Contra Costa County CA Archives History - Books .....Mount Diable Coal Field 1882
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Book Title: History Of Contra Costa County, California

THE MOUNT DIABLO COAL FIELD.
BY THOMAS A. McMAHON, COUNTY SURVEYOR.

The Clark Vein—Faults and Disturbances—Ventilation —Peacock and San Francisco
Mines—Central or Stewart's Mine—Empire Mine—Teutonia Mine—
Rancho de los Meganos Coal Mines.

   BY THE PHRASE "MOUNT DIABLO COAL FIELD," may be included a belt of country
extending from the north central part of T. 1 N., R. 1 E. southeasterly to the
central part of T. 1 N., R. 2 E., Mount Diablo base and meridian. The area of
this field which has been profitably worked is confined to a more limited
extent. The details of this outline of crop are very irregular, especially in
the western portion of the field, where the hills are very high and the canons
deep and steep. The general course of the outline of crop may be traced as
follows: Beginning in the N. E. quarter of section 7, T. 1 N., R. 1 E., Mount
Diablo base and meridian. Thence in a northeasterly direction, but curving very
rapidly towards the east till you reach a point in the N. W. quarter of section
8, T. 1 N., R. 1 E. Thence in an almost due east direction to a point near the
dividing line between sections 10 and 11, T. 1 N., R. 1 E. From this point it
bends to the south, crossing the southern half of section 12 and across the
southwest corner of section 7, T. 1 N., R. 2 E. Thence in an irregular
southeasterly direction as far as the Brentwood Mines, upon the Rancho Los
Meganos, near the line between sections 22 and 27, T. 1 N., R. 2 E., Mount
Diablo Meridian. Beyond this point the beds have not been traced with any degree
of certainty, although traces and outcroppings have been found in many
localities to the southeast. The dip throughout is in a northerly direction, but
it varies in amount at different localities, varying from twelve to thirty-three
degrees, being in highest the western portion of the field.

   The culminating points of the hills in the western part of this coal field
are at an altitude of from fifteen to eighteen hundred feet. Running east, the
hills diminish in height, falling lower and lower until we reach the Brentwood
Mines, which are at an altitude of about two hundred feet above tide level. This
range of hills is scored deeply and in all directions by canons, in which all
the profitable mines are located. The strata have been considerably disturbed at
different localities by faults of greater or less magnitude, and the coal beds
themselves have been subject to such variations in thickness and the character
of the rocks which surround them, that it is impossible, with the present amount
of knowledge, to recognize any single bed in the eastern portion of the field as
the same which has been so extensively worked in the western portion. The area
within which the mines have been profitably worked lies within the western
portion of the field. It lies among the higher hills, and includes a belt about
four miles in length, extending from the Black Diamond works, in the N. E.
quarter of section 7, through to Pittsburg, Empire and Central. The Central (i.
e., Stewart's mine) has not been included within the profitable productive
limits until within the last year. Heretofore many thousand tons were taken out
of the last-mentioned mine at a loss, but at present the reverse is the case.
The chief openings of these mines, as well as the dwellings of the miners, owing
to the topography of the country, are located at three points, situated about a
mile apart. The first of these, beginning in the western portion of the field,
is the village of Nortonville, which is located on the S. E. quarter of section
5, T. 1. N., R. 1 E. The second, known as Somersville, is chiefly on the S. E.
quarter of section 4. The third, known as "Central" or Stewartsville, is located
on section 10. Each village is in the bottom of an amphitheatre amongst the
hills and at the head of a deep canon; the canons from Somersville and
Nortonville running to the north, and from Stewartsville in a southerly
direction, turning to the north and uniting with the canon leading from the
Empire Mine. Down each of these canons there runs a railroad to the point of
shipment on the San Joaquin River; the Black Diamond running to Black Diamond
Landing; the road from Somersville running to Pittsburg Landing. The road from
Stewartsville joins with the road from Empire at Judsonville, thence to Antioch.
These roads cross the railroad of the San Pablo and Tulare Railroad Company,
from which point of intersection considerable coal is transported, but the
greater portion is shipped on barges from the points of transportation on the
San Joaquin River. The villages of Empire, Stewartsville, Somersville and
Nortonville are situated at an elevation of from three hundred and fifty to
eight hundred and fifty feet above tide level, the grade of the road from the
last-mentioned points being very great, depending only on the force of gravity
as power for transporting the coal in cars to the point of shipment.

