The Grit-advocate., 1904-03-04

yer and the markets Of the country.
We now come To the Yampa coal
field OF Routt county, which is 1.O0A
square miles in extent, with an est-
mated total thickness OF seventy-ire
feet OF coal; $50 square mines OF this
area is bituminous. and forty square
miles anthr acite OF the finest quality.
Statistics have been prepared and
printed by the management of the rail
way in book form. giving the analyses
and thickness OF the various coal
seams, with all details pertaining
thereto. In the Mineral Resources OF
the United States, Geological Survey
Of 1892, the available gross tonnage
OF the Yampa coal fields is given at s.
96l ,OOO, 900 tons. and the field has been
proven by subsequent exploration ana
discovery to be much larger than was
known at that time, ten years ago.
The veins lie horizontally, and vary In
thickness from five to twenty feet. the
average being about eight feet OF clean
coal These Goals are not only OF the
finest variety for domestic uses. but
also for steam Goals. which. owing
to the entire absence of sulphur. and
the fact that they do not slack. or
break up in transit. are suitable for
locomotives and steamship use, anc
will stand shipping In large quantities
and for long distances without deteri-
Grafton.
These Goals do not underlie a bar
rem, rocky country. but surface ot
the finest pastoral and agricultural
lands, well suited for stock raising and
farming, and 1t is estimated that IN
this wonderful empire Of natural re-
sources, there are, in Routt county
alone, 100000 acres of land avail
able, 100000 of which can be made
subject to irrigation.
| In addition to the above are tho
metallferous ores OF Hahn's Peak and
the Whisky Park region, which arc
tributary to the Moffat road. and also
the deposits OF onyx marble at Steam
boat Springs.
A section Of country along the White
river will also be developed by. and
become tributary to the road, opening
up the fine agricultural resources sur
rounding Meeker, and the oil fields ly-
ing between Meeker and the Utah line.
A pure quality of Illuminating oil has
been discovered near Rangely. and
there is little doubt of the existencs
in that vicinity of a great oil field.
AS In the case in Middle Park.
thousands OF cattle, which are now be-
ing driven north, long distances to
Rawlins, and other points, over the al
kali plain, at a cost of great beef
shrinkage, or south for long distance
to Rifle, will now come to these mar
kets over the Moffat road from tho
upper Snake River valley and north
ern points. and from the vicinity OF
Meeker and the White River valley.
At the Colorado line, where the
Goals and oil may be said to end, the
lhydro-carbon deposits begin. and
from there on for 100 miles exist the
most extraordinary deposits of gilson-
lite and elaterite in the known world.
The total hydrocarbon area is estl-
mated at 10000 square miles, and the
tonnage or probable yield OF gilsonite
alone at 32,000,000 tons; and as gil.
sonite is worth $40 ton in Denver,
and elaterite $65 ton in Utah. the
magnitude of this industry may be i'm.
agined. Besides the foregoing, there
are immense deposits of sandstone as
phaltum, used for paving; one deposit
in the Ashley valley being twenty
miles long and an average Of ten feet
in thickness. At present the hydro
carbons are shipped 12O miles BY
wagon to the Rio Grande Western rail-
road. Elaterite, sometimes known as
mineral rubber, is used in the manu-
facture Of this article, as it unites per.
Ifectly with the tree rubber of which
the worlds supply Is rapidly decreas-
ing. 1t is also used for making elastic
and heat-proof varnishes. Gilsonite Is
also manufactured into lacquers, var
nishes, waterproof paints for gun
carriages, guns and steel and wood
work used in ship-building. 1t is also
made into paint for ship bottoms.
which is said to prevent barnacles
from attaching themselves. Hitherto
the principal supply of this article
has come from Pitch lake, in the is-
land OF Trinidad. These vertical veins
Of gilsonite are from one half to three
miles in length, and vary in width
from two to eighteen feet OF pure
stuff. The Uintah basin may be said
to extend from the Colorado line to
the Wasatch mountains, and is 10
miles in length by 100 miles in width.
and Is at present very largely in
cluded within the boundary lines Of
the Uncompahgre and Uintah Ute res
ervations. But these lands are to be
thrown open in October Of this year.
when there will be a great influx ot
settlers.
The elevation Of this basin is about
5000 feet above sea level, and 1t ip
watered by the Duchesne and Uitnah
rivers and their tributaries. 1t pos
sesses fine agricultural lands as can
be found.
There are great iron beds in the Uin-
tab and Wahsatch ranges which are
contiguous to this line of railway, but
owing to these mineral deposits being
in the reservation no prospecting has
been done, and but little Is known re-
garding the same.
Truly the Moffat road will open up
great and new empire, and for Dem
yer it will bring vast and resourceful
country tributary to orr hllsinass In.