The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-10-26
COLORADO COAL FIELDS
Northwestern & Pacific Passes Through
Vast Coal Fields in Routt County.

Vast Coal Fields in Routt County.
The New Denver. Northwestern and
Pacific Railroad, now being built
through Northwestern Colorado, will
tap extensive coal fields. In JET
ferson county, on the line Of the new
railroad, a few miles from Denver, is an
immense body of iligh-class Ignite coal,
being the nearest deposit of the kind to
Denver Explorations with the drill have
disclosed four fiat veins of coal at diff
ferent depths, from nearly six hundred
feet to more than six hundred feet be-
tn the surface. One of these blank
ct veins is twelve feet thick and another
seven and a half feet thick. The coal
will be mined through shafts, work upon
which has already begun.
IN Middle Park. Grand county within
easy reach of the new railroad. is a
large area of fine coal. 1t has been
opened up only in the most primitive way
for local use. When properly opened up,
it will find an ever increasing local mark
ct in Grand county. and can also be
laid down in Denver at competing prices.
Henry Denman, Colorado State Inspect
or OF Coal Mines. in his official biennial
report for 1so9-19p0 gives the accessible
area Of the Yampa. coal field in Routt
county. which will be tapped by the new
railroad as 440 square miles, with an
available gross tonnage Of 1851. 800 90. He
says that the amount of the wealth con-
tanned in the undeveloped coal deposits
of Routt county is. beyond the compre-
tension Of the casual observer.
AS an illustration. he takes one par
tcular tract of twelve hundred acres in
extent. eighteen miles northwest of
Steamboat Springs. In this tract there
~ 4
5 and 4. No. 1 is seven feet thick, of
bitumonous coal, free from any impuri-
ties No. . is eleven feet thick of BIZ
luminous coal, No. 8 is eight feet thick,
of semi-anthra cite coal. No. 4, which Is
the bottom seam. is fourteen feet thick
and first-class anthracite.
Mr.. Denman further says that, assum-
ing that only three-fourths of such
twelve hundred acre tract is underlaid
with a fourteen-foot anthracite seam.
II $4,000 tons could be extracted, which,
at IS a. ton at the mine, would net So,
27o 900 for the anthracite seam alone. ir-
respective of seams Nos. 1. 2 and 5. The
aggregate thickness of the four seams is
forty feet. The intervening strata be-
tweers Nos. and seams is forty feet.
The seams have uniform pitch Of 20
degrees With good roof.
AS twelve hundred acres, the size OIL
this particular tract, is less Than two
square miles. and the estimated coal area
OF this Yampa coal field alone is 440
square miles any attempt to figure out
the possible tonnage and value of these
particular coal deposits would simply re-
suit in figures which could not be fully
grasped or realized.
Professor Lakes, who for many years
occupied the chair Of seJiogy at the
Colorado State School Of Mines, speak
:ng Of the plateau, about twenty-five
miles northwest of Steamboat Springs,
Says that almost the. entire plateau is ]
by a number Of coal seams
OF more than average grade in character
and quality The quantity Of coal is
practically unlimited. It is safe to say
there is AT least twenty-five feet thick
,,css Of excellent coal. some OF it an
tl,racite. underlying the whole area.
Fifty feet would not be an exaggerated
estimate. 1t is probably the largest area
of this particular variety Of coal in Col
o,,i,o or west of the Mississippi. The
and value OF the anthracite
fs11ure so rare in Colorado and the
West. cannot be@too strongly emphasized.
as the supply hitherto of Colorado an
tlracite is drawn frorA a very small
and restricted are near Crested Butte,
clnn.sona county, and, SO lar. from one
mine only In al! cases Prof. axes
rounG. the sRoutt county anthracite coal
to be hard firm and compact. breaking
into large. shining blocks Fragments that
haze aain for years on the surface
showed no signs OF stacking proving