Afterword

THE CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL 


September 1, 1917. 


DR. C. W. DRYSDALE S WORK. 

In an article in the Daily Colonist, Mr. E. Jacobs 
says .- 

Some of those who are familiar with the consider- 
able and valuable work done in B C. by the late Dr. 
Charles W. Drysdale, of the Geological Survey of 
Canada, are desirous of promoting a movement having 
for its object endeavors to induce the Dominion and 
Provincial Governments to each make a grant for the 
benefit of his widow and three young children, the 
regulations of the Dominion service with which he 
was connected not making sufficient provision in such 
a case as this. With a view to showing its extent and 
nature, the following outline of the work of the de- 
ceased geologist has been prepared : 

The first mention I remember having seen made of 
Dr. Drysdale 's work was the acknowledgment in the 
Geological Survey Summary Report for 1908, in which 
(on page 65) Mr. 0. E. LeRoy stated that in making 
a detailed geological survey of Phoenix camp, in Boun- 
dary district, he "was most ably assisted by Mr. C. W. 
Drysdale. ' ' 

In the Summary Report for 1909 (p. 131) Mr. LeRoy 
stated that in his work of geologically mapping the 
Slocan map area he "was assisted in a most efficient 
manner by Mr. C. W. Drysdale," and he bore similar 
testimony in the Summary Report for 1910 (p. 123) 
concerning geological work in Ainsworth and Slocan 
mining divisions. 

The field season of 1911 found Dr. Drysdale doing 
geological work in Franklin camp, in the northeastern 
part of Boundary district, and in the Summary Report 
for that year (pp. 133-138) there was included his pre- 
liminary report of his work in connection with com- 
pletion of a detailed geological map of that camp, while 
in 1915 there was published Memoir 56, Geological 
Series 56, "Geology of Franklin Camp, B.C.," by C. 
W. Drysdale. 

In 1912, much of the field work done by the Geo- 
logical Survey was in preparation for the excursions 
of members of the International Geological Congress 
arranged to be held in Toronto the following summer. 
That congress was attended by many of the most noted 
geologists of the world, and an appreciably Large num- 
ber of them took part in the Transcontinental Excur- 
sion to the West. Dr. Drysdale 's part in preparing 
to place knowledge at the disposal of those* eminent 
scientists, in particular, and the general public at large, 
was to geologically map a section ten miles wide along 
the Thompson River Valley between Sixmile Point. 
Kamloops Lake, and Lytton, this being part of the im- 
portant work done to make "a complete geological 
section across the Canadian Cordillera, from Vancouver 
to Banff, along the Canadian Pacific Railway." His 
description of the geology of the country from Savona 
to Lytton, printed in Part II. of Guide Rook No. 8 
(pp. 234-256), was, in common with that of others 
also included, in this way given wider publicity than 
geological reports usually obtain. In addition, there 
was printed in the Summary Report of the Survey for 
1912 (pp. 115-150) his official report on the "Geologj 
of the Thompson River Vallev Below Kamloops Lake. 
B. C." 

With the exception of one month, given up to Inter- 
national Geological Congress business. Dr. Drysdale 
spent the field season of 1913 at Rossi and. In L905 
and 1906, Professor R, W. Brock and Dr. (!. A. Young, 
both of the Geological Survey, had been engaged in 
making "a detailed geological survey of the Rossland 
mining camp," but, as was the case with tin 1 Lardeau, 



Mr. Brock failed to complete the promised geological 
report, the only result of his work made public having 
been a pamphlet issued in 1906 as a preliminary report, 
the greater part of which was information such as an 
ordinary newspaper writer would have compiled at 
very much less expense. Eventually to keep faith 
with those interested in Rossland. Dr. Drysdale was 
allotted the work of completing this long waited geo- 
logical report, with the result that in 1915 the Survey 
published Memoir 77, Geological Series 64, "Geology 
and Ore Deposits of Rossland. B.C.." a volume con- 
taining more than 300 pages, freely illustrated and 
accompanied by topographic and geological maps, 
altogether comprising a most valuable work on a min- 
ing region that has made a total production officially 
valued at more than $70,000,000 and still one of the 
most important of the productive mining camps of 
British Columbia. This work will long remain a strik- 
ing testimony to the zeal and industrv displayed by 
Dr. Drysdale. 

It may here be mentioned that on the initiative of 
myself in my capacity of secretary of the Western 
Branch of The Canadian Mining Institute, at a meet- 
ing held on October 26. 1916. the following resolution 
was passed : 

"Be it resolved, that the residents of Rossland and 
district <renerally. through representatives attending 
the twenty-third meeting of the Western Branch of 
The Canadian Mining Institute in convention assem- 
bled in the city of Trail, B.C.. express to the directors 
of the Dominion Geological Survey their sincere thanks 
for his interest in the development of the mineral re- 
sources of the country, in authorizing the completion 
of the structural survey of the Rossland camp; and 
be it further 

"Resolved, that we express our hearty appreciation 
of Dr. Charles Wales Drysdale's valuable contribution 
to Economic Geology in the work entitled "Geology 
and Ore Deposits of Rossland. British Columbia."' 

