The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1874-09-10

ing that Mahaska coal Tor Oskaloosa coal
as 1t Is generally called is the best in the
State. In Mahaska there is hardly a
point that you can sink shaft without
striking the precious BLACK Diamond"
The veins in this county range from three
to ten feet thick, being generally five to
seven, and as we said before of the best
quality, and will compare favorably with
that of any other part of the world, and
stands next to the anthracite of Pennsyl-
vania. The following was published in
our paper, the Oskaloosa HERALD, Feb
ruary ~, 1874.
MAHAsKA COUNTY COAL.
Mahaska is known the west over, as the best
coal county in Iowa. We do not say this in a
spirit OF Doasting, for the figures will bear us
out in all we say. In fact our object i'm present.
ing this article is to give few of the mining
statiStlcS OF our county, showing the vast
amount nandled yearly. Marion county on our
west is also very rich in this mineral and stands
next to Mahaska, although want of railroad IA
clntles has retarded its development somewhat
State GeolOgist White visited our county dur
ing his official term and reports as follows i'm his
work: None of the coal counties of Iowa, so
Tar as is now known, exceed Mahaska county
"as regards its supplies of coal. So
Tar as the quantity of coal now mined is con-
cerned, Mahaska is much in advance of any of
the others. Although the greater part of the
.e iilies OF the county have been examined, the
formation contained therein has not been stud
led as whole, within its limits, with sufficient
thoroughness to give clear statement of the
number of different beds of coal it NAV con-
tam, and their relations with the STRATA" He
speaks OF the important mines on Buck creek
In the north part of the county: of Spring
creek creek ana ITS tributaries, lined with coal from
thelr scourceS to the river, and as he thinks i'm
TWO VEINS, both workable. He speaks of the
mines around the outskirts of Oskaloosa vary
ing from three to six feet in thickness, and
which he thinks underlie the whole town. He
says: AT OSkalooSa Station, two and a half
miles from town, the most important mines vet
opened in the State are located. At the time
visited tneSe mines, the coal presented q thick
mess OF from five to eight feet of solid, good
coal. 1t is reported to show a still greater
thickness on further working" Great chang
es nave been made in the mines at Beacon, how
ever, since Prof. White paid his visit there
Where they mined one bushel then, they can
take out five now. The mines at Given were
Just opening when he was there; now they are
as important as those of Beacon, and the Iowa
Central Coal Co., of Given, vies with the Iowa
Coal Co., Beacon, for the championship. Being
asked to estimate the probable amount of coal
in Mahaska county, Prof. White after careful
fguring said il would average bed five feet thick
under the whole surface of the county This
coal has other qualifications than quantity to
recommend it as you can find out by going into
any oil the western markets and asking for the
best coal; "Oskaloosa COAL" (as it is invariably
SohOu lioHi tHc COUNTY, Will De recommended 10
you. So popular has this coal become, that buy
ers are becoming little particular in tracing
the pedigree of the coal they buy to see that
they are not being swindled by having some in
ferlor article put on them from some other
mines, less popular, as some unprincpled deal
ers In other parts of the State sell their coal as
OskalooSa coal. This coal is nearly all mined
by what is known as surface" mining, or drift
ing. the shaft opening up into the hill; being
easily handled and cheaply mined. Coal never
sells here for more than ten cents per bushel, de-
liv';red in your coal house, and for some time
this season it sold for eight cents. A good quail
ity of nut COAL just such as we use all the time
for our engine which runs ouri presses, can be
bought for six cents.
The geologist i'm his examinations saved speci-
mems, labeled them, and at proper time sub
jected them to test, the results of which are Civ
en- below, in part:
"BURDESS NINE, NEAR OSKALOOSA.-The coal
"is very compact, hard and brittle. 1t is not
very well laminated and breaks into quite irreg-
"ular fragments. 1t is quite clear and glossy,
with no mineral charcoal or pyrite. There are
some seams of calcareous matter. The coke
has metallic lustre and is cellular. The ash
lis white with a faint red tinge.