The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-01

years previous to 1898, and it can b
said that the results were very crafty
| ing. The outlook for the present yea
is indeed very bright, and, unless al
signs fail, the mineral resources will
produce more wealth to the state thar
any other There are few states in the
Union that possess mineral resources
as vast and varied as Wyoming. But
| there is not another state as rich il
mineral wealth that the general pub
lie knows so little about, and where the
resources are so universally ignored
The fact that gold silver, copper and
lead ores are known in every .nountair
range, is sufficient evidence that mines
can be made here as in other locali-
ties. What Wyoming needs at this
time more than anything else. in con-
nection with its mineral resources, is
a few thorough mining men, who have
ample means to make a mine out of
some of the good prospects.
GREAT COAL MEASURES.
Coal mining is the leading mineral
industry in the state, and WILL in all
probability, remain such for years to
come. 1t had its origin with the ad-
vent of the transcontinental railroad
and has increased with the develop
ment of the state, until today it en-
ploys an army of workmen and has a
per annum. The kinds of coal vary
from pure Ignite to q high grade,
long-famed bituminous variety. A
semi anthracite was discovered in
Johnson county in 1897. Coking coal
has been discovered in two or three
localities, and coke ovens are operated
at Cambria. The best grades of coal
are low in sulphur and ash, and are
excellent fuels for locomotives, general
gas-producers. The coal fields are SO
universal that coal is known to exist
in every county.S and in all but one,
coal mines are worked. The area of
workable coal land is over 10000 square
miles; and when preliminary survey of
the coal fields has been completed, the
coal-producing territory viii reach at
least $4,000 square miles. The coal
veins are numerous. In a single field
it is not an uncommon thing to find
six or eight workable veins. In thick
ness the seams vary from a few feet
to SeVenty-five feet. The coal mines
operating at present have working
veins varying from four to forty feet.
The coal lands are owned to a. large
extent by the government, and are sub
ject to location by any citizen who has
L.
great railroads have penetrated these
fields, but the industry has only start
ed, and in a few years Wyoming Will
be producing not less than 100000
tons of coal per annum.
The output of coal in 1897 was 1853 :
1873 tons, while during the fiscal year
of 1898, which closed on Sept 30 last,
the output amounted to 2,S47, 900 tons,
an increase of almost 800, 600 tons dur
iV,rr %I,r two 10 do
mand for Wyoming coal is so great
that a sufficient number of miners to
keep the demand supplies cannot be
procured, and all coal mines in the
state are away behind on their orders.
DEPOSITS OF IRON.
Second to no state il the Union are
the deposits OF iron ore. Prospecting
along this line has not been carried on
to any extent, and only iron districts
reasonably near the railroads have re-
ceived any attention. The greatest de-
positS are red hematites, quite free
from sulphur and PHOSPHORUS, and
quite low in silica. The only
districts where developments or min
ing has been carried on are
Hartville, Rawlins and Seminole. In
of soft ore, which makes an excellent
pigment The hard ores are found be-
meath the surface i'll bodies varying
from ten to 100 feet in thickness.
Rawlins and Hartville mines have
furnished thousands of tons of ore for
Utah, Montana. Deadwood. Denver and
Pueblo smelters as a fluX for lead and
copper smelling. The Hartville mine
is now shipping upwards of 300 tons of
ore per week and arrangements have
been made 10 greatly increase the out
put as soon as spring comes. At pres
ent the ore is being hauled a distance
of twenty miles from the mines to the
railroad.
COPPER MINES.
During the past year numerous cop
per mines have been opened up and old
ones developed. Perhaps the most i'm
portant of these is the Rambler in the
Battle Lake district and owned by
George Doane. The owner is making a
fortune rapidly from this mine. ore
from which has run as high as 60 per
cent copper. During the past year the
shaft was sunk to depth of 40 feet,
and from this 1O0-foot drift was run
which cuts three veins OF ore closely
approaching native copper Arrange
mentS have been made to operate this
rich mine on an extensive scale as
soon as new and improved machinery
can be delivered, which will not be I'M
til snow disappears in the spring. In
the same district with the famous
Rambler new mine of equally sur
passing richness was discovered early
last spring. The owners, Haggerty,
Deal & Ferris. have sunk a shaft to a
depth of seventy feet. AT a depth of
thirty feet vein of copper was en-
countered which assayed about 40
per cent copper. This increased in
richness with depth, until now, at its
present depth of seventy feet, ore is
being taken out and hauled to the rail-
road on sleds which runs between
so and 60 per cent copper and gold The
owners have had several flattering of
fers. the last one of $4,000 In this
district there are several shipping
mines in addition to the Rambler and
Rudefeha, the latter being the one
owned by Haggerty, Deal & Ferris
The district is attracting a great deal
Of attention and a large number of
Colorado and Utah mining men have
interested themselves in mines there
Another copper producing section that
s attracting no little attention is the
Douglas district Here two mines have
oeen opened up which are very rich in
copper and gold, and. when deep de-