The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-02-19
THE NEW INNING LAW.


Seattle Feb. Is, lSse-
To the Editor. An o55ectsor was r2.ssa.
q few days axo IN the Ssatse TEES
against the new mining aH known IS n.
q 80. On the ground that TIE passage %
tie Sssl was desired ny Spokane people
With sae view OF destroying the mining
business OF tie western part o. tie SKATE
the ooserscrs claiming that the oesesoP-
raeat work required b. said bill E-ofe
claim can be located legally was 10 eA-
pensive and would therefe-e xiii tne pros
pecting business.
TIE said objection IS both aosurc ana
false But as & will. 3ouetessiy. @
placed before many Of our legislators VINO
are net familiar with the mining ana
prospecting business. they Should aaso
hear the truth about the matter. TX ~
cheap ciap-trap LETT ever fron TIE seha-
torsal contest to accuse Spokane OF tEs-
ing to kin part OF the mining business or
the State Ths Spokane miners have ali
they can take care OF in the Eastern
Washington mines: but they, as wei as
tire western part OF the state. ia1or I'm
der the infection which can best De ae-
scrfbed as the lead pencil prospectors.
against whom this ssl is particularly Oh
rected-
This class o. prospsctors Is an Eastern
Importation OF the last few years, ana
they earn tire above name from the man
ner OF their work. While the real, Old
fashioned prospecto. goes and spends the
whole season hunting with PICK. snovei
and Grill for mineral hedges. following
creeks ard river beds. travelling mountains
and forests and considering himself for
,unate IL re locates tive or three pronis-
.ng claims In . season the lead pencil
prospector works differently. He READS IN
the papers OF some valuable claims hav-
ing been located somewhere: that starts
him out. With a few days provisions,
blanket, a couple Of dozen location no.
tees. and q good supply Of pencils. he
goes to the ne.ghborhood OF the reported
new find, and since, in most cases, ne is
not experienced enough to know good or
bad ore when he sees 1t, he wastes no
time In prospecting for lodges, but with
his pencil he locates tha whole country
adjoining or near the reported good
claims. In this way one or two men
often stake ten to twenty claims on one
little creek, and mere on larger rivers.
Thus three men who called themselves
company staked In lSsT not Less than
ninety claims In one prominent district.
thinking that tt something should b
found there they had it all gosoied up.
AS the locator. under the present law.
needs not do any assessment work until
the end OF the second year, he can hold
all the claims he has penciled. and for
nearly two years, without any cost to
him, ana thus find time TO perfect the
second part OF his scheme. namely. TO get
up companies or find other buyers for his.
mostly, worthless claims. And as the
fool-killer has not by any means COM
pleted his work yet, and the unprincipied
schemer is notorious for finding belief,
then the consequence is that the public
is flooded with prospects which, In course
OF time turn out to be OF the wildcat ma
ture. and which hurt the legitimate min
ing business immensely.
This lead pencil prospecting work will
and sudden end with the passage OF r.
B. 81 but the blessings which IL will as
q law bestow upon the mining business
would be more complete il Il contained
clause making every man engaged In min
ing liable to a yearly license OF, say. S.
as Is charged in British Columbia The
money SO collected is, in Canada, used
Bodybuilding trails and roads into the min
ing regions, and has helped to open up
many a wealthy mine which otherwise
would not be worked But, whether SO
amended or not II. b. 27s should be passed
under all circumstances.
A pROSPECTOR-