The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1930-12-15
CARLOADS OF
COAL ARE EXPORTED
MONTHLY IN SEASON
BeuIah Has Grown From Com
munity Of $50 to Over
1900 in Decade
development IS EXPECTED
4OO,O 900 Bushels OF Grain and
70 Carloads of Livestock
Shipped Out

TSVSVSS
70 Carloads of Livestock
Shipped Out
Beulah. N. D., Dec. 15.-No. ! wheat.
No. / livestock and No. I coal-these
three items of production have mark
ed Mercer county as a favored spot In
that tremendously rich hinterlaiid OF
North Dakota known as the Missouri
Slope. There has been lais = scale
production in every line mentioned.
and the quality has been uniformly
excellent.
A large proportion Of the wheat
raised in this locality is purchased
by the millers at a premium. Most
of. the wheat shipped out of Zap Is
No. /, and at least 10 per cent OF it
goes direct to the mills. Livestock
produced brings the best prevailing
prices and the Ignite exported has a
ready sale in eastern North Dakota,
South Dakota, Minnesota and other
neighboring states.
Beulah is the largest city or the
Killdeer branch OF the Northern Pa
cific system. Ten years ago 1t had
a population of-552. The last census
placed the figure at $40, but with new
Subdivisions recently added, the pop
ulation Is said to be W 1900. TIE
increase Is due largely to the rapid
growth of the coal mining industry.
10000 Monthly Payroll
The Knife River Coal Mining COM
pany, established at Beulah in 1928,
is one Of the largest OF its kind in
the state. 1t employs from 200 to $50
men at the mine and 20 at the power
plant and tipple, and In winter the
payroll will average $4,000 a month.
Operates Daily Train
The Northern Pacific operates a
coal train daily to take carr OF the
output at Beulah and Zap. The Knife
River company alone produces 1900
carloads q month during the cold
season, and about Is per cent Of the
coal is shipped to Minnesota and
South Dakota points.
The company workings are all I'm
der ground. With. % miles of graded
and ballasted trackage in the tunnels.
Electricity plays a big part In the
operations. the locomotives and coal
cutting machines being electrically
operated. There r 400 mine cars
in daily use on the narrow-gauge
tramway and an average Of SIS such
carloads are hauled to the tipple
daily to be screened. The screen
separates the coal into four varieties
slack, crush. six-inch lump and
large lump. The mine Is two miles
>orth of the tipple and power plant,
which arc located within the city Inn
its. The miners ride to and from
their work in passenger coaches pro-
vided by the mining company.
M. M. Mounts, general Superintend-
ent In charge. Is authority for the
statement that the Knife River Coal
Mining company has led the state ir
Ignite production the last five years
and that Mercer Is the banner coal
producing county in the state.
One Of the chief drawbacks IN lig-
mite mining Is the excessive amount
of moisture the coal contains as II
comes from the mine. To overcome
this difficulty, 1t is possible that the
company may decide to install
dehydrating plant at Beulah in the
near future. As an experiment, five
carloads Of Beulah Ignite recent,
were shipped to Howe. Okla. to bt
run through q drying plant. The re.
result Is said to have been quite sat.
tsfactory.
Miners Are Banqueted
On Wednesday, night. Dec. 3, a ban
quet was given by the Knife Rivel
Coal Mining company to its employees
and their families. A total of 40(
came to sit at the festal tables ane
enjoy the feast and music. NJ
speeches were made, excepting q brieI
address Of welcome. Following tn,
supper, old and new dance music
was played, and everybody Joined IL
the frolic. This was the third annua
banquet.
Beulah as an industrial city is thu
described by A. D. Brown, the loca
editor: "Beulah is the best town IL
the state, bar none, and has q bigge,
percentage Of people gainfully EN-
ployed than any other town in Nortl
Dakota. Our miners are for the mos
part a sober. industrious lot, and arr
paying for their homes. It has beer
said that q miner would eat hay /
there was whiskey on it!-thAt ma,
be true In some places, but does no
apply here. Among those employees
at the big mine are two ministers o
the gospel" .
Henry Ford's dream of industr
moving to the country may be real
lied In the not distant future. accord
Ing to Editor Brown. He says: w
have thousands OF acres Of level bot
tom lands along the Knife river, an,
are expecting to get federal aid 70
q big dam. halt way between Beulal
and Zap. to impound the water 70
Irrigation purposes. These fertil
acres could then be used for CROWN
alfalfa and sugar beets. We hav
numerous young farmers who spen
their winters in the mines, and sue
IN irrigation district would be
great contribution to the genera
prosperity in the slack" summe
season."
Ignite is not the only item Of ex
port from Beulah. This season 400,
600 bushels Of grain. mostly whea'
were shipped out, the wheat averag
Ing No. 2 In quality. The shipmen
Of livestock for the first 10 month
amounted to 70 carloads.
The second wing Of Beulah's hand
some high school building was com
pleted last year. increasing the ca
pacity by more than half. The me-
addition includes a large gymnasium
A full four-year high school cours
Is given and Superintendent Geore
Kadlec has II teachers under hi
charge. There are six active churc
denominations at Beulah-the Re
mar Catholic. Lutheran, Congrega
tional. Baptist, Evangelical. an
Church Of Christ.
Big Strip Mine al Zap