The Washington times., 1924-09-12
RICH COAL VEIN
IS. OPENED IN !.
ULSTER
New "Ruhr Valley" Is Seen
As Prospect From Recent
Discoveries
BY international News Service.

BY International News Service.
BELFAST. Sept. 1.-THE official
opening by the Prime Minister of
Northern ireland of the collieries
at Coalisland, county Tyrone. marks
a new era in the development of
Ulster, according to economic ex-
perts. A cheap and abundant sup
ply of coal raised within her own
borders will be assured, eliminating
or modifying the heavy freight
charges which imported fuel for In
dustrial and domestic purposes
hitherto entailed. Not only will Elk.
listing manufactures benefit, but
extensive steel and iron industries
may be brought into being. as
Ulster is rich in iron ore which
could not be commercially utilized
up to the present, owing to pro.
hibitive cost Of coal, they point
out.
This exploitation of the hidden
mineral resources Of County Tyrone
represents one OF the most amazing
enterprises in the history of in.
dustrial pioneering. Gigantic opera
lions have transformed the face Of
nature over n wide pastoral area.
Two twelve-foot diameter shafts
have been sunk to q depth of / .071
feet each, at a cost Of $50 per foot;
engine houses and an electric power
station have been erected, powerful
headgear and washing and screen.
ing plants have been constructed,
eight long railway sidings have been
linked up to the Great Northern
Railway system, streets upon streets
of new houses have been built,
miners have been brought over
from Cumberland and Scotland,
auxiliary brick and fireclay works,
employing hundreds of hands, are
working at overtime pressure. All
this is the outcome of the enter.
prise--not Of a State department,
nor of syndicate of SPECTATORS
but of one man, a patriotic Ulster
nan-Sir Samuel Kelly, of Belfast
who has staked huge fortune to
back his belief in the coal-bearing
potentialities Of the region.
Struck Rich Veins
AS the owner Of large collieries in
England, Sir Samuel's experience,
especially during the war years,
confirmed his conviction of the
presenee of rich beds of coal in the
Coalisland area. He first pur.
chased a small field for prospect.
ing purposes. Boring operations
continued over eighteen months
with most encouraging results, and
1t is now beyond the. region OF
doubt, it is declared, that the
treasures of the coal field are al
most inexhaustible. Immense de.
posits have been struck in success
sions of seams whose potenitalitles
have defied the arithmetic of the
most skillful mining engineers
Coal was struck at 1873 feet, and
within the 1910 feet level no fewer
than twelve rich seams, Of varying
thickness and an aggregate of thir.
ty-six feet, were encountered. Elk.
pert opinion pronounces the sam.
Piles to be excellent bituminous
coal up to the very hest Scotch
standard, suitable for either indus.
trial or domestic purposes. Roy
alties have been secured over an
area of four square miles, with the
present pit-the only colliery in
Ulster-as center. A minimum OF
water trouble was experienced
during the shaft sinking,
Extensive Supply
The engineering experts have
stated their belief that 200, 000, 900
tons of coal lie between the pres
ent colliery and the shores Of
Tough Neagh. The Kelly Colliery
is destined to develop only a small
portion of what is taken to be the
area of the basin, yet it is esti
mated to produce well over 100000
tons per annum, over an antici
pated life of forty years. When
the Kelly mine is in full swing il
will provide constant employment
for 1900 men. Already several
transport will be developed by mo
tor barges along the canals anC
over Tough Neagh. The collierS
is at present burning nothing but
Coalisland COAL The special traint
which will convey thes guests from
Belfast and other centers for the
official opening will consume the
Tyrone raised fuel.
AS a sequel to the coal prospect
ing operations, experiments with
clay held promise of successful ex
ploitation. A superabundance o.
this raw material is stratified II
the coal measures. This has nov
proved the foundation Of the only
fire-clay industry in Ireland, II
which nine large kilns are In daily
operation. The trade in pipes
gully traps, chimney pots, stove
and flue pipings, tiles, etc., for al
Ireland has already been captured
There is also an unlimited supply
Of china clay" waiting to be ex
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