The New York herald., 1869-12-27

the actual epocn, 0n6sN - ovluens, 10 uH.-inat
matter dying in successive sti~ta whose individual
formation s lameIlarl being oeps sIted, compressed
we have no accurate idea upheayed by some mighty
agency no parallel for which l8 found " human
power the beautiful economy OF nature hiN placed
ut hand an inexhaustible supply OF mineral tSsl so
essential TO material Advancement Ia the course Vl
empire.
The coal itself is singular. II differs from foreign
Ignite as well as from bituminous and anthracite
IN several particulars. 1t Is peculiar IN It's high per-
centage OF carbon and low percentage OF ASH, ITS
great frabiity and It's small SPECIFIC gravity.
close examination OF 1t shows q double folialed
structure. One Is OF dora and the other OF terminal
planes. In tho one you ind Impressions OF the or
Ranc leaves or other vegetable NATTER In the other
Indications or nnlrated water between the thinnest
imaginable lamina. II ls readily reducibe to dust
ana easily broken by hammer into small rectangu.
lar prisms, which are not ordinary crystal forms,
out regular solids between the separable planes. TO
the presence or the water III the microscopic riffs Is
attributed the cleavage or crumblng characteristic
whlcn forms Its most Objectionable feature THIS
exposure TO the atmosphere. While some OF
the coal has soft, brown, dull bltuminons ap
pearance, some OF IL Is hard. black ana brilliant,
resembling recent anthraciLe 1t differs materially
from anthracite, however, by buralng with ac-
tive dame. Some has sulphur In II, and some tan
analysis OF which witnessedl mas q single sign
OF any noxlous element. Analyses OF specimens
revealed respectively over fity-0ne. dfty-eght, alty
nine and seventy-two per cent OF carbon wnicR the
remaining matter beng chiefly volatile comnussinlel
renders IL valuable lignite leaves little whltish
ASH, out never any clinkers. To burn well and give
oxygen. II may not produce so nigh a heat an
thraclte, yet Its calOric elect sufficient for all
the presence OF the inrltrated wafer. Much OF the
latter however escapes In the cleavage consequent
upon nandllng and exposure 70 the atmosphere.
Analyses OF the constituents OF the coal isseK
show very little water, and but little caloric
enect is lost by the amount OF heat necessary
10 convert the water produced by the combination
OF Tree oxygen and hydrogen into vapor.
Its quality improves the deeper II taken from the
mine; the pressure being greater, the percentage OF
water and other impurities smaller. 1t IS begin
ming TO ne universally applied to all domestic
Experiments have shown that 1t can easily be
utilized for smelling purposes. 1t Is being used in
Colorado for smelling iron, and gold and SILVER ores.
Its most Objectionable feature-the tendency to
crumble ana thus clog the furnace and decrease the
drafts completely overcome by the OF the
staircase style OF furnace in which the coal lies
sion Of atmospheric are In the vertical sides OF
the stairs. IL Is equally available for generating
steam. u has already superseded wood for fuel
Union Pacific Railroad. Immense quantities. OF
wood which had been contracted Tor before the i'm
portance OF the coal beds was appreciated are now
piled up at stations along the railroad line, and
believe the company are selling some OF 1t.
HaTden's estimate OF 5000 square miles OF coal
lands refers only to those he had examined extend
ing trom tue line OF the Union Pacific Railroad IN
wyoming, south to the Arkansas. IN Colorado It
applies particularly TO the plains OF Laramie. but the
coal lands OF the West cover Of square
miles. How much OF this area coal actually underlies
can only be determined by the pick and shovel OF the
collier. Dilgent search has hitherto failed to find
Indications OF more than thin VEINS and few OF them
some parts OF both states but the amount OF coal
obtained only serves to assist IN supplying local
wants. Hayden. who made careful examination,
does not think that any important coal beds Will
be found within the limits OF Nebraska. From the
similarity Of It's geology | Imagine that the same
may be said OF Kansas. In New Mexico Colorado,
Wyoming and Utah Territories, however as well as
places iurther West, the supply Is more than equal
70 .a .ae % uenamd superior quality OF coal Is
Rocky Mountains IN New Mexico. large percent.
age OF carbon exists IN tnat obtained Ia the vicinity
Nf nhp np11a ad alxt
Ration and San LazarO Notwithstanding 1t Is lig-
mite 1t looks like the anthracite OF Pennsyivana.
