The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-05-17
SCHOOL SECTION 10. TACOMA.
Attorney General Jones' Argument Be-
fore Secretary Hoke Smith.

Washington City May I0.-Special.-At-
torney General Jones this afternoon ap-
peared before Secretary Hoke Smith TO
make his argument TO set aside the rui-
Ing OF the land Office at Olympia III the
case of the State of Washington VS.. John
G. Mcbride. otherwise the famous case
OF school section i6. In Pierce county.
The attorney general, In the course OF his
argument said:
The idea of claiming that the land in
question was mineral is preposterous. as
the deposit on the whole section Is moth
ing but glacial drift, and there is no case
on record where glacial deposit has
contained gold In paying quantities, and
the land, TO be mineral land. must con-
tain minerals In paying quantities The
state has been to great expense 20 have
the gravel on t1is section thoroughly
worked 60 see whether gold In paying
quantities could be found and the evil
dence OF the experts rs that where undis-
turbed the gravel viii only run at tina
rate of one-nfth Of a cent to the cubic
yard. While the samples introduced by
the defendant run at a more Valua BILE
rate, the experts have found that she
gold taken from them has been foreign
TO the sell. that is. the gravel was salted
and that 10 a great extent. All of the
samples introduced are untrnstworthy,
as was shown At the hearing In Olympia.
II the secretary Will take tho lrouble 10
examine the evidence he will find that
the experts found in some Of the samples
introduced by the defendant jeweier' <
gold: that is. they discovered piece of
amaigam. The state made borings all
over the section. and the panning of the
gravel was made the foundation for re-
ports giving the amount OF gold color,
etc. And comparing these reports with
the samples OF the defendant II Is found
that mona OF them agree IN any respect:
all OF which goes 10 prove beyond doubt
that the land was salted after the ex-
perts got through with the boringS. 1t
Is also shown by the testimony Of the
experts that attempts were made 70 salt
the lower levels "a accordance with tha
preconceived theory OF the richness Of
that level. and II seems that it was the
determination of the defendant to make
it appear that Il was 50. The evidence
shows that he wished the man Bloom 10
salt shaft No. .. wich vas ihe lowest OF
the shafts. lie attempted 20 salt the
borings OF shaft No. 7 on tho lower level
and also the level. and hs succeeded ga
sailing the horings from shaft No. g."
IN conclusion, Mr.. Jones said that the
states exploration OF the section was fun
and complete. and this exploration not
only demonstrated that the former tCsti-
rnony Of the claimant Was wholly unre-
liable. bar that the theory % the claim
ant as % tho horizontal S'ratiGc1tien 0f
the section and the richness Of the lower
level was utterly without foundation.
when the attorney general had finished
his argument. the secretary acknowle iged
Jpdes Holc0mh and Stockse hlager q
Heard. who answered for the ciaimant.
They denied all the statements NJ the at
tornev general. ana claimed thst there
was no evidence 20 prove THAI ne gold in
th. SAMPLES Of the defendant was for
rirn 20 ths borings or had been intro
ducei nv the process known rs sailing.
Secretary Smith. after hearing both
sides took the matter uu1er consifera-
,ion. II is expected fhat 10 win render
his decision before the lsst " the month.