KOCK    SPRINGS    COAL   FIELD,    WYOMING.  281 
Reserve,  south  of  the  field;  (2)  the  Teton  Forest  Reserve  of  northern 
Uinta  County,  where  the  timber  could  be  floated  down  Hams  Fork  to 
Kemmerer,  Wyo.,  and  then  shipped  eastward  by  rail;  (3)  the  moun- 
tain ranges  on  the  east,  including  the  Sierra  Madre  and  the  Ferris 
and  Green  mountains. 
WATER    SUPPLY. 
This  entire  region  is  a  desert.  The  only  water  available  is  that  of 
Bitter  Creek,  and  this  is  scant  in  amount  and  not  fit  for  domestic  use. 
The  few  isolated  springs  that  are  scattered  over  the  region  are 
located  for  the  most  part  along  fault  lines.  They  furnish  only  a  small 
quantity  of  water,  and  can  not  be  depended  on  to  supply  even  a 
small  mining  camp. 
At  Rock  Springs  the  Bitter  Creek  water  and  water  pumped  from 
the  mines  is  used  to  some  extent  for  stock,  but  all  water  for  domestic 
or  household  purposes  is  pumped  from  Green  River.  At  Superior  the 
water  from  a  small  spring  is  used  in  part  for  watering  stock,  but 
all  the  water  used  by  the  miners,  as  well  as  that  used  by  the  town,  is 
shipped  in  large  tanks  by  rail  from  Green  River.  Drilling  for  water 
is  being  conducted  systematically  at  Superior,  with  the  hope  of  get- 
ting an  abundant  supply  of  good  artesian  water  from  the  sandstones 
of  the  Mesaverde  formation.  Flowing  water  was  obtained  in  the 
valley  just  north  of  the  depot  while  prospecting  for  coal  was  being  car- 
ried on  with  a  diamond  drill.  The  water-bearing  sandstone  at  this  place 
gave  promise  of  a  source  of  water  sufficient  to  meet  the  full  demands 
of  the  mining  camp.  Considerable  water  was  also  obtained  from  the 
white  sandstone  of  the  Mesaverde  in  the  vicinity  of  Emmons  Cone,  a 
few  miles  north  of  Superior. 
It  appears  from  the  well  records  and  flowing  wells  at  Rock  Springs, 
Superior,  Bitter  Creek,  and  other  points  along  the  Union  Pacific 
Railroad  that  water  can  be  obtained  in  almost  any  part  of  the  Rock 
Springs  field,  outside  of  the  Baxter  basin,  by  drilling  to  considerable 
depths.  Whether  the  supply  will  be  large  enough  to  meet  the  full 
demand  of  a  mining  camp  can  be  determined  only  by  careful  and 
systematic  drilling.  In  many  parts  of  the  field,  particularly  in  the 
Great  Divide  Basin,  water  may  be  obtained  by  drilling  to  relatively 
shallow  depths,  say  several  hundred  feet,  but  this  water  is  very  apt  to 
be  highly  alkaline. 
COAL   MARKETS. 
The  natural  commercial  markets  for  coal  from  the  Rock  Springs 
field  are  the  villages,  towns,  and  cities  lying  to  the  east  and  west 
along  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  and  the  Oregon  Short  Line,  with 
their  various  connecting  lines  and  centers  of  industry.  Coal  from 
this  field  has  been  shipped  east  as  far  as  Omaha,  Kansas  City,  and  St. 
Louis;  and  west  to  Salt  Lake  and  other  cities  in  the  mountain  States, 
