Show I t il MINES AID n IM 1 i e fm bpi f i II f m UINTAH r AU BASIN ex It By gy JOHN BRISTOL n. n of the coal mining minim q Ji De of the Uintah basin dur dur- y commensurate illy iI Ing 1027 1927 9 the 7 progressed tonnage taken talen from rom UK the lives mines were additional No ro f- f s epee ined as the developed properties III a all an ll the coal needed Vast Vas t E its of bituminous coal under under- co In the vicinity o of jt round ground t o e and nd for more than thirty nal f 15 r erne the the fuel has been years ears s I 1 mIned eon c cagy The The Pack Allan Tucker North wj and Farmers Farmers' coal mines nunes are art Hi star eight eiM to ten miles west oi of oft t rated the Colliers Colliers' and nal the Bluebell coal mines are ure located on y D Dudley dleY twelve to fourteen creel creek Sh lt t northeast of Vernal and twenty nes enty miles northeast of I Fort ort Du- Du is located the government c coal al 1 BUO mine owned b by the federal and supplying coal to toSi toI I 1 Si headquarters of the Ouray Uin Ouray- Ouray UInI UIn- UIn tM the I th Indian agency at Fort Duchesne t I W end to the Indian school at White White- and other bundi buildings gs in the capital of the reservation resen AIl iii the he commercially developed foal coal mines mined of the Uintah basin are rated healed in Uintah county count and their total annual output is approximate- approximate tons practically all of this y being consumed by br residents residents resi resi- d dents ts of the communities and farm of Ashley valley aIley with a snail Snail percentage going into Du- Du e county but since the ad- ad ont nt of the alfalfa seed industry the WIth ith consequent freighting of product to the railway coal from frome ie e railway points Is brought into hat bat county as a back Not a Krand P md of coal C cj al save the special coal to some fome extent ex- ex l tr ty tent is Imf imported orte into Uin Uintah h county count PAH All AIt the coal from t the e mines in inthe he the vicinity o of oP Vernal ernat is bituminous a sQ 1 found in the Mancos formation forma forma- tion lion with the Uie shafts descending at atan atan 5 i an average pitch hitch itch of 18 per pel cent The average a thickness of the veins jn hall n all t the e mines is five and one half feet and all the veins eins carry three fades les es of coal the coal the top the thick center and the bottom layers lavers The coal taken from the top and bottom layers is the hardest and has the best storage qualities showing low deterioration when exposed to the The top and bottom coal coa I Ay actual tests is said to have been proven ro th the best steam coal mined Jn I 6 the state of Utah A All AIl I the prinCIpal prin- prin CIpal business blocks of Vernal are in ine thi this coal for their steam- steam heating plants plant's and for many years ears earst t 1 has hag been giving eminent satis satis- faction Since the Pack Allan mine has hasteen been teen producing coal for more than thirty hirly years without interruption 0 of pI pIa a and is the pioneer mine of je e Uintah lh basin bacin coal industry an numeration enumeration of its phases of y serve serre as a general g report Bring the coal mining minim industry cf of t the Uintah basin The PackMan Pack Pack- t Man lan is the only coal mine in lathe inthe the Jasin sin asin operating tb the entire year all the tte e others operating operating only from six tp to nIne mon months annually The Pack- Pack ulan Allan likewise Is the only coal mine f the basin utilizing electric power la a its is operation n. n operating two mm and the hoist by that meth- meth t 03 ga The operation of the Pack Allan nd all the other mines gives employment em em- f to many residents of Uin- Uin h county county- from six to twelve i f months each year The price of th the cal at the mines the bu buyer er haulin hauling haul haul- in ing I the co coal L Is js 5 per ton delivered ered fed ered to the consumer consumer the price is 1650 per ton tori The consumer is thus enabled to obtain good coal et 11 a a. moderate price In the Pack Allan the expansIon expansion sion slon of development Incident to the lining of the annual output tons us has brought ht the main maln slope to depth of feet leet with entries entres Driven en to toa a length of 1400 feet the mIne nuie work employing eighteen men At A. A the end of 1928 this mine In its three thirty years has produced an output Q of more than tons rons tons of coal joal al and all of this has been tak taken n Tram mm m above the foot lOO-foot level eve The y owners have determined to conserve conserve conserve con con- serve the main deposit of coal in inthIs inthis inthis this mine so as to be enabled to s supply sup supply sup sup- p- p ply the the increased demand certain to develop with the growth of population population population pop pop- and increased industrial development de de- de- de of the Uintah basins basin's active active active ac ac- ac- ac tive and latent resources For this reason the output of the mine has been en taken entirely from side en entries entries entries en- en tries deviating from the main shaft The present equipment of the mine is equal to a production of tons daily whenever that quantity it called for The mine min has a bin capacity of tons v a steel- steel rail track to facilitate the removal of output During the winter a continuous stream of wagons wagons wagons wa wa- gons and trucks is seen along the roads bringing coal to various lo localities localities localities lo- lo of Ashley valley team team- drawn wagons predominating In t t. tie je e parade most of the he mines mines' ar are lo located located located lo- lo in rough terrain more easily to negotiable team and wagon than to motor but gradually gradually gradually grad grad- the roads loads leading to the mines are being made more passable The greatest hindrance to comfortable progress over these roads Is caused by deep mud during the rainy sea sea- sons All coal from the Uintah county mines when burned Is reduced to a afine afine afine fine ash ash the nuisance of clinkers being almost totally absent The government mine does not limit sale of its product to government government government govern govern- ment Institutions but all farmers and others living near it or on Its route of delivery may purchase at current prices all the coal they need For nine months each year this mine produces output and the balance balance balance bal bal- ance of the year is devoted to development development development de de- work Were It not for the generous provision provisIon provision pro pro- pro pro- vision of nature In placing these coal deposits within the eastern extremIty extremity extremity ex ex- ex- ex of the Uintah basin the ag- ag expenditure of Its residents in supplying themselves with this Imperative necessity by means of ofa ofa ofa a long haul from railway points to toa toa a a. far greater cost would represent a a. vast amount amount of money When Itis it itis itis is taken into inlo consideration that all such money would have been lost to use In development of ot the basin the economic advantage presented by the coal deposits coal deposits beneath the floor of the basin will be readi realized The coal deposits were discovered as outcrops by the early settlers of 1874 and little time passed until some of the coal literally handpicked handpicked hand hand- handpicked picked was utilized as fuel and from this small beginning has been developed the coal mining Industry of the Uintah basin It Is part of the annals of tl the e coal mining mining- Industry Of nf northeastern northeast northeast- ern em Utah and northwestern Colorado Colorado Colorado Colo Colo- rado that an an early-day early pioneer started a campfire more than forty forty forty for for- ty years ago which to date has not been extinguished Thi This man a L prospector found it convenient to light a L campfire and chose as the location for it an outcrop of ofa ofa a a. black substance at a point near the Utah Utah-Cor Utah Colorado rado state line That fire red endured unexpectedly well without constant replenishing and the pioneer enjoyed a fine repose for th night but being of a a. careless or or thoughtless nature failed to extinguish the blaze when he he left the following morning When the next visitor came to the lonely locality came to the place he saw a lloud of smoke and Investigation disclosed that emerging from beneath the ground the fire had gnawed its way downward downward downward down down- ward following the course of a vein of coal Thus a valuable de deposit deposit deposit de- de posit of coal Is being sacrificed due to the carelessness of a wanderer wanderer wanderer wan wan- derer of other days |