The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-11-05
FUEL FOR THE
 FAR WEST USED A Wealthy Indian Planning to Substitute Oil
 For Coal. WYOMING LAND LEASE Will Endeavor to Avert Recurrences of Last Year.
WYOMING LAND LEASE

Settlers on western plains in some To- calities froze to death last winter, be- cause they could not buy coal. short- age of the supply of coal, caused by shortage of the car and engine supply, brought serious conditions to those westerners.
 It may be that a Delaware Indian, a full-blood, will relieve this suffering, which railroad men fear will be re- peated In the coming winter. Further ! more, this Delaware Indian will take his fuel supply to relieve this suffer- ing from the lands In Wyoming, which are owned by the Shoshone tribe of Indians. It is an instance of the Indian coming to the succor of the whites. Richard c. Adams the Delaware, as- serts that if his plans work out, it will be merely another repetition of history, and that he is only exemplify- | ing the spirit which has actuated his tribe since first the colonists landed on the soil of the new world.
 With full consent of the Interior de- ] partment In the form of a concession to work those Shoshone oil lands, Ad- ans already Is working out his de- signs. He is confident that he will sue ceed. AS the earnest of hbs ability to do so, is the fact that he owns and operates 15,000 acres of oil lands in h. dian Territory and understands the oil business thoroughly
 The story of the rapid rise of this Indian to comparative opulenee and a position among the industrial captains reads almost like fairy tale, for he has been only three years in building up his fortune, which now may be estimated in seven figures, and poten- tially in eight.
 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 few hundred acres, were located in the oil belt Adams immediately leased the lands, took the money received from that source, and hurriedly placed il back in the ground by buying theil lands. Skill and luck combined to mak' his purchases fortunate. He knew the territory as any one knows his native heath; but also he seemed to have the touch of Midas. It seemed to be i'm possible for him to select a piece o land whence in @ few weeks oil woul( not be gushing and revenue flowing in to the Adams coffers.
 Beginning three years ago with tn modest allotments of severalty triba lands. this Delaware Indian owns il fee simple 7,500 acres of oil lands worth not an acres less than $1OO ant much of 1t sl,000. He holds leases O 7,5O0 acres more, from which he re ceives per quarter section in some in stances $1O,000 annually. Already, hi revenue approaches $1oO,OO0 year, an is readily increasing.
 Hearing that the coal shortage wa stagnating the industries of the wes and knowing that there were oik de posits from which he was reaping ric harvests and the people obtaining re lief from excessive fuel prices, |
 boarded the train one day, quietly wer on the oil lands of the shoshone trih in wyoming, satisfied himself as to tf lauantity and quality of the deposit and returned to Washington to negc tiate with the Interior department fc leases.
 Advantageous terms were arrange to protect the Shoshone Indians an yet permit the Delaware Inidans i operate with sga4to sR& syTang'