The North-Carolinian. [volume] (Fayetteville [N.C.]) 1839-1861, 1853-10-22
NORTIEI GAROLINuANa
FAVETT EVILLE, NC.
From the Raleigh Register.
Geological and Agricultural Survey.


From the Raleigh Register.
Geological and Agricultural Survey.
Mr. EprroR Prof Mitchell says that have
given a false account of the Chatham coaltield.
will not be unfair to Prof NJ. do not pre-
tend that he intends to call in question the ac-
curacy of my details, respecting the outcrop OF
the coal seams their dip, strike, thickness, the
relations of the strata to each other, or their
succession the fossils, their indication, ETC.;
but that my assumption that the coal seams eX-
tcvlvfcei miles within the rim of the coal
field is false. What l stated in my report OF
the extent of the seams, is beltef, and that be-
lief is founded upon observation and experience
All our knowledge in mining is founded really
upon observation. Veins, carrying metals, are
known to extend into the solid rocks 800 to
1000 feet In England and South America,
mines have been worked to depth of 500 to
1900 feet, and yet not exhausted. Now,
money is freely invested i'll mines and invested
the Lclief that they penetrate to great depths.
The belief is founded upon what has been and
what is Any person, to be sure, might say OF
| any vein carrying lead or copper, which was
exposed only at the surface, that investment
is not warranted, because the vein in question
may not extend to sufficient depth to furnish
| the amount of material necessary to make it
profitable. You can't see how deep it extends.
and therefore know nothing about it. In sucl.
| lind, the world over, with respect to the depth
| of veins l answer, that such an uniformity
has been observed with respect to them that
| we are put in possession of rite, which, when
| applied juoiciously, agreeaby to known facts,
makes investments safe in all cases or they
| may be regarded unsafe in the absence OF
| certain facts. 4 knowledge of these facts and
| rules, L might say laws, makes the difference
| between the opinions Of a well-nforlned yeologist
and the individual who has no knowledge OF the
subject.
J But, Professor Mitchell is anxious that the
people of Fayetteville. should not make them
selves ridiculous to then neighbors, by building
a Railroad to Deep River Let us see how
much danger there is of their being ridiculcd
i'll the execution of the project. Suppose, then
| IA rich company owns 1000 acres which is ur
derlaid with the present six or seven foot Goa
seam. The company would possess upon til,
tract $500, 900 tons of coal. The calculation
which have been made of all the expenses o
mining and transportation to New York, lcav
a nett profit of one dollar per ton. Upon thi
basis, the company could atIald to build th
railroad to Fayetteville. Professor Mitchell
viii not Of comrss deny that in his belief Tier
his classes. for many years, the doctrine, tina
there is a roluoblc cool.feld IN Chatham
will make another supposition. Suppose tn
coal seams extend twenty miles along the out
| crop and half mile within the outcrop or edge
!
Richmond field, which has been proved by shafts
making ten square smiles of coal In Il square
mile, there will be 6,272 600 tons of coal: il
ten square miles 80, 72O, 900 But the dip O
the Richmond seams is much sleeper than tina
| of Chatham, and yet coal is obtained by shaft
sunk at one half mile from the outcrop Cal
| the foregoing suppostlon convey f.lsehood I,
| the Legislature to company, of the value O
the Chatham coal field? Can the enterprisin.
people of Fayetteville say hereafter that m
account of the Chatham cOal-field was false, il
the face of existing facts! The Richmond coal
field with all it's disadvantages, is worked sue
cessfully half mile from its Outcrop, and q;
| the depth of 500 feet; and the people O
Fayetteville be exposed to the hazard of ridi
culc, by building Railroad to Chatham whcl
| a thousand acres of coal is sufficient to warran
the building of the road 1t would not b,
unfair, to say, that the enterprise of Fayctte
vile should make this road. How much the in
tcrcsts of the interior counties demand this! Blu
will leave other sources of revenue from the cal
cuation; and say it, without fear of rdculc IN,
part, for sustaining this view, or of being char9
ed with making false representations by th'
public, or by sensible men,-I sav, Mcn bull
this road on Tie merits IF the cool-feld! Now, b.,
changing the supposition, that the coa-feld eX
tends only half "a mile within the outcrop d,
not change my views my belief, that it eN
tends three. If a company individual
however, thinks my belief too great, he ma
take up with mile, or quarter of Il mile. il
BREADTH and twenty miles i'll length. For tn
present. either is sufficient to warrant the III
vcstment of all the capital which has yet bee
n thought of. If the Legislature expected of tn
geologist an exact statement, to foot, of til
/ amount of coal in the Chatham coal-tield,
would have said So and have also furnished tt
means for doing it.-What the Legislature {.
pected, and what sensible men expect, is, that
should first acquire the facts which are pecull;
, to this coal-ield, and from these facts expre
such an opinion of them, and furnish such illu
trations of those facts, deem proper, or sue
as will furnish correct view Of the relations
the mass composing the coal-field. 1t is we'll
! remember, that the Richmond coalficld, whie
t has furnished a coal seam one-haf mile with
5 the outcrop, shows, at that distance, no signs
+ giving out.
Before / close, l wish to alIude once more
. Prof. Mtchell's class teachings. He saws
: has taught for years that there is a valuab
. coal-feld in Chatham and Moore. | wish
! know ON what that doctrine is based. VIII;
. does the Professor mean by raiuobkeI TheI
can be no doubt that he that the Goa
fields has ii sufficient amount of coal to make
valuable for commercial purposes, and that
is valuable i'll the face of all the difficulties an
expenses attending its conveyance to market
How did the Professor arrive at such COZ
}, cluson? What facts had he ascertaned whlc
d would warrant it? 1t must have been dclib'
is rate opinion formed in view OF certain facts
|, # appears from his statement that his view
reallv do not differ much in this respect froI