   The rocks which inclose the mines consist of grayish and reddish silicious
sandstone, alternating with a strata of clay rock. The coal beds which have been
heretofore profitably worked are three in number, and are known as the "Clark
Vein," the "Little Vein," and the "Black Diamond Vein." Of these, the "Clark
Vein" is highest in stratigraphical position. Next in order below comes the
"Little Vein," and still lower we find the "Black Diamond Vein." In the Clayton
tunnel, situated at Nortonville, the distance from the floor of the "Clark Vein"
to the roof of the "Black Diamond Vein" is six hundred and ninety-six feet. The
dip here being about 31°, it follows that the total thickness of the strata,
including the Little Vein, between the Clark and Black Diamond Veins, is three
hundred and fifty-nine feet. These veins are found throughout all the mines, the
Clark Vein predominating.

   THE CLARK VEIN.—This vein has been worked continuously throughout all the
mines. It varies in thickness at different points, from a minimum of eighteen or
twenty inches to a maximum of four and a half feet. The greatest variations in
the thickness of this bed do not occur within the limits of the Black Diamond,
the minimum being twenty-eight inches and the maximum being thirty-nine inches.
As it extends east it grows thinner, and reaches in the S. W. quarter of section
4 a minimum of from eighteen to twenty-four inches. As it extends farther east
to the S. E. quarter of section 4 it gradually increases in size, being at this
point from three to four feet in thickness, and reaches its maximum in the
Pittsburg mine, where it is four and a half feet. The Clark Vein is generally
free from interstratification of slate or dirt of any kind, and with the
exception of a portion near the S. W. corner of section 5, where it has been
badly crushed by the moving and bending of the strata, it generally makes good
clean coal. Its roof and floor are generally good, and require but little
timbering, it being of good, solid sandstone.

   The chief openings to the Clark Vein are the Black Diamond Company's
openings, of which there are three. The first of these is known as the "Little
Slope," the second is the "Mount Hope Slope," and third the "Black Diamond
Shaft." Second, the "Union Company's Slope." Third, the slope of the old Eureka
Company. Fourth, the "Pittsburg Slope." Fifth, the "Independent Shaft."

   The mouth of the "Hoisting Slope " of the Black Diamond Company is situated
in the bottom of a deep ravine, which runs up southwesterly among the hills, and
is eight hundred and thirty feet above low water mark on the San Joaquin River.
This slope is ninety-eight feet long, and goes down through the Clark Vein at a
pitch of about 35°.

   The mouth of the "Mount Hope Slope" is situated about four hundred and fifty
feet northeasterly from the mouth of the " Hoisting Slope," and is seven hundred
and ninety-seven feet above low water mark on the San Joaquin River. This slope
is two hundred and ninety-three feet long, to the Clark Vein, and has a pitch to
the south of about 37° 15'. From its foot the "Mount Hope Gangway" runs east and
west through the Clark Vein, and is over a mile in length.

   The "Black Diamond shaft" is situated six hundred and twenty feet
northwesterly from the mouth of the "Mount Hope slope." It is vertical and its
mouth is eight hundred and thirty-nine feet above low water mark.

   The mouth of the "Union Company's slope" is situated very close to the line
between the S. E. and the S. W. quarters of section 4, and is eight hundred and
sixty-six feet above low water mark on the San Joaquin River. The slope is four
hundred and seventeen feet long to the "Clark vein," with a pitch of 37° 45' to
the south. From its foot a gangway runs east and west through the Clark vein.

   From a point on this gangway, two hundred and forty-four feet west of the
foot of this slope, a counter slope runs down, with a pitch of 28° 23' to the
north, three hundred and four feet to a second gangway, and then about three
hundred feet to another gangway. The old Eureka slope was about two hundred and
ninety feet long, with an average pitch of 43° 15' to the south; its mouth is
seven hundred and eighty-six feet above low water mark.

