Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-09-24
A COAL EMPIRE
DIVIDED IN THREE
CONTINUED from page one)

A1NAAiAAhNA AANUl IAEf NAiffY
---77----------------
case where the Rocky Mountain Fuel &
Iron company was forced 10 abandon It's
mine at Alma under similar conditions.
This company was formed and con-
trolled by the Huntington interests. The
Amy field az one. time was a great
producer, he said. but now was practic-
ally abandoned, although there was
plenty Of coal 10 be mined. He cited a
case Of small mine named the Lezart.
and situated within IL miles Of Evan
ston, which opened up for business. The
Union Pacific, he said, promptly raised
the rate. When the mine closed down
the Union Pacific promptly dropped the
rate back again.
Mr.. Spence stated that he had an in
terest In mine No. at Amy.
He had made no application 10 ship
any coal because he had no idea he
could compete with the Union Pacific
railroad or coal companies. Judging
from developments on the Rocky Noun
tain Fuel & Iron company, whose prop
erty adJioned his, he thought Il would
be useless and waste OF money. His
neighbors had been enjoned and he did
not propose TO run any chances.
lie said that he could get his mine
into working order so that he could
ship several carloads Of coal a day for
1900.
Witness went on TO detail the various
acreage taken up by the Union Pacific
Coal company. the Kemmerer Coal *
Coke company and the Dlamondvills
Coal & Coke company, which had been
acquired as agricultural lands from the
United states. under the soldiers home
stead scrip act
DIVIDE COAL EMPIRE"
Commissioner Prouty at this juncture
minated that counsel was taking up
TOO much time on minor details. Coun-
sci Thomas stated that II was impor-
tant, as there seemed 10 be an UNDER
standing between the three coal COM
panies that they should divide the
coal empire" OF Wyoming between
them. 10 the exclusion OF competitors
He asserted that II seemed 10 be a
significant fact that each company had
taken up apparently an equal acreage.
Coming down to the legality Of the
Ming on the coal lands. Judge Lacey
objected vehemently and often 10 cues.
tions ON the part Of counsel 10 witness
which had tendency 10 show that the
lands owned and operated BY the COM
panles ma. zen secured by fraud.
PROUTY JUMPS IN.
Commissioner Prouty finally took a
mana In the examination and ELECTED
the testimony that the coal lands hal
been taken up by scrip which covered
only agricultural lands. supt. sheldon
Of the Diamondville mine had person
ally taken up q entries under his own
name.
He cited cases where land had been
taken by men wao paid t2.5O an acre
Tor It. The land taken up slowed coal
outcroppings at the time Il was filed
upon as agricultural land. A great
many homesteads have been taken nm
by employees Of the coal company which
corporation ne affirmed. erected the
law.
over 100 declaratorv homestead en-
tries were filed In Horsethlef canyon
district, witness STAGED, By unknown
D tss."
.Ist when e looked as though some
interesting information would be forth
commg, Commissioner Prouty mt a
stop 20 this line OF inquiry with the
statement that the present commission
had nothing 10 do with the title OF
the lands acquired by the coal COM
pauies
INTO OIL QUESTION.
J. c, Marchand then took the witness
and stared IN upon the oil lands phase
OF the Investigation.
Wines stated that 1900 gallons Of oil
had been extracted from the vicinity
Of Evanston and shipped cast 10 the
refinery. but the development OF the
OIL fields was abandoned owing 20 there
beinug no rate forthcoming from the
Union Paciac, either 20 Florence or
san Francisco. The Consolidated CON-
pany. said witness. was prepared 20
spend 81 100000 IN developing the Wyo-
ming oil fields, hut was compelled 10
abandon It's wells.
AZ this point a recess was taken un-
I'll ?. m.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
This afternoons session opened
hANAlAe NA UNIV WIFI ulAtl L. W IL
liams undertook % cross-examine Atty.
A. : Spence ln regard 10 some o. the
statements made this morning. Wit
ness admitted that some OF his asser-
tons were made on hearsay evidence.
The conversation referred 20 partlc-
ularly was one which he had with mem
bers OF the syndicate while In New
York.
ABBOTT ON THE STAND.
Thomas NJ Abbott Of Pennington,
Utah an old gentleman. was then
called. He testified that two years ago
he took up some coal lands IN Wyo-
ming through an agent, his son. The
land vas a quarter section and he SIM
Div took ID up because his son aked
him. lie declined TO say how much
money he received for Il.
His wife also took up quarter Sec
ton. He said he never saw the land,
neither ala he know whether Il was
coal bearing land Vie said his son
was now righi-of-way agent Tor the
oregon Short Line At the time the
land was taken % Mr.. Abbott said
nothing about what the land was
wanted for-he simply gave him the
rieht 10 use bis name.
Counsel then asked witness regard
iLE several residents Of Davis county
who took up land IN Long canyon,
Wyoming.
Harking back 20 the original pro-
position. counsel eventually drew from
witness that his son told him that
the land taken M was a coal claim
RESOLUTION or AUTHORITY.
The investigation Il being held under
q JON, resolution by Congress inStruct-
Ing the interstate commerce commission
60 make examinations into the subject
o. railroad Determinations and monopo-
lfs IN coal and oil. and report on The
Resolved by the senate and house 81