The independent. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, April 18, 1907, Page 6, Image 6
THE NEBRASKA INDEPENDENT APRIL 18. 1807. Mining Activities in Nebraska By N. A. BENGTSON. To a majority of people, even in the miouio West the term Nebraska calls up a mental picture of a smooth, tree less expan.se of land devoted to the raising of corn, wheat and alfalfa. Ne braska is great chiefly because of her agricultural and grazing industries. Hut It may not be out of place to state mat sne has, mineral resources of con filderable economic importance. The re cently discovered cbfil mine near Peru has been given prominence in local publication, and we hope further dis coveries may be made as a result of vigorous and systematic prospecting. But whatever tho future of the coal and gas may be, Nebraska has now a region along tho lower Tlatte river where there is great activity in utiliz ing the minerals in a commercial way. To study in the lield some of the for mations of the lower Platte valley, a party of eixteen young men under di rection of Dr. G. E. Condra, professor of economic geology in the university of Nebraska, spent the greater part of their Easter recess on a field trip frpm Ashland to Cullom. On Wednesday morning, March 27, properly equipped with instruments, coiled in? bags, camping outfits, and other necessary apparatus, we started out in two grouj p. One party,, under direction of Dr. Cumlrn, went to Ashland to study the exposures of sandstone, limestones, and ji.J.les in that vicinjty and to get data oi the different beds from theic eastward. The other party, under direc tion of the writer, went from Lincoln direct to &cuth Bend and spent Wed nesday in studying the strata exposed along the fouth side .of the Platte river from South liend to Louisville: We also visited the clay pits about two miles southwest of Louisville. These pits are located on the east side of a small valley, trubutary to the Platte, where erosion has removed a j great part of the overlying material. called stripping. There are two pits about a ijuarter of a mile apart. The first Is about 200 feet long, the opening faces southwest and has been worked back about ir.0 feet, and to a depth of 40 to 50 feet. The strippings vary from two feet to fifteen feet in thickness, becoming heavier as the pit is extended into the bank. The clay is light yellow, very lirm in position, a little HdEuV in .the. upper; p.irt of tho bed, ;tnd under laid by a white sand. The clav bed is about thirteen feet thick. Tho clay is shipped to Omaha and manufactured Into a very high grade of briek. There is also found a layer of about thre feet of highly colored red clay which -3 mit-od for use in the manufacture of red paint. These pits have been worked for hx years, and through the greater part of tho year from four to six ca-.s of day a day are shipped. This proper ty is owned and operated by the Avery Prick company of Omaha, Neb. After having made a somewhat de tailed study of these pits we returned t'j South Bend, studying along tho rr vhiew on the way. At Kouth liend we joined the Ashland party and, tak'ng advantage of the genial hospitality of Mr. Deming pitched cur tents on thi barks of a small stream near nls hou.-so. At this pliiee we spent two nights. Thursday the whole party was di- studies and the day was spent in get ting accurate data on the formations exposed along the south bank of the Platte northwest of South liend. On Friday the same plan of study wris carried out alonjr the north side of tho river from the stale fish hatcheries to Meadow where wo crossed over to Louisville. There we camped for the night near the Atwood sand pit. The manager, Mr. Rands, extended every courtesy and during the evening kindly explained the processes of sand dredg ing. The next day, Saturday, we Pi lengthens tlic life of the 15 wagon eaves horse f power, ilma nud tcui- KuJ .ori(i contains w22i rowOcrcJinSca 'vV-W-, which l. j u ,, i'jj&a forms B" a MiittU, t -...:. .., . reduce-- friction. If yon want your outfit to List an.l cum money uile it la&ts grcas.e the nk with VAc Atlc (reae. sTAJiaAsaaiccsirAW Mica Axis Grsusc j si Ml Fx I worked from Louisville to Cullom, and some o fthe party went then to Ash land. The evenings were spent in completing and discussing the notes taken during the day and in confer ences