Newspaper Page Text

36

Tesla

California's Newest

Mining Town.

In a quiet nook in the Alameda

County hills, where the Black range

frowns darkly on the rolling hills that

stretch away toward the San Joaquin

Valley, a new town has been born to

California — one that is destined, and in

fact is now, the greatest and most per

fect mining camp on the Pacific Coast.

Tesla, for such is the name of the

town, is not strictly a camp, but as

perfect a little town as it is possible to

Imagine, and its rise to the dignity of

being entitled to a place on the map is

almost as wonderful as the story of

Aladdin's palace. The difference is that

it was conjured up by the use of

wealth and fertile brains, and not by

rubbang of a lamp. Heat and light are

the moving factors in the life of Tesla,

howener, for it is the home of the army

of men who operate the immense coal

mine that g-rves the place its name.

Up to a few short weeks ago Corral

Hollow was the commonplace cogno

men of the hill-girt town, and its

claim to being known a? the habita

tion of men consisted of the mining

plant, a few antiquated farm build

ing*, a scattering of tents on the hill

sides and beside the little stream that

meanders down the canyon. Now doz

ens of neat little cottages have been

built on streets laid out on the north

bank of the arroyo, a substantial hotel

rears itself on the south ban*, stores,

a saloon, a hospital, lodging houses,

shops and many other neat structures

are rising like magic, ana Tesla pre

sents a far more animated appearance

than hundreds of towns of ten times its

size.

Xor are the building all or the

greatest of improvements. No finer or

more complete electric lighting system

■was ever Inaugurated, and a sewerage

eyatem second to none is at present

racing- with the buildings toward Com

pletion.

Corral Hollow is a famous place in

California history as the headquarters

of that notorious bandit, Joaquin Mu

riettq., who terrorized the San Joaquin

Valley for many years when Stockton

•was in its infancy and many other

towns that are now flourishing com

munities had not yet attained the dig

nities of names.

Among the canyons of the Black

range he made his hiding places and

the cattle/ men who rounded up their

herds in Corral Hollow during brand

ing time were constantly on the look

out for Murietta and his band of cut

throats, who thought nothing of killing

three or four men for the mere lust of

blood. Down the little valley that

leads out of the hollow toward Stock

ton, visitors are shown Castle Rock,

where Murietta's lookouts were sta

tioned to warn their leader when

bands of grim, determined men rode up

the glen with rifles at "ready," praying

for a chance to get in the bullet that

would rid California of the dreaded des

perado.

CorraJ Ho!low -was so named because

Its precipitous sides made it a natural

enclosure from which even the hardy

hill- bred cattle could scarcely escape

except toward the river. Its enduring

fame, however, rests on the immensity

of the coal deposits that have been dis

covered on its sides and on the fact that

the greatest electrician of the age had

his name perpetuated by having the

place called after him.

Eight years ago it came to the ears

of the Treadwell brothers, who located

and developed the great Treadwell

mines in Alaska, that coal deposits ex

isted in Corral Hollow, which is about

twelve miles from Livermore. Be

lieving that such deposits would be of

great value In such close proximity of

San Francisco, they began a quiet in

vestigation as to the extent and qual

ity of the coal. Becoming convinced

that an inexhaustible supply of fuel ex

isted in the interior of the mountain

they set about acquiring possession of

the rights and properties that would

A Portion of the New Town of Tesla. In the Foreground Are a Few of the Cottages That Have Been Built for the Accommodation of the Men of Family While in the

Background Appear Rooming-Houses in Which the Single Men Lodge. The Hotel Appears in the Right Background and the Company Store in the Left Foreground.

give them absolute control of the coal

fields. Without attracting any great

amount of attention they bought up a

tract of country six and a half miles

long by one and a half miles wide and

began developing the deposits that they

had found existed beyond the peradven

ture of a doubt.

The greatness that the proposition

1 has assumed may be understood from

! the fa-ct that nearly two millions of dol-

I lars have been spent in development

■ and equipment work alone. By tunnel-

I ing and sinking shafts the most re

markable coal fields of the Pacific Coast

i have been mapped out and competent

engineers have estimated that there

I are from eighteen to twenty million

tons of coal already in sight. The de

posits are as remarkable for their reg

! ularity as for the extent of the deposits.

