The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1918-03-30
IDAHO MAY
PRODUCE HER
OWN FUEL COAL
STATE FUEL ADMINISTRATOR
GOODING MAKES REPORT ON
NEW DISCOVERY
HAS A REAL COAL MINE
TELLS OF COAL DEPOSITS IN IDA
HO THAT ARE NOW BEING
DEVELOPED

GOODING-"I know now that Idaho
has a real coal mine," was the state
ment of State Fuel Administrator F.
R. Gooding, on his recent return from
Teton county, where he had made a
careful inspection Of the properties of
the Teton Valley Coal company. Con-
tinuing Mr.. Gooding said, ''It would
be difficult to overestimate the value
of such property to the people of this
state During past years we have
been dependent for our principal fuel
supply upon the coal districts of
Wyoming, Utah, Montana, British Col
umbia and Washington. Year after
year we have faced the winter with
fear of fuel famine, which too often
has materialized. 1t has always been
the greatest problem the people Of our
towns and many Of the country dis
tricts have had to face and solve. I
am convinced that for large part
of the state it is now in the way of
permanent solution
spection of the Brown Bear and Horse
shoe claims of the Teton Valley Coal
company. The mines are located
about 10 or 12 miles from briggs, and
are that far distant from the railroad.
All that is required at present is the
running of spur track to the mines
from briggs or some other point on
the Victor branch of the Oregon
"The Horseshoe mine which we first
visited has splendid vein of coal 10
feet in thickness. The coal seam has
been developed for great distance
on the surface and also at depth. The
seam is without rock or waste. The
large coal seam in the Brown Bear,
which is distant several thousand feet
has the same characteristic stratifica-
ton, thus making it apparent that the
coal vein is contiguous. In the Horse
shoe I traced this 10-fOOt seam in a
tunnel over 500 feet in length and
through a series of cross workings. I
measured the coal at various points,
and always found the seam 91a to 10
feet in thickness.
"In the Brown Bear the workings
are even more extensive. The vein
has been stripped on the surface for
more than 300 feet. An inclined shaft
has been sunk on the steeply pitch
+ho a q
been reached This inclined shaft,
with it's cross cuts and other working,
it is estimated by the engineers, has
blocked out over 100000 tons of first
in quality as the best Utah coal and
much freer from waste. Analysis
shows it to have fuel value of about
100 British Thermal Units, which I
believe is something better than the
best of the Goals heretofore supplied
Idaho. There is also a seam OF coal
five feet in thickness. This is a very
much harder coal, and probably would
be classified as semi mi-bitumlnous
coal, and closely approaching an
thracite in fuel value. The fye-foot
vein is regarded as of economic work
able size, while the 10-foot vein is
regarded as large coal measure. All
these veins have been thoroughly ex-
plored and there is no reason why
they should not continue for many
thousands of feet.
.eThe coal at present blocked out is
of sufficient size and extent to justi-
fy the construction of railroad. The
company owning the property has
small hoisting plant on the property
and is now putting in triple. In the
near future the mine will be equipped
TO handle at least 500 tons day. When
YOU begin to think of the values OF
such an amount of coal steadily sup
piled to the people of this state, you
will better appreciate the necessity
of it's immediate development and use