The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1874-01-15
Letter from Hamden

To the Editor of tie Standard:
As the jackson coal fever is now epi-
demic, and rapidly extending to other
localities, 1 propose to give your readers
some of my views of the causation.
1 have been reading the letter of Coates
Kinney which you published in your
last weeks issue. Also an editorial in
the Xenia TorchHght of Dec: oath, and
another in the Xenia Gazette of the 30th,
each nearly as glowing as Harvey Wells
could desire. Strip those statements of
superficial possibilities down to solid
facts and probabilities, we still have suf-
ficient evidence of mineral wealth in this
locality to assume it to be practically in
exhaustable for ages to come.
To obtain correct knowledge of geology
here it is necessary to follow two pretty
regular and valuable guides. The gray
limestone OVERLAPPING our most regular and
extensive COAL And bearing upon it our
most valued ore. This occurs east of the
Railroad in the tops of the higher hills,
and dips to the Southeast until it disap-
pears under the streams in Gallia county
West of the Railroad l know of but two
hills high enough to catch it, one on the
Allen Austin farm, and the other near
the residence of Henry Nickels, in Wash
ington township.
About l37 feet, according to Prof. An
drews, below our first guide occurs our
second, the blue limestone, which, like
the gray, is accompanied by ore and coal.
This is often low in the hills along the
line of the railroad, and about mile
above Young America it disappears be-
low the stream.
Below this lower marker occurs re-
the quality of the coal. The first strata
which | will notice occurs in its greatest
known perfection on the farm of DR..
Wolfe, near Macarthur. This think will
prove identical with the shaft coal once
owned by Abraham Wilbur, about one
mile Southeast of Hamden. And also
with that once owned by VIM. Ogier,
about miles west of Wilbur's Shaft, on
the line of the NJ q C. Railroad. As it
is the opinion of several of the coal men
residing between here and jackson that
the Anthony is but about 90 feet below
the blue lime instead of l25 as reported
by Prof Andrews, l advise them to care
fully level from the lime down to the
coal, and if they find the distance about
SO feet it is the Wolfe coal instead of the
Anthony Then if the Anthony can be
found about 40 feet farther down, nobody
should grumble.
| The Anthony, Petrea. Winfough, Scott
Sell, Wellston and Vinton Furnace shat
Goals, are generally and perhaps correctly
regarded as geologically identical, though
varying somewhat in thickness ano
quality The extent of territory which
is underlaid by this valuable coal, is, in
my opinion, much greater than is gener
ally supposed, though many of boring
for it have not been successful; yet it ha.
been found, think, sufficiently otter
for us to assume that it occurs under one
half of the surface of Lick, Washington
and Milton townships, in jackson county
and also Richland and Clinton in Vinton
l think have observed a peculiarity o
this coal which may account for its ap
parent absence in many places. 1t is
delicate coal, and is rapidly decompose'
by exposure to the weather; consequent.
| its outcrop is often difficult to find.
Its thickness is variable, principally il
its western outcrop in the eastern pol
ton of jackson township, in jackson
county, and the western part of Richlano
in Vinton, it is frequently too thin FOL
profitable working; but as we trace
further east it is generally thicker. )
generally is this the case that can thin
at present of but two borings where tn
coal was found at all that the thicknes
would not pay for working, both occur
ring about one mile east and southeas
of Hamden. But ABOUT half mile fur
ther east, at Hamden Furnace, 4 feet
said to hay e been found, and a half mil
west feet of partially decomposed cos
was taken out of the bottom of a well.
1t is evidently the opinion OF Prof. Ar
drews that this coal cannot exist in tn
vicinity of Hamden, in consequence {
the supposed existen, of an elevation {
the Waverly sandstone which he refer