! The main tunnel of the mine taps seven

coal measures that are known to be

five and a half miles in length and

from one and a half feet to eleven feet

in width.

Their depth cannot be estimated, but

it is known to be great, for the shafts,

already down over five hundred feet,

still follow clean coal and there is

every reason to believe that the meas

ures go down many hundred feet fur

ther. Old coal miners say that it is

the most extraordinary deposit known

on this Coast from the absolute unifor

mlty in the distance between the meas

ures. Tunnels run into the hills show

that the veins are at an exact distance

apart throughout the field and of uni

form width and quality.

When the amount, extent and qual

ity of the coal had been fully deter

mined, and the future of the property

assured, it was decided to form two in

corporations, the San Francisco and

San Joaquin Coal Company and theAla

meda and San Joaquin Railroad Com

pany — the first to further develop and

equip the mines and the second to se

cure the transportation of its products

to a market. Both were formed with a

Main Tunnel of the Tesla Coal Mine, Showing How It Taps the Seven Veins That Already Show 20,000,000 Tons

of Coal. The Remarkable Regularity of the Measures Is Also Shown.

view of Interesting local capital. While

the coal company was constructing

bunkers that would contain all the coal

that they might be called on to handle,

the railroad company was constructing

a broad-gauge line to Stockton — thirty

six miles away — the best that has yet

been built in California.

The stock of the coal company was

divided into 50.000 shares at $100 each and

the following officers were elected:

President, Henry Williams; vice

president, John W. Coleman; direc

tors — Henry Williams, John W. Cole

man, E. B. Pond, Jacob C. Johnson,

James Treadwell, H. A. Williams and

R. D. Fry.

The following officers were elected to

direct the affairs of the railroad com

pany: President, R. D. Fry; vice-presi

dent, W. J. Bartnett; directors— R. D.

Fry. J- Dalzell Brown, B. M. Bradford

and W. J. Bartnett.

Up to this time over $800,000 had been

THE SAN rBA^CTSCO CALL,, SUXDAT, JANUARY 23, 1898.

spent in developing and equipping the

mine.

Supplied with 50-ton locomotives of

the most modern pattern and a full com

plement of up-to-date coal cars, the

railroad Is capable of handling every

ton of coal that the mine may produce

in years to come. The company ac

quired heavy tracts of land at the

junction of Mormon and Stockton

sloughs and erected substantial bunk

ers, capable of containing 1500 tons of

coal. Thus equipped and in a posi

tion to handle any output of the mine.

the owners went on developing the

mine to a still greater extent before in

vading the coal market, where compe

tition is keen and competitors powerful.

A few months ago it was decided to

begin realizing on the vast resources of

the mine and the system of mining at

first in use and known as the "long

wall" system wsfl in several workings

changed to the more modern "breast

and pillar" system.

These two systems of mining coal —

entirely different — are amply illustrated

in the Tesla. In the "long wall" system

the workings follow along the vein,

the coal being entirely worked out

after the vein is tapped.

In the "breast and pillar" system,

when the workings reach the vein, the

coal is attacked immediately. Thirty

feet of coal are dug out and then a pil

lar 20 feet along the vein is allowed to

stand. Then another 30 feet of coal is

taken out and another pillar left. When

the end of the measure is reached, or

for any reason work in that direction

is stopped, the pillars are removed, be

ginning from the end opposite the tun

nel. Thus everything that is taken out

after the vein is tapped is a market

able commodity and no labor is wasted.

From an output of fifty tons a day

the product was gradually increased

to seventy tons, then to one hundred

tons, and so on until the present out

put has reached 250 tons a day. All of

this comes out of the Eureka vein —

the largest of the seven — the product

of the others not yet having been

placed on the market.

F. J. Horswill, recently made su

perintendent, has assured the com

pany that the output can be increased

to 1000 tons a day within the near fu

ture and it has been decided to build

a modern mining town to accommo

date the employes. Thus Tesla sprang

into being, "the directors decreeing that

such should be its name and also the

name of the coal.

