Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-05-13
The COCHl7I MINING DISTRICT
One of the Richest Gold and Silver
Camps in the United
States.
RETARDED BY LAND GRANT LITIGATION
Early Settlement Of Titles by Supreme
Court Assured-Ab Some of the
Big Mineral Bearing Ledges-
Gold Predominates.

A NEW MEXICAN scribe recently visited
Bland, the bright and attractive business
center of the Coohiti mining district, or
private errand of his own; but, having
cultivated the reportorial instinct for 9
goodly number Of years and always being
under imperative orders never to over
look anything that aight prove of in.
terest to the readers of this paper, OF
course he jotted down few notes for
publication.
The discovery of pay mineral in the
Cochiti district and the founding of Bland
are about coincident and date back less
than two years and half. Meanwhil
the plucky, persevering people Of the
young camp have built town of good
business houses and comfortable homes
ard proved the great value of a number
of their mammoth mineral bearing lodges
un7er circumstances so trying, aggravat-
ing and discouraging that fainter hearts
surely wonld have failed months ago.
Happily, however, they have never for
one moment had occasion to be dis
heartened by distrust of the gold and sill
yer treasures held in natures strong
boxes within radius of five miles from
their doors.
The surface evidences of immense
riches awaiting developments we're too
numerous and substantial to be doubted or
disputed by any intelligent person who
took the pains to examine them for him
self and every shot that has been put in
has simply served to increase the con-
fidence inspired by the extraordinary sur
face or grass-root manifestations. This,
together with their other good qualities,
explains why most of the people of the
district have firmly and tenaciously held
fast to their possessions, in spite of the
obstinate efforts of the pretended own
ers of pretended or expanded land grant,
either to drive them out or force them to
yield up the lions share of their valuable
holdings by cloiadirg their titles, and thus
preventing much needed outside capital
from coming ia to assist in systematic
development work and put in the neces-
sary machinery and appliances to reduce
their ores on the ground at something
approyimating reasonable rates.
Habitual reading of the New MEXICAN
need not be reminded that soon after min.
eral in paying quantities was discovered
in the hills near Bland the claimants of
the Canada de Cochit land grant set up
the claim that the boundaries of the grant
included all the mineral lands in the dis
trict and made application to the United
States land court in this city for decree
confirming to them forever all ths lands
embraced within these pretended boun-
/. daries. After an exhaustive trial, this able,
learned and upright court, expressly Great
ed by congress to pass upon such claims,
definitely decided that the boundaries of
the Canada dc Cochiti grant did not In
clude foot of the mineral lands of the
Cochiti district nor the townsites of AL
lerton and Bland and that the entire dis
trict was rightfully part of the public
domain and subject to be entered
and held unoer the United States mining
and land laws.
Inasmuch as only questions of fact as
TO boundaries were involved in the trial,
and as the five judges Of the United
States court of private land claims, CON-
posing probably the most learned and
competent jury that ever passed upon a
question of fact, we're unanimous in
reaching the conclusion above mentioned,
II was supposed tnHG Vhis uocree Woulu
finally settle the damaging dispute and
that no further efforts would be made by
the grant people to annoy and disturb the
miners of the district by threatening ac-
tions for trespass and damages. But
this natural supposition proved to be a
grievous disappointment. The case was
appealed to the United States supreme
court, and until that august tribunal of
final resort passes upon the question suf-
ticient uncertainty will exist as to titles
to keep out capital and retard the de-
velopment Of the resourceful district.
This is the status of the situation at
present and explains why this region of
magnificent possibilities is not already at
the front as one of the great gold and sill
YER producers of the country.
No well-informed person, whether law
yer or layman, doubts what the decision
of the court of last resort will be when
the case is reached. 1t will undoubtedly
be distinct affirmation of the just de-
cree Of the United States court of private
land claims. Indeed, mnny intelligent