The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-06-05

II
until late in the afternoon, the roads
being heavy and travel difficult. l at
last started with a bright sunshine, and
encouraged with intelligent expecta-
| tons / was to realize when arrived at
the coal regions of Flora township. In
travelling along west the scenery was
beautiful and pleasing to the eye. The
rich fields of wheat being in head. The
crop on the line of these two counties,
Dickinson and Clay, should nothing
mar the present appearance, the eStl-
mate may be put down at from 50 to
40 bushels to the acre. The wheat
fields here are exempt from cheat. The
corn, oats and rye never looked better,
and it is to be hoped that we will have
sunshine and fine weather at least for a
while in order that the cultivators can
| be worked.
arrived at Mr.. B. F. Dice's little
before sun down and was fortunate to
find him home l stated my errand and
whose interest l had the honor to rep
resent, when he kindly invited
me to the spot where the boring was.
Mr.. Dice is pleasant and genial gentle
man with smile of welcome for every
friend. On interviewing him, whose
| farm is at Keystone and joins my old
acquaintance's Joseph Erect, Mr.. ID.
stated the first discovery that was made
of coal while boring was As feet below
the surface, and he believes that the
augur went through four feet of solid
coal. Then bored through, several feet
of slate until arriving at the depth of
! Sc feet and no water. Another hole
was bored six feet from the first III a
northeast direction to the depth of so
feet which resulted in the same diScOv-
cry as before. Mr.. ID. says it is his in
tentiOn to continue boring to the depth
of l20 feet for water He says that he
is in nOway excited over the discovery;
that his land is not for sale, and that he
came there to stay. He also informed
me that he had many visitors, and one
of them an old miner, Mr.. MOnatrom,
who lives in Clay county and who PINNED
in the old country for term of 40 years.
MonatrOm is very intelligent man,
and what he says in relation to this dis
cOvery deserves respectful conSidera-
ton. He stated to Mr.. ID. that the
coal was of a very good quality and that
| he had no hesitation in saying that the
coal was there in paying quantities.
Mr.. Erect found coal on his place when
he was digging we'll in a ravine some
nine years ago, he took it home and 1t
burned good Mr.. Atkinson, of Clay
county, north of Keystone mile from
the county line, discovered coal cropping
out of bank on his place year ago,
and this spring on III. Benden's farm,
about q miles east of AtkinSOn'S place,
at the base of the Black Hills, while
boring for water. found several pieces
of coal which he exhibited to several
persons. This late information con-
corning these coal discoveries has drawn
nv attention back some eleven years
when company was gotten up under
the leadership of honest John Robson,
of CheeVer. who went prospecting III
those Hills and started digging shaft
for coal with borrowed picks, spades,
shOvels and crOwbarS. After they got
some distance down it became neceSsa-
~ to erect hosting machine. y rope
was to be purchased and the cost was,
believe, 80 cents, but the company not
being in a position to raise the neceS-
sary, failed, and nothing was heard OF
the coal mines until the present. Those
who were in connection with the COM
pany at that early day can verify this
statement, and to-day many of them
can be mentioned amongst our most
prosperous and wealthy farmers. In
these Black Hills can he seen cropping
out red or iron rock and a melted lava,
which gives evidence that at an early
period of the world there was an up
heaval of the earth caused by volcanic
eruption and which confirms the per-
vading sentiment of persons who are
acquainted with these Hills, that large
deposites of coal and iron are imbeded
, at the base of these Hills and which ex-
tends into Ottawa county. All that IS
required now is capital, to form COM
panies and commence system of bOr-
ring under experienced men, and no
doubts can be apprehended from the In
vested enterprise but what large dis
-, coveries of coal will be made. Hurry
up that railroad!
| will watch developments Of the
7 above nature. Another person has bored
= down some 300 feet and has arrived at
the same kind of stratum as Keystone.
| James Mccall, of Sherman township,
got the frau for better or worse" Rev.
MOfit tied the knot.
= RIP VANWINKLE.