The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-08-30

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In South Ottawa township, having in view
the development If The third vein OF coal
known to exist in lhat heighborhood, The
vein WAS reported from 81 to 81 inches IN
thickness. Prospects were made, and sew.
eral gentlemen united themselves with the
owner Of the land ON which the borngs
had been made, aud began making pros
pecting contracts with The owners of sur.
rounding property. II is more than likely
they would now be raising coal there, but
for the fact that one owner, who owned
land which was the key to their position,
refused TO sell his coal or permit passage
through II. OF course, that ended the
matter; the gentlemen had 10 abandon
their project
tits a familiar fact to all who have stud
led the subject of coal in La Sale county
that the third vein $50 called of coal un-
derlies the greater portion of the county
south of the river Borings at several
places have proved the fact, and, indeed,
IN some parts of Dec" Park tp, and at 9th
er places along the Vermillion this coal
has been mined in small way for long
time.
The Strcator Free Press, however, with
characteristic assurance, ridiculed the no.
ton that railroad through that part of
county would develope these coal fields
AS n matter of fact, the Press laughed at
the idea that this coal-a thin VEN com
pared with the veins working at Sreator
would ever be mined, especially SO long
as the immense pocket of the upper or
second vein coal IN that neighborhood con
tinucd to yield. The Free Press has had
cause to change its then dogmatic dictum
in this matter, as will be seen by the fol.
lowing:
THE LOWER VEIN.
Among those interested in mining mat.
tiers there has been of late years consldera-
BILE speculation about the workableness
and utility of the VEN OF coal underlying
the present workings, and although it has
been bored to in many places, the data re.
vealed by examination of the borings have
been too meagre to furnish grounds for
satisfactory conclusions on many OF the
points where knowledge IS essential. BY
the enterprise of the Coal Run Coal Co,
a shaft has been sunk down to that seam
this summer, and many of the hitherto
unanswered questions can now receive q
fiAal reply, and many fruitless coniectures
be set at rest. The disclosures made at
that mine settle beyond peradvcnture
that workable seam exists here, that from
its nature, its thickness and its underlying
fire clay, the most profitable method of
working 1t will be the long wall plan; the
prevailing idea that heavy vein of water
overlies the lower seam here as at Brace.
vile has been proved by this shaft TO be
unfonnded, and that the water in question
only exists locally and probably IN very
limited quantities.
BY the kindly courtesy of Mr.. Langley,
manager OF the mines, we were permitted
yesterday to descend the shaft and make
a personal inspection OF the nine in
question. The seam, of course, looks very
small to one accustomed to the stand.up.
straight proportions OF the middle vein,
but as veins of even less thickness are fire.
qaently worked, our miners would soon
get used to that If good wages could be
made Ill IT, The two main gangWays, run.
ming northwest and southeast are being
opened OH, ihoy orc 10 feet wlue, ard the
nrst named is IN about yards from the
shaft while the latter Is driven III about 7
yards. A SIX foot entry is being driven
to the southwest, which is in ) yards. The
coal is not at all regular or uniform IN
thickness as yet, the sides on which 1t was
thickest at first now beng the thinnest, and
vice versa. The seam Is now thlckest at
the face OF the southwest entry, where it
measures ~ inches, and thinnest at the
lace OF the southeast gangway, where it Is
nut % inches; in the northwest gangway it
IS - inches. In the narrow work the coz.
is pretty hard to dig, the fire clay mining
being very Tough and hard 10 make an I'm
preston on. The men are hardly used 10
the way OF working il yet, but they think
that about yard day ont Of l0toOt
entry Is pretty good days work The
coal Is solid but brittle ard flies quite
freely from the pick when cutting: it also
stands powder well and can be blasted
from the solid. There Is an occasional
lay OF sulphu,, a half an inch thIck %,
So, about inches from The bottom, and
some thin spars near the top but II docs
not contain as much sulphur stone ON The
average is the middle VEN. \ good part
ing exists between the roof aud the coal
and from 6 To 10 inches OF slate comes
down after the coal, which gives Il good
height and Will be convenient for bald.
ing with after they get opened out The
mine Is quite dry, making absolutely no
water at all The coal looks as though it
might be quite favoraby worked on the
long wall plan, for where little weight
presses on the clay near the shaft it seems
Tree and open and quite easy 10 NINE.
The company have but few months
work for 90 or 60 men drawing pillars in
the old mine, ana contemplate pushing
the work along III the bottom vein until,
at any rate, it is thoroughly tested
The only undecided question now
in connection with the successful operation
of the mine is whether the quality Of The
coal VIII command n price in the market
sufficient To warrant It's being mined in
competition with the middle vein. 1t
will cost considerably more per ton for
digging ii, as miners will not be able to
dig as many tons per day in that VEN as
IN the present one, and they will therefore
nave to be paid more per ton to CqualiZe
their wages with other miners. This cost
may in measure be offset by less expense
III other directions, particularly in the
matter OF water hosting and timber,
which form very important items IN the
cost OF production at present. There Is no
question as to the ultimate use of this
coal in these parts. The time will come,
after great many years perhaps, when
the cream of the magnificent middle VEN
that we are now mining Will have been
skinned off, and when inferior parts OF
II have to be resOrted To, then will this