Stinchfield v. Gillis
Stinchfield v. Gillis
Opinion of the Court
Upon the former appeal in this case (96 Cal. 33) it appeared that the Carrington mine was a single claim held by the defendant Gillis, of which he had sold a portion to the plaintiff, and it was held that by virtue of his deed to the plaintiff Gillis was es-topped from questioning the right of his grantee to all of the gold found within the surface lines of the deed, irrespective of the depth below the surface at which it was found. After the case went down to the superior court for another trial the defendants amended their answers, presenting issues to the effect that the tract of ground which was sold to the plaintiff was known as the Pine Tree claim, and was distinct from that known as the Carrington claim, which was retained by Gillis, and had been located subsequent to the location of the Carrington claim; that upon these facts they were entitled to the gold found at the place of intersection of the Rice vein and the West vein, although that place of intersection was within the surface lines of the grant to the plaintiff. Upon the issues thus presented, the court found that for nearly fourteen years prior to the sale to the plaintiff the mining ground held by the defendant Gillis, including that sold to the plaintiff, as well as that retained by himself, had been held and claimed by him as a single mining claim, and was known and designated, as the “ Carrington” claim, and that during this time no Pine Tree mine or claim had existed; that prior to the sale and conveyance to the plaintiff, Gillis had pointed out to him the boundaries of the Carrington claim, and told him that the ground so sold and conveyed was a part of that claim; that before the execution of the deed Gillis and the plaintiff went together upon the ground and marked off and agreed upon the'
We are of the opinion that the additional facts presented upon this appeal do not take the case out. of the
The effect of the deed from Gillis to the plaintiff was to estop him and those claiming under him from questioning the title of the plaintiff to all the gold that might be found in the West vein, within the surface lines of his deed. The gold in controversy was found within the surface lines of this deed, and it was also found within the limits of the two walls forming the West vein, although the place at which it was found - is
Whether the plaintiff would have been entitled to follow the West vein into the ground retained by Gillis, and to claim the gold found therein, or whether Gillis would have been entitled to any of the gold that might be found in the Rice vein, within the ground conveyed to the plaintiff, are questions which are not involved in this appeal, and upon' which we do not express any opinion. All that we hold is that, inasmuch as the gold in question was within the ground conveyed by Gillis to the plaintiff, and in a vein whose apex was within the surface lines of that ground, it belonged to the plaintiff.
Certain rulings of the court upon the admission of
The judgment and order are affirmed.
McFarland, J., and Van Fleet, J., concurred.
Concurring Opinion
While I. do not think the decision in this case upon the former appeal is at all conclusive, as to the questions raised by the present appeal, still I concur in the judgment upon the ground that the facts do not bring the case within the provisions of section 2336 of the Revised Statutes of the United States. And when that statute does not apply, and there is no other law or mining custom applicable to the facts, I think the grantee of the surface ground must be held to take all the mineral at the point of intersection.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- A. W. STINCHFIELD v. J. N. GILLIS
- Cited By
- 5 cases
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- Syllabus
- Mines—Conveyance by Owner of Two Claims Held as One—Inter, section of Veins—Title of Grantee—Estoppel by Deed.—Where the dividing line between the original locations of two mining claims has been disregarded by one who has become the owner of both of them, and he has sold and conveyed a portion thereof in a deed of conveyance not purporting to be made in accordance with the lines or claim of any previous location, but as a conveyance of a tract of mining ground carved out of the entire tract by metes and bounds agreed upon between the parties, the grantor is estopped by-his deed from questioning the right of his grantee to all of the gold found within the surface lines of the deed, irrespective of the depth below the surface at which it is found and such grantee has title to the gold found at the place of intersection of two veins falling within the surface lines of the deed. Id.—Construction of Revised Statutes—Priority of Location of Intersecting Veins—Effect of Deed.—Where the proprietor of a tract of mining ground which had been derived through several locations disposes of the same in parcels, irrespective of the lines of the locations, the rights of his grantees are measured by the terms of their deeds. Section 2336 of the Revised Statutes of the United States providing that when two veins intersect, priority of title shall govern as to the ore or mineral contained within the space of intersection, has no application to a conveyance of part of a mining claim, in respect to which there is no priority of location, and was not intended to limit or define the rights of a person in possession of a tract of mining ground where there is more than one vein, or to prescribe the effect of a conveyance by the locator of a claim of a portion of his location; but the sole object of that section is to supplement the provisions of section 2332, and to prescribe rules under which different locations by different proprietors should be held, and to determine the rights of such proprietors in case of intersecting veins. Id.—Description—Boundaries—Parol Evidence —Monuments—Identity of Land.—In the description of the boundaries in a conveyance, monuments designated as the corners of the tract conveyed, which can be ascertained, will prevail over designated measurements, and parol evidence offered for the purpose of pointing out upon the surface of the earth the monuments which had been agreed upon in the sale, and which were named in the conveyance, is admissible to show the identity of the land conveyed with that upon which the trespass was committed.