Gunnison news-champion., 1906-12-14
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Nv c 2. - I Cs.;nea Lanka
Into &C., Coal IAak

Faal COMPANY. ~eus lnia the Gsn-
u8.on csaniTy an lssls snd scqssFed
s.-i tfa0i. o: Roserumest co-l lands
which aiier~ard tscsme the proper
1, u The IrnScr 4 Eso Gr.nce aHs
J. paw the Somerset m8ne ~ss the
tcsfimoHy bF0.xht GOT bcflre the
Fcceai session oi the iaiorssais Com
mcrce CsmnaItiee ia Pueblo.
THIS information sas one ef "a.
Developments os the land irsaas
division of the Rapid tire inquiry
conducted by the COMMISSION Ii
vas trosshi ogt thEossh Captaiu J
n Juaerwood. an interesting char
arter irum Paanis. on the western
slope, whose testimony n time. be
came rather amusing beaHse Of ,;s
frsukHoss.
nderwood made filings on coal
land. IN person. and held others by
signmeui a. attorney representing
j u kiHslsy Ia ons large transac-
ti1u. Early IN 1902, he said, sever
al alhcI&ls 81 the Deny.r X RIO
Grande came To Paonia or vicinity
The party iacisded. as be remember
81 ID, James Quinn. locaiing enei-
neer. Consulting EBginee-. Roger
i NJ Herbert. genera manager,
Thomas c Brown # Gunnison, az
atiorsey f1r the road. J Il. kinc.
another attorney and T.. y Clark of
Deuvcr, a Denver and Rio Grande
attorney. who was in the courtroom
Yesterday and took some part in the
examination 0f witnesses
Underwood talked with Gene raj
Manager Herbert and with Attorneys
hing and Brown on February :,
1902, IN relation to three tracts of
coal land on the North Fnrk of the
Gunnlson river, in which he was in
teresled. The location is about a
mile and hall from the present site
Of this Somerset mine.
Witness explained that there was
great rivalry at that time between
the Colorado Fuel and Iron company
and the Denver a Rio Grande tor
these valuable coal lands. and that
Judge Beaman, secretary of the
Colorado Fuel and Iron company,
Was IN the neighborhood attempting
TO get control of the lands for his
company
Did FORESTER direct the open
ing OF the Somerset mine
Il don't think SO. He seemed io
have sort OF supervision about
there"
Witness further related that For
rester told him he had made mum
Der of entries ON both sides Of the
rlver and that Forester showed him
may of his holdings, which, wit
ness says were very extensive.
Witness Was employed for . time
as watchman, to keep his eye on two
guards employed by the Colorado
Fuel and Iron company The rival
ry for the lands was So keen that
one corporation feared the other
would steal it, declared Underwood.
lie sand he was paid for his services
as watchman by the Denver u Rio
Grande at first, aud lulrr receipts
were mad out by q W Cramer.
vice president of the Utah Fuel com
pany.
Witness declared further. that he
sold his land to the ID. q r. G., max
ing contract with General Mana
ger Herbert for : 10 an acre in ad-
drtlon to the price asked for the land
by the government, the railroad COM
pany to bear all expenses of develop
ment and to perfect the title. lie
says he was promised in the contract
$4,000 for his holding. as agent for
other persons and that, as far as he
knew one Of these persons for whom
he acted, }. NJ. hinsley, got only
Sooo OF the amount agreed ON. Wit
ness for his personal holdings he
received $1,000, within S215 of
what he believed was coming to him.
HIS expenses, he said, were paid in
part by the Denver and Rio Grande
and in part by the Utah Fuel COM
pany.
Martha c. Brown, receiver of the
United States land office at Gunni-
son, was then called and she appear
ed as If she had stepped from her
office, an attractive and business
like witness.
The lands of the Somerset coal
mine were entered during her term
Of Office. SOme Of the filings were
declaratory and some were cash.
Robert Forester of the Utah Coal
company paid the cash SLIGO in
March, 1902. and $4,000 in August
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