TWENTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 241 



200 feet. It would appear from such records as I have seen that in 1867 and 

 1868 not less than 50,000 bushels were taken out each year, and the aggre- 

 gate was probably not less than 250,000 bushels. The coal as seen now at 

 the outcrop is from 18 inches to two feet thick. The upper third is de- 

 cidedly inferior quality, but the lower part is as good coal as is obtained in 

 the region. It was used in early days by the blacksmiths and by the gas 

 company as well as by mills and foundries. It is easily accessible by a rail- 

 way switch a mile long and can be cheaply mined. It cannot afford to be 

 carried on country roads in competition with Leavenworth coal with railway 

 rates. The area underlain by this coal is several hundred acres and may be 

 more. 



There is still a body of coal in that district which, notwithstanding some 

 disadvantages, can be cheaply mined. Its extent cannot well be less than 

 500 acres, and it is possible it may be three or four times as great. Worked 

 on the long-wall system an acre of coal one foot thick would give 44,000 

 bushels, and it is within bounds to say that the Little Stranger coal would 

 average 16 inches of high quality, though it has the disadvantage of being 

 associated with six or eight inches of less value that would have to be mined 

 with it. It is covered with shales and clay to a depth of 30 to 50 or 60 feet. 

 The thicker coverings include a bed of limestone four feet thick. 



There is a coal on Salt creek and on Big Stranger near Tonganoxie at 

 somewhere near this horizon, but the weather prevented my determination 

 of its exact relations or its thickness. 



The time will come when these upper seams at Big Stranger, Little 

 Stranger, Salt creek and Kickapoo will again become important parts of the 

 resources of the county, though they may not rank in value with the output 

 of the coal from the Leavenworth deep vein. 



These coal seams are accompanied by shales some of which will certainly 

 make vitrified brick, and it may be that exposition of the problem of their 

 use lies in this association, and we may have successful brick, tile and pot- 

 tery yards in the central section of the county where the clay and the coal 

 will be on the same land. 



The story of the development of the deep coal at Leavenworth has been 

 often told. I only refer to it to express my own appreciation of the persever- 

 ance and spirit of Major Hawn in not giving up when the depth was greater 

 than he had at first anticipated. To him the city of Leavenworth is indebted 

 for the principal factor of its prosperity. 



The seam of coal which I call the Leavenworth main coal is now being 

 mined in five places. From the Leavenworth company's shaft in the north to 

 the penitentiary shaft the distance on a north and south line is 5^/^ miles, the 

 latter being about a half mile to the east. Add to this the distance of the 

 southern face in the Lansing mine and the northern face in the Leavenworth 

 mine from their respective shafts and we have a north and south extension 

 of proved coal of fully seven miles. The distance of the penitentiary and 

 Brighton mines in the same way gives us a proved existence of three miles 

 east and west. We have then an area of 21 square miles in which the coal 

 is known, having been proved by the successive sinking and successful work- 

 ing of the 



Leavenworth Coal Company's shaft 1870 



Penitentiary shaft 1881 



Riverside mine 1886 



The Home mine 1889 



The Brighton mine 1889 



—16 



