Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-10-31
VALUABLE r.
BEDS IN STATE
Interesting Report Will Be
Published by the Geological
Department Soon
FUEL BOTH CHEAP AND GOOD
Limited Quantities ar. Already Being
Gotten Out for the Market-cIeaner
and Cheaper Than Soft coal-stats
Owns Some Of the Heds-cummins
to Visit State Institutions.
Special to Tines-Republican.


Special to T'i.nes-Republican.
Des Moines, Oct. 31.-A report of
by the geological department on the
matter of peat in the northern lake
beds of the state. The report will be
of particular value to the manufactur-
ing interests for it will show that there
are 35,000,000 tons Of peat that can be
taken from the drain ed lake beds of
northern Iowa and ma .keted at a retail
price of $3.50 a ton and the fuel from
the peat will be Of tie quality of the
very best soft coal that is known any
where. For the northern part of the
state where there is little or no coal
such a discovery is nothing less than
godsend. During the past summer
the geological department has had a
man in that section making investiga-
tions Of the peat beds. At present the
peat is being gotten out for fuel in
limited quantities and pressed into
bricks with the use of regular brick
machinery which is much more expen-
sive than by the use of machinery es-
pecially designed for that purpose
The executive council yesterday au-
thorized the departme 1T to publish
report on the peat bees being the re-
suits from the summers investigation.
When made into bricks by the use
of the regular machinery for that pur-
pose peat makes an excellent fuel. It
is much cleaner than soft coal. It is
hard and smooth somewhat like hard
coal. Peat is the vegetable material
that would eventually be coal if COWS.
cred with water or dirt for some hrn-s
dreds of years. BY the manufacturing
process the work of nature is simply
hurried and little better job Of max
ing it into coal is done than nature has
ever been able to produce thus far in
this state. For the year ending June
80, 1905, the output Of the coal mines
of the state of Iowa was 6,S06,011 tons.
Ten years ago the output Of the mines
was 3,195,S36 tons. The amount Of peat
in the northern lake be ds Of the state
geology would have lasted the state
over ClONSA ySdA0 oS N.hoS eslS. AAiS
opening of such an industry as is likely
to follow the publicat on. Of the de-
partment's report It IL believed, will
open the northern part of the state to
Industries that otherwise would be i'm
possible and the supply IL used for that
part of the state exclusively will sup
ply fuel for many years to come. The
price at which 1t can be marketed Will
also to very large extent 1t is be-
lieved control the price of other fuel.
The lake beds for the most part are
those that have already been drained
and the land is the property OF various
persons. The state, however, still
owns some of the land.
sss
The geological department will also
soon issue additional information on
the coal of the state. This report will
contain the report Of the government
experiments at st. Louis made on Iowa
coal. The government has decided to
continue these Investigations and
some car loads Of Iowa coal will be
sent to st. Louis this winter for that
purpose The information from this
investigation by the government Is
said to be very valuaible, showing the
exact quality of the coal for steam
and heating purposes together with
other information.
The appropria tion male by the leg,
lslature for the historical building and
the contracts with the contractors call
for the completion of fle east wing
Of the building by January 1, including
the finishing on the interior. Tna
workmen are just now putting In the
flreproofing for the roof for that wing
and are getting ready 10 plaster the
interior. If they do the clustering and
the woodwork within two months it
will be a miracle. The east wing cor
responds to the west wirg that is now
occupied by the historical department.
The contract for the hea ting plant for
the east wing has not been let yet and
will not be till the cont ractors are a
little farther along with the work. 1t
is expected that the worl. will be COM
pleted by next spring SO that the state
library and the Iowa Lii trary Commits
sion can be moved to that wing OF the
building The Iowa Lib -ary Commis--
sion will be quartered in the basement
of the building. The c'ltral part of
the building cam not be completed till
the legislature makes e.n additional
appropriation for the work. The con-
tract for that part calls for the COM
pletion Of the roof and the enclosing
of the building and the pasterdng. The
finishing and heating will await an
appropriation by the legislature will
there are HOPES that the legislature will
pass that appropriation early in the
session so that the work can move
forward at once to completion. 1t is
hoped and expected tha the entire
building will be completed and occu-
pied next year.
The governor will Join the state
board of control Wednesday at Mt.
Pleasant in the semi-an nual visit to
the state institutions. l,he governor
has often been invited by the board to