Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-01-17
The Swindle Again Frustrated.

Inc SWlndle Again Frustrated.
AS stated by the STANDARD last
week, the result OF Inspector Lind
gren's examination OF Section No. I6,
IN Fierce county, claimed by Mcbride
and lying within the suburbs of Ia
coma, has been in favor of the people
of the State.
This case has been vigorously con.
tested, and at first Mcbride seemed to
have everything his own way, even
the government agent, Gov. Swine
ford acknowledging that he expected
that the decision in the Olympia land
office would be against the govern
ment claim as a school section.
1t appears, however, that Secretary
Smith was not to be hoodwinked by
the acts OF his subordinates, and in the
interest of justice sent out geologi-
cal expert to make an examination of
the land.
This report, made several months
ago, was against Mcbride, who had
succeeded in obtaining a favorable de-
cision from the local land office,
which finding, doubtless through the
efforts of Swineford, was approved by
the Commissioner. The report of Elk.
pert Lindgren was that the school Sec
ton was not valuable for minerals.
But the matter was not permitted to
rest there, and Mcbride, with his back
ing, obtained an order for re-exami-
nation to be made from an area of
ground selected by Mcbride. Even
this test has failed to establish any
adverse right to the section and it now
vests in the State.
Expert Lindgren made his late ex.
animation from six cubic yards of the
gravel designated by McBride's repre-
sentative. From it he obtained a few
infnitesimal colors, no one of which
equalled in weight four one-thous-
sandths of cent. The entire product
of the six cubic yards was exhibited in
three small Walls. In one of these
exhibits the colors were so small and 90
few that a glass was necessary to dis
Germ the colors in the vial. Mr.. Lind
gren proved that this gravel averaged
sixty-seven one thousandths of cent
to the cubic yard. He also states in
his report that if Mcbride got 1Oa
cents to the cubic yard in his sluices,
he did not get it from the undisturbed
gravel of this cut. In the former
hearing Mcbride claimed that large
portion of the expense of mining this
claim by the hydraulic process would
be offset by what he would receive
from the owners of tide lands for fill
ing them in, thus making this pro-
fitable mining scheme, while otherwise
it would not be. Mcbride also claimed
that his intention was to run q sluice
from section 16 to the tide flats capa.
bic Of carrying 1000 miners inches OF
water and to supply the water by q
pumping plant located on the Puyal-
lup river.
Mr.. Lindgren, while on the stand,
said that if the entire plant was
already erected and in actual opera
ton, for the purpose Of moving the
gravel to the tide flats, not enough
gold could be saved from the gravel in
section 16 to pay the cost of putting
rifles and quicksilver into the sluices.
He also said that he did not think
enough gold could be saved to make
up for the injury which the rifles
would do in retarding the flow OF the
gravel. His ASSISTANTS, also expert
placer miners testified to the same
effect. Lindgren's report will 60 to
the Secretary of the Interior, to be
used in connection with the record
now before him. In brief, the report
states that the gravel in the cut is
" absolutely worthless" for mineral
purposes.