A Report on Washington Territory

by William Henry Ruffner

COAL.

I have, under the head of Economic Geology, described so fully the coal deposits of Washington Territory, especially the beds along the line of the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway, that it remains only to show the application of these facts to the interests of this railway. The Seattle railway passes five coal fields.The road passes five, if not six, separate coal fields between Seattle and the Columbia River, namely, the Squak or Gilman mines, 40 miles from Seattle; the Washington mines, 43 miles; the Raging River, 46 to 50 miles; the Snoqualmie Mountain, 56 miles; the Yakima (or Roslyn), 75 miles; and perhaps the Wenatchie, 140 miles.

So far as appears at present, the Seattle railway will have a monopoly of all these fields except the Yakima or Roslyn. This it will share with the Northern Pacific; but it will have exclusive control of the market between the Yakima and Spokane Falls, which will be almost wholly dependent upon coal for fuel. Also, it will furnish whatever of this coal may be wanted by the mining country north of the Columbia. And in the Spokane Falls market it will have the advantage of bringing the coal by a route fifty miles shorter.

The coal on the west side of the Cascade Mountains will go to Seattle for consumption and shipment, except so much as may be wanted for iron making, and other manufacturing purposes along the line of the road. Coke will be in demand for furnaces, foundries, engines, etc., in Seattle, Spokane Falls, and many other places. But its largest consumption will be in iron furnaces which will be erected for smelting the ores of the Cascade Mountains.Largest shipments from the Gilman Mines.

The largest shipments will be from the Gilman Mines for domestic and steam-boiler purposes. The coal must, of course, come in competition with other coals which are mined within the basin of Puget Sound, but it has an advantage over all competitors in the ease, safety, and cheapness with which it can be mined. This will not, of course, be realized for the first few months whilst driving the entries, but when the mines shall have been fully opened I think it will be without rival in the cost of production.Superior mining advantages of the Gilman Mines. This will be evident from the following report made to me by Mr. Whitworth, showing the disadvantages in the mode of working the other mines of the Territory. The terrible explosion which has lately occurred in the deep mines of Vancouver's Island shows that the Canadians are also working at a disadvantage.

MR. WHITWORTH'S LETTER.

Mr. Whitworth's testimony.

"At Cedar River the coal is all hoisted from a slope, and the gangways run at right angles to the slope, and the 'brests' at right angles to the gangways, or parallel to the slope, or nearly so. The angle of the pitch is about 18°. And the cars are run up to the 'brests' to the working face of the coal, and coal shoveled into the cars. A movable windlass or drum allows the loaded car to haul the empty one up to face of coal.

"At Black Diamond the coal is all hoisted from a slope; gangways at right angles to slope, and 'brests' at right angles to gangways, and parallel to slope. This pitch is a little steeper, about 20° or 22°, but not sufficiently steep for the coal to run. Therefore it has to be shoveled down the slope of the 'brest,' or the 'brest' floor temporarily ironed; and is loaded into car from 'brest' chute.

"Franklyn has both systems, hoisting up a slope, and working on a water-level gangway. They have two slopes, one outside and one inside. This pitch is 45° and more. Gangways run on the strike of veins, and 'brests' up the pitch. Coal runs freely on the floor of 'brests.'

"What it costs now to mine at Newcastle I do not know. The cost of coal above the water-level gangway put into the railroad cars varies from 85 cents (one month only) to $1.50 per ton; $1.10 about the average. For the first six months I do not think we (at Gilman) can calculate less than $1.25 per ton.