   The Pittsburg slope is in the southeast corner of section 4. Its mouth is
eight hundred and thirty-eight feet above low water mark. Its pitch, 25° 50'
west of south, and is two hundred and forty feet long to the Clark vein. From
its foot a gangway runs in both directions through the company's property. From
a point on this gangway, twenty-five feet west of the foot of the Surface slope,
a counter slope runs down on the dip about eight hundred feet, with a pitch of
31° 30'.

  There are, however, two intermediate gangways, one at a point three hundred
feet, and the other at a point five hundred and seventy-nine feet down from the
head of the counter slope. In the eastern part of this mine and distant nearly a
quarter of a mile from the foot of the surface slope, there is another counter
slope running down from the upper gangway to the second one.

   The Independent shaft is a vertical shaft sunk by the now defunct Independent
Company, at a point a little S. W. from the center of the N. E. quarter of the
S. E. quarter of section 4. Its mouth is seven hundred and nineteen feet above
low water mark, and it is seven hundred and ten feet deep. This mine was worked
at a great loss and was finally abandoned.

   FAULTS AND DISTURBANCES. Throughout the Mount Diablo coal mines the beds are
frequently more or less disturbed by faults and dislocations, some of them being
of great magnitude.

   These disturbances are generally most sharply defined in the Clark vein. The
longest distance which occurs anywhere in the mines without any fault or
disturbance of noticeable magnitude, is a distance of about two thousand feet on
the Clark vein stretching east from the Black Diamond into the Union mine. Most
of the larger faults of these mines have a northeasterly and southwesterly
course, the plane dipping at a steep angle to the northwest. With reference to
the direction of those in the faults, the general law holds pretty well
throughout these mines, that where the plane of a fault is inclined from the
vertical, it is the hanging wall of the fault that has gone down. This law,
though general, is not universal, as cases occur where the throw is in the
opposite direction.

   The general line of strike of the beds, in spite of all faults and
disturbances, is very straight for a distance of nearly a mile and a half in a
direction of about N. 86° E. from the Pittsburg slope, to a point about as far
west as the middle of section 5, and within this distance the dip does not vary
greatly from 30°, ranging in general from 28° to 32°. But going west from the
middle line of sections 5 and 8 the beds and strata curve around in a gentle
sweep to the south, while at the same time their dip diminishes until it does
not exceed 20°.

   The general form of the beds as they lie in this shape is that of warped
surfaces, which produces a gradual increase in the height of all the lifts in
going toward the west.

   VENTILATION.—In mines situated as these are amongst the deep canons and high
hills, there is generally great difficulty in securing good ventilation, which
is a necessary adjunct to the working of the mines. Artificial means have been
resorted to, and not until lately with any success. The water being
supersaturated to such an excess of Sulphuretted Hydrogen, that on exposure to
the air it forms white deposits of sulphur, and the gas escaping causes a bad
effect on the eyes. One method used at the mines for ventilation was the keeping
of lighted fires at the bottom of the ventilating shafts, which heated the air
and kept it in rapid circulation.

   Chloride of lime was used for the purpose of decomposing and absorbing the
deleterious gases, but it did not accomplish the work; its odor being very
disagreeable, this method had to be abandoned finally. Then one of the largest
sizes of Root's patent rotary blowers was obtained. This was driven by a small
engine, the air was forced through a pipe down the Black Diamond shaft, and
after its course through the mines, found its exit through the Mount Hope
gangway. This method worked very well, but it was not complete. Another method
was resorted to; instead of forcing the air down through the mines and out, this
principle was reversed, and the air was exhausted from the mines; this was an
improvement on the other, yet enough gas remains still to make it disagreeable
to those working in them.

   There is but little fire damp in these mines, yet occasionally a locality is
found which requires close watching, but not enough shows itself to require the
use of the safety lamp, this being used only as a test for the fire damp.
Numerous small casualities have occurred from the presence of fire damp, which
only resulted in the severe burning and occasionally in the death of one or two
men. But it was all owing to the gross carelessness of the miners going into
those parts of the mines that had not been worked for some time, and where they
might have expected to find the fire damp, if they had reflected but a moment.

