New Mines. 17 



and then eighteen miles to Philadelphia, make the whole distance one 

 hundred and twenty four miles. 



The qualities and peculiarities of the coal of the Mauch Chunk mine, 

 commonly called Lehigh coal, are well known. I have given a favor- 

 able opinion of it in this Journal, Vol. X. p. 341, and continued expe- 

 rience since, has confirmed my first impressions of its high value in 

 producing an intense and lasting heat, especially in the close draw- 

 ing or chemical furnace for warming houses and other buildings. 



i 



For this and similar purposes, the best quality of the Lehigh or Maucl 

 Chunk coal is unrivalled. There are however here as well as in all 

 the mines in the other regions, several varieties of the coal, of differ- 

 ent degrees of excellence, depending principally upon the presence 

 or absence of foreign matter, chiefly earthy substance*. 



Vegetable impressions are rare in the mines in Mauch Chunk. * 



NEW MINES. 



May 14. — In the afternoon, setting out on our way towards the 

 Susquehanna river, Mr. White conducted us to several new mines 

 which he has recently discovered. We turned around the end of the 

 Mauch Chunk mountain where it abuts upon the Lehigh, and follow- 

 ing the course of that river, here a roaring, turbulent, crystal stream, 

 with the mountain range upon our left and the river on our right ; af- 



ter going two miles we deviated and travelled several more upon the 

 flank of the Nesquihoning mountain, which forms a very acute angle 

 with the Mauch Chunk mountain, and is connected with it by a naj> 



) 



row and high valley, so that it may be regarded as one mountain wit! 

 a double converging ridge. Here on both sides of a natural defile, 

 called Room Run, through which passes a mountain rivulet, Mr. 

 White has, during the present season, discovered several new mines ; 

 five of them have been opened and five more have been discovered 

 and two of the latter have been partially opened. 



We visited all these places, and it gives me pleasure to state, that 

 the accounts of them, which we have since seen published in the 

 newspapers are perfectly correct. The beds are of the respective 

 thickness of fifty, fifteen, fifteen, twelve and twenty eight feet, ma- 

 king, collectively, one hundred and twenty feet of solid coal; of the 

 five other beds two are stated to afford coal, one fifteen feet and another 

 thirty nine feet; it is thus ascertained, that one hundred and seven- 

 ty four feet of coal have been added to the resources of the compa- 



* Mauch Chunk, is the Indian name, and means Beat Mountain, as bears are 

 said to have been anciently numerous (here and are still found there, occasion ly. a 

 well as panthers. 



Vol, XIX.— No, I. 3 



