The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1852-02-18

IA h.re bfen ale . iFrrs 4 n Is nui-
rrop sssenlssn o. siehieen milss- Alons
lhis ouierDp. il rises 70 he surface q
nearly an unilofn DIP sad slriks. pufsn-
ing nearly dirtcs Isn< from peini 70 pc'ni.
ssnd msini.ininf wilhzi. through ihe
whole dissnee. IN average thickness Of
II lra<t six and hall fres. The prn-
ripsI hrd exceeds seven feei - one or
two points. A Two fooi bed lies below
The main one. xiih zen or twelve inrhrs
Of slate only belween Ihrm. Another
shrpe lsnl bed he's ihirseen feet beneath.
wilh biluminnns slate intervening. The
thickness Of The main bed i al thar can
be wished. inasmarh a. IA 10 more prob
table Than one II nine or Ten fees.
As there ran be no question. Then, 40
10 he length OF she ou'rrup and The ihsek-
ness &C the respective beds. The important
question is. viii thrre beds Thin oul and
become lost in The shsies. OF viii they
preserve their present average ihieknfssl
This question. though il cannot be deci-
ded posilisely. still. il we may place cnn
idrnce in geological principles. we may
feel great degree Of assurance that they
will prove as permanent az The beds OF
coal af Virginia and Pennsylvania. In
the fissl place, dllnsssl action, a. il rs
sometimes termed. has never been irll
mere. There Is mo drift. The beds az
pebbles are NOT transported masses. like
our Northern drift. hai simply an old
sea bottom. Beds Of coal have not. there
fore, been swept away. In The seennd
place, we find all the usual arcompani-
menis Of coal. as shale. fossils. beds Of
the hydrous peroxide Of iron. &c. In the
third place, there is sufficient breadth
and depth 10 the coal series. though the
amount of coal 10 NOT always in proper
lion In the breadth and depth of the SRA
IA thus n The real field of Nova Scotia,
which . examined IN 1885. found only
one bed OF coal oi four feet IN firaia.
whose aggregate ,hirkness IL fourteen
thousand feet. In The fourth place. there
is an uplill or an un,lnI@iion Of the strata,
by whlrh lie main bed al coal is brought
"a the surface al one and half or iva
miles south from the FIRST oulcrop, which
is within The outer rim oil The basin.
There can scarcely be doubt. therefore,
that there 10 breadth ofcoal ofiwo miles,
a, least. and which extends seventeen OF
eighteen miles continuously. ! have,
however. no idea tina, the eoal-6eld is thus
restricted either in length or breadth.
There is only one place where bed
lhins oui. and this 10 the effect Of local
liiurbance common 10 oil formations.
From the facts and phenomena. then, Of
The Chatham coal-6eld, we have little
reason TO fear lis early failure. II is
proper Tor me 10 observe, in this ronnex-
ion. that do not regard This coal-feld as
extensive az many others in this country.
The Appalachian. the llllnnis and Alieh-
igan coal fields are much longer and wi
de'---ihe former heing nearly 300 miles
long and frrm $50 10 200 bread.
The quality Of the coal Of Chatham is
excellent. II is adapted 10 parlor use. hui
particularly 10 the manufacture Of gas for
lighting houses and streets; and also Tor
coke. which may be employed in the
manufacture Of The hes, kinds Of bar irnn.
I see no reason why tmay no, superscde
the foreign biiuminnus GOALS. II is re-
maikably free from the snlphurel Of iron.
This mineral. however, is disseminated
through The black shales--an important
fact 10 he home IN mind when large guam.
1 titles are TO I've sent Ia market, fnr il this
/, sllale Is mixed with the coal in conside-
rable qanliiies. j, may produce sponlane-
ons combustion. s5aa 81.
am. most respectfully. YOURS.
Z. EMMONS.