The first consideration was tl « care

ful housing of the men. and four large

rooming houses were constructed. A

fully equipped store, at which all eoods

used by miners can be purchased at

the reigning prices of the region, was

constructed; a saloon followed: a med

ical dispensary, with Dr. Jump, a com

petent physician, in charge, was built

as an annex to the store and then

streets began to appear. Eighteen cot

tages, all mat and comfortable, and

with modern appliances, were con

structed and let to men of families at

nominal rental.

The miners being cared for, the next

consideration wi^ for the stranerers

that might knock at the gates of Tesla,

and a commodious two-story hotel was

constructed, several rooms being set

aside for the accommodation of the of

ficers of the company and their friends.

Contracts have been let for a hospi

tal, in which Dr. Jump's patients may

be treated, for barber, tailoring and

shoe shop, for a library, in which the

men will be furnished with reading

matter free of charge, and for a school

house in which the twenty-five chil

dren of the camp may be educated.

The county has agreed to furnish a

schoolteacher to take charge of the

children.

Tesla's latest acquisition is a post

office, which the Government has

agreed to place there, having already

Hicnified that the name Tesla Is satis

factory.

The comfort of the miners and their

bodily health receives the utmost con

sideration at the hands of the indomit

able Treadwells. On being hoisted out

of the shaft all are at liberty to go to

the washhouse, where hot and cold

water in liberal quantities flow from

overhead pipes and soap Is found in

abundance.

The greatest rare has been taken in

the ventilation of the mine, and so free

is it from firedamp that the miners

never think of using covered lights, but j

go about their work with open lamps.

Their complaint is often that there is

so much draft through the workings

that their lights are blown out.

In order to avoid the chance of sick

ness in the camp a perfect sanitary j

Bewerage system has been laid out. ;

connecting the buildings on both sides i

of the creek with the main drain that

carries the sewage to a point far below

ttaa town.

Work never ceases at Tepla. During

the hours of the night as well as while

the Bun 1b shining the ceaseless digging

of the coal goes on, and while the coy

otes are howling acrons the hills and

the good people of the neighboring

farms are fast asleep brawny arms are

wielding pick and shovel and pouring

black diamonds Into the cavernous

bunkers. Ten hours a day Is the shift,

and the gang that quits work in the

evening is immediately replaced by

another containing an equal number of

men, the twinkling lights of whose

lamps go flitting up the hill when the

warning^vhistle blows. Night and day

are alike in the depths of the coal mine.

Miners at Tesla are better paid than

the average of their kind. Those Who

labor in the chutes and tunnels work

by contract. 60 cents a ton being the

price paid them for their work. Many

earn $100 a month or more, and a large

majority seem happy and contented in

Bunkers of the Tesla Mine "Where the Coal Is Graded and the Refuse Removed by Japanese

Pickers* The Three Big Stacks of the Power House Show to the Right Behind the

Trestle on Which the Cars Run From the Shaft to the Bunkers,

their model, little town.

Miners with families are at a pre

mium in Tesla, and the company is

constantly on the lookout for good,

steady men. Fifty more are needed at

once, and if found to be of the right

stripe will be put to work at once.

Superintendent Horswill has been

connected with coal mining on the Pa

cific Coast as manager or owner for

the past thirty years. His knowledge

of the details of the business, as well

as his judgment, are of a high order,

and few who do not contribute to the

welfare of the mine remain long in

Tesla.

Drunkenness in the camp is practi

cally unknown, the man having charge

of the saloon being under strict in

structions to furnish no more liquor to

r miner when once he begins to show

signs of intoxication. So with quar

reling- and fighting. Except during one

hour on Saturday afternoon bi^ s and

fisticuffs are frowned upon. During

that hour the men are permitted to re

pair to a spot on the hills and there

settle the differences that have led to

thdr hard feeling. It is generally.

'Jack, you're the best man this day,

but I'll see you again next week."

An excellent system that permits the

men to get credit, previous to' payday,

has been inaugurated. When a man's

time card shows that he has worked

three days, he is allowed to have a

book of coupons, which are accepted

in payment for goods at any of the

establishments in the town. The book

is charged to him at the end of the

month.

