The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-05-04

| the coal lMnu laNh OF A0o Z niNcu otANea
who shall have opened or improved q
coal mine or coal mines on any Of the
unsurveyed public lands Of the United
States in the district Of Alaska may To-
cate the lands upon which such mine or
mines are situated in rectangular tracts
containing forty, eighty or 100 acres.
with north and south boundary lines
run according TO the true meridian, by
marking the four corners thereof with
permanent monuments 20 that the
boundaries thsreOf may be readily and
easily traced The law provided for
the issuing Of patents 20 the locstOrS
and prescribed the fOrnalities 20 be
observed in the process. This law has
never been repealed, and under IL many
prospectors have explored Alaska in
the attempt 70 acquire coal lands. None
Of these pioneeS has vet received a
patent. The history Of the Cunning
ham claims h thus given by Mr. WIN
CHELL:
10 the ~ Thousands Of prospscton wsre ~.
trsctsd 70 Alaska By he Tsld discoveries Of the
KlOndiks. CAPE Meme and other districts. Title
was BY location and possession. and locai rules
and regulations prevailed. IN ian cOagrcss
passed an act extending the mining laws Of Jhs
United states 70 AlassS In iooa cLAHHNcu cuS-
ErsoHsH uhils prospecting for oil hrs' visited the
Controller Bay oOal asld. Rsturning 70 washiuS-
ioa and Idaho he told several fFiends Of bis dis
covsry and asked tnem 70 grub stake him 10 the
usual manner 20 mat be might return 70 the north
and loeats claim for himself and one for each Of
his friends.
These locauons we're 10 bs made IN ne Gus.
tomaFy and satrsly proper manner. BY power Of
attorney from sash Individual 70 CUNNINGHAM
10 accordance with bic agreement win these indi
vtduais cuNNuoaAh returned 70 AlasRA. bought
out The rights Of certain squsiurs Slresdy % thsss
ouai lands and staked out oiAima WHEN 10 a.
tempted 70 als On thsss Chains ne oacials Of ne
land omes refused n Aeoept ne aiings because
there we're 81 mat line no bAss lines or msridianS
established and ne hu rs not considered EHf.
heisnt 70 suthoriEs coal locations
20 ny ne act Of Aprn - iSol Congress passed q
neV aW providing especially for The location Of coal
claims ss auo,sd Abovs. mis- nsw Law said norhinE
e. u TIE number II ooal claims tha, misht NJ
located By one man. bsy we're 70 BE- IN tracts
Of forty. siEhU or 10 acres saeh. and for ne
sols VS. and bensht n the locator
Il IL denied emphatically that the men
who grub staked CUNNINGHAM were
dummies. ~ has been asserted. and the
list given by Mr.. WNCHELL indicates
that they were reputable and respOn-
sibls citizens. Having surveyed the
claims Il was desired 70 know more oi
the subsurfacs conditions. and the
Commissioner Of the General Land Ofios
was asked WHISTLER tho laws forbade the
locators 70 run at joint expense a tunnel
10 crosscut all tho claims His opinion
was that this joint work might be legally
undertaken, but in the subsequent
stages Of the case Il was cited a. evil
dsoce u their intention 10 consolidate
their claims. Mr.. WINCHELL declares
that while this charge is freely mad .
no effort IL shown n disclose the strict
Observance Of tho law in every step
taken by tho claimants
Having obeyed the requirements n
the law the claimants made Application
for patent. The final certificates Of pur-
chase we're issued 10 the entrymen
The necessary payments were made.
So 90 for thirty-three claims. hut M
patents were issued The reason for this
was the intervention ~ the propaganda
for conservation II national resources
President ROOSEVELT withdrew from
entry temporarily all Alaskan coal
lands. including those on which claims
had been made under the law II 1914 4
forest reservethat included some Of them
was created in time. and AZ length Sec
rotary GARFIELD declared Il n he the
policy Of the Administration not 10 issue
any patents until the law n 1914 had been
modified. Thus the Government was
put IN the position Of repudiating its
promises and pledges under the laws
existing At the time II was the substi-
tuition Of a principle a theory. for the
! law Of the land.
In 1919 Congress passed another law
} permitting the consolidation Of claims
under certain conditions. Patents under
this law were offered to the Cunningham
claimants but we're declined. the claim
ants asserting their right 10 patents
under the laws A. thew existed AZ the
; time their applications were filed.
In this Wav the deadlock was created
7 which has existed ever Since. Out NJ
these various proceedings have rome the
CLAWS charges agains, Secretary Bat
: LINGKR, the trouble that resulted in the
; removal n Mr. PINCHoT. and the So
, quenoe Of OCCUPATIONS and ref'natiNns
J that has uTset tho whole community
; Mr. WISCHEII is particular - deny that
there 10 any bargain M agreement with
; the GugEebheim interests for the consol-
idation n the claims and the monopoly
ofthe coal lands An eHort WAS made 70
bring about some kind Of an agreement
, with the Guggenheim interests. bu: ac-
cording 70 Mr. WTNcHELL II was not q