Salt Lake Telegram | 1919-10-14 | Page 2 | Hearing on in Coal Land Contest

HEARING ARIN ON N IN COAL LAND C CONTEST 1 d.- d. Tract fr St t in 11 Carbon County SubJect Subject Subject Sub- Sub of Important Dispute f With i 1 Robert Calvert m mineral expert formerly with the United States geological geological geo geo- eo- eo logical survey s on en the stand the hearing hearing hearon hear hear- I ing on the coal land application of Mark l P P. Braffet is if still In progress before before before be be- fore Gould Blakely register of the I general land office in the federal ho building The state land board hoard as protestants and the Utah Fuel and the Pleasant Valley Coal company as intervenors are protesting the application The land in question is situated In Carbon county and the case is at attracting attracting attracting at- at wide attention because it will undoubtedly bo a test case affecting some borne twenty similar applications in that vicinity and affects title to many thousands of dollars worth of or coal lo lo- lo As plaintiff in the action Braffet is attempting to show that the land was known to be coal land in 1896 when I Utah became a a. member of the Union Subsequent to that time the state land landI I board attempted to pass title to the Una lanuto to the pleasant peasant Valley Coal compan company company com com- pan pany on the ground that the land had passed from the federal government to the state as being In one of the four school sections transferred to the state from every township It is the contention of or Braffet that since the land was known to be min min- mineral eral pral the title never passed from the i government to the state and hence i could not be transferred b by the tho state to the coal company Braffet further claims that it was open to location b by himself E E. W. W Senior for the coal companies and Assistant Attorney General Van Dam for the state land board are opposing the application Russel is assisting Braffet in the case On the stand Calvert is attempting to give testimony showing the mineral i character of the land Braffet will at attempt attempt at- at tempt to show that long prior to 1896 and even as early as 1888 the land was mined for coal The state land laid board an and ana the coal companies will take the ther r this were so stand that even en though I Braffet cannot now Initiate a right