The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-09-17

rn~v e1wag~4 were numbeE cf cd
. f4ae-sn ard riscer Miners of tb1rty -Ass
ard Forty YEAR experience ons Of then,
Mr.. L. Barn. Eeasthy estiIen Of Iseons,
uho wAs 4 pEacer miner "a the early
d2rs 81 California. volunteered 80 serve
ths state IN the matter for nothing. 20
eontribufs hls effort toEGrd defeating
wbat he believed 90 oe . gigantic steal
NJ. Swlnsfosd was on hand every day an
boar or fvore pooh-pooning The laooFioas
and fsasns-saksng LABOR - the state, Fida-
esling ths work 81 the experts as io.-da-rSi.
ana ieerlnglT suggesting that couple u
Cd miners coald tsli more about the
claims than ali the experts IN The esse-
The work wss prosecuted 20 n flash under
tie prescriptions from Dr.. kimbali. which
we're adopted 81 the land commission.
in accordance with these instructions
from Prof Kimoali regarding boring the
nscessery contract gas made, aud from
the bottom Of one Of the shafts the earth
Nas penetrated 70 considerable distance.
Including the ninety-seyen feet snpk
originally At tie time OF the nrst InyestI-
gatson. SIS feet Of shaftsag and boring
Hsre driven II less than twenty-five days.
The maximum depth is Is feet, which
reaches far beneath she gaieh in which the
gold sss claimed 70 have been found in
paying quantities. Although the utmost
pg~cantion was taken by the state officials
and fhelr employees to prevent sailing,
one Of the sealed bottles, upon being
opened by the professor for analysis after
having remained in his room at the Unioa
Ciub tea days. had been ''doctored." The
ninety-seven cubic yards OF gravel taken
from the original shaft running depth Of
ninety seFen snd one-half feet, yielded a
total in gold Of less than cents. and out
OF al the samples and tests made through
out the SO feet Of Skating. the highest
yiesd found aBywhere was 39-io0 Of
cent These are the best results
The state has ever been able TO
obtain through the efforts Of the
sb4est chemists and ANALYSTS, and the
sssistAnee OF the most experienced placer
minersr Within the meaning OF she law.
the ground should pay better for placer
mining than for other purposes. The
legal position OF the state. as maintained
by the attorney general, is 20 determine
whether the land IS worth more for min
ing purposes than for any purpose to
whicn the state might put IL Having as
manmum yield 5e-i00 OF q cent per
cubic yard, il IS no difficult matter to de-
eide whether this section Is placer grounds
or not. The Nortaern Pacific hydraulic
cuts on the Puget sound shore, with the
pump station 100 feet distant and siuics
SO feet IL length. cost Is cents per cubic
yard. On the so-caIied Mcbride claim,
without bed rock 20 begin with, physical.
impossibility in placer mining. sluice a
miie aud half in length, at a grade OF $50
feet TO the mile. and pumping station two
miles distant would be required. so that If
u costs Is cents yard to move the same
character OF graves from the hlutfs on the
Puget sound shore il would cost many
times such amount 10 siuice the gravel out
OF the Mcbride claim.
MeBride's assistants followed the en-
ployes OF the state in prospecting the
claim. aud produced materially the same
results. The summation OF these arrived
at by Ben Stretch. is as follows. Dividing
the claim into two zones, and averaging
the lower twenty feet al s2O4 cents per
cubic yard and the upper 100 feet at 3 "a
cents per cubic yard. then adding both
together aud dividing the sum by SIX, the
yield per cubic yard would be $50 per
cubic yard for the entire claim. This
would ne all very weli for Mr. Stretch but
for the cruelty of science. The in
intestinal specks of gold found IN the
Mcbride claim and throughout the glacial
drift Of Puget sound are haky, soft and
very yellow. No similar gold is TO be
found in the market. The market gold.
all of il. contains particles OF quick
silver which from time to time
as this gold may be handled, sepa-
rate from IL or pass out from
the interstices. The market gold from
the reiort is much darker in color, besides
having the quicksilver for a companion.
Because of these facts the scientific gem
tlemen representing the state have never
failed 10 detect the presence of the salt"
as II always bears these characteristics.
Moreover. the old practical miners EN-
rloyed by the state in watching the Nc
Bride claim during their panning opera
tons observed the presence Of quicksilver
in the pans continually. No denial Of
these discoveries vas attempted The ex-
Planatlon of them was. in effect, that mer-
curry was indigenous to the soil.
Previous to ths present invests CATION the
most absurd preienses were advanced as
IL the value Of the gold imbedded in this
gravel The estimates OF many OF the per-
lured witnesses ran from - cents TO 81 per
cubic yard. and 10 cents per cubic yard was
common evidence.
la the hearing today, a German called
10 the stand by Mr. Holeomb testified that
he had siuioed $500 worth Of gold out of
this gulch. When asked where he had
disposed Of il. he said he had sold 81. so
worth TO q certain man in Tacoma The
next moment he denied this. however. and
asserted that he had sold the entire
clean up in British Columbia, where, Of
course, the alleged sale could not De dis
proved hy the state. When asked again If
he had sold this s. ,000 worth Of gold in a
brick he replied that he had, and that he
received gold dust II return for it. The
truth is that be vas an ignorant German,
who is a squaiter on the land. Even the
sangiroid OF Mr.. Hoicomb, which has en-
Ahled him TO pass through this farcical
affair for two years without change OF
counteuAnce gave way before the rediea-
lous testimony Of this man.
The state administration has determined
% carry this fight, II necessary, into the
executive mansion Of Washington City.