The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1893-04-19

ITlHCoton anu OlO-Glm0 zimmerman on
Rum river, testified that he was intend
ing to bid on section 36-42-26. and that he
would have bid q per 900 had he been
afforded an opportunity to do 80. and
knew OF other lumbermen who were
ready to pay the same price. Bassett
OF Minneapolis was sworn and testified
as to the value OF logs in Minneapolis,
but knew nothing as to the value Of the
timber in question.
Messrs. Bassett. Mulvey and Smith,
above noticed, testified on request OF
the auditor.
Judson M Goss, of the firm of Goss &
Son of Anoka, testified that he had
numbered with his father for the past
twenty years. He. with Josiah Wilbur,
carefully estimated every forty sep
arately on said section SO, in the month
OF April, 1891. in order to bid on the
same intelligently at the sale advertised
to occur In Princeton in May. The
Timber Was First Glass,
large and thrifty and all white pine.
Was uninjured by fire and was large
and long. bodied, going about 81
section to contain on a safe estimate.
5,475,OOO feet. The evidence of the wit
ness was clear, concise and to the point,
and was in no degree shaken by the
rigid cross-examination at the hands Of
the deputy state auditor. He said he
was ready to bid 81 per 1000, and that
he was still willing to give 81 for what
remained uncut st the present date.
He testified that the timber south of
the section, which had been re-
ferred to by Mr.. Bierman as subjecting
the timber to danger by fire, had been
cut twelve years ago and that there was
Onr n iro fpsOr hot
from any other direction that he could
see.
Coles Sold Stumpage.
r. M. Coles, lumberman and pine
land owner and speculator, testified
that he had sold stumpage in section
2442-25, Immediately adjoining the
bank scale and cut clean. That this
timber was hauled eight miles into
tributary Of Snake river, while that on
section 16 was hauled less than five
miles into Rum river. He had attended
the December land sale in 1881 expect
ing that this section would be sold, and
was expecting to bid on it, He intended
to bid ST. per LOCO for it. On the opinion
OF his estimator he felt that
1t was a bargain at 81 per
1000. He testified that he had
not sold any first cuttings in that vicin-
ity for the past five years for less than
81 per 1000. Cross-questioned, he said:
Il should certainly have gone as high
as 81, and might have gone little
higher"
He also testified that the section he
had sold adjoining the one in question
was not nearly as good timber as that
on the latter, and that there was no APP
parent or immediate danger Of fire
to it.
Made Rough Estimate.
At the request of the deputy auditor,
James Halleman, an emplOye of the
land department, was sworn and testi-
ned that he went onto section &c. 90,
in the latter part of January, 1893, and
made rough estimate of it. Thought
it would cut 5,5O0,000. Thought the
timber was bushy and not very good and
damaged by fire. On cross-examination
he admitted that he was only on the sec
ton one day and that the snow was two
feet deep on the ground and that 1t was
physical imposslbility for him to have
made an accurate or reliable estimate
under the circumstances.
Judson M. Goss was recalled and
again testified that he and his assistant
had gone over each forty separately and
under the most favorable circumstances,
when there was neither snow to impede
their progress nor leaves to obstruct
their view, and gave detailed estimate
OF the amount on each forty.
He SwOre Positively
that there was no material amount of
short or bushy timber on the section,
and his testimony remained mistaken
by the most rigid cross-examination.
The report concludes with series
of recommendation wherein it
is proposed that the attorney gen
eral be instructed to proceed to col
lect from G. A. Smith & Co., 81 per
1000 for the timber already cut and
that the remainder be put up and
sold at public sale to the highest
bidder. The governor is called upon
to aid in the furtherance of the
recommendation of the committee.
Mr.. German, the member from
Stearns county, is drawing up a
minority report, which, as
he says, twill be submitted for
reasons of his own" although he
comedies that the findings and evi-
dence of the majority report are
fair.