Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1903-08-21
OUR ANTHRACITE CDAL VEINS
Process OF Formation Described by
Marysvaie Free Lance.

TitE RECORD man Is not prepared to
youch for the correctness of the fol-
lowing. lie is not as old as the editor
Of the Marysvale Free Lance, and con-
sequently was not on the scene at the
time the coal VEINS near Harmony were
being formed However, it is interest
ing reading and we reproduce it in
full.
"Brose' (lG A. Thompson accompahi-
ed by Mrs. Thompson came down from
his ranch in Circle Valley Tuesday.
Brose has just returned from his auth
racites coal veins situated about four
miles north east OF New Harmony IN
Iron County, and talked interestingly
of his property upon which eleven
men are working. In describing the
coal veins, OF which there are three,
averaging nearly four feet thick, Mr..
Thompson said their course downward
is nedrly vertical. A tunnel is being
run and will intorsect the veins at
great depth and afford an enormous
4 stopping area.
1.-The veins afs backed by sandstone
] while the west vein has an eruptive,
probably andesite, hanging wall
twill, probably, interest many Free
Lance readers; who have no time nor
opportunities for study on the subject,
to briefly describe the modus operandi
of nature by which the thoughtful old
Dame provides supply of fuel for the
comfort and progress of the human
family.
"The gentle reader may go backward
Ia the history of mother earth as many
millions of years as he or she may see
fit, and then add a few millions more
Of years. Tropical heat and moisture
combined TO produce rank vegetation.
Down near New Harmony was a low
lying swamp underlaid by sandstone.
About 81 feet OF vegetable mould was
formed in the swamp when the bot
tom settled several feet aud was
covered by water. Conditions were
admirable for the existence and multi
lplication OF mollusks OF that species
Lemelibranches perdominated and
multiplied until the bed was about
four feet thick and was the 'roof" of
the embryo coal vein. A slight tip
ward movement of the swamp occurred
and was again covered with vegetation
until another 90 foot bed of vegetable
mould was deposited. Thus alternate
settling add rising of the swamp took
place until three separate beds of veg
etable mould was deposited, Thet
followed subsistence of the swami
and the laying down of several hun
dred, perhaps thousands, Of feet a
sandstone, lime or other rock material
The pressure of the everything mass o
rock reduced the 30 feet, of vegetabl
/ mould in each of the layers to abou
, g feet in each of them, while heat an,
, other agencies transformed the moul'
5 into btuminous coal. Millions q
years afterwards, or towards the clos
Of the Tertiary age, the earths crrs
was broken and the New Harmon
coal beds became almost vertical veins
p From the earth's melted interior
Z great mass Of eruptive rock substanC
6 forced its way mp between the wei
o coal vein and, the adjoining "counir
: rock" which il probable covered. III
e added pressure reduced each vein (
J. bituminous coal to about four feet
D thickness, while the intense hear of tn
= adjacent mass of intrrded andesi
u transformed the vein filling into al
q thracite cpal.
u For further information apply
D. Brose Thompson.