Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1833-11-20
From The National Iatelfgencer Of yesterday.
POTOMAC COAL,

POTOMAC COAL.
OF the vast resources of the country, no more
interesting demonstration is now going on man
the explosatioa of the banks OF the Potomac.
within reach of the finished part OF this Canal
for Coal, the discovery Of which so near to the
nasie alton of the waters of the Chesapeake. and
of course so convenient for transportation 10
eyery part of our country, is an era in the his
tory of the borders Of the Potomac, from when
we hope the prosperity Of its cities may be da'
ted
We have been favored BY mercantile house
in this City with sample (taken out OF a bar
rely Of the surface Coal, dug by one OF the To-,
dus,rious farmers 10 the upper country ana
sent down for examination. This barrel was ac'
companied By letter, from which we extract
| the following:
81 send YOU sample of our Coal. BY some
remarks made by. the Editor OF the Alexandra
Gazette, and visit to the mine ty one gentle
man, presume that the People in the District
are anxious to know the extent Of The coal bed,
and what chance there is to get it to the District
by the way Of the Canal. therefore make use
Of this opportunity 10 send you few Goals to
distribute among your chemical men for examI-
nation. never made any experiments OF that
sort myself, being SO fully convinced that they
are The same species of Anthracite that abound
/ SO beautifully in Pennsylvania 10 the ridge
though those tina, isend you are not true sPe.
cimen. as they were only taken out OF small
vein about We or sixfeet from the surface. On
close examinations. you will find coarse veins
run ming through tho iznetures. which will not
be the case when y sESttwenty or fifty feet IN,
der ground. The seams tstrata) lie at an eleVa-
ton Of about eighty <Brees, and the deeper we go
| in the seams the purer the coal 49,
| To attempt to ave you full idea OF the Tor
nation, location. &c. OF the Coal here would be
useless: only tell The People Of the District to
complete the Canal asfar as the second dam
above Harper's Ferry, and have their money rea'
DIV. Iwiil insure them Coal FOR ACES TO COME
What little time spent in the mountains since
we commenced the work. | explored by boring
and otherwise; 50 ,hsfI have pretty good idea
of the formation and extent. Ii is far beyond
my expectations; think the prospect is even bet
ter than that at Pnt,syil!e. Pa
The sample Of Coal presented US. being part
Of that referred to. we placed in the hands OF one
of the most eminent scientific & practical chemists
and biologists m our country; who, having care
fully examined il, has obiislDgIy furnished US
with the following note concerning It, worded
with his usual caution, but fully confirming the
account given of il by the respectable writer Of
the above letter:
| MEssRs GALES s. SEATox:-Ihave examined
the anthracite from the line Of the Canal, which
YOU placed in my baods: and have no doubt
that the region in which il was obtained will fur
nish coal of an excellent quality. The specl
mems sent, which are surface coal, contain a con
siderable portion of plumbago, which probably
will not be the ease with the lower strata; the
presence Of this article is eyinced both by the
appearance Of the coal. and the manner in which
! it soils the fingers. placed few Jumps upon
the fire, and they appeared to burn as well as the
PENNSYLVANIA anthracite. No fair Judgment
however. could he formed in this way without
having enough to burn alone; nor would II be
right to form one, had enough been supplied Tor
this pnrpose. taken from the upper stratum -
There are thousands Of tons al the Pennsylvania
mines. which remain there, not being considered
as worth carrying to market; yet the best coal is
| furnished in the same region.
Yours. respectfully,
Nov. 10Th, 1858. L. ].