Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1868-04-10

opening of coal of equal thickness az
the last named, and at Given station,
five miles below, a company are taxi
ing out and shipping $4,000 bushels q
day from afour-foot bed. From these
and other observations, have no
doubt whatever that the whole ridge
between the Des Moines River, and
Muchekinock Greek, along which
youE road runs, Is underIaid by at
least one good bed OF coal from four
to seven feet thick. The same may
be said of all that region, bordering
the, ,Muchekinock from Oskaloosa to
Eddy willie, and at one point at about
half way between these two places,
| clearly cav two good beds Of coal,
the one, beneath the other, and both
were being worked.
This region, as well as that upon
the other side of the creek, isvers
conveniently located for mining and
shipping coal upon your road, from
the fact that tho mining OF the whole
region is done by'driftifig horizontal!
ly into tho hills bordering the creak
and its numerous branches. Up
these branches side tracks can readi,
~ be laid from the main one, thus
very much Increasing convenient
supplies. Inpthe vicinity of Eddy-
vile visited several mines OF excel
lent coal which are accessible from
your road by the means Just men.
tioned - sltl 97a Ta1 asgss gtaoul
biOpposite E,ldyville near thementh
nf Mller's creek, and at, intervals to
a distance OF four or five miles up the
creek, there is fonr foot bed Of coal
exposed which isf evidently a9lower
bed, and rs you approach Abba, in
going up the cfeclsys a hieher aud
thinner bed ID. seen, which, Is, also
worked for local uses, Thence to the
State line your road runs upon the
f'divide, and dconsequently the coal
which doubtiess Anderlies. that re-
gion, as sweil,as that Just described,
cannot be reached except by deep mi
fSifig However, TO the eastward OF
your rood, oh Avery Isl creek = and 10
the, westward Of Cedar creek, large
quantities of coal for shipping may
be had By the usual process Of min
ing. aa4faNscW Ha1At1 s af
All around tile outskirts of Oska-
loqsa,l good mines OF coal. are work
cd nhd going down Spring creek,
from a point a. couple or mites east
ward from the city, Z saw several
openings which had been made, ths
coal measuring FIVE feet In thickness,
and here again | saw satisfactory ev.
idence of the existence oftwb good
beds OF coai, the one some twenty feet
beneath the other. - ..,,..,
| found no natural exposure Of coal
betweenithe' mouth of Spring creek
and the mouth OF Buck creek, In the
north part of Mahaska county but
There Is reason to believe that coal
exists there. Near the snouth OF
Buck creek ION section nine, towns
ship seventy seven. range fifteen.
there are q number of mines In oper-
alton I'm q bed of coal four feet thick,
There lis no doubt that n number of
other equally gpod mines can I've
opened in that immediate, neighbor,
hood, from which large quantities OF
coal FOR shipping may Be Dbtaihed.l
About a milo. eastward from these
last named mines some ether open.
ings have been made with a promise
of q good supply OF coal.
NorthWard, from theae localities,
very little coal viii be found, and
when you reach tile line before des-
ignated the whole country to the
northward of is must be- supplied by
your road, because no other railroad
will araverse that region which eros.
ses so good n part of the coal field al
yours does, not excepting the. east
and west roads now Operating, or. pro-
posed. =
-fssp lorAhlTY or coAL. eia u
The quality OF coal along the line
of your road Is better than the aver,
age. and fully equal I'm this respect to
the best Western coal, Much OF it
meets the entire approval Of iron
workers, and the preparation OF coke
OF good quality has just been COM
menced at Oskaloosa station, orship-
ment.
The sub carbbnifcrous limestone
which forms the floor OF the coal
measures, and beneath which Ii is
useless W look, appears in the ippme-
uiate banks, aud the beds of the lar
ger strcnrns OF the region referred to-.
Consequently no coal will he foiili
below the level OF the bedsnof those
streams, because no geological distur-
bance of the strata has taken place
here, and thus mining with It's at
tendant difficulties VIII be avoided.
For many years 10 come the coal
will all be mihed .hy the more oonye-
nient process of drifting into. the
sides Of the hills. but "a The tief11ahd
increases, other, and more extensive
mines will be- opened by sinking
shafts down from the higher lands;
for there is no doubt whatever that
these lands are undeflaid by as valn.
able aridpextensive bcds Of coal a.
any OF those which arc now ekposed
In the valleys t.s,... ,s.s q, ~.
am very truly yours, !, - - =
-oh 4soafl@ .1a G.A WHITE, isao
lg ksrfsfsf A. a. ~ .sffs