NL GenWebNewspaper Records"The Daily News"Year End 1933 - Labrador Gold"Reprinted courtesy of Robinson-Blackmore Printing and Publishing" Any monetary or commercial gain from using this material is strictlyprohibited and subject to legal action.
The records were transcribed by JOHN BAIRD and SUE O'NEILL. While we have endeavored to be as correct as humanly possible, there may be typographical errors. |
DAILY NEWSThinks Gold Yet Be Found LabradorWhere There's Smoke There is Fire, and Somewhere yet Undiscovered and Believed by Rich Gold Find. (By Anthony Power) The Bondurant boom in Labrador caused much excitement and expense of time and money, in 1933, without any authentic gold finds of value. The facts about it all correct as seems to date, may be worth reciting as they are somewhat interesting. Gold possibilities in Labrador had long raised hopes; but perhaps the first reliable round for such hopes was Dr. A. P. Low's report of forty years ago of a large area of rock which he declared important as gold and other minerals occurred in such rock in Canada. Some of that area is in concessions granted as a result of Bondurant activities and it is worth noting that last summer's geological work there confirmed Low's statement, other including Dr. A. P. Colemen, a world famed geologist, also reported favorably on mineral expectations, Dr. Coleman stating that the interior of Labrador had large areas similar to areas that have made Ontario one of the great mining regions of the world. Dr. Lawson, formerly of California, the grand old man of "Keetwatin" rock fame holds that the Canadian Precambrian shield, the source of great wealth in Ontario and Quebec, runs through Labrador. Before October , 1932 what seemed genuinely gold samples from Labrador were now and then picked up mostly by Indians. One every rich sample was taken out by timber cruisers; it probably came from one of the rivers flowing into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. No prospectors seem to have reached the sources of those samples THE WABUSH-KATSAO FIASCO In October 1932, Capt. Boundurant was granted a concession near Lake Wabush-Katsao , after convincing the authorities of important gold possibilities there. The news spread and twenty others secured concessions . Other sensational news followed, and money invested in the venture. It was all a hoax about actual rich finds, according to results of last summer's investigations, and it is to many greatly hinder the prospecting which that region of mineral prolise deserve and thus delay id not defeat, real discovery there. And it certainly looks like some are not going to get a fair run for their money in it. Of course reported finds, now proven false, did get expeditions into Labrador that resulted in valuable geological date for future work. And it may finally turn out like the story of the "salted" mine that proved an Eldorado to those "sold" by the salters,. But all that is by the way. The introduction to the Bondurant tale goes back thirty years to a Monfaigneis Indian names Parrish (or Perrish) , when he brought samples to Seven Island, Que. They were so rich in gold that religious ornaments were made there from gold hammered out of them. A Dr. Reeves of New York secured Parrish's consent to lead a party to the source of those samples, and sent in with him as expensive expedition. A big quarrel broke the party up before it reached the Height of Land between Quebec and Labrador and the members scattered and all returned except Parrish and two others who went on to lake Wabush-Katsao. Parrish refused to take the other to further, but set out alone towards Lake Chabougamo in the morning, and returned in the evening, of a long northern summer day with fresh samples of rich ore. They came to Seven Island with them, but Parrish did not guide any one else to his find. Dr. Reeves made no further attempt so far as it is know,. OTHER ATTEMPTS 1. Next the prospector D'Aigl , so much in evidence again this year, tried for it, taking with him some of Reeves party, and failed. That was about 1910 I think. Then Sir Donald Mann, of Toronto, convinced that the Parrish gold came from that part of Labrador, sent in a party without success. Then the McFadyen interests of Toronto, also so convinced, tried their luck, they went much further north than the others for it, and it is n ot known that they did any better in gold, but they staked the famous "steel" mountain, now held by a local company. So far for the introduction. The Bondurant story proper begins with American friends of the Captain asking him to look up somewhere that his serial work on northern surveys might suggest mineral possibilities for them. He got in touch with D'Aigle, and decided on another try for the Parrish gold. St. Louis friends backed him and sent Professor W. H. Wheeler of Washington into the Lake Wabush-Katsao country with D'Aigle. They both brought out samples and there the confusion began; Wheeler's samples gave no worth-while results, D'Aigle's gave high values. Wheeler impressed , as all others who have seen them have been with the large highly mineralized quartz veins there, still