INTRODUCTION. 



In 1903, during the construction of the Temiskaming 

 and Northern Ontario Railway, which is owned and oper- 

 ated by the Ontario Government, rich veins of cobalt-silver 

 ore were discovered near what is now known as Cobalt 

 station. The railway track runs almost over the top of 

 one of the most important veins yet found. 



At the time the discovery was made, the veins attracted 

 little attention, the discoverers not being men whose vocation 

 was that of prospecting or mining. 



Niccolite is a characteristic mineral of the area, and, 

 as its German name, kupfer-nickel, indicates, its color is 

 somewhat like that of copper. Hence, it is not surprising 

 that some of the first persons to see the deposits mistook the 

 niccolite for copper ore, and, not having their attention 

 drawn to the native silver, which occurred in profusion in 

 parts of the veins, should have decided that the deposits 

 were of the less precious metal. A sample of the niccolite, 

 received at the Bureau of Mines toward the end of October 

 of the year mentioned, aroused the writer's interest and he 

 decided to visit the locality from which it came. 



The great Sudbury nickel area lies 90 miles to the south- 

 west of Cobalt, and in a report on a trip of exploration to the 

 vicinity of what is now Cobalt, in 1901, the writer had said: 



" It will be seen from what has been stated on preceding 

 pages that the district examined contains as great a variety 

 of rocks as probably any other part of the Province of equal 

 area. . . . 



" Although few discoveries of economic minerals have 

 been made in this territory, it may reasonably be expected, 

 judging from the character and the variety of the rocks, that 

 deposits of value will be found when the district is more 

 carefully prospected, as it will be in a short time, owing to 

 the rapid settlement which is now taking place. ... It 

 would seem that at least some of the conditions of the 

 Sudbury district are repeated in this more eastern field."* 



*llth Report, Ontario Bureau of Mines, p. 229. 



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