Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-10-02
SPIRAL TUM MINES
NEAR DUCHESNE.
Some of the Methods Pursued in
Mining Product Described by
Prof A. Lakes of Colorado
ALSO DANGERS ATTACHED TO IT.
Mining and Transportation Costs SCI
TO the Ton Operators Realize
Profits of $50 OF $40.

The asphaltum deposits near Fort
Duchesne and along the route sur
veyed for the Monat railway from Dem
Yer furnishes the subject for an in
terestlng article as n contribution to
the october number Of Mines and MIN
erals, from the pen Of Prof Arthur
Lakes
He points out some Of the dangers
attached TO the mining Of the product
and the methods which must lnecessar-
fly be persued in that direction. Prof
Lakes says: The glsonite or asphalt
tine vein near Fort Duchesne. Is
most wonderful property, capable Of
enormous tonnage. The vein il easily
traceable for over two mile1 by pros
poets and workings along H. also by
the absence OF vegetation along ia
course which stretches across 'hc
prairie country like a dark pathway
II has been worked by trcnching for
half mile In length, and TO an aver
age vertical depth OF 90 feet. The
walls are vertical and Of sandstone
The asphalt vein Is three feet wide. Of
remarkably pure asphalt or so-called
glltonite, The vein has been opened
and worked In a crude way by trench
ing and underhand stopping, as shown
IN the accompanying photograph. A
difficulty encountered In working is the
extreme fineuess Of the gllsonite dust,
which Is highly explosive. Some time
since a workman dislodged some of this
fine dust from the upper part of the
workings, so that the air I'm the mine
was full Of II. Then he incautiously
entered the works with a naked light.
The result was "a frlghtful explosion IN
which he and another man we're killed
and the upper part Of the works shot
Into the air.
"As IT would seem impossible to work
the vein with Ordinary naked lights,
the depth is at present limited to about
30 feet so as TO aGtnt necessary day
light from above. but probably some
day the WORKS viii hc 1T by electricity.
No gunpowder Is used, the material ho-
ing mined by pick ma shovel Men
emerge from the trench painted an
over VITA The fire duaf, which has 10
b. l''novcd from 80 skin by nUid
nepl tia. Hitherto thry have bcnn ship
pins about 400 tons per month. al
though there ~ an easy capacity OF
soc or 1000 tors Upwards NJ 400 tons
were on thc gr,hnd recently, sacked.
FuuF lor Snlllilnnt tn the RIO Granite
railway at prica station, 100 uples
distant Shipping by freight wagons
costs Sl3 per ton; shipping from Price
TO 81. Louis by rail SO s.; the mining
and sacking costs $3.50 per ton: SO
that the total costs amounts to 1921 a
ton The gllsonte Is sold at ST. Louis
for $50 TO $50 per ton. SO the miners
net some $40 or $40 per ton.
when the advent OF the Monat rail-
way which will pass right through this
gllsonite area, the cost Of freight and
expectation VIII be minimized. AT Vcr-
nal near Duchesne. is an inexhaustible |
body OF highly bituminous or asphaltic |
sandstone. which makes natural ce- |
ment paving for the streets as exem- |
plifed In those of the little town of |
V~nai These asphaltic deposits are |
but a fraction Of still larger fields ON |
the borders OF Utah and Colorado such |
as the Cowboy and Dragon veins, s TO |
10 feet wide, and traceahe for many |
mules. A continuation Of these IL found |
AT Rangely over the Utah line in Col |
orado, Some deposits OF asphalt also |
occur In Middle Park: and bitunIuous |
rock some Of II ft for street paving. is
abundant in the Book Cliff portion If |
the Uintah Basin in Colorado. hctwocn |
Rite and Meeker on Pilnco Creek and |
elsewhere along ne Moffat railyyay line |
or within each OF -