The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-07-10
RED LODGE COAL MINES
The Source From Which the Northern
Pacific Railroad Procures
It's Fuel.
They Employ Four Hundred Men
and the Pay Roll is $4,000
Per Month.
The Progress Of Buildtng at Red lodge
Retarded by Title Litigation Over
the Towaaitc.


The coal fields Of Rcd Lodge and thei,
opstation arc controlled ~ q corporation
known a. the Rocky Fork Coal company.
Of which DIR. j. NJ. Fox il tho president.
The coal is an excellent quality Of Ignite;
in fact u IL 90 much superior 70 the ordi-
nary Ignite as to be classed as scmi-
bituninous. II 10 found in underlying
veins varying in thickness from four to ten
feet More or less development has been
made on six distinct veins, but the prinoi-
pal production thus far has been from what
are known - mines No. 4 and No. 6. OF
these two No. 4 has been worked oontinu-
ously until about a month ago. when a
squseze or cavern occurred In the main
tunnel. which intsYfered with working the
min for q period Of thirty days. II has now
been reopensd and the dangerous parts
whore the squeeze occurred substantially
:, timbered. All the yeina have a dip or
incline of about twenty degrees and extend
down into the bowels of the earth TO an
unknown depth. TIT deposits are prao-
tically inexhaustible. The taAneio on No. 4.
which orosscuts the vein. 10 already In a
mile and q quarter. with every indication
that the vein extends on into the mountain
Indefinitely. The output a. present is bs-
tween seven and eight hundred tons daily,
with . working force. all told. of 800 men.
The mine superintendent, W. O'Connor.
Informed me that 100 more miners would
soon be employed and the output increased
te !. 200 tons. The daily oonsum ption OF
the Northern Pacific railroad. which uses
thiAcoa almost exclusively. In its locomo-
tiyes IN both main line and branches, ia 500
crates the electric power for she operation
of the pumps and air fans which are used
in connection with the working Of the Mines,
and supplies electricity for lighting the
subterfanean osvsHns which mans labor
has created in extracting the fuel which Ia
mill Nd elevator, in blast furnace and
smslter, and without which not q whe Of on
she Northern Pacific railroad would re-
volve.
The average pay roll Of the company has
been about 335. 600 per month. bus last pay
day. the 20sh of June. $40. 900 was distrib.
was due to the nesessity for extra work in
No. I and because of added expense in op-
Grating No. 6. The vein in No.. 6 ia only
i've or six feet in thickness. and the miners
are paid 81 per ton for work in this mine,
while but 80 cents 10 paid In No. 4. which
has . vein Of eight or niRe feet. rendering
the work Of mining much more easier and
more rapid than No. 6. The amount of
soal taken out daily BY each miner runs
from three to six tons on . shift Of ten
hours. with q probable average in the neigh
borhood of four tons per man. The ma
iority Of the miners at work are Finlandsrs.
are frugal in their habits of living and gem
orally place . portion of their earnings in
the bank or invest 1t in building themselves
homes. A portion. of oourse. elbow in"
their wages - fast a paid them. For the
past month, however. they have had no op-
portunity to devote 70 expensive pleasures,
az the work has lately been incessant on
week days and Sundays. besides much over
time. Owing to the fact shat the mon are
10 constantly at work, the scenes on the
streets and In public places do not have
that lively appearance noticeable in places
whore the working men are employed in
various vocations. with a weekly pay day,
and whore one days sureease from toll Is
allowed each week. An order for q general
lsy-off occurs occasionally. however. and
then the town puts o q lively airs and en-
joys q lively boom while the lay-of lasts.
this kind will be q Hummer"
Until quite recently the buildings erected
In Red Lodge have been scarcely metro
politan In character. q large proportion of
the business houses being OF logs. sand
viohed kere and there with one Of rough
frame OF clapboafd. The principal cause
for the erection Of such q class of buildings
may be found in the fact that the townslte
has been In litigation and thus far no per.
feet title to property could be secured. The
htst buildings were put mp in haphazard
fashion. without any definite knowledge OF
where lines of the streets would run. and
consequently there is much itEeRularity not
only In the abutmento of the structures on
the streets, but alao in the streets them
selves. some OF them running at almost
acute angles with each other. But all this will
be corrected In the near future. Already
has there dawned q new architectural ora
in Red Lodge, there having been erected
during the past year quite q number of
creditable buildings, with several now in
course of construction or projected. The
most imposing structure 10 the new three
stoty brick hotel. erected by the coal COM
pany. 1t is supplied with modern improve.
msnts Of electric lighting. steam heating
and lavatorial arrangements, and is ele-
gantly furnished throughout. 1t is called
she Hotel Spotford, in honor Of one Of the
stockholders of the company.
Valuable agricultural lands stretch out in
all directions from the town. which will be
brought into a high state of cultivation ss
soon as water for irrigation purposes is CON
Quoted upon them. The supply Of water
Tor this purpose from the Rocky Fork and
ether mountain streams of tho Bear Tooth
range is generous and adequate to irrigase
every acre Of the vast mezas that bear
away on tho south into Wyoming and on
the north and west to the Yellowstone.
One ditch five miles long has been taken
out Just above town by the Alkali Creek
Ditch Co., and another ono of about the
same length conveys the waters of the
West Fork out upen the table lands toward
Saltwater. The streams in this section all
have a very great fall and It ia very easy
to take out bitches and convey
the water out upou the uplands and
foothills. The elevation of Red Lodge
is 5000 feet and the average ascent
from the mouth of Rocky Fork, forty-four
mi es distsnt, Is over seventy feet to the
mile. In the roundabout way that the town
Is reached by Pail. the distance necessary to
reach Red Lodge from Livingston 10 about
200 miles, but this distance would be ie-
duced just about halls if the route ex-
listed by way of Saltwater. Rich depo tits
o. ora undoubtedly exist in comparatively
close proximity to the town, but the de-
velopment of them has as yet progressed
but very little. The Cooke City aud Boul-
der mining districts are but fifty OF sixty
miles distant. and IL in not i'm prabshia th.t