Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1859-08-25
Tie Wsphn'ian Cooif,M; Si=c, impor

Tie Wsphn'ian Coaif'M: size, impor-
lance and GsoiQgicH Characft1, its
Mines, Miners and Capitalists.
The Rhine traveller finds few things more
suggestive Of the existence OF an active bushes:
! population upon the borders OF that noble riv
! err than the nun erous trains Of small but deep
| ly ladchcd vessels which he meets every hour
Of his passage between Cologne and Strnshurg
In the day time their appearance is anything
but picturesque, lat sten nj night, from the
| Drachinfc,s or Rheineck, The sturdy steamer
climbing slowly against tie rapid current with
the long line OF shadowy ships crawling after,
each with brilliant red lantern liang cling from
the masthead, they form nm element in the land
scape which one does not wisk absent.
These useful river trains, which closer ipspec-
ton prove to he baden with conl, grow more
numerous below Cologne and at ZENITH we can
trace them to theIr ori in at a litlio town on
! tic right snore !Oar,ceA miles nogliiwnrd from
! Dusseldorf The name oGthjs town is i,burort.
| 1t is in fact the Newcastle of the Rhine, and IS,
| to n rich ana roductive coal field, running
eastward on both sides ct the navi-al'lc Rhine,
~ hat Schuylkill Haven is TO 10 the basins about
! PottEvil,e. hat the coal basin OF the Eth ne,
or the Westphalan cnaiela, is but coniinu-
alton of the carhonifferous formation which
appears in Belgium aad in k:glaLd, is the
view of many biologists. They fouE,i their
dedicGtious nnon Il milarity OF fossil remains
and a raraIlclism Of qualification, aud con-
ciude that TIL. streak OF coal bearing rocks was
in some former age deposited upon tie shore Of
II vast ocean, whicI! swept ever much ofthc
! surface now occupied by Western Europe.
| The Wes,pl;alian basin, however, IS not
! known hv direct tracing Of the strata 20 be
connected with any other II exists geograph-
| ically isolated from the other coaItiell5 aud it
| forms political unit in the PrGssian Possession
I. =. FL
river Rhur from near the town of Cuna east
ward to the Rhine, and inclndes in lis prodnc-
tive portion a small district on the left bank
! OF that river. 1t is naturally divided into two
! parts or belts, a southern, where the coal meas
urcs proper come to the surface, aud II northern,
wlcrc these measures run under an evenly de
posted and gradually ihickenng bed Of "marl'
belonging 10 the chalk series. The lormer Of
these divisions is about five miles (Eugish) in
breadth and thir;y-eight miles long, with n
surface Of at least l6S square miles. The ex
tent Of That portion Of the field covered by
younger formation, is impossible to be accu-
raicly ascertalned, since, toward the north the
coal states pass under the heavy beds of mtrl,
and although the surface has been pierced By
hundreds OF experimental boreholes for miles
beyond the present productive limit, fossil iae!
| still continues TO DC found.
| Upon the left bank Of the Rhine is A region
entirely beneath marlheds several hundred fee.
thick. 1t appears, however, to end at kreie,d,
| where at the depth of 5S7 feet older formations
were found, but where even after boring ,Il5
feet TO coal was obtained. The Rhine flows a.
Cross the coal field, but ut the distance OF 500
| f ct ADORE it.
The present boundaries of the known field
may tie considered to include 23Q square miles
on the right, and 81 square mills on the left
| side OF the Rhine.
The stlike of the veins and of the various
axes is northeast and southwest, being coinci-
| dent with the older strata which border the for
| nation. Tine field is divided into several an.
ticiinal axes or minor basins, which are of the
greatest Importance to the operator since they
determine the depth, pitch, and, to certain cx-
| tent the quality of the coal he may desire TO
raise. 1t is found that, as a general rule, the
| higher seams are the most bituminous or latest
| and that as the lower beds are penetrated n
| harder coal is produced In the western part
| OF the basin, in perpendicular depth Of $40
| feet are found not less than eighty-thrce seams
| ifty-eight of which are worthy of being work
ed, having an aggregate thickness of l55 feet
| of coal. The remaining twenty-five carry an
| aggregate of l8 feet of coal, and are two small
for profitable extraction. OF this l55 feet OF
workable coal 90 feet are fat COAL 26 feet sinter
| coal, and 80 feet sand or meagre coal.
The amount OF coal contained in the West
pnalian basin, reckoned after this and various
other measurements, is as follo
ra' and sinter coal 22,500, 100000 tons.
Measre or sand coal l2,50o,o00,000 tons.
TOTAL $4,000, oo0,0 600 tons,
| or thrty-fve thousand million tons.
Vi This mass, that which exists Gs6 feet be-
low he surface, includes IL, so, 900, 900 tons
and that which Is in the second 666 feet 5000,
o0o,ooo tons, and so on, decreasing as the low
| er portions of the basin is entered.
In 1886 calculation was made, founded
upon the data then known, and. II loo, 600
tons OF coal were shown TO be imbsdded in