The Portland daily press., 1870-11-07
DAILY PRESS.
ND
Monday Morning, November 7, 1870.
An Immense Coal Field.

An Immense Coal Field,
A COAL BELT THREE HUNDRED MILES
LONG.
A correspondent of te Chicago Tribune
writes as follows in reference 10 the " onder-
full deposit of coal at Evanston, in Wyoming: ::
The nearest station on the road is Evans
ton, but there is telegraph station, called
Almy, at the mine, the latter being connected
with the main track by railroad 900 feet
long, built at cost Of $4,000. Almy is pre-
cisely halfway between Omaha and San
Francisco-nne hundred and fifly-seven miles
from each. Certain persons calling them
selves the Rocky Mountain Coal and Iron
Company laid claim to a strip of land cover
ing the coal cropping, one-half mile wide and
three miles long, in the Winter of 1859, and
Immediately commenced opening it. The
range of hills in which the coal is situated is
300 to 500 feet high, and appears to conform
in direction to the 4 paar .lE- run
ming nearly north IA tosthe site of the
works, then sweeping round with the river to
the east.-~It - composed of partly arenaeeous
strata, and is very much worn down-weath-
cred into succession of rounded spurs, with
narrow ravines and eulches between. Above
the coal are fossilized deciduous leaves, very
much resembling species now living.
The Wyoming coal belt extends along the
Pacific railroad for 300 miles. 1t is thought
by Haydn to be OF lower tertiary age In the
neishborhood of Utah it is found only in
the vicinity of the gray sandstone, never in
that of the red. The general properties of
the coal from the mine / am describing, its
resistance TO the degenerating influence of the
weather, its freedom from sulphur, and Its ca
lorific quality, place it at least in the foremost
rank OF Rocky Mountain Goals. Indeed, much
more is claimed for it, e. g., that it is better
article, ton for ton, than Lehigh coal, for max
ing steam, for domestic use, for locomotives,
or gas, because it hasn't so much waste, water,
ash and cnker, and is quicker and more in
fiammable. 1t is claimed that it makes TO-
600 feet OF gas to the ton. Pittsburgh coal
makes $500. The average work of the en-
gines on the Pennsylvania Central is forty
miles per ton. This coal is in use by the pas
sepger engines OF the Central Pacific for 500
miles west of Ogden, and ton of 1900
pounds runs an engine Is miles.
1t is as good for blaclismith's use ds any,
thing but the best charcoal. 1t was tried by
the Union Pacific Company last Winter in
one of their cupOlas at Omaha for smelling
cast-iron, and found to answer the purpose of
anthracite in that connection better than an
thracite ITSELF adding, it is said, to the ineness
of grain and toughne of the iron. The pro-
portion of metal and coal were about the
same as with anthracite, and the time requir-
ed for smelling the same.
In the hills north and east, adjacent, occur
layers OF clay, iron, stone, yielding about
thirty per centum of metallic iron, and re-
markable for the high percentage of lime it
contains; obvating the necessity of using 9TH
er fiux, and leaving the ore in uncommonly
porous and fusbe condition by reason of the
explosion of carbonic acid gas in such great
quantities. A few miles eastward there are
deposits of magnetic ore and on the Weber
river, few miles westward the same consid-
cradle variety. The coal and the iron are ex-
isting here, then, in inexhaustible quantities !;
why are not the requisite conditions for the
successful manufacture of iron fulfilled?
The mine has been opened substantially by
main inclines. 1t pitches into the hull at an
angle Of twenty or thirty degrees and cross
cuts, widening into chambers for halt mile
in length, to depth Of four hundred to seven
hundred feet. The workings at various places
show the vein to be thirty feet thick. There
are two miles of light iron hand car track il
the openings. The arrangements for work
| ing the mine and for delivering the coal seem
to be the most judcious. Probably 26,OOO
tons have been taken out. 1t is delivered on
the dump, believe, for 81. ton-at least,
from seventy-five cents TO $1,25. The Cen
trail Pacific Company are using it, as stated
| on the eastern end of their road.
The mine OF the Rocky Mountain Company
| is kept dry by two or three men at the pumps
| The cropping on the southwestern exposure
of the range continues on north and east
from where they are working it, three miles
in some places showing more than forty feet
thick. They are taking out now perhaps
5000 tons month. They could take out
1000 tons day had they market for it,
Towards getting this they are now bending
evefy eneoy