The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1884-06-05
From the Coal Trade Journal
Geology Of Jackson County, Ohio.
BY HON. ANDREW ROY.

The Jackson coal is found In Its
best development in the Immediate
vicinity of the village Of Jackson, 40
to 80 feet below the surface. 1t was
discovered in 1868 by party Of drill
ers who were boring for salt. A shaft
was Immediately sunk to test the
thickness and quality of the coal; the
bed was found to be 4 feet in thick
ness and the coal to belong to the
family of open burning or blast fur
mace Goals, and the discovery soon at
tracted the attention Of capitalists to
the new field, among whom Was the
late Gov. Tod, Of Brier Hill, from
whose farm the famous Brier Hill
coal of the Mahoning Valley derives
its name. A. S. Kyle, of Youngstown,
was the first to pronounce upon the
iron making qualities Of this coal.
The Wellston or Coalton coal lies
| from Is to $50 feet above the Jackson
shaft coal. The existence of this seam
was known to the early settlers of the
county as it crops out in the hills sur
rounding the village of Jackson. 1t
was mined for local use for many
years before it attracted attention as a
shipping coal, the seam being too thin
in the hills near Jackson to invite
much comment. 1t was discovered at
Wellston in 1872 by Hon. H. S. Bun
dy, Member of Congress from the
11th Congressional District of Ohio,
while boring for the Jackson shaft
| coal. 1t was found to be feet thick,
and trial shaft sunk to the coal soon
| after it's discovery showed it to be an
open burning coal, fitted for furnace
use as it comes from the miners pick.
Possessing the thickness and general
characteristics of the Jackson shaft
coal it was for some time after its dis
covery mistaken for that seam.
In 1878 not more than 10000 tons
were shipped from this seam in Jack
son county, in 1880 the output had
increased to 100000 tons: in 1883 it
exceeded 100000 tons. The two rail
roads along which the coal is mainly
shipped to market-the Ohio South
ern and the Toledo, Cincinnati and St.
Louis did not enter the coal field till
1878. During the past five years up,
ward of 40 mines have been opened
on this seam of coal.
An ideal general section of the
strata in the eastern townships OF
Jackson county, would show 10 to II
seams of coal, s to 10 beds Of iron ore,
and 5 to 6 beds of limestone, but only
such Goals, ores and limestones as are
of good mineable thickness and which
have been opened and mined will be
discussed in this article. The Goals,
as already stated, are locally known
in ascending order as the Jackson
shaft coal, the Wellston or Coalition
| coal, the Coal Run Camel coal, the
Limestone coal, the Sandstone coal,
the Washington Furnace coal and
the Lucas coal.
The ores are known as the MAX
Vile Block" the blue Limestone
ore," the Rough or Sand Block" the
Little Red Block" the Limestone
kidney" and the "Gray Limestone
ORE Several other beds are worked
but they are local deposits.
The limestones are known as the
White or Maxville limestone, the
Zoar or Blue limestone, the Gray or
Hanging Rock limestone. The Shaw
ice, Kambridge and Ames limestones
are due and present in the eastern and
southeastern townships of the county,
but they have not been utilized.
Jackson county is geologically in
the Lower coal measures of the Ohio
coal fields, and is located in the head
of the Ohio division Of the Hanging
Rock iron region, region favorably
known as one Of the finest iron max
ing regions of the United States; The
series Of strata found in the county
above water level consists, in addition
to the beds of coal-(four beds Of Bi-
luminous coal and one seam of Camel
all Of good workable thickness. of
five or six beds of iron ore, two or
more seams Of limestone, numerous
beds of fre-clay and several strata of
excellent freestone for building.
The Goals above water level on Rae
coon Creek have for their base a Can
mel seam 80 to 36 inches in thickness
| which exposed itself at number of
points on Raccoon Creek. 1t has not
been mined to any extent in this
county, except on the lands Of the
Southern Ohio Coal and Iron Co., in
Milton Township, where it is being
extensively worked on Coal Run. The
horizon Of this coal is about $50 feet
above the base of the coal measures.
The next coal bed in ascending or
der is known as the Limestone coal. !"
It is very persistent seam extending
wherever it is due. 1t is to feet
in thickness including two thin layers
or partings, the upper of which is 3 to
4 inches in thickness and the lower l
to II inches thick. The lower part
ing is met 10 to - inches above the
bottom Of the seam; the upper one Is
to 20 inches higher. Both partings
are fire-clay shale.
This coal has been opened in nu-
merous places for local use, and is a
coal Of very excellent quality, disposed
to coke in burning and would make
if properly treated a coke of good
quality. 1t is known as coal No. of
the State series, and is very persist
ent seam but is frequently quite
largely impregnated with ulphur or
iron pyrites. The mines opened on
this bed were however remarkably
free from this impurity, and the coal
would take a great rank in the market.
The immediate cover Of the coal is
Bituminous shale resembling Camel
coal, one to two feet in thickness;
this is capped in turn by stratum of
gray limestone ranging from two to
ten feet in thickness. A seam Of ore
rests upon this gray limestone-the
famous limestone ore of the Hanging
Rock region.
This seam of ore which is met in
the counties of Greenup. Boyd, Carter
and Lawrence, in Kentucky, and the
counties of Lawrence, Scioto, Jackson
and Vinton, in Ohio, has for so years