246  CONTRIBUTIONS    TO    ECONOMIC    GEOLOGY,  1905. 
Farther  southeast  the  coal  bods  of  this  group  are  of  workable  proportions,  as  shown  1> 
the  following  section  near  Beaver  Creek,  a  tributary  of  Los  Pinos  River: 
Section  of  coal  bed  in  sec.  17,  T.  35  N.,  R.  6  W.,  1\  miles  north-northwest  of  J.  W,  Love 
ranch,  near  Beaver  Creek,  Colorado. 
Ft.  In. 
Sandstone 5 
Draw  slate 1 
Coal 5-6 
Bony  coal 6 
Coal 2    4 
Sandstone. 
On  (lie  head  of  Beaver  Creek,  where  this  bed  is  worked  in  the  Black,  Wheeler,  and  other 
mines,  its  section  is  substantially  as  follows: 
Section  of  coal  bed  in  Wheeler  mine,  at  haul  of  Beaver  Creek,  Colorado. 
Ft.  In. 
Coal 2 
Shale 15 
Coal,  bony .. I  2 
Coal 2  8£ 
Coal,  bony 1 
Coal 5 
A  sample  was  taken  at  this  mine  for  chemical  analysis  by  making  a  cut  from  roof  to  (loor 
across  the  face  of  the  coal,  exclusive  of  the  bony  coal  parting  1  inch  in  thickness.  This 
sample,  consisting  of  about  25  pounds  of  coal,  was  crushed  to  aboul  one-half  inch  size  an! 
quartered  down  until  a  quarl  sample  was  obtained.  This  was  sealed  air-tighl  in  a  gal 
vanized-iron  can  and  sent  to  the  coal-testing  plant  at  St.  Louis  for  analysis.  The  result  is 
given  in  analysis  No.  1 ,  on  page  258.  This  shows  the  sample  to  he  a  good  grade  of  bitumi 
nous  coal,  with  a  fairly  low  percentage  of  moisture  and  sulphur,  but  a  high  percentage  oj 
ash.  The  great  amount  of  ash  is  the  principal  defect  in  this  coal,  which  otherwise  seems 
to  be  a  steaming  coal  of  good  quality. 
South  of  Beaver  Creek  the  sandstones  associated  with  the  Laramie  (?)  coal  group  form  a 
line  of  hogbacks  trending  nearly  south  to  the  head  of  Yellow  jacket  Creek,  a  tributary  o| 
Piedra  River.  The  coal  has  been  opened  at  several  places  along  this  line,  but  only  a  few 
of  these  prospects  were  visited.  An  opening  on  the  Glenn  ranch,  on  fellow jacket  Creek 
shows  a  sect  ion  of  about  100  feet  in  which  there  are  three  coal  beds,  measuring,  in  ascending 
order,  0  feet,  I  feet,  and  13  feet  in  thickness.  Five  miles  farther  south,  near  the  Bio;  Rene 
of  the  creek,  the  coal  has  been  well  prospected,  and  it  is  reported  to  be  changed  locally  t< 
anthracite  and  to  contain  natural  coke. 
Down  the  Piedra  from  the  mouth  of  Yellowjacket  ('reek  to  bio  Nutria  and  extending 
a  few-  miles  up  the  latter  stream  the  outcrops  of  coal  are  more  or  less  continuous,  and  since 
the  rocks  are  only  slightly  inclined,  the  coal  beds  underlie  a  considerable  area  between  the 
Piedra  and  Nut  ria .  At  a  number  of  points  in  this  region  the  coal  has  lost  much  of  its  \  alui 
by  (ire,  which  locally  has  burned  out  some  beds  and  deteriorated  others. 
MONTEZUMA    MOUNTAIN    DISTRICT. 
The  Montezuma  Mountain  district  lies  to  the  east  of  the  one  just  described  and  extends 
from  west  of  Gato  Creek  and  the  Rio  Grande,  Pagosa  and  Northern  Railroad  southeast- 
ward across  San  Juan  River  to  the  New  Mexico  line.  The  Laramie  (  0  alone  is  coal  bearing 
in  this  district,  or  at  least  this  is  the  only  formation  in  which  workable  coal  was  found 
The  coal  has  been  mined  by  whites  and  Indians  in  the  hills  west  of  Gato  Creek  and  in  the 
mesa  contiguous  to  Archuleta  Mountain,  east  of  San  Juan  River.  Near  the  latter  place  thd 
principal  coal  bed  caps  Montezuma  Mountain,  and  for  that  reason  is  currently  known  as 
the  "Montezuma  11-foot  vein."  1'rospects  have  been  opened  on  San  Juan  and  Navajo 
rivers  several  miles  above  Juanita,  but  the  only  point  of  commercial  production  at  present 
