New York, sending me a sample of briquettes, and this seems the most promising of any that has yet turned up. The briquettes sent in the samples appear to be very satisfactory, more so than any I have ever seen made from this coal. I am sending him another lot of coal from which he will make a greater number of briquettes than already sent. I have great hopes that something may come from this direction. I shall be very glad to give you all the information that I secure from time to time. Yours sincerely, W. D. WASHBURN, President. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LIGNITE TO Forests do not exist in North Dakota, though the valleys of the Red river, the Mouse, the Cheyenne, the Missouri and smaller streams are well wooded, and the term timber land may fairly be applied to certain parts of the Turtle and Pembina plateaus. Large trees are generally confined to the flood plain, though at times they are found on the first terrace as well, while in the tributary coulees and ravines groves are nearly always found on the side protected from the prevailing wind. About some of the lakes there are fine groves that have furnished fuel in considerable quantities. Though wood is still cut for fuel along some of the larger streams, the supply grows less every year. and the price rises proportionately. Near the eastern boundary of the state wood from Minnesota is used, but the cost is rapidly increasing. For the western part of the state wood does not enter as a factor into the fuel problem, while in the Red river valley the limit of the wood supply is easily in sight. The question of the coal supply, therefore, becomes a vital one to the rapidly growing state. POSITION OF THE STATE WITH REFERENCE TO THE EASTERN AND WESTERN BITUMINOUS AND ANTHRACITE Fields. The Red River Valley. Coal from the eastern fields reaches North Dakota from Duluth, to which point it is shipped by boat, at low rates. The reloading and long haul across Minnesota have added materially to its cost when it reaches the Red river valley, while a considerable addition to its selling price must again be made to defray freight charges when it reaches the center of the state. Ordinarily, Hocking Valley coal, when contracted for in considerable quantities, costs from $5.25 to $5.50 per ton in the Red river valley. The selling price of Youghiogheny coal is about the same. Lignite throughout the Red river valley sells at about $3.00, though one or two large consumers have secured figures considerably below this. At three dollars a ton the economy of lignite for steam purposes in this region is not wholly demonstrated. At two dollars, however, there is a decided advantage in its favor. For stoves and ranges the lignite may be used advantageously at a higher price. It is but a question of time, however, till cost of production will be cheapened, and a large volume of trade will justify lower freight rates, assuring the use of lignite, even in Western Minnesota, for all purposes. Lignite Shipments to Minnesota. For domestic purposes lignite is now being shipped in considerable quantities to Minneapolis and St. Paul, and the demand from these centers is destined to increase. Its great convenience for use in ranges. greatly adds to its value. When the problem of briquetting the lignite is solved it will be practical to extend, the market even farther east. The briquette is a concentrated fuel, thoroughly dry and clean and convenient to handle, and justifies shipment to more distant points than does the raw material. The James River Valley. - Some fifty miles before the James river valley is reached the line beyond which under present conditions eastern coal can in any way compete with lignite is passed, and in the valley itself conditions are strongly in favor of the North Dakota fuel. At Jamestown, under favorable conditions, Youghiogheny coal costs from $6.80 to $7.00 a ton, while lignite retails at less than $3.00. This wide stretch of fertile. and prosperous country is destined to form a constantly growing market for the coal mined in the western half of the state. The Missouri Valley.-Before the Missouri is reached, the lignite area is entered and so fully is the worth of the native fuel realized that eastern coals are rarely quoted at Bismarck. Red Lodge coal, mined in Montana, is used by the Northern Pacific railroad, but on account of freight rates is not offered for sale in North Dakota. Sand Coulee coal, also a Montana product, is burned by the Great Northern locomotives, but on both of these roads lignite is used in the western half of the state for their engines at pumping stations. Freight Rates on Lignite. There is no greater factor in the problem of the development of the lignite industry than the cost of transportation. The rates as now established on the roads entering the lignite area are given below: |