The Brinkley argus., 1910-02-25
BRINKLEY MAN IN COLO-
 RADO.
Mining for Coal in the Gar den of the Gods. He Has
 Faith in Brinkley.
Colorado Springs, Col,
 Feb. 10. 1910.


 Editor ARGUS:
 Having some cold weather "out in these digging, but ir the language of Hooligan ii doesn't 'hoit' much because the atmosphere is so rare-it's s really bracing. I go up to the mine every day and do not wear an overcoat either, this altitude is so dry you know. This is the best state in the union except Arkansas. Will admit that there are more opportunities in that state than in any other in the United States. I predict great strides for Arkansas in the next five CT ten years and do not see why Brinkley isn't as good a place for investments as any little city in the state, as you have the shipping facilities far superior to most cities.
 This newspaper clipping will explain to you what 1 am doing here. It reads as follows:
 J. w. Ross and (. H. Ross, brothers, expect to develope the  coal field lying west of the Gar den of the Gods, and incidentally to prospect there for oil or natural gas. They closed two leases yesterday evening cover- ing a tract of 800 acres. The leases were taken by J. W. Ross.
 The Ross brothers expect to begin prospecting within a few days, as soon as a driller can be secured. It is known that they will find to veins of coal, one two feet thick, and the other, about 20 feet below the first, nine feet in thickness, and it is believed that they will find a third vein deeper down. The two upper veins outcrop upon the Esurface. Previous borings have shown these two veins to to be an excellent quality of coal.
 There is apparently not great deal at present to encourage the belief that oil or gas in any con siderable quantities will be found. 4 hole bored last year on the land which Mr. Kinsman has just leased to Mr. Ross is still blowing off some strange, unburnable sort of gas, with pressure sufficient to blow leaves or other light objects away from the hole when they are dropped over 1t. but with none of the strong pressure that character izes 8 real flow. Mir. Kinsman thinks the blow from the hole is air, and that the pressure mani fested is due to gas behind it, and that if the prospectors hap pen to bore in the right place they will strike flow of conbust- able natural gas. The flow has a strong, peculiar smell" "
 l have lots of friends iii dear old Brinkley l would like to see. With best wishes to you and yours, l am
 Very Respectfully,
 J. ". Ross.
 TQuite a number of Binkley people and particularly the AR GUS editor will remember most kindly cur clever friend Ross, who was q partner of r. W. Hurley in the big Brinkley head ing plant which they sold to Hudson & Dugger. Mr. Ross is one of those clever fellows that Brinkley disIiked to give up. If he could but peep in on this see tion now and see this wonderful change he wouldn't take any chances on boring for oil and gas in Colorado but would put his money where there is no such a thing as chance or fail ure he'd put it in rice land around the Brinkley rice belt. Lands that he saw sell at $3 to S5 per acre three or four years ago now actually produce crop worth from $60 to $100 per acre each year and yet only sell at from $20 to $50 and $40 per acre.