New-York tribune., 1880-10-24
THE MINES OF NEW-MEXICO.

CIIE-A fAvoRARLE COMPARISON WITH Tim
PRODUCT oy PENNSYLVANIA MINEs-ANAlL-
ARIinY Ayp RAILROAD yACinnEs-oIBkR
VALUABLE MINERAL DsToslls.
frRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF TIE TRisuNs.l
SAINT, Fg. ~ NJ Aug. 2s-I have always lis
tened with great deal of tistrust 10 all reports OF
the discovery of anthracite coal west of the Ap-
palachian range of mountains. BitumiuOus coal rs
very abundant not only in the Mississippi Valley
but i'm many PORTIONS of the Rocky Mountain
regions and of il is of very superior quality
but generally when man thinks that I've has dis-
covered vein of anthracite coal. IT turns out
that nc has only found deposit Of biumnous coal
that is little brighter little heavier than that
ordinarily discovered had never rad ANYTHING
about the anthracite beds of New-MsSico octoie
roming here ana when Mr.. SiCkels told me about
those in the Old Placer Mountains and offered 70
take me to see them. was prepared to see coal
that contained very small percentage of btumen,
but was still incredulous about Its being true
anthracite Since nv visit have read the reports
and compared the analyses OF the coal made by
sueh men as Professor X. w. Raymond, Lieutenant
George NJ Wheeler Professor Hayden Or. ). L. Lc-
conte and half dozen Others of wide reputation
as geologists that even though / might be de-
ceved by IFS appearance, there be no mistake IN
regard 10 its character.
The coal banks on the Ortiz Mine Grant, accord
Atehison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Com
pany underlie a territory about a square mile in
extent and are. therefore, substantially mex
haustlblc. They lie in the northern part OF the
grant among the foot hills of the Placer Mountains
and although the roads TO them are now very bad
they can be made easily accessible to the railroad
Indeed tae Atchison. Topeka and Santa fe Com
pany has already surveyed lines from ITS track TO
the main openings, made prof'cs ero staked out
shot, - - Dr. IN n
branch TO them. as believe will be done thus
autumn the work is all ready for the contractor.
The distance 10y one route is and by the
other three and half miles, the maximum grade
on either being only seventy-five feet 10 mile.
went TO the coal mines from the Real de
Dolores following the road over the meSas and
across two deep arroyos for distance OF five or
SIX miles. Arriving al the top of u ravine hun
dred feet deep, we left our carriage and climbed
dosn to the mouth of the tlnnel that has been
driven in upon the vein in the old mine. We
should have had difficulty in finding tie place if
we had not taken along with us "a Mexican as
guide He walked by the side of the carriage and
could easily have made better time than the horses.
The tunnel starts into the cliff near the bottom
Of the ravnc on its western side. The east bank OF
the canon consists Of fclspathic pOrqhyry, which
extends from the bottom &c the level of the adjon
ing mesa covered with a wash consisting of disn
tccrated sandstone and shae. The tunnel which
follows the dip OF the vein upward al an angie OF
about fifteen degrees is between five and SIX feet
high. ninety feet long. and has connected with il
several short drifts north and south. At the
bottom of the tunnel there is a stratum Of anthra
cite coal two feet in thickness lying slate or
shale probably the fVrmcr, which constitutes its
floor Above this there Is layer. or bone. as the
miners call it, OF slate. ten inches thick. and then
another vein Of anthracite coal enc and half feet
thick On the top of this there is shale aud sand
stone ghleh seems to constitute the bulk OF the
oyeryIng strata
QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF TIE COAL
The coal some specimens Of which broke ont
OF the mine looks exactly like the best OF Pennsyl
vania anthracite. 1t has the same bright appear
anoe and conchoidal fracture, and. walked
over it where il lad been mined and piled up a, the
mouth of the tunnel. it gave forth the ringing
metallic sound 50 familiar 10 those who the
Eastern hard coal Some Of IL which was removed
from the tunnel months ago and has lain In the open
air exposed 20 the weather was remarkably
bright even for anthracite. and showed signs CT
decomposition.
The three feet snd a half OF coal exposed In the
tunnel OF the old mine Is by means al that there
is Professor Raymond reports that during his
visit in 1874 he discovered IN the canon few
hundred feet below the old mine, a exposed sec
tion. probably uncovered during the preyious rainy
season which showed the existence OF al least four
beds OF coal that may I've prohtably worked. The
lowest oae begins thirty feet from the bottom of
the blui 5 of excellent quality. and IS four and
half feet IN thickness. The second one twelve feet
above this icct thick and reported as apQa-
rentlv cood-- Fourteen feet above this OF sixty
eight and a half feet from tie bottom OF the ravine
l. thin stratum Of coal ten inches thick. and. sep
arateffrOm it by slate Only eight uches thick,
- -, 81 .,..h .--
haps identical with the lower vein in the tunnel !
which by a careless measurement, made two feet
thick On the top OF this lies six feet Of sandstone
and shale and then coal AGAIN fourteen inches in
thickness Three feet further up there is another
coal vein three feet thick and above this beneath
the gravel of the one or two thin veins Of /
shay coal. probably Of no value. The geological /
formation a. shown by this section seems 10 prove /
that the two veins in the old mine comprise a very
small part Of the coal that Is to be found there.
did not visit the new mine. which is about |
mile and hall from the old one. but the reports
upon il and tho analyses of the coal taken from IL I
which ! have seen show the vein TO be Eve fcet 1
thick and the coal 10 be Of equally god quality /
with that taken from the old IniEe There are
thres' tul nCls IN The Dew mine but did not learn /
the lengta Of Them In 1870 two of them were
twenty-five feet long. and one forty frct long The
new mine : ON that portion of the OTtis Grant
which as said IT. former letter. was in dispute.
hut the tiIie 70 II VII probably be ainicaoly ar.
ranged before long.
The Atchison. Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad
Company has recently caused IN enough explora
tion Of all the surrounding couniry 10 be made in
the hops OF finding eood coal On the public lands !
The tirle 60 which u could acquire. Int has been
unsuccessful. \ shaft Suuk ia canon be-
tweca the ortiz coal mines and the railroai. which
was caIned down 90 depth II 6"o iect ana
visited u on my way out. A. this depth J have
been tod. the Oruz veins were found. but the eX-
pens Of working mine OF that character would
b. so great that the shat; was abandoned. The sec
ton exposed by this shaft showed tweniy-sryen