Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1870-06-02
[From the Ironton Journal
A Pre- Historic Coal Mine.

! . ~ A4ASSOAAO OO6A 4R41Vt
Some thirty years ago, Mr.. E
Robberts, an old Pittsburgh coal mi
ner, purchased a farm in Raccoon
Township, Gallis county, on the
mail route from Oak Hill to Gallipo.
lis, near the present village of Thur
manville. Shortly after moving ON
to his farm, Mr.. Roberts com
menced prospecting for coal, and
succeeded in finding two and a hall
foot vein of excellent bituminous
coal, which he at once opened. and
drove an entry seventy or eighty
yards when his further progress was
arrested by an extraordinary flow of
water from ahead. Mr.. Roberts
then started a second entry > few
yards to the left of, and drove it par
allel with, the first, designing to draw
the coal between the two entries.
After driving the second entry a
few yards further than the first, his
progress was again arrested by wa
ter. In his vexation, he kept ham
mering away at the coal ahead, when
he suddenly found himself flooded
With a tremendous gush of water,
carrying him with considerable
force to the entrance of his entry.
The water continued to flow for sew
eral days, when it subsidized
Perplexed at so extraordin airy an
occurrence, he determined to inves-
tigate the cause, and again entered
his mine and proceeded to its inner
extremity, when, to his astonishment,
he found he had run his entry into an
old entry, which, becoming obstruct-
ed had filled up with water, and at
once explained the above phenom
ena.
Accompanied by an experienced
friend, he cautiously explored the
newly-discovered entry for several
hundred yards, and was surprised to
find, still standing, several wooden
props, sufficiently preserved to de
termine the kind of timber used.
But there were no indications of
rooms turned off from the entry so
far as explored. From impressions
still remaining in and upon the coal,
it was evident that the mine was
worked with tools similar to those of
the present day. He was unable to
find the entrance to this extraordi-
nary mine.
Mr.. Roberts assured the writer
that prior to commencing his first
entry, there was not the slightest |
trace of the mine having been pre-
viously worked; and situated upon
the side of hill heavily timbered |
with oak. This is certainly extraor-
dinary.
In conversation with Mr.. Henry
Rickerbaugh, one of the earliest en-
igrants to that part of the State, sew
enty years ago, and who has resided
on his farm in theimmediate vicinity
for sixty years, when the whole re-
gion was dense Wilderness, he in
formed the writer that in "early
days" there was deer lick within a
few yards OF Mr.. Roberts mine, and
that he had been familiar with the
spot for over sixty years, and had
hunted over and about it many
times, and that he had never heard
Of coal mine in all that vicinity till
opened by Mr. Roberts, AMI stated
positively thar none had erlsted an his
ime.
This is certainly an interesting
md suggestive discovery in the an
Equities of this country. When and
oy whom this and many similar un
discovered mines were worked on
his continent in pre- historic ages,
will remain wrapped in the
mystery of the past.
But this much is evident, knoWl-
.dge of the properties and uses of G
mineral coal was well understood by 7
race of people who inhabited this .
ountry many ages gone by, posi- t
'ly cotemporaneous with, or long @
,rior to, the era of the mound build '
re-. c
Europe, Asia and Africa, are rich S
n noble and grand historic ruins, s
nd traces of mighty cities, colossal b
ower, and high order of civiliza
ion; hut here, in this great West, are
being developed eloquent B
acts which show that there once B
wed and reigned mighty pre- his i
oric race of men, profound in the t
rts of war, and peace, and human
perhaps, while mighty
,gypt, as yet, slumbered in the :
osom of the undeveloped future. ),
G. S, ScRIvBN, NJ. D. u
Hanging Rock, o., May II, 1870. Y