The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-03-28
NO FURTHER BORING.

Public Sentiment Entirely Against
Expenditure of the Coal Hole Fund.
The coal hole committee has returned
from Leavenworth, but the mem bers are
not ready to make a report. Those who
went to Leavenworth were Councilmen
Burgess. Elliott and Bradford, and City
Engineer Barnes.
The committee called on Professor F.
Hawn, who located the Leavenworth coal
hole, and he promised to study the for
nations in the hole drilled in Parkdale
and make a report.
1t is evident from the following par
agraph from the Leavenworth Standard,
that the committee did not receive much
encouragement:
"The Leavenworth coal strata dips to
the northwest and at Topeka it may be
found at a depth of about 1000 feet.
Judge Hawn is of the opinion that coal
mining in Topeka would not be profit
able, chiefly because of the depth a
shaft would have to be sunk to reach a
strata of sufficient thickness"
The coal hole experiment has been
tried in Topeka and seems useless. No
citizen now wants to see the $4,000 in
the fund squandered in a fruitiess in
vestigation.
1t seems, however, that Councilman 8.
B. Bradford is strongly in favor of put
ting the money into a coal hole, as is
evident from the following interview
with him which appeared in the Leav-
enworth Times. He said:
"The taxpayers of Topeka voted about
$4,000 in bonds several years ago to be
used in prospecting for coal. A contract
was let to a firm to bore for coal, and it
was worked on for about two years. The
contractors bored down over 1000 feet,
and it is supposed they struck a 90 inch
vein of coal when at a depth of 400
feet, but it was very uncertain.
''The work of the contractors was not
pay them. While boring they broke
their drill and after long time claimed
they found It. There was an earthquake
and the drill is supposed to have gotten
out of line. There was an explosion
while the work was going on and one
man was killed. The city officials have
no confidence in the work done by lhe
contractors.
"The members of the city council now
propose to use this money for the pur-
pose it was originally voted for and to
prospect for coal again at another point.
We are over here to get Information
about the way the Leavenworth vein was
found"
The reporter asked, SIS there dispute
among the Topeka citizens about the use
of the money!"
"There ID little difference of opinion
and the papers are now advocating that
an auditorium be built with it. Efforts
have been made to have the money used
for several purposes, but the council has
refused to appropriate it for any new
purpose. Some wanted the money spent
on repairing the Streets at another time
it was proposed to use it to ornament a
new bridge, and now some want it used
to build an auditorium while others want
it used for the Grand Army reunion this
fall. Unless the law is changed the
money cannot be used for any other pur-
pose other than to prospect for coal"
The people of Wichita are now going
through just such an experience as has
been enjoyed by the people of Topeka.
A hole has been drilled 200 feet deep
and it is been reported faiat deposit of
coal has been found and there is now
talk of abandoning the work. The coal,
if there is any, is too deep to be worked
proftably.
1t is almost the unanimous opinion of
the people of Topeka that the $4,000 in
the coal hole fund should not be wasted
in further useless and costly boring.
There are a dozen uses to which the
money can be put that will give the city
some certain benefit and even if the
council must wait for an act of the legis-
lature to be able to use the money it had
better do it than spend it uselessly.
The coal hole investigation may benefit
some one who has land to sell or an ad-
dition to boom, but the people have no
faith that any thing can be accomplished
for the benefit of the city by spending
$4,000 for hole in the ground.