Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-09-12
MORE COAL DATA
Some General Facts About the In
dustry Not Given in Previous
Articles.
LINCOLN COUNTY COAL FIELD
The Mines Of San Juan and Rio Arriba
Counties The Companies Operating in
New Mexico Not Able Now to
Fill All Orders.

The coal trade in New Mexico has
been very brisk during the year, and
the demand has been much greater
than the output. At Madrid and Bloss-
burg the companies could not fill more
than two-thirds of the orders received,
partly on account of the mines not be-
ing sufficiently developed, but mostly
account of the scarcity of miners. If
miners could be procured the
production Of coal in the territory would
be doubled during the present fiscal
year.
The Colorado Fuel and Iron Company
started the Waldo coke ovens last Sep
TENDER, and also started the many
ovens at Gardiner in November Of last
1899, was 29,5S6 tons of coke. The coal
used in the ovens is from the Starkville
mine, Las Animas county, Colo. 1t
takes about one and a half tons Of coal
to make a ton of coke. From the Boss
burg mine, 1874 tons of coal vas made
into coke. The coke produced was
shipped and sold to the different smelt-
ing plants in New Mexico, Arizona,
Mexico and at Ell Paso.
During the fiscal year twenty-five
coal mines were in operation in New
Mexico, five more than during the year
preceding. The following mines are not
in operation: Hartsell, Colfax county;
Mulholland, B~ernalillo county; Smith
No. 1, Colfax county; Sterling, Rio Ar
riba county; Waldo, Santa Fe county;
Miller Gulch, Santa Fe county; Beacon
Hill, Bernalillo county; Caravan & Bal
ley, Bernalillo county; Monero No. 8,
Rio Arriba county. The mines aban-
doned during the fiscal year were the
White Ash, in Santa Fe county, and
the Lumberton, in Rio Arriba county.
The new mines opened were the Stew
art, in Bernalillo; the Old Abe, Akers
and Ayers, in Lincoln county, and the
Latamore, in Colfax county.
The average cost of mining by the
Cerrillos Coal Railroad Company per
ton is from 70 to 80 cents. The wages
paid are from $3.50 to SO per day.
Fifty men are employed in the LIN
coin county coal mines, but within q
year ten times as many at least will be
engaged taking out coal at the Saladt
mines alone. Only 1,469 tons of coal
valued at $2,672, vas produced in the
county last year.
The Old Abe coal mine, located neal
| White Oaks, is a new mine, owned ant
operated by the Old Abe company. Th'
coal is b~ituminous, and is taken from
a vein 3a feet thick. From this min
came all the Goa produced in Lincoll
county last year. The depth of the slop
is $50 feet. The men employed wer
four, who worked 172 days last veal
The coal Is marketed at White Oaks.
The New Mexico Fuel Company own
the large Salado coal fields in Lincol
county. Work at the mines was starte
April / this year on the Akers, or lowe
seam of coal. The vein is 4 feet thicl
The slope has been driven 345 feet, @
which % feet is open cut and 14O fee
double timbered. The average pitch c
seam is IA degrees. The three-entr
system is the one in use, the left-han
airway having a large air bridge t
connect it with the one OF the RICH
which runs up the air shaft. AT preser
a small furnace is in use at the bottor
Of the shaft, and furnishes abundar
air at all times. A fan Is on the groun
ready for use when occasion requires
The coke is of the cooking variety.
A pair Of friction hoists are doing sal
isfactory work, and are amply suft1c1er
for sinking purposes. The company ais
has a small carpenter and blacksmit
shop, and a pipe line for water fro
Carracita canon, n and one-quarte
miles above the mine. At present tn
company is working seventeen men Q
that slope, and has been driving o
double shift from the start.
June / the company started slope N
2 on the Ayers or upper seam, n oil
tant 5000 feet from slope No. l. III
company will bring the coal from tn
mine to the tipple at No. l slope (
, means Of a train road and small loo
. motive. No. 2 slope is down lou rec
with 100 feet double timber and the ba
ance open cut on a pitch of IA degree
, The vein Is s feet thick. Sinking IS ca
E ried on at that slope with a whim, b
w. a.. -. 49,. A,,A,,ra will ha nn rriod
with a hoisting engine and a boile
Over thirty men find employment at t
e slope. "A coke oven Of brick has be
erected, and will be followed with
whole block Of ovens. A washer will
:. built. In addition to the two slopes
. company has a 200-foot proving slo
on the upper seam, about three NIL
below Malagra hill, but has not fou
enough coal to warrant further dew
opment. When the Ell Paso & Mort
9 eastern railroad reaches the coal fel
y shipments will commence.
Rio Arriba county has several Il
portant coal mines and a large, prom
: ing coal field was discovered only q +
days ago. Adult 45 men are employed
the Rio Arriba county coal mines, "
produced $1,000 tons of coal last We
y valued at $51, 100.
le The Moreno No. / and No. 2 are owr
/. and operated by the Rio Arriba G
= Company, Of which E. A. Fiske is pr
10 ident, and ]. H. Crist general manae
Both are located at Monero, and !
Q, their coal to the Denver & Rio Graz
st railway, which runs past the mir
" No. 1 was operated 2s5 days last We
ID and employed 80 men. The depth
o. slope is 100 feet. The output '
80, 900 tons last year, valued at $751;
q The coal IL bituminous taken from
vein 8 feet 10 inches thick.
(. Mine No. Q employs Is men. Its 81
4. nm Faat daon and n nroducAd g