Jamestown alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1878-1882, 1881-11-25
THE COAL FIELDS OF DAKOTA.
A Trip Through Coal Mine on the
Northern Pacific II. II.
A Comparison Of the Economy Of Using
Ignite Coal.
New Mining Developments Under tho
Supervision Of
Messrs. bly, 4 Thompson.

Supervision OF
Messrs. bly, 4 Thompson.
Special Correspondence to The Daily Alert.
Coal mining in Dakota has become OF
such Importance lately that the Northern
Pacific traveller on the way to the Yellow
stone valley cannot do less than look
with interest upon the great piles OF coal
that have been taken out OF the Buttes
along the line.
In July, 1879, the Baby Mine first gave
Dakota coal, or Ignite, to the people of
the Northwest, and Notwithstanding the
opposition of many old fogies to the inno-
vation this coal has grown steadily IN ia
vor until the Baby Mine has not only out
grown it's name and been rechristened the
Bly Mine, but other mines OF the same
character have been opened in the new
coal fields. :,
To inspect the BLY, Mine we take a small
miners lantern at the entrance to the sew
Ell foot square passage and follow the NIL
ners down the slope about q thousand
feet until we find ourselves SO feet below
the surface, where the work is actively
going on. The unprotected blaze OF the
lantern sends its fickcring light to the
shining, coal-black walls and ceilings OF
the passages which are kept free from gas
and smoke by good system of ventila-
ton. 1t is interesting to see the men mine
or pick underneath and at the side of the
pillar of coal, while at the other side a
hole is drilled for the paper cartridge filled
with blasting powder. When it is in
serted and the fuse is lit its well to stand
at respectful distance to listen to the
shot as it reverberates from room to room
along the entries and passages. Finding
the pile of coal down the miners break
the chunks into portable pieces and shoy-
cl it INTO little cars drawn by mules over
the narrow guage railway extending
through more than half mile of the pas
sages of the mine.
One to two men work in each room,
The rooms are generally at the side OF the
entries while the entries run sideways
from the main passage. Throughout the
whole mine about the same dimensions
are maintained-seven by six fetal
though where the VEN is irregular tai
person is likely to make low bow be-
meath the ceiling. In the bottom OF the
slope is the pump by which the water is
raised from level to level until it finally
goes out through the upper level and
down to the creek below, Besides the ties
upon which the railway is laid q large
amount of other timber is used, for the
miner has to prop up every foot Of the
ceiling To prevent the imperfect slate from
loosening and caving in upon him. Here
and there can be seen evidences OF the
coal having been produced from great
masses of forest trees that have been bur-
led by nature in the past.
To follow the course of the coal out Of
the mine the visitor should watch the
teamsters as they take their cars out Of
the tunnel-like darkness to the main pas
sage and then up the slope to daylight.
There they stop at the scales and have
their tou. or. SO Of coal .Weighs 0bt the
railroad agent and then take itstb the
dump or shoot, which, like grain spout,
can be arranged to drop the coal into
whichever car is handiest among those
on the Northern Pacific track
only few feet below,
As the work progresses the quality Of
tnc coal improves, but even the first spec
linens analyZed from the Bly, Mine gave
very gratifying results. That sent to tile
Smithsonian Institute showed S5,94 per
cent. of combustible meter, and another
sent to the Dept. of Agriculture analyzed
1852 per cent. of combustible matter 4
The Gen. Man. of the N. p. r. r., Mr.
Herman Haupt, in his recent circular to
N, p engineers said: "The objection to
Ignite is largely due to prejudice. A
of careful analyses have recently
beon made which show an evaporative
power nearly equal to that Of other coal"
He also said, !It only requires proper
boiler and careful firing to burn it success
fully" Again, sPittsburgh coal in sutfi-
cient quantity cannot be procured, for
lack of lake transportation, at any price,
and, if used, its cost would be twenty-five
cents per mile run on the Dakota Divis-
ion; thirty-fve cents on the Missouri Di-
vision and forty-fye cents on the Yellow
a.Gne. 1t would be cheaper to pay an en-
gineer who could use this coal twenty
dollars a day, rather than employ one who
could not use it, if he worked for nothing',
The economy Of using this Ignite coal
is undisputed by those who have given
it fair test even in ordinary stoves
Closer CRATES and stronger drafts have
in its desire te 90 all possible for the set
Tiers gives half rates Of freight to Messfs,
Bly, t. Thompson on stoves adapted 10 the |
use of this coal These stoves are furnish
ed at wholesale prices by Messrs BLY, & !
Thompson, Bismarck, D. T., and they are
found to work splendidly in jamestown at
The Dakota House, the churches, Klaus
Hall, Col. Walkers and other prominent
places Mgc!, has been done. toward their |
BY the energetic efforts of Mr.,
W. FR Geldert, N. P. Feel Agent, who
has made Jamestown his headquarters
Ills season.
Tests have proved that a ton of Ignite
costing "a 45 at jamestown equals cord
and a third of hard wood which would
cost IS, if wood can still be obtained at Sc
pcr cord, making differcnc of $3.50 in
favor of ignite, aside from the expense
and trouble of cutting the wood Ii is
we'll worth the trouble to try the new ar
ticie Notwithstanding the affection many
have for hard wood and hard coal, The
latter costs $13 per ton at Jamestown and
is relatively dearer than wood not only at
Jamestown but at every prairie point along
the line. 1t does not go up the Missouri
to Bismarck and the bly, mine situated 45
miles west of Bismarck finds Bismarck its
first market and can sell more cheaply
there than at places farther away.
That the Ignite will produce gas there
is no doubt for a recent test at the ST.
Paul Gas Works produced $50 feet of gas
from ton of Ignite while the production
of the very best gas coal used at st. Paul
is 1000 feet to the ton.
I1OWctCi elAC hSQiVS SsNSh dpoNS
NAV appear compared with old and well
known mines of the east it is certain that
the pioneers in this enterprise, Messrs. Bly,
and Thompson, of Rismarck. deserve
great credit for developing an industry
that is of inestimable value not only in
employment for miners but in
giving freight to the railroad and in sup
10 a large extent, the expensive
wood and hard coal fuel now used on the
vast prairles and valleys east and west of
the mines. 1t practically settles the fuel
question which has heretofore been such
a bugbear to settlers.
Mcssrs. Bly, s. Thompson find such a
demand for their coal that they have also
opened other mines ut tho =; Z; crossing
OF the t.iitis Missouri and near Miles City,
in the Yellowstone valley. Mr.. Ehcr H.
Bly, is the proprietor of the web known
House :. g;snlarck and his part
ne, il. lie coal business, Nir. Chas. W.