Arizona weekly citizen., 1885-12-26
Anthracite Goal.

Ot ell the vast and varied mineral
 wealth ct our sister State of Sonora [ Mexico, the most i'm mpOrtant Co tbe west eru world, and to commerce and maa-
 kind iu general, is tho anthracite coal
 fields oi Los Brouces. in the eastern portion of the District of HermOsilio
 gbOlt SJ miles from the liDe of the So
 nora Railway and l0j miles from the
 port of Guaymss. The importance and value of these fields consist not SO much in the extent, the thickness of the seams and their accessibility, as in the quality of the coal, winch IS singularly pure and perfect anthracite, for which there IS very active and ever-increasing de- mand. But the number of workable seams (frOm four to sixteen feet m thick ness of clear cOaD already exposed by erosion and without the aid of the pros pcctOT, exceeds twenty, while the known extent of the field IS very considerable having 8 superficial area, from San Mar cial 10 Fl Carmen and Otates ID the Sierra Madre, of not less than 5,SSO square miles. or within 12l3 miles square ot the aggregate area ci all the coal fields of England, while the central field of Los BrOnces, which marks the syEclinsl axis of the hydrOgiaphical basin of the whole coal region, snd hence contains the thickest and most numerous seams. ias an area of 5SS square miles, or ll6 square miles more than Is embraced m all five of the anthracite coal fields of Penn sylvanis. These facts and figures will give a pretty good idea of the extent of the field.
 The coal ot this field IS what is known as absolutely pure anthracite-that is, it will not
 give an amount of ash greater than would resul: from the combustion of the plants of which it is composed, as, when burned, 1t leaves a residue of but four and one-hslf per cent, Gnd TO clinkeTs whatever. Tested by Berthie's process for the determlDatiOn of carbon, 1t gives 9O6l 92 per cent. of that mln- eTal, the other constituents beirg vol gtlle cOmbustIbls matter and ashes. The average of the anthracite coal Of Wales is 9i Of of carbon, 67 volatile cOmbustIble matter and 1.S Os ashes; of Lehigh, Pennsylvania, S9.l5 of carbon, 52S of volatile combustible matter and j.56 of ashes. Lehigh coal Is now sell ing in San Francisco at from Sl3.5O to Sl5 per ton. The inferior bItumInous coal of Australia sells in that city at from SC 10 SIPS per ton, and IS imported Rt the rate Of from S3,COO to 1l5,OO0 tons per Rnnum. Thirty States and Territories of the United States produce bituminOus coal, and only three produce anthracite, Penn sylvania, Virginia and Rhode Island all on the Atlantic coast. or these Penn- sylvania, alone produces about all the anthracite or hard coal that Is used on the continent, Rggregatlng over 30,0O0.000 of tons annually, and winch is shipped at high rates of freight, for use all over the western world. These facts snd figures will give some idea of the value of the anthracite coal fields of Los Bronces, taken in cOnnec- ton with the fact that they can be reached by rail over a nearly level coun- try and that the coal can be mined and laid down iu San Francisco at cost not exceeding Sj per ton. And as to the depth of permanencY of these coal seams there can be no question.
 When capital shall have taken hold of this grea, coal field, equipped the mines with proper machinery and constructed a railroa to the splendid harbor of Guaymas, Sonora will have genuine and lasting boom.-NOgales Frontier.
 All the immence deposits above des- cribed, are the property of the "COmpa- mia Explotaiora de terrenOs Carboni- feros en Sonora" with. the exception of one and three quarter leagues of land (7OO0 scres) belonging to the Alsua con cessioD, called "Los Bronces," now the property of the Trinidad Miuing O., and about one league of lad (4OOO acresJ called La Barranca," owned by Mir. Napoleon Graf and Mir. Willard, Amer ican consul at GuaYmss.-Ed. CITIZEN