The record-union., 1896-05-09
Weather Forecast.
THE DISCLAIMER OF THE STATE
MTNERALOGIST.

made erroneous and unsupported safe
ments charging the Central Pacific Rail-
road Company with seeking to obtain
title to mineral lands, R. l.. Dunn, one
time Assistant in the Field to the
State Mining Bureau, rushed to the de-
Tense of the Senators, and to failure.
The "Record-Union then made ex-
posure of the methods by which Dunn
had bodied up ten thousand acres of
alleged mineral land in Siskiyou County
and passed the title, through the
agency of dummies, to a man in Michi-
gan. The extraordinary character Of
the whole scheme was exposed through
the examination made Of the locations
by the eminent geologist, ]. E. Mills,
and by expert examination Of records.
This land Dunn alleged to be rich in
gold and to resemble the African gold
reefs. The methods employed to body
up the land and the manner of using
dummies were very fully explained in
the report of the expert who examined
the records, and whose report the Rec
Ord-Union" published in full
The Record Union" alleged that
Dunn made his supposed discovery,
which proved to be valueless, while act
ing in an official capacity under State
official, and that he did not promptly
make his discovery" public as was his
duty. He wrote an article on the dis
covery which was published by the
State Mineralogist in an official publi-
cation over Dunn's signature, but. there
was no statement that Dunn had al
ready located over this ground.
In an editorial on the 10Th Of April,
the ''Record-Union'' characterized the
Dunn transaction as "a Mining Fraud"
and suggested that the relation of Dunn
to the Mining Bureau should put the
State Mineralogist upon inquiry as to
the manner in which public trust had
been used, and the State Mining Bureau
was called upon to explain. In that
editorial the Record Union said of
Dunn:
After the location he made a report
to the State Mineralogist, and we have
before us a map entitled, "a Map of
Auriferous Conglomerate Deposit, Sis
kyou County, Issued by California
State Mining Bureau, J. ]. Crawford,
State Mineralogist. Accompanying re-
port Of r. L. Dunn, E. NJ. Assistant
In Field" Thus, after having located
what was supposed to be the most valu-
able portions of this newly discovered
ancient river bed, the report eventually
appears, with an accompanying map. 1t
is put out over the authority of the
State Mineralogist, and thereby &C
qu1res high official Endorsement
In response to the invitation referred
to, Mr.. ]. j. Crawford, State Mineralo-
gist, sent to the Record Union" a dis
claimer, which we published gladly in
full yesterday morning. In it Mr.. Craw-
ford disclaims any responsibility what
ever for the acts of Dunn. What was
published was, he says, over Dunn's
signature. Neither he, Mr.. Crawford
nor any one related to the bureau had
any knowledge of Dunn's locating on
the land, nor any part whatever in his
mining scheme, which scored a failure,
says Mr. Crawford, and disproved his
discovery
Mr.. Crawford adds that neither was
Dunn nor is any one else ever sent out
to report upon the mineral or nom
mineral character Of land. He has, he
adds, neither the power nor the desire
to prevent his assistants in the field
from making locations If they choose.
The article in the official report was
written at the request of the Bureau
Trustees. and published for what it was
worth, without Endorsement or ap-
prevail. However, the letter of dis
claimer by Mr.. Crawford, having been
printed in these columns so recently as
yesterday, is fresh in the memory Of our
readers, and may be easily consulted
We have made this brief review Of
the matter that there may be clear I'M
Outstanding of it, not only by those who
have followed It's history, but by those
who may now for the first time con-
slider 1t. It is now in order to call at
tentfon to the fact that the disclaimer
entered by Mr.. Crawford does not re-
lieve R. L. Dunn of every charge made
in the editorial of the Record Union"
OF the both of April, concerning this
mining fraud. Mr.. Crawford's letter
does amount to a disclaimer on the part
of the State Mineralogist, but that gen.
tleman does not explain satisfactorily
the fact that the map of the auriferous
conglomerate deposits, which Dunn
claimed TO have discovered. was pub
ished by the State Mineralogist him
self. Its title declares that it was pub
Hshed for the purpose of accompanying
the report of r. L. Dunn. assistant in
the field. This gave to the surveys made
by Dunn a distinctively official charac-
ter. How far the public may be sup
posed to discriminate intelligently be-
tween what Is official and what is not,
in an official publication of this charac-
ter, is a question each one must an
swer for himself. We confess that in
such g. case as this, the expectation
that the line will be easily drawn is
strained.
The State Mineralogist's explanation
Is good just so far as IL goes. The strict
ures of the Record Union" did not re-
late to the discoveries" of gold upon
railroad land at all. Mr.. Crawford need
not have rung in that consideration.
T. y,alof Siyp plv and ry,,l,y - A. -.