Omaha daily bee., 1888-06-10
Nebraska Cnnl.

PoNCA, Neb., June g. Editor Omaha
BEE: The recent floods here have sub
sided; the dove has returned to the ark
bearing an olive branch, which shows
there is dry land upon which we can
tread once more. Our farmers are talk
ing heart and while many of them have
not their corn planted yet, they hope
with an auspicious season the balance of
the year to reap a good harvest of corn
in the fall. Small grain is doing well and
there will be an immense yield of hay.
If the season so far has been anything
but prosperous, other things have con-
spired to keep up the hopes of our peo-
pie and lead them to believe that the
future of Ponca and Dawson county will
be glorious. For twenty-four years
there have been rumors upon rumors
that coal in abundance was hidden in
our hills and valleys, and from time to
time during that period many of the
energetic citizens of this place have
with limited means and Indifferent
machinery burrowed and dug, for the
mineral into the sides of cliffs and
bowels of valleys in the vicinity of
Ponca. John Slough. T. j. Welty,
William N. Huse and others, some ten
years ago, worked in this direction and
claimed then to have found coal. AT
another time our eX-county clerk, e. M.
Beslin,. prospected for it and found
something like coal that burned like it,
looked like it, and was used as coal by
many of our people. In neither case
did the parties go down deep enough
and the coal they found lay but some
seventy-five or a hundred feet beneath
the surface of the earth-an upper vein
undoubtedly, indicating, many thought,
and still continue to think. a purer and
better article still deeper down.
Those matters were noised abroad
and many came here to look over the
ground for themselves, one Massey and
one Davenport in particular. They
bought north of Ponca. between it and
the river, which lies amile north of the
town, two years ago about one
thousand acres of land at very high
prices. Our people were on the qui
vive upon this. Much speculation was
INDUCED in as to the object of the pur-
chase. The land was poor-not fit for
agricultural purposes but in few in
stances-not even good pasturage. Why
purchase so much of it'll 900 acres---
and pay for it such high prices---from
$50 to 500 an acre? The public press
gave publicity and extent to these facts,
and about a year ago firm OF practical
miners came on here--MeSsrs Newman
and Pruit. They decided to mine for
coal and went to work with will, en-
ploying at times as many as twenty-five
men at the work. They struck vein
of very fair looking coal, which they
dug, and sold hundreds of tons to the
people who regarded it as good as soft
coal for which they had been accus-
toned to pay $6 and 81 u ton. Newman
and PruiI convinced themselves that
coal was here, made overtures to our
citizens to join and aid them in the
further prosecution and development of
the matter. But for some reason or
other, and principally what they re-
garded the bad management of these
gentlemen, our citizens did not take
hold of the matter then. They had no
to doubt the representations of
Messrs Newman and Pruit---that coal
was here and a good quality and in
so entertaining these views,
a number of our people headed by our /
popular and energetic mayor, +. Nj. !
Dorsey, formed company known as the !
Ponca Coal and Waterworks company,
chief among whom are Mr.. Dorsey, |
N. Huse. E. Dayes,S. b. Slough. |
John Slough and S. X. Blttenbender.
This company has entered into IL con-
tract with diamond prospecting com
pany of Chicago, who are now here and |
at work, having the prospect hole al
ready down about $50 feet. The forma
tions through which they have passed |
so far correspond exactly with the an
alyzations made by Prof. Aughy, of the
drillings done here some ten years ago,
under the management Of Slough Bros =,
Wildly, Huse and others, and to which I !
have already referred in this letter. |
Mr.. Augher claimed then that these |
last parties passed in their borings, |
through Al foot vein of good coal at "A
depth of 500 feet. If this be true there |
can be no doubt of our being able to find |