"The veins which they work or have worked at Newcastle are No. 4—No. 2, as it is called, which is really Nos. 1 and 2 united—and Bagley vein. No. 4 is worked out on two lifts, the water level, and the one below. The third lift they have not cross-cut to it, as the slope is on No. 2. No. 2 is almost closed on third lift east of Coal Creek. First two lifts, of course, are worked out. And west of Coal Creek the working has progressed nearly to the boundary of their land, and passed the division of the vein into Parts 1 and 2; so that they are getting but little coal out of it. But most of the coal comes from Bagley. Bagley is never worked, or but slightly, when the others are furnishing plenty of coal. Bagley there consists of two portions of about seven feet each, with one to two feet of rock and slate between. In the lower bench there is about four or four and a half feet of good coal; the rest is bony. And in the upper bench there is from three to four feet of good coal, and the balance bony. When they are pressed for coal there is a strong temptation to mine and ship the entire fourteen feet of coal, and bony coal, as it all looks quite well. This temptation, I know, under the old administration, was sometimes yielded to, and I have supposed such was the case now. In fact, in getting that coal some time since for home use, I have several times seen the straight Bagley from top to bottom in the ton. No. 2. The united vein at its best is ten and a half feet, between splendid walls, about one and a half inch mining on the bottom, and a parting near the centre one inch thick. That never disappeared, but increased both ways until the veins were finally separated. No. 2 separate was about five feet clean, at least with no permanent partings. No. 1, about four and a half feet of coal with a three-inch streak of fine clay eighteen inches from the top, the balance clean."

So much from Mr. Whitworth.

Cost of mining coal.Governor Semple puts the prime cost of the coal of the Puget Sound basin generally at from $2.00 to $2.30 per ton, delivered at tide-water; which is, I suspect, below the fact. James F. Jones, in charge of mines on the Northern Pacific Railroad in the Puget Sound basin, reports the cost per ton at the mines delivered on the cars as ranging from $1.00 to $2.50 per ton, averaging $1.75.

The minimum of cost is reached when the seams are of good thickness and comparatively free from slate, and can be entered on the end by a level entry above water and be mined upward; to which may be added natural pitch enough in the seams for the coal to be self-loading; that is, to run by gravity from the upper gangways to the cars on the main entry. And to these conditions may be added a number of different parallel seams close together with their bluff ends all coming up to a line in the most convenient way for entry and delivery. It is rarely the case that such an assemblage of favorable conditions can be found, and where they exist the successful future of the property is absolutely assured.

Cost at Gilman Mines.In my opinion, the Gilman coal seams combine all the advantages above mentioned, and if allowed ordinary rates of transportation, can always be mined at a profit. As long as the Newcastle seams could be worked above water-level the average cost per ton was $1.10, but they never had the same advantages there as at Gilman, and most of their mining has been downward. $1.00 per ton is certainly high enough for Gilman after the entries are driven in sufficiently for large operations. If Mr. Whitworth succeeds in putting out the coal at $1.25 for the first six months, as he thinks he can, there need be no fear as to the future.

Prices of coal.The selling price of coal on Puget Sound has ranged from $3.00 to $5.00 a long ton in former years, averaging $4.00—the price being the same for the product of all the different mines. Mr. Whitworth reports the price this winter at $6.50 a ton for all (including Newcastle), except Cedar River, which is $5.00. The distances from Puget Sound to Portland and to San Francisco, the principal markets, are: to San Francisco, between 800 and 900 miles by water; to Portland, 450 by water, and 150 by rail. There is now rail connection all the way to San Francisco. The average cost of sending coal to San Francisco, either from Puget Sound or Vancouver's Island, is $2.00. The usual price in San Francisco and Portland has been from $4.25 to $6.00 for coarse, and from $2.75 to $3.75 for small. On the 1st of February, 1888, the cargo price in San Francisco was—for Coos Bay coal, $9.50; Seattle coal, $10; South Prairie, $10; Nanaimo (domestic), $10; Nanaimo (steam), $12; Lehigh, $18; Cumberland, $12.

These figures make it evident that a good margin of profit may be calculated on from the Gilman coal. Mr. Whitworth will not be able to get his bunkers up until he has his road in operation to the mines; but, with temporary chutes, he can load 100 tons a day from the time the road opens, say March 15th. In six weeks after beginning he expects to increase to 300 tons a day, and one month later he can make the output 600 tons a day. As the headings are driven in the product can be increased to almost any desired amount.

The Washington Mines, on Squak Creek, I did not see; and concerning the Raging River Mines I have no settled convictions. As to the coking coal on Snoqualmie Mountain, we may expect important developments. Undoubtedly the new road will promptly enter upon a large and increasing coal business.