The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1867-11-27

iOI OIL III fOohAASt $@AN~ >S-~J r.
cent, additional for that. mined in the en-
tries. As owner Of the mines, for furnishing
props and rail road track, for hauling out,
screening, preparing for market, and dispo
sing. he ,claimed one-third. As owner of
the road, for keeping it in repair, and trans
porting the coal to market, he claimed the
remaining third. In fact, his system is sim
ply cooperative one, in which capital is
placed against labor, and their interests rem
dered identical. When submitted to the mi |
ners it was cheerfully accepted, and from
that day to this, not the slightest difficulty
has occurred, while the most amicable rela
tons havesexisted between the two parties,
notwithstanding the fact that coal advanced
from twelve TO twenty cents per bushel
shortly afterwards and then declined to four
teen CENTS 3 zsa@ ~
At many of the mines at different points
eastward and below us, the old difficulty re-
ferred to now exists An illustration can be
found at the Peru. and La Sale mines, where
work was this year entirely suspended from
March until September, a period of six
months. We think an arrangement similar
to the one we have mentioned would prove
equally beneficial in all these cases, and
thus save large sum annually now lost by
the suspension of labor and the .stagnation
of capital. For the last eighteen months,
Mr.. Cable has been disposing Of his coal in
this city at the uniform price Of fourteen
cents bushel., Ten per cent, of the coal
mined at Coal Valley is consumed in Rock
Island, like proportion in Davenport, while
the balance is shipped into Iowa, to points
on the Mississippi between Dubuque and
Keokuk, to points on the Western Union
Railroad, sold to steamboats,, and 10 the
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific and North
western railroad companies for locomotive
use, making an aggregate of sixty thousand
| tons per annum.
The Coal Valley Mining Company own
some thirteen hundred acres of land, about
one half of which is supposed to contain
coal In conjunction with his more extern
sive operations, Mr.. Cable is carrying on a
mine for the purpose Of supplying the coun-
try trade, and the many teams which are
constantly arriving there for coal. This is
done to prevent retardng the work where
cars are loaded, ana fooks up respecta-
BILE business, turning out about five thousand
tons per annum. IA sEE.-
In close proximity (R. r. Gable & Bards-
ley are conducting a small mine for SINH
lar purpose, and are mining about six thous-
and tons per annum, most of which is trans
/ ported by teams to this city, Davenport, and
various points throughout the country
Three miles west of Coal Valley, Phillips 4
i Thomas are working a mine, and turning
| out aoout Iour lfioussiIu tons a ytaf
The coal of this vicinity is far superior tC
any other coal in Northern Illinois. ",
understand that 4 careful test was recent,
made on the Island, under the direction 0
Gen. Rodman, to ascertain the comparitiy'
merits of the Peru coal and that Of this vi
cinity, for steam purposes, when 1t was de
cided that this coal is worth fifteen cent
more per ton for that purpose, than tn,
other, on the basis OF four dollars ton.
In the winter of 1865, quite promisin!
company was organized in this city, know
as the Banner Coal Company, among tn
stockholders Of which we might mention tb
names of Messrs. Wilson, Allen, and Cru
baugh. Immediately after perfecting an Oh
ganization, seventeen hundred acres of Goa
| ,,o,o Loan tod hant
miles southeast of Camden, and extendin
to within mile of Coal Valley, stretclin
along the highlands in the rear of the Roc
River Bluffs. The company is quite satisf
| ed that this extensive tract is uuderlaid wit
four foot strata Of good Illinois bitamir
Gus coal. This conclusion has been arrive
at after innumerable tests. A great numbe
of openings and drillings have been made,a
of which have resulted satisfactorily On
mine is being worked to supply the couutr
trade, while considerable amount is bein
hauled to market by teams. The coal
said to be a good article, and sells readil,
| The company, at some future time deslg
working its coal lands more extensively.
w LltlLibIcN eu'sN Ahe AlIhO
VIM. Porter, at Coaltown. in Hampton towr
ship, was one Of the first carried on IN an
; extensive manner. Mr. Porter has abol
sixty acres of very excellent coal land;
working about % or 80 mines sells abol
1000 bushels of coal day, at his bank:
and is thus supplying the local trade of Roc
Island with more coal which is transporte
entirely by teams, than any other one mine
In the same manner, from fifteen hundred
| two thousand tons are annually sent
Hampton, for shipment to other points. IL
reputation of his coal is equal to the best
the market, on account of the great care e.
ercised in taking it out, and having Its in
purities rejected at the mines. This court
has been uniformly pursued from the cor
mencement.
e Samuel Bowles has valuable tract
= coal lands, adjoining Mr.. Porter's, in Il
i same township, running back upon the bluff
r and covers 800 acres. Mr.. Bowles is one
1 the very ea<ly settlers of this county, havir
e located in the valley of Rock River, ON Il
i farm he now occupies. about thirty yea
! ago, and where he has, for over twenty year
carried on an extensive and profitable co
i business. He owns l ] miles in length,
t tba hest coal lands of the Rock River bluff