Blue Bell Zone

The Blue Bell property is on the east side of Great Northern Mountain, approximately 3.2 kilometers northwest of Ferguson. It is at 1,633 metres elevation on the north side of Fissure Creek, above its headwaters. The Blue Bell (L.5707) tenure is one of several crown-granted mineral claims that straddle the border between NTS Map sheets 82K/11 and 82K/12. The tenure cluster covers the Blue Bell [082KNW060], True Fissure [082KNW030], Great Northern [082KNW061] and St. Elmo [082KNW062] deposits. The Blue Bell workings develop the northern extension of the True Fissure vein and the two properties have been worked together since the mid-1920s. The Blue Bell was known as the "Silver Queen" in the early 1900s.

Click on the following links: Blue Bell 1 and Blue Bell 2 to see typical pictures of the gold-bearing massive sulfide ore found at surface).

The first showing in the area was found in 1890, on the Great Northern claim. Other discoveries soon followed and the entire vein system was located before the turn of the century. Small-scale exploration and development was carried out by the locators, or bondholders, for several years before the Blue Bell (L.5707) claim was eventually crown-granted to John Stauber and Associates, in 1904. The True Fissure, St. Elmo and Blue Bell Crown-grants and four adjacent claims were later bonded by G.F. Park and Associates of Cincinnati, Ohio, who incorporated the Ohio Mines Development Company Limited to handle the claims in October, 1906. The tenures were later transferred to the True Fissure Mining and Milling Company Limited, which was incorporated by Park and Associates in September, 1907. Intermittent exploration and development work was carried out by that company, or by lessees, until 1930. In 1917, Conaway Mining Company shipped 24 tonnes yielding 40.4 kilograms of silver and 9435 kilograms of lead from the "Silver Queen" deposit.

The Blue Bell workings were established by 1921. The Latonia Milling Company was then formed by the Park interests to install and operate a mill under agreement with the True Fissure Mining and Milling Company and, in 1937, New True Fissure Mining & Milling Company Limited was formed to develop the property. In 1945, Comara Mining & Milling Company Limited took over the claims and extended the holdings to 43 units. In 1949, this company's holdings were transferred to Columbia Metals Corporation Limited. The latter engaged the Granby Consolidated Mining, Smelting and Power Company Limited to carry out exploration work during 1952. No further development was undertaken until 1966. Exploration, in 1972, included electromagnetic and self potential surveys covering the St. Elmo, Blue Bell, True Fissure and Great Northern claims and 1102 metres of diamond drilling, in 54 holes.

In the True Fissure and Blue Bell mine area, there is a broad mineralized zone in the hanging-wall part of the vein that has a maximum (but unproven) length, from the True Fissure No. 1 adit to Blue Bell No. 1 drift of about 400 metres. The zone is exposed at different levels in several workings in both mines but it is erratically mineralized. Individual ore shoots vary in length, width and grade. The Blue Bell part of the vein is similar to the True Fissure part but contains more quartz and less feldspar and carbonate. Fyles and Eastwood (EMPR BULL 45) show that the depth of the vein down dip ranges from nothing, west of True Fissure No. 3 portal to 110 metres near the south end of True Fissure No. 2 level and 137 metres at the Blue Bell raise.

The Blue Bell vein varies in width up to 10 metres, or more, but is rarely mineralized for more than 1.2 metres. At the foot of the raise on the Blue Bell No. 2 level, there is a well defined lens of sphalerite and minor galena 7.6 metres long and 0.61 meter wide that passes laterally into pockets of sulphide along strike to the northwest and southeast. On the Blue Bell No. 1 level, the southeast part of the drift follows a 0.3 to 0.62 meter wide zone of galena and sphalerite along the footwall of a shear and near the face of the drift, a crosscut in the footwall exposes a second mineralized lens of about the same thickness. Together with sparse mineralization between, the two bands form a mineralized zone approximately 2.0 metres thick.

In 1925, Starr (EMPR PF: Starr Report, 1925) sampled the Blue Bell vein in the Upper and Lower adits. In the upper, he collected fifteen samples from the drift and three from small stopes adjacent to it, and determined an average value of 184.5 grams per tonne silver, 3.1 per cent lead and 9.8 per cent zinc over a width of 1.37 metres and length of 45.7 metres. In the lower, he collected nine samples 3.1 metres apart and obtained an average of 161 grams per tonne silver, 3.1 per cent lead and 11.2 per cent zinc over 0.46 meter width and 24.4 metres of length. Also, in the raise above this level, the first 12.2 metres averaged 219 grams per tonne silver, 5.1 per cent lead and 16.9 per cent zinc over 0.76 meter width. However, the zone pinched out above the 12.2 metres mark. Starr also sampled what he describes as the Blue Bell vein in the "C" tunnel of the True Fissure mine. There, he found that the mineralized portion of the vein averaged 216 grams per tonne silver, 3.7 per cent lead and 10.2 per cent zinc over a length of 10.7 metres and width of 0.49 meter. He estimated that there was a 1.0 meter wide block between the two levels that could be considered to be "positive" for ore amounting to approximately 3600 tonnes grading 178 grams per tonne silver, 3.1 per cent lead and 10.3 per cent zinc.

In 1952, Granby Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company Limited conducted a major review of the camp and established a small, resource in the Upper Blue Bell adit.

 

The Blue Bell Zone is the most Northern Known Occurrence of Massive Sulfide

• The Blue Bell Zone is the most northerly zone found at Thor and was explored via two levels.

• Ore-grade mineralization can be found on the extreme north end of the lower level drift, and is precious metal-rich in contrast to the other zones found at Thor