Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1880-08-11

Complaint OF the vloietton - sse
Fslton BilI-Goms or she Isces'
sisseucies or she BiiI-Its Prse.
steal Workiags-Ae Dispesision
% violate it.
The San Francisco Post complains OF
Superintendent Patton, Of the Union
Con-, because In his Saturday report no
mention wa made OF the ore passed
through In running the $500 DRIFT from
the Union shaft to the Sierra Nevada
incline, and quotes as follows from the
FELTON, law ON the duty Of q mining
Superintendent
at shall also be his duty to forward
to the Office OF the company lin said
weekly rsport) . full report. under oath.
Of al discoveries OF ore or mineral
bearing quartz made 10 said mine.
whether BY boring. drifting. sinking or
otherwise. together with the assay value
thereof"
The Comstock mining 'superintsnd-
snts, n and all, have declared q rsadi-
mesa and purpose TO fully comply with
the provisions OF the FELTON, bill ever
since II became O law. Mr.. Patton 10 Of
Lake Tahoe, and therefore cannot be
interviewed a. to the matter. but the
circumstances Of the case ate such 90 to
make II doubtful II any intention to
violate the law has been entertained by
him.
In the nrst place. full particulars as
to the strike In the drift wero given to
the public through the Comstock press.
and there could have been no object In
Withholding II from the weekly state
ment.
Again, the ore there encountered was
In q drift .267 feet In length accurate
msasursmsnt), running from . point
about 100 feet south Of the Sierra
Nevada line to Q point Q little north OF
that line. No accurate survey OF the
DRIFT bad been made after It wa run
when the statement OF Mr.. Patton was
made. It wal therefore impossible
for him to state whether the ore forma-
ton was In Union or Sierra Nevada
ground. The same difficulty would
have prevented Superintendent James
In his weekly statement from saying that
the ore had been struck In Sierra Nevada
ground. In fact. the strike was made
a. near a. q be judged on the line
between the two. but how much OF 1t
was each side had not Saturday been
determined.
The foregoing 10 not written as a de-
Tense for Mr.. Patton. He IL doubtless
able to defend himself II be needs de-
Tending. II 10 simply 10 show from an
actual occurrence how difficult 1t 10 to
somstimes comply with the provisions
OF the FELTON, law until sufficient time
elspsss In which to gain the statistios
BY that law, and the delay
thus required works q literal violation
OF the law.
Another instance comes to mind. The
law requires monthly statements to be
nled on the Arst Monday Of each sue.
essding month and In the office OF the
company In Ban Francisco. This 10 an
absolute impossibility when the hrst
Monday comes on the first day OF the
month, and impracticable when II
comes on the second. OF even the third
day, sincs time IL required In which to
make the statement and transmit 1t
from the local to the general office OF
the company. On account Of this and
the wsll-known adage that claw never
requires an impossibility." and the
OF interpreting laws 30 that, IL
possible, the whole Of the enactment
shall stand. the Supsrintendents OF the
contend that they virtually
have until the frst Monday OF the second
month In which to file their monthly
statements. For instance. they have
the frst Monday in Ssptember In
which to Ale their statements for July.
They do not generally take the whole
month In which to comply
with the law, but they claim that they
have O right to take It, and that they
have not violated the law until the Mon
day Of the second month has passed
their monthly report Is flsd.
The effect OF the FELTON, bill has been
10 cut Of much profitable information
rom the public. In the letters volun.
larily written by tho Superintsndsnts
the passage Of that act, accurate
was given a. to distances
run during the week, total distances
made and all formations encountered.
Now distances run weekly are alone
given and nothing IL said Of formations
unless, O. 10 stated In the law. "discov.
cries OF ore" are made.
In other words, Supsrintsndsnts, or
least many Of them, give just what
they are required by the law to give and
nothing more. The attached oath II
mere formality, since NO superintendent
would make an untruthful report,to his
or one TO which he could not
swear.
The fact IL. California attempted to
force by legislation information from
the mines which had been freely given
and made o mistake In doing 30.
That mistake IL operating dstrimentslly
to her peoples interests ; but there Is
certainly no disposition on the part OF Q
single Superintendent on the Comstock
to violate that legislative enactment.
--~
John l.. Paneburn owes about $1,000
and has $3.50 In exempt property. he