The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1903-05-29
AN AMERICAN COMPANY.
Organized to Dig British Columbia
Coal.

One OF the largest ana most extensive
coal fields known in the northwest was
discovered few years ago in the Nicola
valley, southern British Columbia. Next
to the famous Crows Nest, the Nicola is
beyond doubt the most important one.
The quality of the Nicola coal has been
pronounced by coal experts to be far
superior to either the Crows Nest or
any Vancouver Island coal, or any other
coal known on the Pacific coast. 1t is
high grade of fine bitimunous, makes
the finest and best coke in the world,
and for steam and domestic purposes
there is no better coal produced in the
Northwest. There are five seams known
to exist and underlying the coal basin,
ranging in thickness from FIVE to eleven
feet. The coal lies In blanket form
(dat) and between each seam or coal
strata there is solid layer OF sand
stone, averaging about 100 feet in thick
ness, affording safety and full protection
in working the different veins. The
Standard Oil Co. has recently purchased
1850 acres of this coal land in the Cold
Water coal basin, Nicola valley, b. c.,
and paid $4,000, 900 cash for it.
The Canadian Pacific railway and the
Great Northern are now both engaged
in building and extending their lines into
Nicola coal fields, and will be there this
fall. Besides the enormous deposits of
the highest grade of bituminous coal
there are mountains of high grade cop
per ore and hemetic iron.
The Western Coal and Iron Co. was
recently Incorporated under the laws OF
the state Of Washington, and with head
Offices at Tacoma, to work, develop and
operate 1850 acres a full sections) of
this very valuable coal land. The COM
pany holds good title to the land from
the British Columbia government. The
land is situated in the very heart of the
Nicola coal basin aud is estimated to
contain over 100,O00,000 tons Of coal,
such vast quantity that it would last
for 200 years by using at the rate of
1000 tons every day. One coal expert
and engineer has estimated that the coal
underlying the said Western Coal and
Iron company's land (2560 acres) is
worth net the enormous sum OF $780,
100000.
Mr.. s. Andrew Hartman, director of
the company, arrived in the city few
days ago. He called at our Office, show
ing samples of the coal, maps, reports,
prospectus, diagrams, ETC., and from
what we have seen we think it gen.
uine, safe proposition. The company
intends to commence development of
the coal measures early in the spring
and equip the mines with the best ma
chinery for coal mining, and place the
coal on the market in Oregon, Idaho
and Washington. Mr.. Hartman, repre-
senting the said coal company, has APP
pointed our we'll known townsman o.
G. Chamberlain, Of this city to act as
agent for the company. A limited num-
ber OF shares are now being offered to
the public at the low rate Of 10 cents
per share, par value being 81 non-as-
sessable and fully paid up.
We believe this is q golden opportun-
ity for the people OF this community to
participate in one of the safest and big
gest money making enterprises in the
Northwest, as the stock is sure to ad-
vance to par ($l) in very 'short time,
and as soon as the railroads are there
this fall.
Shares in big, rich coal mine are not
often offered TO the public; the Crows
Nest was an exception. AS u rule, when
ever large deposit Of high grade coal
is found it is either picked up by some
big railroad corporation, or bought up
bv some millionaires. The Crows Nest
coal stock sold in the spring Of 1896 as
low as cents per share. 1000 shares
were bought in the fall OF '96 foran even
500. To-day 1000 shares of this Gro Ws
Nest stock will bring $125,0O0. 1t ad-
ganced from 10 cents to $36 in two years
and today it sells for $125 per share. 1t
is quite safe to say that the Nicola coal
oilers today just as good chances to the
investor as was the case with the Grows
Nest in 1896.
Coal il quite different from any other
mining, There are no ''ifs." no wild
eating" about it, Having coal in quaint.
ty and the best quality and transporta
ton facilities assured, that is really all
that is needed to insure success. Coal il
one OF the great commodities of the
world, a necessity. With the immense
increase in commerce on the Pacific with
the Orient, the rapid development in all
Industries, the fast increase in popula.
ton all through the western states, the
building Of the new smelters all through
the vast mining regions OF the west
where hundreds of thousands tons OF
coke are required every year in the re,
duction OF the enormous deposits OF iron
and copper ore that have been discover
ed up to date, and all the new finds to
be made in the future, and the fact that
the United States congress have placed
coal on the free list, where it viii surely
remain for years to come, there can be
question as to finding market for the
coal, because the demand is enormous
and always increasing
Our forests are being devastated by
fires and every year hundrens of millions
OBJECT are being destroyed by this raw
aging element. and great areas of ,har