The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1879-06-19


again vertically in Tract mountain. Leav-
ing out of question the limestone which APP
pears to be of formation ii, and OF course
does not belong over the carboniferolts Sc
ries VIII, TX, and X, the tract would seem
to lie in synclinal valley, for the strata APP
pear in the same succession in Tract noun
tain going south as in Little Walkers noun
tain going north-the sandstone, fossilifer-
Gus shale and slate, the big coal bed, the
black slate, the three feet coal, and then the
bedrock of tough sandstone everything the
conglomerate which caps Little Walkers
mountain. So that as to the series OF Tract
mountain, instead Of being tipped more to
the south than the others, as might at first
be supposed, it is the northern side which
has gone down to produce this vertical dip.
Rogers, in the section referred to, gives
them northward dip, but at an angle OF 45
degrees only, and conformable to the lime
stone of the main valley to the southwark,
through which runs the A. NJ. & o. r. r. F.;
but he also enormously gives the same dip
to the limestone OF the tract. In the Peek
hills we have again an anticlinal Of forma-
lions III. w, and V, dipping to the east OF
south about 45 degrees, and to the west OF
north at a much greater angle, and carrying
at its base a brown hematite ore of value.
The Altoona Company has secured through
Captain Hart, about two miles OF Tract
mountain, and three miles OF the Outcrop OF
the heavy coal beds Of Little Walkers noun
tain, which extended about five miles, with
but little local variation before thinning out
towards Cloyd's, to the eastward, and being
cut off BY the limestone at the head Of the
cove to the westward. IL was, by-the-by,
probably this cutting off of the coal by the
limestone in the cove that induced Lesley to
believe that it was also cnt OFT in Robinson
tract. The Tract mountain beds are cut by
its railroad, and track can easily be con-
structed along Little Walkers mountain, the
whole length of its ou.crop there. and then
either returned to the main line above the
church or continued through a gap to the
iron and manganese beds OF Big Walkers
mountain. 1t will be seen at glance there
fore, how completely the Altoona Company
holds the key to the position-certainly at
least until the construction OF the New Riv-
er Railroad-and what an important infiu-
ert on the manufacturers, particularly OF
salt, iron, steel and zinc, of Southwest Vir-
ginia. The saving in the cost of fuel will be
very great, especially to the A. NJ. & O. r.
R., which is now paying 81 for Tennessee
coal at Bristol, and S. 25 for Kanawha coal
at Lynchburg, while the Altoona coal will
not cost more than So at Martins. The to.
tai demand for the Altoona coal. estimate,
will be not less tina a hundred thousand tons
per annum.
The cove anticlinal wave brings portion of
these coal beds to the light in the Peek
Creek region, east of Max Meadows, in
Wythe county, but the seams are thin and
quite worthless. When I left Southwest
Virginia in February, the train was stopped
several minutes by the breaking of COUP
ling in the deep curved cut at Clark's, spo-
ken OF by Lesley, and 1 had an excellent op-
portunity to examine and verify the extra
ordinary curves, contorsions, and rock.crush-
es to which the coal was subjected as it was
closely iammed against the limestone near
the end of the cut. Quite recently bed of
excellent anthracite has been opened few
miles north or N. N. W. of Max Meadows
on the lead OF tho Altoona coal and OF a sim
liar quality. The only bed worked varies
from three and half to four feet in thick
ness, and its proximity to the railroad gives
it pc c1liar value"
Charles r. Boyd, in a paper read at Phil
adelphia in 1876, to which shall hereafter
refer more at length, says. in speaking of a
point on cross-section OF the Valley, some
five miles N. N. W. of Wytheville 1--WE go
ever great fault in the crust of the earth,
and suddenly find the sandstones of the sub
carboniferous and states beneath them hold
ing eleven seams of coal, varying in thick
ness between three and a half feet and a
few inches. These veins have general
dip S. S. E. os about thirty-five degrees,
the coal containing enough btumen to make
a good coke at this point, and burning we'll
in CRATES and stoves. 1t has never been re-
marked that this coal decrvpitates in the
fire. Still as the measures have been subs
jebted to quite different degrees of dis.ur-
bance at different points, elements may
have been interjected or percolated through
at some points that would cause decrepita-
ton of these Goals. These veins as
YOU 90 eastwardly along the southeastern
escarpment of Little Walkers Mountain,
in which they occur, become more OF an
anthracite until you reach the Peek Creek
Hills, and there you find the coal an anthra-
cite as described above"
In the gap of Stony Creek, seven miles
northwest of Wytheville. two feet OF coal is
found under two feet Of slate, with a thin
seam of an inch or two few feet below
and another few yards above. The dip is
but 20 degrees to the southwark, but the bed
is very much disturbed and broken. 1t in
creases locally, however, to the westward,
but varies materially i'll quality. Some five
miles further west it appears nearly six feet
in thickness and OF a fiat, flaming, semi
bitumnous character" showing s'that it has
here, in some unaccountable way, partly es-
capped the disturbing agency which has re-
duced the rest of the coal in the region to
a semi.anthracite and fragmentary condi-
ton, and at the same time will probably al
low it to be cooked, and in that condition
carried to any desirable distance, and ap-
piled to furnace purposes, for which the
crushed anthracite is worthless" Its eco
nomical value Lesley states, from the tests
made at the lead mines, to be as Is to "a, OF
more than three to one as compared with
charcoal.
Col. Thomas j. Boyd has opened several
banks in the vicinity of Wytheville. The
thickness of the beds am unable to state,
but the coal is unquestionably firm, solid
semi.anthracite, with greater lustre than
| is shown by the lower beds Of the Altoona
coal.
| Farther west it has been found seven feet
in thickness, but more frangible, and witt
such heavy percentage of sulphur and
| alum as 10 De tOtaIly uuut IOT use. AL an
other opening am told it is so unctious as
to grease the hand like fat bacon.
About four and a half miles north To-
Mount Airey, visited an opening of w. G
Garne's, which looked prospectively fayora-
BILE. though the gangway had been driver
but few feet and was full of water. Tit
dip here does not exceed % degrees or 80 &c
grees south, and the coal was much softer
than Boyd:s-a semi.anthracite. The mali
seam was about two feet thick on the bed
rock OF sandstone, and at the top of tn,
gangway were two or three thin seams in
the slate, varying from one to four inche
in thickness. Scarcely more than hundred
yards to the southwark the dip suddenl,
steepens to about 60 degrees, but seems Il
become nearly horizontal in the mountain
The coal is an excellent shop and household
fuel, for which purpose 1t is now used, doe
not cake, and seems to bear transportation
very we'll. This is the most westerly open
ing in Little Walkers mountain that / know
Of, but there is little doubt that these bed
are not cut off by the limestone for severa
miles, and perhaps they contnne nearl
across the county of Smythe, while il
Washington county, beyond Saltville,
have seen some evidences Of their reappeal
ance.
AS a result Of his reconnaissance in 1854