The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1924-05-15
THE AGITATION FOR
COAL FROM briggs

THE AGITATION FOR
COAL FROM briggs
During the world war considerabl
interest was stirred over the pros
poets for getting cheaper coal neare
home for eastern Idaho, and man,
people in the Snake river vale,
bought stock in the mine at briggs
The enterprise passed thru bank
ruptcy and people lost all they pu
into 1t. Yt.
Recently If. F. Samuels of Nortl
Idaho toured the valley making
speeches to interest people in the
mine and transportation for the coal
Chambers of Commerce took 1t VI
and urged people to attend the hear
ing of the Utilities Commission al
briggs when 1t was considering the
petition to require the railroad com
pany to finish the spur to the mine
and furnish service. The rather
weak plea was made to the people
that by force of numbers they might
influence the commission by going
there enmasse on the first day, and
the appeal was made to people to
leave their work and journey to
briggs, to help make the commission
make the Short Line make the spur.
A significant feature of the mat
ter was that the railroad company
put on a special train to help get the
crowd there and gave them very
low rate for the occasion. They too,
seemed anxious to have the people
on the ground getting first hand in
formation. The people of briggs
whooped 1t up, either from faith in
the enterprise or from the conviction
that they would be benefited by the
greater volume of business brought
to their locality.
The excursion was a success from
point of numbers, and the auto ex-
cursionists added to the dust and
noise and mass of people. The mem
bers of the commission were probably
duly impressed by the full house and
the prOmenaders on the streets. 1t
might truthfully be said that men
holding such positions and trained to
weigh facts and to disregard noise
and numbers and demonstrations,
may not have been at all affected by
the froth of the occasion. The hear
ing lasted many days and resolved it.
self into fact-finding court as might |
have been expected, caring for little |
else but facts.
During these two efforts to get
coal moving from briggs, the press
of the valley have been asked to give
a great deal OF space to the subject,
and they have responded rather gen.
but not without a liberal
amount of misgivings about the
merits of the case and the motives
behind the agitation. 1t was whis-
,ered that there was politics in 1t,
md that Mr.. Samuels was making
his play to aid his chronic effort to
make himself governor. That he /
las put no money into 1t and yet
to do so IL his requests for ]
bear fruit. Short 8
line officials seemingly tested the (
incerity of his efforts by making | /
ONE shrewd moves, offering him I
ertain things that he wanted, but F
equiring him to give bonds for F
arrying out his own offers. The wayl s
Ir. Samuels side-stepped has con- \
inced a good many people that he t
as not sincere, and that his efforts
ere directed to the task of mining
otes rather than COAL However,
lis may be in truth, it now appears |:
ute certain that there is a large +
ody of coal there, and considerable !!
irth mixed with it, That there is
ineral or clay of peculiar texture
lveloping the coal that expands and
ls the workings of expansion as
ION as water gets into, thus making u
necessary to keep it absolutely -
lmped or drained at all times. The ~
lality of the coal is admittedly of the .,
kind, indeed to such 81
IRENE that it burns out CRATES and
ove-backs and bowls while people u
e learning how to use it. 1t is 81
i'd to be cOkfng coal-the kind that sc
ats up slowly but goes on intensi- ~
ing beyond all expectations of peo- "
9 accustomed to ordinary coal. And 81
len it is burned out it leaves very al
tie ashes or cinder. 1t is said to ~
the particular kind of coal that is 81
cessary for working iron and steel, W. ~
t not desirable for ordinary COM .,
,rcial use. tho people having plenty Id
kindling and willing to take time =
get the fire going and careful not
use too much and overhead their III
ives or furnaces after it has lain lE
burned a while, find it a excel E
It and economic fuel. liz
1t is too early to close ones con- E
sions on the question of coal If
m briggs and further time will E
,bably add some important fea- E
'es, but from information at hand E
W, 1t seems quite certain that it lE
i be some time before briggs coal lE
put on the market very far from IE
Eggs, and a very long time before |E
will be offered in such quantity HE
uout the valley that people can IE
G and order briggs coal any day |E
the year and get it, When coal H
h peculiarities can only be OBJ liz
ned intermitently,. and the con- |E
ners have to use other coal re- IE
ring very different stove manage IIE
Mt the rest of the time, the new lE
nd of coal will have very doubt |IE
value. IlB