Economy is ever the watchword at

Tesla. No product of the mine or re

fuse of the plant goes astray. Coal

dust forms the fuel that generates

power for the ponderous hoisting ma

chinery, cinders and waste rock fill in

the inequalities of the ground or form

walks on which the r <ners may step

dry shod, and nothing is allowed to go

to waste.

The significance of the name of the

new town lies in a matter that has not

been mentioned heretofore and one

that rivais in importance the output of

the mine itself. Estimates have al

ready been made for the erection of an

immense electrical plant that will gen

erate from 25,000 to 30.000 horsepower.

Wires capable of transmitting this vast

force to Oakland, Alameda and San

Francisco will be strung and power

furnished to all who may be willing to

buy.

Electrical power now costs the aver

age consumer $120 per horsepower per

annum, but the company expects to be

able, considering the small cost of the

refuse coal that will be used to drive

the plant, to furnish power at a greatly

reduced cost. The transmission plant,

including the wfrinj? to San Francisco,

will cost about $600,000, and contracts

are already in sight that will pay in

terest on this large investnfent.

Another big project is the building

of a number of manufacturing plants

to manufacture various articles, where

fuel and power are the main items of

expense, in a large level area of the

valley below the town. These plants

will be situated between two shafts of

the mine, so that fuel can be cheaply

handled from either direction.

Now in course of manufacture in the

East is a large washing and screening

plant that wIH be put in operation

within the next three months. Its prin

ciple lies in the difference between the

specific gravity of coal and refuse and

in mines where such plants have been

placed in operation they have been

found to enhance the value of the fuel

to a very appreciable extent.

The water cleans and brightens the

coal and at the same time throws out

all "bone" and other foreign matter,

saving the fuel .even down to the dust.

Though Tesla coal has only recently

been put out in sufficient quantities to

make any kind of a show'ng, it has al

ready taken a strong hold on the lo

calities where it has been marketed.

Stockton, Sacramento, San Jose and

other interior points consume all of the

present output of the mine and little,

if any, has been sent to San Francisco.

The larger amount that will be mined

In the next few months will be sent to

this city.

The company has adopted the method

of handling the product of its mine

from the moment it is dug out of the

vein until it passes into the hands of

the consumer.

Ground has been leased and contracts

for buildings let in some interior towns

as well as in the bay cities, and bright

and energetic coalmen placed in charge.

The profit of the middlemen, a no small

item when large quantities of coal are

handled, <s thus saved to the company,

enabling the corporation to sell its pro

duct at a price that will make it a

strong competitor.

Tesla coal is a superior lignite, mak

ing a hot fire and forming very little

cinder, ash or smoke. It has been re

ported upon by a number of engineers

and chemists and in all cases the te*".ts

have been favorable. It was used by

engineers in the employ of the South

ern Pacific Company and satisfactory

results obtained.

W. R. Eckert, a well known mechan

ical engineer of this city, made a test

of the coal at the Union Iron Works

recently, and the result of his investi

gations r.re summed up in the closing

paragraph of his report, which is as

follows: "Tne coal is of uniform qual

ity, burns freely, with hardly arv

clinkers, and should give good results

as a commercial coal.*'

The practical experience of the man

ufacturers of Stockton is a still bettor

criterion of the value of Tesla coal. It

is burned in the electric light and pow

er works nf Stockton, and in a large

number of flour mills and manufactur

ing plants. Those who have used it

sufficiently long to afe#ertain how the

best results may be obtained in its use

order it by the car load and will take

no other.

As a house coal it has also proved a

success, and is destined to prove an

important factor in the coal trade of

the Pacific Coast.

An erroneous idea exists in the minds

of many coal consumers that Tesla

coal is identical with the product of

the Mount Diablo mines. Superintend

ent Horswill, who was connected with

the Mount Diablo mines for years,

states that nothing could be further

from the truth. He says that beyond

both being lignites there is little or no

resemblance between the two coals,

S Tesla being infinitely superior in every

j particular.

He estimates that the product of the

i Tesla mine is millions of years older

than the Mount Diablo coal, and was

I formed at a period the coal of which

has never before come to light in Cali

fornia.