The San Francisco call., 1908-12-05
Stone Canyon Coal Mine Marks
Real Beginning of New
California Industry
City Dealers Visit Properties il
Monterey County and View
Rich Deposits
Rapid Development Work Done
and Vast BituminOus Supply
Is Uncovered

With the successful ending yester-
day Of an excursion of members of the
Retail Coal Dealers association of Sar
Francisco to the properties of the Stone
Canyon consolidated coal company, in
Monterey county. a new epoch has been
opened in the commercial development
OF California. The visit of the coal
dealers to the Stone canyon mine marks
the real beginning of a new Califor-
MIA industry-the marketing on large
scale Of the first high grade coal ever
mined within the state.
1t was in a skeptical mood that most
Of the so dealers who made the trip
accepted the invitation of the Stone
Canyon company 10 inspect the mine
that has been developed only within
the last six months.
sKEPTICs ARE CONVINCED
With all its wealth Of natural re-
sources. California has never before
produced coal that could compete in
quantity or quality with foreign Goals
now on the market, and men who
p have handled coal for years demanded
TO see with their own eyes a California
mine that would do this thing. Yester-
day they returned convinced-not only
convinced. but enthusiastic-for they
had seen a deposit of high grade coal
sufficient to supply the state for hun
dred years and had inspected every de-
tail of the vast development that has
been necessary before a single ton OF
this coal could be placed on the market
to compete with foreign products.
PARTY VISITS THE NINE
A special train of three Pullman
sleepers was chartered by the stone
Canyon company TO take the guests to
the mine. and the party left San Fran
cisco Wednesday evening over the coast
line AT ChansIor. two miles north OF
san Miguel the train was switched to
the Stone Canyon Pacific, the road
built by the coal company itself to
connect the mine, 25 miles away, with
the main line Of the Southern Pacific
The arrival al the loading station In
Stone canyon, two miles below the
mine, was made early Thursday morn
ing. and here the party left the train.
The road Travelled over from Chanslor
is operated by the Stone Canyon CON-
pany, and the building Of this line p
. miles into the heart Of the mountains
is feature Of the development work
that was only begun on June l of this
year.
The mine itself lies 200 feet above
sea level, in the very southeast corner
Of Monterey county. 35 miles almost
due east of Paso Robes The new
branch railroad ends two miles down
in Stone canyon below the mine. and
10 transport the coal over this distance
from the mouth of the mine an elabo-
rate system has been devised. In the
canyon at the end of the road is the
tipple. or loading station. where the
cars from the mine dump their loads
into the freight cars that carry the
coal TO the outside world
VIEW GREAT COAL DEPOSIT
When the eNcrrsionists reached the
tipple Thursday morning il was to find
weather that should make glad the
heart Of any man handling fuel as 2
commodity. 1t was real coal dealers
weather. with damp in the air and
thick, gummy clay and slush underfoo;
as a legacy from the rains of previous
days. Later the sun came out bur il
did not take sunshine TO keep up the
spirits of the party A short inspection
OF the tipple suficed for the time. the
party being loaded into coal cars and
taken over the cOmpany's electric. cable
and steam system OF road from the tip
pie up the mile incline to the top OF
the mountain and then over another
mile Of winding road to the mine camr
proper Breakfast and a dinner at
O'Clock were served at the camp. the
intervening time being devoted to the
inspection Of the camp and the mins
.itself
The property Of the Stone CANYON
consolidated coal company consists OF
200 acres OF mountain land, heavily
wooded and containing the one grea;
coal deposit Of the state. For Is wears
the mine has been known and several
times has been worked for short ne
riods. but its history has been q mar
ratiVe Of failures because of the utter
lack Of facilities for transporting the
coal from the mine except at prohibit
tive cost II was not until the mine
passed recently into the hands of the