URANIUM FINDS IN CANADA

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27851, 27 December 1955, Page 3

URANIUM FINDS IN CANADA

LARGE DEPOSITS IN ONTARIO RAPID DEVELOPMENT IN REMOTE AREAS The discovery of uranium in northern Ontario had brought great prosperity and had led to rapid development in the area, said Mr Simon Wood, of Christchurch, in an interview yesterday. Mr Wood spent several months there, prospecting and working in uranium mines. Mr Wood went to Canada after studying for about three years at Cambridge University, to write articles on the uranium industry. He worked for a time with a man who discovered at Flind river, formerly a depressed lumber town, probably the biggest known deposit of uranium in the world. When the deposit was discovered, the surface rock was found to contain very little uranium, although strong counts had been registered on a geiger counter. ‘‘My boss had the revolutionary theory that the weather was draining away the uranium from the surface rock, but the geologists all laughed at him,” said Mr Wood. It was a long time before the man could find anybody to advance the necessary money for the drillings to be made and the deposit assayed. Eventually a sponsor was found who invested 60,000 dollars in the stake, and it was found that the deposit was the biggest ever discovered. The investor became a millionaire, and the prosspector also made a fortune, said Mr Wood.

Most of the uranium found in Canada in recent years was on the northern shores of Lake Huron, which was very popular as a tourist resort. Mr Wood said. Many new hotels had been built as a result of the boom and new industries established. Blind River, which a few years ago had a population of 500, has now grown into four towns with a population of about 6000. Within a radius of 30 miles there were now 46 mining companies, most of which were working on uranium, said Mr Wood.

Two model towns, one of which was made of modern log cabins, had been built right in the heart of the bush. A railway had also been put through. Care had been taken when cutting down the forest to leave all the silver birch trees standing.

Much of the prospecting had to be done by air. as most of the places where uranium was found were inaccessible by road. Mr Wood said. Many American tourists had visited the area, complete with “prospecting” outfits and Cadillacs to look for uranium souvenirs to take back with them.