Durango semi-weekly herald., 1905-03-02

The Arizona and Colorado railroa,
company is almost through with sur
veying. 1t has run line from Du
rango down the Animas to Azte,
and Pennington, crossing the Sai
Juan river about six miles east o
Pennington, following Canon Gale
goes in southeasterly course ant
crossing the Santa Fe railway at f,
point near Grant station. This com
pany is backed by the Southern Pa
ciic and the work OF grading is ex
pected TO begin soon and the roat
running by the end of the year
The El Paso and Durango (Phelps
podge) have surveyed from point
on the Santa Fe near Chaves., run
ming in a northwestern course. cross
ing the Chaco canon at a point near
Pueblo Bonito then down Canon Gal
/ legos to the San Juan river and ur
the La Plata to the La Plata coal
fields. This company has also run a
line up the Animas as far as Aztec
| There is every indication that the
company will soon begin building.
| "' a'"hA" q - 1'hAidl DtODit hIN
they also are going to build from Al
buquerQue to Durango along the line
of survey they made some two years
ago.
| Coal Prospects.
The coal area of San Juan county
covers many thousands OF acres
south of the San Juan river. The coal
measures on the north side OF the
San Juan crop out AT Fruitland, and
extend in a northeasterly direction.
crossing the La Plata and continuing
TO the state line and to the Durango
| coal fields, making the known veins
north OF the San Juan river some
twenty-five or thirty miles long in
San Juan county and from three to
five miles wide, some of them being
cut so as TO show over forty feet in
| depth of coal. There is one vein of
coal on the La Plata river that is be
ing worked to supply local trade and
the vein is high enough so that they
knock the coal down, back the wag-
| ons into the tunnel and load them.
and they drive out with an unknown
depth Of coal under the team, and
with face Of coal above the tunnel
more than forty feet thick and coal
on both sides The coal fields of Nc
Kinley and San Juan counties com.
prise an area extending from the
Zuni Buttes on the south to La Plata
on the Colorado line, l25 miles In a
straight line. In width II will average
ten miles. giving total area of l,250
square miles. or 100000 acres. This
area Is underlaid by several coal
seams Of good workable thickness,
ranging from three and half to
forty feet In thickness. Joe. Il. Sher.
idan, mine inspector, In his report to
he governor says The coal seams
of San Juan county. where developed
are larger than have been found in
any section of New Mexico. ranging
from G feet to 40 feet In thickness.
of good marketable coal"
AGRICULTURE
The agricultural products of San
Juan, especially on lands adjacent to
Aztec from all cardinal points OF the
compass-are many and varied
Everything common to the south
temperate zone is raised" including
corn, wheat. oats. rye, barley, timo-
thy, clover. cane, broom corn, alfalfa,
and every variety of vegetables in
enormous quantities and OF the best
quality, potatoes sweet potatoes,
beans. peas. beets. and the finest
tttv M haAtu
kins, squashes. cantaloupes, melons,
etc. Sugar beets yield well In this
county. Tests made at the Agricul-
turaI college experiment station at
Mesillo Park have demonstrated that
San Juan and Santa Fe counties
raise the finest sugar beets In the
United States. They average Sc per
cent in purity, and yield 81 per cent
saccharine matter and will make from
10 to 20 tons to the acre.
Lands around Aztec, when proper
ly irrigated and cultivated, will
yield:
Mangle-wurzels-the stock beet
20 to 25 tons per acre.
Potatoes-300 bushels per acre.
Corn-the highest n bushels. the
lowest rs bushels. average 40 bush
| els.
Wheat.--30 bushels.
Oats--50 bushels.
Barley--40 bushels.
| Celery grows finer here than else
where and s400 to $500 per acre can
BIO realized by one familiar with its
growing and keeping.
| Cantaloupes-Yield enormously
country adapted to their raising; rea
sonably free from hail; give great re-
turns; raise over 300 crates per acre
When railroads gets here,-say four
months they will bring per crate
T. o. b.. $l.25.
| Watermelons.-As good as can be
grown in Georgia: nave the sunshine
and water to mature them.
Onions-Can raise $50, 100-lb sacks
per acre, with sale at one and a hal
Icents per pound.
Cabbage-l5 to 90 tons per acre, a
Soc to 31.0O per 100 pounds.
Turnlps, tomatoes. peas and al
garden truck do well.
| Alfalfa.