UNDEVELOPED COAL FIELDS OF NOVA SCOTIA—GILPIN. 143 
coal field will undoubtedly lead to a fresh interest being taken 
in this important but hitherto almost unknown coal field, so 
favorably situated for marine shipments all the year round. 
During the early days when the almost complete abandon- 
ment of the exclusive rights of the General Mining Association 
‘threw open the provincial coal areas to the public, a great deal 
of desultory prospecting was done in this district. It is to be 
regretted that the results of this work have been lost, if indeed 
they were ever recorded. Mr. Fletcher, after compiling all 
available information, has been able to present only a compara- 
tive statement of its structure. 
This district differs from that already described in that there 
appears to be a relationship between the gypsum and the coal 
beds not yet clearly explained. 
At Glendale, on the upper waters of the River Inhabitants, 
there is a small fairly well defined coal field, a few square miles 
in extent, showing, from recent explorations, a three feet and a 
smaller seam. Great part of the Inhabitants district is swampy 
and overgrown with spruce and alder thickets. The strata in 
many places are soft, worn down, and covered with heavy local 
detritus. For these reasons little progress has been made in 
tracing the structure, and beyond the known outcrops it will be 
necessary to resort to the expensive process of systematic and 
deep borings. So far, however, it may be fairly assumed of this 
coal field that there must undoubtedly be a large amount of 
coal in it. 
At Mabou there are two small patches of coal measures, 
separated by half a mile of lower strata, evidently at one time 
connected. They contain in the more southerly basin four seams 
given by Mr. R. Brown in his “Coal Fields of Cape Breton,” as 
follows :— 
Feet. Inches. 
EMINSGMS CAMs iicco ais sic ohare ae as 0 
MICcCONd SEAM cn. nsec. % .. Estos: 7 0 
Third ee ee nee wae real (5: 0 
BOM s/s eee es cos nantes a 0 
included in about 550 feet. 
