Britannia Contaminated Sites Investigation Stage I Preliminary Site ...

Table 7
Historical Summary of Buildings, Structures, Equipment &
Features Associated with Potential Environmental Concerns at
the Head of Incline & 2700 Portal Area (Including Sawmill &
Landfill 1.5 km Northwest)
Buildings / Structures Dates of Operation/Existence
Tram Terminal (incline hoist For the duration of incline hoist operation
house)
(1916 – early 1970s).
Ore Bins For the duration of incline hoist operation
(1916 – early 1970s).
Rail Car Repair Shop For the duration of incline hoist operation
(1916 – early 1970s).
Oil House For the duration of incline hoist operation
(1916 – early 1970s).
Battery Charging Indicated to exist during the early years of operation.
Train Shack For the duration of incline hoist operation
(1916 – early 1970s).
Sawmill Established by 1969, gone by 1982.
Landfill Created in the early 1950s and decommissioned after
1982.
Carbide Shed For the duration of operation at the 2700 portal
(1916 – early 1970s).
Smithers Shed For the duration of operation at the 2700 portal
(1916 – early 1970s).
Electrical Shop For the duration of operation at the 2700 portal
(1916 – early 1970s).
Employee housing, the dry house and hotel are considered to pose a low potential for
environmental concerns.
3.1.2.9 Halfway Town
Halfway Town, at approximately the 472 metre elevation (1500 ft), was located along the south
side of Britannia Creek near the junction of the lower tramway to Britannia Beach and the upper
tramway to the Jane Basin (Fire Insurance Map 1945; Claim Map of Britannia Mountain). A
sawmill with a wood-fired boiler house existed on a flat next to Britannia Creek by 1912 (Claim
Map of Britannia Mountain 1912). The sawmill appears to have been gone by 1945, although a
few houses and the old tram station were still present near the tramway junction (Fire Insurance
Map 1945). No structures or buildings can be located on the aerial photographs with the possible
exception of the 1957 aerial photograph, which shows the sawmill site was still cleared and
possibly occupied by a building; the aerial photo is of poor quality, however, and the presence of
the building is inconclusive.
The Mt. Sheer townsite dump was on the south side of Britannia Creek at Halfway Town
(Trythall 2001). Located between the road and the creek to the west of the old tram station, it
was regularly burned.
By 1994, Halfway Town and the area around it had been logged over.
The history of buildings and activities associated with potential environmental concerns is
summarized in Table 8 (Fire Insurance Map 1945; Claim Map of Britannia Mountain 1912;
Britannia Contaminated Site Investigation
Stage I Preliminary Site Investigation
Project No. 50319-001-310 21