In moving this resolution. Mr. M. E. Purcell. super- 
intendent of the Centre Star-War Eagle mines, said, 
in part: "Mr. R. W. Brock had spent considerable 
time in Rossland making a detailed structural survcy 
of the camp several years since, but for some unex- 
plained reason the work so ably began was never fin- 
ished by him. and all that the people of Rossland had 
to whet their desire for information as to the potential 
mineral resources of the camp was a brief preliminary 
report of less than forty pages. 1 learned later that 
the reason the detailed report was delayed was because 
Mr. Brock's duties as director of the survey took up 
all of his time, and that men equal to the magnitude 
of the work at Rossland were not easy to find, but that 
as soon as a suitable man should be available, the work 
would be finished and the complete report written. 
It gives me great pleasure to say that in Charles Wales 
Drysdale the right man was found, and the delay m 
completing the report on the Rossland camp has since 
been completely justified. It is perhaps fitting in 
the absence of men better qualified for this duty, who 
have been prominent in the development of Rossland 's 
great mines in the past, that one who has also been 
intimately and continually associated with the de- 
velopment of the camp's mineral resources for about 
twenty-one years, should, on behalf of Rossland and 
neighborhood, present the foregoing resolution." 

Mr. S. G. Blaylock, assistant general manager far 
the Consolidated Mining & Smelting Company of Can 
ada. Limited, said: "Tt affords me much satisfaction 
to support the resolution that this meeting expresses 

September 1, 1917. 



THE CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL 



347 



sincere gratitude to Dr. Drysdale for his able work 
on the Rossland camp. The work which Dr. Drys- 
dale has accomplished in this region can only be 
appreciated thoroughly by those who know the Ross- 
land camp. He has solved numerous problems, and 
pointed out a great many things that were not before 
known to any of us. His work was all the more valu- 
able in that as it progressed, he instructed various men 
interested in the district in the different rock formations 
and ore bearing measures, so that we did not have to 
wait a long period of time until his completed report 
could be issued, before we could take advantage of 
the knowledge he gained at Rossland. I may say that 
his findings have been of very real value in laying out 
development work in mines of the camp. I am sure 
we will give Dr. Drysdale every credit, and wish him 
the great success he deserves." 

After having spent several we.eks of the early part 
of the 1914 field season in Rossland camp, and in ex- 
amining recent developments in mining in Franklin 
camp, Dr. Drysdale was engaged during most of the 
season in making a detailed examination of Ymir min- 
ing camp, preparatory to mapping an area of about 145 
square miles in Nelson mining division, lying between 
Hall, ten miles south of Nelson, on the Nelson and 
Fort Sheppard Railway, and Salmo. Memoir 94. Geo- 
logical Series 76, "Ymir Mining Camp, B.C.." pub- 
lished early in 1917, by the Geological Survey, gives 
more information concerning an easily accessible min- 
ing region, than, perhaps, is obtainable in any other 
similarly convenient form. Before returning to Ottawa 
for the winter, Dr. Drysdale gave attention for some 
days to gold mines in Sheep Creek camp, some copper 
occurrences in the North Fork of Salmon River, and 
the Molly molybdenite mine on Lost creek, also in 
Nelson division. 

The first detailed official description of that molyb- 
denite property, together with other most acceptable 
information relative to molybdenite, made available to 
the public was that contained in Dr. Drysdale's paper 
entitled "Notes on the Geology of the Molly Molyb- 
denite Mine. Lost Creek. Nelson Mining Division, B.C.," 
read at a meeting of the Western Brand) of the Cana- 
dian Mining Institute held in Rossland on July 15, 
1915. Two or three months later, the property was 
visited by the Provincial Assistant Mineralogist, but 
his account of it was not made public until fully a 
year after Dr. Drysdale's paper was presented. 

During the main pari of the field season of 1915, 

Dr. Drysdale w;is engaged in geologically mapping the 
[tridge River area. Lillooet mining division, ami there 
he paid "special attention to the working mines of 
the district and other mineral occurrences." At the 
close of the season he devoted a short time to examin 
ing 8 few of the chief mining properties in the High- 
land Valley copper camp, situated about '11 miles south- 
east of Ashcroft, B.C. A preliminary report on Bridge 
River map area and some notes on Highland Valley 

copper camp were printed in the Summary Report for 

1915 (pp. 75 91). 

As the Geological Survey Summary Report for 1916 
has not yet been received. I am without information 
concerning Dr. Drysdale's field work in that year. 
He was assigned i" do further geological work in 
British Columbia thi> year, and was on his way to the 
scene of his intended activities in Windermere divi- 
sion. Kast Kootenay. when on duly 11. ultimo, he Was 
drowned when trying to cross the Columbia River 00 
a raft. 

Of all the men who in recent years have done field 
work in British Columbia in connection with economm 



geology, the opinion may be expressed that he was 
distinctly in the lead. Highly efficient, untiring, assi- 
duous in his investigation, and diligent in preparing 
for publication the results of his work, he set an 
example that it would be to public advantage to have 
emulated by some of the go-easy officials whose lei- 
surely procedure causes unreasonable delay in the pub- 
lication of information that would be much more valu- 
able if quickly made available for use. Added to these 
high qualifications for his important work, were kind- 
liness and courtesy that freely and generously respond- 
ed to inquiry concerning problems and difficulties met 
with in mining, so that all who came into contact with 
him in the field or underground appreciated his pleas- 
ing personality. It is to be hoped that appreciation 
of his most valuable work in British Columbia will 
not be restricted to empty words, but that it will 
rather find expression in substantial provision for 
his widow and children left, it is feared, without ade- 
quate means to meet their needs beyond the imme- 
diate future.