The interesting thing about this is that a Carlin-style desposit should be exposed at, or very near the surface, in which case a previous claims owner (if there was one) should have been able to find it, and exploit it, particularly if they have been aided by ZTEM.  If not, I would have to offer that that owner had been either grossly incompetent, or had reasonably determined the claims were not worth further effort. 

As to the possiblity that TMBXF may have had those claims, perhaps so, but I believe their acquisition goes back around eight years, or so.  As JB says he has been trying to acquire this new Hay Mountain claims block for 5 years, that would mean he had been trying to acquire them from TMBXF, yet I seem to recall that Alan Brown and Jim Briscoe were not on speaking terms. 

...don't know that any of this matters anyway, as I would value JB's interpretation of the potential in these new claims over those of others (including Brown and friends). 

JMHO