242         CONTRIBUTIONS    TO    ECONOMIC    GEOLOGY,    1907,   PART   II. 
line,  but  it  is  the  best  that  has  been  found  between  North  Platte 
River  and  Point  of  Rocks.  It  is  used  merely  because  the  haulage  of 
water  for  locomotive  use  on  this  portion  of  the  road  is  too  expensive. 
In  any  part  of  the  field  water  as  good  as  that  obtained  at  Wam- 
sutter  could  probably  be  found  by  boring  to  about  the  same  depth. 
Until  late  in  the  summer  of  1907  all  the  water  for  about  3,000  men 
and  for  the  development  of  the  coal  mines  at  Superior  was  brought 
by  rail  from  Green  River.  Recently  artesian  water,  which  will 
probably  furnish  a  supply  sufficient  to  meet  the  demand,  has  been 
obtained  at  Superior.  Any  extensive  mining  development  will  have 
to  be  supplied  with  water  in  a  similar  way  from  sources  outside  of 
the  field  until  deep  wells  can  be  put  down. 
TIMBER  SUPPLY. 
The  roofs  of  most  of  the  coal  beds  are  very  poor  and  mines  will 
have  to  be  extensively  timbered.  The  area  is  devoid  of  timber 
except  along  the  crests  of  the  Ferris  and  Green  mountains,  where 
timber  is  abundant  enough  to  supply  extensive  operations  in  the 
northeastern  part  of  the  field.  Timber  for  the  remainder  of  the 
area  will  probably  have  to  be  brought  by  rail  from  other  localities 
in  the  surrounding  Rocky  Mountain  region,  and  will  be  a  large  item 
in  the  expense  of  mining  the  coal. 
MARKET. 
This  field  is  situated  in  about  the  center  of  the  coal  fields  of  south- 
ern Wyoming.  Its  coal  should  have  the  same  market  as  that  at 
present  shipped  from  the  Rock  Springs  and  Hanna  fields.  Coal 
from  these  two  fields  has  been  carried  eastward  as  far  as  Omaha, 
where  it  comes  into  competition  with  the  coals  of  Iowa  and  Mis- 
souri; southward  as  far  as  Denver,  where  it  is  marketed  with  the 
Colorado  coals;  northward  to  the  Black  Hills,  where  it  competes 
with  the  Sheridan  and  Cambria  coals;  and  westward  as  far  as  the 
Pacific  coast.  During  1907  the  demand  of  western  markets  became 
so  great  that  eastward  shipments  from  Rock  Springs  were  entirely 
abandoned  and  all  the  commercial  coal  produced  was  sent  west- 
ward. The  construction  of  the  proposed  railroad  up  the  Sweet- 
water will  extend  this  market  eastward  down  the  valley  of  North 
Platte  River  and  northward  to  the  Owl  Creek  Mountains. 
The  local  market  for  the  coal  will  be  very  slight.  Outside  of 
Rawlins  its  use  will  be  confined  to  a  few  scattering  ranches  and  to> 
the  development  of  the  mineral  resources  of  the  surrounding  moun- 
tains. 
