Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1871-02-16
AMONG THE ROCKS.
Trip to Cumberland Mountains.
NUMBER IL.

| HIP W CumuCIlduu M0uutdiuSs
NUMBER IL.
/ One day last week-viZ. : Wednesday,
close observer might have detected some
uncommon movements about the Univer-
sity. There was hurrying to and fro, a
gathering up of hammers and baskets-in
short, (as Mr.. Micawber would say,) the
senior class and their professor We're bound
for the mountains. By ten minutes past
| five, p. NJ, all were slowed away and trav-
cling at the rate of fifteen miles per hour
towards Coal Creek. AS long as daylight
lasted, passing glimpses could be obtained
of the strata dipping southwark. 1t was
| observed that the narrow ridges and the
| flat ridges occur alternately with each
other. Going out, we have the low, fiat
ridge, two miles from town; then Webb's
ridge, which is narrow and steep, with a
valley of shales southeast of it. Next
comes Black Oak ridge, wide and fiat, with
the broad Grassy Valley on the southeast !;
then the Beaver ridge, steep and narrow,
with narrow valley (Hind's Valley full
of shales on the southeast; then Beaver
Greek Valley, wide and fertile, bounded on
the northwest by Copper ridge, very wide
and fiat. Passing it, we have shales. Here
| the regular succession seems rather con-
| fused and, after passing some knobs, we
| find Bull Run Valley-narrow but very
fertile. The hills on either side are cover
ed with orchards of sugar naples, beech,
oak and poplar.
| By this time night came on, and observa-
ton was shut off from the world without
and directed to the world within. One
passenger lay coiled up in his seat, 4" snor-
| fnga perfect hurricane saving boards" I"
as witty fellow expressed it. Others
chatted. Some ladies sat like statues, but
evidently sleeping. The students struck
up song, and "Gandeamus" Evening
Bells" |" Good Night, Ladies'" &C., rose
in swelling tones above the roar of the
train, while the engine sparks flew back
past the windows like tempest of firef1ies,
darting and dancing in the darkness. Few
things are more romantic than a night
ride through these wild hills.
In due time Coal Creek was reached, and
further operations were suspended till the
morrow. The next morning Thursday
the party took an early start for the hills.
On the creek, above the mines, a ffagstone
of excellent quality was noticed, which
might easily be shipped to Knoxville for
laying pavements. Also, near by is bed
of fire clay of superior quality, used by
Webber & Bro. in their establishment at
Knoxville. -
On the mountain side, in the shale, some
interesting fossils were found, such as fern
leaves and the stems and joints of reeds,
which were distinctly marked. In this
vicinity, immense coal beds underlle the
mountains in nearly horizontal strata.
The class then returned to the mine of
the Coal Greek Coal Company, and Were
kindly conducted through it by Mr.. Ries,
one of the firm and superintendent of the,
mining. The mine is laid off with regu-
larity and skill. The entrance is on the
southern side of the spur instead of. the
eastern, as is the case with the other mines;
and in this way advantage is taken of the
dip (which is very slightly to the west
ward), for purposes of drainage Conse-
quently, the mine is we'll drained and dry.
This mine was opened something more
than three years ago, and about three acres
of coal have been taken out. The compa-
nv ship the greater part of their coal to
Atlanta, Rome, Augusta, and other points
in Georgia; some to Lynchburg and inter-
mediate points; also, to Memphis, Mont
gomery, Alabama, &c. This coal COM
mands a higher price in Memphis than
Even, Wiley & Co., and the Knoxville
Iron Company-have mines here, but they
were not visited.
The party took the evening train for
Careyvillo. On Friday, after brief ex-
animation of the outcropping strata near
the mines of Kennedy and Morrow and
Trudgeon, Grady Il Co., they assembled to
the top Of Fork mountain, and on fiat
rock, at the top of a great cliff jutting
southwark, took dinner. From this point,
the valley of East Tennessee lay spread
out like map before the eyes. To the
east was Jacksboro', smiling village,
among the fields; to the south, Careyville,
at the foot of Cross mountain and, far
and wide in the distance, hill rose above
hill, until they seemed little else than
small blue clouds of vapor, while the
Smoky Mountains, like faint shadows,
skirted the distant horizon. After inscrib
ing d. T. u, III {" in the solid rock, l.
200 feet above Cove Creek, the descent
began by the northeast slope. Here were
huge cliffs of conglomerate sandstone, full
OF innumerable rounded pebbles, which
had washed about in the shallow waters
of the ocean for thousands of years, and
then been drifted up in banks of sand
which had solidifed into hard rocks, and
held them fast as we see them now. On
peak opposite was the DEVILS Race
Path''-huge strata projecting almost per-
pendicularly above the surface of the
mountain, and forming an enclosure re-
sembling race path. Vt g.4f1-r
After examining the immense iron de-
posits near Mr.. Carey's, and drinking of
the excellent sulphur spring, the party re-
turned, thoroughly tired out, to their
lodgings at the house of "mine host,n
Ben. Wheeler, Esq. 9Eail
In Cross Mountain west of Careyville,
the coal is almost inexhaustible. From
twelve to fifteen beds lie one above the
other. The formation is 2,1O0 feet thick.
These coal beds were formed when all this
country was level plain. Neither the
Rocky Mountains nor the Appalachians
were then in existence; the great wrink-
lings of the earth's crust, or the upheavals
by which these mountains were formed
had not then occurred. AT first almost the
| entire North American continent was sub
merged, and, as it rose to the surface of the
ocean, the waves dashed about the shallow
places, and wore the little bits of quartz
into round pebbles, and then heaped them
up in great banks of sand, which solidified
and formed conglomerate sandstone.
BY this time the crust rose above the sur