Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-09-30

B PosT .IkrrILraxNcEk

EDITOR Posi- IKrrILIaxNcKR
The writer spent several DAYS of last
week at the Franklin and Black Dia-
mond coal mines, situsted on and near
Green river, thirty odd miles southeast
of Seattle. On the former mine the
owners have been at work in a small
way for several years. and are now be-
ginning to put in bigger ticks. Away
up on the mountain side they have one
tunnel in several hundred feet, and are
bringing out from il ana shipping to the
seaport a considerable quantity Of coed
coal.
Down by the rivers edge they are
running another tunnel, and already
have an inc,ine and engine to haul it
mp to level With the bunkers above
the railroad track. Various Substantial
improvements are going on there.
Bot at Black Diamond are the largest
and most promising mining operations
| have seen. In the summer of 1881 a
company of capitalists sent ont pros
pectors IN the persons Of b. B. Jones, v.
T.. Toll and James Grow, to End, locate
and deveiop some good vein of coal
After wandering through the dense for
est and thick upderbrush for some 20
miles from Renton, they came across
some slightly groupings in a small can
Won near Green river. The more they
worked at It the better were the indica-
tons, and from that time to this Mr.
Jones has been there delving away at
what has now become perhaps the most
valuable mining property in the Terri
tory. As the railroad did not get inc
that point until less than a year ago,
and as the place was otherwise difficait
of inQress, the task of getting in the
material and machinery necessary 10
work the mine was by no means a small
one. The sequel shows thst the owners
made no mistake IN giving Mr.. Jones
supervision of ths work. He 10 a plain
looking man and does not make much
noise, but he has the whole thing firmly
IN hand, runs 1t well and smoothly, and
has the good will and confidence of the
whole force under him. The first train
OF coal cams out in June last, and they
already are able to ship 200 tons day.
The day | was there "a ten ton carloads
were brought out by three trains, and
recently they shipped HOO tons within
"A hours. As steam coal 1t has no SD
perior, and ID supcrsedino other brands
In the San Francisco market. Only a
few hundred yards from the original
mine they are developing another vein,
which Is harder and better for black
smithing and domestic use. The first 10
about nine and the second eleven feet
thick. with intervening layers of stone
or slate. By the courtesy of Superin-
tendent Jones / was permitted to make
az inspection OF their underground work
in company with Frank Hays, one of
his valuable assistants. Al the bead of
the Slope dumped nyself into an empty
coal car, the engineer let on steam, and,
as the great wire rope uneoiled we giided
down 40 feet into the bowels or the
earth. We are now In the main gang
way. where railroad tracks branch of 70
the right and left, and have already
penetrated each way more than Q thou
sand feet. At first the SURROUNDINGS
seemed little scary, but l soon felt at
home. My companion carried miners
lamp tucked in front Of his hat, but l
earned mine in hand. As We passed on
to the extreme limit of the work ws met
so@e loaded cars going to the foot Of
she slope, TO be hauled mp while empty
oars we're being propelled IL our direc-
ton by men rather than mules, as often
Is the case. From various points along
the Rangvav the miners are working in
what they call breasts, which are thirty
feet vide and the same hight as the
thickness as the vein of coal. The
strata Of coal does not lie level, but at
an angle of about IS degrees, and the
coal men work up the slant 30 that the
coal can be run down to the cars along
the ganRvay. Between the breasts
which are being worked wall of coal
Is feet wide 10 left, and there 10 but
little danger OF caving In. The veutil-
alton is far better than | suspected; IN
fact, she air scented as pure there as
on the outtside. TIE work is dirty, but
the men seemed TO enjoy it. and one
of them tsid nae he would rather work
under ground than on the surface.
some two miles away the company
have another mine In good working
order, and they will soon have two
hundred men employed there. IL u
called No. u because on Government
section l2. and branch railroad runs
TO it. The foreman. W. p. Morgans,
rrsed ne all through the mine, which
10 as we'll worked and a. promising a.
the one already referred to. A ms jority
Of the miners there had bean previously
employed at the Mount Disblo mines,
near san Francisco. Boarding houses
aud residences are going up there. and
the camp promises 20 be one OF looa
standing.
Black Diamond is already q smart
tsun, stere being . population of per-
hays 500, aboat 30 of whom work about
the mines- Qaite q number OF new
houses are going up. among them some
very neat ones. and the town bids fair
to become q place Of imporsancs. The
situation ID romantic and healthful.
They now have . daily mail and are
building o good soheolhooss- The
monthly pay roll 10 about $iS.oo: and
a. such men ~ p. b. Cornwall, J.: b.
Haegin. d. o. Mills and AivinzA Hay
vard of San Francisco own the mine,
ia financial strength cannot be shaken.
W. A. WASH.
n--W n Sfrono PFsa1dey