The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1871-03-24
REPORT
ON THE
I IL o n Nj A X NG AIS
Of Southern Indiana, Adjacent to the
INDIANA MINERAL RAILWAY,
BY J. ". FOSTER, L. l.. ID.

our material pl l0sperity that every in
vestigation rs to its distribution, chemi
cal qualities, or accessibility to mark ct
is tlanght with the highest interest
Apart from iren il may be pronounced
the most usciu! Of minerals, the mos
potent Of agents reserved by nature Il
subscrvc the wants and cOnvenienccs o.
man. II rests at the base OF our modern
civilization ii is the handspring Of tho
prosperity among every dominating ma,
ton. t-pon onr lakes end riycis and in
our workshops and factories it is silently
performing the labor of many millions
Of men, and in our households it is i'm.
parting warmth and light and comfort
where otherwise all would bc cold and
dark and chcerlcss.
So manifold arc its benefits that whcr.
ever q coal field is found, having pecu-
liar facilities which can be made avail
able at an expense below tho existing
rates, capital can be found 10 develop il
and convey its products TO market. A
portion OF the Eastern margin Of the
Indiana coal field is known to contain a
body of "splint" or ''blOck" Goals which,
while aflording an admirable article ol
fuel for steam and domestic purposes, at
tho same time affords a iIucl which will
reduce iron in the hotblast furnace with
out the preliminary process Of coking.
The result has been that, within a few
years, numerous lines of railway COM
munication have been opened and 9TH
crs projected, TO bring these Goals in con-
tact with the iron ores, and numerous
furnaces have sprung up along The line
Of their OutcrOp.
1t was confidcntinlly asserted up 10
the time Of the publication of Prof.
Cox's Report 1870 that these peculiar
Goals were restricted to a field Of no
great area in the vicinity Of Brazil, but
he showed that they ranged almost un-
intcrruptcdly norihward to near the
northern part of Fountain county, un-
in force, and probably in un-
purity. During the past
season have had the opportunity not
only Of verifying the accuracy Of Prof
CoXs gcnelnlizations as to their north
ward range, but have traced them al
most uninterruptedly 10 the Ohio river !;
the distance Of the ontcrOp being not
less than one hundred and fifty miles !;
and II were called upon to designate
what portion of the field / regarded as
typical Of the highest quality of splint
coal, / should unhcsitatinly point to the
region Of the Ohio river; and yet these
Goals have been mined for years to sup
ply neiglborhood purposes without
their peculiar qualities having been re-
cognizcd.
To develop these Goals in reference to
the Ohio river market the best in the
United States and at the same time as
forming link in Chain Of communica-
tiOn witll'thc great lakes, the Indiana
Mineral Hallway has been projected.
To resume the Typographical details !:
Between Jasper and the Ohio river the
country is very much broken by hills,
often attaining a height of three hum
dred feet above the valleys. These hills
afford substantial cover 10 the coal,
and consequently it comes out firm and
in fact. often appearing as
though it were mctamorphosed. Rug
ged as the surface of the country may
appear, yet the engineer availing himself
Of the valleys, may lay his road with al
most uniform grades, and without abrupt
curves.
Between jasper and Bloomfield the
becomes less broken, partaking
more Of the character Of plateau. This
plateau is cut by only two considerable
streams the Patoka and the east fork of
White river The first may be crossed
BY bridge Of single span; but the
latter is more formidable undertaking.
w ith this exception the physical obs'a-
cles 10 be overcome are slight. The
profile of the survey will show the char
acter of the route III detail, SO that need
not dwell further upon this point.
The entire length Of tho line will be
about ninety miles. The nearest paral-
lei road TO the west is from twenty-five
to thirty-six miles distant and OH the
east from sixty to seventy miles. 1t will
cross in its course the New Albany and
st. Louis road, now in progress Of con.
struc,ion. near Huntingbur2 |; the Ohio
and Mississippi, near Black Oak station
and at Bloomfield it will interscct with
the projected North and South Railroad,
thus forming part of direct line be-
tween Chicago and the Ohio river. There
is an abundance Of timber along the
Whole route. and the soil, while proau-
cling the usual cereals common to the
latitude, is also well fitted for the cul-
ture Of tobacco. In the southern portion
Of the region the inhabitants are largely
German, who, with their proverbial
thrift and economy, arc developing the
land into well-tilled and wcll-tenced
farms. There il here then an old regior
which has no access to markets excep
Iby "wagoning.' and through which I
railway would collect the surplus pro
ducts for fifteen or twenty miles OIL eth
|er side. In mineral resources, as We will
show, II is as rich as any portion Of In
diana, and Il needs but the quickeninI
power Of capital to make them available
|DIrYERExT COAL SEAMS AND THEIR QUAIL
/ TIES.
Between the low water line. Of IN
Ohio at Cannelton and the summit 9
the Knobs back Of Rockport, are inclu
! ded nearly all the rocks which c0ntai
'|thc productive coal measures ofIndisn'