Judsonia weekly advance., 1913-09-24
SUNK LANDS ID
 BE HOMESTEADED
55,ooc ACRES OF ARKANSAS LAND WILL BE OPENED BY FED-
 ERAL GOVERNMENT.
SETTLERS GET FIRST CHOICE
Land Lies in Northeastern Arkansas and Contains Some of States
 Most Fertile Lands.

Western Newspaper Union News Service.
 Washington.-Appr 55,000 acres of sunk and lake lands in north. eastern Arkansas will be opened for homestead entry between now and January by the government the set tiers upon the land to be given pret- erence rights to file on the land which contains some of the most fertile acres in the entire state. It was announced by the General Land Office that tue plats of Tow nship II and F north, Range east, have been completed and were approved July 90, 1913. It is expected that the plats will be trans mitted to the local United States Land Office at Little Rock within the next few days, and notice thereof will be published and a date set on which en- tries for the government lands there on may be filed.
 On December 2, 1908, the original de- cision was rendered by the Interior Department, holding that certain lands in Township Il and 16, Range 6 east, and 12 to IT north. Range east, which had been measured as sunk lands and left unsuryeyed at the date of the original surveys of said town ships, had been eroneously measured and that there were within said areas lands belonging to the United States. A survey was accordingly directed, the decision was reviewed by tre de- partment on February 27, 1909, and the previous holding sustained of the F townships affected by the decision.
 The survey of seven of them have been completed in the fields and the maining five and the work is now ready for extension.
 In August, 1910, the Interior Depart ment declared that Buford, Clear. Flat, Grassy, Walker, Carson, Hickory and Tyronza lakes belonged to the govern ment and surveys were ordered. The first of these lakes containing an area of approximately 12,000 acres, have been surveyed and were opened to en- try November 16, 1912. The survey
 
 been completed in the field, but the plat and field notes have not been pre- pared. It is expected that the work will be completed some time during the present year and that the lands embraced within them also will be opened to entry The acreage of the remaining three lakes is approximately 5000 acres.
 The so-called Big Lake in Mississip- pi county, embracing approximately 5000 acres and several other smaller lakes, have been investigated in the field as to their topography and physi- cal nature and hearings held, at which testimony was taken to determine whether the lands embraced therein similarly involved as to the other lake lands. Decisions have not been rem dered as to these, however. Suits, in- volving the question Of titles to Moon, Buford, Flat, Grassy, Walker and Clear lakes, have been instituted against ad- verse claimants by the government to purpose of quiet title to these lands, and are now pending in the federal courts of Arkansas.
 It is also announced by the General Land Office that other suits will like ly be instituted when the surveys have been completed. Much of the remain ing lands situated in the townships for which the corrected plats have not yet been completed, are covered with settlers. These settlers will be given preference right to make entry if they are otherwise qualified at the time the lands are opened to entry.