HAWORTH: THE COAL FIELDS OF KANSAS. 309 



given by the governmental publications. As our State Mine Inspec- 

 tor was on the grounds and had the best of opportunities, the proba- 

 bilities would favor the correctness of his Report. 



PROBABLE FUTURE OF COAL MINING IN KANSAS. 



There are good reasons for believing that coal mining in Kansas 

 will increase with comparative rapidity during the coming years. 

 There can be no reasonable doubt that the quantity within the 

 Coal Measure area is much greater than has been usually estimated 

 by those interested in such matters. The records of the various deep 

 wells drilled by those prospecting for. oil and gas show that in many 

 places coal of considerable quantity was passed through, which might 

 often be mined were there a sufficient demand for it. Further, as 

 has been shown in these pages, our state is full of thinner seams of 

 good coal which cannot now be mined on account of the low price of 

 coal. But should the price advance only from one to two cents per 

 bushel many of them now untouched could be successfully operated. 

 There is, therefore, little ground for apprehension regarding the ex- 

 haustion of our coal mines within a few centuries, or for the material 

 advance in price. 



Many inquiries have been made of the Survey regarding the prob- 

 abilities of deep borings reaching coal in the west central portions of 

 the state. We are not now in possession of sufficient data upon 

 which to base predictions that will be of any special value. In gen- 

 eral it may be said that the Lower Coal Measure strata maintain their 

 thickness westward much better than had previously been supposed 

 by geologists in general. The Cherokee sliales maintain almost their 

 full thickness to as far west as Neodesha and Fredonia with consider- 

 able quantities of coal, as is shown by the 27-inch vein at Cherryvale, 

 and this indicates that possibly they and other formations may con- 

 tinue westward for 100 or 200 miles more. We are in possession of 

 no authentic records of deep wells further west than Fredonia. Could 

 a few wells be drilled about Wichita, Hutchinson, and to the north, 

 which would pass almost to the base of the Coal Measures they 

 would throw much light upon the general stratigraphy of the deeply 

 buried formations and, whether they passed through coal or not,' 

 would be a great help in the intelligent prediction of the probable 

 conditions of the presence or absence of coal in any considerable 

 quantities. It is earnestly hoped that in the future accurate records 

 of all deep wells within the state will be permanently preserved. At 

 present little encouragement can be given to the hope that coal in 

 paying quanties could be reached in those localities by shafting. 



