important bearing on the timing -
and extent of the forest and
‘mineral developments in north-
western British Columbia. The
“objective of this report is to
: “Suggest: a new alignment for the
B.C, Railway. The study was
prompted by availability of new
nformation on potential -:rail
Iraffic ‘and the continuing con-
cern of the Regional District of
Kilimat-Stikine over the via-
bilily ‘of ‘the. econamy in thal
ea.
- ‘There: are lwo main routes
which have been studied for a

lumber of years and two main.

variants.

A. ‘Terrace, Nass Landing,
Meziadin, _Bell-Irving,
Ningunsaw Pass, Kalue Pass,
Dease Lake, (This is generally
he same as Route 5 designated
nthe 199 DUT ‘sludy)
B."-Terrace, Nass Landing,
Meziadin, Upper Nass, Panora-
na Pass ‘and junction with the
B.C. Railway near the Groun-
hog: coal desposits.

~~ Hazelton,
“Junction, and = northwest. to
-Deuse Lake along the presently
lanned route of the B.C. Rail-
vay. (Approximately Lhe same
is Route-4 in the DOT Study)
-D, -Relocate the B.C. Hailway
from where now planned, mo-
ing west from. lhe Skeena-
-Sustut junction abvut 20 miles,
“crossing to the Nass River via
/=:Slamgeésh and Damdochax
“Creeks, following the. Bell-

_ ving River north along the old
Houle 5:10 Kalue Lake and then

urlheast to the B.C, Railway .

‘un the Klappan River.
“Evidence has - been

:  nimarized briefly to
monstrate the greater. ad-
..Wanlages of the more westerly
“raule, Sections on forestry,

“minerals, and a smelter are. -

followed by one highlighting the

' gunsideralions which will in-

fluence the. final choice of a
route. The report concludes
with a series of re-
commendations.

_New primary data on both

Skeeng-Sustul:

exhaustive in the time ayaila-

‘ble, bul there is sufficient new

evidence to support Ube . re-

commendations in Section VL. .

Potential mineral

development

Several i
posils, mainly copper,
heen discovered in the area of

northwestern British Columbia —

belween Slewart “and Dease
Luke and east of the Alaska
Panhandle. The latgest of these
ure Stikine Copper on Galore
Creek and Liard Copper on
Schalt Creek both in the lower
Stikine River basin.

The lack of infrastructure pri-
marily a transportation sysilem,
is the major obstacle to the de-
velopment of these ‘deposits.
The Slewart-Cassiar highway is
ihe- only surface transportalion
ruute through the area and the

large mineral de--
have —

extension-of ihe B.C. Railway to

Dease Lake, according to
existing plans, will pass too far
vo the east lo have more than a
slight effect on this area.

With vr withoul the proposed
railway from Terrace to Dease
Lake, millions of dollars. -will
have lo be spent on road con-
struction power systems and
cummunities in order,to develop
the mineral deposits. Without
the rail connection, ‘lhe tran-
sportation syslems developed lo
serve the mines will use Stewart
or very likely newly developed
ports in Alaska for access to 'ti-
dewaler, However, the lack of

space for necessary port fa- " ; co

cililies may hamper the de-

velopment of Stewart as a ma- ~

jor port and access to Stewart.
through the coast mountains is. .

ditficull: This leaves Prince Ru-

pert, designated ag a national : ©

rail corridor.

The potential rail traffic can”
be projected from the. data-
’ available on the known mineral
depusits in the area. A number |

of assumptions were necessary
to project these Lonnages: —

Five known ore bodies would

contribule the major ltonnages

uf ore and concentrates, ac- .

_ minerals and limber have been cording to present knowledge.

ussembied for this project. The
examination could nol be

JOHNNY’S WELDING
*

‘Many olher claims have been.

staked in the area tribulary to

_ harbour early in 1972, and Kiti- - -
mit, as natural tidewater ports -
tor traffic through the proposed .

a construction.

een propa rail line under new. we we
plan _

>, Flow of

copper concenirates

“Shandes
' for's bod ohare

Wt re -

» ere

Above map. shows proposed new roule of B. Cc. Railway down Nass Valley and flow. of. co
concentrates to smelter in Kitimat. ae

-the Terrace-Dease Lake corri- ;
dor, buth in the area adjacent to

Stewart and the Iskut-Stikine
block. In addition, experienced

_ @ GENERAL WELDING
“AND FABRICATION

_ .@ MACHINING |

- “@ PORTABLE EQUIPMENT

8 ¢ PRESSURE PIPE WELDING

635-5255

J CORNAMENTAL RAILING.

JOHN YASINCHUK Prop.
Res, Evenings 635-6968

4933 Keith, Terrace

. DESIGNS OF. DISTINCTION |
ALL TYPES
EXTERIOR - INTERIOR

mining men agree thal the pro-
babilily is high that further
significant funds will be made
in these areas,

It is unlikely thal each of the
''e deposits will be brought
into production without the
Terrace-Dease Lake railway.

However, i in all cases except the
Stikine Copper property, the
existence of the railway would
reduce shipment costs to ti-

- dewater, If Stikine Copper had

to bear the entire cost of the
transportation system to its
mine, the least cost allernative
would be to build a road to the
mouth of the Stikine River and
build port facilities at Babler
Point, Alaska, However, Stikine
Copper should not have to bear
the entire cost of a road system,
whether north and then east via
Telegraph Creek or along the
Slikine and Iskut Rivers, since

‘there would be several road

users involved in either case,
Stikine Copper would haul by

. une of these road systems to a
junction with the railway if. a-

railway were built.

‘The alternatives for the sht-
yment of mineral from each
mine io tidewaler are shown’
below. The shipping costs per
tun of material have been esti-
mated with the following assu-
mptions:; Cost of truck haulage
by private orsecondary roads, 8

. maled from

‘~

cenis ton-mile; Cost..of truck

haulage ‘by Stewart-Cassiar
Highway, 6.cenls ton-mile; Cost

of rail haulage (ecneentrates), 2
cenls tlormile.

Hail revenue from shipments ~

lu and from the mines through
the rail corridur has been esti-
the projected
lonnages and distances. A rate —
of 2 cents per tun-mile was assu-
med for concentrate shipments
and 3 cents per ton-mile for ba-
ekhaul. .

The precedi ing discussion con:
cerns only deposits whose:
reserves have been oullined
with some degree of accuracy. —
The Mineral Depusit-Land Use’:
Map, Northwestern B.C," fists’. °
many mineral properties that:
have been discovered bul whose *
features have not been

- delineated -yet. The proposed

rail corridor passes Lhrough one
of the areas of highest mineral
potential in northern Sritish
Columbia, The Canadian North. |
west Transportation Study pre-"
pared: by Hedlin Menzies and’

Associales in 1969 concluded
that the Rail Corridor 5 from...
Terrace to Dawson City dis-
plays the'‘greatest potential rail

shipments from new-mineral. .

production. These potential shi- :
pments were determined fol
only from fata on the known de-
posit as oa a ke a

re mihera