regarding the industrial possi- Diiiues or., the district visited. Among the side trip taken was a visit to the scenic home of the state fish hatcheries. In this -region two rock series of very different size are found. The lower and oider is called the Pennsylvanian because the same series is also found in the state of Pennsylvania where it is known as the "coal measures." The upper and younger series called the Dakota be cause of Its exposure and type locality in Dakota county. Neb., was not denos- Ited until the Pennsylvanian had long oeen a land surface which had been eroded into hills and valleys very sim ilar to those now being made. - Then came submergence below sea level, and the sands and clays of the Dakota formation were washed in and covered or buried the old topography so that the old hills and valleys were prac tically obliterated. On the north side of the Platte river, opposite South Bend, one of these old topographies is exposed. At (he state' fish hatcheries the top of the Pennsylvanian lime stone has an elevation of about 1,070 feet, about a mile southwest of the hatcheries, near the north end of Old Clarke bridge, the top of the Penn sylvanian comes to 1,200 feet altitude. East of the old bridge the elevation "again becomes less, dropping as low as 1,080 feet in an old broad valley about two miles wide. About one and one- half miles west of Meadow Is another Pennsylvanian limestone hill with a maximum elevation of 1,140 feet, which l.. only 1,060 feet above sea level. From the state fish hatcheries to Meadow, a distance oC about six miles, three valr leys and two hills, the results of ero sion of Pennsylvanian rocks, are ex posed. These ancient topographic forms have since been filled and cov ered by sandstone and clays of the Dakota formation of the cretaceous, and these by still later deposits. At the hatcheries the sandstones predom inate and some of the beds are very hard and dark colored. Near Meadow quite an extensive deposit of clay is found. In the Dakota formation of this region there are several irreg ular bean of clay. Cedar creek lies In another Perm syhvm'a .valley. ,, About .one and. one half miles West of town one side of the old valley is plainly shown. Where (lie Dakota sands were iaid against th-3 Pennsylvania shales and limestones small modern valley has been eroded. The west bank of this little valley is limestone and shale, the east bank is' ?and ftone The slope of the limestone side is about 4G degrees and probably marks an old bluff. From this point to about two miles east of Cedar creek sands pnd gravels predominate and mark what at some time has been a stream channel and flood plain. Thi? old valley, three and one-half miles wide and 120 feet deep and filled with later deposits, is underlaid by shales and limestones which also make up the sides of the valley. Some beds found at tho west bank have also been found at the east bank of the valley, and hence the evidence st ems eonelu sixe proof of previous continuity. The relation of th ancient topo graphy of the present is quite marked. Where the Dakota formation fills an old valley and hence is quite thick, the tributary streams have eroded wide valleys and the Platte river also ha? widened its course. Where the Da kota overlies the old Pennsylvanian hills end hence is shallow, the streams have been cutting into the harder Penn-iylvanian beds and have succeed ed in carving but narrow gorges, and the Platte has a narrow course. As a result, the ancient hills and valleys arc not now distinguished by differences in elevation, but by different surface re lief The Pennsylvania valleys, though on"e obliterated, arr now imrked bv sm.illcr undulating nills and valleys, and t! Pennsylvania!! hills are di.;lin. gulshcd by a topography of relatively bull relief. Muring the week trips were also made to the old quarry opposite South Peru! from which most of tho stono erec ted Into the stato capitol taillding was taken, to tho (Jrtcn's nuurrv which n.s furnished a l.irge output tin. (I Id Stout -quarry m-ar Louls tile, I famous in our early stato history and which In again to be opened soon by the Murphy Co., the Murphy quarries Which nlnitn hvn. fnrnlhiMl Ltncotn more than 500 carload. if crushed tdotie a yer, the National Stf?,e Co., lh Atwood, and tho Cullom ouarri. :.. Thexe employ fr m 