Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1874-03-03
communicated
Is THERE COAL IN THE SAGE.
BRlSN:

Virginia Evening Chronicle says nay.
1 am admonishol by a huge lump
lying before me, taken from the Pan
cake coal mine, twenty miles to the
eastward of Eureka, that the Chronicle
is mistaken. These mines were dis
covered and located about two years
since, by Col. Lewis, Fred. Burrows
and their associates; men with but lit
tie money, but plenty of muscle and
hope; men with no fine geological
theories, but who knew stone coal
when they saw it and burnt 1t. Those
men pushed downward upon the
vein OF bed of coal as rapidly as their
limited means would permit, until at
u depth of about II hundred aud six
~ feet the vein was four feet thick. and
the coal of fair quality for fuel and
blacksmithing; and tests in Il small
way indicated that it would coke and
answer for smelling purposes. Ma
chinery at this depth for hosting pur-
poses became an absolute necessity,
and the di>covcrerS, not having the
w ii'' rs Fois II III W
u corporation. Since the sale, contracts
have been let for the construction of
the necessary hosting machinery and
putting it in place, and in Il short time
the further development of the mine
and placing the coal i'll market will be
pushed vigorously forward. 1t is al
ready fully demonstrated that it will
furnish an abundan. II cheap fuel of
excellent qualify 20 this section; and
there is good reason to believe that ii
Will furnish cokctor our furnaces equal
to charcoal for smelling, and much
cheaper. The coal improves rapidly in
quality as depth is gained.
1t is established, then, beyond qrcs
ton, by Il few practical, h~ard-workin ing.
energetic, hopeful men, no,withstand-
ing the ~gcoi0gicaf difficulties of the
OrOnicic. that there is coal of good
quality and in workable quantities in
HE Sagebrusll. 1t is not the first time
that the crude theories OF stmi-geoto-
gi&ts have been overthrow by the
same class of men,.
But let us drop fact for a time and
indulge in q little maStang geology
with the Chronicle. Is there n geo
togicni eason why coal should not
be found in the sagebru>h? The car
bonitcrotls period is the tFu coal-bcar-
ing period. ignite Is found IN large
quantities, and OF excellent qi'ailt.N Tor
ordinary purposes, III some countries,
notably III the ROCKY Molihtaliis aEd
Ill Utah III the tertiary; but the most
aluable ana
ous-iSl ouhu Only intie carboiliiefou>.
Now. nave we ne carb"iiicrous1ornha-
tioi III ms state: IL we nave We may
look for r coal with an almost alb
Soiute certainty OF fihuln@ II. Clarence
King, volume three OF ms report OF
the Fortieth Parallel Geolos lcal Sur
rcy. describes the AioNeiiaoke range OF
mountains, just east OF iiaihilioh'
Nl:ite iinc' AS uniiii>lakaply oeiohS-
M to the carnohiierou era.
FOSSILS lo'iiio >i'icc tnat ielol. 'S
i>S"eo' ny 'tfIous p"r.le>' "iioi:,'
others nose ol ne >',s'ii 'r," "hl'' ,lIi-
lari'' iea'e iiuie uoupl '','. '.ie -loNc-
rlokem ouh',t'iiS are Oh me er,
Gus age ana eNPlor''lo'aN upon Goa,
lii.ticitio!lS are no" ntiiiS Pi4neo''cu
with a itlf nope OF ultimate success, Ill
tha. rance. .u :, u.,;.,
Inc iaii'">c H'ot:iit"iii>' III when
me coai MINES are si'"''te',. nlc o','
leW mics 10 tie "cS'"ata Oh me -hohG-
i.'oNe range ana we iiii,c>'oilc>' S'iiu-
stones ana cui,-ioii'rin'eN set'ii 10 u
iMeht!cal VII t,ioSt vi 'iIc NioN,lioNc'
ne FOSSILS oi tie la!c"he co'l i,,caS-
ureS nave p'eh cA',,ii''eu - d l-iS-
li>h gentleman, wen acI u'iii'eu WIN
the coal measures Oh iti'Siall'i' VINO
eSpre'Sei me peilei NAV tin1S peioilItu
tome carp"hilerous peI.ou' e>Pe,!ailN,
IA fossil closely reseii.ol'nS inc FOSSIL
stl"hlaria, common 10 me rue coal
measures; p"t ne heS'I"teu 10 give an
ulqi!ailfled OPINION upon Il matter that
he qua hot consider hiii'HUi' luiiy colii-
rcient to lass upon. Inc faiicake
Il has the usuai cay So':e or peo,
usually underlying VEINS OF coal, uh,
DERIVING 1t, ana underlying ina Il hSu
OF iron ore (iinlonie} col'ilIion to the
true coal measure, and from when a
large part OF the IRON used nithe world
is manufactured. These 1aet> point
strongly to the probability that the
Pancake coal bed Is true coal.
thori,y, that we have the carboi:erouS
formation IN our III the size
brush, al least, ana II Piop'piN tNir's
Ill nt'hureuS u othrr>, aini ce','ii -
where it is found with 4 reasonable