Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-03-06

ih6 oe'eic "Satuci III Winltr behsoD W
received the benefit Of the heat. As
the warmth coming from one Of these
fires 10 like q young chinook. This
may seem like Munohausen tale,
warming our range cattle In Montana
with coal fires, but II anyone doubts
my assertion | refer them to the gen.
ial and well known rsnchmsn of
Tongue river, Geo. Liscomb and other
residents Of that vicinity. This coal
has never been tested as far as know
except by the ranch and cattlemsn in
that vicinity, but am informed by y
reliable gentleman who lives in the
vicinity Of II, that he utilizes 10 for
blacksmith purposes nc his place with
good Results and this, ~ any black
smith will tell you, is an exceedingly
trying test Of coal.
A railroad heading for Miles City
from the south will tap this coal field
aud who knows what great possibili-
ties are contained therein. II has been
demo pstrated further south in Wyo-
ming that they have immense bodies
of oil OF comparative shallow depth.
Why not in Moatsns? The writer
has seen within n days ride Of this
city, crude oil seeping from q crrvice
in the hills and with oil why moi l.as ?
Ii IL quite possible that in the near
future We might ourselves get up gas
trust company or an oil trust. winch
seems TO be so popular with our east
ern friends ut present.
have no doubt in my own mind
but that this coal can be used for rail-
road fuel, but providing they could
not exclusively, they could load their
trains with coal rs readily as they
now do with rocks or gravel and ship
It through Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas.
Colorado and perhaps further, and
sell il cheaper than the same states
could produce IL from their own mines
No expensive plant is required TO OPP
crate 10 this coal field. 1t IL just =
question OF how much coal q dsgo
will heavs upon car in q day. Ask
some railroad man Major Wyman for
insIance) who will know better. but
we will place it at forty tons. which
will oring the cost to about five cents
per ton. Now add five cents for strip
ping of the dirt aud we have ten
cents per ton on board the cars. Dou-
BILE this estimate, which makes it
TWEEN y cents per ton, and would, In
my opinion, be ample, as it could be
oaded with chutes at much less than
the first estimate, which leaves the
transportation, the main considera-
ton.
You will, no doubt, 10y this time be-
gin to form some idea OF my estimate
of the fuel supply for Miles City when
| undertake TO furnish some half doz-
en- states for century or so, cheaper
then they can mine it themselves, and
more, We will hardly miss it. Some
people will think this overdrswn, but
let them ask any practical miner
bic idea OF the capabilities Of a coal
field OF say fifty miles square with .
minimum thickness Of forty feet and
near the surface and see what he will
reply.
My inferenceshsy be wrong, but
nevertheless dsbot think so. and as
far as the supply is concerned none
can question my position. I have
every reason te believe that the same
body OF coal lies north Of us at about
the same distance. do not assert il
to be n fact, but there are plenty here
who no doubt can.
would like to be in a position TO
sprak more positively regarding the
quality of these larger bodies Of coal as
that only remains, TO establish the
largest coal bonanza in the world.
We may be short on bananas In
the Yellowstone valley, but we are
long on coal which, like Dakota's
billiards, is in excess OF the demand.
w. l.. LANSING.