3". to ; un a eon. Tho l.irgffit. owned by the N.i Uon.il Stono C? was Udkd carefully and aie party feel rry r;ratfil to the tnni.iM-, Mr. Hull! van, ir hh gener oas dn rlpUotiM, ThU quarry In lo cated on tv M & M. lly., uijt two lu'leM northeast of Lou!.vUI, The opeiiliiK t. tho north and haa now been worked out. so that a face 750 feet long is exposed, and has been worked back about 150 feet, mming out a solid ledge of limcttone 25 feet thick. From this quarry it Is estl mated that 260,000 tons of stone have been taken, or about 5,200 carroacrs. Work has been begvn to extend the opening about five hundred feet which will give It a frontage of nearly a quarter of a mile. About eight or ten feet of the middle portion of the twrenty-five foot ledge is pure enougn to be use! in sugar refining and hence is known as sugar stone. Most limestone from all these quarries is crushed and used in concrete, in bulla ing, and in street making. From this district Lincoln receives more than 2,000 carloads " of crushed stone an nually. The bluffs along the lower Platte also contain " the most extensive gravel pits In Nebraska. Between Cedar Creek and Louisville are two large gravel pits each having - a capacity of several carloads a day. Midway between Cedar Creek and Culloir. is another large pit. The im portance of this product is readily ap prciated when we remember its use as a roofing material. The numerous pits in this region, many In operation, some abandoned because- of heavy strippings, make the source of the acres of gravel roofs found in Nebras ka. .The gravel in the beds is mixed with a great deal of sand which Is washed out before shipment. The vicinity of Louisville and Meadow is probably the region of greatest sural mining activity. f ive large clam dredges are at work there one of which operates in conjunction with a sand pump which lints' the sand from the Platte river Into a res ervoir from which a dredge loads it into' cars. The quantity of sand which can be taken from one pit is well il lustrated in the case of the Atwood Pit at Louisville, managed by Mr Rands. This pit is located about one hundred yards south of the channel of the Platte river. The land, use less for farming, leases for about $100 per acre on account of its sand The pit was opened five years ago by re; evjng about one foot of tne sur f; as- strippings. The sand is taken out by a dredge, called a clam on ac count of the shapj. It weighs about 3000 lbs. and operates on a double cable, by means of a. draw cable at tached to a twenty horse power engine it is lowered into the pit. On account of . its weigh and shape it sinks Into the sand and tills, and automatically closes when drawn up. It is, then drawn on the double cable to the side of the pit and against a stripping de vice which causes it to drop its load of nearly two tons of sand into a wait ing car. When operating at full speed three f-uch loads are hauled in five minutes, or at the rate -of a ton per minute. This one c redge loads from elht to fifteen cars per day during ten months each year, regard less of rain or 'sun shine. That process has gone on at th.; place for nearly five years and hn" only excavated a pit about 300 yards long, 100 vards wide, having a maxi mum 'depth of 75 feet. The operation described is typical. There are five such credges at work in that vicinity, at about the same rate, which means an average combined output of thirty-five to seventy cars chilly. The upper sands are usually rather tine and nro used extensively for engine sand. As dredg ing is cairied to knver depths thu sand is coarser and at a depth ot seventy live to eighty feet contains much gravel. All the sand is very angular and is well adapted fer use in plasters, cement blocks, street making, etc. A,3 the sand is taken out clear water lakes are formed which serve for fish and ice lakes. Thus tho value of the land is increased rather than dinvnisned. When we are tempted to think of Ne braska as a state without mineral wealth let us bear in mind that she lies tho best of the most important mineral resources In the world, a fertile- soil and excellent water. She also has al most innumerable, sandpits, a consider able quantity of gravel, numerous quarries, v.iul that she has a district cinl raci ig LcuiNvMIe and Meadow, less than three miles wide and u-n miles long, . In re th boom of the blast Is .neard on pH eides In the eveninc and where rmny tralr.la.ida of sand, clay, grave! and f.tonc .ire i.