Show coal industry of utah in in 1917 BY W A FOSTER the coal industry of utah during the year 1917 has received so much publicity due to shortage of coal that the writer will endeavor to give a clear idea of the underlying causes for the coal shortage as well of the of the as a synopsis progress industry itself luring during the calendar year during the past ten years there has been a constant increase in the number of producing mines in the utah coal fields with rapidly increasing production while the market for coal was increasing very slowly so that by the calendar year 1916 mines in tile the castle valley coal field of utah when working days a year were capable of producing approximately tons of coal with a market only being able to take the utah markets were probably better taken care of than nearly any other in the united states in the mississippi valley where the country is level railroad construction and haulage costs low coal readily available within two or three hundred feet of the surface over wide areas the coal shortage was very acute in chicago which is within miles of some of the largest producing coal areas in the united states schools were compelled to close and factories and suffering was generally widespread at the present time the coal situation is easy in utah and will continue so while in the east especially in the manufacturing fac turing centers in illinois indiana ohio michigan etc many plants have been or road companies in legislation railroad commissions etc has been destructive of railroad credit stopped practically all new construction st and forcing curtailments curt ailments in railroad expenditures until the railroads are unable ablerto to handle freight tendered to them for shipment this statement is not hot made on the basis that railroads should not be subject to proper regulation both by the interstate commerce commission and public utilities commission of the states nor is it to be inferred that the public utilities commission in utah has in any way attempted to hamper the operations of the railroads in fact the utah public utilities commission has attempted in every way so far as possible to aid the railroads in utah the foregoing is simply a statement of railroad conditions as they now exist for which some remedy must be found and quickly found or the results to the country as a whole will be disastrous while the M NIT 4 1 n wv ap A fk ie mv 0 A ina aa t V xz SALT lah double entrance tipple of the utah fuel company at its castle gate mines photo by will C higgins tons the natural result of this condition was that coal was readily available at all times to the public in any quantity desired and on this account the storage of coal by consumers was practically eliminated everyone simply living so to speak from hand to mouth so far as the consumption of coal was concerned during this same period railroad facilities were not increased appreciably and probably as a whole throughout the united states railroad facilities were actually on the decrease in the fall and winter of 1916 this situation was brought home to the consuming public in a very acute fuel shortage which extended throughout the entire united states and canada locally the public seemed to be under the impression that the only territory in any way affect ell d by a shortage of fuel were the markets supplied with utah coal while as a matter of tact fact judge building salt lake utah dered to suspend operations by the fuel administrator until relief can be afforded the general public and a reasonable supply of fuel obtained for plan plants ts directly concerned with the manufacture of war supplies the shortage of fuel the shortage of fuel throughout the country is not due to labor shortage at the coal mines or to lack of production capacity but is due entirely to failure of railroad transportation facilities this failure of transportation facilities does not apply to any one railroad system but applies to practically every system in the united states today the loss to producing coal companies due to failure of adequate transportation facilities cili ties for utah alone is undoubtedly several million dollars and to the country as a whole the losses due to failure to move crops manufactured products etc undoubtedly run into hundreds of millio millions ns of dollars the attitude of the public to toward ward rail cost cast of labor and supplies of all kinds has been constantly increasing no increases in freight rates have been allowed the railroads for long period of years to the contrary in a great many ca cases ses rates have been reduced the result is that while the public is not directly paying increased freight rates it is doing so indirectly in the coal business the costs of production have been very materially increased due to the fact that mines were working three or four days a week instead of six days as they should be doing if transportation facilities were available A mine working half time is subject to the same overhead charges for supervision interest depreciation and so on as if it was working full time and getting out double the tonnage increased cost of coal this increased cost is naturally reflected in increased cost of coal to the public the foregoing applies to other lines lilies of business as well which are affected by irregular and inadequate car supply As a matter of public economy it is cheaper to pay increased freight rates thus permitting the railroads to obtain adequate equipment and move all freight promptly coal production in 1917 the coal tonnage for 1917 produced by the mines operating in utah is approximately tons over that of 1916 the production during 1916 being tons and the tonnage for 1917 being approximately tons the tonnage for 1918 should be considerably in excess of that of 1917 providing transportation facilities are available as there have been new properties opened up during the year which should be regular producers during the coming year breaking of mammoth reservoir one of the things which caused the most serious of mining and transportation por tation of coal during the year was the breaking of the mammoth reservoir dam in places as to put it out of commission for over two weeks thus closing down all the mines being served by the denver rio grande in carbon county for that length of time A number of houses at castle gate and helper including the railroad station at castle gate were washed away and it was only through exceptional efforts on the part of the utah fuel company employed emp loyes at castle gate that the tipple and power house were not swept away it is estimated that the loss in coal tonnage due to the flood was in excess of tons enough coal to have made the situation easy in all utah markets safety and first aid the utah coal companies during the past few years have as a whole equipped their mines with up to date safety and first aid appliances and have instructed and encouraged the men in their use the coal companies have made consistent efforts to improve the living conditions of their men and mine now being operated by that copa company pany the road from the new opening to the pres dres ent tipple will be operated by electricity the peerless coal company the peerless coal company operating in spring canyon carbon county will be one of 0 the new producers during 1918 during the past year this company completed the grading of the railroad yards the tipple is ig now about halt half constructed all ties rails and materials on the ground several hundred feet of development work has been lone done underground has built several cottages and one 12 room apartment house the tram line is about sixty per cent completed expects to receive a large hoist the latter part of january has put in electric shaker screens with double compartment tipple so that the upper deck will not have the shake and jar of the shaker screens in fact everything should be in readiness by the first of march to mine and ship coal on