88 



ALASKA. 



twenty-five feet of surface on each side thereof. The remainder of the placer- 

 claim, or any placer-claim not embracing any vein or lode-claim, shall be paid 

 for at the rate ot two dollars and fifty cents per acre, together with all costs of 

 proceedings; and where a vein or lode, such as is described in section twenty- 

 three hundred and twenty, is known to exist within the boundaries of a placer- 

 claim, an application for a patent for such placer-claim which does not include 

 an application for the vein or lode claim shall be construed as a conclusive 

 declaration that the claimant of the placer-claim has no right of possession of 

 the vein or lode claim; but where the existence of a vein or lode in a placer- 

 claim is not known, a patent for the placer-claim shall convey all valuable mineral 

 and other deposits within the boundaries thereof 



Sec. 2334. The surveyor-general of the United States may appoint in each 

 land-district containing mineral lands as many competent surveyors as shall 

 apply for appointment to survey mining-claims. The expenses of the survey 

 of vein or lode claims, and the survey and subdivision of placer-claims into 

 smaller quantities than one hundred and sixty acres, together with the cost of 

 publications of notices, shall be paid by the applicants, and they shall be at 

 liberty to obtain the same at the most reasonable rates, and they shall also be 

 at liberty to employ any United States deputy surveyor to make the survey. 

 The Commissioner of the General Land Office shall also have power to estab- 

 lish the maximum charges tor surveys and publication of notices under this 

 chapter; and, in case of excessive charges for publication, he may designate any 

 newspaper published in a land-district where mines are situated for the publication 

 of mining-notices in such district, and fix the rates to be charged by such paper; 

 and, to the end that the Commissioner may be fully informed on the subject, 

 each applicant shall file with the register a sworn statement of all charges and 

 fees paid by such applicant for publication and surveys, together with all fees 

 and money paid the register and the receiver of the land-office, which statement 

 shall be transmitted, with the other papers in the case, to the Commissioner of 

 the General Land Office,. 



Sec. 2335. All affidavits required to be made under this chapter may be veri- 

 fied before any officer authorized to administer oaths within the land-district 

 where the claims may be situated, and all testimony and proofs may be taken 

 before any such officer, and, when duly certified by the officer taking the same, 

 shall have the same force and effect as if taken before the register and receiver 

 of the land-office. In cases of contest as to the mineral or agricultural charac- 

 ter of land, the testimony and proofs may be taken as herein provided on per- 

 sonal notice of at least ten days to the opposing party; or if such party cannot 

 be found, then by publication of at least once a week for thirty days in a news- 

 paper, to be designated by the register of the land-office as published nearest to 