advised the St. Louis people to go on. He went back and surveyed the best-looking ground, which was later granted to Capt. Bondurant for prospecting. Following that grant, the government granted twenty other concessions to local interests, and in all fees received about $25,000.00 all as a direct result of a hoax, of which of course, the government and each member of it, was as innocent as any of us. NO COMMERCIAL GOLD Last summer expedition into the Bounduran area lod, led by Dr. J. e. Gill of McGill University, proved that at and near the surface, no gold values higher the 80 cents s ton existed in the same veins out of which the Wheeler-D'Ailgle expedition got returns up to $183.00 in gold per ton. The previous samples are supposed to have been "salted" and it is held that a certain incident that happened last summer indicates the "salting" may have happened in a certain assaying laboratory. It is stated on authority that Capt. Bondurant still has the full confidence of his St. Louis friends, who completely absolve him from deception. They are heavy losers so far, as most of their money was wasted this year on proof of actual discovery, when if there had been no misleading, it would have gone into finding gold of commercial value. They, it is understood, are going prospecting in there again next summer. As for us, three statements published raised, and held high hopes born on the spread of the first news of the Boudurant gold; the official statement given out of values high as $2040.00 on the ton in samples from the Bondurant concession; those samples , it seems, were sent here by Capt. Bondurant with the statement by him that an Indian in his employ had brought them out from his concession last spring; the statement, republished here from the St. Louis "Globe Demonrat" of prof. Wheeler that the values from $2.00 to 183.00 in gold per ton ran in a vein so large that it should yield $2,000,000,000.00 in gold when mined; and finally, confirming highest hops, the statement published this summer that expert sampling gave from $30.00 to $300.00 in gold per ton. That last statement seemed official, as it came It is stated on authority that Capt. Bondurant still has the full confidence of his St. Louis friends, who completely absolve him from deception. They are heavy losers so far, as most of their money was wasted this year on proof of actual discovery, when if there had been no misleading, it would have gone into finding gold of commercial value. They, it is understood, are going prospecting in there again next summer. As for us, three statements published raised, and held high hopes born on the spread of the first news of the Boudurant gold; the official statement given out of values high as $2040.00 on the ton in samples from the Bondurant concession; those samples , it seems, were sent here by Capt. Bondurant with the statement by him that an Indian in his employ had brought them out from his concession last spring; the statement, republished here from the St. Louis "Globe Demonrat" of prof. Wheeler that the values from $2.00 to 183.00 in gold per ton ran in a vein so large that it should yield $2,000,000,000.00 in gold when mined; and finally, confirming hightest hops, the statement published this summer that expert sampling gave from $30.00 to $300.00 in gold per ton. That last statement seemed official, as it came from our branch mines office at Wabush-katsao; they had it from Prof. Wheeler, and are certainty not guilty. from our branch mines office at Wabush-katsao; they had it from Prof. Wheeler, and are certainty not guilty. FIRE WHERE THERE'S SMOKE To sum up the whole result of the hoax, many have invested whose money may never get a chance, especially if no effort is made to follow up with prospecting in areas into which their money has gone. Many could ill afford what they ventured, and would find it hard to help finance the genuine intelligently organized prospecting which this summer proved that the region merits. The mineralization consists of sulfides of copper and iron, most associated with small amounts of gold-too small for mining-at or near the surface. Mining men of experience have a feeling that "where there is smoke there is fire"-the signs are of gold; they expect, according to an official of an important mineral group, there will be areas of richer gold content found in there yet. But the only smoke that many investors here now admit is a smoke screen. And it will be a hot smoke that they will recognize as a sign of fire their zeal again to back Labrador for gold. Many, however, are not daunted, but are more determined to carry on, if given the chance, the search for wealth there. This year's gleaning of information will be an aid to them for next year's prospecting, which will make it more effective. Those who stick to it, may, some of them, reach the Parrish gold, which will be good; but none should gamble more than can he afford, in that quest. For finding gold is no small gamble. The only other information I can give is that D'Aigle and three other small prospecting parties are in there in Labrador all this winter after that gold LABRADOR INDEX |