Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-11-06
COAL LAND SALE
GIVES NEW LIGHT
DEs MONIES PEOPLE BELIEVE
THEY SEE EXTENSIONS OF
THE IOWA CENTRAL
Means Development of the Great Coal
Area of Lucas, Monroe and Marion
countles-Contains More Than All
Other Districts.

transfer Of coal land rights in Marion
county may be found additional
grounds for the statement of the prob
able plans I the Minneapolis and St.
Louis and the Iowa Central railways
for building into Des Moines from
Oskaloosa OF some other point on the
Iowa Central and thereby connecting
up two systems here and giving this
city another main line into Chicago.
The transfer was made by Byron
Sewers of the Whitebreast Coal COM
pany to George w. Sewers, general
counsel Of the Minneapolis and ST..
Louis and Iowa Central railways, and
1t involved the coal rights of 300
acres Of land located between the i'll.
land towns Of Calonna and Dallas, in
Marion county, in the very heart of
the rich coal fields in that section
of the state. 1t is the presumption
among those who are in a position
to know that this transfer was for the
benefit of the M. & st. L. and the Iowa
Central. This being true, these roads
are believed to contem plate the early
construction Of lines to reach this coal
| field and such lines would undoubted.
| ly be part of line into Des Moines,
for unless such new road is built the
acquisition of the coal lines will be OF
no direct benefit.
A Wonderful Field.
The 2,7OO acres involved in this
transfer are located in the heart al
in output and quality all other fields
-, +xaSN IL oH~ x@I
who have investigated that there are
in Marion, Lucas and Monroe counties
more than 100000 acres Of undevelop
ed coal lands, practically all in one
continuous area, which contain more
. coal than has been or will be mined ii
all the other Iowa fields combined
i Hundreds of prospect borings made
by railroads and other prospectors in
dictate that this entire 100000 acres
is underlaid with choice coal in veins
varying from four to eight feet il
thickness In !. few places IN this dis
i trict where shafts are in, coal is beins
taken from six and eight foot veins
/ That this rich district is PRACTICAL!
undeveloped is due to the fact that i
has very meager transportation facili
i ties. Zone Of the choicest rights ha!
!: no railroad nearer than twenty-five,
miles to the south, eighteen miles :,
the east" said a man who recent,
!, visited this district. There is fin,
local in abundance all through there
but there is no way of getting it t
; market"
Railroads Are Active.
Il But there will be some day is ev
: denced by the fact that the railway
coal lands as rapidly as they can i
,, locations favorable to them and thei
lines. The Rock Island some years ag
purchased about 1000 acres, to whic
r it already has line; it is operatin
: one shaft. The Milwaukee has aboou
$3.50 acrer, to which it has no a,
cess now, it's nearest line being s
Ottumwa and Des Moines. The Mi
!, waukee has made extensive tests. how
' ever. to determine the value Of Il
r lands. Many borings were mad,
showing that the veins ranged from
t feet inches to feet inches /
$ thickness; two confirmatory shaft
were sunk mile apart and in on
= a vein I feet inch in thickness wa
! found; in the other vein feet A Ii
e ches. The Northwestern has holding
in flfty-four different sections in tn.
n district. The Inland Coal company
J. Charlton and the Empire Fuel con
g Ipany also have large holdings this
:, are very valuable.
!, In a few years more the indication
!, are there will be much building /
railway lines into this rich territor
and that it will take on the activity [
one of the greatest coal districts
;. tie mid west.
= ---------------------
1t seems to be the fortune Of son
~ lpeople to fnd the holdup man, whe
J. the town is sufficiently metropolite
M c,,rnort the I,,y,,r1,