The herald., 1893-11-05
MINES OF FABULOUS WEALTH.
A Rich Back Country Tributary
to Los Angeles.
Coal, Iron, Copper, Manganese and
Lead Galore.
The Richest Mineral Deposits IL
America Tappsd by the Nevada
southern-Coi. Mulhol-
lands Report.

Within the past week much has been
printed concerning the great advantages
to accrue to this city from the construc-
tion of the Nevada Southern railroad
from Milford and Marysville, Utah, to
Vanderbilt San Bernardino county,
Gal.
A number of prominent citizens, in
cluding bankers and capitalists, have
taken steps towards aiding in the pro-
posed construction. A meeting OF their
committee was held at Hazard & Town
sends Office last Thursday, when the
prepared statement to the citizens Of
Los Angeles was read and adopted. At
the same time Mr.. @. Mulholland Of
Inyo county, and well known pros
pector, also read a report OF his investi-
cations in 1891 through the sections to
be opened by the new road.
Mr.. Mulholland's report b as the per-
sonal endorsement Of ex-Msyor w. h.
Workman, which follows the address.
Mr.. Mulholland's paper is as followe:
To the committee appointed TO investigate
the Nevada Southern railway, and the bus
mess that such road might control.
GENTLEMEN: Having been requested
by your committee to report upon the
coal, iron and other deposits of Sou tn
ern Utah, hereby nubmit the following !:
Permit me to premise; in order to
show my qualification for making a re-
liable report, it may not be out of place
for me to state that was brought up in
Scotland, and am familiar with the
great coal and iron mines near Glasgow,
and with the quantities and qualities of
coal and iron ores and with the manu-
facture OF iron. So much by way of in
PRODUCTION:
In in the month of August, 1891, at
the instance of ex-Msyor Workman and
others, l left the city of Los Angeles to
make investigation in Southern Utah of
the reported coal and iron deposits in
that region. The coal field ia in Iron
county, Utah, and is in the Wahsatch
mountains. Having bought tent and
other necessary equipment, / employed
two men and went out into the noun
tsins. In the face OF the range, at an
elevation of about 1000 feet above the
valley, within week after l went upon
the ground, found and opened a vein
of coal nine feet thick; about 80 feet
vertically above this, | found another
vein Of coal six feet thick. In order to
determine how extensive these
veins were | made careful ex-
animation OF the mountain range
in that locality. On tho top of the
range, at an elevation OF about 5000 feet
above the sea. is rolling plateau ex-
tending eastward to the Colorado river
nd 80 Ntr~s,. - -
region is underlsid by coal. did not
ward to the Colorado river, but l did
southwark to the Virgin river, and
northward as far as the coal extends.
On the northern border OF the coal
field deep canon extends far back east
ward into the mountains. In this cafion
openings have been made into the coal,
and the same veins of coal are there
found that had opened on the western
face OF the mountains. During the
past 30 years the Mormons
who settled at the mouth of
this cafion have been taking coal
out OF these openings in the cafion. The
coal is used for domestic purposes and
also by blacksmiths. had black
smiths work steel for me, weld and tenn
per pieces of steel, and the work was
done as well as with any coal | have
ever seen used for like purpose. Coke
has been made in considerable quanti-
ties and hauled 80 miles to Phoebe,
where it was used for smelling ores.
The coke gave entire satisfaction to the
smelters. The stratifcation in the ter
ritory examined by me is as regular as
boards in lumber pile, having slight
dip to the south and east. 1t has not
been disturbed by upheavals and de-
pressions, and the coal fields can be
worked by open levels run in the face of
the mountain in unlimited quantity and
for long periods Of time. The
drifts or levels can be run in such
way that il any water should
be encountered it would flow out
without necessity for pumping machin-
cry. 1t would aleo be unnecessary to
have any hoisting machinery for coal !;
the coal trucks could be run out from
where they are filled in the mine and
the coal delivered on board cars or trains
at the foot of the mountain. So far as
l may now be able to judge, the coal is
similar to that used in the great
iron works near Glasgow. in Scotland.
The territory examined by me contains
about 800 square miles and there is no
doubt that the whole OF it ia underlaid
by the veins of coal already described.
The fact that the veins are opened
in the cation already described, and
also in the west face of the mountain for
a distance of l6 miles, and again up the
cafion OF the Virgin river proves that
the coal veins are continuous. / saw
masses OF the coal in heaps that had
been exposed to the weather for three
months or more, and these showed no
signs OF crumbling or injury by such
exposure. Major Powell, chief of the
United States geological survey, has
made careful survey of that whole
region. Two weeks ago he stated to me
here in Los Angeles that he considered
the coal field in Southern Utah is the
greatest coal field in the world.
IRON DEPOSITS.
have spoken Of valley lying along
the western base Of the Wahsatch
mountains. Across that valley, about
Is miles from the mountains, is a region
OF low rolling hills covered with dense
growth OF white cedar trees. In that
regicu is the greatest mass of iron ore
know o exist in the world. The ore
crops out in ridges or buttes, some of
these rising $50 feet above the level of
the plain at their base. These masses
are entirely iron ore, unmixed with
rocks of any other kind, or with earth
or sand. Many samples of the ore have
been. carefully analyzed and found to
contain from 20 to S4 per cent OF iron.
IA = = -