The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-06-01
30 HOLD THEIR CLAIMS
Miners Petition for More Time for
ASSESS ment Work.

The miners in the state of Washington
interested in having the working assess
ment suspended for a period of one year
held a wsll-attended meeting in the city
council chamber last night, and decided to
forward the following petition to congress:
The undersigned citizens, holders of
mining claims. residing In the state of
Washington, do represent and petition 10
the honorable congress OF the United States
as follows:
THAT the Cascade mountains. the O,ym-
pic mountains and the mountainous por-
tons of Okanogan. Stevens aai other
counties in the state OF Washington are
known to contain a vas; wealth and vari-
ETY. of useful and precious metals. as
shown by the prospecting and development
already made.
velopment of those resources and the dit
ficulCaS OF exploring the different fields
and prospecting and developing claims
therein have been especially great.
In very many sections the limited avail
able time in each year for doing pre.imi-
nary development and the loss Of time,
expense and difficulty attending travel and
transportation of material and supplies
has made the work Of development costly,
proiracted and difficult.
That several thousand mining claims
velopment for the present year by the de-
struction OF the leading mining railroad OF
the state.
That the material condition Of the class
al development of Washington has. for the
past five years, been under more extreme
depression than in any other part of the
country. yet the work of locating and de-
yeloping claims has been carried on to a
great extent. considering the means OF the
prospecting miners.
That since the great discoveries OF gold
in the Yukon basin, during 1887, large
portion of the holders of mining claims in
Washington have gone to Alaska for the
purpose OF procuring the means 10 develop
a batN fzal stx
Washington. but as such purpose will
generally require such a period of time as
to prevent their return in time 10 do their
assessment work. as required by law, IL is
absolutely essential to their Interests that
they be given reasonable tir4, 10 do so.
That the greatest number OF individuals
holding mines and most of the companies
Incorporated for the purpose OF enlistsng
capital and developing mines herewith,
find, through the diversion of capital and
their members to Alaska and the infiu-
ted States and Spain upon capital. that
they are unable TO carry out their required
work in this state during the present year.
but do have a reasonable assurance that
they will be able 50 to do hereafter.
THAT large number of the IN ea recent
~ called into the service of the govern
ment for the present foreign was are in
terested as holders OF claims AMI will be
unable to protect their interests the pres
ent year.
Therefore we, as prospectors and hold
ers of mining claims I'm the state Of Wash
ington. do hereby petition the honorable
congress Of the United States to provide
by a special enactment for the suspension
of the general law relating to assessment
on mining claims for the year 1898. so far
as II relates to mining claims in the state
of Washington
1t was also the sense of the meeting that
the Post-Intelligencer request the various
newspapers in the state to publish copy
of this petition. and also retain i COPY In
4ta{r -
their respective localities. After the min
ers affix their signatures the petition will
be forwarded to the Washington deiega-
ton.