Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-12-06
MONTAGUE COAL.
Prospect Of Development Of n Con,
Field TO supply Fuel Enoushfor
a Large Territory.
How the Work Il DeipE rnrbe,,l, pa.n,o
forward-riach and Entsrprl.e
Not wanting.


! ~ an curly hour IN the morning pl thnt
gay, armed with scratch book ard
iaher he mounted his mustang ana ri,
out ior the new coal mine, now being M
energctically developed by Mr.. John n
/ stephens, a prominent attorney OF tliis
place, who, for the time being, bas
laid aside his law.books aud
Is bonding his great energy M the NEW
llgld OF mining, lie was found in the
NUS In the southwestern part OF Mon.
tnguc county, whore for the nast month
win few Industrious hands, he has
| pecn working day aud night. Standing
al The mouth Of the tnnucl he Is driving
into the mountain, with his face blocE.
ened and bcgtlmed with cnnl dlisi, no
would not readily have been recognized
by his professional brethren, and Il wAs
not until your correspondent had dis
mounted within few yards of him nnd
was lirst hailed In q genial mnnncr that
he was perceived 10 be the veritahle man
I so la'cly seen nc the bar arguing before
the courts. The mine IS about eighteen
miles southwest OF Montague ana AK
miles In the same direction from Bowie.
ON survey Of league and Lahore of land
IN the name OF j Dia2 belonging to MIR
stephens and labor Stone, MIR. Stephens
owning two.thrd interest IN land and
mnc. II IS IN the hills east OF Big Sandy
creek and about one milo south
OF the residence OF Esquire Hutcher.
son, u prominent citizen OF Montague
county who lives on the prairie near the
| edge of the upper Cross Tlmhers on the
road leading from Bowie to Newport.
Mr. Stephens thinks that the coul bed
IS covered by about 60 acres Of his land.
and Is highly battered with the rich pros.
poets before him Commencing about
three weeks ago with three hands, he has
| driven u tunnel which Is about ak feet
| square, 100 feet under the first bend of
the mountain in an eastern direction, aud
Is now about fifty feet under the surface.
| After the first few yards through the out
groupings the bed OF coal became hard,
slick and black, and so far presents a
wonderful uniformity In It's thickness and
/ appearance, no breaks OF extraneons
Garth, stones or other substances appt ar
| ing First, there Is on top n layer or
blanket OF about thirty Inches, then
clay seam or parting about
one inch thick, then another
! layer Tor bed Of coal about six inches
| thick, then another clay scam about one
I inch thick, under which Is the bottom bed
/ OF conl, which Is one foot thick, making
/ IN all solid under-lay Of four feet Of
coal. During the entire length of the
| tunnel, and even In slackcncd out-cr0p.
( ping, we were careful 20 note this same
Characteristic of the vein Every yard
penetrated with the tunnel yields ut least
u ton OF coal and perhaps nearly twice
that amount, as Mr., Stephens thinks II
square yard viii weigh a ton. He IL find.
! ing ready market for his coal NJ the dr
| pot at Bowie, where IL IL readily taken
/ lie says even with his present imperfect
appliances he estimates the cost OF taking
/ II out and carrying and putting II on the
market ut Bowie 90 he "a por ton, which
viii be much diminished ms he progresses.
He had the cross-t os already prepared
and az hand with the stringors
for n tramway along through the
tunnel, by means Of which
the coal will be brought out M II "
mined and dumped n few yards from the
mouth OF the tunnel, whore he Is proyid-
ing convenient receptacle, ensily mp
preached by wagons, and handlly trans
| ferred upon Them and which will within a
| few days sutersede the present rude mp
pliances Of the wheel-barrow and shovel
An abundance Of timber props or braces
| have been easily prepared from the timber
and trees Of the surrounding forests, and
the floor, which Is Of what Is pronounced
| TO be n lire clay, viii support the props
| for the slate roof Of the mine, which IL
above the he'd Of coal, and under which is
| being placed an artificial support OF thick
blanks. when the main bend OF the
mountain ~ reached which Is yet 100
feet distant, mn air shaft will be let down
20 the mine OF about 100 feet In depth
md cross-cuts or tunnels viii then NJ
ford space and means OF employing
/ II much larger force OF miners, ana VIII
greatly augment the amount OF coal taken
out. II the prospect now 80 hatterng
shall continue, ~ no doubt II VIII, the
Fort Worth 4 Denver road VIII construct
a switch from Bowie down TO the pits,
which can be done Ut no extraordinary
cost, az the grade viii be over II smooth
and easy way, and then the work VIII
commence IN earnest, with renewed en-
crry. The mine win not only become a
source OF wealth 90 the owners, nut one
of the most important factors IN the pros
pority of the country. The hcarthFtoncs
OF the Northwest win be warmed up Win
n cheaper fuel, aud the siack-pipos OF
mills, factories, gins ana locomotives ~
the Northwest, To the utmost lllhls Oh Wv
state, can smoke black from a steam
producer nearer, more easily 0otaineui
cheaper and better, than from any
other attainabc source, whist
,he operatives viii crente Il home
market Tor much Of the surplus products
OF the country, .d =,
On the way 10 the mines we stopped OF
a blacksmith shop whore THIS con- wac
being used on some heavy work then on
hand and witnessed It's efficiency some
steel was being welded 70 the worn land,
! SIDE Of d big plow, which was really wen
done The workman said It was all iht,
could be required for his business, ana },
was ain better for steam purposes anu
further said he had been pursuadmR W,
nropfietor u negiboring NIL 70 tfy y
In preference 10 cord wood Tor when NJ
wa paylna 8 10 per cord. lie lhough
h w6uld be better % buy the coai ~ lli'
mine and haul Il by wagons Tor aDou
eIght miles. lie said the coal was mue ,
llke tie McAlllster c0al, though pc lnohsl
no could select from It that which was au
nerlor 10 any be had used from tpat mine
y a. ~. ,,.,.a,,s udpnf has been thus par