Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1868-01-16

| OFFICE OF THE RAccooN RIVER !
! NAVIGATION COMPANY,
ZALEsKl, Ono, January 3, 1868. J
TO THE CORPORATORS:
GENTLEMEN:-SiDce the organizs
ton of this Company, October 7tt
1867, for the purpose of maxim
Raccoon River Navigable by slack
water, from its month on the Obi
River to Zaleski, Ohio; the under
signed, in company with Henry Pack
ard, Superintendent, has been en-
gagged on Raccoon over a month. TO
the purpose of ascertaining facts a!
to Its resources, practicability of saiC
improvement and the probability o
the stock paying a fair dividend
Beg leave to report:
FIRST. as TO THE RESOURCES OF RAG
COON VALLEY.
find the distance from the moutt
of Raccoon to Zaleski, (ascertained
without actual measurement, J about
100 miles. The stream leaving Ia.
leski passes eastward along the Ma.
rietta d Cincinnati Railroad, it passes
circutiously near the west line oi
Athens county, across the northwest
corner of Meigs county, thence west
ward in Vinton county to near the
northeast corner of Jackson county,
thence southwark to the Gallia coun-
ty line and across Gallia. county to
the Ohio river. The first so miles
from Zaleski. passes through and
across the minersl and coal belt, to a
point above and near Barnes Mills:
from this point to the mouth we find
no coal that will pay to work, as the
banks opened are not over two feet
in thickness. Of course allude to
the surface indications alone, as we
all know there is plenty of coal on
the south end of the stream to be
obtained by shaftiug. WHAT'S known
as the Raccoon coal vein proper,
shows out on both sides of the
stream at least 80 miles, passing from
Zaleski down, averaging from four
to six feet in thickness. At least 80
miles shows out (several banks now
open) that can be opened and de-
posted in boats, from the entry to
the mines, at no other cost than that
of mining; the entries varying from
four to twenty five feet, along the
banks of the stream, above high wa
ter mark.
The question arose: What coal is
this Raccoon vein?
To determine this question we ex-
amined it particularly, and conclude
it is the limestone coal. We were
more confirmed in this being the
limestone coal by the suggestion of
5. W. E., a gentleman of large ex-
perience in our mineral develop
ments and geologist, as well as the
report of Prof E. B. Andrews, made
for the Mariettaf& Cincinnati Rail
road Company, published in the Ag-
ricultural report Of Ohio, for 1865,
page 25l. The Professor could not
more accurately describe the Rae
coon vein of coal. it he had been
looking at it, than he does, when he
says:
rhinestone Coal.-This seam of coal
is of wide extent. l have seen it at
various points from Macarthur, north
of the Marietta & Cincinnati Railroad
to the Ohio river,in the neighborhood
of Ironton. At various places it is
largely mined and serves a good pur-
pose for ordinary uses. This seam
Of coal lies under a seam of FOSSIL
ferrous linn estone, and upon the lime
stone rests the well known limestone
pre-"
"The coal seam is generally about
'our feet in thickness exclusive of
slate. There is parting of fire clay
about ten inches thick near the top,
md sometimes thin parting about
,wo inches thick near the bottom
The ten inches of fire clay serves for
he clearing in;" hence, in mining,
he good coal on the bottom is
iayed."
::
"The eighteen inches next below
he fire clay are used for smith pur-
,oses. Its proximity to the limestone
IRE makes 1t worthy of trial for max
ng iron. This seam varies some
What in different localities, but is
generally of fair working thickness.
nd from its wide extent it is des-
ined to be very largely used in the
everal counties through which it is
ound.
"The limestone coal receives its
ame from its associst ton with a re-
larkably persistent seam of lime
tone which can be readily traced
rom the Ohio river to localities north
f the Marietta d Cincinnati Rail-
oad. Resting upon the limestone
} the famous stratum of iron ore,
allied the lin estone ore
Thus, Professor Andrews describes
ur Raccoon vein of coal, with this
We find the bottom strata
f this coal vein to vary from thirty
D forty-four inches without the two
nches of fire clay intervening. And
hen We find the. fire clay above vary
,g from six to eight inches, then
oal above the fire clay varying from
ighteen to twenty. four inches, Civ
,g US vein varying from four to
* feet. Then the limestone above
ne coal, and the ore resting on it.
We find, also, that the State geol-
gist, of Ohio. in 1888, regarded
lis seam of coal as the equivalent of
le Nelsonville coal vein. The sup !
ly of coal then is inexhaustable.-
hundreds of millions of bushels of
eal can be mined and deposited in
le boats on Raccoon from the en-
les of the mines.
Timber of the best quality abounds
n the same for so miles of the
,ream.
We all know the fact that lirne-