The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 22, 1903

First Official Trip is Made

Car No. 20, of Fort Dodge and Interurban Line, Makes Run Over New Extension.

Was Enjoyable Excursion

Thirty-Two Fort Dodge People Were Guests of the Street Car Management – Run Was Made to Race Track, Terminal Line.

The first official trip over the Fort Dodge and Interurban street car line was made Saturday evening at 7:30. The excursion was made in one of the new cars, No. 20. Manager Healy had invited about thirty friends, including the stockholders of the company to ride as guests of honor upon the occasion of the first tour over the new line.

No. 20 is a large, easy running car, and as the road bed is in good condition the trip was a very enjoyable one. The party left at the city park and rode directly to the new park where the guests alighted and were shown about the grounds. After viewing the park, the car was run out to the driving park which is the terminal of the line, after which the party was conveyed back to the city.

The trip was made without a hitch and the management received many congratulations upon the successful and early completion of the line. Manager Healy had charge of the trip; Arthur Comstock, superintendent of the Light & Power company was the motor man, and Thomas Wilson acted s conductor on the first run.

There are now four miles of track laid which makes the ride a pleasure trip as well as convenient for those living on the line. For the present two cars will be kept running on the line. The cars will pass at the Great Western depot. The management are now arranging a schedule.

Those who went out on the first trip were:

Tags: 1903, Campbell, Collins, Comstock, Cook, Downing, Fessler, Flannigan, Haire, Harps, Healy, Hepler, Hower, Joyce, Larson, Laufersweiler, Oleson, Price, Rankin, Roberts, Robinson, Rodney, Ruge, Ryan, Selvy, Slack, Tierney, Vaughn, Welch, Wilson, Wolfinger, Young

The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 13, 1905

Coalville Has More Coal Veins

Favorable Prospects for New McEwen and Collins Mine.

The Shaft Has Been Finished

Was Pushed Down at Very Rapid Speed – Will Install Machinery and be Ready to Work Fifty Men by Next Winter – Excellent Facilities.

William McEwen of Coalville, was in Fort Dodge on Saturday and was able to report very favorable conditions on his new mine he is opening at Coalville. The Collins Brothers are interested with Mr. McEwen in the new mine which is located under the town of Coalville just alongside the railway track and near to the store. Many people had supposed that the coal deposits in this part of the town had been mined out long ago, but Mr. McEwen has demonstrated in his preliminary work of the past six months that there is a fine coal deposit there and he firmly believes it is of considerable size.

The prospecting drill demonstrated that there are two seams of coal, one at a depth of about 65 feet and the other about 80 feet down. Both veins are of lump coal of good quality and the top vein is about three and one-half feet thick and the lower four feet thick.

As soon as this was demonstrated and other drill holes had revealed the proof that a good many acres surrounding them were underlaid in the same way, Mr. McEwen started sinking a shaft and has just completed the work. It is a large shaft with three compartments, two for hoisting and the other for ventilation. The work was crowded with three shifts of men working eight hours each and the entire shaft was put down at an average speed of four feet per day. They went through some soft ground that required careful handling and through a great deal of very hard rock that needed large charges of dynamite. It was by no means an easy job to do so and the speed accomplished was very creditable.

Hoisting machinery will be installed and they will get the mine in shape to put large quantities of coal on the market this winter. Being right on the railroad track, they will be well equipped for shipping their product. They expect to work about fifty men net (sic – should be next) winter mining coal. There is but little water in the mine. They are able to hoist all that accumulates in the sump in twenty-four hours in about an hour and a half each day.

Tags: 1905, Collins, McEwen

The Fort Dodge Messenger: April 2, 1906

Webster County Coal Mines Idle

Coal Barons as Well as People in the Grasp of the Shortage.

Not Fifty Ton in the City

“Only a Few Ton on Hand” say most of Dealers – About Two Hundred Men In This Locality Out – Ten Mines closed Down.

Fort Dodge is, or shortly will be, in the grasp of the coal situation. Pursuant to agreement made among miners and operators all local mines are shut down pending agreement at the joint conference of miners and operators in Des Moines.

Fort Dodge coal dealers who have been on the verge of a shortage for weeks, owing to the gradually tightening marking report today that that shortage in local conditions is practically at hand. One dealer stated to a Messenger reporter today that he did not think there were more than fifty tons on hand among the dealers of the entire city.

Each retailer when asked about his supply comes forth with the reply, “Only a few tons left” and in some cases, “All out” is given.

Orin W. Collins reports that his company is totally out. The Gleason company have a similar report, and McClure coal company, Parel Coal company, Townsend and Merrill, Butler and Rhodes, and numerous others say their supply is running low. Graig Coal company, John Amond and a few others have a fair supply on hand.

Fortunately the private coal consumption for the year is nearly done with and all the large consumers are supplied against emergency. Some two hundred men through the county are out of employment and ten or more mines are shut down.

Tags: 1906, Collins