MINING: Halloween Trick

For days Lawyer J. R. Stirrett cooled his heels in the offices of International Nickel Co. in Copper Cliff, Ont.—unable to get past the reception desk to transact some business. The cooler his heels got, the hotter he got under the collar.

Finally Lawyer Stirrett stalked out, made a little trip to the office of the mining recorder. Examining maps and blueprints of International’s holdings, he became very interested. As well as studious Mr. Stirrett could tell, International had neglected to register mineral rights to some land near its Creighton mine (the company’s biggest producer in World War I)—including part of the company town of Creighton.

On the morning of Halloween, a grizzled old (73) French-Canadian prospector named Francois Xavier Gallant borrowed a friend’s automobile, drove to Creighton (pop. 2,000), got busy with ax and compass. As the sun went down, he walked into the recorder’s office, registered eight mining claims to 320 acres of land. Part of it was dotted with Creighton houses.

Explained pleased Lawyer Stirrett: “Mr.Gallant is my client. … I informed Mr. Gallant that in my opinion these lots were open for staking.” Said old Francois Gallant: “A fellow gave me $5 to do it and I did it, for at my age a fellow must work.”

By last week part of the claim had been knocked out under a Canadian law that mining rights cannot be established to property occupied by dwellings. But Lawyer Stirrett was undismayed. He appealed the decision. He also said slyly:

“Let us not quibble about houses. My client is at perfect liberty to conduct his work—which calls for stripping, trenching and no small amount of dynamiting—between the houses.

“However, I understand that my client [and another prospector who helped Gallant] are offering these 320 acres for sale. They want $10,000 a claim, or $80,000 all told. They are putting up a property-for-sale sign to advertise it.

“This started as a prank but it’s passed the Halloween stage now. . . . Satan finds work for idle hands.”