The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-09-21

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are separated by the Canaan valley anti.
cline, which follows Canaan valley
northward, crossing the north fork of
the Potomac not far from Stoyer. The
northern part of Georges creek Elk Gar
den basin as far south as Emoryville is
well known, but almost nothing. has been
published about the southern part
Around Elk Garden there are the rem
nants of the Pittsburg coal, which in
that region has q thickness of IL feet or
more. This bed occupies only the hill
tops and is now nearly worked out.
Most of the present mining on it is done
with steam shoves on the outcrop coal.
Below the Pittsburg, however, lie three
beds that are widely minable in the area
considered Barton bed, almost 400
feet below the Pittsburgj the Thomas
bed, nearly 200 feet lower; and the Davis
bed, 200 feet below that. A number of
local minor beds are also found.
As the recent field work has shown
that the correlations Of the Goals given
in the surveys Piedmont geologic folio,
published in 1895, are in many areas er-
roneous, and that the structure mapped
in that folio does not quite agree with
the structure as now determined, the
following rather full statement is made
pending the publication Of a more de-
tailed report and map.
The Barton, Thomas and Davis beds
crop out at the mouth of Abram creek
at Harrison, but between Harrison and
Emoryville the Thomas and Davis beds
pass below drainage level From Emory
all h u,
road the Barton coal keeps a short dis
tance above drainage level, and the other
two beds lie below drainage level all
along Abram creek The Thomas and
Davis beds rise above drainage level near
Bismarck. All the Goals lie above drain
age level at the mouth of Stony river,
but the Davis coal goes below the level
of Stony river about three miles from
its mouth and the Thomas coal comes
down to river level at the big bend
north of Mount Storm. South of the
Northwest Turnpike crossing Of Stony
river the Davis bed also rises above the
river and continues to a point about
three quarters of a mile above the falls,
where it again goes under. The Thomas
bed keeps well above the river from the
Northwest Turnpike to the mouth of
run, where 1t is just above the
level of the river From there south
ward all the Goals rise, so that the Davis
coal is above river level short distance
above the mouth Of Helmet run. All the
Goals underlie the divide between Stony
river and Red creek and crop out in the
upland divides between the branches of
Red creek.
This basin is fairly fat, but its edge is
sharply upturned on the east and less
sharply upturned on the west.
The two upper beds, the Barton and
Thomas, are similar in having usually
one bench of clean coal, from 90 to 40
inches thick, overlain by a bench of
mixed bony and good coal The Barton
coal differs, however, in having parting
near the bottom of this main bench Of
,oal, and the coal below that parting is
poorer than the rest Of the bench. The |
Davis coal is generally much thicker,
in places thickness of nine
feet, and there is usually a principal
,hale parting near the middle or above |
he middle and minor shale or bony
Dartings in the two benches above and |
below the main parting. The Barton
md Thomas beds will yield about two
md one half feet of coal and the Davis /
BED from three to six feet, the thickness
depending on the number of smaller |
benches taken.
The coal of this field is much nearer
idewater than the so-called smokeless
'Oals of Somerset, Cambria or Clearfeld |
counties, Pa, or the New river or Poca-
lontas Goals of West Virginia On the
,ther hand, it is not generally as thick,
IT, if as thick it is more broken up by
,artings than the smokeless Goals OF the
egions mentioned. On this account it
will be more difficult to mine and greater
are will be necessary to obtain high
rade fuel Furthermore, the average of
many analyses of the coal indicates that
t contains a larger percentage of both
.sh and sulphur than either the New riv-
r or Pocahontas Goals and more than
hat in most of the Goals now mined
orth of this field
The following estimates of the coal
ontent of the three principal beds are
ased on the correlation of the beds
made in recent field work: Assuming a
of 200 tons per acre foot, the
barton coal bed, with an estimated re-
overable thickness of 30 inches and an
valuable area Of $4,000 acres, will pro-
uce 81 100000 tons; the Thomas bed,
nth an estimated recoverable thickness
( 30 inches and an available area OF
$3.50 acres, will produce 1877 100000
ons; and the Davis bed, with an esti-
iated recoverable thickness of SO inches
nd an available area of $4,000 acres
ill produce 227,520000 tons making
otal of 422.76o.0OO tons.