Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-11-27

later that the veins at Hampton and
Rapids City were tapped-not till after
the completion of the old Western
Union railroad, now the c., NJ. & st. p.
Hesgy 4 Stoddard and a Mr.. Pease
were the first operators at Hampton,
Hugh Gilchrist was one 81 the
first at Rapids City, and Taylor Will
liams al Cleveland ferry and after
ward at Rapids City.
The Rapids City and Hampton field
is the most northwesterly to be found
I'm Illinois. and there is no coal Of this
formation anywhere northwest of here,
unless it be of accidental occurrence.
The coal mined here is known as
No. I, and the veins are generally
from four 10 five feet in depth. 1t lies
from So to 100 feet above the Devonian
limestone, which crops out in the Mis-
sissippi and Rock river valleys at this
point. II is of no use to look for an
extensive field less than SO feet above
this limestone. and then there must be
a suitable cover for il or it will be
found TO have disintegrated That
there is coal to be found in this county
less than 50 feet above the level OF the
rock in the Mississippi valley, is be
cause the river bed from NacGregor,
Iowa, down TO Keokuk, appears to have
been made by gigantic upheaval of
the earth's crust. the water travelling
in the fissure toward the south. So it
follows that the Deyonian limestone is
HIGHER i'm the river bed than it is back
under the bluffs on each side. particu-
larry on the Illinois side.
LIKE BODIES OF WATER.
+ Coal fields lie in much the same
shape as bodies of water. In the south
ern and central part of Illinois coal is
10 be found under vast expanses of
land lying like great lakes. Toward
the north they become broken and
mble rivers emptying into the
lakes. In the southern part of this
county, and in Mercer county. the coal
beds resemble the beds of streams
Farther on north coal is found TO re-
semble isolated lakes or ponds. occur
ring in pockets where, some time since
the CarbOnitcrOus age. there has been
a sinking or slipping OF the rock so
that the coal is found below its usual
position in the regular order of strata.
/ / was the first miner to be employed
by the Coal Valley Mining company.
which was formed the year | came
here. II was Incorporated in Nav. 1856.
and the first mining was done in Sep
TENDER Of the same year. The incor-
porators were Holmes Hakes, s. s.
Guyer, Ben Harper. and Napoleon and
Charles Buford. Sept S. after having
been here two days. | walked TO Coal
Valley 10 find work. Having had some
experience in mining in Indiana. | de-
ciced 70 cast my lot with the new CON-
pany, and for 81 years l remained with
II, my resignation as superintendent
having been accepted just 81 years to
the Day from the date on which |
started 70 work, which was Sent IL
1876. When ] first saw Coal VALLEY
II was settlement made up Of four log
houses AZ one time during the 20
years Il took to deplete the coal sun
: ply there, the population rose to about
1000
HUILT RAILROAD.
To get its coal TO market. the com.
pany built q railroad TO Coal VALLEY
from Rock Island The grading was
done IN 1856 and the line was oomplet.
Cd the following year the first train
running into Coal Valley Oct. 25 1881
which was on a Sunday. p. L. Cshle
bought out the original mine owners
in 1863, having had no direct connec
tion with the inception OF the enter
prise, nor with the extension OF the
road from Coal Valley To Peoria. which
was done mainly by Peoria capitalists
who named the road the Peoria & Roce
Island. The old Rockford, Rock Island
& s. Louis built from Coal Valley tc
Orion The Gables purchased the en-