Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-11-25
POTOMAC COAL.
rD,rop OF THE ALEXANDRIA GAZETTE.

"'', of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal" adj
n'''. ,1 20 the President and Directors Of that
G''S, Sa,,, under date of September Is, 1885,
name 276 of the Report &cO
~. Roberts is well known as one OF that dis
,a;sbed Corps ofEngineers, which, under the
"" sn;ce, of the great Clinton, prosecuted to its
a''L .I,,ion the Grand Canal of New DIRK; and
'VD. character is sufficient guaranty for the
.,otoess ofany statements he would make
cur. ,be advantages of this nayigable feeder,
On,mrrated by Mr.. Cruger, in his report,
as ;b presented | would observe, that,
ht'II This location was going on, | spent some
VIM in viewing the country, accompanied
uHT CruGer. for several miles around, in
" y;cnity Of WeSternport and savage, and
ue tbe information thus obtained, and from
Ho"ib or gentlemen, respectable for their in
hT "'aonce and knowledge of that section of
rlus, who accompanied us, | am well con-
Cou.oJ If the great Importance this canal would
IU VIM that section Of Maryland and Virginia, in
V S,,cultural commercial, and manufactur~
""'7int of view But the greatest amount OF
ihs - IN the canal would be derived from
.yHucn,l The iron, and the lumber, which so
mb obOundS in that region of country. The
!nn.n,ination Of this email AT Savage would be
., rentre of body of COAL which might be
H,,nabt 10 il by branch railroads, from the
III nf the Potomac, about thirty miles, and
en-, eiDht or ten miles up Georges creek, TO
TWr.",ernnort. The coal district thus accommo-
,,,I Vould be 10, less than five miles wide, |
oorering a surface of more than two hundred
son,ra mics Over at least oTe-htth of this it
;ibcI;eved the thick vein of coal extends, which
,s,r,S where il is now opened, at least thir
mn fs.t thick But the coal mines that could
Ssnpnned within five miles of Westernport and
S,vace would Weld coal To- an immense amount.
Ase,sh square mile ofthe great vein alone would
y;sd more than two hundred millions of bushels
occnS or sixty millions of tons. and II 1t could be
syrorrei at the rate of five hundred tons per day,
il wouId require four hundred years to exhaust
one SQUARE mile Of the great coal vein! Iron
arc of excellent quality is said to abound in
This coal district and With the facilities of Ca
mi TRANSFORMATION. together with the cheapneSS
Of bnuminouS coal, charcoal and subsistence
in \ very healthy country, would be an induce
ment To the enterprsing of our citizens to cX-
fond The manufacture of iron to great amount,
and thereby improve and give great value TO
fine water power that might easily be created,
on Savage river and the Potomac, for all the
manufacturing and mechanical purposes oil
very extensive population"
From another report made by the same dis
dnguished Engineer, relative TO the location OF
rail roads, 10 connect the coal mines contiguous
10 Frostburgs with the Canal, have made the
following extracts, and will take occasion to re-
commend the perusal Of that part fthe docu-
mentS embraced between pages 273 and 2S3,
appended to the report of the committee.
q The first coal mine that was examined is ST.
tuated miles and l3 chains west OF Cumber-
land. and adjoining the south side of the ma
tona road, and known as Eckhart's mine.
"This is the thick vein which is so valuable on
account Of the quality, as well as the quantity
of coal which it yields"
From Eckhart'S mine a level was carried
nOrhwardly, and i'm about one mile the levels
Of FIVE different mines were taken, and were all
found below the place of beginning, although
it was the same thick vein. The lowest was
Mr. Hoye'S old mine, situated or opened in a
valley and from which issues one ofthe branch
Is of Braddock'S run: this mine was found to
be the lowest in the vicinity and was 40 feet
lower than ECkhdrt'S mine"
After cnumeratng several mines on Brad
docks and Jennings RunS-" Hoy's old mine,'
Ward 4 Hoy'>.n "f'rost & Neff'S"&c.-he say:
"The deep vein, as it is called, will probably
not vary much from the plane above mention
ed But it is stated that the dip OF the great
vein on the west and northwest branches Of
jennings run. is to the east; but, as the vein is
not much opened. the fact could not be so well
aScrrtained; hut that great quantities of coal
abound in all those valleys and hills, sufficient
proof was obtained from what is already open
ed"
But in those mines that are wrought to any
great extent the vein of pure coal is about eight
feet thick, Subdvided horizontally by three or
hur very thin veins of slate, seldom more than
bali an inch thick. Next above the slate root
Is sand rock in thick layers, and is often OF a
quality suitable for the various purposes of free
stone in building. There is a preference given
10 those mines that lie deep, and have moist
situation, and that have a considerable height OF
hiI over them-the coal from such mines being
more pure and solid, and quarrieS in much larger
blocks and is much less liable to crumble and
waste in handling, than the coal from those
mines situated SO near the tops of the hill us to
be ton dry, and having but little depth of earth
over them
There are ut this time opened and in opera
uoh, on the head branches of Braddock'S run,
Ten coal mines, and four mines on the branches
OF Jennings run, besides partial openings in
many other places; and it is ascertdined that
neSe veins can be opened in any part OF the
null having the proper elevation"
And auai, SDaaEip,, n ha in houctible