Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-05-18

owned DIV r.. DakcT, tueuCc HoAi
east and east through land owned by
Cunningham and Boydston, just
south of Stephen Woodruff's farm,
thence through Gregory's farm, and
thence to its confluence with the main
branch of the Competine, some II
miles northeast Of the city. This is
! what / term agrand "wash." There
fore fault and wash entirely sur
round the city of Knoxville. Thus
the Competine virtually drains the
whole country for over a mile each
way around Knoxville, taking in all
the little sloughs, tributaries and
branches within mile and a hall
south of the city, beyond which point
the little rivuletsand branches empty
into English creek, which drains all
Of that section Of the County.
We therefore have a large body OF
land where Knoxville stands, which
is undisturbed, high and command
ing, with a '.faultv and a wash
passing entirely around it, exposing
the coal formation at every point Of
the compass, with its clays, shaIes,
slate, soapstone, coal brasses, oxides,
carbonates, sulpbates, and all the va
rious essences of the coal itself, which
indications are Gods great Index
Book, and cannot lie; which proves
to US conclusively that the city OF
Knoxville stands upon vast deposits
Of bituminous coal. | have visited
numerous coal banks along the Des
Moines in this County, and explored
the same; also The old and new coal
banks around Knoxville in different
directions, taking pains in examin-
ing the roofing, the nunlJer of the
vein they were working, or had been
working, its quality, and all the
points necessary in order to base my
+, conclusions in regard to the extchtt
and vastness Of the coal deposits.
Coal veins or beds, classically speak
ing, all number from the bottom up;
but theInining world generally count
from the top down. We will there
fore count from the top down. The
first bed Of coal, as far as developed
in this section, ranges from one foot
to three and four feet in thickness,
and has shay sandstone substance,
intermingled with a soapstone shale,
for its roofing. Roofing is generally
very poor, and the coal, as a general
thing, is Of an inferior quality, and
not worth working. The second bed
or vein of coal, as developed, is a
heavy vein, ranging from four to
seven feet in thickness. Its average
is good, yet it could be bettered by
getting farther into the body Of the
high land. Roofing, steatite slate
or black soapstone, with abundance
Of shaly substance above. Roofing is
generally good. The third vein has
been but very little developed in this
section of the County; yet we readily
see the cropping Of it in different
places. This vein will prove to be
the best and purest coal ever worked
in this County. 1T will range from
four to eight feet in thickness, with a
superb roofing Of bastard limerick
and hydraulic slate. The best mode
of working this vein of coal is by
shaft. In this way the heavy body
of the coal can be tapped at once, and
rooms run off from the bottom of the
shaft i'm various directions, and the
coal and water raised by the same
power-either by steam or horse
power. This is the proper way by
all odds, and the cheapest in the long
run, for working a 1irst-class coal
bank. Either in working this or the
second vein, would always advise
that it be worked by shaft, as there
is more money in it, both for the
miner and the owner Of the bank.
The various places where the Sec
ond vein Of coal has been worked in
this part Of the County, and now
abandoned, and also the banks now
being worked, have been commenced
i'm most instances in the very poorest
places that could have been selected
the roofing being rotten and bad,
until they run, ut great expense, fl,
into the bluff or hill. The coal is
also inferior, until its solidity il
reached.
| Much care and judgment should bt
taken in selecting sinking points fol
/ proving and opening coal beds. lfs
person thinks he can sink a. shaft
| wherever he pleases, and strike q bee
or Vein of coal, he is most wofully
deceived, and will soon find out his
r. q. u r. r. 4