The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1883-09-26

Thuf,day afternoon, upon the invita-
tion Of Nj. Frank Esler, We took . ride
70 the extensive coal mines, now being
worked by the above named COMPANY,
about eight miles from Bozeman. The
tBoseman- Coaa Compaay was organised
about two months ago with C. W. Hoh-
man - President; D. F. Sherman, Secre-
tary and Treasurer, and David Bell
SUPERINTENDENT Of mines. The owners
are F. D. Pene, C. w. Hoffman, Frank
Esler, Chas. H. Cobb and D. F. Sherman.
The mines are what il more familiarly
known as the Chestnut coal bank. Under
the new regime, work is progressing very
favorably, the output of the mine, now
being about 100 tons per day, which will
be largely increased as soon - proper
facilities for handling the coal are COM
pleted and which are now carried for
ward = rapidly a. can be done. A tran-
way Or to be more explicit narrow
guage railway is being built to convey
the ore from the mine to the railroad
track, ncccssitsting the building OF .
high trcstlc work Of several hundred
feet long, from the bluff bank n the
siding Of the railroad company. The
Northern Pacific railroad company have
contracted for the entire output OF these
mines and will soon establish depots for
its salc at Bozeman, Helena and al
points on the line. In company with
MI. Bell the very intelligent and accom-
m6da,ing suped ntendent we were con-
dacteli into she south tunnel 4 distance
Of 600 feet, where We found = body Of
coal about nine feet wide, lying at an
angle Of about eighty-five degrees and a.
he expressed it, "As fine bituminous coal
= can be ,fednd anywhere in the world"
Il was from this tunnel that the large
block came, which was on exhibition at
the depoA After an inspection Of this
tunnel in which mining operations are
conducted upon scientific principles, We
entered the north tunnel, which pen
etrates the mountain now about LOCO
feet, meeting bravny armed and be-
gfimed faces Of the miners, with small
lamps stuck in their caps like headlights
coming out Of Plutonian darkness, max
ing the sense weird and fanciful. There
are about sixty..men employed, who are
raid by the ton for the coal extracted
The tunnels commence in narrow gorge
each way into the mountain in
opposite directions and the coal from
such il brought ont in cars, running on
steel rails to the common center and are
there weighed upon Fairbanks scales, 70
that eacl, crew knows At 4 glance how
many tons they have brought out. We
derived much information from Mr.. Bell
about the method and manner Of mining,
such = to secure safety and furnish good
air to miners, etc. Near the mine the
have erected large boarding
house, where the miners obtain board
and lodging at about Sc per week. A
rood miner earns about a per day.
While this company il now fully organ
ised, it il but the commencement Of
operations on = large scale and ere long,
not OIL railroad will be supplied
with l. coal they need, but the
different cities along the line will be
furnished an abundance Of good and
cheap fuel, and when We take into con.
sideration that this is but one of many
coal mines yet to be opened and some Of
which are now worked, We can compute
the immense value to Bozeman and Gal
latin valley Of this great and growing in
dustry. From our sources Of information
The mines east Of Bozeman are the only
mines Of bituminous coal yet discovered
in the Northwest. For many years it
was thought that Bozeman being At the
extreme eastern end Of Gallatin valley,
would find rival more centrab 10 the
farming interest, but time has demon
strated that its founders have even built
better thsn they thought.