Arizona weekly citizen., 1895-11-16
Segregate the Deer Creek Coal Field
 and Give us Cheap Fuel.

Southern Arizona, while, abounding in natural resources, has not progressed
 with the same rspidity as some other sections. Population and wealth appear to center with cum mulative force in Mar icopa, Yavspai and Coconino counties, and while several causes may contri. bute to this end yet the natural advsn- tages which those counties possess over Cochise, Pima, Graham, Pinal and Gila counties, are not so apparent as 10 account for or justify the disparity of the two sections in material prosperity All the counties mentioned in the group with Gila possess great agricultural possibilities, and extensive grazing areas, while everyone of them is rich in minerals-in the precious metals, and in copper, the mining and smelting of which has gro Sn to be one of the chief industries of Southeastern Arizona; sud among her sister counties tbere is none that stands pre-eminent above the little county of Gila in the extent and value of mineral deposits.
 Examining closely to discover the cause of She unequal development of the two groups of counties, it is found in the existence of the White Mountain Indian reservation of 3,464, ,000 acres, which caps the southeastern tier of counties, menace to thelr peace and progress. That has been for twenty years our bete noir, the source of our Waaa and rao-esas<~-----A---A.- to be a thorn in our side, retardlng pro- gress, until the Government abolIshes 1t, or at least abstes the evil by more rigid surveillance of the Apaches, and the segregation of portions of the reser- vation of no practical benefit to the In- dians, but material GO the welfare and industrial progress of Southeastern Arizona. The Silver Belt has always contended for the white mans right against the IndIsn's privilege, at the same time censuring the government for it's inconsistency in herdlng five thousand Indians on a reservation and yet withholding from them sufficient rstions to sustain life.
 The only concession made by the government to civilization in South eastern Arizons in late years was the granting of right-of-wsy across the White Mountain reservation to the Gila Valley, Globe & Northern Railroad, which is still dependent upon the con- sent of the Indians A question of almost equal importance with the rail road and intimately connected with 1t in it's bearing upon the development of the mineral resources of this section, IS cheap fuel. It's importance has been realized for a long time and of late has become more urgent by reason of the rapid diminution of the local timber supply, the low prices of metals and the necessity of chespeniDg the reduction Of ores. Under these conditions, supply of coking coal convenient to the mines and smelters would be of the greatest advantage.
 The Deer Creek coal field appears to offer 8 solution of this problem, pro- vided it can be segregated from the White Mountain reservation. This coal field is situated in the southern part of the reservation, in a valley formed by the foothills of Mount Turnbull, and about thirteen miles south of San Car los.
 Coal was first discovered there by David Anderson, in the latter part of January, 1881. The Anderson brothers and James Lillie made several locations along the outcrop of the coal bearing rocks and soon began active develop ment work. Four beds have been work ed sufficiently to show their character. One shaft was sunk 200 feet, another l l5O feet. There is tunnel running for more than 100 feet along the strike of the bed on which the 150-foot shaft was sunk, and a cross cut of 40 feet made to parallel bed. A number of other openings have been made on various beds. The coal Is a hard bitum- inous and as tested in the laboratory will make fair coke. The Deer Creek | coal field has several tImes been eXamin- ed by experts, whose reports as to their value was somewhat conflicting, but | sufficiently encouraging to warrant a more extensive development.
 | Under the Act of Congress approved July 4, 1884, Secretary of the Interior
 H. M. Teller appointed two commits sioners who examined the coal fields but no action was taken on their report
 There is reason to believe that with depth the beds will increase in thickness
 and produce sn even better quality of
 coal than rear the surface. In that event the benefits that would arse from
 the opening of this field and the erection of coke ovens at the mines would be slmost incalculable. It would give a
 great boom to mining and smelting foI
 one hundred miles around, and would
 be of especial advantage to Globe.
 Now that congress is soon to convene, the segregation of the Deer Creek coal
 field should be brought prominently to it's attention and the merits of the propo-
 sition fully explained. The opening oi
 the coal field would be of advantage to
 the Indians by giving them employment in various capacities, whereas the lands
 which it is proposed to segregste are oi
 no use whatever to them, being of vol
 csnic formation, broken, and devoid of
 vegetation except a few stunted pines
 cedsrs and mesquite scattered over the
 lava hills.--Silyer Belt.