Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-05-04

Is much wider. At tho Northern ent'' % ~ r'"'
five miles North of the janice river, 1t III he"''S NV"
miles wide, including the deep Run oasin' VINO"
is a branch Of the main one.
The form Of the basins, composing '"e "e"' Wv
undulating-that is, the entire coal 'e'o' '' """ y
Of n rren, number Of secondary basins lying WIN"
the limits or boundaries Of the n"'"' W n''" INV
Basin, which style of formation - as" " 'e'"' W
all the Pennsylvania Anthracite iorHlai'"s' "'u ~"
of tie coal fields whose deposits le De"" ""''
level.
TN, form or upduls,ion o( the coal from Ea'' 10
W-s,. NAV be represcutei for want OF u cofTec'
drawing, or wood cut, by the connection Vi Se'e'"'
Is,t,rs thus. yvvVy, Bu, for fear of being misuIi'
d.rstood, We must state that il Is impossible 10 ue'
termine, without further development the huhioe' VI
those basins, or axis Of iormatIoh' neither " "
convey Q correct idea of the dip, or angle oy the ue
of those letters. Since the axis OF nearly all coal
basins and saddles are gradually curved lns'ea" OIL
being sharp and abrupt. The bottom o' 'e MIC"
mond coal basins may be represented Pte'y coire''
ly, by an ~elliptlcal curve, thus: -: ""u' ''uee"' 'ue
formation OF the basins of the entire he'd from Nor'h
TO South. may be- represented III the same ih"hher'
----. But the length of the basins Il greater
than their width. The dip of the seains from East
to West, is from - 10 10 degrees, aud occasionally
over. But their dip from West, TO East is greater
and range from ~ deg. to perpendicular un'h they
spproach the bottom of the basin, when they chahse,
as shown in the ~elliptioal representation above
The depth of those basins vary considerably. Some
of them are reached with shafts from 21o 10 ooo ieet
at the edge or ends of the field, while the basins OF
the middle or centre portion, lie from '"D 10 ~,oOoieet
bslow the surface.
We do not wish to use scientific or technical phrases,
for the student Of geology alone. but want our IDEAS
understood by all who may scan our writ'ngsi there
fore We ue the common term, 'basIi, |" designate
the ~syaclaal nris, and saddle for the a~n''cii"m'
oris.
In order TO illustrate forcibly the greater real extent
of coal area, than superficial area, We will againhave
recourse to the w shaped basins. We're both the
syncliual and anticlinal axis in those basins destroyed
by drawing out the above figure, thus: ---
-. we find that the superficial or surface area
would be- doubled. The same may be said of the en-
tire coal field, since even ak distinct basins, or syncli-
nal formations, descending TO the depths OF one thou.
sand feet each, would increase the coal area nearly one
mile greater than the superficial or surface area. But in
our estimate Of the number of square miles. We will
contine ourself TO the superficial area in order 10 be
within the bounds of truth. A surface 80 miles long
and xix miles wide, gives an area of 80 square miles.
or ll5,2O acres. The thickness Of this coal at the
Southern end, in the Clover Hill mines, ranges from
10 10 Is tee'; near the centre at tho Midlothian
mines, from 20 to 80 feet; A. Dover, from - to so feet,
and at the Northern end, in the Tuckahoe mines.
from ~ 10 IS feet, giving a minimum thickness OF 10
feet, a maximum of Al feet, and a mean OF ~! feet
We will. however, estimate the average thickness Of
the coal in the Richmond coal field a, "A feet, which
would give us, g; one ton per cubic yard, over 1850
! millions Of tons Of workable coal in $50 square miles
Of coal area. Of this amount, j,0On millions may be
obtained by iudicious mining, since three iourths oil
the workable coal is always calculated on, even by
the wasteful and careless miners Of this country. In
England, four fiths is obtained. In referring 10 this
subject in letter Xl, on the National F0"adrs, We
stated, that half our estimate would give us ,0oo,ooo
Of tons for 900 years. But our present careful cal
| ~oulat,oa, would give ue 3,bOO,OOO instead Of l,OOO,oO0
per annum Tor TIC. space Of ime. We give these
figures TO show the immehss value Of this coal field
TO Richmond and Petersburg az manufacturing cities,
and to Norfolk for the support of her future steam
marine.
The second coal field which we shall sllude to, a.
tide. water deposits, night bs more justly placed
amoDget the inland basins, but 10 features being the
same as the richmond coal field, aud being cclpara.
,ively near to tide. water, va may be excused for the
misnomer.
The FARMyiLLE uuAL FIELD, though never before
in print, deserves honorable mehticn with the other
coal deposits OF Virginia, since 1t IL yet destined I" nc
Of great value to her Internal resources. This coal
field ia comparatively sD1il and undeveloped' though
If may be of greater extent tnsn We were led to be.
lieve at the frat glance. 1t extends from the South
of Farmville, in Prince Edward county, to Willis
river, in Cumberland county, Il distance Of 20 milea.
probably, with ali average width Of from two TO three
miles, giving an ace Of about ID square miles on
which 10 feet of coal hss beea found near the surface,
with every probability Of double thht t%nicknee, being
found on further investigations which would yIeid. a.
a very moderate estimate, 5llf. O0O, 600 of tons OF
available coal. OK over 400, 00O, 900 of tons more than
the total consumption or cOa,s il the United States, to
the end of 1857, which was less than iJO,UUt pOo-
nearly 70. 0OO, 600 being produced by the mines of
Pennsylvania.
In addition 10 these Eastern or tide.water coal
fields, we might mention u deposit Of coal near Dan
vile, from which we have seen some fine specimens;
out of its extent or character we know too little TO
venture q description. We have no doubt, however,
from the verbal accounts We have heard, that it may
vet prove equal to the basin at Fsrmvile.
In our next we may allude to come peculiarities Of
he Richmond coal field.
RIcHMosD. April 80. 1853. :. II. DEB"".