No. 7.] DAWSON — COAL SEAMS. 429 



planes by which it is traversed, which cause it to assume cuboidal 

 instead of conchoidal forms on fracture. A preliminary examin- 

 ation of an outcrop specimen from the locality gave the following 

 result : — 



Water 12.37 



Volatile combustible matter 32.33 



Fixed carbon 4G . 39 



Ash 8.91 



100.00 



The seam occurring at the summit of the Pierre formation on 

 the Bow River, and the point which I have designated as Horse- 

 shoe bend, has a very light westerly or north-westerly dip, and is 

 not known to be represented ou the Belly River, though it is 

 pi'obably its continuation which appears on the Little Bow, near 

 the mouth of the Snake Valley. The outcrop of Horseshoe 

 bend is situated about fifteen miles east- north-east of the Black- 

 foot Crossing. The seam appears at a height of 135 feet above 

 the river, and is exposed for nearly half a mile. It is four feet 

 four inches in thickness, compact and hard where not long 

 weathered, and in physical character resembles that last described. 

 A preliminary examination of an outcrop specimen showed the 

 following composition : — 



Water 13.67 



Volatile combustible matter 37.16 



Fixed carbon , 40 . 50 



Ash (reddish) 8 .67 



100.00 



Still following an ascendinii" order in the series, the seam which 

 has been known for some years at Blackfoot Crossing next 

 claims attention. This is several feet higher in the section than 

 the last, and is distinctly included in the Laramie. It is pro- 

 bable tliat still another seam exists between this and that last 

 described, but no good sections of it were found. 



Coal occurs in several places on the Bow River a few miles 

 above the Blackfoot Crossing. The seams are too thin to work, 

 but are probably on the same horizon with that described below. 

 Throughout this region the beds are affected by gentle undulat- 

 ing dips, and though they have besides a very light general inclina- 

 tion westward, they may be considered as practically horizontal. 



The outcrop from which a small quantity of coal has been 



