Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-10-11
A SALTED COAL MINE.
EXPERT FAklRS LOADED A DRILL
WITH COAL BORINGS.
Tract of Land in Lackawanna County
Was Made to Show Vein of Ten Feet
of Anthracite Under Its Surface-The
Trick Explained in Court.

Was Made to Show Vein of Ten Feet
of Anthracite Under Its Surface-The
Trick Explained in Court.
The sailing" of mine has always
been considered an industry peculiar to
the enterpriSing West. says the Scran-
ton Truth. That the West does not
monopolize all such works of genius
seems to be the inference from declara-
tion filed in suit brought in Lacka-
wanna court by Charles l.. Hawley, Esq.
attorney for William w. Watkins as
| signed to Edward J. Williams. and Ed
ward Williams in his own right, against
the estate of William Moore. deceased
late of Providence. The pl aintiff claims
5000 with interest from January Is,
1895
The declaration filed in the case sets
forth that about the first of April, 1889,
William Moore, who owned 100 acres of
the Sandy Mclean tract in Bakely,
which he desired to SELL agreed to sell
to Watkins & Williams the tract, provid-
ed they should test the coal under the
land. They claim to have spent $4,000
in boring for coal. They claim that
Moore agreed to pay them SO, 900 to re-
imbnrse them for their losses in boring.
After the expiration of the above
mentioned agreement of opinion, Moore
made deed of the lands to John II.
Fellows, Edward j. Watkins, William
w. Watkins and II. j. Brennan. The
consideration named in the deed was
$4,000. The purchasers gave a mort
gage of $50, 900 restricted in its collec-
tion to this tract of land.
The declaration sets forth that prior
to the making of the deed William
Moore, with the connivance of an en-
ploye of said Watkins & Williams but
without the knowledge, at that time
of said Watkins and Williams. had
caused to put into the case barrel of the
drilling machine, with which such
boring and testing was being done,
about ten feet of coal core taken from
another tract of land, remote from the
land herein described, thus creating
the belief on the part of Clarance r.
Simpson, Thomas II. Watkins and Will
liam C. Park, who had intended to pur-
chase it if the land proved to contain
coal, that the land here described was
underlaid with about ten feet of COAL
1t is said that at the time the test hole
was put down the intending purch ase, 5
had man watch the drllers, but while
the attention of the unsophisticated coal
expert was drawn aside, with the sleight-
of-hand deXterity of the drilers, the
coal core was slid into the boring
machine. Then operations were resum-
ed and the vigilant inspector resumed
his position watching the drill work.
The drillers suspected the machine was
going through coal. Water was put
down and pumped up and it came up as
black as the subterranean night from
whence it came. The heart of the in
spectors bounded, for surely here was
coal. He had them examine the bor-
ings, and to the surprise of all there
came cut borings of ten feet of coal.
The declaration sets forth that Wat
kns and Williams. in payment of the
moneys expended for borings, agreed
to accept the sum of $4,000 as soon as
Moore should get his money on the
$50, 600 mortgage above referred to, the
collection of such being dependent upon
the failure of the parties who were to
pay tee same to discover, previous to the
payment thereof, the substitution of
said ten feet of coal core"
January Is, 1s9a, Moore was paid in
full amount of said mortgage. William
w, Watkins assigned his share to Ed
ward j. Williams. Williams has not
yet received his cash. Hence the suit.
Messrs. Simpson Watkins and Parke
now own the land.