The Elk advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Elk Co., Pa.) 186?-1868, 1866-04-19
For the Advocate.
COAL FORMATIONS.
Number Two.

est coal beds, A and B. The next
mineral ovorlaying these that is deemed |
OF Importance is bed of limestone. Its
thickness in the part of the bed | am
alluding to is not far from six feet. 1t
rests in many places on a thin seam of
coal, and contains many fossil shells,
which when burned make an excellent
limc and but little inferior, if at all, in
strength, to that Of the lower forma.
tions east Of the Alleghenies Altho
not so fair for whitewash or plastering,
1 think it superior to the limestone us-
cd in Jefferson, Harrison and Belmont
counties, in Ohio, where l examined
the beds, as also the mortar in walls,
and believe it equal at least to any in
the coal measures west of the Alleghe.
nies. 1t would undoubtedly be very
valuable on land. IN using it some
years ago, | threw the Jumps that
would not pass through the sitter into
pile in the meadow, and in couple
of years the grass got root all over the
pile, and grows as rank every year as if
out of a manure pile, This limestone
runs through the townships of Benzing.
er and Fox, and extends nearly the en-.
tire length Of the coal basin, which in
Fox must average, perhaps, seven miles,
and lays above the water level all along
Little Toby Creek down into Clearfield
county.
On the shale overlaying the limestone
is vast body of iron ore of the kid
ney" variety. This ore can readily be
found where small streams of water cut
through the shalos, and will be found in
them for a considerable distance. But
as iron ore has never been sought for,
and there being no operations carried
on in it, [ can only venture an opinion
from its locality as it lays in the streams,
| judge that there are two beds of it in
the shales, the lower bed being of fine
texture and very pure, and the upper
of a coarser texture and more impure.
The next coal above is what is term
ed the G coal This is one Of the most
valuable beds in the basin, not only
from its uniform good quality, but lay
ing low in the series, it occupies vast
extent Of territory. 1 have mined this
bed several winters, and saw it opened
in the neighborhood of Centreville, and
many other places along Toby Creek
1t varies in thickness in different locali-
ties, but l think its average, taking the
basin together, would not fall under
three feet.
The next coal in the ascending order
is the fourth, or D bed. This bed
is scarcely inferior in importance to the
last named, though higher in the series.
1t is generally thicker, in some places
being six feet, and IN others four and
five. mined this bed two winters on
a thirty acre lot, which is now owned
by the Daguscahonda company. The
coal there is three feet thick, and of
excellent quality. The lower half of the
bed was much liked by blacksmiths,
and sold good many LOADS which
were hauled to Warren for that purpose.
There is black slate of near one foot
in thickness lays in the same localities
under this coal, and in others over it =
and about a fourth of mile from my
place where l mine the same bed for
my own use, this slate is compactly To-
Gated two feet above the lower part of
the bed, leaving one foot of good coal
above. 1t has not entirely disappeared
from the same place in the bed; and
leaves the locality considerably slaty. I
mine three feet and eight inches, and
notwithstanding the slaty part mixed
with the rest, it burns we'll, neither
snaps, flies, nor makes cinders, and
: makes as hot fire as | would wish to sit
by A couple of years ago measured
the space mined for keeping fire in
, my CRATE, and also in a stove in a neigh
boris house, through the winter, com.
putting the bed to occupy LOG acres o.
=, the place, and found that this one bed
would last us 67 900 winters. There is
a thick bed of fire clay laying under
this coal, which the state geologist pro
nounced of goou quality. should
judge the thickness of the coal in this
!; bed would average three feet, and Of
good quality. JESSE KYLER.