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Show IRON" COUNTY'S DEVELOPMENT For a number of weeks the citizens citi-zens of Utah have been watching with interest what is being done toward to-ward the development of the iron and coal fields of Iron county. They have read that they are to be developed devel-oped and that a railroad is to connect con-nect Cedar City with Lund. Such plans carried out will mean more to the state of Utah than most people realize at this time. That there has been a coal shortage short-age for the past two years there can be no doubt, and it is predicted by the government and the coal producers pro-ducers that there will be a still greater great-er shortage this coming year. According to reports and to the Salt Lake papers the Old Capitol Petroleum, Pe-troleum, Fuel, Iron & Transportation Transporta-tion company is doing all in its power to hasten the construction of the railroad from Lund to Cedar City for this road means that the great coal deposits in Iron county will he placed on the market and will help diminish the scarcity of coal. The company realizes that it has undertaken under-taken an immense pro.blem, but is bending every effort to get this coal to the consumer before the cold weather starts. This company owns and controls some 2320 acres of coal land situated in Iron county, Utah. .Negotiations are pending for the taking over of another 2000 acres. This will combine com-bine some of the largest coal deposits known in the United States. Equipment Equip-ment will be placed in these mines as soon as possible and by the time the railroad is constructed and ready for operation, the coal will be ready for transportation to the markets. The survey of the railroad, which has just been completed and filed, gives the road a ength from Lund to Cedar Ce-dar of thirty-one miles. It will open up a vast territory in the southern part of our state. It will bring to the market the products of the farms, something that has long been wished for. In addition to the coal lands and the other great undeveloped resources re-sources of that part of the state, it will open up the great iron deposits that are knfjwn to exist, and in bulletin bulle-tin No. 3 38 of the United States Ge-'ological Ge-'ological Survey entitled "The Iron Ores of the Iron Spring District, Southern Utah," which goes into detail de-tail regarding the great deposits, Mr. Leith, the author, states emphatically emphatic-ally of what these deposits consist and what amount of iron they contain. con-tain. At that time, in 1908, when this bulletin was issued, the deposits had not been investigated thoroughly. thorough-ly. Since then a 'systematic investigation investi-gation has been made and the estimates esti-mates on hand, show that they rank with the largest iron deposits in the United States. The assays run about 6 7 per cent iron of a very high grade. The construction of this railroad means that these great iron deposits will be taken to the market, where the ore will be urned into steel, and from the steel form into products necessary for the carj-ying on of this great world conflict. These men are not building their railroad on paper, but are constructing it-on the ground. They have received bids for rails, ties, railroad equipment, mining machinery ma-chinery and mining equipment. These bids will be opened at an early date and contracts let and when the road is completed and the mines in operation opera-tion it means the employment of several sev-eral thousand men. Nevertheless, all this will Te accomplished at a very early date. s The Japanese government, through one of its agents, has requested that a contract be made with this corporation corpor-ation for the purchase of 2000 tons of iron ore daily. Coal men on the Pacific coast have requested that they be given the first opportunity to take the entire output of coal. That there will be a fuel famine on the coast there can be no doubt, and the coal men Irom that part understand what it means and they are using every endeavor possible to get coal wher- ever they can secure it for the relief of the public. One of the big business men who understands transportation thorough-j ly and who has analyzed the future carefully, said: "I can readily see that the Old Capitol Petroleum, Fuel j & Transportation company will become be-come one of the main industries In our state inside of two . or three years. The rebuilding of Europe after af-ter the war means that the United States industries manufacturing steel, etc., will not diminish thetr output at the close of the war. In fact, it will take years and years to rebuild Europe and the steel and other products must come from our country, so this new undertaking is not a 'war baby,' but something for the future, while at the present time it will be an assistance to our government govern-ment in helping to secure the products prod-ucts so necessary for the carrying on of our war to a victorious climax." Each and every individual is putting put-ting forth every effort possible to make this proposition a Utah indus try. It will be owned and controlled by Utah men, something that has never before occurred in the history of the industries of the state. |