The Livingston enterprise. [volume] (Livingston, Mont.) 1883-1914, 1885-10-10
"DIGGING DUsKY DIAMONDS"
What is Being and to be Done in Our Coa1
Fields.

Fields.
A representative of the ENTERPRISE OF
Sunday last visited the Trail Creek Goa
mines which this paper has watched ST
closely and hopefully ever since their dis
covery. At every visit during the pas
eighteen months an improvement in th'
appearance of the mines has been readily
apparent but no such extensive develop
ment and improved showing as at this las
visit. The campis now the home of abou
fifty persons, including few of the gentle'
sex, and the number is increasing daily az
the work demands. A large boarding
house has been erected, VIM. Nevenhuyser
has built a blacksmith shop and the stable
room is being enlarged. From the present
dump of the He'd ges mine a tramway il
being graded along the face of the bank
from which the cars will he dumped
through convenient chutes into the
wagons.
From where the tunnel strikes the main
vein in the Hedges mine the coal has been
followed each way--about 100 feet in all
This level is about ten feet wide at the
western end where we examined it closely
and only the hanging wall is exposed
Before reaching this vein the tunnel cuts
across three other coal bodies of from
three to four feet in thickness 1t is con-
fidently expected that as the work extends
downward these veins will all unite in
one great body. They all stand almost
perpendicular. Except to merely prospect,
nothing has been done below the present
working level but this prospecting indi-
Gates the extension of the vein into the
bowels of the earth to an indetinable dis
tance. From the working level to the
surface where the groupings appear plen-
fully is about ninety feet. Except for a
very narrow, soft, sandstone "bone' which
is disappearing as the work proceeds the
coal is perfectly free from foreign sub
stances, burns very readily and, when
blasted, comes out in huge chunks that
are very slow to crumble. Ofcourse it is
certain that when sufficient depth has
been attained to escape the decomposing
tendencies of the surface water the charac-
ter of the coal will greatly improve and
it will then be as fine body of bitumin-
Gus coal as can be found anywhere; the
veins now separated may then be expected
to combine and soliiify.
In the Byam property Immediately ad-
joining, exactly the same character OF coal
is found but the main vein has there been
disturbed. At the end of the tunnel the
indications led upward and, being follow
ed a few feet, disclosed body of coal
about twelve to fourteen feet in thickness
lying in an almost horizontal position.
In the convulslons of nature it had been
broken and displaced; it is very evidently
the same vein as that found in the Hedges
mine and should occupy the same relative
position when prospected downward; it is
also adjoined by narrow veins as in the
Hedges. This horizontal body. apparent
ly of great extent, is now being worked.
The chamber from which the coal is
taken readily fills with bad air and is sup
piled by fans from below; 1t will soon be
ventilated by new tunnel leading di-
rectly into the chamber.
The Mounts property, adjoining the
Hedges on the west, is developed by a
tunnel that has reached the coal.
Geo. V. Morford, as has been repeatedly
stated in these columns, has contracted for
the output of the Hedges and Byam mines
and is now taking out about 40 tons per
day which is shipped by railroad to terri
torial markets from Brisbin and Mountain
Side. The daily output will be increased
to IS or 100 tons in a little time.
Mr.. Marcus Daley superintendent Of
the great Anaconda mine at Butte and the
immense Anaconda smelter at the town
of that name was over here last week for
the purpose of looking at the coal in this
vicinity, particularly that at Trail Creek.
The labor difficulties at the Rock Springs
mines, upon which he has hitherto de-
pended for coal and the attitude of the
government in the matter of wood fuel
growing on United States mineral lands
has given rise to a serious question in re-
gard to the fuel supply necessary for the
Anaconda works. In fact shortage is
already threatened and, in view of tile
continuance of the labor controversies at
the Union Pacific coal mines and the
probability that they will be closed down
all winter, may be realized very soon un-
less supply he obtained elsewhere. Mr..
Daley examined the Trail Creek coal and
pronounced it good equal to the Rock
Springs article for his purpose so.far as
he could judge from appearance; all the
other Montana coal that he has tried
worked unsatisfactory in open furnaces
from the fact that it formed crust on top
and contained foreign matter. Mr.. Nor
ford has shipped car load to Anaconda