervision of Mr. Crosby, the erection
of the ‘Wiggins Male Orphan Institute’, that he has not had leisure to attend
to the other branches of his profession. During all the past winter not fewer
than twenty-two men have been steadily employed on this building, which is
situated on St. James St. - cost of erection between thirty and forty thousand
dollars; it is expected to be completed about next fall. Wishing to have
his information on this walk of energy and industry as complete as possible,
our Reporter next directed his steps toward the Railway bridge for the purpose
of visiting the stone cutting premises of Mr. P. Cormack who has at present
in his employment nine hands, all of whom are busily engaged in preparing
the granite material of which the ‘Wiggins Vault’ is to be constructed in
the Rural Cemetery.
The above information was taken from the CD “Compilation of Historical
Data on Geology, Mineral Exploration and Mining in New Brunswick “ which
was compiled over a five-year period by William W. Gardiner. The data is essentially
a compilation of thousands of newspaper articles primarily derived from old
newspapers on microfilm but also from the files of the New Brunswick Department
of Natural Resources and from less accessible archived sources, referring
to the mining industry. Although designed to be used by prospectors, it is
a great source of names for family historians.
To order the CD, contact Dept. of Natural Resources - Mineral Resources
Branch, Hugh John Flemming Forestry Centre, P. O. Box 6000, Fredericton,
NB, Canada, E3B 5H1. Phone: (506) 453-2206. Fax: (506) 453-3671. E-mail to
Carolynn.Gosselin@gnb.ca.
Order reference - O F 2003-17. Cost is $15.00
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