﻿iiij 
  The 
  Five 
  Islands 
  : 
  Grande 
  Cote 
  233 
  

  

  valley. 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  small, 
  comparatively 
  level 
  plain 
  about 
  35 
  feet 
  

   above 
  tide. 
  It 
  now 
  contains 
  three 
  wooded 
  lakes, 
  remnants 
  of 
  

   a 
  much 
  larger 
  one 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  partially 
  destroyed 
  by 
  the 
  

   down-cutting 
  of 
  the 
  outlet. 
  The 
  most 
  northern 
  of 
  these 
  little 
  

   lakes 
  is 
  660 
  yards 
  long 
  and 
  a 
  fourth 
  as 
  broad. 
  It 
  was 
  reported 
  

   to 
  be 
  bottomless 
  but 
  careful 
  soundings 
  showed 
  a 
  very 
  gently 
  

   sloping 
  bottom 
  nowhere 
  more 
  than 
  eight 
  feet 
  deep. 
  The 
  edge 
  

   is 
  fringed 
  with 
  reeds 
  and 
  trees 
  but 
  the 
  center 
  is 
  open. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  two 
  other 
  natural 
  ponds 
  on 
  the 
  island 
  : 
  one 
  near 
  the 
  

   sugar 
  house, 
  Sugar 
  House 
  pond, 
  has 
  had 
  its 
  level 
  raised 
  about 
  

   two 
  feet 
  by 
  a 
  dam. 
  Its 
  depth 
  is 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  the 
  larger 
  one 
  

   in 
  Lake 
  valley. 
  It 
  is 
  situated 
  in 
  the 
  pit 
  of 
  a 
  great 
  amphitheatre. 
  

   The 
  other, 
  Lily 
  pond, 
  is 
  near 
  the 
  Weeks 
  residence 
  and 
  like 
  the 
  

   others 
  occupies 
  the 
  pit 
  of 
  an 
  amphitheatre 
  of 
  rather 
  low 
  hills. 
  

  

  History 
  of 
  Mining 
  Operations 
  

  

  Early 
  work. 
  — 
  Sharing 
  with 
  the 
  other 
  islands 
  the 
  excitement 
  

   produced 
  by 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  rock-salt 
  on 
  Petite 
  Anse 
  in 
  1862 
  

   and 
  further 
  stimulated 
  by 
  the 
  high 
  price 
  of 
  salt 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  a 
  

   few 
  wells 
  were 
  dug 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  salt, 
  but 
  without 
  success. 
  

  

  Later 
  work. 
  — 
  Following 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  salt 
  on 
  C6te 
  Carline 
  

   in 
  1895 
  and 
  on 
  Belle 
  Isle 
  in 
  1896, 
  Mr. 
  F. 
  F. 
  Myles 
  undertook 
  the 
  

   exploration 
  of 
  Grande 
  Cote 
  as 
  a 
  private 
  enterprise. 
  In 
  March 
  

   1897 
  with 
  Mr. 
  N. 
  Conrad 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  drilling 
  he 
  started 
  the 
  

   first 
  hole 
  near 
  the 
  sugar 
  house. 
  Conrad 
  drilled 
  five 
  holes, 
  

   reporting 
  salt 
  in 
  the 
  fourth 
  at 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  276 
  feet, 
  June 
  25, 
  1897. 
  

   In 
  July, 
  the 
  same 
  year, 
  Capt. 
  A. 
  F. 
  Lucas 
  who 
  oversaw 
  the 
  work 
  

   on 
  Cote 
  Carline 
  and 
  Belle 
  Isle 
  was 
  put 
  in 
  charge. 
  He 
  struck 
  

   salt 
  in 
  well 
  No. 
  7 
  at 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  205 
  feet 
  late 
  in 
  August. 
  In 
  all, 
  

   fourteen 
  holes 
  were 
  drilled 
  in 
  this 
  preliminary 
  examination. 
  In 
  

   March 
  1898 
  the 
  Myles 
  Salt 
  company 
  was 
  organized 
  and 
  fourteen 
  

   additional 
  holes 
  were 
  drilled 
  under 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Geo. 
  

   Cowie, 
  to 
  determine 
  the 
  best 
  location 
  for 
  a 
  shaft. 
  In 
  July 
  1898, 
  

   it 
  was 
  started 
  on 
  the 
  site 
  of 
  holeNo. 
  24 
  where 
  the 
  salt 
  approached 
  

   nearest 
  the 
  surface. 
  

  

  After 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  of 
  trouble 
  with 
  quicksand 
  and 
  by 
  employing 
  

   a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  large, 
  sectioned 
  tubing 
  made 
  to 
  penetrate 
  the 
  

   quicksand 
  overlying 
  the 
  sulphur 
  deposit 
  of 
  Calcasieu 
  the 
  shaft 
  

   had, 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  writer's 
  visit, 
  reached 
  the 
  salt. 
  The 
  

  

  