St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-02-16
SCALPS WERE IN DEMAND
John Warn Was Custodian of Coal and
Politics in the Mandan Region.
HIS CASTLE A MUD SHACK.
Claims Bonanza in an IneXhausti-
BILE Supply Of Lignite
Coal.
Special to the Globe.

Special to the Globe.
MANDAN, Dak., Feb. 15.-Yesterday
the GLOBE correspondent was directed
to a couple Of stOvepipes that arose out
of the ground, and assured that that
was where John Warn was to be found.
The correspondent had just taken a
walk of mile from Sedalia station,
twenty-four miles west of Mandan, and
the prospect of getting where it was
warm was not amiss. after the walk
over railroad ties for twenty minutes,
exposed to a stiff breeze from the north
west. John Warn is an old-timer in
these parts. He was chairman of the
Republican county committee of this
county when there were not 200 bona
fide inhabitants in the county. Half a
mile from mis- present location he
BUILT WARN CASTLE
sixteen years ago, when he had to de-
fend his fireSide with q Winchester rifle
from the onslaughts of the murderouS
Sioux. Custer had not at that time met
his death at the battle of the Little Big
Horn. The spirit Of the Sioux had not
vet been broken. The buffalo had not
yet been eXterminated from the plains
of Western Dakota. The mountain
goat yet sprang from crag to crag in the
Businesses of the Bad Lands. The
world had yet to learn of the wealth OF
coal that abounds in the western part
of the great territory lying west of the
Red River of the North. For years after
that date the few settlers that lived in
Western Dakota burned anthracite
when they could get it. John Warn
lives in dug-out, from which he man
ages his mine, the entrance to which is
a few feet away. The visitor to the
spacious room would have his eyes open
upon him as large as tea SaucerS ii he
were resident of South Dakota. Here
Isl
FOUR-FOOT VEIN OF COAL.
the bottom of which is level with the
floor, forming part of the wall of the
dug-out all around. Above this coal is
sand rock, not too hard to work, but
sufficiently hard to serve as an excellent
roof i'm the mine. Seven years ago Mr..
Warn opened this mine, got out several
hundred tons of coal. came to the con-
clusion that the Northern Pacific Rail
road company did not intend to do
Justice to him, and went to BufOrd
county. But few months ago he re-
turned, and is now hard at work de-
veloping the property. The quarter
section on which he is at work is rail-
road land. on which he has contract.
A spur track is soon to be put in by the
railroad company, and other improve
ments made by which coal can be
placed on the track for from 81 to
sl.20 a ton. At present the coal is
hauled by wagons a mile to Sedalia sta
ton. Very little timber is needed in
mining this coal. The roof of several
rooms that were robbed of their coal
years ago are as strong, now that their
TIMBER HAS BEEN REMOVED,
as ever. Beneath the vein that is now
being worked is a seven-foot vein,
which can be developed atany time that
it is deemed desirable. Probably it is
cheaper to work a seven-foot vein that
is considerable higher than the tops of
the cars into which it will be dumped
than lower seven-foot vein that would
have to be raised by power. But then
there is nothing wonderful about this
John Warn coal mine. 1t is true that
Mr.. Warn thinks it is better than
any other coal along the line of the
road, but there are hundreds of hills as
full of the genial Ignite as this, and
that offer as many advantages to the
miner. One must 90 to the spot to see
and fully realize the vast quantities OF
coal that are awaiting the pick.