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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1883)
April, J 74 THE WEST SHORE. of Mid Snake river to the place of beginning. Thil will be a great convenience to tettlen in the Wood river country. Two partiei will loon leave I-ewiiton to survey government lands in the northern portion of Nez Perce county and in Shoshone county. There are large areas of valuable agricultural land in those localities, which will soon be occupied. The land office at Lewiiton is thronged with men looking for desirable locations. All the land within twenty miles of that city will soon he taken, and it is to be hoped that the reservation will shortly le thrown ojien. BRITISH COLUMBIA. Great activity is now displayed in the three leading industries of the province, fish, coal and lumber. The advantages and resources ol this province are atttacting considerable attention in Canada and Fngland. Since his official visit Lord Lome ha spoken and written much in regard to the country, and many sketches made by him have been engraved and published. The fertility of soil, beauty of the scenery, wealth of resources, and the mildness of its climate as compared with Canada ami even with Fngland, are winning for it many ardent admirers. Immigration has be gun to show a marked increase, and the govern ment has appointed an humiliation agent with headquarten at Victoria. Many Canadian me chanics have already come out this spring, most of them under contract for $3.50 to $4 per day to work on the Canadian Pacific, while many families are coming to take up land for agricul tural purposes. ALASKA. The movement of miners to the Alaska mines has already lrgun. The steamer ljultr is ling fitted up at San Francisco for the survey of the Alaska coast. The Alaska Commercial Co. has bought out the Vetem Fur Co., its Fnglivh competitor. The increase in freight and tiavel to Alaska has compelled the Pacific Coast S. S. Co. to en Uige its facilities and make more trips. Three excursions to Alaska will occur during the summer months, and will no douU be en Joyed if as large a list of passengers as the steamers can accommodate. MINING. It b proposed m try a new process for saving tine gold on the ban ..f .Snake river. A sit-fuot vein of coal has been fctund north of Cathlamet in Wahkiakum county, V. T. The Coal mines o Skagit river art being thoroughly prosfxriesl by a San Francisco firm. The I'. S. Grant mine, one mile from Virginia City. Moo'.ana, is spoken of as one of the coming bonantas. The Iu4.t-1s.dl mine in Itlackluine district, Montana, highly spco of. It U expected that a Mueller will be erected there this summer. ilvslraalsc lining will be inaugurated this sjstmj ea swisson rim. Idaho, when there U much ground favorably situated for working by that procesa. Since the first of February considerable work has been done in developing the Black Diamond coal vein on Pine creek in the Umpqua country. The coal found is said to resemble the Cum berland. The working force in the Carbonado mines is 300 men, and the daily output 490 tons. A new engine has been procured, and an additional force will be put on to increase the daily yield to 800 tons. The Silver King mine in the Sawtooth moun tains has been sold for $100,000 to parties in Hailcy, Idaho. The ore is very rich and there is said to be enough in sight to pay for the mine four times over. The mines of Montana district, around Neihart, Montana, are being well developed. The chief properties on which work is being done are Queen of the Hills, Ilomestake, Sampson, Fitzpatrick, Blue, Maude S, Ora La Platta and Van Cotta. The Lodomia ledge about twelve miles from Prineville, Oregon, has been tapped by two tun nels, the ore showing a working test of $30 per ton gold. A ten stamp mill will soon be erected by the Pioneer company. This is a very favorable season for the miners along Klamath river. The low stage of water has allowed them to put in their wing dams and tgin work on the river bed much earlier than usual, and they are already taking out pay gravel. The Stoddard group of ledges were discovered in 1880, and are situated on a high mountain near (he headwaters of the middle fork of Salmon river in Idaho. There are four valuable loca tions, the Gelena, White Dog, Greyhound and Illue Grouse. One of the richest strikes yet made on Wood river is the F.mma ledge, discovered by two men in Bullion while excavating in the side of a hill in that town. The ore is remarkably