New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-09-28
NEW COLORADO RAILROAD.
DAVID n. MOFFAT'S LINE PASSES
THROUGH A RICHLY MINERAL
lied REGION.
VAST COAL, FIELDS IN RoUTT COUNTY NOW
OPENING, UP-COLORADO'S ANTHRACITE
AND BITUMINOUS GOALS COMPARED
WITH OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES AND
WEST FREIGHT ASSURED
WEST FREIGHT ASSURED.

Denver Sept. 2 (SpeciaD.-The new Denver
North Western, and Pacific Railroad, TO be oullt
| through Northwestern Colorado, which in FORMER
Sispatch was shown to open up vast mlneraHzed
| country will also tap extensive coal helds
Ar Coal Creek Jefferson County, on the line or
| the new railroad, a few miles from denver Is an
immense body of high class Ignite COAL being the
nearest deposit of the kind to Denver Explora-
lions with the drill have disclosed four nat veins
of coal at different depths from nearly six hum
| died feet to more than six hundred feet beneath
the surface One of these blanket veins is twelve
| feet thick and another seven and half feet
thick The coal will De mined through shafts
| work upon which has already begun
| In Middle Park. Grand County, within easy
| reach of the new railroad, is large area of fine
| coal 1t has been opened up only IN the most
| primitive way for local When properly opened
up by way of the railroad. it will find an ever
increasing local market in Grand County, and can
also be laid down in Denver at competing prices.
| Henry Denman. Colorado State Inspector OF
Coal Mines in his official biennial report for 1899
1890 gives the accessible area OF the Yampa coal
field in Routt County which will be tapped by the
new railroad. 440 square miles. with an avail
able gross tonnage OF 5.961 900. He says that
! the amount of the wealth contained in the unde-
welcomed coal deposits of Routt County is beyond
| the comprehension of the casual observer.
As an Illustration. he takes one particular tract
OF twelve hundred acres in extent eighteen miles
northwest of Steamboat Springs In TINS uacI
there are four workable seams, viz. NOS l. z )
snd4 No Is seven feet thick of btumnous coal
free from any impurities. No is eleven feet thlck
of b.tuminous coal. No. IS eight feet thick, OF
semi nthracite coal No. t. which is the bottom
seam is fourteen feet thick and a first class an
Mr. Denman further says that assuming that
only three-fourths Of such twelve hundred acre
tract is underlaid with fourteen foot anthracite
So a the mine, would net $o- zZVJJ LOT tHe
anthracite seam alone Irrespective OF seams nos.
/. 2 and g. The aggregate thickness OF the I4ur
seams Is forty feet. The intervening strata be
tween Nos / and seams is forty feet The seams
haV uniform pitch or ~ degrees WIN BOOu IOOi
As twelve hundred acres, the size of this partcu-
lar tract Is less than two square miles. and the
estima ted coal area OF this Yampa coal field alone
possible tonnage and value of these particular coal
deposits would simply result in hgures which could
be fully gTaSped or TeaNZed
Professor Lakes who for many years occupied
the chair OF geology at the Colorado state School
of Mines speaking of the plateau about twenty-five
miles northwest Of Steamboat Springs, that
almost the entire plateau is underlad by number
aCter and quality. The quantity OF coal is pract-
cslly unlimited II is safe to say there is at least
Of it anthracite. underlying the whole area Fifty
feet would be exaggerated estimate II IS
OF coal in Colorado west OF the Mississippi The
Importance and value OF the anthracite feature
so rare in Colorado and the West. cannot De toe
strongly emphasized as the supply hitneFtO III
Colorado anthracite is drawn from a very snnalI
and restricted near Crested Butte, Gunnlson
County. and so far. from one mine only. IN an
Professor Lakes found the Routt county an
thracite coal be- hard firm and compact, break
Ing into large shining blocks. fragments tnaL
have lain for years the surface showed no signs
of Stacking proving II to be capable OF being car
fd IN STOCK r9 3 ths anthacite Professor
Lakes prououuCes the other coal to be adapted 20
domestic cokng ana blacksmithing purposes he
also says that the plateau covering these particu
lar coal beds ia about twenty-five miles In extent
The high quality OF these Routt County anthra-
cite and btuminous Goals is shown by the following
comparison OF the analyses with those OF the an
thracite and bituminous Goals OF Pennsylvania: