Alaska Gold Min. Co. v. Barbridge

1 Alaska 311
CourtDistrict Court, D. Alaska
DecidedDecember 15, 1901
DocketNo. 49a
StatusPublished

This text of 1 Alaska 311 (Alaska Gold Min. Co. v. Barbridge) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Alaska primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Alaska Gold Min. Co. v. Barbridge, 1 Alaska 311 (D. Alaska 1901).

Opinion

BROWN, District Judge.

This action was brought to restrain and enjoin the defendants from sinking a certain shaft situated at a point where the surface of the earth is below mean high tide on Gastineau channel, and immediately above the workings of the plaintiff corporation on a vein or lode, the apex of which is within the surface boundaries of the mining claim of the corporation. It is alleged that, by following the vein or lode on the dip thereof, the plaintiff has passed beyond the side line of its lode mining claim and beyond the shore line of Gastineau channel, which said channel is an arm of the sea, and is now working under said arm of the sea, the greatest working depth attained being about 900 feet; that the defendants, in sinking their shaft and discharging blasts in that behalf, cause the ground beneath to vibrate and the waters of the sea to flow through fissures in the rock that forms the roof above the workings of the plaintiff, thereby causing large quantities of the water of the sea to flow in upon the plaintiff, to its great and irreparable injury; and that, unless the defendants are restrained from further pursuing the work of sinking their said shaft, the plaintiff’s mine will become flooded and made valueless. The defendants deny these matters generally, but admit they are engaged in sinking a shaft, etc.; allege it to be on a lode mining claim properly located by them, and that their work in no wise damages plaintiff. This is practically the case before the court.

[313]*313The evidence shows that plaintiff has a patent to its certain mining claim, and the patents offered in evidence show by reference to points, distances, courses, etc., that the line of said claim, at some points, is some little distance from the shore line of mean high tide of said channel. It further appears that the defendants have sunk shafts a few feet in depth, the surface at the point of sinking being above mean high tide, and have exposed rock in place of some value, the quartz taken therefrom showing good value; that shafts have been sunk at one or more places, the defendants claiming a lawful location of a lode mining claim, and that they are entitled to work the same even though some injury should result therefrom to the plaintiff. It is admitted that the particular shaft complained of is on what defendants claim to be the strike of their vein, and that the surface where said shaft was begun is below mean high tide. It further appears from the evidence, the admitted facts, and the personal observation of the court when present upon the ground, on invitation of the parties to this action, that only a few feet of the vein claimed by defendants extends, at either end thereof, above mean high tide, and that, following the strike of the vein or lode a few feet from the point of discovery, the vein passed below the tide line, and that the apex of the vein, except at low tide, other than these few feet, is beneath the sea, and a considerable portion is below even low tide.

It is contended by the defendants that, under the mining laws of the United States, all of the public mineral lands of the United States are subject to exploration and location; that mineral lands below high tide are a part of the public mineral lands' of the United States, and therefore subject to •exploration and location the same as the like character of land above high tide; that, beginning at or near the shore line, the defendants have a right to follow a vein upon the [314]*314strike thereof beyond the shore line beneath tide waters for the entire length of a claim. As before stated, except for a few feet, the apex of the entire vein claimed by the defendants is below the tide line. The above proposition is denied and contested by plaintiff. It is further claimed by plaintiff that plaintiff’s land runs to the shore line of Gasti-neau channel and to mean high tide thereof; that the points-designated by stakes constitute the meander line, and, though these are a few feet back from the point of mean high tide,, their patented land in fact runs to mean high tide; and that therefore there is no land above shore line on which defendants could sink a shaft, make explorations, or locate a lode mining claim or any part thereof.

Thus are outlined the main points contested in this case. To what extent it is necessary for the court to follow these in order to determine the rights of the parties under the pleadings, the court does not at this time determine. It is-sufficient to say that some of them will be examined. The arguments of counsel have been long, learned, and highly interesting, but, if counsel will excuse the court for so saying, unnecessary to follow at length in order to determine this case.

It seems to be expedient to determine, first, whether a. mining claim can be located on lodes situated on the shore of the sea below mean high tide, or whether, where the vein or lode extends on its strike beyond the shore line under the sea, the discoverer can lawfully locate the part of the lode above mean high tide, and include in such location the larger part thereof that lies below the waters. Stating the proposition in another way, can the locator of a mining claim lawfully include in his claim any mineral lands of the United States that may extend into and under the sea below mean high tide, or must his claim end at the shore line?

[315]*315Section 2319 of the Revised Statutes of the United States [U. S. Ccmp. St. 1901, p. 1424] provides that:

“AH valuable mineral deposits in lands belonging to tbe United States, both surveyed and unsiuveyed, are hereby declared to be free and open to exploration and purchase, and the lands in which they are found to occupation and purchase, by citizens of the United States,” etc.

It is claimed that the language of the section is broad enough to include land below, as well as above, high tide. Considering the language of the section, it might possibly include any of the mineral lands of the United States; but, under the policy of our government, the tide lands have never been sold by the general government. The original states, upon the formation of the Union, held the tide lands subject to their several control. In order that new states, carved out of the various portions of the public domain, should, when admitted as states of the Union, be admitted on an equality with all the other states, it has been deemed wise ■ — and perhaps obligatory upon the general government — to so hold these tide lands that, when the new states should be formed, they should be transferred to the sole control of such states, to be disposed of as might seem wise to them. Considering this policy of the government in dealing with this class of lands, it would seem that the legislation by Congress relative to the disposition of its agricultural and mineral lands should be treated as subject in this respect to this general policy. It has been frequently said by our courts of last resort that these tide lands do not really belong to the United States, and are not subject to disposition, but are simply by the United States held in trust for the new states that shall be carved out of the public domain. Hardin v. Jordan, 140 U. S. 371, 11 Sup. Ct. 808, 838, 35 L. Ed. 428. See, also, Shively v. Bowlby, 152 U. S. 47, 14 Sup. Ct. 548, 38 L. Ed. 331; Knight v. The U. S. Land Ass’n, 142 U. S. 163, [316]*31612 Sup. Ct. 258, 35 L. Ed. 974; Weber v. Commissioners, 18 Wall. 65, 21 L. Ed. 798.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Railroad Co. v. Schurmeir
74 U.S. 272 (Supreme Court, 1869)
Weber v. Board of Harbor Commissioners
85 U.S. 57 (Supreme Court, 1873)
White v. Luning
93 U.S. 514 (Supreme Court, 1876)
Hardin v. Jordan
140 U.S. 371 (Supreme Court, 1891)
Knight v. United States Land Assn.
142 U.S. 161 (Supreme Court, 1891)
Shively v. Bowlby
152 U.S. 1 (Supreme Court, 1894)
Pride v. Lunt
19 Me. 115 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1841)
Bartlett v. Corliss
63 Me. 287 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1873)
Platt v. Jones
43 Cal. 219 (California Supreme Court, 1872)
Rogers v. Jones
1 Wend. 237 (New York Supreme Court, 1828)
Fletcher v. Phelps
28 Vt. 257 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 1856)
Waterloo Min. Co. v. Doe
82 F. 45 (Ninth Circuit, 1897)
Golden Reward Min. Co. v. Buxton Min. Co.
97 F. 413 (Eighth Circuit, 1899)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1 Alaska 311, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alaska-gold-min-co-v-barbridge-akd-1901.