Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1902-04-19
MARYLAND COAL OUTPUT
The Great Bituminous Coal Of the
Neighboring State.
THE u. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Gives an Exhaustive Account Of the Coal
Workings of the State Quantity Of Coal
and Cost Of Mining and Supply.

and Cost Of Mining and Supply.
The coal measures of Maryland are
a southwark continuation of those
In the basins of Somerset County,
Pennsylvania. Thew occupy strip
along the western border of Allegha-
nv County about 20 miles long and
averaging five miles i'll width, and
thew cover somewhat over half. or
about 400 square miles, OF Garrett
County. They are discussed in Part
III. of the XIII. Annual Report of
the Geological Survey. now i'll press.
bv Mr.. David White. who notes the
excellent work of the biologists of
the MARYLAND Geological Survey.
upoL which. for the most part. his
own statements are based.
The coal measures lie IN three.
broad Observation-Disclosures basins,
called locally the Frostburc, the
Georges Greek. the Elk Gard den, and
the Upper Potomac basins. North
of the Potomac this basin lies in
All eghany and Garrett counties !;
south of Piedmont nearly al of the
western half of the basin Is 10 Gar
rett County. Bv reason of the depth
and accessibility OF its coal. and of
its geographical advantage with ref
erepce to tide water and the eastern
markets. the Potomac basin is by far
,,t
basins. as Its Big or Pittsburg bed is
the chief source of coal in Maryland.
Savage and Meadow Mountains sepa-
rate the Potomac basin from the Sec
ond Or Castleman basin i'll Northern
Garrett County. which isIdrained by
the Castieman River. The third or
Youghlogheny basin, III the north
western, and an Upper Youghio-
gheny basin i'll the western part
of Garrett County. Both of these
two main basins are but little
developed commercially. from lack of
railway facilities.
lhe coal beds sufficiently thick to
deserve mention are the Bloomington
or Railroad coal III Garrett County,
from | TO nearly 3 feet thick: the
Mounr Savage coal. Allegheny Uouu-
ty. averaging about feet thick, ex-
tracted and used at the clay mines for
airing the brick the Westernpurt or
Two-foot coal, Allegheny Z lunry,
averaging from 2 to 3 feet thick
the Bluebaugh coal in northeastern
Georges Greek district, Allegheny,
over feet thick in places, but vari-
able: the Parker coal. Allegheny.
ranging from few inches to<-nsarly
3 feet III thickness near Warrior Run;
the Davis II six foot seam in the
Georges Greek district, which thick
ems as il goes south past Piedmont in
TO Garrett. a., to nearly 8 feet near
the corner OF the state; the Thomas
or Three foot coal, running from
about feet thick in the Georges
Greek district to 512 TT. at Bavar ana
exceeding 6 feet at Fairfax Knob:
the Barton coal, from 21s to 31s feet
thick in the Georges Greek district
a valuable source of fuel fol eventual
exploitation; the Dirty Nine foot
bed, VARYING from over 2 feet to over
10 feet in thickness. though generally
of no Importance the Elk Garden or
Fourteen-foot bed. Allegheny Coun-
ty, varying from feet north of Frost
burg TO about $ or 10 feet south of
Homecoming. to over IA feet of work
able coal near Franklin, and to about
20 feet at Elk Garden. This Is the
fuel Enown to the trade as Cumber-
land coal, one of the highest known
grades of semi-Dituminous steam coal.
1t is largely exhausted except In the
region of Frostbure. This bed has an
area of about 35 square miles. The
Tyson or Gas bed is rennrted as rang
ing from feet thick near Lonacon.
ing to about feet ct Franklin, AL
ieghany : the Koontz bed in the Geor-
gees Greek district varies from feet
TO over feet in thickness. but is
much broken up.
The Cumberland coal cokes satisfac-
torilv though ON account of the great.
er profit IN the raw fuel no coke is
now made.
The Big or Elk Garden bed in the
Georges Greek and Frostburg districts
was one of the earliest of the north
erp bituminous seams to be worked.
Goal has been extracted near Frost.
burg since about 1904. though not nm