The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1920-12-24
OUR COAL OEF|ES
kEtMfST COMPETITION

You can say anything good
about the Sand Creek coal you want
to and you not be exaggerating the
statement one tiota," emphatically
asserted Joe Marengo on Tuesday
evening of this week. This coal
lies in immense deposits, and not
withstanding that fact, tests have
proven it superior to the Wyoming
product he continued.
For the past several months Ma
rengo has been at the mine, four
miles from Broadus, doing develop
ment work in the interests Of the
Homestake Mining company of Lead,
s. d. This company has secured a
lease on the premises, amounting to
500 acres. Marengo at fisrt was as
sisted by Albert Lucca. but he re-
turned to the Black Hills a month
since.
Marengo started development work
last summer by driving a tunnel into
the face of the 24-foot coal vein, ex-
posed to view in the cliff of canyon
200 feet from top to bottom. This
tunnel is now in to a distance of
l1O feet and tests of coal there
show even letter grades than on the
surface.
"Why there is enough coal in
sight now to supply a vast territory"
said Marengo. land from all indi-
cations the supply is inexhaustible.
THE quality of the coal is equal
to its quantity" continued Marengo.
Instead Of being classified as lig-
mite, you may call it bituminous and
you are not far from the truth.
Aside from the tests for carbon
and other qualities which make it's
substance, there are two other very
desirable essentials in this coal. One
is that it is absolutely free from ig-
ntiOn by spontaneous combustion or
friction such as characterizes coal
from other fields and the utter lack
of gas. Stacked coal l have used
for road building has not the slight
est indication of ignition and Il have
been very careful to try and detect
even the slightest indication of gas,
but none has developed"
Marengo admitted that he. was
somewhat apprehensive on his first
visit to the mine, fearing he would
find smOldering coal banks but he
was more than elated to find his
fears allayed. He related an incl
dent that cost the Homestake peo-
pie $4,000 by coal from another
! field ignitins from friction. "A large
bin had been built for coal storage,
but the coal caught fire and caused
the great loss. Many cars have ar
:, rived at Lead and other Black Hills
points with their coal contents a-fire
| Mr.. Marengo emphatically stated
that coal from the mine here re-
| n Il nrfn I'D s,,
detail to the Wyoming product,
and the latest samples We're even bet
ter than the first. The test now dis
closes from II to Ia per cent mOis-
ture, A per cent carbon, to 10 per
cent ash. rs per cent combustion
Combustion Mr.. Marengo explained,
means the oil content, and incident
ally. he asserted, there was no other
coal Oh the market which showed
such high percentage in this prop
erty, One OF the first tests showed
the coal to contain from q to 80
per cent moisture, "a per cent car
bon. II to l6 per cent ash and from
% to so per cent combustion
Mr.. Marengo in his development
work has mined 1000 tons of coal
and this has been disposed of to To-
cal consumers. Incidentally, .ir.
Marengo stated this coal has been
delivered to Broadus by expert
teamsters, without the slightest mis-.
hap. Mr.. Marengo will return soon
: to Lead, but will leave about fifty
: ton Of coal on the dump for loca
consumption. and in the early sprinE
: he will be back on the job for fur
ther development work. He is al
experienced and practical. miner
= and pleasant parsonage to meet.
II il We're possible to transpOr
our coal TO Lead, S. D. and man,
other points, it could be laid dow
there at about half the price nov
paid for Sheridan coal This prod
uct in Lead costs SIG ton, IS beinI
the initial cost at the mine, $3.1t
for freight and the balance for othe
), incidental expenses. Coal could b.
d mined prohtably at Broadus at 81
ton. The haul from Sheridan t,
E Lead is over the Burlington, a dis
tance Of over 500 miles while iron
$ Lead to the Broadus coal mines. tn
a distance is l23 miles, less than hal
!. the mileage.
u The Homestake interests, VIII
y are responsible Tor the development
= work in the coal fields here, ar
t. among the heaviest consumers of tn
Sheridan coal They use on the a,
1 erage of three carload> Of coal da
: equivalent to l2j tons and anothe
: q? tons day is used by other cor
: sumers in Lead city alone
j.