Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1857-07-22
nr the Boston Traveller by the Recording
Secrgtary.l
Boston Society Of Natural History.

DSSJOA GSIECbg Va NGLNGuA -AobSAy.
TIE President IN tie Chair Professor
AGAssTz opened the meeting by some
highly interesting remarks upon a new
family Of fishes and their habits.
D.. CHARLES I. JACKSON gave a brief
descripl on of the bitumiGons coal form
alton Of Elk County, Pennsylvania
which he had been engaged in exploring
during The month OF June last lie Oh
served that the great biipm;nous Goa
basin or trough extends from the nor.h-
western border OF Pennsylvania, TO Tus-
%caloosa, Alabama, as indicated on Mr.
Jules Marcus Geological map Of the
United States.
The Tortherd portion Of Ibis basin i;
OF great economical value on account o.
lis being the nearest to Lake Erie, one oi
the largest markets fof Goals, w!.ich are
required for navigation On all the great
lakes, and r the furnaces AMI gas
works, as well as domestic use for fuel,
on both The U. S. and Canada sides o.
these lakes. IL remarked that statistics
showed a larger amount Of Tonnage on lie
lakes than exists on The Atlantic coast Of
this country. and that steam navigation
woull certainly greatly increase upon
the Lakes where COILS could be obtained
at q reasonable cost, as will soon be the
case when the western portion of the Sun
bury and Erie r .iiroad, nUw under con
tract, is completed. which would be doue
in the course Of two years.
Since tie recent explorations were
made into the extensive coal formation
of Elk Coaaty, Pa, the Directos of
this important Railroad have ordered the
road 10 be laid amid these coal fields,
and the consequence OF this movement
will soon be Elt in the augmented value
OF The coal lands.
The particular region explored by DIR.
Jackson Is known as the Ridgway Lrnd
and Coal Company's property, some OF,
coo acres Of land, all situated in the coal
region. Five or six beds Of coal under
liz this soil, and they generally dip onlI
from " 10 five degrees from the hori
zon, and are from two to six feet in thick
ness. Most of the large beds are IN
disturbed, and only the small ones are
here and there denuded by valleys of ex
cavalion.
The deep rarines, or runs, expose
some OF the out crops of tie larger beds
on the soulheas, sides oil the hills. On
the northwest they are still deeply COW
cred with rocks, the s~an.lstoneS and BIZ
luminous shales.
Each of these coal beds is overlaid
with a stratum or 8 or 10 inches Of sldty
camel coal, and they all rest on fire
clays- Iron ores, namely, carbonate Of
iron an brown hematite, abound, the
former in the fire clays and the latter in
the superintendent shalcs. But few
fossil plants are found in these shales,
and only the scales, fins. and tails of
fishes in the slaty camel coal, which ap-
pears to have been 4 fine aqueous sedi
ment of water. logged vegetable matter
4 bed OF buf colored limestone occur
beneath the principal bed Of coal, and is
nine or ten feet thick. This limestone
contains small fossil bivalve shells, col
yet named.
The Rdgway land thus contains Goals.
iron ores. limestone and sandstone, with
an abundance Of clay suitable for fire.
proof bricks. All The facilities for TIE
reduction of iron exists on the spot, and
sooa the means of transportation of the
Goals AMI metal to market will be sup
piled. The country is elevated about
1000 feet a5-ve the sea, anil is in lat.
II % n and long, 40 W. of Wash
and is remarkably healthy.
The following analysis of the Goals.
iron ore and limestone have been made
by DR.. Jackson, since his return 10 Bos-
Specimen from the 6 feet bed: