Eastern Utah advocate. [volume] (Price, Utah) 1895-1915, 1913-02-13

Of the United states geological sur
vey to refuse to reclassify as non
coal land areas that have been clas-
sifled as coal land. because the evil
dence and affidavits submitted for
Reconsideration are inadequate, that
word OF explanation on what is
considered adequate" may make
clearer the position of the survey in
the matter. II is a widespread pop
ular impression that II coal Is found
outcropplng on n tract, the land Is
coal land. and that ~ no coal is TO
be found outcropping the land Is
noncoh land. II this we're true
probably more than one-half of the
coal produced In the country Tin
some states more than 95 per cent?
would be coming from mines not on
coal land.
As an illustration. a hundred and
ninety-six mines in Indiana in 1908
produced ll.997,3Oi tons of coal.
OF these, fifteen were working the
coal from the outcrop and produced
40O,733 tons. or n little over per
cent OF the total. The rest was
mined from land, the surface OF
which showed no coal. In Illinois
the percentage Is still less. and in
both states the average production
OF the mines working on the outcrop
Ia small. compared with the average
OF all the mines. The percentage
OF coal worked from the outcrbp Is
greater In Pennsylvania. West vir-
ginia and the Southern Appalachian
States than In the two juat cited.
but not much II any greater In the
Michigan field, the western interior
field. or some others OF the large
fields OF the country. II is true
that In many of tho fields when
first exploited mines were mostly
driven in on the outcrop. but for
two reasons that condition has great.
ly changed. First, the coal close
TO the outcrop has been mined out,
and second, after time IL has been
found TO DO cheaper to mine the
coal from shafts sunk 60 the bod
from point some distance back
from the outorop than TO haul the
coal. water and waste up the slope
OF the bed NJ " pitches into the
ground.
II. therefore, any producing Goa
field IL examined there will usually
be found belt OF outcrop in which
the coal bearing rocks rise to the
surface OF the ground. and outside
OF that belt an AREA. which may
amount 10 thousands OF square
miles. where the Goals are all be
low the surface and the surface
rocks may even be OF entirely diff
fercnt age and perhaps not Goa
bearing at all In Indiana ahafii
have been sunk TO coal bcds at q
depth OF two hundred and fifty feet
without any preliminary drilling
whore the coal bed did not outcroI
nearer than fifteen miles. and many
OF the mines OF Illinois are twenty
five 10 fifty miles from the nearest
outorop OF the coal they are work
Ing. In classifying Land aA 10 81
coal character a few general prinei
Piles are involved:
First-If tho land Is known TO b.
underlain only by groups OF rock
known nowhere 20 contain coal. th'
land IL assumed not 10 be- underlaii
by coal and to be- noneoal land.
Secmd-If land Is known TO b.
underlain by one OF more groups %
rocks known TO contain workable
beds OF coal. and IA study OF th'
dlps shows that those groups ar
not too deep for the Goals they con
tain TO be worked. the land may b
presumed 90 be coal land.
In nearly all cases where public
lands have been withdrawn pending
examination and classification Il &
known or believed that the land Il
underlain by groups OF rocks know
elsewhere TO contain workable bed
OF coal. In probably a majority o
cases " rs also known or later ex
animation demonstrates that Goa
does not outcrop ON most OF The
land withdrawn hut underlies Il
perhaps a considerable depth.
The evidence obtained by the sur
yey consists of observed outorop
and measured sections. properly 10
Gated and described ON the spot
and analyses made In the govern
ment laboratories from coal samples
collected in a definite prescribed
way. supplemented when necessar!
by such secondhand data as appeal
to be accurate and reliable and e
be in accord with the personal oh
servations OF the field men.