Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1859-08-25

the basin, or about one bird of the present a.
mount Indeed il Is not too much to say though
experimeu tai boreings which we're instituted
because biologists said coal must exist under
the chalk mari, 10000 600 900 (twenty thou
sand millions, or twenty billions) OF tons OF
coal have been discovered in the Westphalian
basin alone. Or in other words, estimating the
coal TO he worth the price usually paid for 1t
in the ground, the science OF geology has added
to the wealth of Rhcnsh Prussia as many dol
lars as would pay all the expenses of the Uni
ted States General Government, at lie present
increased figure, for period Of twenty years.
Most of thcse borings were made in the chalk,
and nearly all were at greater or less depth
successful in finding valuable seams, bat some
wealthy peasants who live on the Devonan for
nation in the neghhorhood Of Ellerfeld, dis
regarding the advice Of their geological friends,
sank several deep and expensive holes in the
older rocks, but nj last gave up their search,
| finding nothing blacher tl.an disappointment,
and nothing more conbustible than flint and
| firestonr.
| In 1858 tho business o boring was carried
on most vigorously and in that year il was
calculated that not fewer than 500 persons
were engaged in it in the province of Arms
berg alone. To any party who obtains coal,
and declares his intention 10 work II, govern
ment is always ready TO giant the privilege,
provided tie permission has not already been
given 10 an earlier appicant.-A number ofa-
| musing stories are told of parties who COM
menced boring in the immediate vicinity of
each other and thus drove their augers down
with all the rapidity that steam and constant
attention could produce knowing that who
ever could show that he had reached coal first
would obtain the righ' TO all the neighboring
suffice At Meiderick an English and a Ger
man company who were near each other, ran
! rlo n
| mig IT and Sundays, a. length, one day, the
German found coal while the Englshman was
! still hammering away at the top of his speed
| in tho dead rock a few hours afterwards the
Englishtnan struck the same seam. Expecting
| this result he had kept his horse ready gearei
at the engine house door, and the moment he
saw the black powder from below he gnlloped
!! 10 the mining Office and succeeded in getting
II legal witness the ground before his more
ploddng neighhor, who had gone for his OIL
Ger across the fields could return.
! All the experimental borings, however, are
! not made BIZ private enterprise. The Prussia n
Government lends lis aid wherever there are
many difficulties in the way, and where the
disco very of useful minerals would largely ben
fit II whole community. Other German Gov
ernments are not behind hand in these imp )r-
| tant searches Wurtemherg had, in January
1858, IA horchole 2G7 feet deep in the New
istl tOduustOhti "hh 'bS Eo'ei W s'''A'
" eimar has driven m opening into the same
formation 2.U54 feet. In neither case, rs yet,
have they reached coal. The second deepest
boring in the world is sunk for salt ct New
Salz Work ia Westphalia. II is 2,220 fee
deep.
OF the coal proiuced by the Westphalinn
mines II vast quantity is used by the domes c
iron works, l,25OO0O tons, however, are ex
ported by the Rhine from Rhurort; 6,5OL'00(
tons are d distributed along the river 10y tul
boats. MS far up as Sir@burg, while 100000
tons are taken by sail ships TO Holland. Sew
sral railways are in course OF construction, on
Of which will penetrate the rich metaliferon
district of Sicgen and Nassau, and thus opei
a new market for feel.
An idea OF the scale upon which mining ope
ratious are established and carried on, can b
obtained from the following table;