a fairly large scale ji ia it t A 0 I 1 r 5 az tt AP alt A 21 4 iq A 4 A y a ja S t va TA surface buildings and main entry of blackhawk mine united states fuel company photo photo by will C higgins during the latter part of june caused according to the report of state engineer mcgonagle by faulty construction of the dam and lack of proper care by the man in charge this reservoir was located in the head waters of price river and was used to impound water to irrigate farming lands in the vicinity of price utah the natural water channel which carried the water from the reservoir to the irrigated lands was along the pleasant valley branch line of the denver rio grande from scofield to colton and the main line of that road from colton to helper practically the entire track from scofield to colton was washed out thus closing this branch of the road seventy days this of course completely closed the operations of the utah fuel companas Comp anys mines at clear creek and winter quarters for that length of time entailing upon both the fuel company and the railroad a very serious loss from colton to price the main line of the railroad was so badly washed out make their home conditions more pleasant planting lawns and gardens improving sanitary conditions of camps until at the present time the coal mining districts of utah are far ahead of any other coal mining district in the united states improvements made in 1917 an electric haulage system has been installed during the year in the property owned and operated by carbon fuel company located in spring canyon carbon county this enables the company to handle a greater tonnage of coal made available by their recent developments there have also been constructed at this property forty miners cottages enabling the company to take care of its increased number of em aloyes and to furnish them with first class living jiving accommodations I 1 independent coal coke the independent coal coke company lids has opened a new mine in bull hollow about two miles from the main mail entry of the the liberty fuel company a recently organized company is operating in spring canyon and expects to be equipped by the first of the year to get out about tons a days the company has installed three sullivan and three goodman mining md machines chines built a frame tipple with crossover cross over dump ducap the tipple having a capacity of 1200 tons a day also built a tramway about feet long and the coal will be lowered from froin the mine to the tipple by a horsepower hoist has eighty coal cars ready for service I lag ilag constructed twenty dwelling houses store and boarding and bunk house and various mine buildings spring canyon coal during the past year the spring canyon coal company operating at storrs has completed the installation of its big electrically driven mine hoist which should increase the tonnage of the mine approximately tons a lay day this company now has under construction st a surface tram replacing the aerial aena tram train now in use ilse connecting the portal of the main mine entry with the old tipple as well as with the new tipple which will soon be built the yard capacity at the tipple has also been enlarged it is expected that these improvements when fully completed will double the present capacity of the mine in addition the company has been quipped with enough now new mine cars locomotives etc to enable the elie property to operate to its full capacity the standard coal company the standard coal company operating in spring canyon has made a number of improvements prove ments during the past year this company has built a now new fan house is now using in the mine four short wall undercutting machines and two straight face mining machines clif fies three new 15 ton haulage locomotives have been put in service has increased its electrical department by the addition of a kw motor generator set and has added to its mine equipment fifty all steel mine cars the company has erected two large new boarding houses and twenty one brick residences has also made several additions to tipple and other machinery as well as a number of improvements around the townsite united states fuel the united states fuel company one of the older coal producers in the castle valley field operating mines at mohrland blackhawk and hiawatha has made a number of improvements in its properties during 1917 both in its mines and quarters for its employed emp loyes new up to date machinery consisting of three mining machines and two shoveling machines will soon be installed these shoveling machines will do the loading formerly done by hand and help considerably in the present labor shortage the properties of this company are thoroughly equipped with electric haulage systems four new locomotives having been put in service recently it now has under construction an amusement hall has completed the building of a hospital it is expected that the tonnage for the mouth month of december will be greater than in any previous month in the history of the company the utah fuel company utah fuel company the largest coal producing company in utah during the year has made a number of improvements which are innovations for coal mining in utah the most important of which is the construction of three large concrete steel miners bath houses each able to accommodate men these have been constructed at castle gate and sunnyside Sunny side the buildings are equipped with shower baths lavatories toilets hot and cold water and steam heat in fact they represent the latest and best in this class of construction they are located convenient to mine entrances so that the men on leaving the mine can bathe and change their clothes leaving their working clothes in a well ventilated and heated portion of the building over night the floors walls and drains are built of concrete so that buildings can be thoroughly washed out with a hose as often as necessary two large amusement halls have also been constructed one at castle gate and one at at sunnyside Sunny side these halls are two full stories and contain bowling alleys pool halls refreshment rooms reading rooms for both men and women barber shop large dance hall and auditorium with stage and dressing rooms spacious lobby and large veranda fifty new houses also three apartment terraces each containing ten 2 room apartments have been constructed at sunnyside Sunny side this apartment house feature is something new for coal mining camps most of these houses have been built of concrete blocks and are thoroughly fireproof A two story reading room and pool hall has also been new coke screening plant at sunnyside Sunny side which will enable the company to recover marketable coke co ke from the fines which heretofore has been wasted the wattis coal company the wattis coal company compan y during the year 1917 has put forth its best efforts in getting its property in shape to commence operations on a fairly large scale by january 15 1918 at which time the company expects to be shipping about tons per day an electric haulage system has been installed in this property has completed thirty new cottages for the housing of its employed emp loyes as well as a large store building the company has completed the building of a branch railroad line two miles in length to connect its property with the utah railway the wattis coal company was incorporated during the past year and its property is located in carbon county a few miles 7 X 1 I 1 b jak shelf line of independent coal coke co photo by will C higgins built at this camp which is being used by the japanese colony employed there the old saloon buildings have been remodeled into places of amusement and recreation for the different nationalities ninety three new coke ovens have been constructed at sunnyside Sunny side during 1917 making in all and which now gives the sun gun camp the largest single beehive coke oven operation in the united states these new ovens will be fired january A great deal |