The Washington times., 1906-10-10
SURVEY To PROVE
COAL LANDS AREA
Eight Parties at Work Under
Geological Bureaus
Direction.
ASSIST PRESIDENTS WORK
One-Ihird Of Fields Left to Govern
ment From Claims, fraudulent
and Otherwise.

Eight parties Of geologists, working
under the direction OF the Geological
Survey. are AT present closing up as
fast as possible a careful investigation
OF coal lands of the public domain.
Their reports, when completed. auaiyzed
and compiled will give the best view
ever secured of the extent, character
value and accurate location Of the coal
fields affected by President Roosevelts
late order Withdrawing coal lands from
entry.
OF these eight parties, one is now
working on the field i'm the State of
Washington. which, though small. is
rich, and IN 1903 produced almost 5000
GOO tons of coal Two parties are In
Montana. one i'm the northwest part OF
the State. where there is large field,
and tht. other in the southeast part
where there Is another very extensive
field that laps over into both the Da-
kotas and Wyoming. Two parties are
working in Wyoming. one in the south
central field OF the state, which in
cludes the Rock Spring region, and the
other I'm the field iu the western part OF
the State.
In Colorado three parties are opera
ting. one is in the northwestern part
uf the State. Il second in the field that
covers sections Of western Colorado and
eastern Utah; ana a third in the
southwestern Colorado field, which
laps over into New Mexico.
These are fields affected by the OK
ecutive order Withdrawing coal lands
IL is not yet possible 30 estimate with
accuracy the amount OF coal land affect
ed by this order. But Ia the States
named there are about 10000 square
miles Of coal lands. Montana is credit
ed with 5000. North Dakota. $500
wyoming. 1850. Colorado. lN10'. New
Mexico $780, and Utah, 2e0.
The field parties now al work VIII
furnish the Information needed in or
der 10 afford proper enforcement Of
the Presidents order. II mas been I'M
possible, with the incomplete iulurma-
tiOu heretofore at hand. 10 determine
whether large areas were coal bear
Ing lands, OF NOT. \ great share OF the
coal lands of the public domain have.
"a fact, been entered as agricultural
lands and then worked as coal lands.
The frauds i'm this manner alone have
deprived the Government OF an I'M
uense area Of its best coal lands.
The geological parties viii not make
bOriuES. because these are not ucCes-
sary. The coal measures are pretty
thoroughly exposed and the maps VIII
be made 20 show accurately the crops,
seams, thickness of veins etc. Each
party is supplied with township plats
of all the regions they cover. and ot,
these viii be drawn the Maps OF The
coal lands.
Present information is not sufh-
cienU 10 estimate the proportion OF this
great area of coal lands that is still
left 70 the Government. IT is thought
that about JWu-thiTds OF the whole
has been entered Much Of this, how
ever, has been entered fraudUleutly, and
the Department OF Justice already Is
al work or the evidence as 70 some
fields, with prospects of developing
some sensational prosecutions before
long. More material viii bee turned over
TO this department as fast as possible.
Actions have been started against the
Utah Fuel Company, which has been
chief offender, involving the patents
To great areas. The investigators who
recently looked into the coal situation
along the Union Pacific, believe the pat
ents 20 a large part of holdings In that
territory may be vacated.
The time is late for locking the stable
door. according To those VINO know most
about the Western coal fields Not
only do they think that tWO-thirds OF
of these lands have passed out OF the
Governments hands, but most OF the
lands thus entered are tie more aCCes-
sible and available ones.