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have lease agreements in place with other private owners that <br /> simply have not been recorded. This would make sense of <br /> Hughes' statement to the Tribune that Viscount"has leased <br /> mineral rights from Deb and Dave Knight of Elko, Nevada," <br /> and that Viscount"has done our homework and looked at the <br /> mineral rights" in the Silver Cliff area with an eye to pursue <br /> "lease to purchase options with owners."When asked why <br /> Viscount was exploring mineral rights and deposits here, <br /> rather than elsewhere in the vast mining repositories across <br /> the western US, Hughes was quick to state "First of all, there <br /> is a historical mining resource here; secondly, the historic <br /> Hardscrabble Silver District has been heavily explored; and <br /> third, Custer County is one of the poorest counties, needs <br /> employment, and is sitting on an underutilized resource. It's <br /> a great place to attempt to do business."Hughes continued to <br /> emphasize that Viscount is interested only in establishing and <br /> verifying that the mineral resource actually exists here, and <br /> added that"we are encouraged by what we've seen so far."If <br /> their findings do hold up a promise of sustainable and <br /> profitable mining in the area, it would be up to a larger <br /> mining company to proceed with the actual land use <br /> applications with local, state and federal authorities, and the <br /> development that would then ensue. Mining is a highly <br /> regulated industry. Current plans for Viscount in the <br /> meantime, Hughes indicated, are to proceed with a <br /> geophysical assessment of the old claims, do some service <br /> sampling, continue to review"the hundreds of files"related <br /> to the lode claims, create no land disturbance, and introduce <br /> themselves more to the community.And of course, he further <br /> noted, "We want our stock price to go up." If it is <br /> determined, Hughes said, that"underlying the existing <br /> mines, there is a much larger resource, it may be a boon for <br /> Silver Cliff"It would be up to the community, he added, <br /> whether it would be developed. "That's another matter,"he <br /> noted. One curious matter Viscount has come upon is that the <br /> GPS locations of the old bore holes were all turning out to be <br /> about 50 feet off from the existing maps. Hughes said he <br /> would be meeting with County Commissioner Kit Shy as <br /> soon as he could to work out the surveying discrepancies, <br /> perhaps created by a now abandoned aerial GPS locating <br /> system. In any event, there is a lot of work ahead for <br /> Viscount, and, as Hughes told us, "we have no idea how it <br /> will turn out."He did note what the Valley has long known: <br /> "There's something giant out there." The interest in silver <br /> development of course, is related to the current rise in the <br /> spot price of silver per ounce. As of Tuesday, July 19, despite <br /> a 6 cent drop, that price was $20.03, compared to $14.79 a <br /> year ago. —W.A. Ewing <br />