Arizona citizen., 1873-08-02

The language of the statute IS so
 comprehensive and capable ot such
 liberal construction that 1 cannot
 avoid the conclusion that Congress
 intended it as 8 general mining law,
 "to promo5e the development of the
 m1ning resources of the United
 States" ard to afford a method
 whereby parties holding the possess
 ory right under local laws and regula-
 tions, could secure title to tracts con-
 taining valuable accretions or deposits
 of mineral substances except where
 @ special law might intervene, reserv- ing from sale regulating the disposal
 of particularly specified mineral bear
 ing lands.
 To the several inquiries i'll the let
 ters referred to, I therefore reply that lands valuable on account of borax,
 carbonate of soda, nitrate of soda,
 sulphur, alumni and asphalt, as well
 as "au valuable mineral deposits "
 may be applied for andpatented under the provisions of the mining act of May 10, 1872.
 In case an application should be presented to you for survey of land valuable for other minerals than those specified herein and in the act itself, you will first refer the question to this office, in order that applicants may be saved the expense of applying for lands that may be reserved by D special act of Congress.
 It will be observed that the mineral producing lands are divided into two classes: the one class embraces lands where the mineral matter is within "rock in place." or geologically speaking, "in situ, and the second includes placers and all forms of de- posits excepting those in crock in place"
 In this connection, 1 deem 1t Q matter of importance to give the con- struction this office places upon the expression, vein or lode of quartz or other rock in place" to prevent mis- takes in locating the two classes of mines referred to, thereby saving to clalmant5 considerable expense and : delay.
 In geology and among miners, veins or lodes imply generally an ag- gregation of mineral matter found in the Assures of the rocks which enclose | 1t, but are of great variety, veins diff fering very much in their formation and appearance. Lode Is a term in general use among the tin miners of Cornwall and was introduced on the Pacific Coast by emigrants from the Cornish Mines, and signifies Assure filled either by metallic or earthly matter. In several of the mining districts, the terms lead and ledge, are employed in the local regulations concerning mines. Lead Is used to convey the same idea as lode while ledge would seem to indicate layer or stratum of mineral interposed be- tween 8 course or ridge of rocks.
 Veins may be either sedimentary, plutOnic, or segregated, or ot infiltra- tion or attrition depending upon the peculiar formation CT mode of occur renee of the mineral deposit There Is also another form of deposit differ ent from either of those mentioned above, called contact deposit. Euro pean miners mention still others, called in England "Floors," in Germany Stockwerke, and form of deposit known as "Fahlbands." These latter are more properly speak ing ore bearing belts, irregular in/ their dimensions but presenting a ceTf tain degree of parallelism with eaqh other. Similar in some respects to the Fahlbands are the metalliferous zonds E, or " amygdaIoidal bands. which aAe said to exist on Mount Lincoln ana Mount Bross, Colorado.
 However if the question werb neither of the forms of deposit ] known as contact deposit, FahlbaE , or segregated veins could b9 accerSed as true metalhferous veins, nor codl Id it frequently be made to appehr i without expensive excavation whether $ the metal in the mine for whicH 8 { patent is sought occurs in the form of { 6 true vein or not. 2
 But there IS no reason for suppostng that the terms were employed iD sslhosG strict geological signifcation. The D plain object of the law is to dispose of the mineral lands of the United States for money value and whatever form of deposit can Dc embraced in the gen. 2 eral phrase "vein or lode of quartz CT i other rock in place must be sold at :,