The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1906-09-22
WILLIAM WHALEN'S TRIAL
Mining Expert Reeves Declares
Mines Near Alpha to Be
of Little Value

OF Little Value
The third day of the trial at Sacra.
mento, Cal. of William Whalen on the
first Of four charges of obtaining money
by false %pretenses from a group Of
Sacramento men aud ome regarding
eight mines at Alpha, Eureka County.
Nevada. ended Tuesday with the
prosecution still putting in its case.
The following from the testimony of
f. r. Reeves, a mining expert, who
testified for the prosecution, is taken
from the Sacramento Union of Sept. 10;
An Expert Tesf6ies
Francs r. Reeves of San Francisco,
a mining expert, was the star witness
Of the day. He testified that he is a
graduate from the mining college of
Yale, aud has been actively engaged as
a mining expert since 1877. He was for
a time with the United States Geologi-
cal Survey. has engaged in exporting
cnd as engineer for mines in California.
Oregon, Arizona, Nevada. New Mexico
and other States and Territories. He
recited a long list of leading cases in
mining litigation in which he has been
an expert witness in this aud other
States, and in State, Territorial and
Federal Courts, and told of his work in
New Mexico in segregating mineral
from agricultural lands, and recited
likewise experiences with quicksilver,
gold. silver and copper mining as an
expert engineer.
Mines at Alpha Inspected
In the present month. with Assistant
District Attorney Hughes, his engineer
ing partner, M. Wilson, and Henry
Runckle, he visited the Whalen mines.
OF the shafts, Slopes, crosscuts. tunnels,
etc, of each of these he gave detailed
descriptions, the estimated cost OF each
AMI the mineral character Of every
dump. and of many walls in the exca-
vations.
He took elaborate notes and records
OF his examination of the mines and
the results Of analysis of the ore. In
some Of the workings he found a trace
OF gold, in others none at all. Silver
was found III some. lead in some. cop
per color in others, and in many cases
no metals. He valued the assays at
from 6S cents to 81. so 10 IS 30 and $40 a
ton. Most often no more than 80 cents
a ton of gold was found, and most
frequently gold showed only a trace.
Machinery In Good Condition
More frequently than otherwise the
silver was found in small quantities
such as 1927 500 ounces and 4.0t
ounces of lead to the ton.
In several cases his samples under
assay revealed no mineral value what
ever. Spar. limestone and the like are
frequent in the mines. and the shafts
are mostly not deep nor the cuts extern
sive. He measured the dumps. shaft;
and cuts and holes as well as he could,
gave in detail the estimated cost Of each
working from 5000 down to $l5, and
explained how he selected his ore sam
pies and prepared them for assaying.
Witness described all the machinery
at the mine and. with the construction,
valued the lot at SAG. 900. The machin'
cry, though old. he found in quite good
condition. He described tie locality as
almost wholly limestone formation,
with spots of quartzite and patches OF
spar. He recited a geological analysis
Of the region.
Reeves testimony vas not healthy
for the Whalen mines. or suggestive OF
a hope that they will ever be sources OF
wealth. He was ON the witness stand
when the court adjourned.