New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1893-11-29
THAT REDWOOD COAL MINE.
State Geologist Winchell Says it is not
Coal, but Lignite.
The Same Thing has been Found in Brown
and'Nicollet Counties.

The Same Thing has been Pound in Brown
and Nicollet Counties.
GAS long as it pays Mr.. Moon to work
the mine he wants to keep right on work
ing it, were the words of Prof. Win
chell, State Geologist, to Redwood
Falls delegation last Friday afternoon,
at the State University, after sample
of coal from Mr.. Moons mine had been
submitted to the State Geological de-
partment for inspection. ''That is not
coal. That is tretaceous lignite-a
Ignite coal, in other words. I have seen
something just like it twenty years ago,
taken from somewhere near the vicinity
where this is reported to have been taken
from.
sit will burn, of course. It is good
substitute for coal, and if it can be mined
so as to sell cheaper than the Iowa, Illi-
ncis and Ohio coal it is Mr.. Moons duty
to mine it, as it will be of benefit to the
people in your section of the State. No
matter how far Mr.. Moon gets in he is
not going to find any better quality than
what he is getting out at the present
time. The thickness of tLis vein is some
what of a surprise to me, as it never has
been found over one or two feet in thick
ness in other sections along the Redwood
and Minnesota rivers, and the digging
made under my direction at place just
acposs the gulley from where it appears
this coal has been taken did not show
over a two and halffoot vein. This vein
may extend south clear to the Cotton
wood river-in all proba bility it does
and it may not be any smaller, but the
chances are that it will decrease rather
than increase. I donot think that it will
pay to go in under the ground for any
great length for the reason that the mi
rers will have to take in more fuel than
they get out-that IS, they will use more
timber in blacing up the earth to pre-
ent any catastrophe, the value of which
will amount to more than the coal mined.
The miners must be very careful and
have plenty of support for the earth, or
they will be the victims Of an awful &C.
cidcnt some time when they arc least ex
pecting it.
"T would not advise Mr.. Moon to in
vest in any mining machinery, or so to
any great expense in getting out the lig
nite, for he may find himself in a similar
position as the Benton county farmer, who
thinking that he had a coal mine on his
farm, mortgaScd every acre of land that
he had and sunk the proceeds in a hole
from which he realized nothing. AS long
as he can work it protitably, without
machinery, he is alright. He may make
some money out of it. This winter is
going to be an exceptionally hard one,
and he will be able to get help cheap.
This will naturally rebound to his profit
as we'll as give him an opportunity to
thoroughly develop what he thinks is a
mine.
"These outcroppings occur along the
Cottonwood river, near Springfield, in
Benton county, along the Sauk liver,
along the Red River of the North, and
every now and then the geological de-
partment is reminded of them by spe-
cial to the dailies followed by favorable
editorial comments from the papers
themselves. 1t is my opinion that there
is no deposit in Minnesota that will pay
to work for any length of time" Red
wood Gazette.