Los Angeles herald., 1910-11-30
CLAIM ABANDONMENT
SHOWS GOULD'S GAME
Yard, Under Guise of Promoter,
Located Great Tracts for
Western Pacific

The recent report that the Northern
California Mining company had filed a
notice of the abandonment of 10000
acres of mineral locations in Butte
county, along the Feather river canyon,
leads back to the time when these min
ing claims were located. At the time
the location of 260, 900 acres Of mineral
land in Butte and Plumas counties
caused much surprise and speculation
Later the reason was obvious that they
were located for the purpose of secur-
ing a right of way for the Western
Pacific, with the object also of obtains
ing patents and developing the claims
that showed mineral in paying guam
titles.
When George Gould and his advisers
in railroad matters decided to extend
the Gould system to the coast they
were aware that the Southern Pacific
would not relinquish it's hold on the
territory which it had long possessed as
it's own in transportation. They knew
also that the Southern Pacific had Oro-
vile at the mouth Of the Feather river
canyon, and it you'd be an easy mat
ter to follow the engineers up the can
yon with construction gang. There
fore diplomacy was absolutely neces-
sary in obtaining right of way through
the Sierras.
e. L. Yard. who died a few years ago,
was chief engineer of the Denver &
Rio Grande railroad, and when taken
into the counsels of his chiefs recon-
mended his cousin, II. II. Yard, as a
man who had the peculiar ability to
pioneer a route through the Sierras
for the new road without arousing the
suspicious of the old road in California.
Yard went to Oroville about eight
years ago and made some large pur-
chases of real estate. He soon organ
lied the Northern California Mining
company, and it was generally consid-
cred that he was a promoter-Whlch
was exactly the opinion that he wished
to prevail to suit his purpose.
TARGET FOR INQUIRY
An office in Oroville was soon fitted
up and his operations in buying land
for cash and making many mining To-
cations attracted attention. He was a
target for interviewers from several
papers in California. The newspaper
men were always cordially received,
but Mr.. Yard had a faculty for making
the interviewer forget his object IN the
charm of his conversation and his
adroitness in making a question lead
to some valuable general information
Not a hint could be obtained from him.
and all thought that he was in the
employ of some timber and mining
company.
Among his friends were E. J. Ben
iamin and Senator Ralston, also con-
nected with the same body. No news
paper man ever left Oroville satisfied
with the result of his interview.
The fling of locations continued by
Wholesale, and state Mineraloglst Au-
bury protested against the LAND grab
bing." The newspapers devoted col
umns to the wholesale locations. Com
plants against Yard and his associates
were filed in the land office at Susan
Vile. At this time the route of the
Western Pacific had not been surveyed,
and had it become known that the
Goulds were surveying railroad hun
dreds would have filed on mineral
claims along the probable route and the
difficulty of obtaining a right OF way
would have been far greater.
Yard organized the Butte & Plumas
and Indian Valley Railway companies
and began surveying-so he said-for
roads to carry the products of the
mines and mills that he would have in
operation. About this time the Stock
ton & Beckwith. which was afterward
incorporated as the Western Pacific,
began surveying q route through the
Feather river canyon, and the two
corps of surveyors had alterations
over their work. but Yard, who was
paying both, said nothing and the wal
UGIWSCh AiAC obA " us 'NAIS va 49,
came tho news that the Western Pa
cifc and the Butte & Plumas had
merged, and then it became clear to all.
The Northern California Mining
company will abandon thousands of
acres more of mining claims as soon
as it is determined that they are worth
less for mining purposes, but the com
pany has many thousand acres which
have good mineral prospects and these
will be developed.