The Ration Mountains are III both New Mexico and
Colorado. The road from Santa Fe to Denver leads
through the Ration Pass at the foot OF Fishers Peak
where the thirty parallel OF longitude forms
the Territorial ine dividing Colorado from New
Mexico. As in New Mexico so in Colorado. Coal
crops out on the surface IN Lake county, near the
head waters OF the Arkansas and in fremont county,
near Canon City, further down the stream; also In
Las An1mas In Puebla, and all the way along tne
Rocky Mountain chain north to Jefferson aud Boul-
DER. In Jefferson II shows itself ON Raston creek
five miles north OF eolden City. In Boulder the
next stream you come to was named Coal Greek, by
reason OF the appearance or the Ignite the sur
face. On both branches OF the Boulder it Is found
great abundance. AT the Marshall mines, on the
south branch the dip OF the mountains reveals eeven
beds ranging from seven to thirteen feet In thick
meas, and giving from thirty TO nifty feet Of solid lg
The coal contains. as shown by two separate analy.
sses, fifty Eight and nfty-nine per cent or caroon
Contiguous counties OF Clear Greek and Gpin. where
most Of the mining and reducing OF ores Is being
i
100 600 cords per annum. II the railroad they are
talking Of should be built coal could easily be deliy
cred at these mining centres 80 that the outlay for
fuel would be less than half what 1t at present.
The people OF Denver are fortunate IN having such
valuable coal mines so near the capital OF Colorado.
Indeed, IL is believed that coal undercs the city
and the immediate vicinity OF Denver. One gentle
man, whose faith Is turning to practical
IN the suburbs OF the city anyhow" he SAID,
'I intend 70 SINK o SHAFT even II sink the moneyn
But the best developed beds and the finest coal
ara In Ia aln ffa
line Of the Union Pacific Railroad. went over them
with DR.. Hayden. Ontcroppings were seen near
ward ut the dinerent points along Rock Creek Medl
cine Bow, the Rattesnake Hills, the North Platte,
river, Bear river and through Echo ana Weber
canons in Utah, nearly to Salt Lake. connected
series OF deposits covers the whole area. Coal mines
have been opened near Cheyenne, the eastern
slope OF the Rocky Mountains and the at
wyoming station--which is the next beyond Lara.
me-Carbon, Rawlings, separation Creston Point
OF Rocks, Black Buttes, Rock Springs and Evanston
In wyoming and Coalvie IN Utah. several OF these
mines have been worked for many months. Expert
has demonstrated that the quality Of the coal
- excellent and the supply practically unlimited.
evanston is small station on the line OF the
Union Pacific Railroad e67 miles from Omaha and g05
from San Francisco. Northward. where, IN wyom-
ing. the great Rocky Mountain chain turns toward
the southeast, line OF hills strikes from II directly
eouth to the Uintah range running east and vest
which merges into the great Wahsatch chain stretch
ing away southwest e toward wa, Tue Pacc' & inc Evan
low creek 10 branch OF Bear rlver), q mile or more
northwest OF the railroad station. The surrounding
country Is picturesque, and the submits OF the high
mountains within view are forever capped with
snow. The hills are furrowed ana ceilated by the
action OF water SO that the company has been able
TO develop the mine by means OF tunnels. They
nave opened three tunnels, situated almost three
quadrants OF q circle thick layer OF loose cal
csreous puddingstone lies above the Ignite. A
short distance from the outcrop there Is thickness
OF twenty six feet OF COAL interstratined with layers
OF "drab clay" 1t is thought that little
further in the hills these layers OF clay will disap
pear and the coal become more solid. and perhaps
more pure In the main tunnel q railroad Is being
buut with side tracks and facilities for changing
cars, which will enable the company to easily take
out thousand tons OF coal per day The track from
the mine connects directly with that OF the Union
the mine could be sent III either direction across
the Continent without being reloaded. Several
OF coal are lying IN the galleries OF the mine awaiting
completion OF transportation facilities. While III
Cheyenne before coming here witnessed on analysis