Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1890-01-31

lfE i've ISSUE uOW DeAuB tue queSClOu
of Ignite, or native Dakota coal, it's
use, cost of transportation, etc, tie fol-
lowing excellent article from the Park
River Witness will be read with interest:
Now that the colder days have come,
many anxious thoughts are turned to the
melancholy void that solely occupies the
coal bin in not a few North Dakota homes.
The great cost of fuel is referred to as one
of the drawbacks we have to suffer in this
new state. 1t must be admitted, of course,
that the winters of North Dakota are cold
and coal is high priced. As u small offset
to this condition of things, it may also be
admitted that the winter is much shorter
here than'in some sections from which a
good proportion Of our settlers come,-fOr
instance, New England, Northern New
York, and the province of Quebec.
But the state deliberately locates its
base of supply a thousand miles away; and
freight is freight, when it is bound Dakota
ward. Our people elect to be ignorant of
the fact that Providence has placed under
these denuded parties one of the largest
coal veins in the world, and for the most
| part drspiscS The homegrown article, with
! out even taking the trouble to make a trial
Of il. We effect to think That anthracite
is Il c only fuel worthy Of the name; but in
the year 1868, one hundred tons purchased
~ illt ! llllNutli)Iilu CltS SoNNlhlIIlJll "tt
dumped in the yards to ''GraVel" the walks
Will, b. cArS. the engineers did not kno"
how to burn it.
A%ntlrorite is described as the purcst
form OF natural carbon, except the dia-
lnold. 1t averages IS per cent. OF carbon.
BituminouS Goals include true Goals that
contain less than SO per cent. of carbon.
Dakota liSnit, analyZn as high as 90 per
cent. OF carbon. So that, upon this slight
comparison, Ignite ISIS fuel not to be de-
Spisrd, even by the keystone granger
The term liGnitc has been selected for
this grade of mineral. because ii retains
very perfectly the texture of the wood from
which it is formed. and is composed of flat
tened fOSSiliZed and carboniZed trcetrunks,
peaty matter and swamp mosses, under
lighter pressure and in more recent geo.
logical ages than the true Goals. Those
who drsplse Ignite HOW are like the
engineers fifty years ago, and will doubt
less within a few years see it burned as
freely as is anthracite in Pennsylvania.
the population OF North Dakota at 100000,
the numbe: of families always small in a
new country at Is 1000. Each family burns
three tons OF coal per year, at a very mod.
crate estimate. or an aggregate of 225, 900
tons. Here, ut SO per ton, is a drain upon
the revenue Of the household of $2,225,OOO
annually, when we might Just as well save
one-half of it, and more.
The able Mandan Pioneer has for years
peraistently advocated the use of this nat
ural fuel, and leading North Dakota papers
are now generally writing about it. The
subject has been brought up before the
state Legislature through a motion OF Will
Jams, OF Burleigl,. to compel all state insti-
tutions to burn Ignite. This is true econ
"lnyIthough it does enlanate from a Mis-
souri-sloper. 1t is desirable for the imme,
diate saving That will accrue, and for the
tar-reaching effect consequent upon bring
ing it consplcuously into use Oh so large a
scale.
The fact has escaped general notice that
the state constitution orders that the Ignite
lands belonging tOthc state shall never be
sold, and that the legislature shall provide
for leasing them. This will from the start
II forever secure oppn competition in the
matter Of coal supply in North Dakota.
Individual testimony to the value of Zig,
mite has been always obtainable, but the
government experimental tried-will
convince a much larger constituency.
Then one step further needs to be taken,
namely. to obtain a low rate of freight
upon all railroads in the state. Efforts to
this end are already beng made, and it is
to be sincerely hoped that they will be sue,
ceSSful.