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Coal.
pg. 37
IN respect to the coal in Webster county, it may be said truly to defy all rules
laid down on the. subject. Knowledge of the general principles in relation to coal-beds
seems to be of little benefit in prospecting in this county. The locality is its
own peculiar law and each discovery supplying a new feature. There seems to have
been so far three distinct beds discovered within the county, the first discoveries,
of course, being made by means of out-croplngs along the ravines. More recently
there has been considerable prospecting from the surface by means of boring, with
varied failures and success.
The first coal-mine worked in the county was above the town of Fort Dodge 1½
mile, on the east side of tic river by the soldiers, prior to 1851. This vein was
three feet, soft coal, light and free. Tile opening caught fire and burned a long
time, consuming over an acre, when a slide occurred, smothering the fire and filling
hall the river channel, and is now known as the "big slide."
In 1856, E. E. COLBURN, who hid made a pre-emption on the west side of the river,
opened a vein and supplied the demand with coal at ten to twelve cents per bushel.
This coal was hard and heavy, forming strong and unyielding clinkers, and using
up cast-iron in a short time. This vein was nearly level with the river, and about
three feet in thickness.
Next the Hon. SAML. REES opened a vein below town, on the east side, within one
mile, thirty to thirty-six inches thick, and worked it supplying the demand for
some time with a much better article.
After this, numerous drift openings were made south of the town on both sides of
the river, differing as to quality of coal and thickness of veins, until in 1868,
Hon. SILAS COREY opened a vein on Holiday creek, six miles down the river on east
side, with an expose of at least five feet, which attracted considerable atttention,
causing several parties to visit it, who expressed many opinions as to the dipping
and extent of the vein, In 1867, Hon. J. F. DUNCOMBE, purchased this and leased
and contracted for several tracts In that vicinity, and finally organized the Holiday
Creek Coal Company, and built one and a half to two miles of railway, and opened
up the Corey tract which proved a rich pocket, the coal from six to ten feet thick
and of fair quality, which was shipped mostly, until they sold to what is now known
as the Fort Dodge Coal Company, who
pg 38
worked the same for eighteen months, then removed the fixtures to the works purchased
o£ CAPT. YOUNG, of Sioux City, who had opened on sections 8, and 17, township 88,
range 28, four miles from town, south-east, where they are now taking out about
twenty-five cars per day. The office of the company is located near the central
depot. A. F. GÜNTHER is the cashier and agent.
DUNCOMBE & RICHARDS have also opened and are operating a vein near by the Fort Dodge
Coal Company, both using the same road built by DUNCOMBE & RICHARDS to transport
their cars to Central Railway, a distance of three miles, the locomotive power being
furnished by the Fort Dodge Coal Company. These veins are between three and four
feet. JAMES BROWN also opened a vein at Carbon, five miles east of the Central railway,
on section 3, township 88. range 28, now owned and operated by DUNCOMHE Se RICHARDS.
STINE, CRAIG, COREY, MILL Bros., HART, COLLINS, THORNTON and many others have opened
drifts and are delivering coal by teams, Mr. CRAIG now working thirty-five men in
his drift.
WILLSON & FUNK, of Webster City, have built a narrow gauge coal railway from Central
railway to Tyson's Mill, and have opened some drift mines. On any of the wagon-roads
leading west, northwest and north may be seen large amounts of this coal on its
way to prairie homes.
Such has been the growth and development of this coal interest that it is estimated
that one thousand tons are sold daily.
It is now supposed that we have plenty of coal, and that the Webster county coal
field is a very important one, from the fact that it is the northern terminus of
the Iowa coal-field, the St. Louis limestone, which is the underlying stata, m to
the surface fifteen miles north of here.
GYPSUM.
IT is now generally conceded that Webster county contains one of the largest deposits
of gypsum, available for mechanical and agricultural purposes, with an outlet and
market, on this continent. JAMES HALL, In the State Geological Report, says : "
As no attempt has yet been made to determine the extent of this gypsum deposit,
it may, perhaps, be considered premature to speak of its value in an economical
point of view, but from what is already known, there is very little doubt but that
Iowa contains gypsum enough to supply the Mississippi valley for centuries to come."
Many important discoveries have been made of this deposit since his examination
and report, which render certain what he left to conjecture. From its great abundance,
proximity, open exposure, roads easy of access by rail or otherwise, and facilities
for quarrying, thousands of perches are used annually in Fort Dodge audits surroundings,
in the construction of foundations, cellars, well-walls, pavements, culverts, residences,
outbuildings and other purposes. Its cheapness over lime and sand-stone has led
to its use for these various purposes, and while we see no impropriety in thus using
it, the stranger is apt to regard it as willful waste. There is no other deposit
known to be in the State, and this i within a limit of five or six miles around
our city, with some heavy beds within its corporate limits. It is conceded to be
of the most superior quality, containing only, about eight per cent, of impurity,
while the general average is that of about thirty. We can scarce estimate its value
when fully developed, and thus far no effort has been made in that direction, except
what has been accomplished by RINGLAND, VINCENT & MESERVEY, proprietors of the Cardiff
mills some two miles south of Fort Dodge.
pg 39
ROCK
THERE IS an abundance of lime-store and sand-stone in the county. The former is
of a very fine quality, and not only makes good lime, but works up into excellent
building material, Near Parson's mill, about nine miles south of the city, there
is a ledge of limestome some seventy-five or eighty feet in elevation above tthe
bed of the river.
Tn truth, there is an abundance of rock in the county, which in time, will bave
a great commercial value. It may have been a million years since the corals deposited
their shells where then was the bed of the ocean, and thus formed our limestone.
It was done under the guiding finger of Him who doeth all things well, and who does
nothing in vain.
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