   PEACOCK AND SAN FRANCISCO MINES.—To the west of the Black Diamond Company's
mines for a distance of a mile or two there has been considerable prospecting
done in years past, but the above mines are the only ones worth mentioning. The
"Peacock" mine is situated on the Black Diamond bed. The San Francisco mine is
situated about half a mile west of the Peacock mine; this mine is also on the
Black Diamond bed, but neither have been profitably worked.

   CENTRAL OR STEWART'S MINE.—This mine is over the ridge and easterly from
Somersville, and is situated in a steep and narrow ridge running east and west
across section 10. It was originally opened by a tunnel, its length to the Clark
bed being about one thousand feet. There are exposed in this tunnel beneath the
Clark bed four distinct seams of coal of different thicknesses. In 1870 a
gangway was driven in on the Clark bed two hundred and seventy-five feet east
and three hundred and seventy-five feet west from the tunnel and considerable
coal extracted, the bed averaging thirty-nine inches in thickness. Since that
time a tunnel has been driven in Stewart's mine from the Clark bed northerly
through the ridge, and to daylight on the other side.

   EMPIRE MINE.—This mine is located on the southwest quarter of the southeast
quarter of section 12, and is about four hundred feet above tide mark on the San
Joaquin River.

   What information we have been able to glean on this mine will be found in the
History of Township Number Five.

   TEUTONIA MINE.—Passing east from the Empire mine we come to the Teutonia
mine, in the south part of the S. W. quarter of section 7, T. 1 N., R 2 E., the
mouth of the mine being about one hundred and fifty feet north of the section
line. Considerable work was done on this mine and a large amount of coal was
found, the seam being about thirty-six inches thick, but it was finally abandoned.

   RANCHO DE LOS MEGANOS COAL MINES.—The mines on this ranch are situated just
on the edge of the Mount Diablo foot hills, at a point some five miles easterly
from the Mount Diablo mines, and at an elevation of about one hundred and sixty
feet above tide mark on the San Joaquin River. The parties who commenced to
develop this property ran a slope from the outcrop down a vein about three and a
half feet in thickness, and one hundred and seventy-five feet in length. The dip
of the vein is about N. 35° E., and at an angle of 18° to the horizon. A shaft
was then sunk one thousand three hundred and seventy-five feet N. 70° 45' E.
from the mouth of the slope. This shaft is four hundred feet in depth, and was
divided into three compartments, two for hoisting coal and one for pumping
purposes. Some work has been done in the mine since, but it has not been
operated for market purposes. The distance to a suitable landing on the San
Joaquin is about seven and three-fourths miles. With this mine the Mount Diablo
coal fields may be said to terminate. No indications worth mentioning show
themselves until we reach the Corral Hollow coal field.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

HISTORY OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY,
CALIFORNIA,
INCLUDING ITS GEOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY, TOPOGRAPHY, CLIMATOGRAPHY AND DESCRIPTION;
TOGETHER WITH A RECORD OF THE MEXICAN GRANTS; THE BEAR FLAG WAR; THE MOUNT
DIABLO COAL FIELDS; THE EARLY HISTORY AND SETTLEMENT, COMPILED FROM THE MOST
AUTHENTIC SOURCES; THE NAMES OF ORIGINAL SPANISH AND MEXICAN PIONEERS; FULL
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY OF THE COUNTY; SEPARATE HISTORY OF EACH TOWNSHIP, SHOWING
THE ADVANCE IN POPULATION AND AGRICULTURE;
ALSO,
Incidents of Pioneer Life; and Biographical Sketches
OF EARLY AND PROMINENT SETTLERS AND REPRESENTATIVE MEN;
AMD OF ITS TOWNS, VILLAGES, CHURCHES, SECRET SOCIETIES, ETC.
ILLUSTRATED.
SAN FRANCISCO: W. A. SLOCTUM & CO., PUBLISHERS
1882.


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