The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1873-04-25


Some time ago Professor Cox, Geolo-
gist OF the State of Indiana, was in
structed to prepare pamphlet in whici.
the vast mineral aud agricultural re-
sources OF this grand oil Common
wealth should he described.and the same
to be distributed at the Vienna Expo
sition. Professor Cox has completed his
work, and il is now in print. We are
assured that 1t contains clear and trust
worthy information that will not mis-
lead the imquiring foreigner. but will
give correct idea Of the many advan-
tagcs that are held forth for the inr us-
'triOns emigrant, and will undoubtedly
have the effect Of attracting many here
who would otherwise settle i'm less de-
sirable localities.
He first gives . geological description
of the State, together with the nature
that are afforded for procuring m abun-
dance of cheap and wholesome food
MINERAL RESOURCES.
Coal, the most valuable Of all mine
rails, exists here in great abundance
The measures cover an area Of about
$500 square miles, in the south western
part Of the State, and extend from War
rem county, on the north. 10 the Ohio
river, on the south, distance Of about
one hundred and fifty miles. In sddi-
Ition to Vanderburgh, the follow ing
counties lie within its erea: Warren,
Fountain, Parke, Vermillion, vigo. Clay,
Sullivan, Greene. Knox, Davies., Mar
tim, Gibson, Warrick, Pike, Dubois.
spencer, Perry, and a part Of Crawford,
Monroe, Putnam and Montgomery.
Tie total depth OF the measures j.
from six to eight hundred feet, with
twelve 10 fourteen distinct seams of coal.
the seams ranging from one 10 eleven
feet IN thickness, and ih. .leld may, frc:i,
the character Of the coal. he divided from
north TO south into two zones the sses-
tern containing the seams of caking coal,
and the eastern the non-csking or block
coal. Here follows M analysis Of sam
pies Of the various caking Goals. demon.
.trssting the superiority of Indiana coal
for smelling as we'll as for fuel
La 1871 there were about twenfy-foui
block coal mines i'm operation. and;a5oui
SOD tons were miurti daily. Now t'esif
are upwards Of forty I.l.scs in operation.
and the amount niined daily will rfacl.
nearly 400 tons, aud the demand dur
ing the Winter l,a. been greater than
could he met by the operators. Miners
were paid from one dollar to one dollar
antl twenty cents per ton, and the coal
sells, on the cars at the iniues. for two
dollars and seventy-fivc cents per ton ri
2OtU pounds. The usual estimate 60
cover oil expenses. for running q mine,
is fifty cents per ton. which leaves u nett
profit Of frSm one dollar TO one dollar
and twenty-five cents per ton- Coal
lands sell at from fifty 10 five hundred
dollars per acre, according tO location.
aud the extent of the investigations thai
have been made TO prove the quality and
Of the seam on the property.
There are no faults met with in the
Indiana COal-Field. but there are places
where the coal has been cut xway BY SUBJ
sequent abrading forces. or where its
place has been usurped by beds of shalel
or sandstone, constituting what the
miners call horseback.
Welsh, Irish, Bclgiaus, Scotch and
English represent the larger portion Of
the mining population, and when tenn
perate and prudent. are soon able 10 pro-
vide themselves with piece OF land and
homes. The average earn
ings of miner are three dollars day.
He speaks at some length Of the supe-I
rior advantages offered in Indiana for
the manufacture Of Iron and Bessemerl
steel rails. The cost Of labor 10 make al
ton Of pig-iron at the furnaces in lndi-l
ana is about 50 so; keeper 81 Is per
day common labor 81 IS per day.
The founder Is paid $2,OUO per an
NUN.
The advantages offered by Indiana for
the manufacture Of iron aud steel, are :!
Superior coal for making fine grades of
iron, especially Bcsseincr pig: and 81
shorter distance To the most avsilablel
iron orc beds.
Ii must be borne in mind, that navi-
CATION ON the lakes is usually closed for
fve months IN the year. and furnaces I'M
Ohio and Indiana, rum
ming on this ore alone. must iay i'm d
large stock Of ore in order to keep In op-'
eratiOn the year round. This can onlyl
be done It great expense and loss Of in
terest on capital invested. There Is not
. day that you may not see. crossing this
cosl-field, cars loaded with Missouri iron
ore for the Pittsburgh and upper Ohio
river furnaces.
The camel coal makes delightful fire
in open CRATES, and dies not pop and
throw OF scales into the roosn. as is "a Ia
ally the case with tLi. variety Of coal.
Peat as.d turf Is found in consider D 4,
quantities In tic northern part of the
State, and makes excellent coal la the
absence Of wood.