Amador ledger., 1901-10-18
A BIG MINING CASE
Suit Involving the Rich Ledge of the
Central Eureka
Central Eureka Mining Company VS.. East
Central Eureka.

The important mining suit OF Central
Eureka Mining Company VS.. East
Central Eureka was commenced in the
superior court last Monday morning
The Importance of the suit, judged
from the interests involved, which
amount to no less than the ownership
of the remarkably rich ore body en-
countered in the Central Eureka mine,
on the summit of Suffer hill, has
naturally drawn number of promi-
neht outside attorneys into the case.
On the side of the plaintiff corpora
ton, there appeared Warren Olney,
G. H. Lindley and w. J. MCGEE; and
for the defendants, A. E. Bolton, of
the firm of Galpin and Bolton, and
Judge c. w. Slack, both of San Fran
cisco. Two shorthand reporters, one
for each side, are taking the testimony.
Besides the attorneys, the principal
officers of the company are attending
the trial, among them being E. B. De
Cola, president; w. A. Van Bokkelen,
secretary; j. H. Grady, director, Van
Horn and Chas. Wagner, stockholders.
For the defense there were present,
Jas. Toman and G. w. Randall.
The object of the suit is to quiet title
to that portion of the Central Eureka
ledge which runs under the surface
boundaries of the agricultural claim Of
James Toman. The Central Eureka
commenced operations, as far as the
present company is concerned, about
six years ago. An old shaft had been
sunk to the depth of 700 feet, en-
countering little or no pay ore. The
present company continued this shaft
down, and at the depth of~f05O feet
paw ore came in, and-from that point
TO the bottOm~of the shaft, which is
1000 feos~deep, the pay shoot continues.
Drifts have been run north and south
at various depths following the vein.
but these had all been filled up with
waste to the 1860 level: below that
point they were open. The company
bonded the TOman ranch, which lies to
the east of the mining claim, and run
crosscuts at various points to prospect
for new ore bodies. All these, how
ever, proved fruitless; the rock en-
countered was hard greensboro, and
the company allowed the bond to be
forfeited, the ground being considered
of no value for mining purposes. From
the 1860 to the 1850 level in the shaft,
the gouge was found on the hanging
wall, instead of the foot wall. But
from the top clear to the bottom of the
shaft, the testimony of w. r. Thomas
and the surveyor, w. E. Downs,
showed the assure was clearly defined
with smooth hanging wall and gouge,
indicating one continuous vein.
The contention of the defendant is
that the ore body, not only extends in
its eastern pitch into the Toman
ground, but also that its outcrop is
within the agricultural land. OF
course, if this is correct, the ore body
is part and parcel of the Toman ranch.
If on the other hand, the ledge out
crops within the boundaries of the
Central Eureka mining patent, and
the ledge is found to be continuous,
the mining patent would hold it, no
matter how far it extends in its eastern
pitch beyond the surface boundaries OF
the mining claim, and into the agri-
cultural ground claimed by Toman.
The suit is therefore instituted to en-
join the defendant from setting up any
claim to any portion of the Central
Eureka ledge. This ore shoot is the
richest for it's size to be found in the
county. The company is paying
regular monthly dividends, and the
outlook for the property is very
promising.
Nearly all the experienced mining
men of Amador county were called as
witnesses for the plaintiff, and testified
from actual examination of the condi-
tions found in the Central Eureka
shaft, and the various drifts and
crosscuts. Among the witnesses be-
sides the superintendent, w. r.
Thomas, were John Truscott, J. F.
Parks, John r. Tregloan, and w. F.
Detert. All were very decided in ex-
pressing their opinion of the unity of
the Central Eureka vein, and its
identity with the regular mother lode.
The remarkable smoothness of the
hanging wall and the regularity of it's
pitch eastward was also a noticeable
feature of the mine. The regularity
of pitch enabled them to secure a good
working shaft by following the vein
from top to bottom. One noticeable
feature brought out upon cross-exami-
nation was that between the 1860 level
and the 1910 level the hanging wall OF
the shaft was formed by quartz which
had not been blasted out in process of
sinking. At the 1850 station this
quartz was Is inches thick at the roof
and tapering to nothing few feet
above. The weight of the cross-exami-
nation seemed to be to establish the
probability, from these left patches of
quartz on the east or hanging wall of
the shaft, commencing as they did at
the point whore pay rock was first met,
that this vein of ore entered the shaft
at this proint from the east, and that
two ore bodies qet at this point, the
one from the east constituting the rich
ledge of the Central Eureka. All the
plaintiffs witnesses stoutly disputed
L thic thnnn.- nnr4a..lal