Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-05-29

The country rock Of this locality is
nearly perpendicular slate, which en-
close hundreds of parallel assure quartz
veins, the majority of which are gold
bearing. The announcement Of rich
discoveries of gold anywhere along this
belt is no surprise, as the rich placers
indicated the existence of valuable
mineral ledges.-Review.
ENCOURAGING NEWS.
The Rapid City Journal Of last We'd
nesday, says: Report zane from Key
stone yesterday afternoon that the
Keystone deal was a sure go and that
Col. Morgan had received orders to at
once put in 100 stamps in the new mill.
The deal had been made to be accepted
by the English syndicate on the first of
the coming October, but it is stated thai
the purchasers wired that the PROPOSE
ton would be accepted without waiting
further. This is good news, both for
Keystone and the entire Hills country.
PIERCE DEAL coNsUMMATED.
A Deadwood special to the Sioux City
Journal, dated May 25th, srys: A min
ing deal of great importance to the
Black Hills was consummated yester-
day by the transfer Of thirty six mining
claims and several fractions by the own
ers to what is known as the Pierce
syndicate, composed of n number Of
eastern capitalists. The ground lies ad-
%jacent to Lead City and is very rich. the
ore having the same general character.
%istices as the celebrated IIomestake
ores. 1t is the intention to erect q 200
stamp mill on the Belle Fourche river.
| Altogether the deal involves the expen-
diture of 81, 100000.
THAT TUNNEL DECISION.
The import Of the recent decision OF
the supreme court Of the United States
in construction of the tunnel site law,
is merely, says the Mining Industry, that
a tunnel claim duly located and duly
maintained by diligent work gives to
the claimant a provisional right to ap.
propriate, to the linear extent Of 800
feet, any blind lead which the tunnel in
its progress may cut, provided that at
the time Of the location Of the tunnel
that lead had not already been appropri-
ated by a prior mineral location. IL is
not true that under the law or under its
construction by the supreme court. a
tunnel claimant can eyer interfere with
a blind lead whose apex is within the
limits Of a mineral location, or other
lawful private possession, duly possessed
under a United States patent or ever
possessory claim upon a location ante
dating the location eff the tunnel site,
On the contrary, every tunnel right is
under the law, and its recent Inter.
probation, strictly subordinate and sub,
iect TO all prior claims, whether these
relate to exposed veins, hidden veins or
surface ground. The tunnel claimant
when in the execution of his work, en-.
counters q blind cross lead, has no right
to enter upon the surface to mine that
lead, unless the surface is free public
land at the time of such entry. His
tunnel right does not extend to any sur
face whatever. Notwithstanding that
an area of land 5000 feet by 5000 feet
il reserved to the tunnel claimant for
the mere purpose of saying to him the
contingent right of appropriating 1900
feet of each blind lead crossing the line
Of the tunnel, which he may discover,
he has no greater right on the %surface
of that area than any other citizen.
Therefore to gain surface privileges, he
must submit to the conditions Of law
relating to the making of surface loca-
tions.
OF course the decision will induce
greater caution in the examination OF
mining titles, as no examination of such
titles can be deemed thorough which
does not extend to asearch for prior
tunnel locations showing a line of pro.
posed tunnel within 1900 feet Of the
boundaries of the claim under examina'
ton.