New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1866-06-19
MON TANA.
MARKErs-H1GH PRIcEs-MIgrEG ExPBNsEs--RATHs OF
LABOR - MINERAL LANDS AND LEGIsLATIoN-
WHAT CONSTITUTES QUARTZ CLAIM.

WHAT CONSTITUTES A QUARTZ CLAIM
From Our Special Correspondent
MONTANA TERlTORY. April 26 1865.
What the prices may have been in New-York, We arc
not precisely informed but the current rates in Montana
have been for potatoes since last Fall from 10 TO is cents
pound in gold DUST for onions from 50 To 81 cents pound
and 50 on Flour has generally been from $50 TO $50 pei
sack of 100 pounds and corn meal about the same Both
come from the States from Salt Lake. The Winter be-
fore las flour for long time was worth from 81 to 81 25
per pound, in gold dust
Though this is country q long Winters and short Sum-
mers viii no doubt in few years develop agricultural
resources considerable extent the high prices OF all farm
produce stimulating industry this direction The wide
extent Of open plains, sopng down from the mountain
ranges and bordering the streams from which they are
easily rrcd afford ample fields of rich soil for cultiya
ton Pine lumber for fencing and building Is obtained
on the sides of the mOunans and up the gulchcs or mar
valleys OF the streams Ire roads are geheraly eAce
lent and require little work upon them. Ranchlng,
which the term Lere given TO farming Is surer pursuit
than mining, and al this season many are engaging III ~
though the high prices for seed and agricultural inse-
mems are serious obstacle To plant 10 acres ID potatoes
tunps cabbage, onions, barley, oats &C., one must ex
pend at least 800 for seed. Half pound OF onion seed
has been sold here this Spring for sAl An o'el 70 ns
wa sale last Fa Of Of onions IN the ground for
~ Je) in gold dust. plow is worth SlOO
Tie expenses OF mining ore greatly increased by such
prices for the necessary supplies Almost everything
ii the supply is short II may be ten or twenty times
Nothing has a regularly established value The whole
stock Of certain goods IN the country ) often monopoeu
b. few PERSONS aud held at any fgures thoy choose
Matche which every uses, have sold all the winter
for 50 cents rs cents box; newspapers at the same
prices each one Axheves Of poor quality that snap like
ppesems in cold weather. have moi been less than - 50
apiece and have sold high as s.. The great increase
of business however j. checking this and home produc
ton will soon put an end TO IT III some articles OF prime
Labor in the warmer half Of the year commands rates
propori onabv high. Before the frost Is out Of the ground
there is great demand for men 10 work IN the guch OF
placer mines. Every carrying these operations
has fun confidence that he can pay from the daily products
anv amount Of wages and the price becomes high
ar - or even $40 a day for ordinary hands working 10
wet ground skilled labor is not any better paid While
the gulch mines have been OF service to the country by a.
tracing large numbers oil men here they are ruhouS 10
settled habits OF industry; and their effects III various WAYS
are ANYTHING but beneficial 20 those who work them. The
successes of few excite multtudes TO try their luck
as they call co. and many fHd themselves % the end OF the
dead broke and dependent for living through
the Winter upon any wages offered them Prospecting
for quartz veins leads many more TO the same result
The Territorial lie sature in 1861 enacted law, max
ing real estate not subject 10 taxation when
any one living the Territory ehi on discovery stake and
record for himself and friends who must also be residents
Of the Territory No work required To develop the
veins not even 10 trace them out along the surface so that
the stakes might stand upon and define the real estate thus
conveyed and responsibility whatever was laid upon
those who thus became gauitous posossos OF what they
selected the richest portion Of the Territory Tho effect
of this 90 lead to the rapid recording OF thousands OF
l0les Offices established number OF districts,
before books could be- procured for the records the business
became extensive that the Recorders fees were geser
ally regarded amounting 10 more than the salary OF the
President OF the United Slgtes. The Territory was over
nm with explorers and on every bill their little prospect
holes and stakes met warning oil later corners that
the ground j. already appropriated The actual discovery
OF any metal OF in quartz vein was not necessary
in order 10 record H. but simply wall rock on side
the othcrof any vein All vein stones, whether
quartz, limestone, oxyd Of iron or even pyrtes gaena,
