The Hartford republican., 1913-09-05
UNCLE SAM runs
SMALL COAL Mine
Vast Field Awaiting Future
Development.
Billions of Dollars Worth of Lig-
mite Could be Used For
Nation.

WHllStOn, IN. H., aug. oV.-WHAl0
we are eagerly looking forward to the
government development of AlaskA's
vast coal deposits, tbs mighty inter
esting as well as surprising to take
loow at the coal beds In our own
Northwest which Uncle Sam has al
ready started to develop.
This Government owned and operar-
ed a coal mine at WNliston that In
an eyeOpener. 1t reveals amazing
possibilities for cheap fuel and power,
and unexpected wealth for great
section that has yet thought Hftle
of mining and manufacture.
Uncle Sam is pecking at a nine.
foot vein of Ignite coal, and using
it to run his irrigation project, tn
cidentally selling surplus power to
the city of WiEiston.
This particular mining property OF
Uncle Sans is 1000 acres in extent.
The worked vein is the middle one
of three veins, each from eight 10
ten feet thick, all easily workable.
And in this 1000 acres Uncle Sam
figures that he has enough coAl to
supply all possible needs of his irs-
rigation project for 1000 years!
That's only the beginning Of big
figures. For Western North Dakota
has $4,000 square miles of this same
Ignite coal. That's over 20.000,000
acres. Just compare that with the
meaaly little patch that Uncle Sam
says will supply him for 1000 years. ,
And over the line, In Montana,
there are $4,000 square miles more Of
the same deposits.
Prof. e. j. Babcock, dean Of the
North Dakota College OF Mining En-
cheering. estimates that his State
can produce 500. 900. .OOO. 900 Give hum
dred billion dollars). And Montana
could do as we'll.
Most of the coal is private owner
ship, but the Government still re-
tains large holdings.
This vast wealth has hardly been
touched. The section is sparsely set-
tied with cattle and sheep rancherS
and dry farmers. And the peculiar
quality of the coal has made it DIFF
ficult to handle.
Ignite is a brownish-black coal,
lighter in weight than bitumiuous.
with less fuel value. When mined
it has. roughly. one-thrid water, one
third fixed carbon and one-thrid yAs,
not counting ITS 8 or 10 per cent Of
ashes. The water quickly evaporates,
then the coal crumbles to slack. So
1t has been mined only Tor uocal con-
sumption. The gas is usually lost In
burning. .,, "a. a., =
The problem here is, to get the
total fuel value from the coal, and
to make 1t available for shipment any
distance.
Uncle Sam does the former very
we'll. In his power plant boiler room
he burns all of the gas (which oh
ers lose) by a scientific air-blast pro-
cess. He produces power cheaply, as
he uses his plant to fuller capacity.
Uncle Sam doesn't ship coal. But
he transmits power. AS side issue.
the plant is now furnishing $4,000 Kill
owatt hours of electricity a month
to this city. at 1-2 cents per k. ".
h. The city. retailing 1t at its old
prices, is making a profit, and rates
will 90 much lower.
!, Here's a striking example of the
way city and Nation may cooperate
to develop agriculture and industry.
Uncle Sam might supply power to
many communities.
But how shall these vast coal de-
posits be made available for distant
fuel users?
Prof. Babcock has shown the way.
He takes a ton of Ignite and separ-
ates the gas from the coal. getting
IL 900 cubic feet of excellent gas and
half a ton of 'briquets."
These briQuets have almost the fuel
value of anthracite coal, and are easi-
er to ship and use.
The process increases the value OF
the raw coal and makes it ehea4R
marketable in a great region that
imports most OF its fuel And yet not
one private operator has seized the
opportunity.
Many residents are hoping that
Uncle Sam will do some more de-
veloping right here in the Northwest