Year: 1872

| Mining Resources Of the United States.


Sec. l. That all mineral deposits in lands
belonging to the United States, both sur
veyed and unsurveyed, are hereby declared
to be free and open to exploration and pur-
chase, and the lands in which they are found
to occupation and purchase, by citizens of
the United States, and those who have de-
clared their intention to become such, under
regulations prescribed by law, and according
to the local customs or rules of miners, in
the several mining districts, so far as the
same are applicable and not inconsistent with
the laws of the United States.


Sec g. That mining claims upon veins OF
lodes of quartz or other rock in place bearing
gold, silver, cinnabar, lead, tin, copper, OF
other valuable deposits, heretofore located
shall be governed as to length along the vein
or lode by the customs, regulations and laws
in force at the date of their location. A min
ing claim located after the passage of this
Act, whether located by one or more persons,
may equal, but shall not exceed, fifteen hun
dred feet in length along the vein or lode;
but no location Of mining claim shall be
made until the discovery of the vein or lode
within the limits of the claim located No
claim shall extend more than three hundred
feet on each side of the middle of the vein at
the surface, nor shall any claim be limited by
any mining regulations to less than twenty
five feet on each side of the middle of the
vein at the surface, except where adverse
rights existing at the time of the passage of
this Act shall render such limitation neces-
sary. The end lines of each claim shall be
parallel to each other.


Sec. 3. That the locators of all mining
locations heretofore made, or which shall
hereafter be made, on any mineral vein, lode
or ledge, situated on the public domain, their
heirs and assigns, where no adverse claim
exists at the passage of this Act, so long as
they comply with the laws of the United
Stats, and with the State, Territorial, and
local regulations not in conflict with said laws
of the United States governing their posses
sorry titles, shall have the exclusive right of
possession and enjoyment of all the surface
included within the lines of their locations,
and of all veins, lodes, and ledges through
out their entire depth, the top of apex of
which lines inside of such surface lines eX-
tended down vertically, although such veins,
lodes or lodges may SO far depart from a per-
pendicular in their coursedownward as to eX-
tend outside the vertical side lines of said sur
face locations: Propided, That their right of
possession to such outside parts of said veins
or lodges shall be confined to such portions
thereof as lie between vertical planes drawn
downward as aforesaid, through the end
lines of tbei~ locations, so continued in their
own dire that such planes will intersect
such ext, II parts of said veins or Lodges:
And prorided further, That nothing in this
section shall authorize the locator or posses
sor of a vein or lode which extends in its
downward course beyond the vertical lines
OF his claim to enter upon the surface OF
claim owned Or possessed by another.


Sec. A. That where tunnel is run for
the development of a vein or lode for the
discovery of mines, the owners of such tun-
mel shall have the right of possession of all
veins or lodes within three thousand feet
from the face of such tunnel, on the line
thereof, not previously known to exist, dis
covered in such tunnel, to the same extent
as if discovered from the surface; and loca-
tions on the line of such tunnel of veins or
lodes not appearing on the surface, made by
other parties after the commencement OF the
tunnel, and while the same is being prose-
cuted with reasonable diligence, shall be in
valid; but failure to prosecute the work on
the tunnel for six months shall be considered
as an abandonment or the right to all undls-
covered veins on the line of said tunnel.


Sec. 5. That the miners of each mining
district may make rules and regulations not
in conflict with the laws of the United States
or with the laws of the State or Territory in
in which the district is situated, governing
the location, manner of recording. amount of
work necessary to hold possession Of min
ing claim, subject to the following require
ments: The location must be distinctly
marked on the ground so that its boundaries
can be readily traced. All records of min
ing claims hereafter made shall contain the
name or names of the locators, the date OF
the location, and such description OF the
claim OR claims located, by reference to some
natural object or permanent monument as
will identify the claim. On each claim To-
Gated after the passage of this Act, and until
a patent shall have been issued therefor not
less than one hundred dollars worth of labor
shall be performed or improvements made
during each year. On all claims located
prior to the passage of this Act, ten dollars
worth of labor shall be performed or i'm
provements made for each one hundred feet
in length along the vein until a patent shall


have been issued therefor; but where such
claims are held in common, such expenditure
shall may be made upon any one claim.
And upon failure to comply with these
conditions, the claim or mine upon which
such failure occurred shall be open to re-lo-
cation in the same manner as if no location
of the same had ever been made: Proutded,
That the original locators, their heirs, assigns
or legal representatives, have not resumed
work upon the claim after such failure and
before such location. Upon the failure OF
any one of several co-owners to contribute
his proportion of the expenditures required