﻿Geology 
  and 
  Mineralogy. 
  233 
  

  

  The 
  recognition 
  in 
  late 
  years 
  of 
  the 
  Huronian 
  as 
  a 
  distinctly 
  

   gold-bearing 
  formation, 
  in 
  itself 
  goes 
  far 
  to 
  establish 
  the 
  correct- 
  

   ness 
  of 
  the 
  hypothesis 
  originally 
  advanced 
  on 
  this 
  subject, 
  as 
  

   rocks 
  of 
  this 
  formation 
  occupy 
  considerable 
  areas 
  of 
  the 
  Lauren- 
  

   tian 
  plateau." 
  

  

  In 
  these 
  jjravel 
  deposits, 
  six 
  miles 
  above 
  Edmonton, 
  bones 
  of 
  

   Elephas 
  primigenius 
  or 
  AmeHcanus, 
  and 
  of 
  Ovibos 
  moschatus 
  

   have 
  been 
  discovered. 
  

  

  The 
  overthrust 
  faults 
  in 
  the 
  Cretaceous 
  coal-bearing 
  district 
  of 
  

   Crow 
  Nest 
  Pass, 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains, 
  lead 
  

   to 
  the 
  expectation 
  of 
  finding 
  coal 
  beds 
  of 
  Cretaceous 
  age 
  below 
  

   Paleozoic 
  limestone. 
  

  

  This 
  peculiarity 
  in 
  the 
  structure 
  is 
  adduced 
  as 
  an 
  explanation 
  

   of 
  the 
  petroleum 
  occurring 
  in 
  rocks 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  surface 
  is 
  of 
  

   probable 
  Lower 
  Cambrian 
  age 
  — 
  between 
  Crow 
  Nest 
  and 
  South 
  

   Kootenay 
  passes 
  in 
  the 
  southern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains. 
  

  

  The 
  borings 
  for 
  petroleum 
  at 
  Athabasca 
  Landing 
  have 
  been 
  

   continued, 
  but 
  without 
  practical 
  success. 
  Mr. 
  Fraser 
  explains 
  

   the 
  hindrance 
  to 
  attempts 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  sources 
  of 
  the 
  petroleum 
  

   in 
  his 
  report 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  *'The 
  bore 
  at 
  Pelican 
  River 
  had 
  been 
  stopped 
  at 
  820 
  feet 
  owing 
  

   to 
  the 
  striking 
  of 
  an 
  immense 
  flow 
  of 
  gas, 
  which 
  made 
  it 
  impos- 
  

   sible 
  to 
  work 
  while 
  it 
  continued 
  to 
  flow 
  with 
  such 
  force. 
  It 
  was 
  

   thought 
  that 
  by 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1898 
  it 
  would 
  have 
  exhausted 
  

   itself 
  sufficiently 
  to 
  permit 
  further 
  boring, 
  and 
  to 
  this 
  end 
  the 
  

   casing, 
  4f 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter, 
  was 
  left 
  quite 
  free 
  and 
  open 
  to 
  per- 
  

   mit 
  the 
  escape 
  of 
  the 
  gas. 
  It 
  was 
  estimated 
  that 
  before 
  a 
  depth 
  

   of 
  1000 
  feet 
  was 
  encountered 
  the 
  Devonian 
  limestone 
  would 
  be 
  

   pierced. 
  

  

  "Upon 
  investigation 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  season, 
  the 
  

   flow 
  of 
  gas 
  seemed 
  to 
  have 
  very 
  materially 
  decreased 
  ; 
  but 
  upon 
  

   operations 
  being 
  resumed, 
  the 
  seeming 
  decrease 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  

   in 
  a 
  great 
  measure 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  closing 
  up 
  of 
  the 
  outlet 
  at 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  casing 
  by 
  an 
  asphalt-like 
  mixture, 
  composed 
  

   of 
  maltha, 
  or 
  petroleum 
  tar, 
  and 
  sand. 
  In 
  fact, 
  when 
  boring 
  

   operations 
  were 
  resumed 
  on 
  June 
  17th, 
  the 
  difficulty 
  was 
  found 
  

   to 
  be 
  intensified 
  by 
  the 
  accumulation 
  of 
  this 
  asphalt-like 
  maltha 
  

   in 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  bore. 
  

  

  "The 
  rapid 
  expansion 
  of 
  the 
  ^as 
  produced 
  a 
  very 
  low 
  tempera- 
  

   ture, 
  and 
  this 
  chilled 
  and 
  solidified 
  the 
  tar, 
  or 
  maltha, 
  until 
  it 
  

   became 
  as 
  adhesive 
  as 
  wax. 
  As 
  the 
  tools 
  cut 
  it 
  loose 
  the 
  gas 
  

   would 
  carry 
  it 
  up 
  through 
  the 
  bore, 
  until 
  from 
  bottom 
  to 
  top 
  it 
  

   was 
  almost 
  one 
  mass 
  of 
  sand 
  and 
  tar. 
  The 
  only 
  way 
  it 
  could 
  be 
  

   extracted 
  from 
  the 
  sand-pump 
  was 
  by 
  heating 
  the 
  latter 
  over 
  a 
  

   fire; 
  even 
  then 
  very 
  little 
  could 
  be 
  got 
  out 
  at 
  one 
  time, 
  it 
  being 
  

   so 
  thick 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  almost 
  impossible 
  to 
  force 
  it 
  up 
  into 
  the 
  

   pump. 
  I 
  used 
  different 
  sorts 
  of 
  tools 
  to 
  cut 
  it 
  off" 
  the 
  wallsand 
  

   clean 
  it 
  out, 
  but 
  the 
  longer 
  we 
  worked 
  at 
  the 
  bore 
  the 
  greater 
  

   the 
  quantity 
  of 
  tar 
  accumulating 
  on 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  casing 
  and 
  

   tools." 
  

  

  