The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1910-11-04
STATE UNIVERSITY WILL MAKE
ANALYSIS OF COAL FROM
THE Ignite BELT
DATA WILL Be PUBLISHED
Much Valuable Information Gathered
by the Unive rsity's Survey
Party Will be Publish
cd in Bulletin

past summer has been making a
study of the coal, soil, water and
animals and plants OF Harding coun-
ty and adjacent areas under the
state geologist recently closed it's
work for the season. Now remains
the making of the chemical analysis
Of the coal samples. the careful
study of the extensive collection OF
plans n animals which was made
for the state museum and herbarium
and the general preparation of the
reports.
AS soon as practicable. a state sur
vey bulletin will be issued and dis
tributed from the state university at
Vermillion dealing with the resources
Of this part of our state. Dean Peri
sho will write upon the geology, soils
water and agriculture. Professor w.
erson VII discuss at length the exact
occurrence, quality. quantity and val
ne OF the Ignite coal of Perkins and
Harding counties. Professor Visher
will treat fully the natural history of
this perhaps now the most natural
part Of our state. Lists of plants and
animals which occur. n facts OF In
terest and OF value about them will be
given. A map of Harding county will
be published showing the location OF
the buttes, streams, coal outcrops,
etc, as accurately as possible. The
revision of the available maps of the
area was made by Messrs. 1verson and
Pipal.
The party entered the state at it's
extreme northwestern corner. The
territory west of the Little Missouri
river was worked as far south as
Camp Crook. Then a swing was made
to the north. Professor Perisho 10 n
ed the party for extensive work in
and about Cave Hills. From the Cave
Hills the work was continued east
ward to the Perinks county line to
connect with the work done by the
survey there during the summer or
1909. Slim Buttes were next eyamin-
ed. From their southern end, almost
in Butte county, the outfit turned west
to the Short Pine Hills. OF the sew
enty-four townships of Harding Il
ty the party worked n all but five.
The personnel of this party was:
Dean E. C. Perisho, the State Uni
versity, director.
Professor B. A. Iverson. Vermillicn.
In charge of TIE work on Ignite.
Professor s. S. visher. state uni
versity. Biologist.
William Pipal, State University,
Geographer and assistant g%eologist.
F. D.. Fromme, State Agricultural
College, Brookings, Collector of GER
tain plants for the state herberium.
Mr.. Iverson found that good seams
% 1:--:xo a@~l ,,-Inn Iin -rah of <1n
area and out-crop along the larger
streams and about the butteS, especial
ly the Slim Buttes and Cave Hills.
Seams of from seven to ten feet thick
are not i%nfrequent and some even
thicker occur. However, due to the
geeral absence of a rock roof, tun-
neling can not be cheaply done. Tn.
Ignite propensity to Stake to a
powder further decreases it's present
commercial value. Methods Will
doubtless be devised to overcome the
first objection. just as briquetting Is
the second, so that some day this coal
will be very valuable since it burns
readily after once started, and gives
much heat. At present there is only
one mine with a tunnel-Hi,ton's at
the South Cave Hills. The scores Of
other mines are merely pits.
Practically everyone Of this area
burns the Ignite, since it is more con
venient and cheaper thar wood. Ia
most places it can be had for the
digging and hauling or at most for
two dollars a ton, loaded in your
wagon.
Much of the area recently with
drawn by the national government,
,~%;1 ;rcnootinn For 1noJ NJ Tynpcnn
believes will be quickly retured TO
free entry. since the available ccaN
is not enough to justify the land as
being classed as coal land, In spite of
perhaps. there being enough for do
mestsc use exposed.
Mr.. Visher found the biology of
Harding county to be more interest
ing than expected. Over 100 kinds o.
birds we're met with, several Of which
had not previously been found in the
state. More than 400 sorts of plants
were collected, showing that tits
county, because of the forested buttes,
is as we'll favored In regard to var ETY.
of plants, as any of the more eastern
counties.
Antelope and deer were both zen
The party a~scertained that there are
at least 70, ty deer left In the buttes
and probably more than twice as many
antelope on the plains.
1t is hoped by the state geologist
that copies OF this bulletin will prove
interesting reading to everv citizen OF
the state, and of considerable va,u, t.
the inhabitants and prospective set
tiers Of the entire western half Of
South Dakota.
Pierre-Another big FIR cation prof.
ect for the western part of the state
is one of the possibilities of the nea1
future in the vicinity of Rapid City
. S. r. Green, assistant state engineer
I is now working on Box Elder creek II