Location posts, such as a 4×4 post in good condition, may be set alongside the patent survey corners as a guard post and to aid in calling attention to it.
In selecting corner numbers, there is no rule other than Cor. No. 1 should be the corner from which the tie is given to the section corner or location monument. When surveying a block of claims common corners should be given the same number thereby reducing the number of section corner ties required from Cor. No. 1. This facilitates field note writing as well as platting.
5–5 Improvements: All improvements made by the claimant or his grantors are to be tied to a corner of the survey, measured, and a value placed thereon if they are such as to count toward the $500 patent expenditure. If they are to count as patent expenditure, they must be in the nature of actual mining improvements, such as cuts, tunnels, shafts, drill holes, etc.; in other words, an improvement that tends to develop or explore the mineral deposit.
Improvements such as cabins, ore bins, roads, bridges, etc., do not develop the claim, but should be tied in, measured and included under “OTHER IMPROVEMENTS” in the field notes, without a value.
Work done by third parties must also be tied-in and listed under “OTHER IMPROVEMENTS.” If the claimant to such work is unknown, that fact should be stated. Again, no value is to be placed on these improvements.
The value to be placed on small improvements can readily be ascertained by multiplying the local wage or cost of equipment and operator by the length of time required to do the work. Drill holes may be valued at the cost of drilling, plus the cost of surveying, geologic evaluation and assaying. Larger improvements may not be as easy to estimate, and it may be necessary to go to the claimant’s cost records in order to place a reasonable value on them.
Common improvements require special consideration. See Sections 10–55, 10–56, and 10–57 of the Manual of Surveying Instructions. A common improvement is one that tends to benefit several claims of a common group. It must have been constructed in its entirety subsequent to the location of each claim of the group, or at least $500 must have been spent on the improvement subsequent to the location of each claim of the common group. All claims within range of benefit must be included, even though they were previously surveyed, or if they are locations which are not included in the survey. The field notes must recite all the claims involved, whether previously surveyed or unsurveyed.
OPEN PIT MINES