The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-03-13
Seneca.
The New Coal Mines.
There's Millions in IT,"

n the largest business. AS a general market toWf
q for the farmer, she stands pre-cmnent Hell
|, merchants have done heavy business in gro
d ceries, hardware, dry goods and farming nipple.
ments, and, in short, in every way She has es-
tablished splendid reputation as trading
point, equalled by few and excelled by scarcely
any in this section OF the state; and now, having
added to her resources the DEVELOPMENT of a
magnificent coal field, she enters career of
prosperity which will one day make her noted
: throughout the west. She stands in the heart
of large and rich farming region, with heavy
local trade, possessing the advantages of a
healthy location, excellent water, and cheap soil
; AS building lots are not held at fabulous prices
for speculative purposes, and thus with quick
and cheap transportation by railroad and canal
to the business centers, there is no reason why
she should not within a few years count her
population by as many thousands as she now
has hundreds.
THE COAL.
For fifty years or more it has been known to
) the white settlers of this region, that various
coal beds have existed on the Vcrmillion river,
at Peru, La Sale, Ottawa and Morris, where it
cropped out upon the surface, in places but the
acteristics have been developed by the growth of
the country. At first, the early settlers burned
wood exclusively for fuel, and coal for black
smith shops was brought from long distances In
, beggarly quantities; but the immense out-crop.
pings of the precious fuel along the banks of the
Vermillion river at length attracted notice, and
these deposits were free to all who cared to visit
them. The gradual development of the country
and growing scarcity of timber along the streams
rapidly thinned by the prairie farmers, created
larger demand-a positive necessity for this
coal Years followed, and with them came the
coal and railroads, which turned the coal to vast
account. This demand is constantly increasing
until it has caused towns and cities to spring up
in formerly dcsolate places ana scrub oak open
ings, and hitherto almost inaccessible ravines
and clayey hills have been metamorphosed into
gardens blossoming like the rose.
The deep shafts at La Sale and vicinity show
at nearly regular depths three distinct veins Of
, coal These crop out and disappear below Utica,
giving way 10 cement or water lime rock and
afterwards to sandstone, which fills the valley,
reaching the surface at Ottawa. On the top Of
Buffalo Rock, where the very crest Of this
strange ledge is, is COAL and this coal fifty feet
or more above the general level of the Illinois
river valley, at this point, is the third ven
r found two hundred feet below the streets at La
l Sale. Leaving the geologist to explain the
cause Of this upheaving of rock, thus dividing
this coal basin, we pass eastward to find coal at
Ottawa nearly cropping out towards Marseillcs.
The quality and quantity of coal at this point is
not very large, as it seems to lose itself in
broken strata, pitching into the unknown
, depths below.
At SENECA.
When the present artesian well was being
sunk to supply the c., K. !. & p. Railroad, coal
was found, as it was then reported, about
a hundred feet below the surface, but whether
in paying quantities or of what quality was not
known. Subsequent experiments at Streator
and northeastward towards Braidwood, seemed
to show that the entire region along the Illinois
river and for many miles south is vast coal
basin, cropping out at Streator in the Vermillion
river banks, and pitching to the southeast leaves
l Seneca on the northern edge of this basin. The
finding of something much like coal, but of un'
certain quantity and quality tended to prove it,
but lack of money, Of faith, and perhaps of a
F., sufficient local demand for coal prevented any
definite solution OF the problem
A couple of years ago, however, some OF the
t business men of Seneca, who had thought Of
this question, began to feel the need OF settling
it. Seneca had been rapidly growing and her
supply of wood diminishing, the cost of that
sort of fuel began to be previously heavy, and
Morris ind Ottawa were reaping profitable
harvest upon the wants of Seneca IN the way Of
coal. These men sank an experimental drill a
mile southeast of the town and found coal-veri-
table glossy black equitable coal Another drill
a mile southwest revealed the same desired pro-
duct of bitumipous fossil remains, and third
in another locality proved equally satisfactory.
Still money was required to sink shaft to reach
this coal, and this enterprise like the Others
must be experimental, since there were many
points of vital Importance to settle, as, whether
the coal would be of practicable thickness OF
vein to pay for working; whether water might
not deuge their mine, the roofing prove
treachereus: and other difficulties in the way
= had to be overcome.
At length the plan which has been successful
ly carried out resulted in the formation OF " The
Seneca Coal Company, with a sufficient CAPT
tai to sink full sized shaft, supply it with a
trst-class double hosting engine, with proper
: apparatus, pumps, boiler, etc, costing $500 put
S over it suitable building, aud in fact all the
c appurtenances and accessories Of a modern Goa
shaft. This company, organized Oct. 3D. 1874
under the general laws Of this state, paid up t.eiI
capital as required, leased 100 acres Of ground
from jeremiah Crotty for which they are TO pay
him l2'6 cents per ton of screened coal. They
proceeded to work, commencing Jan 70, 1875
and on the lst Of March, struck and passed
r through vein Of splendid coal three fee
5 t'ro ;acl,s IN Thickness! Competent Judges pro
e nOuuce tins equal to the
BEsr ILLINOIS COAL.
II Is free from slate, sulphur and iron, or Other
substance calculated to retard its free combus