rich, some 01 11 wing covered with wire silver. The Hailey .m My. ,ney mused $50,000 Tor the location. Although but little mote than the work rennet by law has been done on the ledges of Oro Fino oi.tr.ct, a few miles from Deer Ixnlge, Montana, the general impression is that they are valuable. Three of them have recently been bonded ill proliably be thoroughly prospected this season. Twenty yr, ago the Cordova was located it rhill.psbarg, Montana, worked to the depth of ' ,m "n(toned. Recently the Hope company acquired it, sunk the shaft twenty feet rurther and sttuck an excellent body of ore. A smelter and concentrator will be erected if further The mines at Mineral City. Idaho, have 1 organized as Washington mining district. The ....... K are the illack Maria, Daniel Boone, en. Belle and kLs,g Sun. The first two are be mg thoroughly devel... .1 ..... splendidly' r " ' "re """"""B , , Ul Wit. J?? develo, .... ..... ,mmy ,n . . h uie nrst 01 January, The quartz ledges of Barton's gulch. ... Virginia City, Montana, are showing rich ore and are beginning to attract considerable attention, t The Black Eagle, Gray Eagle, True Fi8ur. Aenra. uin union. Kaimvra i . , , ...7., ,nue nr.-..T - wm Agncola have had considerable work done on them, and others are being prospected. The ledges carry gold, silver, copper and galena, and 1 are true fissure veins. I THE LAND LAW. Secretary Teller recently eave a definiii of the word "settlement" as regards a me-emmi. claim, which is of interest to a class of lust jumpers who think a man has not taken posse. sion of his claim until his cabin has been erected, The secretary says : "Residence is not essential tn a nrjaassnrst,-K A 1 . J"--WIIiJUUl settlement. A settler is one who .... , , J avius MA on the land indicative of an intention to claim the benefits of the law. Although the erection of a house and residence therein may manifest such DurDOse. in connection with nther 01. there may be a valid settlement without residence. 10 icii trees, 10 plow or lence the land or lay the foundation for a house, or do nnv oihr art w,A clearly manifests a purpose to convert the land iiuu a nome, win, 11 louowed ny residence, give the party a pre-emption right which relates back to his first act. No definite time within which residence must commence is fixed by law. It mUSt. however, be withm fillrh reaennnhli. timat to manifest a purpose to comply with the require ments of the law and o tetain and not abandon the tract. In such ca e his rieht will not be forfeited." In regard to cutting ti 1 bcr on homestead claims, the commissioner has rcenntly decided si follows : "When it is clearly evident that a homesteader has settled upon his claim, intending in good faith to make a permanent home thereon and to im prove and.cultivate the land entered, he is per mitted to cut such timber as must be removed from the land in the process of clearing it for cul tivation. If the amount of timber so cut from that particular portion of the claim which the homesteader contemplates clearing for immediate cultivation should be more than he requires for fencing, buildings and other improvements upon his claim, he is permitted to dispose of such excels of timber so cut. Any other timber upon the claim cannot be sold until the claimant has per fected his title to the land embraced in his entry. The question whether the land is Iwing cleared for legitimate purposes is a question of tact which is liable to be raised at any time. If A timber is cut for any other purpose, it will subject the entry to cancellation, and the person who cut it will be liable to civil suit for recovery of the value of the timber, and also to criminal prose cution for violating the law in such casts provided." The secretary of the interior has decided that an application to amend homestead entry i matter of right only when necessary to correct I mistake, clerical or otherwise, which would result in depriving a settler of his actual home or val uable improvements, and if allowed in any case should be as a matter of executive discretion, enable him to take the full quantity allowed by law, and to avoid a conflict with other asserted claims. The department has decided that, where single woman makes a homestead entry, and afte wards marries, her husband, in the event of bf death," cannot purchase in his own name, n' the act of June 15. 1880. The question as whether a husband in such a case is an heir. one to be determined by state law and not 7 the department.