Humboldt County CA Archives History - Books ..... Coal 1890
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Book Title: History And Business Directory Of Humboldt County

COAL

Vast Fields of Coal Beds, Obstacles in the way of Development, Future Prospect,
Eel River Coal

BEYOND MAN'S MEMORY.

    Long ago, thousands and tens of thousands of years, the glaciers swept down
the eastern slope of the Coast Range in Mendocino and Humboldt counties carrying
with them trees which were three and four times the size of the giant redwoods
which now tower above the valleys. Stumps .with a vast acreage of roots, may be
found nowadays hidden in the forest depths, denoting the mammoth growth in
primeval days. These were the forests that made the coal on the Eel river. The
country shows signs of tremendous transitions. Volcanic action threw up ridges,
out of which the coal seams crop. Extraordinary landslides must have occurred.
In fact the surface of the earth has undergone all sorts of changes.

    Coal was found on Mad River in 1854. At a later date it was discovered on
Eel River in large quantities. At Point St. George, several years ago, a shaft
was sunk and a good quality of coal obtained; but for want of capital the work
was abandoned. Recently ten tons of coal were shipped from Eel River to San
Francisco, via Ukiah and the S. F. & N. P. Rwy. Co., by Mr. J. L. Flood, who is
a three-quarter owner in a vast coal field on Eel River, at a cost of $20 per
ton, but it must be remembered that this sum covers the cost of teaming sixty
miles, over a rough and mountainous road, to Ukiah. Some day, perhaps, these
figures will be mentioned as we now refer to the prices of 1849. The coal is a
lignite, that is, it is known as the latest formation of coal. Mr. Flood has
been contemplating for sometime past a development of this coal enterprise on
Eel River. When Isaac Friedlander failed in 1875 he handed five-eighths of the
property over to the Nevada Bank; of the remainder, Walker of redwood fame owned
an eighth, the estate of Edmund Janssen another eighth, and the late Capt. R. S.
Floyd the remaining eighth. Walker sold his share to the Nevada Bank later on,
and when Messrs. Hellman, Sloss and Gerstle bought a large share in the bank
this coal property was one of the items reserved by Messrs. Flood and Mackey.
These gentlemen realized the enormous expenses required to open up the coal
fields, but made a proposition to Mr. Janssen that he should join in forming a
stock company. Captain Floyd, it is said, was ready to enter into the enterprise
with his accustomed public spirit. The Janssen estate objected, however, to the
expense, which for a company of 100,000 shares would involve assessments of $45
or $50 a share. Then an offer was made the Janssens of $21,000 for their share,
but this was rejected.

THE COAL VEIN.

    At a certain point where two cliffs rise high on either bank may be seen the
great coal vein, which it has cut in two. On either side the coal rises almost
to the top of the cliff, and, according to the experts, there are 18,000 tons in
sight. When the surface of the earth was forced up "by volcanic action in ages
past the stratum of coal was broken grievously, so that if a mine should be
begun at the north bank of the fork of Eel River it might easily happen that
after progressing a few hundred yards the vein might come to an end, and the
strata lie a hundred yards above, or below, as the case may be. This is where
the uncertainty lies, and it is just this that leaves the trail of speculation
across the field. A rough guess gives 10,000,000 tons to the square mile, and
there are about 40 square miles in the present tract. It will take nearly
$5,000,000 to place the coal on the market —$2,500,000 for a railway to Ukiah,
and $2,500,000 to develop the mine. From Ukiah the route would be sixty miles
and practicable. There is on the whole, a good chance for San Francisco to have
a large and cheap coal supply—that is, if the promoters succeed in overcoming
the obstacles. The S. F. & North Pacific Railway Co. would join the proposed
line at Ukiah, but this corporation cannot go farther, even at the inducement of
the coal fields. When the Donahues mortgaged the road to the Seligmans for
$6,000,000, it was expressly stipulated on the issuance of the bonds that the
road should not be extended beyond Ukiah in any direction. However, there is no
doubt the Donahue road would enter into a very reasonable contract, should an
extension be constructed by Messrs. Flood and Mackey.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

History and Business Directory of

HUMBOLDT COUNTY
DESCRIPTIVE OF THE
NATURAL RESOURCES
DELIGHTFUL CLIMATE
PICTURESQUE SCENERY
BEAUTIFUL HOMES

THE ONLY COUNTY IN THE STATE CONTAINING NO CHINAMEN

LILLIE E. HAMM, PUBLISHER
(COPYRIGHTED)
EUREKA, CALA.
DAILY HUMBOLDT STANDARD 
NOVEMBER, 1890.


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