COLORADO COAL. 569 



COLORADO COAL. 



The coal deposits of Colorado are practically inexhaustible, and they are to 

 be found in almost every portion of that State. The Denver Republican in a re- 

 cent issue gives some interesting statistics concerning them. The northern belt 

 — in three counties — some twenty mines, are now being worked, the coal from 

 which is free-burning, semi-bituminous, and of fair quality, the output for last 

 year having amounted to 550,000 tons. The middle region — that lying between 

 Denver and Colorado Springs — from the only mine being worked the output dur- 

 ing the last half of the year was some 34,000 tons; while in the southern belt, 

 which includes Trinidad and El Moro, the entire region is rich in fine quality of 

 coking coal. At the Starkville mine 100,000 ton's were mined and shipped last 

 year, the value of which loaded on the cars was about $2 per ton. At the same 

 point forty coke ovens are in operation, the product of which is worth $4.50 per 

 ton, and all of which goes to Arizona. The Eagle mine shipped 400,003 tons of 

 coal and 12,000 tons of coke, and another mine produced 20,000 tons of coal. 

 The output of coal from the Canon region was 160,000 tons for the year; while 

 that from the Gunnison country was 43,500 tons of soft and 2,000 tons of anthra- 

 cite coal. The Colorado Coal & Iron Company manufactured at their mines at 

 Crested Butte 10,000 tons of coke. 



The area of soft coal land outside of Cres'ed Batte is very extensive, coal of 

 more or less degree of excellence being found under hundreds of square miles 

 throughout Gunnison County. The anthracite coal is found over an extensive 

 territory, but much of it is inaccessible and of an inferior quality. The best coal 

 is found at the head of Anthracite Creek, about three miles from Crested Butte. 

 An equally good quality is also found on Rock Creek; but the immense seams 

 found down Anthracite Creek toward the North Fork of the Gunnison River 

 hardly come up to the Pennsylvania standard of excellence. The anthracite 

 trade of this region is yet in its infancy, but when preparations that are now being 

 made for mining and handling it are once fairly under way, it will probably be 

 able to furnish 200 or 300 tons per day, and the demand will inevitably increase. 

 The coal is inSall respects the equal of the Pennsylvania anthracite, chemical 

 analysis and physical structure failing to show any material difference. 



La Plata County is also very rich in excellent coal, the largest vein of which 

 is the Mammoth, near Durango, which is 52 feet in width. In this county the 

 seams are numerous and large, and for the most part so situated as to allow of 

 cheap and expeditious mining. The character of the coal is mainly bituminous 

 and well adapted to coking, though some of the seams yield a steam coal of re- 

 markably good quality. The output in 1882 from the various mines there was 

 about 5,900 tons, to which should be added the output of the railroad mine at 

 Monero, which is in this belt, which produced 12,000 tons, making a total of 



