The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1919-11-06
News Creates Sen
sation in Mining
Circles
VAST SUM IS INVOLVED
Federal Company Interested
Through Ownership of
Leased Ground

From present appearances another
great mining suit will soon be staged
in this district, involving the owner
ship of large bodies OF lead-silver ore
valued at millions Of dollars. Out
side of the parties Immediately con-
cerned and those in their confidence,
the news Of this pending litigation
was SO unexpected that it was really
startling, and there are many who are
still loathe to believe that the pros
pective action is being planned IN
good faith. But this Is merely an
other case Of the wish being father to
the thought, for there is no longer any
doubt that plans are being laid to be-
gin the legal proceedings, and unless
there should be a settlement by agree
nlent, another apex case will drag ITS
weary length from the trial court to
the appellate and finally to the su-
preme court of the United States. The
parties to this prospective litigation
are the Marsh Mines Consolidated,
plaintiff and the Hecla Mining COM
pany, defendant, and the stake is the
bonanza ore body in the east vein or
the Hecla, to which the Marsh
claims to have the apex. The east
vein is one of three great ore chan
nels that traverse the Hecla ground
and is about 600 feet north and east
of the original Hecla vein. raise
has been made on the vein to the
surface and apparently establishing
the apex on Hecla ground.
Marsh Claims Apex.
Right here is where the issue Is
raised. The Marsh company claims
to have uncovered the apex on the
Russell claim, owned by the Federal
Mining & Smelling company and De-
ing developed under lease by the
Marsh. For the last two years or
more the Marsh company has been
quietly prospecting the ground under
lease. but so far as the public is con-
cerned this work was never associat-
ed with the vein within the Hecla. In
fact, it was assumed that an eXten-
sion of the old Tiger Poorman vein
was being sought, and this what mas
been found, according to an off1call
statement published by the Marsh
company in another column. NO pup-
lie statement has been made by the
Marsh company regarding the apex
contention, but it was learned by way
of Spokane yesterday, though not
from an official source, that the Marsn
company had served formal notice up
on the Hecla company that 1t woulo
claim the apex to the Hecla east vein.
This information, however, could not
be confirmed at the Hecla office IN
this city.
Federal Is Interested.
The old Tiger -Poorman group OF
claims, owned by the Federal Mining
& Smelling company, forms the nor
thern boundary of the Hecla group
and separates the Hecla from the
Marsh. The three easterly claims OF
the Tiger Poorman group, the OeNii
Mono Fraction and Russell, are under
lease to the Marsh, the lease running
until July 20, 1925. The extreme
eastern claim is the Russell whlci
has a common south side line witt
the Consolidated Extension claim
owned by the Hecla 1T Is on the Rus
sell claim that the Marsh company
has found the alleged apex, near an'
parallel to the south side line. 1t II
evident that since the rights or tn'
Marsh to the Russell claim Will ter
inmate with the expiration or IN
lease. and that even if the compan!
should eventually establish its ape.
contention, 1t would be a physica
impossibility for 1t to mine the or
thus acquired during the life OF th
lease, the Federal company Is NOR
deeply concerned in the final settle
ment of the pending controversy tha
the Marsh. 1t may therefore be as
sumed that IL the issue Is carried
the courts, the Federal company WI
be the big factor on the plaintiTs sid
in the great legal battle that Will foi
low.
Tho Marsh Lease.
Like most legal instruments lease
are generally dry reading, but at TN
particular time the lease agreemer
entered into between the Federal an
Marsh is decidedly interesting. II ap
pears that the Federal company wa
about to institute suit against u
Marsh company to recover a iare
sum for ore alleged to have been eS
tracted by the Marsh company fro'
CONTINUED on Page 81