I04 



THE MUSEUM 



the north sides of the mountain slopes, 

 about from 12, 500 to 12,750 feet above 

 sea level, while on the south and south- 

 western slopes, the snow line — during 

 July and August — is from 1,000 to i, 500 

 feet higher. In the extreme southern 

 part of New Mexico, there is no snow 

 and, consequently, but little timber at 

 any elevation. 



Fortunately for these countries, the 

 timber is most abundant where there are 

 minerals and other resources that at- 

 tract population. But the timber lands 

 of the Rocky Mountains are being rap- 

 idly denuded. As one passes up or 

 down the narrow valleys or canons of 

 this region, he will frequently see what 

 appears, in the distance, to be white, 

 conical-shaped, bee hives. A closer 

 view reveals the fact that they are 

 charcoal kilns. Hundreds, possibly 

 thousands, of these kilns are gradually, 

 but surely, consuming the timber from 

 off the mountain sides and converting 

 it into charcoal for the smelters at 

 Leadville, Denver, Pueblo and other 

 points. But the coals of these coun- 

 tries are being developed and already 

 form an important item of resource. 

 The eastern coal belt of Colorado 

 commences in the southeastern part of 

 the state near Cimmarron pass and ex- 

 tends in a westerly direction to Trini- 

 dad. From here it deflects to the 

 northwest and extends along the base 

 of the mountains almost to Colorado 

 Springs — about 150 miles. As one 

 goes up at the rate of 216 feet to 

 mile from Trinidad to the top of 

 divide — at Ratton Pass — he can 

 fail to observe that the coal measures 

 nearly parallel the grade of the railroad 

 all the way to the top. No granite or 

 other azoic rocks appear. The tunnel 

 at the pass seems to have penetrated 

 carboniferous rocks only — the cap rock 

 being a thick sandstone and, if I am 

 not mistaken, about on the same geo- 

 logical horizon as the Warrensburg, 

 Mo , sandstone. 



The above grade does not average 

 216 feet to the mile, but the track rises 

 about 2, 120 feet in sixteen miles with 



the 

 the 

 not 



several miles at a grade of 216 feet. It 

 will be seen from these figures that the 

 average dip of the coal or carboniferous 

 rocks is not less than 125 feet to the 

 mile for from fifteen or twenty miles, 

 as the dip extends east of Trinidad. 



I have seen no official figures on this 

 coal field, but think it fair to estimate 

 it at about i 500 square miles. The vein 

 now mostly worked is from four to 

 seven feet thick. 



The Canon City coal at the south 

 end of the field is not so nearly an an- 

 thracite, but is better adapted to the 

 making of coke. Perhaps none of the 

 coals of Colorado are equal to those of 

 Pennsylvania for cooking purposes with 

 the single exception of the Gunnison 

 coal. I do not know the size of the 

 Gunnison field, but it is undoubtedly a 

 very important one. I tried to go over 

 to inspect it, but the tunnel across the 

 continental divide at the head of Chalk 

 Gulch was not considered safe, so I 

 postponed the proposed survey till a 

 more convenient season. 



The coal field around Como, Colora- 

 do, in South Park, is quite extensive 

 and the coal seems to be about as good 

 as that at Trinidad, but not so good 

 as at Canon City. 



Speaking of the coal at Canon City, 

 calls to mind an unusual geological 

 phenomenon. It is possible to stand 

 on the cap rock sandstone above the 

 coal — possibly 80 to 125 feet — and 

 shoot a rifle ball against the granite 

 wall of a mountain that rises 4,000 feet 

 above you. Such a phenomenon I ob- 

 served about two miles southeast of 

 Canon City. Now, this coal belongs 

 geologically about 2,200 feet above the 

 granite, hence, here is a geological 

 fault of 6,200 feet in extent! Nature 

 has dealt with Colorado on a grand 

 scale. 



While at Canon City, let us look a 

 little farther at the natural resources. 

 At Florence, ten miles east, and extend- 

 ing for miles, is the great oil field. 

 Here are about 230 oil wells. Tanks 

 and derricks are to be seen on every 

 side. Some of the best wells yield 



