1950–51 Volume 75 No 1–5 - Phi Delta Theta Scroll Archive

THEY HAVE THEIR CAKE AND EAT IT TOOView of the spectacular half-mile long conveyor system, brainchild of two Phis—LESTER M. COOLEY,Purdue '2^, and CECIL G. COOLEY, Purdue '20. The conveyor lowers coal yso feet from the open pitsto a new preparation plant, and on the ride downhill it generates power to mine more coal.This Goal Works a Double ShiftCOAL works a double shift in anunique mining operation startedrecently in the Routt County fields ofNorthwestern Colorado. And Phi brothersfrom Purdue are behind the operationin which the energy of the coal, ridingdownhill, is utilized to generatepower before it is burned.The creators of this startling systemare Lester M. Cooley, Purdue '27, andhis brother, Cecil G. Cooley, Purdue '20.Both were active in Phi Delta Thetaaffairs at Purdue and L. M. (Deac) waspresident of Theta chapter in his Senioryear.The Routt County coal mining operationis only one of many huge dirt movingand mining operations in which theCooley brothers have engaged since com-*Mr. Leckenby is Editor 'and Publisher of TheSteamboat Pilot, Steamboat Springs, Colorado, bestknown weekly newspaper in the Rocky Mountain area.ByMAURICE LECKENBY*['5lpleting engineering courses at Purdue.L. M. Cooley is the guiding spirit behindthe Edna Coal Co. operations inColorado. Coal is mined in the nation'shighest open pit coal mine and then isgiven a ride down a half mile long conveyorto generate electricity used in operationof the tipple and preparationplant on the Denver & Rio Grande Westernrailroad tracks. The coal makes avertical drop of 750 feet in the half mileof easy riding down the mountainside tothe railroad.Until L. M. Cooley took over the miningoperations more than two years agothere were many baffling problems.There was plenty of high grade bituminouscoal that could be dug from theopen pit but the haul to the railroadby truck was treacherous and expensive.It was necessary to move the coal alonga narrow shelf road which was particu-