The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1893-11-16
SOMETHING THAT BURNS.
Alfred Moons Mine Turning Out
an Excellent Quality.
OF Coal.
The Vein Grows Deeper--The Width
Apparently Inexhaustible.

The GAZETTE has taken a conserva-
tive course in the treatment Of the re-
ports OF the finding of coal on the farm
of Mr.. Alfred Moon, three and half
miles east of the city, for the reason
that so many reports Of different coal
finds in this vicinity have been sent
out, and, have proved, ip a great
measure, to be without foundation,
and this paper believes that matter
of SO much Importance, attracting the
attention of capital, as it naturally
does, should be thoroughly investigat-
ed and reported without the tinge of
reportorial imagination, soscharacter-
istic of the class.
On last Friday afternoon, ,after read
ing voluminous reports on the subject
of coal, Ignite, peat bogs, etc., and af-
ter the daily papers had given more
or less attention to the coal mine which
they never saw, GAZETTE reporter
took trip to the mine in question,
and found Mr.. Moon and his son busi-
ly and enthusiastically engaged in
digging into the bowels of the earth.
They were in distance of 20 feet, had
scaffolding erected in mining style,
and were removing what we call good
coal from the mine.
The mine is located in little gulley,
half a mile up from the st. Louis
tracks. 1t is dug into the side of the
hill, and not from the top. A small
spring trickles down in front of it. In
several spots around the gulley there
are outcroppings Of coal or Ignite.
These outcroppings are bold and sug-
gestive. It is boggy all over the gull
ley. Ferns, suggestive Of Ignite and
coal, are found in abundance.
Seven feet of the entrance has been
cut open from the top. Ten feehabove
the vein chat is being worked there is
very thin vein of Ignite. Then comes
strata of clay and next comes the
slate which forms the roof of this vein.
For the first fifteen feet the vein took
straight shoot into the hillside, but
in the last five feet it commenced to
dip, going down three inches in the
live feet. The vein is growing larger
and deeper. At first it was about three
feet; now it is three and half feet
deep. How wide it is no one knows,
but the presumption is that the strata
extends all over the surrounding
country.
As the vein works in it grows better.
At first, the coal, mixed with clay, had
white and copperish looking streaks
running through 1t. These have en-
tirely disappeared. At first, under the
slate roof, came a good quality of coal
then came a powderish quality, fol-
lowed by clayish streak six inches
deep,then some more granulated coal,
all resting upon hard clay basis. The
clayish streak is fast disappearing,
measuring only four inches thick Fri
day. It is being crowded out by the
powder coal, which in turn both above
and below,is giving way to hardened
bituminous quality-so. hard that Mr..
Moon is getting it out in large pieces,
just like the Illinois coal.
That is the story of the coal mine.
Mr.. Moon is enthusiastic over it. He
has had expert miners from Ohio there,
and they declare that his mine will
turn out good coal. One of them has
made overtures for lease or partner
ship, but he has been refused. Mr..
Moon gets out now from two to three
tons per day and sells it at the mine
for three dollars per ton. Tho pur-
chasers want more. They claim that
it burns as good as other coal and
gives as much heat. 1t is used by Col.
Frank Waters, at his mill in Morton,
and produces good steam. If the mine
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