and copperoFes, by The name Of quartz and eye VEIN
no matter how close and solid is, Is called creyice. If
n tie oucroppng II ledge explorer saw the wall rock
of vein, Icqgrcd be had only 10 set up two
stakes 2O feet apart 10 entte him 70 record 100 feet OF
claims which should include al dips, spurs and angles
whatever these may bel emauatng OF dyerging from
said load lode ledge II became business 10 employ
pospeciors to discover and stake claims Tor parties who
designed taking feet by Thousands to sell IN the Eastern
cities and many such sales have been made OF property
utterly worthless Livery man, woman ana chhd IN the
Icrior became the owner Of greater OF les, number Of
feet quartz Odcs they OF expected 10 see and
al interested d. sustaining the Territorial laws rndeI
which tacy acquired this rea OF imaginary possession
The passage any bill by Congress 10 sell the mineral ands
yehcmcniy opposed and threats are common that the
execution Of such law viii be resisted even BY force IL
b. spoken Of a. the greatest injustice 10 ihe honest
miner and hardy explorer and pioneer, only intended 10
benefit "fpcculeiors and capitalists, when everyone
knows that hardly claim In hundred held by the
dscDycner and explorer In almost every case they
took int only or Two caims on lode of IL claims
or II u claims Of 100 feet EACH under the law of 1901
Ie os fr the NOS snhs ~ a. s sS ooaa ne 20
bonn foe operators, capitalists" possibly but in the
great Ofy ~ cases 10 peinDhs VIZ" ttu inth w SUI
a. high advances, or who are III met me sPecuators
with neither the disposition nor the ability - develop the
mmos, which they hold locked mp until some one pays
them their price Tor the privilege OF opening up the mn
eral wcalth OF the Territory. In variety OF ways the
Territorial mining Laws bar 10 the extension OF TINS
most important branch Of industry Al me outset tne{
.ct aside che propuctor5hp Of The United States IN ai
that is VI value IN the Territory, distributing d scattei-
ing il IN small parcels by wholesale under HfeYocaDe
tides among thousands and tons OF thousands cseu resi-
dents. hut who have no settled homes here, aud large
prnporion Of whom return To the States carrying
their certificates Of record win them lhese huisin1s
NAV II may not be found II one wishe. 70 VOTE leI
claims. Actual improvement OF the claims ana proving
theu valuable would IN large number Of cases De Tue
only means oil discovering the owner Inc excellent CODE
OF mining laws Of the Spanards when some profess no
Territorial laws are based upon, contain me "hoSous
stpaton that mines appropriated by Indvldnas shoua
bo regularly and systematically worked, ana inspectors are
eppontcd 10 see that this is done Failure 10 WoIA the
Involves revcrsiou to the Government When the! are
lain ,uen for dn0uncencat or recording by those VINO
yiIl work them The French and British Colonial Mining
laws contain similar provisions NO code, probably, Dt
thai Of Montana devised TO give away the mines
of country 10 individuals to sell out at Their own prices,
or 10 keep them shut up at their pleasure Inc mining
laws of the several territories we're originally re1 Win
reference 10 placer mines and to quartz l0de. When
apped to the latter with the slight modlncatloh they
have received, they are so NY adapted 10 the
purposn that no property II so fruitful OF hugauon
~ duafz mines Pew among them OF any value Dut are
already subjects Of lawsuits and law IN TINS region 10
frequent necessity that involves the most serious OK
placer or rlch claims give the night 10 WORK wei
defined area 200 mp and down the guch ana as lar up
tbe sopcs on each side the deposit may extent tne
claim being limited to the width Of 200 feet Ihls Whoe
area il for time me exclusive property OF the one taxing
posseson Of it, work in any manner he chooses. me
gold he is in search of he nds under the SOL ana gra'e
fodced on the surface of the "bed rock Having OBJ
tanned all he can in two seasons no has no iuher
interest u the claim which he abandons to seek another
elsewhere lie wishes title 10 the SOIL and would OPP
poe any provision for making private property Of IN
worked deposits OF this kind. IL IS sort of property tnat
IL would doubtless be mpolitic for the Governmehl 10 us
pose of though undor the present sys'e 10
Is derived by the Government from II. 49,.
Quart claims give title TO 200 feet along me OUT h
ac roht of 30 feet each side the outcrop provided no
other vein is found within 100 feet IN which case each
c il entitled 10 the use Of half the space between them
bis nrovison is almost wholly imperative in practce