Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-01-01


schooner WIN. Allen to carry cargo 70
San Francisco, which she did: bu,
shortly before her arrival, the steamer
Active arrived from the Sound, and
spread the news about the great Goa!
mine IN BsIiingham Bay, which raised
quite an excitement, and after the Wm.
Ale arrived aad her lrgo had been
seen and tested, a company xas formed
f3r the pu pose Of p1rc lasIng and work
ING the coal mine, sid Mr.. Calhoun
B-nhsm and Captsin raGntler1v were
sent to Bellingham Bay - purchase the
mine. At the time they arrived Brown
q Hewitt were somewhat IN doabt rs 20
whether they had found the grsas p-iza
they thought they had. Working a
coal mine " - something they knew liz
ils about, bat by this time they had
found out that Il great amount % mon
ey had to be laid Gu. before any could
De 90. back. ana II would not have IT,
Ken large amount ID have bought
either of them out. But the arrival of
such an embassy es BeHham and Faun-
tieroy and the object of their mission
being made known, satisfied them there
WAS something IN their mine, and that
they hid better keep their eyes open,
and after couple of days maneuvering
they sold for $500, which was a
stroke of fortune for them, and daily
appreciated: but their transport was
somewhat daupsnsd when informed
by the purchasers that they were au-
thorized to go as high as $4,000 If
they could not get il for less.
After the plrcaiss WAS m ,de Mr.
Benham returned % San Francisco, and
Captain Fauntleroy remained In posses
sion of the premises. The company on
hearing they had obtained possession
OF the e)al mine, Incorporated under
the laws of California. bv the name of
the Be.linghsm Bay Coal Comp
and Mr.. Z. G. Fitzhugh'cance tn Bslling-
ham Bay az agent for the company and
relieved Captain Fauntlsroy. who r.
turned to California. Mr.. Fitzhugh
entered claim of 100 acres under the
donation law, which covered the coal
mine and immediately commenced get
ting cut coal. For about year the
work was done by hand, then a slope
was sunk and the cDal raised by horse
power for over another year, then steam
power was employed, The coal that
was produced was almost all shipped t D
San Francisco, and although the de-
mand was great and the prices obtained
were high, still it did not prove the
source Of profit to the company that it
Was expected to be, owing to the way
the mine WAS managed, the small guam
tity produced, high rate of f5eight., DC :,
and instead of receiving dividends they
were called upon from time to time for
assessments. At length in 1859, wea-
ried of this continual drain, the compi-
nv resolved to hold survey upon the
7 roperty and then decide whether they
would sell it, or make it a source of
profit if possible. 1t WAS finally decid
ed TO employ competent, practical
coal mining engineer. give him full
power to make all necessary improve
ments for working the mine and ip-
ping tue GOAL. Mr.. rompkins was EN-
ploysd IN Pennsylvania and brought to
BeilinSham Bay ~ Superintendent of
the mine. Ine slope WAS sank deeper.
a wharf was CONSTRUCTED at deep water,
a railway was blilt from the montn OF
the slope to the bank at the wharf, and
bankers erected for cleaning and stor
ing the coal. Upwards of 100000 was
expended in i'm orovementS, and when
the mine was III a condition to CON.
mence paying, tue company leased it to
two of their number (Mess-s. Sinclair
and Moody for tho period of five years.
Tho lessees being both practical ms
aud IN ierstandlng their business, CO n
menced operations i'll business like
manner. Mr.. Mo ,dy rem lined at Bel
lingham Bay aud atten ted to working
the miua and shipping the cotl. while
Mr.. Sinclair rem aimed in Sin Francisco
attending TO selling the coal, parchas-
ing the necessary supplies. No useless
employees We're retained nor unn .css
sary expenditures made. As on as
practica ole tley purchased VESSELS. saw
ing enormously on freights. For near
" four years tue mine was worked by
the two lessees, at a great profit, and
having obtained majority Of the
shares of ths comoanv's stock by that
time, they sold hack To the Company
the remainder of their lease, and short
ly afterward the comp MY sold ont the
entire stock t. the present proprietors.
soma of whom were then the heaviest
capt. ,lists in California. During the
time Msssrs. Sinclair and Moody opera
ted the mine great amount of coal
was exoavaied. the vein was II feet
thick in all, good and bad, some IF it
very soft, consequently orett do Al of
debris was made, most of which was
left in the rooms from which the coal
was removed, aud "a there was great
deal of sulphur in the coal. this debris
whenever accumulated 10 sufficient
quantity, was Ii able to 60 late sponts-
neous combustion. lore Messrs.
Moody and Sincl sir ~ q up their lease
the debris in one room did take fire. and
but for the prompt action taken at thu
time, the fire would have got the upp n
hand OF thetn. and 1t Wa runored that
fears of a general coualyration in all
the old works WIS the main cause of
the old company selling out to the new.
Business enterprises NAV prove dis ~
trous from two causes: first two lie IL
money to enable the owners to PIT in
proper shape, 81 make profit tba
and sesond; too much money To IN ucs
the owners II give su d ,ient person II 81
pervlSiou I insure succass. The lattar
has bean the cas-. with tue Bslliugham
Bav Cal mine sDsa The present com
panv obtained control: althnrgl worked
bg them for abo;t thir.t 81 ysars, only
two or three of the owners have
ever seen it, and then only for d,y or
two. Daring that time IL has been ua-
der the control Of two supsrintsnda an.
neither OF VIII ever saw coal mine
until they took charge of this. Shortly
after the transfer a fire broke out in ths
debris In ona of the rooms. and the sea
was let into the mine to quench the fire.
After remaining full of water for some
time the water Wa pumped out. and
operations again comm aneed, which
continued for near q year: everything
WAS getting in good order and the mine
beginning TO pay, when another room
took fire and again the mine was
flooded. Three times tho mine va
Hooded and pumped ont. and still they
perseveref, and coutinu d wor ing the
mine with varying success until 1877
when they disnsntled and aband med
the mine. which is now full Of water
Pr vIous to the ahaud Comment Of the
mine prospecting was d me in different
places on the compsuv's land fwhic /
consists 1T OVER three thous nd acres in
ac,ntiguous 10 W., and on other lands.
but without result all ugh boring had
been tried 10 many places, in no plac a
did they sink D) feet, and while nnm
berless veins cropping gu. at the surface
indicate that the Who'll. country is a
great coal field. No satisfactory test
en- b. expo ei where the land has no,
been disturbed by vilcanic action. "a on
the table land north 1T Reliinrham Ray.
without going ~ the depth OF 1O01 feet
Had the prospecting 1T the company