The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-12-16

IDed Dr. owen S. s1e0iogtcai survey or
Kentucky. and, guided By it, I have
been amazed at the vast iilimitable
extent Of what he calls the Western
coal measures Of Kentucky
DIR. D. D. OWENS OPINION.
Speaking of the coal measures of
Hopkins County at page $50, vol.
4, Kentucky Geological Survey, Dr.
Owen says: This county has IN
store for the future by far the greatest
provision of coal of the western basin.
All the veins from No. B to No. Il,
generally well developed, extend
nearly over the whole area of this
county, and all the outerops are of
easy access. No. and No. IL espc-
cially, crop out on she slopes of the
hills, or decend by gentle undulations
to the bottom of the valleys, where
they arc sometimes exposed for long
distances in the cuts of the creeks.
I'm the southeastern part of the
county the waters OF Clear. Lamb,
Richland, Stewart, Caney and Pond
Creeks, and their numerous tribu-
taries, seem to run for no other pur-
pose than to expose thick coal banks
along their course, and to prepare
gentle and easy slopes for the mining
and transportation of the mineral. In
the same vicinity there is an agglom-
Grafton of small mountains-Doziers
Mountain, Wright's Ridge, &C., which,
from the base to the top, look ike
succession of coal, iron and limestone
strata, heaped there as an indueemen5
to labor and industry"
HOPKINS COUNTY RICHER THAN CALI
FOREIA.
At pages $50, 391. vol. 4, DR.. Owen
says, The Henderson and Nash
vile Railroad is traced across the
richest of this coal region" Speak.
ing of a projected railroad from
| Greenville west, which has given
place to the Elizabethtown and Padu-
cab Railroad, he says. This road, if
ever opened, will run between nearly
continuous coal banks 1t is a pity
that speculation cannot be directed at
! will to constructions which are Of SO
i much Importance to the country.
| Until these railroads arc built, a
| mineral wealth of more real value
than all the gold Of California must
| lie dormant in the heart of fertile
country for want of easy communi-
cations.
EXTENT OF KENTUCKY C0AL-FIELDs.
DR.. Owen, at page ID, vol. 4, of the
| Geological Survey, Gays the Western
| coal field, which extends over Union,
Webster, Hopkins, Christian, Hen
derson, Muhlenburg, Mclean, Ohio,
Butler, Grayson, Hancock, Breckin-
ridge, and probably other counties,
covers 3, 1888 square miles, or z, 49,, $50
|
her coalfelds, an area. IN all, of 1851
square miles, or 1926, $40 acres, PROV,
ing that Kentucky possesses 1872
square miles more coal area than
| Great Britain; nearly Joatr times q
greater area than Spain; more than
Sevea times greater than France, and
nearly tt0entg Ifve times greater than
Belgium.
In the British Islands not less
than 81 100000 tons of coal are raised
annually, giving employment to 30O,-
600 people"
| CHRISTIAN AND HOPKINS COUNTY COAL.
I find that in 1915 and 1858 8,
DIR. Owen made his geological survey
of the Western coal field Between
the first and last survey many devel-
opments of the coal ana iron had been
made, not known at the time of the
first survey, and since 1860 there has
been an increased development of
facts in regard to the coal. It seems
to have been the opinion of DR.. Owen
that the coal OF Christian and Hop
kins, the Southern outcrop of this
coal field, was the best of the coal in
this section Of the State. Recent de-
velopments tend to render this opin-
ion popular.
THE BLOCK COAL,
Regarded as of the greatest value and
utility, has been discovered on the
| line of the Evansville, Henderson and
Nashville Railroad. It was not known
to exist, or is barely alluded to, by
DR.. Owen. AT page II. volume 4, DIR.
Owen. speaking of vein OF coal at
different points. speaks of It as "a
reedy coal, well adapted for the manu-
facture of iron from its ores with raw
coal" $.
It appears to be the settled conclu-
sion among intelligent citizens that
the block coal, similar and equal IN
every respect to the block coal IN
Clay County, Indiana, at Brazil, ex
lists in great abundance, on the line of
the railroad.
EARLE'S LEWIS COAL BANK.
My attention was called to this coal.
| l examined it and compared it with
the block coal from Brazil, Indiana,
and entertain no doubt it is similar
and fully equal to the coal at Brazil,
which is used In its rdto state, without
cooking, to smelt iron ores. The stra-
tum of this bank is fUs feet thick. It
| is nine miles north of Madisonville,
and about thirty or thirty one miles
south of the city of Henderson. three
quarters of mile from the railroad.
| The coal is nearly twenty feet below
the base of the hill. It is believed
this vein underlies large area. The
whole country from this point to
jacksonville is underlaid with coal,
from twenty to one hundred feet be-
| meath the surface.
EARLE AND M'UEN MINE.
This is the first coal cropping out
south of Madisonville, on Hunting
Branch, is opened about 100 feet, is
on a level with the road bed. and is.
less than one-half mile from the road,
and two and half miles south of
| MadisonVille. The vein is six and
halt feet thick. On the south side of
the hill the road passes within 400 or
300 feet of the coal bank. This is
known In the Geological Survey as
stratum number eleven.
WooLFoLK's s MINE.
The next mine in order progress
ing South is Woolfolk's mine, one
l quarter of mile east of the former,