Arkansas true Democrat., 1859-07-13
From the Ft. Smith Herald
Letter from the State Geologist. Messrs. Wheeler G CarnaH, Publishers of

GENTS: In locating line of railroad, more especially great national trunk-a most important consideration is the facility of obtaining coal conveniently situated to the road, at points from which 1t can be cheaply delivered at the various depots.
 One of the proposed lines for the Pacific railroad on the thirty fifth parallel, and the one, which is more nearly an air line than any other which has been proposed, runs up the valley of the Arkansas, proceeding west from the boundary of the State to the North Fork of the Canadian It becomes, therefore, question of general interest to the United States and to the State of Ar kansas in particular, to have correct and reliable information in regard to the coal re- gions of Western Arkansas
 During my geological reconnaissance this summer of the counties bordering south of the Arkansas river, have made general geological survey of the coal regions of Se bastlan, the southern part of Franklin and Johnson, and of Yell, Scott and Perry counties. As my geological report of this reconnaissance cannot appear until the win ter of 1860, propose, at this time, to com munlcate few remarks in connection with this subject, and submit them for insertion in your paper, supposing the subject may be of interest to the citizens of the State, and particularly to your county of Sebas- tian. Twice the thickest beds of coal that 1 have yet seen in Arkansas, are situated in Sebastian county, and some of them within few miles of the Arkansas river o,,1 ba of bo
 Between the Arkansas river on the north and the line between townships three and four north of the base line; i. e. to the range of the Poteau Mountain, there are, geolo- gically speaking, five principal east and west vallies, on an average, four to six miles apart; the first includes Mazzard's Prairie, the praifies towards the mouth of Nache Grasse Creek the Point or Grand Prairie of Franklin county, and the Hague wood Prairie of Johnson county; the se- cond the Long Prairie of Sebastian the prairies situated partly in that county and partly in Franklin, near the middle of town ship north ranges 30, 29 and 2S west the third, the prairieS situated north of James Fork and the valley through which the Kings Branch of Petit Jean flows, si- tuated a little south of the centre of T. 6, k. B and 2S; the fourth, the prairies and glades lying towards the southern part of township }, ranges 3l, 32, 30 and 29, in- cluding Hodges Prairie; the fifth, the glades and prairies situated in T. I, R. 30, 3l and 32, including the Sugar-loaf and part of the Petit Jean vallies, near the head waters of that stream. These five vallies have nearly east and west. or ra- ther east, north east and west, south west tren, and are separate by distinct paral- Tel ridges, through gaps of which the Vache Grasse and Big Creek find their way to the Arkansas river, and James Fork ! into the Porteau river. These valies cor respond to so many synclinal troughs and the ridges to so many anticlinal folds or axes. On the north slope of these ridges the strata of rock dips either to the north, or more frequently, few degrees west of north, and on the south side, south or a few degrees east of south.
 In every one of these synclinal troughs of the above mentioned vallies, I have ascertained the existence of coal, either by natural outcrops or by partial openings.- Some of these present vertical face or thickness, when fairly exposed or opened, of four to five feet From all the main openings and outcrops we have collected samples of coal for chemical analvsis.- When these shall have been completed, I shall be able to give a more decided opinion as to their quality; but the external appear ance closely resembles those analysed and reported on last year, from the north side of the Arkansas river, in Franklin and Johnson counties, which renders it more than probable that they will prove to be either semi -bituminous coals, or semi-an- thracite, rich in fixed carbon.
 The bases of each of these vallies is the shale overlying or forming the roof of the coal, and it is the argillaceous soil derived from the decay of these shales, having a predlsposltlon to produce meadows, that gives origin to those prairies of western Arkansas. Usually the whole north side of the valley is underlaid by coal When the dip is considerable the coal sometimes runs out for limited area on the south, near the base of the adjacent ridge; but can, no doubt, be found in most if not all cases, re-appearing soon after the arching fold or reversal of dip takes place in the body of the dividing ridge, conforming to the plications of the strata, as they turn over into the succeeding valley; though, hitherto, the coal has for the most part, only been detected in the vallies, where it has little covering, ,,and has consequently been more frequently exposed by denuda tion and washings by the adjacent strean'
 The coal in question has therefore, exter sive areas in Sebastian, Franklin, Johnso, Yell and Scott.
 To the north and east, this coal is us- ally thinner than to the south and wet; since 1t gradually thickens from 20 to 4 inches in Johnson, to four and five feein the second and third, and perhaps forth synclinal vallies of Sebastian.
 Though there may be more than oneed, l have yet seen no evidence going to r,ve that there is more than one good wok,Jle bed, but that workable bed being no cnlv repeated in all these synclinal vallie, but extending also through the body ofhe di- vldlng ridges, occupies necessarily, ,exten- sive areas, and can furnish, as I slnI show in my next report, a supply of eel suff- cient for generations to come
 There may be, and probably ar, other subordinate folds and plication of the strata duplicating the coal, but tl princi- pal synclinal and anticlinal axesare such as have been designated
 It has been supposed by som, that by boring or sinking shafts below tMworkabe bed of coal of Sebastian, in the scond sya- clinal trough, that other workable beds could be reached. l cannot gve encour- agement to such an undertaking. the next geological report, I shall give the geo logical evidence which leads me to believe that but one good workable bed of cod ex- ists in this part of Arkansas. Nevrthe- less, the coal region in question is un,oubt- edly one of the most productive at resent known, situated so .tar acest,* in tls west ern States. Moreover, the strike lirs of thu geological formations, of this partof Ar kansas is nearly east and west, andtherei is evidently an extension of this poductiv coal region westward, beyond tls State o Arkansas, in proximity to thaproposec line of the Pacific railroad, wlch all ad init, l believe, to be the most drect line tc California conceive tbarocoA that tbacf