The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1872-07-20
TINE MINER.
COAL IN TENNESSEE

NoAL IN EKNNESShb.
From the Nashville, Tenn, = Enter
prise" Of the 9th inst
Chattanooga is the center and discharg
ing point of the most wonderful coal de-
posits of the country There are three dis
tinct formations of veins in the mountains
South and West, and two or three in the
Cumberland range. These vains are from
10 feet in thickness and in some
places the deposits reach height of 20 feet
more. But it II not the purpose Of this ar
ticle to describe the geological formation of
the coal fields, but 70 speak OF the facilities
for obtaining it,
Fourteen piles out ON the Nashville road
are the Etna mines, which have tapped two
of the above mentioned veins, and which
have supplied large proportion of all the
coal used in Chattanooga Beyond them
are the Vulcan mines which "dig AS
the miners say-the same coal.
At lockwood, about 80 miles up the
Tennessee river, are the mines Of the ROane
Iron Company, which are in pocket
or special deposit Of coal 100 feet thick
and apparently inexh&ustible On the
line of the Cincinnati railroad, NO matter
which of the various routes proposed may
be selected, lies enough coal to supply khe
manufacturers of the world for many
years.
Coal is at present delivered in Chatta-
nooga for $3.l2t per ton, and viii, when
the demand justifies it, be sttainable for
certainly g. 80, and ere long e. 90 per ton.
We challenge the whole country to produce
so strong an inducement to manufacturers.
And, we would add, that this statement is
from authority, and not a mere guess. 1t
is expected that in one year coal will be
sold in quantities At q. so per ton.
The coal Ii Of bituminous nature. con
tanning q large proportion of pure carbon,
with but little aah, and consequently
very strong fame. Thr RaccOon Noun
tain coal according to Mr. Stafford IN his
valuable work on the geology of Tennsssee,
contains about 40 per cent. carbon, 90 per
cent. volatile matter, and per cent. ash
1t Is free from foreign matter such a shale
and pyntes. Chattanooga has been called
the Pittsburgh Of the South, " and ie
destined at no very distant day to become
a very formidable rival Of that prosperous
city. Every inducement il offered to
manufacturer. We welcome them most
heartily and on them place our main re-
lance
The laminAe seen in al bituminous Goals
one OF bitumen, bright, glossy and
black; the other Of charcoal appear to
have been the result Of each years accu-
mutations. The pulpy, cArbonacoys leaves
would add brightne@ TO the bitumen Of
the bog, and the falling reeds and ferns
having fibre in their stalks would exhibit |
the charcoal fibre seen in all Goals of this
class.
Thus . mass of coal, could We count the
layers Of charcoal, fiber and bitunsn,
would afford an index to the time in years |
involved in its formation, q the grains of |
q tree indicate the years Of its growth. |
The same sun that we now behold, was
the agent Of the transfer Of caribou from
the air to the vegetable forms that give us
In time our coal beds. Hence the mean |
ing of the remark that coal is "bottled |
sunshine" We may also insist that the
amount Of heat and light received from
the sun ages ago in every leaf Of the coal |
fora, is precisely the amount yielded in |
the combustion Of ooal.-Froln paper by
Professor G. d. WILDER.