New-York tribune., 1871-07-28
A BIOLOGISTS TRIP.
COAL. MINING IN ORANGE COUNTY, N. Y.-PRoB-
ABLE PUrIIITY OF TIE UNDERTAKING..
Il Nariona ~

| on Railway, Although tHS route - 80
10 Workers. IL doubtful whether the beauty OF Its
soonery has had due appreciation From the time that
o road strikes tho high hills at tho entrance OF the
Panama Gan n constant succession OF rich ana attract
iva views Is presented to tho eye Woods generally cothe
| tho mountain sde and tho whole landscape Is ireSh
with the tuts and odors OF Summer "among the mis-
Ts region IA fun of historic associations of tho Reyo
lutonary period Its iron mines were among the carl
est worked in the country aud sOmo OF tho Old forges
or noy I'm pictures1uo ruins At tho old Augusta Iron
Works near soatsburgh. Is said to bayo been wrought
the great chain that placed across the Hudson at
West Point 1878. links OF which, since hshed up
the river bed, are sLi preserved Ia TIC museum VI
| the Brooklyn Maynard
The object OF the writer's visit was wholly geological,
arising from desire to ascertain the precise OF tho
formation In which tho coal is sought and to see what
fossils could be obtained therein ie may, therefore,
claim the privilege of entering little into tho uso OF
geological terms and explanations, which are necessary
| in dealing with such subject. For tho first %
| miles OF the way the route runs across the Now Rcd
Sandstone which covers oil the northeastern part OF
New-Jersey The work may bo seen In every cutting
aud s disintcgratlOn affords tho universal rod SOIL OF he
region. At mauy points 1t is quarrcd for tho Dro"h
stone Of city buildings It Is associated WIN dgeS
Of Trap rock, such Bergen Hill. the Palisades orange
Mountain etc. and indeed all tho elevations that occur
In the Red Sandstone or Tra3sc, district These hl3
have become such merely by tho fact that from ther
greater hardness, they have whstood the action OF the
clements by which, IN the course OF age' inc soIJcr
Sandstone has been worn away The position OF these
sandstones nearly horizontal though with very gem
ue inclination or "dip" toward the west where they
abut against the range of hills that extends in general
northeast direction from the Buo Ridge or virginia.
across Pcnnsylyanla and NewJerscy, aud reaches the
Hudson at Pecsk. whore takes the name Of the High
lands This composed OF Gneiss rock similar TO that
OF which NowYOrk Island consists. It's general dip is
steep toward the east, showing that it was raised and
tilted into its present position before tbs Red Sandstone
which lies against it with gentle slope was laid down.
II is all crystalline metamorphio rock, and IS rich In
mines OF magnetic oxdo OF iron, we'll as in many min
erals OF less practical Importance though OF greater
value, because OF their rarity from scientific point Of
view. Among these may be mentioned rod coruudum "a
rude variety OF sapphire together with spno, horn
blende clnnamon-5a garnet. sphcne, and many others
Crossing the OF this ridge, which forms the beauti-
fu hiy region OF Orange County, one encounters again.
