St. Paul daily globe., 1893-02-06
HILL IS CHECkMATEO
In Controlling the Coal Fields
OF the Pacific North
A New Railroad That Will
Traverse the Valley End
to End,
And Practically Handle the
Immense Deposit OF
Fuel.
Cheap Coal Assured for All
Purposes in That Ter
ritopy.


filing of map of definite location OF the
Montana & Northern Pacific railway,
extending from Jaeko on the Northern
Pacific nOrthWard to the coal fields OF
the north fork Of Flathead river, was
noticed few weeks since by the Mon
tana paners Following this comes the
information that influential capitalists
and smelling men of Butte, Helena and
the East only last week purchased from
the government al the Missoula land
office several hundred acres Of valuable
coal lands. Inquiry made by the Spo-
kane Miner with view of aScertaining
whether or not these movements i'll
Western Montana had any significance
for Spokane (cOai for smelling purposes
being the important factor in the futuse
Of Spokane as an ore-reducing center),
mas brought to light some informa-
lion of general interest to
his whole section OF the coun-
Try, and especially to this city,
1t is learned beyond doubt that this
branch road is to be
Built bY a Wealthy Syndicate
of men who own the coal mines and
who, before purchasing them from the
original locatOrS and later from the gov
ernment, satisfied themselves cOnciu-
sively by an analytic and practical
working test that they had found very
superior quality of coal for smelling and
other purposes. In fact, this coal is the
only vet discovered in the West that
would compete as to quality with the
Rock Springs coal of Wyoming for
these purposes, and this syndicate is
preparing TO push Systematically and
vigorously the Introduction of this coal
throughout Montana, Northern Idaho
and Eastern Washington, especially
into the smelling centers, and 1t has its
eye on Spokane as one Of them.
An examination of the maps of the
country discloses the fact that this road,
beginning at the north fork of Fiathead
valley. some twenty miles north Of
what is geographically known as Bad
Rock canyon on the Great Northern
railway and extending SOUTH will cross
that line in the center Of over one thou
sand miles of road totally without coal;
thence sOutherly through the rich agri-
cultural and timber lands of the Fiat
head and Swan rivers, tapping the
Northern Pacific at a point some fifty
miles west OF MiSSOula; there, practical
ly reaches the center of another one
thousand miles Of railway, including the
MiSsoula, CHur d. Alene, Bitter Root,
PhillipSbuTg and other branches with
out coal, making this coal accessible to
Spokane via either the Great Northern
or Northern Pacific in distance some
thing like $50 miles.
What this means to the smelling in
dustry Of Spokane can be better under
stood when 1t is known that all Of the
coal thus far usrd in the great smelterS
of Butte and Anaconda has been hauled
distance OF 600 miles from Rock
Springs, Wy0., and taking as Il basis
the usual rate Of three-QuarterS cent per
ton per mile for transporting coal, and
81 per ton for the coal on cars at the
mine, it is foGnd that Spokane can with
i'll few months obtain superior Smelt-
ing coal at 81 per ton, and that it will
not depend upon the WhimS of one
railroad or enc railroad manager, but
that two of our main lines will be COM
peting for this traffic. Ii certainly will
not be to the interest of both to longer
throttle the furnace stacks Of Spokane
when the means OF delivery is at hand.
AS To the
Quantity of Coal Available
in this new field and the facilities for
cheap mining, the following is quoted
from the New York Engineering and
Mining journal Of Oct. Is:
"a. Shipley has just finished making
further examination of the Flathead
coal fields They are of considerably
greater extent than is generally sup
posed, as they stretch from near Col
umbia Falls, now being worked by the
International Improvement company,
for many miles 10 the north in the val
ley of the north fork OF the Flatilead.
The veins worked by the above COM
pany eight i'll number) are the bottom
veins, so far as discovered, of the coal
measures, the veins pitch northeast and
strike northwest. At Columbia Falls
the pitch is about 45 deg. but towards
the north the VEINS flatten out.
Along the strike OF veins the coal IS
traceable to within 4 few miles OF the
boundary IiHe between Montana and
British America. and where the lndica-
tons Of coal are lost the oil commences.
Mr.. Shipley made a large number of Oil
locations during the trip. The valley is
fiat and from twenty to thirty miles in
width, and consequently the coal is
easy of access.
From reliable authority obtained after
examination of the field, it is learned
that at a point where the veins are
pitching 45 deg. the Flathead river has
cut these through,
Exposing the Coal Veins
as well as The oyerlying and underlying
rocks, where the whole formation, some
5000 feet i'll thickness, is exposed to
view, this immense section Of the earth
having been tilted up by the elevation
of the mountain range and sinking Of
I'm 81 tn nIl
at this situation Will at once see that
even the top veins (or front veins as
they now appear were formerly under
the pressure OF many hundred feet OF
solid sandstone, representing ge0log-
ical ages of time since the last vein was
formed, and the bottom vein is fully
LOCO feet back of or below the top vein,
with solid sandstone and coal veins in
te vening: in other words. that coal
essentially 5000 feet or more unGer the
surface at right angles with the vein is
being mined from tunnels driven from
the present surface on the end OF the
veins and With their strike. which ac'
counts for the excellent quality of the
coal, having tie two essentials, age and
pressure. In fact, persons who have
amalyzed the several different veins
positively assert that there is so much
difference in the character Of coal
from the top vein and bottom VEN
OF these measures that an eX-
pert or geologist unfamiliar with the
field from which it came could not be
convinced without going on the ground
that it was from the same locality. One
vein, for example, is as bright and 1linty
iii structure as anthracite, and will not
soil the hands, while another vein is
dark. dull and heavy.
Spokane will evidently not long be
without Il lirst-class smeiting coal at
prices that Will enable it to compete
with any Smelting point in the country
The combination Of capitalists that puts
this great good III its way will merit
praise next 10 Mr.. Hill for building his
raiWayacrcss the continent to Spokane.