The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-03-01

beds undoF all Of the G0,0O square mile
oithe Appalachian coal field, yet II con
talns coal in workable thickness and puIi
~ only around the borders Of the field II
q comparatively narrow rim. Thus whilt
there are valuable coal beds in JscksoE
county, 0Aio, llosE tie HsEthEes.tEt
border Of the group, and also opposite
this along the southeastern border, in Fs'
yette county, West Virginia, no workable
coal would be found, II = BhAit should be
sank to the seriee, cay at the mouth olths
Great KAnAWhA, or 81 any other point 70
TO 30 miles distant from the respective
borders OF the field, the same hard sand
stones and pebble would bo encountered,
but thOy would hold only thin streAks Of
coal and bituminous slAte6.
Another feature Of these conglomerato
coal measures 10 the great purity. oil the
coal beds when they attain workable d.
meDEions. These early formed cnAla are
gingularly free from Injurious quantities oil
sulphur and ssh, the bAno Of some Goals,
Their purity IN this respect Ia probably
due 10 the fact that just previous TO the
spread Of tho great peat sWamps Of this
early epoch, The door Of the entire Appsl.
GchiAn coal field wRa sheeted with . DO
post OF clean sand aud gravel, thus effect.
uRlly covering up the muddy sedimente Of
prOyious epoch, and causing the ssroam5
which drained into ths peat or coal
marches OF the time 10 be clear aud iEee
from impuriiiee, like our oSn mountain
brooks Of the preE0rt; bU. ho6eYer this
may be, the fact remains that these con.
glpmerEtO coaln are Of exceptional purity.
Another strange thing about thess Goals
Is that along The northwestern border ei
the Appalachian field, tho quality of the
coal ia entirely different from iAEt found
on the opposite, or southeastern rim Of
the field. Along tho former, through
PennsylVSnia and OHIO, these coAls are
nearly alEEys uon-gJk!ng, and can ifo-
quentiy be used in furnaces jus! aa they
are brought from tho minsa, and are
hercG often called "Block" Goals; but on
the southeastern side, through West Viz
ginis, Virginia, Kentucky, &c, the coAlH
Of this ssries are universally Of the coElng
kind, and being 90 pure they are fat be-
coming justly celebrated for the pToduc-
ton oil coke Of the highes! grade.
The ConglomGTate rocks crop out on the |
surfaces In West Virginia through the lol-
lowing countier, beginning ~ the North:
Preston, Mineral. GfPnt, Tucker, Ran.
dolph, Webster, POcahontas, GIeenbrer,
Nicholas, FAysttc, Raleigh, Summons,
Mercer, Wyoming Mcdowell and Logan.
Until wo get southwark Rsisr as Nicholas
aud Webster, there appears TO be but one
workable bed Of coal in these congloiIer.
ate measures, AID It lies near tbs bottom
Of the series. have observed 1t at several
localities, however, In Pfesten, Tucker and
Randolph, In each Of which the bed lie
about three feet thick, and very fair COX.
Ing coal. But on souIhward through
Webster aud Nicholas into Fayette the
whole group Of rocks increases In thick.
mesa very last, and when We CONS 10 the
New River in FSyetts county, these rocks
have thickness Of ! 400 feet, and contain
three workable coal beds, with thickness.
70 OF three to five feet. II ia IRON these
beds that the famous New River coke is
which now cells in the
market at q higher figure than the Con.
product.