The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-07
The Hydraulic Mines.

DeDrlS COMMISSION appear TO De Keeping
sharp lookout on those miners who have
been granted official permission to by
draulic, but who do not keep their i'm
pounding works in good condition. Five
or six mines have recently been closed
down after having been given permission
to move. One allowed the water and
debris to escape through tunnel into
neighboring stream; others had breaks in
the dams, and others leakages. while in the
case of another the restraining dam was
found to be insufficient to check the
soil of the debris. 1t should be
borne in mind, too. that the
Commissioners, if they once shut down a
mine previously granted permit to work,
because of insufficient or imperfect inn
pounding works, compel the owner to
again make application in the usual form
before the mine is permitted to resume
operations. Every regulation of the COM
mission must be complied with or the
mine cannot be operated. The fact that
the commission is rather strict will doubt
less tend to do away with any further
heated discussion of the debris question,
since it is seen that it is carefully guarding
all interests. Those owners who obey the
law have nothing TO fear from any anti
debris agitation, since they will be per-
mitted to continue work. Those who do
not obey the law have no one to blame but
themselves if their licenses are revoked.
Petroleum Lands.
The department has decided that proof
that neigh boring lands contain oil is not
sufficient to defeat an entry Of land re-
turned as agricultural" 1t follows as
matter of course that the Government will
sell the agricultural land for 81 25 all acre,
while if oil was found it could sell the
same land for 81 80 an acre. The Govern =
ment departments seem never to learn
anything of practical nature about min
ing matters. Oil-bearing lands ought to
be withheld from agricultural entry, as
should those adjoining, until it is proven
no oil exists there. AS it is, people
take up such lands as agricultural
and use them as mineral, by which
the Government loses money and they
make it. In California there are large
tracts of unprospected oil lands which are
being taken up by agricultural claimants.
Those owning lands where they know
there is oil naturally suppose the ad jacent
land may contain oil also, but this is an
inference the Government does not recog-
nize, as the decision referred to shows.
All of which proves, as stated, that the
Government seems to know little or moth
ing of the mineral features of its territory.
Stock in Mining Companies.
A good many new companies are being
incorporated in Spokane, Wash, to operate
or purchase mines in British Columbia.
Numerous Idaho and Montana men seem
to be among the incorporators. The COM
panies all seem to have big capital-on
paper-and the probability is that there
will be considerable stock for sale to the
general public. Some of the British
Columbia mines, notably those at Trail
Creek, are showing up pretty rich, which
has caused quite mining excitement at
Spokane and elsewhere. The probability
is, however, that many properties will be
"foated," the merits of which rest
mainly on what other mines in the
district have done. We had costly
experience of that nature in this
city some years ago, when many
worthless or undevoloped claims on
the Comstock were incorporated and sold
here. Not one in twenty of them ever did
anything but levy assessm ents. While the
originators of such companies, doubtless,
made money out of them the general pub
lie who bought the stock did not. Where
there are "excitements" of this nature
stock in new companies seems to be readily
sold, people making very little inquiry as
TO the nature of the properties them selves.
1t seems to be necessary for each commu-
nifty to have its own experience in such
matters, no one taking the experience of