The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-06-23
ABOUT FACE TACTICS
NOW ADOPTED
Officials on Claim Patenting
Going Dead Against Their
Own Precedent.
ALSO AGAINST COURTS
Weight of Legal Authority
Does Not Support Stand
Now Taken.
ALSO AGAINST COURTS

The controversy over the decision OF
the department of the interior In the East
Tintic Consolidated case, by which the
mining fraternity sees disposition OF tho
department to place prohibltive restric-
tions upon the location and patenting OF
mining claims. occupies the principal at
tentlon OF the Utah fraternity, especially
since the department q few days ago
reiterated its determination to cling to
Its position, There is an affidavit in the
record Of this case made by Captain Ben
jamin F. Tibby, one Of the best known
Of Utah, Montana and Arizona engineers
and operators, and a brief extract from
this affidavit which was made In sup
port OF the patenting OF the group will
show on what grounds the patent was
applied for.
This follows:
What Claims Show.
THAT each and every one Of said
claims is based upon discovery, Of min
eral bearing rock in place. In IRON
pings, such as in this locality is recog-
nized as being indicative Of pay mineral,
and that with development may lead to
a pay mine Of gold, silver, lead, iron OF
copper: said Indications being of the
same general character as are found on
adjoining mining claims throughout said
district that are producing ore OF such
values as 10 Justify O. prudent person In
the expenditure of money In the actual
development of these claims by reason OF
such showing,
"That small quartz veins. stringers or
seams, due to fssuring OF the rhyolite
Gaping, are disclosed on the surface OF
each OF said locations. and assays taken
from, these seams or veins show values
varying from a trace to $40 per ton In
silver
"A few tons OF ore have been shipped
from the tunnel on the Great irish
Change lode to test for fluxing purposes,
bringing. however. only a small return
the exact figures Of which are not avail
able. otherwise no ore has been marketed.
and ore In shipping quality Is not now be-
from the showing Of these seams and
groupings, due apparently to the fissur-
ing OF the rhyoltte and from his knowl-
edge of the geological conditions OF the
district that with development Into the
ore bearing limestone beneath, ore Will be
found In commercial quantities.
THE surface of the said claims con-
tains no timber of commercial Ino,a value; ialnn
said claims. and the land embraced is
essentially mineral in character and use
less for agricultural purposes"
general land office Is stated that on the
Sunbeam No there are some deposits
OF Iron ore of good quality, which had
been worked to some extent IN the past,
and that iron float and Iron lodges are
frequently encountered on the ground
embraced In the entry,
Experience at Tintic.
Yet the department maintains that this
Is not a sufficient showing to justify
even legal location OF the ground:
There are only very small number Of
groups In Tintic that show even this
much mineral on the surface. yet, they
are producing their millions OF dollars
with depth right along; II the owners
had not been protected by the former
rulings of the department, not a single
one would have been willing to jeopar-
die his capital in the Development Of
mines which have made Utah such a
splendid mineral commonwealth. The
department evidently seeks to prevent
any more lucky developments In the
state, but II continues with the custom
ary cheerfulness to seek to withdraw
other lands. such AS coal lands, on the
mere strength Of geological showings
which are depised when 1t comes 10 pre-
cious mineral ground,
The department maintains that Its at
titude Is not revolutionary. but evolu-
tionary In 1906 a decision was rendered
by the department In a case involving
some copper locations In Arizona. The
formation In this case consisted OF cop
per stained material In schist, porphyry
and limestone. The department held as
follows