The Washington herald., 1907-11-03
FUEL FOR FAR west
Wealthy Indian Would Sub
Stitute Oil for Coal.
HE LEASES WYOMING TRACTS
VIII EndeaVOr to Avert Recurrence
of Last Yenr's Terrible Conditions
Due to Railroads Inability to Garry
Sufficient Coal Into the Northwest
TO supply settlers Needs.

Settlers on Western plains in some To-
calities froze to death last winter, be-
cause they could not buy coal Shortage
of the supply Of coal, caused by shortage
of the car and engine supply, brought
/ serious conditions to those Westerners.
II may be that a Delaware Indian. a
! full-blood, will relieve this suffering
which railroad men fear will be repeated
| in the coming winter. Furthermore. this
Delaware Indian viii take his fuel supply
20 relieve this suffering from the lands
in Wyoming, which are owned by The
Shoshone tribe Of Indians. II is an in
stance OF the Indian coming to the sue
cor Of the whites Richard c. Adams, The
Delaware, asserts that if his plans work
/ out, il will be merely another repetition
Of history. and that he IS only exempli-
| flying the spirit which has actuated his
/ tribe since first the colonists landed on
| the soil of the new world.
With fun consent of the Interior De
partment. in the form Of a concession
TO work those Shoshone oil lands, Adams
already is working out his designs. he
| is confident that he will succeed. As the
earnest Of his ability 20 do so, Is The
/ fact that he owns and operates 1900
acres Of oil lands in Indian Territory
and understands the oil business thor
oughly.
The story OF the rapid rise Of this In
dian to comparative opulence and a po-
sition among the Industrial captains
reads almost ike a fairy tale. for he has
been only three years in building up his
fortune. which now may be estimated in
seven figures. and potentially In eight.
Has the MIdnS Touch.
IN 1904. Adams the Delaware, then
living In the territory, took his allot-
ment in severalty from the govern
ment. Members of his family took
theirs, and these tracts. only a few
hundred acres. were located in the oil
belt Adams Immediately leased the
lands. took the money received from
that source. and hurriedly placed IT
back in the ground by buying other
lands Skill and luck combined 70
make his purchases fortunate lie
knew the territory as any one knows
his native heath. but also he seemed
10 have the touch OF Midas. It seemed
10 be impossible for him to select a
piece OF land whence in a few weeks
oil would not be gushing and revenue
flowing into the Adams Golfers.
Beginning three years ago with the
modest allotmonts Of severalty tribal
lands. this Delaware Indian owns in fee
simple $500 acres OF OIL lands, worth
not an acre less than 800 and much
of IL 81 600. He holds leases on $500
acres more. from which he receives
per quarter section in some Instances
$40. 600 annually. Already. his revenue
approaches 100000 year, and is read
ily increasing
Hearing that the coal shortage was
stagnating the Industries OF the West
and knowing that there were oil de-
posts from which he was reaping rich
harvests and the people obtaining re-
lief from excessive fuel prices, he
boarded the train one day. quietly went
on the oil lands of the ShoshOne tribe
in Wyoming, satisfied himself as TO
the quantity and quality Of the de-
pcsits. and returned TO Washington To
negotiate with the Interior Depart
ment for leases.
Advantageous terms were arranged
to protect the ShOshOne Indians and
yet permit the Delaware Indians to
operate with profit. and arrange
ments were perfected to open the Wy
oming crude oil fields to fuel produe-
ton.
VIII Sell oil for Fuel.
Adams had seen what crude oil as a
fuel had done for the people OF Indian
Territory and oklahoma. Experts of the
Federal government assert that Sc worth
of crude oil wifi supply as much heat and
motive power as Sl5 worth Of coal at
present prices. And Adams learned that
the supply Of oil in the ground in Wyo-
ming is practically ineXhaustible. Hence,
his enterprise to supply crude oil to the
far westerners and the prospect that he
will become an important factor in the
industrial life Of those communities, as
already he is in the Indian Territory and
.OkIahoma.
With his usual good luck, while he was
In Wyoming, he heard Of the Miners De-
light, a gold mine which had been filed
with water since 1873. although in the
early days the Shoshone Indians took
much treasure from it. The Miners De-
light had been forgotten by most Wyo-
ming people, and those who remembered
it regarded it as a dead proposition, not
to be resurrected by any one, excepting
those who had money 10 throw away
He associated himself with United
States Senator c. D. Clarke, of that
State. the title was cleared. and pumps
started to lift the water from the shafts.
For eighty days they poured out the wa
ter, until the mine was dry, and then
they uncovered such a wealth OF gold
that once again it was proven that in
very truth Midas had lent his touch to
this Delaware.