Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1874-06-05
COAL IN SPRING CANYON.

slow 500" said /.
''Why." said he, s'do cannibals burn coal
do any uncivilized people burn coal? Doc
the savage African-docs the Feejee Islander
No, sir, not at all! But where do you On,
coai-burners; Task you as reasonable man.
"Wcll," said !, 1--we heard much abou
the demand for coal III Hill and on steam
boats. but don't know about coal being til,
courier of civilization
''But it is, sir" said he, Sand this Terr;tor,
can never advance peg-not one peg, sir
until coal displacc wood"
''Thcn," said l, "we're gone up, for there's
no coal in the country"
mo coal!" roared the Colonel, ssno coal y
And lie grew red in the face, and put the
wrong end of his segar in his mouth and
hitched up his suspenders.
mo coal! See here. Mister. didn't you
burn coal-my coal-right here in this very
town last winter?''
Well. the Colonel was partially in the right
he had supplied me, at the rate of $40 per
ton, with something he called coal. And l
had paid Finch about $1,000 for CRATE which
he had adjusted to wood-stove, and had
applied the match and lain down on my soft,
to read the paper and enjoy my fire.
That's all 1 know about it, except that it
nearly choked me to death. and that when
my friends found me was at my last gasp
and nothing brought me to but whisky, and
that Pm not entirely brought to yet if my
whisky bills are any sign.
| So, put to my trumps, l reminded the
| Colonel Of the occurrence; but he said it was
all lie, and he could prove it; and the less l
said about it the longer I'd remain on the rolls
OF the Good Templars, for he knew what had
allied me on that occasion, and it was ma
terial better suited to bottle than coal is.
Now. the Colonel, though good kind of a
man. is awlully set; and, though coal did do
1t. let the matter drop, as may be in the
coal business myself some day. So, though
couldn't exactly see why Feejec should
burn coal, or anything else tor that matter,
nor how coal could make missionary Of a
Crow, accepted the Colonel's invitation to
visit the mines in Spring Canyon.
The Colonel said ifI'd never again mention
my experience with the coal he'd provide the
team; and if Id swear the story to be false
and slanderous and wicked he'd supply the
lunch; and if I'd agree to stand by him
through thick and thin he'd let me buy half
the mine of him-at his figures.
Not wishing to perpctratc such a robbery l
reluctantly declined the last proposition, but
accepting the others we soon started behind
the best livery team in town. Any man who
says the best livery team in town ever showed
any establishment at anything is lost to all
sense oftrat;. or propriety. The N.P.R.R. will
never make the best livery team in town run
away. Old women and crIpples,' likewise
eggs, milk, corpscs and the proprietor of the
team never show any fear behind the best
livery team in town and the proprietor is the
only man, woman or child in the county sl.o
don't carry life-policy.
But we started, and at the bridge we stop
ped and took lunch. We lunched again at
the dam, and at the halfway house, and at
the Post, and at the creek; and by the time
we reached Pither's could hear Tile n r X.
coal in the wagon and in the eyes Of the best
livery team in town. The creek was G coal
bed and every cliff and tree and the top of
the Colonel's head were solid coal anu worth
fifty dollars ton.
The Colonel carried the lunch III a bottle
it keeps better SO put up, and all you have to
do is to tilt the bottlc-and you are fed.
! have always been deceived in the great
peak half way up the Canyon. Hayden says
it is white and lime, or something. But it
isn't-its blacklist coal, SO the Colonel said
and it seemed SO going up, but coming back
and after the lunch had all disappeared it did
seem white after all. Something queer about
this; think there was too much pepper in
the lunch.
The coal-bank is, or ought to be, water
ing-placc. 1t has hotel and nothing to eat
tie usual requisites OF summer resort. The
hotel stands on a c0al-bank and by a coal-pit.
1t is surrounded by c0al-it has a fire-proot
chimney, built Of coal, but they don't burn
coal; they burn wood. The Colone Ell says it |
would be dangerous to use coal--it would set |
ire to the chimney; SO they don't use coal |
up there. Which shows that their failure to
Use coal is no sign that the coal is good for
lOthing.a
After lunch we visited the pit and inspected
he various deposits and groupings. The
Colonel says that coal runs down 20 China,
md that the mining done in England is an
upon Ills rights. The conse-
luence is that Montana coal won't burn. l
if were the coal, but the Colonel
avs it could burn if our matches were not so
,Oor. YolfSce, the merchants here don't
want coal introduced. He also said (while
he lunch lasted) that coal is the product Of
he combustion Of diagonal diagrams of di-
erse degrees of longitude, which causes the
ush<et matter and the1ow OF soul. agreed
With him-in fact, had always thought SO,
nd always should (while the lunch lasted).
When the lunch was one VIC decided that
oal is-coal. 1t is bad thing to get out Of
lunch; for while it busted 1.-THE
lncb) we decided to form stock company
apital 81, OOO-to order l0, 600 coal stoves,
D employ 5000 miners and all the pumps and
ngines in the United States, and to knock
;Ood Aatter than founder. But after the
inch was gone we thought we wouldn't, aud
guess we won't. II
There's something queer about that canyon !,
ON the way up You see lots OF coal, but on
nc way back you don't see bit. think it I
the sun or the rariticd air Of Montana, but ,
oal's there. for the Colonel says so-he's !