Show CUNNINGHAM TELLS f Of lOCATING CLAIMS i I CLEVELAND March 11 For For the first tIme time since the government lands Investigation began Clarence Cunningham t the man who made the original survey on which the Alaskan coal land i. i J are die based appeared as a a. a witness here Mr Cunningham was ww called b by the attorneys at at- orneys for the three thirty-three claimants In t 41 t the e I Inquiry opened here by United States i s Fl i C McGee Mr Cunninghams Cunningham's testimony was not r concluded d when adjournment was taken M until today and he had merely time to Delate r el relate t the circumstances under which f tie 1 the Alaskan coal fields 4 The primary thing which Mr SIr Cun Cun- ham said attracted him to Alaska t wa was wai the report of the finding of oil wells t re This was in fn the fall tall of 1902 After y f w s of travel with Indians through I y and across a desolate snow- snow i wilderness he a country countr m j re according to his testimony there were re virgin coal seams fifteen feet teet wide 1 tai apparently Inexhaustible In exIn exIle ex- ex In this barren country some poor POol r s. s Ile squatters agreed to sell their rights 1 cot or apiece Mr Ir Cunningham returned to Spokane V V nd rid succeeded in interesting nine men In iny y Is Is discovery Each of these men he hei i f t Testified paid 2500 for Cor the Initial Ual ex- ex r- r r tense of or locating claims He returned V l V o. o Alaska with v.-Ith an engineer and staked J Iut 1 ut twenty twenty-tw o claims which he filed with the b patent office at t Kayak Some re r- r 1 bf bf the h persons In whose os n names he en- en claims refused to to-go to go further In the r f- f matter and others were substituted Finally Ye three thirty f fi i entries were made d V. V c The earlier part of today's session s was as taken up with the examination of Henry hE Wick of Youngstown 0 O. one of the 1 trant Mr Wick denied that he ever j. j entered Into or considered any Uon will witt other entrants or with the Int interests rests |