Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-02-19

NORTH DAKOTA Ignite DEPOSITS


much valuable information regarding
them. In Morton county, with the ex.
ception of a 5-foot coal bed in the
Lance formation, the Ignite seams
are in the lower 400 to 800 feet OF the
Fort Union. In the northern part OF
the county there are at least six coal
beds, namely, two at Sims, two at
New Salem, three about Glen Ullin.
but two of them probably the same as
! those at New Salem, and at least one
in the vicinity OF Hebron. The lig-
mite seam now being mined at Sims is
the lowest of the six coal beds, and
the n near Hebron is the highest.
The number Of workable coal beds
in Billings county is known to be at
least 81, not all of them being present
at any one point, but some occurring
in one locality and ONE in another.
They are distributed through from
1000 to 1900 feet OF strata and range
from 4 to IS feet in thickness. The
aggregate thickness of the, coal in
these q beds in 1877 feet.
In Mckenzie county there are at
least 8 coal beds, ranging in thickness
from 1.2 to II feet and several Of
them covering many townships. They
are distributed through { thickness
Of 700 feet Of strata, or from the level
OF the Little Missouri river to the
tops Of the high buttes. Some of the
upper ones have burned out extensive
ly or have been eroded over large
areas. .aE
The coal OF North Dakota is mostly
Il brown Ignite with a decidedly
woody structure, exhibiting clearly
the grain of the wood and having the
toughness of that material. 1t breaks
or splits readily along the grain but is
broken with difficulty in any other d.
rection. Portions Of flattened trunks
or branches are often found in the
beds, bearing a close resemblance to
the original wood except for The
Brown color. The same bed is fire.
quently nor woody in some portions
than others, being made up Of alter
mating layers Of tough brown Ignite
and black, %lustrous, brittle material.
On exposure to the air the Ignite
loses part Of its moisture, which is
frequently as high as IS or 40 per
cent, begins to crack, and finally
breaks up into small pieces.
Many of the coal beds have burn
ed out over large and there are
few which have wholly escaped burn
ing. Some we're doubtless set on fire
by man, others may have caught from.
prairie fires, hut it seems probable
that spontaneous combustion has been
the chief cause. 4
This burning Of the coal beds has
doubtless been going on for many
thousands of years, ever since the
erosion OF the everything strata
brought them near the surface OF ex.
posed them In the bluffs and buttes.
Once started the fire slowly smolders
and works it's way back further and
further from the outcrop, the overly.
ing clays settling down as the coal is
consumed and the cracks thus opened
admitting fresh supplies of air. Thus
a coal bed which is not too far be-
low the surface may continue to burn
for a long period, and instances are
known where beds have been on fire
for at least 20 years. 1t seems i'm
probable that the coal can burn very
far back from the outcrop when Gov.
cred by any considerable thickness
of rock, for after it has been CONSUME.
ed the everything clays would settle
down and occupy its place, thus shut.
ting off the air and smothering the
fire. 1t seems likely, therefore, that
those beds of Ignite which have burn.
out many square miles must have
been near the surface, as we find
them today, when they were being
consumed.
The heat produced by the burning
coal has changed the everything clays
and sa%ndstones, and either burned
them to a red or pink clinker, or. en-
tirely fused them into slag:like mass
cs. These clinker beds in places have
a thickness Of 40 or so feet and are
conspicuous feature in some parts
of western North Dakota.
The coal production OF the state for
1912, according to Mr.. Atkinson, the
state mine inspector, was $4,000 tons,
or Ia per cent o than was pro
duced in 1911, and a greater amount
than has been mined in any one year
during the history Of the state. Over
three!fourths Of the above output
came from Burleigh, Ward and Stark
counties.