Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1878-12-20
Jte Daily 4rfSs and 9atsta1s
yAhkToN oAkorA.
Friday Evening, oeo. 20, 1878
strvMM0W COAL

--gtu H-. FTEILt 8aE-a QE" .ff.L. Lf
Perhaps they Have FouaA Il ON the I'm.
per 1im and Perhaps They Have Not.
Jamestown Alert.
We promised 10 communicate to the
readers OF The Alert whatever information
We might be able To obtain on the question
Of coal 10 our vicinity. and here 81 Is the story
as We now understand 1t.
for years past the residents Of james
have bslieved that coal existed In this
vicinity, aud have prospected In several
places about here, being rewarded for their
search BY finding considerable quantities of
"hoat" Ignite or brown coal. One of these
was at Beaver Greek, Is miles down the
James river; another near the line of the
railroad 9 mile east of here and in sight
of our Office. At the latter place q shsft
was sunk SO feet and followed by auger by
M. Meade. formerly general manager OF
the n. PR r., in company with other
gentlemen TO the depth Of So feet, when
they struck quick sand necessitsting the
use Of tubing for the auger, when the en-
iterprise WAS abandoned. From time to
Tune several persona, among them .%ourself,
have taken pieces OF Ignite coal from an
apparent vein two miles north of here and
our readers will remember our notice of the
presence of large quantities Of csrboDic
acid gas in certain wells in this vicinity.
10 one Of them a deposit, or loose vein 10
inches thick Of pieces Of a very good Ignite
was found at the depth of 80 feet.
Below this was found Is feet of loose sand,
AT the bottom of this sand wa found to be
: solid deposit, which was proved to be =
coal which breaks with . crystalline fracture,
and we should Judge to be q fair article oil
bituUinous coal. The specimen before u
was given with the above information BY
the gentleman owning the land, and who
We believe to be aman If truth and veracity.
He Ia deferred from further examining the
deposit until he can curb out the falling
sand, and make some arrangement to remove
the poisonous gas, as nc man will at present
20 down the we'll and risk being buried
alive.
The reports that spread among our cit
izens Of the finding OF coal in this we'll,
stimulated others, among them Messrs. Har.
ris aud Mckenzie to prospect in what they
considered a favorable place. And the gen
tleman named put a man at work driving q
drift into an exposure of shale, three mile
from here.
The miner after q couple of weeks work
brought in. a thin but beautiful piece Of wha
u~ndispu,ably bitumiaous coal, and in
a few days a larger piece of like quality
We, in company with Mr.. H., conclude,
TO 60 out this last Wednesday, an,
examine for ourselves, but on Tues
day night the chap, "Slothful Joe" reported
his finding a two foot vein ; this set GU
place wild, and = party of five of US accom-
panied said "Slothful' to the alleged bonar
Ia, to find that although Messrs. Harris an
Mckenzie had selected a favorable place I
prospect, and one in which the prospe,
is yet fair for discovery of coal, yet none
US could after a very diligent search, fin
the least trace Of any such coal. and came
the conclusion that "Slothful Joe" was
fraud Of the first water; and we're he to II
such a game:.in Montana or the western coun
ty,would.have met a worse fate than to me
the contempt of his fellow men.
Messrs. II. and Mex, although not gu
cessfu SO speedily and to as great degree
they expected, will go on and sink s sha
at their present location, and we have fai
hopes for their eventual success.
That there is coal here, either of the vel
best Ignite or fair bituminous quality, Y
still believe ; and We further believe that
great deal Of prospecting will be done III;
coming year.