White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1913-03-16
POTASH LANDS WITHDRAWN.
Famous Potash Deposits of Searles
Lake and Other Regions With
drawn From Entry.

drawn From Entry.
The president has recently approx
ed the withdrawal of three tracts of
land of the desert-basin type in Cali
fornia and Nevada that are believed
as the result of Investigations by the
United States Geological survey. to
contain valuable deposits of potas-
SUM salts and brines. The aggregate
area thus Withdrawn is 1889
acres. The first of these Withdrawals
covered Columbus Marsh, New, and
vas approved on January 16, 1913.
The second included the famous
Searles Lake, California, and was ap-
proved on February 81, 1913. The
third included lands in the Panamint
Valley, California, the acreage affect
ed being 24,567 acres. Searles Lake
is the last remaining pocket of a
great ancient lake, which has almost
dried up, thus concentrating a vast
amount of saline minerals. Millions
of ont of salt, soda, and borax fill
the bottom of the lake, and the de-
posts of soda and borax have been
worked, but the development of the
potash in the lake deposits had not
been considered until recently.
The bitter disputes, amounting al
most to warfare, that have resulted
from the attempts to secure title to
the potassium-rich lands of Searles
Lake since the discovery of potash
there have not only resulted in the
postponement of the highly desirable
experimental work on the deposits
themselves but have shown the utter
~inadequaey of the present laws for
the acquisition of lands of this type.
The bed of Searles Lake is blanketed
with filings, the majority of which
have been made under the general
placer law providing that 160 acres
may be entered as an associated
placer. but there is danger that the
legality of these filings may be de-
stroyed by agreement made prior to
patent, to combine a group of placers
after patent is received, in order to
obtain an area large enough to serve
as a basis for a plant for extracting
and refining the salts.
In short, the whole situation is
clouded and perhaps legally IRENE
diable under the present statutes.
1t is in recognition of this condition
that the presidential Withdrawals
have been made. They are in aid of
legislation of a type that will give
security OF tenure and certainty in
operation to whoever may desire to
undertake development of these or
other deposits. The Withdrawals are
not destructive of any valid claims
that may now exist. In fact, in or
der that any rights heretofore law
fully initiated may be preserved the
withdrawal order itself has been
made to include the following phase.
This withdrawal is made subject to
all rights lawfully initiated under
any valid mining locations made upon
such lands so long as such rights are
maintained in full compliance with
the law"
The constructive good faith of the
government in the withdrawal of
these lands in aid of legislation is in
Dictated by the fact that ~eoncurrently
with the withdrawal the interior de-
partment has prepared the draft of a
law intended to relieve the present
chaotic situation and provide a safe
and sure legal basis for the develop
ment of the deposits now known and
any that may be discovered in the
future. This draft has been submit
ted to ongres for its consideration,
and its enactment will be urged in
order that American potash deposits
may be developed under conditions
that are favorable TO the producer
and will at the same time protect the
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