Britannia Contaminated Sites Investigation Stage I Preliminary Site ...

much of the townsite; the in-ground swimming pool and concrete remnants of the copper launder
were the only remaining structures.
In addition to the mine waste rock comprising the railway bed and deposited elsewhere in the
townsite, there were other potential historical sources of contamination at the townsite. The
history of buildings and structures associated with potential environmental concerns is
summarized in Table 4 (Fire Insurance Maps 1923 – rev. 1937, 1945; Copper Launder Engineers
Drawing 1969). The historical site layout, based on the historical sources reviewed, is shown on
Figure 3.
Table 4
Historical Summary of Buildings, Structures & Equipment
Associated with Potential Environmental Concerns at the Mt.
Sheer Townsite
Buildings /
Dates of Operation/Existence
Structures
Copper Launder (including
precipitation storage shed
and outdoor storage area)
Machine Shop and
Bunkers / Steel
Warehouse
Furnace Oil Storage in
Underground Storage
Tanks (USTs)
Powder House (west of the
townsite)
3.1.2.4 Victoria Camp
Britannia Contaminated Site Investigation
Stage I Preliminary Site Investigation
Project No. 50319-001-310 17
Constructed in 1964, it operated until 1974 and all but
the concrete troughs were demolished.
A machine shop and bunkers, in existence by 1923,
were replaced by a steel warehouse by 1945. The
warehouse was demolished sometime between 1969
and 1982.
Presumed to have existed since construction of the
townsite and demolished along with housing and other
buildings by 1969.
Presumed to have existed since the townsite was
developed, it was demolished by 1969.
The Victoria ore body was discovered and a tunnel advanced by 1919. The Victoria Camp was
constructed between 1921 and 1922 at approximately 700 metres (2300 ft.) elevation (Ministry of
Mines 1919, 1922). The main entrance to the Victoria Mine was via the Victoria Shaft. A mine
portal also existed. In 1923, the first ore was sent to the mill via a tramway on the 1600 level and
the aerial tram. At its peak, 300 people lived at the Victoria Camp. In 1941, the 4100 tunnel
near the mill was connected to the bottom of the Victoria Shaft, allowing copper water to flow
from the Victoria mine to the Beach copper plant (Ministry of Mines 1941). By 1943, the
Victoria Camp was closed, although the mine continued to be worked long after (Ministry of
Mines 1941). When the Britannia Mine reopened after a brief closure in 1958, ore was taken
from the remnant pillars in the Victoria mine and there was some exploration on the 4100 level;
however, there is no reference to reopening of the Victoria Camp. The Victoria mine continued
to be worked until 1964 (Ministry of Mines 1964).
There is reference to a sawmill constructed at the Victoria portal in 1921 (Ministry of Mines
1922). The fate of this sawmill has not been determined; however, by 1924, a sawmill with a
capacity of 20,000 ft had been constructed on Furry Creek (Ministry of Mines 1924). Dipping or
treating of lumber was reported during interviews not to have occurred, and no written records
indicating this operation occurred have been found.