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"MENtal salting" is the term Kent Knowlton, Randsburg, California, dealer in mining claims gives to cerrain kinds of swindles.  The commonest type under this head is for "geologists" to prepare geologic maps of the subsurface structure from the information obtained from surrounding mines.  The map, pointed to the fact that a rich vein of ore went under the promotor's claim hundreds of feet below the surface.  Stock companies were formed, about one out of three dollars were spent in sinking a shaft and the other money went into the promotor's pocket.  The Flat Tire mine near Randsburg went to a depth of 1400 feet at a cost of $350,000 because of a case of this "mental salting."