West of the Alleghany Mountains. 239 



becomes harder and less pure. About a mile west from 

 Cadiz it shows : 



Bituminous shale, 4 ft. ; coal, 1 ft. 3 in. ; clay, 1 ft. 2 

 in. ; coal, 5 ft. 6 in. 



At Cadiz the following section is said to exist in the 

 shaft of the coal works : — 



Coal, 2 ft. ; limestone, 5 ft. ; clay, 2 ft. ; coal, 5 ft. 



It is impossible to verify this report, given by the fore- 

 man, as the shaft is boarded up. If it be a true section it is 

 exceedingly anomalous, for no such succession is to be seen 

 in the neighborhood, and there are good exposures near by- 

 Through this district the coal seems to be exceedingly 

 pure, no pyrites are visible except in the tw^o bands, and 

 blacksmiths pronounce the coal admirably fitted for their 

 use. Yet analysis shows that it contains upwards of two per 

 cent, of sulphur in its best part. That this is distributed 

 throughout the coal as pyrites and not as an organic com- 

 pound is evident from the fact that more than one-half re- 

 mains after coking, forming almost two jjer cent, of the 

 coke. At the most northerly exposure of the bed near 

 Jetlerson, the intimate structure of the whole bed is as 

 follows : — 



Coal, 1 ft. 6 in. ; clay, 1 ft. 6 in. ; coal, 1 ft. 9 in. ; 

 clay parting, ^ in. ; coal, 6 in. ; clay parting, ^ in. ; coal, 1 

 ft. 2 in. ; clay parting, ^ in. ; coal, 1 ft. 2 in. ; total of 

 lower division, 4 ft. 8 in. 



The upper pyrites band is not persistent at this opening, 

 and where seen is one-fifth of an inch thick. The lower 

 band was not observed. Near Hanover, at the north w^estern 

 exposure of the bed, the clay between the coals has almost 

 disappeared, and we find 



Roof-coal, 1 ft. 6 in. ; clay parting, ^ in. ; coal, 3 ft. 

 11 in. 



The roof- coal is slaty and easily recognized as separate 

 from the main coal below. In Jefferson Co., this bed lies 

 for the most part high up in the hills, and there are few ex- 



January, 1873. 17 Ann. Lyc. Nat. Hist., Vol. x 



