Russell Crump's Archive

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"Ought we to start this survey before permission from the Secretary of the Interior is obtained?"

Caney, Kansas, July 31, 1899.

Mr. James Dun Chief Engineer

Dear Sir: Answering your letter of the 28th, inst. In relation to survey from Bliss, and noting your query: "Ought we to start this survey before permission from the Secretary of the Interior is obtained?" I wired you, yesterday, as follows:

I sent to Mr. Kenna, on Friday, papers for execution by President Ripley, under requirements of regulations promulgated April 18th, 1899. Mr. Kenna and myself have both had the matter up by wire with Britton & Gray to see if permission could not be obtained for engineers to work before formal papers were filed, if not, Major Marvin can put other party at work at Pawnee."

And confirming the same, I have to say that on the 25th I wired Mr. Kenna, calling his attention to the rules, asking him to request Messrs Britton & Gray to make applications to the Secretary of the Interior for permission to go to work with the surveying parties before the formal application was filed, and, on the 27th, I secured the necessary copies under the rules, and prepared application to obtain permission, and the necessary certificate and affidavit and forwarder them to Mr Kenna to be executed by Mr Ripley, and at the same time, wired Messrs Britton & Gray that I had done so giving them the necessary information to make application to the Secretary for permission to go to work.

I hope to receive their wire today authorizing the survey to commence, and have fully advised Major Marvin of the situation. I do not feel like having Major Marvin start in on the Ponca Reservation making the survey until the permission of the Secretary is obtained, for the reason that there are many questions which the Secretary has to decide for us, and I feel that we should not do anything that might be construed as disregarding his authority. Unless such permission is received, Major Marvin will take the engineering corps that was to start at Bliss, and go to work out of Pawnee, and, before they reach the line of the reservation, I have no doubt that the formal papers can be presented and action secured granting the permission. The papers should be executed by President Ripley today if not already executed by this time, and be forwarded from Chicago to Messrs Britton & Gray and can be on file in Washington by the middle of this week.

I beg to assure you that I have hastened the matter as rapidly as possible.

Very truly yours,

(Sgd) Henry E Asp.

Splinters Volume 23 page 22
Transcribed in altered form for the web by Russell Crump

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