Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1898-06-24
AMONG MINES AND MINERS
CONGRESS TALKS SMALL CLAIM
W..htux,om at the Omaha Exhibit
oldest Coal Mine In Europe
Legal Posts In Hrtltsh C"iuMe ta-
New Road to antte-opp~r
Output In April.

F. l.. Preston Of Troy Mont. announces
that the Troy >ylvanlte wagon road mas
been completed and opened - the puhlie.
Thi. road ha, been under construction
since January, l>9.. The COST including
the ferry across the koc'enay river al
Troy and fine bridge over the lshA
river. Is. in round numbers. SEQ. 1t i
said To De one Of the hes. mountain roads
in the west. The MAXIMUM grade IN
either direction Is only eight feet In Ie
feet.
New. From Kettle Fall..
George Maghaughey of Ro>>land Is
ma king arrangements 10 start A halfway
house between Kettle Fails and Republic.
The stage from Republic to Kettle Rails
ha, been already started and runs IL
miles. where the transfer is made 10 sad
die horse. for crossing the summit.
Some partie, in Kettle Falls who have
| claims. which they are ANXIOUS 10 get
upon on the lower half OF the reservation,
are keeping saddled horses ready TO make
a rush for them on the first notice Of the
ground being thrown open.
| Reducing Stae OF Claims.
| A movement is on foot in the house at
Washington. ID. c.. to reduce the present
| legal dimensions of mining claim about
e-half. 1t is asserted that If mining
claim is good. whether it be of gold or
silver, 300 by 80 feet is large enough for
any one individual: if it Is not good
claim then it is more than any miner
wants. The greatest foe to mineral de
| velopment in any state. II Is asserted, is
the excessive number of claims held by
few persons. A bill has been prepared to
compel every mine owner to work out his
assessment and to allow no man to hold
more than one lode or placer mine at a
time, and reduce the size of all claims to
800 by $50 feet.
Doing Axxessment Work.
The committee on mining affairs Of the
house of representatives has had its at
tention called to statements made by
prominent citizens of Whatcom county.
Washington, whose names for obvious
reasons are withheld. that it would be
bad policy to set aside that provision re-
Touring assessment work to be done upon
mining claims. A movement was on foot
to suspend this work during the present
year, but the statements which have been
made to the committee put different
light upon the matter, and no action may
be taken. 1t is probable that such legis-
lation will result mainly to the advan-
tage of bands of spectators who have
tied up the principal mining claims in
each locality, and compel all those who
actually wish to work and develop a
j mine to purchase it from them at high
price. 1t is pointed out that it is not
difficult for the bona fide miner, who has
but one claim to do his assessment work
each year, and that in fact nearly all OF
these do more than the necessary amount
of assessment work every year. On the
other hand, it is obviously impossible fol
spectators, without the expenditure OF
large sums Of money, to do the work upon
the large number OF claims which they
are holding for the purpose of selling al
h high prices to those who wish actually
to engage in mining 1t is claimed, there
fore, that the law is clearly good one
and should not be suspended, for the rea
son that it compels these Spectators tt
let go the claims they are holding under
fictitious names, and thus permit actua
miners to file upon them.
Oldest Coal Mine in Europe.
4 Some time ago it was proposed to eel
citrate this year the tooth anniversary o
e the discovery of coal in Europe, which
it was claimed, was made near Liege, il
Belgium, in ll9S. DIR. f. Buttgenbaci
: has now published a pamphlet to prov,
: that the first discovery was made 8;
+ years earlier, in lll3, in the basin OF tn,
h River Worm, north of Aixl -Chapelle
h He brings forward much evidence t.
k prove that outcrops of coal We're worke,
r in that year, and long after by the monk
$ Of Kerkrade, who first discovered it
qualities as fuel and utilized the mineral
OF "black EARTH as it was called. Tn
word "kuhl," an old German term mean
ing pit, was the origin, according t.
a. this statement, of the German kohl
and the English coal The general,
accepted legend has been that coal wa
= first used at Liege by blacksmith nance
tuil0S, from whose name comes tn
i French "houille" coal, says the Engin
y eering and Mining Journal. He foun
IS that the "black earth" which outcroppe
le near Liege could be used in the forge in
3 stead of charcoal. Coal, however, ha
n been used at Sheffield, in England, som
II 10 years earlier for the same purpose.
"a April Copper Production.
Is Copper production in the United State
10 in April, as reported by John Stanton
% for the chief producers. was very larg'
in reaching total OF % 900 long tons of fin
A. copper, which exceeded by 1928 tons tn
\, March report, and by 5455 tons the out
$, put for April, 1897. The reporting mine
IS have increased their production, and ther
Is has also been notable gain in that give
re in the reports as coming from ''outsid
to sources that is, from small mines nc
- in the producers list and from the smell
" ers of lead, gold and silver ores. For tn
n four ,nonths endiup With Anil @ba !,