Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-07-20
Report Of the Business Transacted in
This Department of the Public
Service for the Fiscal Year
Ending June 30, 1897.
AN INSUFFICIENT CLERICAL FORCE
The Preparation of Diagrams of Town
ships Showing the Location of Min
eral Surveys Suspended for
Lack of Clerical Assistance.

II
e the fiscal year ending June 80, 1897, na
: been prepared and forwarded to the com
q missioner of the general land office. The
! report is quite voluminous, covering
I every department, contains many inter
esting items and makes good showing
During the year IA contracts were
,, awarded for the survey of public lands
private land claims or grants and small
holdings; nine for the survey of public
lands, three for the survey of private land
claims which have been confirmed by the
court of private land claims and two for
the survey of small holdings. The num-
Der of miles of different lines established
by the surveys made under these contracts
is 1895. The number of letters, docu-
ments, field notes and other papers that
have been prepared briefed and recorded
is 4,53l.
Applications were made for the survey
of As mining claims and the amended
survey of four mining claims, and there
was deposited on account of surveys of
mining claims the sum of $1,225. Some
|
1895, in the preparation of diagrams Of
townships showing the location of min
eral surveys, but Tor lack of sufficient
clerical force during the year just closed
this work was abandoned and no addi-
tional diagrams were prepared. In the
territory there are 126 mining districts, 90
of this number have been plated, but be-
cause of an insufficient clerical corps 103
mining districts are still unplatted.
During the year the United States court
of private land claims passed upon the
validity of A private land claims, Is of
which were confirmed and 80 rejected,
and there are still about 100 cases to be
acted upon by that court. Thirteen
claims we're surveyed, as follows: Arroyo
Hondo, 30,647.22 acres; Las Cerrillos,
l, 1881 acres; Sitlo de los Cerrillos,
572.4 acres; Sitio de Juana Lopez, 1,lO8.61
acres; Ojo de Borrego, 16,1574O acres;
Pajarito, 31,575 10 acres Antonio Sedillo,
92,59746 acres; Town of Atrisco, 81
1882 acres; Gigosa, 16,54097 acres
Ignacio Chavez, Canada de las Alamos
and Galisteo grants surveyed but returns
not yet filed.
The court Of private land claims has
approved the surveys of the following
private land claims: The Bernabe M.
Montana, Nuestra Sonora del Rosario,
San Fernando y Santiago, Santa Barbara,
Town of Abiquiu, Plaza Blanca, Plaza |
Colorado, Black Mesa, and Bartolome |
Fernandez.
Four books of field notes and sketch
plat of the surveys of allotments execut-
ed in the Las Vegas grant case have been
a1 in pffi nf bo
but these returns show that the deputy
surveyor failed to comply with special
instructions, and these returns, together
with the protest of Hon. f. A. Manzan-
ares against said surveys have been trans
mitted to the general land office for con-
sideration and action. Since the entire
matter in controversy is pending in the
United States Supreme court, no action
will be taken on the protest, until an
opinion shall have been rendered in the
case.
The act of congress of Marh 3, 1891, es-
tablishing the court of private land
claims, provides among other things that
'no allowance or confirmation of any
claim shall confer any right or title to
any gold, silver or quicksilver mines or
mineral of the same, unless the grant
claimed affected the donation or sale of
such mines or minerals to the grantee, or
unless such grantee has become otherwise
entitled thereto in law or equity; but all
such mines and minerals shall remain the
property of the United States, with
the right of working the same, which fact ;
shall be stated in all patents issued under
this act. But no such mines shall be
worked on any property confirmed under
this act without the consent of the owner
of such property until specifically author
ized thereto by an act of congress here
after passed." Since congress has not
passed such an act and a large number of
locations of mining claims have been
made upon lands which are or will be
within the boundaries of grants confirmed
under the act of March 3, 1891, and to {
carry out the intention of the act, the sur
urges upon the land de- {
partment the necessity of securing the
passage of an act giving miners the I
right to work the minerals reserved in the '
confirmation of grants by the court of
private land claims.
There are now 3,2O5 small holding
claims on file in the office, for tracts of U
land not to exceed 100 acres. In regard s
to small holdings. the surveyor general A
says: "Since the expiration of the time, 9
December /, 1894, within which claimants l
we're required to file their applications a
under said section, the fact has come to h
my knowledge that there are great many b
settlers in this district who failed to ini r
tiate title to their lands under the pro.
visions of said act. Some because they
did not understand the provisions of said
act or how to proceed Hereunder, and
others whose lands were within the limits ~
Of boundaries of unconfrmed private :,
and claims, as established by preliminary !,
surveys, and who were awaiting the ac- u
lion Of the court of private land claims
IN such cases. A number of grants have
been elected and others will doubtless
30 rejeoted by said court, within the al =
eyed bouni iaries of which there are many
settlers who have lived upon, and Quilt
,ated small tracts of land for years past,
md whose ancestors lived upon such
ands. These settlers can not obtain
title to their lands SO long used by them
ind on which they have made their homes
or many years, under the provisions of y
he homestead law, because such tracts d
are 80 irregular in shape and size that B
hey can not be described by legal SUBJ g
divisions. The only manner in which Y
his class of settlers can ever hope TO v
eoure title to their lands is by an exten.
ion of the provisions Of said sections 16, r,
Z and Is Of said act" (of March 8, 1891. Ii
1e also recommends that sections 16 and Y
z of the same act be so amended as to Il
make the time of 20 years actual, continu, "
,us, adverse possession of the lands fl
lsimed, shall apply to all small holding t,
|laims. N