HAMILTON SCIENTIFIC ASvSOCIATlON. 43 



Before 1904 was over, prospectors found Native Silver, 

 and Niccolite or Smaltite, which is reddish in color and very- 

 nice, resembling the German Kupfer Nickel or Copper 

 Nickel. When Smaltite is subjected to the action of the 

 weather it rusts to a pink rust called Cobalt Blue. The 

 facility with which Smaltite decays is remarkable. The 

 smallest quantity of Smaltite subjected to the action of the 

 weather rapidly alters to a beautiful pink color. Cobalt, as a 

 metal, is like iron, and has about the same hardness ; it is 

 used in making steel, but not very largely. The main use is 

 for staining windows, such as we see in churches, and for 

 making water colors used in china painting. 



Previous to the discovery of Cobalt in Canada, most of it 

 was brought from a little island in the South Sea, called New 

 Caledonia. In igco, New Caledonia produced about 275,000 

 francs worth of ore, entirely different from that found at 

 Cobalt. New Caledonia Cobalt was worth about sixty-five 

 cents per lb. in the ore. It is now about one-half or less than 

 a half the price it was before the Canadian mines were 

 opened up. 



The presence of Cobalt makes the country rather unique, 

 but it is the silver that makes the country really valuable, and 

 not the Cobalt. The greatest mass of solid Smaltite that has 

 been known was discovered at Cobalt in 1904. In 1904 the Ross 

 mine was found ; it is estimated to be worth more than a mil- 

 lion dollars. It is a wonder that the Indians did not discover 

 the presence of Smaltite. Mr. Trethewey came up one after- 

 noon in the fall of 1904 and found his claim in little less than 

 half an hour. There are remarkably fine veins of silver in 

 the Trethewey mine, running right up the hillside. 



Around Cobalt Lake, on the south side, the railway 

 laid out a town, and the fall of 1904 saw the beginning 

 of the town of Cobalt. The year of 1904 proved the 

 value of the country, and by the spring of 1905 there was 

 a real rush. Cobalt rushed up in 1905 where before it was 

 virgin forest ; by the fall of 1905 there were big advances. 

 In 1906 an even greater boom than ever began. 



