The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-01-17
EMPORIA NEWS.
FRIDAY. JANUARY II, 1873
HAVE We COAL IN RMPOREA ?
Extracts frvn Mr.. BaehelIers Prize
Essay.

I Our Welsh citizens, at their
Christmas entertainment, invited
essays on the subject of coal in
this place and vicinity. Mr.. Bach.
eller's essay took the prize and the
| committee requested copy 70,
publication. 1t was furnished and
| handed US. We comply with Their
request to insert, so far as to give
below, that part Of the essay
which relates to the existence o.
coal in our midst, and the conse.
tquent advantage, with the, hops
that it may still further awaken
4 the general interest of our people
in the matter. We have not room
I for the whole paper. - = "a,
Every one is aware that we have
in this State certain strata of rock
! running horizontally through it,
and though we may travel many
miles on lower pianos, still aRhen
werreach-a ing t equal tosthe place
twhere we first found them, the
same appearance can be observed,
existing there as we first found
them. The same is true of those
| that underlie, the surface and are
deeply Embedded in the earth.
1t is not the Intention, as / am
1 advised, to have a'scientifc discus
I sion of the origin and nature of
coal. Indeed, il such were the
desire, the short time of less than
q day, with other duties to per
form would preclude me from col
lecting the required data. Hence,
for the purposes of this paper, 1
shall assume that the general prin-
ciples of geology are correct and
that they are understood. 1t will
be sufficient then to say that we
have the various strata of rock,
shale, etc. that are always found
where coal exists; that IN this
State they run northeast and
southwest, and they extend west
ward beyond Junction City and
south of this place. Hence rela-
lively we are almost due south of
Leavenworth, and consequently
the indications extend much far
tther west than we are. But if it
is objected that this is based
alone on theory, we have recourse
| to facts that must be satisfactory.
1t is we'll known that coal exists
Pin large bodies, covering a large
scope of country. The causes
that produce coal must of neces-
/ sity generally embrace large bodies
\ of territory. The same general
surface With the same formation of
rock, etc, will contain the same
mineral. This is one of the newt
able laws OF nature, demonstrated
by actual observation. : If this be
correct; then we must have coal
here, If we'have the same general
basis to operate upon. .-.
1t cannot be doubted that we
have, the same strata of. rock, and
the same general indication on the
surface that are found at Fl. Scott,
Leavenworth, Usage City, juno
ton City, and intermediate points.
1t is true,we cannot trace the iden.
teal stratum on the surface. This
could alone be done where the dip
or elevation of it was equal to,
and correspondent with, the sur
face. This is show by the strata
near the ground at Ft. Scott, be-
ing found about 700 feet. below at
Leavenworth. But when the up
per stratum is similar to that
where coal is had, and the general
Indications in all other particulars
arc the same, then we may safely
assert that \ can be found there.
But there are even better ,Tea-
sons than these for our confidence
in it. We have ID almost at our
doors. We trace it from Usage
City, Coffey county, and other
places, and find it in almost every
direction from Emporia. 1t crops
out at various points within few
miles of our city and some has
even been found here.
w lCn all these IactS before us
we are forced to the conclusion
that il is in. our immediate vicini-
ty. We find this consistent with
our views OF the design of the
Creator Science, when applied to
facts gives it to US, and our own
observation makes US certain it
exists here. IL is true that fol-
lowing the course Of these forma
tions, we may not find it SO ac
cessible as at some other places,
still it can be had ct q much less
depth than at many points where
it is worked with great success.
ITS NECESSITY,