-.hicd weekly. . . , j UP-TO-DATE. Czar Nicholas is a nod hand at "",,st rul P'ys a great deal. Lmt year he and his intimates lined twelvo hundred packs of cards, which eo.t over J.V0OO. Ill cards are mad 4 of the finest linen rags, with n water mark o? tho Iiup-ri,tl eugle and crown. f h ' Russians, by the way, re tho Krcatest cud player In the world, their yearly expenditure on card being wlnit II.lHO.OeO. King Ldward ha nanctIoned the ap pointment of Henry Held f,f Windsor n bombardier to fire rojul satutr In tho Lonif Walk, Windsor park, on th birthday anntversufiert of the royal finilly and other tpeciai orcajuoiiN. 'I he office la an Bnclent one. Th can- YOU: GA! klELY ON THE BITTERS Past experience has taiurht thousand. of persons that in all cases r,f sin, ach, Liver cr Bowel disorders the Bit ters can be relied on to give relief even when other medicine? have fMod. HOSTETTER'S STOMACH BITTERS should therefore be the first thought as soon as you notice an attack of Sick Headache, Dyspepsia, Indigestion. Co. tiveness, Heartburn, Malaria or Female ins. it is absolutely pure.. non which are used In firing the sa lutes are ths bombardier's own nnin. erty, which he keeps stored at his dwelling house, together with powder. This he provides out of the sum paid for firing the salutes of- twenty-one guns. Achilieion. the beautiful xaace hniit for the latft T1mnrp. TMivaVoH c Austria at Corfu, at a cost of $5,000,300, has been nurrhajserl nv n Kwiuu.c'oi.m.,,, " .7 ' ' ' . . - I j I II 1 ' syndicate, which will convert St into a noiei aou t.anatoi nirn. The palace, which is of pure white marble, was designed iw th tcum architect S. Canto.' It contains 12S rooms and a chapel, situated in fine grounds planted with 25,000 rare rose trees. Xotiee of Petition. Estate No. 2234 of Margaret Men! man, ueeeasru, m i;ouiuy uourt of Lancaster County, Nebraska. The State of fehrask.i TYi nil r.ar?nn. interested in said estatp taU-A nrHr.o a petition has been filed for the appoint- liitiH ui junn j. Lieawith as administra tor of said estate, which has been set for hearing herein, on Ma a a a o'clock a. m. ' Dated April 3, 1907. ja FRANK R WATKliS, (Seal.) County Judge. By WALTER A. LEESE, Clerk. Notice. Notice is hereby given, that the under. signed have formed a corporation, the name of which is Big Four Transfer com pany; principal place of transacting busi ness is Lincoln, Nebraska; nature of busi ness is drayage, storage and transfer business including buying, selling and dealing In merchandise and real and per sonal property: the capital stock' Is fir,.. 000,00, of which $3,000.00 is to be issued before commencing business, all stock to be fully paid up before issued; corpora tion to commence November is, 190G, and to- terminate January 1, 1956; the affairs of the corporation to be managed by a board of directors from whose number shall be elected a president, vice nresi- dent, secretary and treasurer, the under signed incorporators to be the iirst board of directors. Dated this 4th (lav of March. 13i7. HARVEY E. PIM, TIIKODORE C. RCTTMIDT, . KASPER GOLDSTEIN. om Wear Out Dr. Miles' Anti-Pain Pills relieve pain not only once, but "as many times as it is necessary to take them. .Many persons who suffer from chronic ailments find in them a source of trreat relief from the suffering which they would otherwise be corn polled to endure. Their ii . soouunff mtiuenje upon the nerves' sti-.'-iurthcn rather than weaken them ' For jhis reason they sel dom lose their cficHive- ness. "I rim t!2 year old and have sutlVred . - - until ilN. rheumatism i, ti.l n.-m 1-, i , ,,.,,;,.,;.. or tlie lie; rt. KhortriHjw ,,f j.n-aih jue.!ein.rts. and piu ai.nin,! tlx heart. I'do Dr. MtU-.s Antl-paia Pel have ,een ti lilMnini iy f.... I know what 1 h.ulddo mi'thin tVnV nd they ure the only rein-dy I Juiu eer uwl that either did u,.t wear out In lean t.m than I have b n n. Jtijf them, ur th Injari, , r.K ilt wer mi h umt 1 uv!U be i.; to re their ie," .i7,r 1m,n.i. 'lean. Dr. Mi iV Anti'Patn PHI r ,)! t your Hn.qdiu, who will cuaitr.tot- trtal the firs P3ckj will betmnt. If it falle. tin will return voia rniv tS doc. 23 cnt. Nevr m.ic In bo!k, Miles Medical Co., Elkhart, Intl