The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-09-21
COAL HEARING IN
SALT LAKE MONDAY
Interstate Commerce Commits
sion Adiourns Hearing In
Omaha to Come Here.
QUESTION OF MONOPOLY
IN COAL IS THE ISSUE
Much Interesting Testimony as
to Methods Used Deyel-
Oped During Thursday.


state Commerce commission convened
before Commissioner Prouty today.
The hearing was adjourned by Com"
missioner Prouty until Monday next,
when it will be continued in Salt Lake.
Probably two days will be consumed
there, after which the commission will
60 to Denver for a two-days hearing,
Thursday and Friday, September %
and 2S.
At the Opening Of the Session.
D. o. Clarke, general manager OF the
Union Pacific Coal company, who also
is vice-president of the Superior Coal
company resumed the stand. The meth
ods of securing the mining lands now
owned by the Superior Coal. company
and the reasons for securing it were
under consideration. Mr., Clarke SAID
IL was the intention to secure all the
valuabl coal lands in the Horse Thief
canyon district and also TO secure such
other lands as would prevent any one
else getting an outlet TO the Union
Pacific railroad from that district,
Mr.. Clarke named other districts in
territory tributary 10 the Union Pacific
railroad in which coal has been found
but not developed. He said that practi-
cally the only Independent coal com
pany operating on the line of the Union
Pacific railroad was the Central Coal
and Coke company.
n. T. Lcmist an Omaha coal dealer,
was called to testify regarding n meet.
ing between President Saunders OF the
Sioux City and Rock Springs Coal com
pany and General Manager Clarke of
the Union Pacific Coal company, In con
uection with the former s application
for permission TO cross the land of the
latter company with a spur track He
said Mr.. Clarke made conditions TO his
consent that w. f. Abbott be turned
out Of the Sioux City company and that
the Union Pacific Coal company be al
lowed to fix the selling price of coal.
Mr.. Lemist said that less than per
cent of the coal sold in Omaha is from
Rock Springs.
William l., Ritter of Cheyenne. Wyo,
an employee of the Union Pacific Coal
company, testified regarding quarter
section of coal land transferred by him
to D. o. Clarke. He said ne knew moth
ing of the entry until informed that it
bad been made, and he was asked to
transfer IL.
W. c. Lincoln. superintendent of car
service of the Union Pacific railroad,
testified that in the distribution of cars
TO the Rock Springs Coal company, ears
for coal needed by the railroad company
are first loaded, and those available
above that requirement were divided
between the Union Pacific Coal com
pany and the Central Coal and Coke
company. on basis of shipments for
the previous two years. the former re
ceiving 70 per cent and the latter 2S
ner cent Of the cars. Normally, he said,
$50 TO 275 cars day are loaded at
Rock Springs. but during the winter
there is always A shortage of cars. and |
for the past year the shortage has been |
constant. Al present the shortage is, he
estimated, about 125 cars, which prac-
tically precludes the shipment of com |
mercial coal. AS n consequence. three |
of the seven mines at Rock Springs are
now idle.
Arthur H. Doane of Cheyenne, gen
eral sales agent for the Union Pacific |
Coal company, said he received $3.50 |
for fling on a quarter section of coal
land and transferring the title TO d. o. |
Clarke. He never saw the land.
Tells of Contest.
A. F. Abbott of Davenport, Iowa,
told of fling on quarter section of |
coal land in Horse Thief canyon, and of |
a contest filed by a representative Of |
the Union Pacific Coal Company, which |
was ultimately decided in favor of the !
witness. He then told Of the sale of
the land, which lay in the canyon in
such a locality as to prevent the Union
Pacific Coal Company constructing
spur track from it's property TO the line |
Of the Union Pacific railroad, to D. O. |
Clarke. He declared that a considera
ten of the sale was that the Sioux City |
and Rock Springs Coal company should |
be on more friendly relations with the
Union Pacific Coal company. He said |
he was to receive $4,000 in cash and |
fourth interest in the Sioux City and |
Rock Springs Coal company. On cross |
examination by Judge Baldwin, wit |
ness said that the money he paid the
Government for the land was loaned
him by W. H. KanifT, at that time
secretary of the Sioux City and Rock |
Springs Coal company He paid the
money back out of the money received |
for the land.
F. Z. Brown, local treasurer OF both |
the Union Pacific Railroad company and
the Union Pacific Coal company. sub
mitted a statement showing that the
railroad company had paid to the land
Office at Evanston in entry fees within
the last four years, $l4,Iss, and at
Cheyenne, s5o96. He was asked to OBJ
tain from the land department de
scriptions Of the land filed upon and |
submit IL at the hearing either at Salt |