342 On the Parallelism of Coal-Seams. 



are entirely exceptional. The lowest seam of coal in Jackson county, 

 in my district, is similarly uneven ; but the next seam above — the 

 Anthony seam — is perfectly regular and uniform, and in parallelism 

 with all the seams above it. This parallelism is turned to practical 

 account in the sinking of shafts and other explorations for seams of 

 coal. The position of one being known, that of the rest is known. 

 With the other alleged proofs of irregular subsidences I have no personal 

 knowledge, excepting of the case drawn from the region of Belmont 

 and Guernsey counties, directly bordering my district. This is the 

 case already referred to where coals No. 8 and No. 9 approximate, 

 with a loss of three intercalated seams, viz. : 8a, 8b, 8c. I have 

 especially investigated this case, and find no tendency to convergence 

 . between No. 8 and No. 9. Everything proceeds westward regularly. 

 For example, the (so-called) intercalated seam No. 8c is one of the 

 great and continuous seams of my district, and sweeps through county 

 after county, always 85 to 100 feet above No. 8, or the Pomeroy seam. 

 Now, if the plane of seam No. 9, starting on the Ohio river, near 

 Wheeling, at an elevation of 150 feet above No. 8, gradually dips to 

 within 50 feet of No. 8, cutting the plane of the great seam, 8c, in its 

 passage, we have in this the most wonderful fact in all the stratigraphy 

 of coal-fields. The faith of scientific men in this fact will be livelier 

 when Dr. Newberry points out the line of intersection of the two coal 

 planes. I have used his numbering of the coal-seams. There is very 

 great difficulty in accurately numbering our Ohio coal seams, if we 

 begin at the base of the series, since such are the inequalities of the 

 surface of the Waverly that coal No. 1 in one place is not coal No. 1 

 in another, and, consequently, sections taken at different points, and, 

 especially, if so taken by different men, working without concert and not 

 collating their work in the field, will be very conflicting. The make- 

 shift of "intercalated seams" only adds to the confusion. 



Dr. Newberry's method, of condemning my views on the authority 

 of names, is one often used, but it has no place in science. I could 

 adduce many and great names in favor of my theory of general paral- 

 lelism. Of course I do not claim parallelism in any absolute or 

 mathematical sense, for no marsh would constitute a perfectly even 

 plane ; and in the subsequent compression of the sediments between 

 seams of coal, the oozy mud in one place would be more compressed 

 than the sands of another. This would give a little undulation to the 

 planes of the coal-seams. I have recently found some interesting illus- 

 trations of this. But I hold to a general and well-marked parallelism, 

 such as makes the stratigraphy of our coal-fields a system of symmetry 

 and beauty, and of the highest practical value to all who Avish to know 

 the location and range of coal-seams. 



