The Topeka state journal., 1897-11-20
COAL FIND At AUBURN.
Vein IS Inches Thick Struck
by Well Diggers
At a Depth of 32 Feet From
the Surface.
The Discovery is Made in a School
House Yard-Much Interest
is Manifested.

The people in the vicinity of Auburn
are greatly excited over a coal strike
made in that township yesterday.
They claim that there is no limit to the
mineral wealth that underlieS that
section and already farmers are getting
ready to sink shafts and open prospec-
tive mines.
The discovery was an accident. John
Baldwin and Harry Green were en-
plOyed by the board of what is known
as Six Mile district to dig a well on the
school house grounds They began
their work several days ago. Only
nine feet below the surface they struck
six inches of soft coal. There was
nothing unusual about that for small
veins of coal which will not justify be-
ing worked are often found.
But day before yesterday they struck
another vein at the depth of IS feet
The coal is hard and gives off no SCOT
when rubbed and they concluded that
they had made a strike of hard coal
which is seldom seen in tins country
even in very small quantities. How
ever, the well diggerS were not at all
excited They were not sure that the
substance was coal and the vein was
not large enough TO justify mining to
take it out, as they supposed.
No water had been found and the
work of digging was continued. Three
feet below the vein of hard coal they
found a soft substance which seemed to
be neither slate nor coal but somewhat
like both those minerals BY this
time it was evening but when they had
passed six inches below the soft sub
stance they came to q well defined bed
of soft coal. They drove their drill in
to it sixteen inches but did not go
through it and were compelled to aban-
don the work for the night.
The news that coal had been found
in the school house yard soon spread
over the neighborhood. The school
board was summoned and the matter
was thoroughly discussed. The mem
bers of the board claimed the new
mine in the name of the school district
and they expect to continue their in
vestigatiOns and find out whether or
not their hopes have been justified
Though the land upon which the coal
was discovered belongs to the school
district it was bought from farmer
named George COzine- Mr.. COzine's
place is advertised to be sold under
foreclosure proceedings and he was in
Topeka yesterday making an effort to
raise money to pay off his obligations
on the strength of the find. if it devel-
Opes that there are even 16 inches of coal
under Mr.. COzines farm he will have
no trouble in having the mortgage ex-
tended. A farmer who lives IN the
! neighbOrhOOd who was in Topeka yes
teTday says that if the COzine farm
goes to sale he will be here ready to
bid upon it.
The coal lies about 80 feet from the
surface. The ground is what is known
as upland. It lies on a kind of table
land and there are Well improved farms
all around it. If the vein proves to be
no more than 16 inches in thickness it
Will pay to work it for it lies so near
the surface that there will be little ex-
pense in sinking shafts.
George England who is a member of
| the school board in the district said in
speaking of the find: I'VE shall claim
whatever is found in the school yard
for the district but I suppose if there is
anything in the find it will extend over
the territory adjacent to the school
yard
Mr.. England says that there is a
great deal of excitement in the neigh
bOrhOOd over the find and startling
things are expected as the work on the
school house coal shaft continues.
The Six Mile school is ten miles
| southwest of Topeka in the northeast
corner, of A11h111.r township