The Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1869-1872, 1869-10-30
THE ELKO INDEPENDENT.
SATURDAY. OCTOBER 30. 1853.
n. Coal Tisids on Ii. East q d. er.., Bari.

The Coal Fislds on the East q ne Great Barn.
Nature has layished with a generous hand
much upon the barren mountains and desolate
plains Of this vast but uninviting and repul-
aye looking stretch Of country to the causual
observer, that extends from the foothills on
the east Of the Rocky mountains to the crystal
waters of the Truckee beneath the majestic
Sierra Nevada mountains. Not alone has If
confined Us to the metals Of silver, gold and
copper, but as a great auxiliary to the success
full reduction of these auriferous, aryentiferous
and sulphereted ores, il has planted in our
midst vundrous and iDexhaustible deposits Of
Unanimous coal that, in the absence of wood
for fuel. will I'LL all its requirements and for
ever set at rest the difficult problem, the sup
ply OF cheap fuel so long unsolyed: how we
can reduce to hard currency the boundless de-
posits Of metallic wealth that lie buried be-
meath the iron-ribbed mountains that cut their
distinctive course at regular intervals north
md south through this great and as yet in
differently explored basin.
One Of the strong arguments advanced by
Eastern.capitalists against successful mining
in Nevada, Utah and Colorado, was the scant-
mess ofwood for fuel, 50 indispensable il tie
treatment Of refractory ores.
An eIpanse of territory nearly three hun
dred miles across by over thousand in length. be-
tween Evanston and Carbon, through which the
iron bands link the Pacific and Atlantic oceans,
is one vast coal bed, Of sufficient capacity alone
to supply the Western Hemisphere with fuel for
years to to come. Its introduction has, how
ever, met with serious obstruction on account
of the Characteristic prejudice existing among
our people against anything that comes from
the East; but this objective feature is now
being rapidly removed, as all begin to
realize its advantages over our cedar wood,
both as a source Of economy and comfort.
To illustrate the capacity of the coal mines
OF Wyoming, take, for instance, the Hall mine
located near the Black Buttes five hundred
miles by rail east from Elko and one-half
mile from the Union Pacific road. This vein
can turn out five hundred tons day and dump
the coal in cars on a side track at the mouth of
the incline, from where it is dispatched 10
market in either direction on the continental
railway. Immediately above, and just below
this mother vein, are two strata of coal, the
upper one measuring ten and the lower five
feet in width, dipping at an angle of six de-
grees from the Meridian, and are traceable for
a mile along the mountain side One-haIf of
this property has lately passed into the hands
OF Mcdonald and Gashwiler, of California.
The Carbon, Van Dyke and many other mines
are well opened, and are now furnishing the
different markets with coal, while there are
hundreds of deposits under process of devel-
opment- w-s a aTH
The present high rates of tariff in freight
admit Of its being delivered and sold at retail
in Elko for s17, so per ton, leaving rcspecta-
bic margin ofproft to the merchant. In anal
ity it is said to be quite equal to the bitumi-
nous coal from Pennsylvania for ordinary heat
ing purposes. We consider the question of
cheap fuel now settled in our favor.