the further western side, an entirely diHerent
series OF rocks These tho sO-colcd Devonian and
Slurian beds ancient than the Red sndstone'
Of tho eastern side These formations came to the sur
flco a series parallel BELTS only the tuteu
edges Of which, 80 to speak. are exposed TO view
In one Of these outcrops, tho Schunemunk Noun
tain 2OO) feet above the sea- tho entcrprsng explorers
who own this mine engaged in worhlhg iof coal
Many promi, iog indications have led them to this ven
ture TIC rock is rDIiny dark gray laminlted Sam
stone strkingly similar to the ordinary agstoncs uSel
I'm the CITY aud probably of the geological age as
those OF the Hamilton group IL Is Iht'I7Vi@''0' WIN
beds of black shae "carbonsate filed with obscure
Impressions OF plants. At points, Fragments ana
minute OF coal hayo been found and experienced
practical miners from Pennsylvania seom to feel all tho
time confident that valuable cOalbeds are soon To be
reached. TO certain extent, coalbeds have been |
formed in almost all the great periods OF geological time
Tho only requisites. it Is believed. were that |
tho ocean should rise gently upon o land |
clothed with vegetation, burying ths pants nfst |
beneath tho water and then beneath the sediment which
il deposits Such may BIS stated as tho whole principle
Of coal formation The of vegetable remains, shut
OF from the decay which would ensue il it were exposed
to the air slowly changed, first INTO Ignite or i'm
perfect coal and then by tme pressure, and internal
heat into btumnous coal II the pressure and heat be
very great change goes further the gaseous portion
ia wholly expelled, in the operations of ga5-house,
and hard formed These processes have taken
place repeatedly IN tho changes of and land level
which geology ieves; aud the result has been the pro-
duoton of coal greater less amounts There no
absolute impoJ,bty therefore, Of finding 5omo OF this
material IN rOcs of almost any age but when this -
said 1t is only half tho truth There was but
one p,rioL the great CarbOnlferous Era, In
which tho physical conditions wcrs such as
70 result in great and important cOal-beds.
At other times deposits Of 1t have been formed, more or
less extensive and valuable but they rare and ex-
ceptonal II has very often happened, however, thaI
when the amount Of vegetable material was small no
solid coal was produced at ALL but the carhonaceous
From this process have resulted Iany black saics. filled
with plant impressions and raversed by thin seams or
nms OF HstrOus coal. Nothing ia more deceptive than
such Indications they arc precisely those that accom-
pany valuable cOabeds and they have often served to
mislcad tho unscienthc observer. gcOogst learns
the probable value to be placed upon such signs by OBJ
serving the and other Indications OF the ao OF the
rock. But without such observations no amount or
practical xperence" in coalneds of different age
can secure against serious mistakes.
In tho course of years past many attempts have been
made to find these Devonan rocks Of the eastern
mart OF the State In all cases tho result much
the same and could generally have been predicted in adj
vance by any competent gcOlOgi3t. Shafts and money
have been sunk; hopes and speculation have run high
but no coal has been fOund in any workable quantity to
energy and labor Of the explorers The mine
Monroe is well worth visit, both from the geological
interest OF the locality, and from the beauty OF the
scenery around It, In the black shale which alternates
with the hagstOne occur many impressions OF FOSSIL
plants OF Devonan age This ia about the earliest land
vegetation OF which geology gives any traces. 1t was
similar in general character to that OF the true coal pc
rod which followed. Large casts of stems occur some
OF which are sted l0ngtudlnly like the S1ilarios OF
tho coal fields Others finely ribbed, like the caldmftes
treerushes. Small stems OF the tepidodendron or
"scaeree occasionally seen, and called by the
miners "snske skins" This plant in reality
ground pine OF great size. and its stems, covered with
scaeke oascars have suggested both the popular and
scientific names Branching fernstems also found |
Of the genus sDhenops wedgefern, named from the
shape of the delicate leaves which appear obscure
Gms in tho rock. Most OF tho specimens, however
ndistno and hardly to be recognized, by careful
and practced
A word IA to the scenery in the ncighborhood At |
Monroe station the traveller will Ind the stage OF the
Seven Springs Mountain House. This and pleasant
Summer resort situated the top OF the mountain,
miles north Of the station and only few hundred
yards the shaft. An excellent road, leading 10
the hotel and tho mine, cut through tho almost |
unbrOkon woods less than two years ago, and affords
charming sylvan ride IA any ono need wish to find.
on approaching the summit the woods Open and grand
and beautiful stretches out westward many miles
across broad Waikiki Valley 10 the faraway blue
nights OF the Shawangunk M0unaia. over this long and
lofty ridge gmpses may be had OF more distant SUBMITS
belonging TO the great Kittatinny range. This |
charming panorama in full vew from the mine, and