Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1918-12-01
COMING SALE OF COAL
LAND IS OF INTEREST
Pittsburg County Territory IL to bc
Opened Up By Action OF tho
Government In Two Weeks.
VALUE FOURTEEN MILLIONS
Industrial Life OF Pittsburg County
Will Re More Than Doubled In
Development Following sale.

M'ALESTER, okla. NOV 3O.-The
almost endless procession Of inves,i-
cations, contract breaking, delays.
lawsuits aud other forms Of diver
sion" by those seeking possession Of
the coal and asphalt deposits under
| lying the lands In the ChOctaw and
Chickdsaw Indian nations Is hearing
! a close. Soon Poor 10" Will begin
/ 10 realize on his much uCisu.ud
lands, for on december II. u. l3I
and II, fight of nearly Il quarter
OF a century Will end with the sale
| OF these deposits upon which the !
government appraisers have placcd
u valuation OF $li,J3S,4il. with this
| matter settled the last Of the prop
erties OF the ChUctdWs and ChICka-
saw Indians in southeastern okla
| hOma will be put on the market. The
, deposits 10 he sold are underlying
4 4il2OI acres of land in these ma
tiUns.
! Figures compiled by the appraisers
! snow that less than one-fUuTth Of
! ms land has been mined. For this
reason considerable OF boom Is
| looked for. especially in the district
] - 'NAAA AAAiS NlAg anu lllf AblilllltiA4hl
club OF McAlester is making prepare
| tlons to take care OF not only the
| many visitors who viii be on hand
for this sale on these days, but also
OF future developments brought
about Dy the influx OF millions Of
| dollars. Other points in Pittsburg
! county, as well as in Coal. AtOka.
lAlimer, LeFhorc and Haskell, where
| The land IS situated are taking steps
10 handle their share OF the increased
| business
History anent the many veXatiOns
| encountered over the sale OF this
.and reads like a family fight over "A
Will left by some beloved" departed
relative. From the opening of the
coal mining industry in this state in
1871, but 10000 acres OF this land
has gone under lease and been de-
ve!oped. The first check placed on
the work WAS in June. 1902, an act
being passed which withdrew it from
ease. This was followed by another
act, in 1905, which stopped all sales
! or the deposits. since tnat time only
a limited amount OF improvements
have been made.
The land was first appraised in 1908
by William Cameron OF McAlester.
he placing a valuation of $l2,SOO,OOO
on 1t. This was entirely too low, ac-
cording to even the most conserva-
| tive, since 1t Is estimated that the
surface vein Of this coal land will
yie.d an average OF four thousand
tons to the acre. OF a total Of almost
1000, 100000 tons OF coal There is
also a second vein running through
most Of the tract which is declared
to be very productive. when 1t j.
considered that the entire annual
| production Of the United States In
the year 1916, according TO the latest
/ figures at hand, was less than 50O,-
100000, some idea of what the open
ing OF this land means, not only 10
Oklahoma, but the entire country,
can he obtained.
Many attempts hive been made TO
| dispose of these deposits in the past,
and at one time J. +. McMurray OF
McAlester held a contract with the
governors of the Choctaw and Chick
asaw Indians to sell them on a COM
mission. However, some legislation
was Necessary and the matter came
before congress- In connection with
this sale some sensational charges
were made on the floor OF the sem
ate. on June "a. 1910, an allegation
. being made that bribery was at
tempted. This resulted in an investi-
CATION that spoiled all chances OF dis
posing of the lands through a pri-
Yate sale.
The bill that finally was instru-
mental in securing the sale OF the
lands was passed after its introduce
tiOn by Charles Carter. lie first in
trOduced this soon after statehood
and kept at 1t at every session. maxi
Ing an effort to "heck" 1t into every
Indian measure where he thought It
would have a chance TO get through.
His advancement to the chairman
ship of Indian affairs produced re-
suits at the beginning of the last ses-
sion OF congress in the spring.
According to contracts made, the
coal companies holding leases have
the preferential right OF purchase OF
these segregated lands at the ap-
praised value. The deposits ap-
praised ad approved include 10S,95O !
acres leased, &4.136.137.SO; Unbiased, |
327,316 acres. $7O.324,SS3.93. Leased
asphalt lands. $3.50 acres, $67.SOO; |
Unbiased, $50 acres, $4,000.