Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1898-03-05

anu Below.
The story of the Georges Creek coal
region is told in brochure just pub
lished by the Consolidation Coal Com
pany-a well written, handsomely
printed treatise, bound in gilt lettered
black and literally illustrated in beau
tiful half tone.
Barring several slight inaccuracies,
it is probably the finest contribution
to local coal literature that has ever
been made--too fine almost to be char
acterized as an advertisement.
Yet that is what it turns out to be
an advertisement of the pre- eminent
excellencies of Georges Creek coal, es-
pecially that produced by the CONSOLE
dation Coal Company, the leading
operating corporation of the region.
Concerning 1.-THE Appalachian" the
second in magnitude of the seven dis
tinct coal fields of,the United States,
it says:
This enormous coa-bed has a length of
over 800 miles and a varying breadth of from
80 to $50 miles, with an area of nearly GO, 900
miles, or considerably more that the area of
England.
Coming down to the leading field of
all of Natures coal systems, the sketch
continues:
The part of this vast coal field known as
the Georges Creek Region" lies in the
western part of Maryland. extending across
the State from its northern boundary, in a
southwesterly direction, into Virginia, dis
lance approximating some 90 miles Two
parallel mountains, known as the "Great
Savage and DAMS" enclose this BASIN of
coal on the west and east at distance be-
tween them of about miles. In this COM
paratively small area of say 100 square miles
is contained the famous Cumberland" coal
which for more than fifty years has stood for
all that is best in bituminous Goals. But we
are looking for the best of the Cumberland
coal. TO use homely old proverb there's
blue and better blue" and the better blue
lies in the valley through which flows the
stream known as Georges Creek. The high
est part of this happy valley-so heavily en-
dowed by Nature in her distribution of
black damonds-is at the town of Frostburg,
Maryland, place of about 1000 inhabitants.
Here the country attains an elevation of some
thing over 1900 feet above sea level.
Some speculation concerning the
origin of coal is INDUCED, showing
that the probable upheaval during the
carboniferous era was probably here
an incident characteristic of Natures
Partially. 1t was not enough to place
here the best coal in the world, but it
must be made the most easily accessi-
BILE. formulation" followed. and
From Frostburg III southwesterly direc-
ton, flow the winding branches that make
the chief central stream of the valley-the
wellknown Georges Creek, and ON either side
the coal of the Big Vein crops out at various
distances from the stream. In the lower part
of the valley these outcrops get farther and
farther back on the hills as the stream de-
sends from Frostburg to Piedmont, falling
in that distance about 100 feet, the process
of denudatiOn having cut out the entire coal
seam in the valley itself. At Frostburg, and
for miles down Georges Creek, the coal bed
stretches beneath the surface clear across the
valley, and is not cut out at ALL Here are the
mines of the Consolidation Coal company
The next chapteris historical. After
brief recitals of railroad and canal con
struction it continues:
N 1894 no CopSoI,dat,on goal r,,n,o,.-
began its history with an output of coal dur
ing that year of a little over $4,000 tons. In
1897 this had increased to 1,5OO, 900 tons for