The Elk Mountain pilot., 1923-06-21
COAL RESOURCES OF GUNNIsoN COUNTY
fBy Margaret OWEN

Or Gunnison county, which was once thought to
possibly be the Pennsylvania Of the West has YET rc
Il many things and especially rich in extensive eoa
Here have coal Of three varieties; brown Ter
The Gunnison county coal is in different formation
from the Pennsylvania coal Our coal was formed IN ne
the medium soft Ignite to hard anthracite
The Ignite fields cover more ground than All .ne
other varieties combined They vary greatly in qualit
being worthless and others Of very superior quaty
The better quality good for steam generating ano als
excellent domestic fuel especially in heating stoves
This coal tends turn to slack when exposed 70 me
action Of ne atmosphere In area these fsld d. isreed @
f the southernost part of the county to the north
en limits There are between 200 and UoV a1S Re
half Is good for The best for domestic use
ret xs5r a5 yoatjle material This coal alone prom
es Be of than ordinary value TO the country
when last these fields shall be opened
The biturninous fields of the county plentiful,
although compared to the Ignite fields they are very
superior in United States for any purpose
whatsoever for which bitumnous coal is used This va
riety is excellent for making coke will slack
fan down on being exposed: so may stored and
kept for long periods without loss As fuel it is very
per cent Ied carbon "a per cent volatile material,
small percentage of ash and less than per cent
TIE eid which is eoparatively small extends from the
soash side Of Mount Carbon north and northeast to
Crested Butte where suddenly stops being about eight
Carbon and appears around the Lake Fork also Al
though the appears limited there is practically
unit the supply Millions and millions may
be taken these without the supply appear
ing 70 diminish The vastness of the fields is yet
a1t little realized
The anthracite beds include the anthracite
and very extensive from the northern boundaries of
Crested BUTTE north about 10 miles Along the streams
which flow into the Grand river there extensive beds
Near Irwin and Ruby the Anthracite creek the best
elds found and beds Of pure anthracite coal have
been opened thre This coal is 90 per cent liked carbon
For railroad purposes it is very valuable it holds
stem 20 long and is almost sInokeles is especially
good for passenger engines.
TIE different grades of coal are easily dscernible
s~oor5ng Ia localities and the of heat and pres
sure % which they have been subjected
The Crested Butte field is the oldest deveoped
ron The Ohio Creek field is next in POINT of age of
Development. while the Somerset is the recent
The Somerset field is served by a standard-pauge
railway, and the coal seams very thick and easily
Htc 50 their production in is greater than that
~ sii the Other mines Of Gunnison county when the
mines work full time If it only possible for Gun
nison and Crested Butte to be served by standard
gauge railway the mines could produce three to ten
tirn~s as much they do The Somerset district
the outcropping along the North Fork of the
unnison At the west end of the district the coal Is
trout Thousand feet above the valley Of the North
to- hut at Somerset the line outchop comes down
m f-e river Practically all Of tire mining and rrost
n fe prospecting in the Somerset district has been one
an The lower of coal beds or those of the ar;ne
q