The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1882-04-29

Is, SATURDAY MORNING
has developed, and here follows what
was seen.
The main tunnel, which j. seven feet
/ high and seven feet wide has been
/ opened to distance, IS accurate
measurement, $50 feet; along which,
every thirty feet, tunnels vi the same
size have been opened both to the right
aud left for distance OF l55feet, many
of which have been widened into rooms
twenty feet wide, leaving the customary
pillars of ten feet to support the roof.
At distance Of 800 feet from the
mouth an air shaft is opened FROM one
of these wide tunnels, twelve feet
sqnare to the top of the hill, 800 feet,
which secures a perfect VENTILATION of
the mine, Along the mail tunnel its
whole distance, $50 feet, at well az to
the end Of all side tunreli Is laid an
iron track, upon which the coal cars,
drawn by mules, enter thu mines and
carry out the coal. By 9ctuaI meas
urement, the thickness of
THE VEIN,
which at the opening OF tde mine was
but three feet, has increased to four
feet at the present terminus of the
tunnel, and the coal seam, which was
slightly mixed with foreign matter at
the surface, has continued to improve
until the vein, ut distance of less than
fifty feet from the opening, has become
solid mass of camel coal Of the finest
quality. The coal is got out by digging
away the slate aud shale from beneath
1t aud then blasting it down with
powder, pieces weighing half ton
frequently being blown down, which
have TO be broken up to load on the
coal cars
THE DIR
of this vein us far rs worked averages
six inches to the 100 feet, and the vein
runs from northwest to southeast. Ali
indications go to show that the vein is.
comparatively speaking, inexhaustible
For instance, its gradual dip downward
is m evidence that it will never be lost
by cropping ont again on the surface
Its outcroppings along the banks of the
Rio Grande demonstrate that the vein
is ut least twenty miles wide, and
throughout the thousands of feet of side
tunnels opened in the mines the vein
never shows any weak points. Up to
the present time the mine has been
worked more with view of preparing
it SO that large number of miners
could work at one time rather than to
take out any great amount of coal in
advance of its being connected with
railroads The roof throughout this
mine is supported by mesquite timbers
which never rot nor decay. Up to the
present time, but 1000 tons of coal has
been taken out, all of which has found
a ready sale at Laredo, at from ten to
twelve dollars per ton Three miles be.
low the San Tomas mine, Governor
Hunt has opened another mine situated
on land belonging to himself, known as
the School Land mines, and into which
he has dritted two tunnels for distance
Of 200 feet, and ery-ijsAica.ion goes
to show that 1t is equal In all respects
to the now famous San Tomas nine 1t
was from this mine the international
road took carload of coal for an ex-
pertinent, and the test was so satisftc.
tory that a contract was at once made
to furnish the international with coal
to be used in its locomotives between
Laredo and Palestine. Not only has
the International road tested the coal,
but the Mexican National and Texas
Mexican roads have been using the
coal in their locomotives for six months
to the extent of the capacity of the
mine to supply it with wagon transpor-
tauon-besides it was used through the
winter in number Of stoves, and has
| proved itself in every instance to be
camel coal OF the best quality. This
coal will be put upon the general mar
kot as soon MS the Rio Grande and Pc
COS road is completed to the mines,
which will be inside OF sixty days, as
the iron, cross-ties aud rolling stock
are already purchased and are now ar.
irving, and grading forces sufficient to
complete the grade in thirty days are
at work. Three rails will be laid on
the Rio Grande and Pecos as far Ms
the coal mines to enable the narrow
guage cars TO connect with the mines,
and so soon as the parrow-guage is
completed from San Diego to Calves
ton, that city will have two competing
lines TO the coal mines, where coal can
be delivered into the cars for $3.50 per
ton, and handsome profit will be se-
cured even at these figures to tue owner
OF the minos. ship by Texas Express
lump Of coal taken from both the
San Tomas aud the School Land mine,
which was taken ont OF the mines by
your correspondent from the vein ut
the extreme end OF each tunnel, which
| hope will DO found worthy to occupy
a place in the geological collection Of
the Galveston Neics. As regards the
estimated value Of these mines, il is
only necessary to consider that,
counting the coal seam at only
three feet in thickness (though the ay.
erage is we'll up to four feet, we have
in one square acre, approximately,
| 4 1900 cubic yards Of coal which weighs
by actual test 2, iG pounds to the cubic
lyard-which is equivalent TO I,000x
2,ld0 is equal TO l0iSl, 900 pounds,
which is equivalent to 5,2l2 tons,
which, II sold at low profit OF % per
ton at the mines, realizes the handsome
sum OF sl0,iSl for every acre worked (;
and when We consider that there are
thousands Of acres Of this coal to DO
worked. We are not astonished that
Governor Hunt should refuse 100000
for his coal niue Interests near Laredo,
aud the SUN ssked BY him, $1,000 900,
was not unreasonable,