Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1867-12-06
NO. 10.
The Boone County Coal Fields.

1
On Thursday of last week, in company
with Mr., B. Franks Of the Benton County Ntms
who had made trip 10 this city to get a
| glimpse Of enterprise iu Central Iowa, we
crossed the Des sioines river at c. Roses fer
| ry, to visit the coal region on the west side
Meeting Mr.. j. j. Safely at the coal shaft one
mile west OF AIoingoba we acct ed his vol-
unteered services 10 act as guide. We imme-
| fourths OF mile north Of the ra lroad on the
| banks of the river, jnst opened by Mr.. Safely
| During the trip we gathered much valuable
| information with regard 70 the coal business
and prospects. s-
| Mr.. Safely, about two months since leased
/, for twenty years about 100 acres of bottom
land located in the bend of the river extend.
ing from near the coal shaft belonging to the
Fort Dod4e Coal Company. to the north to the
river and also east to the river. On the nort'.
side Of the tract, Mr. Safely has sunk a shaft
and struck good vein Of coal forty-two fee,
below the surface This vein is three feet
eight inches in thickness and is a good auali-
ty Of coal. On The south side of this tract is
! the Fort Dodge Company shaft, with a good
vein Of coal. In working 10 the north they
find that the vein increases in thick ness ana
improves in quality. In working to the SOU h
from tile new shaft. Mr.. Safely finds that this
vein also increases in thickness. 1t apl,ear>
that the veins dip towards each other and it i.
supposed that The land situated between the
two shafts and included in Mr.. Safely's lease
! viii proye to be the best coal lands in the val
| ley, or at least inferior to none Mr. Safely
Is now engaged in boaring near the centre Of
this basin and will ascertain in q few DAYS
! the correctness Of the above theory. Fortunes
can be made in developing the Boone county
/ coal fields, and for the benefit of those who
are not posted We will give few Of the items
of profit and loss
! It costs about 81 600 10 sink shaft fstv
feet and provide ii v it'll everything necessary
for lifting from fifty to one hundred tons Of
coal per day. After shaft is fully opened
and tracks laid out in different directions. one
hundred tons can be taken out in one day
The est Of mining ri preseu: is ST, - per ton
and the entire expense OF leading uncn the
cars. lineluding mlning) is less than $50
per ton. The present price per ton for any
amount that may BE put upon the market Il
:, $500 thus leaving clear profit to the owners
! of the shaft Of $3.50 for every ton mined. or
$50 for the days work Even though the
minimum amount Of fifty tons per day be
mined. i still leaves SI25 for the days profit.
enough 10 enrich any company tina. is judi
c;ousiy managed. sIr. Safely proposes soon
to form joint stock company TO Operate his
lease which extends twenty years with the
privilege OF renewal. One shaft is now in
operation. and another will be sunk this fall
at the point where he is now boring. l. is
then his intention to have the company sink
two more shafts nezt summer The yersh.
western railway company will construct eth,
er this tall or early next spring, n sidetrack
which viii run past the four shafts so tho,
the coal can be dumped from the mines inte
the cars.
The reader, doubtless before this time is
anxious TO know why coal is so high when thc
profit is so great. We only have te reply that
the demand is greater than the supply, hence
the high price. From eco to 300 tons are be.
ing shipped from Moingona daily for Omaha
and other points along The railroad For this
reason our people who use coal pay Sa09
instead ofS3 We can well afford to pay this
price, while SO many thousands of dollars are
monthly being brought into this county, to
build j, up and develope its resources. Since
$50 900 worth of coal can be taken from each
acre, little figure work will enable the read
er TO comprehend that the coal wealth Of Boone
county would foot up the enormous sum of
1892, SOC, coo, or three times the amount re-
quired to pay the national debt. This is on
the supposition that the coal fields eA,end IN
der the entire county.
We shall have occasion to refer to this mat
/ ter at some future time, and notice other min
ing operations as We have the time to inyesti.
gale the biect.-.N3atiaa Stan ie.ri