Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-11-26

pioneer settlers carried ia their drift
and With their primitive appliances
mined small amount daily, which
Was taken down Ihe river ia bsrges
and met with q fair sale Of Seattle,
notwithstanding lie uascreened condi-
ton This mining wss kept up in .
aesui,ory manner until the outbreak
OF the Indian war. in 1853. when
the work Was finally abandoned
In 1850 a settler, named Andrews. in
the valley Of the 5q1ak. twenty.
Eve miles from Seattle. discovered
on his pre-emption claim large vein
Of fine quality of Ignite, and the
vein ~As subsequently, traced for
several miles aod claims located BY
the more enterprising OF the early
settlers. A small quantity of coal
Wa taken from the Andrews vein.
but the difficulties in the way Of
transportation and lack OF finances
prevented the mine from ever being
developed. The other l0cators
formed two companies and succeed
ed 10 putting quite quantity OF coal
on the market. hauling it in wagons
to Lake Washington, three miles
hack Of Seattle. thence by barges
across the lake and again by wagons
into town.
San YRAsCIsCo SYNDICATE
This method proved too expensive.
and in 1859 the whole coal property
OF the various locators vas disposed
q to . syndicate of san Francisco
men for t53. 900 The Seattle Coal
md transportation Company was
then organized and an effort made
70 develop the property systemsti-
cally. A railroad was built from
the mine TO Lake Washington,
barge line put on that lake TO por-
tage between lakes Union and Wash
ington. q railroad across the portage
10 Lake Union and another railroad
from Lake Union into Seattle, where
extensive bunkers were built to load
vessels. In 1877 the annual output
Of the mine had reached over l04, 900
tons Then this roundabout and ex-
pensive manner of transportation
was succeeded by q railroad built
direct TO the mines by some OF the
snterprising citizens Of Seattle. In
1880 both railroad and coal mine
passed under the control OF the Vii
lard syndicate and are now owned
and operated by the Oregon Improve
ment Company, who greatly i'm
proved the property. put on line OF
steam GOLFERS 70 transport the pro
duct Of the mine to San Francisco
and raised the output to some 200, 900
tons year. which figure it approx
mates at the present time. A thriv-
ing little village of some 800 inhabi-
tants. named Newcastle, has grown
up about the mine, almost all the in
habitants Of which are In the employ
OF the company.
BLACK RIVER MINES.
In the fall OF 1873 Z. M. Smithers,
a farmer living on Black river, dis
covered . workable vein of coal on
his place. and the Renton Coal
Company Was organized TO develop
II. About the same time coal of q
superior quality was discovered on
adjoining land. which passed into
the possession of the Talbot Coal
Company The latter company
were decidedly u.lucky. their vein
being badly broken, and losing the
vein at last the corporation became
bankrupt and dissolved. their land
being bought by the Renton Com
pany. which rediscovered the vein
and is now working 1t. their original
vein having been abandoned. The
coal from the Renton mine Is
brought into Seattle by the same
railroad as that from Newca site, and
the output Of the mine Is something
over 100 tons per day.
GREEN RIVER COAL.
Ia 1882. an important discovery
was made in the Green river country,
some twenty miles from Renton and
thirty-three miles seattle. OF numer-
Gus veins of Q emi.bitumineus coal,
and q large number hof prospectors
were at once senu out TO examine
the country. with the result that
nearly whole township was located
by capitalists and spectators. The
cream Of the location was apparent
~ taken by the Black Diamond Coal
composed OF California
interested In the Mount
Diablo mine and formerly in the
Bellingham Bay Company. The
property was at once developed and
The Oregon Improvement Company
commenced extending their railroad
from Renton to tap the newly dis
covered coal fields. which railroad
was completed last spring. Shortly
after the completion of the railroad
he new company commenced ship
ping coal. and the product Of the
nine has now reached 500 tons of
,osi q day. with facilities for an In.
ieanite increase OF this amount
when q sufficient market is provided
or 1t, IS the company has one Of the
inest coal measures in the North
vest.
OTHER RICH YIELDS.
On the line of the same railroad,
md about midway between Renton
md the mine of the Black Diamond
company. Is smother tine coal pro-
,erty. thai of the Cedar Mountain
coal Company. q corporation com
,osed entirely Of Seattle capitalists.
rhis coal field was discovered some
light years ago, when 1000 acres of
and were located IL remained uu.
developed until the extension of the
20 Black Diamond, when II
MAS purchased aud owned by the
present company IL commenced
shipping coal for the first time this
summer and the Output Is now some
$50 tons day, OF which fifty tons
IA consumed In the local trade, 1t be.
Ing decided fAvori,e with local
consumers. as being q home institu.
ton.
The Oregon Improvemen, Com.
pany have also obtained q foolhold
in the Green River coal field, and
have valuable property some Ave
miles beyond Black Diamond, call.
ed the Franklin mine. 10 which they
have extended their railroad, aud
which they are developing slowly.
The remainder of this extensive