#118The Antoine Mine, Sandon

Channel:

Exploring Abandoned Mines

Subscribers:

165,000

Published on October 18, 2018 6:00:08 AM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfgsBov5czA

Duration: 30:50

23,952 views

978

The Antoine mine is located at 2195 metres elevation at the head of the south fork of McGuigan Creek. New Denver, British Columbia is 10 kilometres to the southwest.

The Antoine claim was first staked in 1891 and subsequently Crown granted in 1897. The Red Fox (Lot 2413), Red Fox Fr. (Lot 2414) and Central (Lot 2415) Crown grants adjoin the Antoine claim to the east. The Red Fox, Red Fox Fr. and Central claims were partially developed by extending the Red Fox workings of the Antoine into the Red Fox claim (082KSW065). The Ogema Reverted Crown grant (Lot 3163) adjoins the Antoine claim to the south. Jackson Mines Limited Incorporated was incorporated in 1897 and operated the Antoine property from 1899 until 1903. At this time an extensive exploration program was undertaken and included the extension of the No. 5 crosscut adit to connect with the lower workings. Work in 1925 consisted of reworking the old dump from the No. 5 portal. The following year ore was found above the 50 foot level. Other workings at this time consisted of the upper or Red Fox drift and incline shaft connecting to the No. 5 level and a short winze below the No. 5 level.

The Antoine workings and adjacent ground lay dormant from 1927 until 1962 when L.N. Garland and Associates purchased the Antoine Group consisting of the 5 Crown and Reverted Crown grants previously mentioned and 3 recorded claims. They also attained an option on the adjacent Soho property (082KSW019). Development work was carried out in 1962 and 1963. Mr. Garland and Associates incorporated as the Antoine Silver Mines Limited in 1964. An ore shoot, 38 metres long, on the Ogema vein was opened up in 1964. The Ogema vein lies 76 metres southwest of the Antoine vein. Ore from the Ogema vein and old dumps was shipped to the Carnegie mill in 1965. In this year, mining operations were moved to the nearby Old Tom Moore adit (082KSW019) to intersect the Ogema and Antoine veins at 150 metres below the No. 5 level. This work was carried out from 1966 to 1967 and included some 90 metres of diamond drilling. During 1968 an additional 150 metres underground work and 460 metres diamond drilling was carried out with ore shipped to a mill in Silverton. Operations were discontinued in this year with 550 tonnes of ore remaining in stockpile at the bottom of the mine road. The mine was operated by W. Turley in 1979 and Arley Mines Ltd. in 1980 (Jack Hale, pers. comm., 2001).

The Antoine lode is hosted by massive argillites and quartzites with minor limestones of the Triassic Slocan Group. The general strike of these lithologies is southeast and dips are 35 to 60 degrees southwest. These sediments are intruded by irregular quartz to feldspar porphyry bodies and lamprophyre dikes. Lamprophyre dikes are cut by the vein and both are displaced by faults. Immediately to the east, rocks of Slocan Group are slates and fissile argillites with occasional narrow beds of limestone.

The Antoine lode strikes northeast and dips 65 degrees southeast but curves eastward as it approaches the Red Fox claim. The lode consists of quartz, locally crusty, and siderite with two orebodies of galena, sphalerite, tetrahedrite, pyrargyrite and native silver in leaf and wire form. The lodes contain fragments of pyritized hostrocks. At the northeast end of the lode it rolls flatly into the bedding. To the southwest the lode continues, in part, in a steeply dipping fracture but also flattens into bedding. Continuation of the vein to the southwest is uncertain. The lamprophyre dike has been offset 12 metres by faulting; the lode is not offset.

Two important ore shoots have been mined on the Antoine lode. The eastern shoot lies on either side of the Antoine and Red Fox claims. It was about 60 metres long and does not go much below the intermediate level. The western shoot continued from near surface to below the No. 5 level. Its pitch was south, was 75 to 90 metres long and carried an ore streak ranging from 2 to 90 centimetres thick. Most of the ore mined has come from the footwall of a 60 to 150 centimetres wide lamprophyre dike that follows the vein for 50 metres.

It is important that mineralization occurs where the lode vein is coincident with jointing, particularly where Slocan sediments are folded or are intruded by porphyry dikes.

Total production from the former Antoine mine amounted to 9601 tonnes mined producing 10,613,059 grams silver, 124 grams gold, 1486 kilograms cadmium, 1012 kilograms copper, 735,548 kilograms lead and 232,454 kilograms zinc over its two productive periods, which were from 1895 to 1917 and 1963 to 1975.