Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-12-19
[O Build MINING Town
The Minneapolis 4 st. Louis
Railway Company to Develop
Coal Fields In Iowa
TEN THOUSAND ACRE TRACT
Railroads Investing Great Sums of
Money In the Coal Industry In Iowa
Monroe County to Have Large
Mining Camp Within Eight Miles of
Albia-other News.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Abba, Dec. 19-If present plans ma
teriahze the Minneapolis & st. Louis
r. r. Co. will before the end Of 1905
open and develop ten thousand acre
coalfield and build one Of the largest
mining towns in the state in Franklin
township not over eight miles south
west Of Abba Nearly eight thousand
acres of coal land have already been
optioned in almost square form, the
boundary lines running diagonally "a
cross the four corners Of the township
and measuring over four miles north
and south and east and west. Fhe
north line is less than mile south of
Tyrone and extends almost to Icontum
on the south, covering an area OF near
ly fifteen square miles. Extensive pre-
parations have been made for drilling
and prospecting this vast tract, every
quarter section of which will be thor
ougkly tested and explored until it has
told to the Industrious prospector at
the top, who waits at each hole fmpa-
tent to hear from it's oracular mouth
the tabuIated story of the coal seams
under the prairies, its quality and
thickness, it's variations, dips and rails
es, together with a brief history Of the
different strata above the coal.
From the bountiful sources of ma
ture Iowa has had more than her share
Of good gifts. but in her supply OF
bituminous coal that has come to play
such an important part in the worlds
progress none Of the other nlnety-e eight
counties are SO rich as Monroe. In
round numbers, Monroe county has
within confines 275,060 acres of land
and probably 100000 acres of this is
underlaid with coal deposits over four
feet in thickness, which can be profit
ably mined If scientific and economic
methods are employed and will yield
over one billion tons of coal If all Is
taken out.
Within the last two decades Hiteman
with over 1000 people, Hooking with
as many, Hilton and Smoky Hollow to-
gether with as many more, and Buxton
with 5000 inhabitants have all come
into existence and brought with them
the noisy hum and smoke of industry
and scattered the busy scenes OF ur-
ban life over the pradries. cornfields
and meadows of Monroe county. cities
growing up, as it were, in night. with
churches, schoolhouses and hundreds Of
busy workingunen with Roosevelt fam
lilies, making Abba the great business
center and distributing point of an ur-
ban population of over 10000 people
entirely unknown to our county TWEEN
ty-five years ago.
The same railroad that is Investing
such vast sums in the Hooking mines
is interested in these big coal opera
lions in Franklin township, but the
latter will be separate corporation
with a distinct set of officers. The cry
of all great railroad systems Is coal!
coal! and the valuable coaa land of the
entire middle west is being swallowed
up by them as fast as it is found and
tested, and If the Franklin tract prov
es up satisfactory no money will be
spared to make it the rival in size and
scope of its operations of any mining
property in Iowa, not excepting Bux-
ton.
Frank K Morris and DR.. e. T. Clutch
are the parties who have been taking
the options and they are very sanguine
of a great future for Franklin.