100 RURAL MICHIGAN 



the Shiawassee Eiver at Corunna and near the Grand 

 Kiver at Grand Ledge. For years mines were worked 

 close to Jackson, and for a quarter of a century ex- 

 cellent coal has been secured at St. Charles in Sagi- 

 naw County and close to Bay City. Even as far 

 north as Arenac County a very thin formation was 

 uncovered, while detached masses occasionally ap- 

 peared in the morainie accunmlations beyond the 

 region of the coal formations proper. Yet all told 

 the State's production is small compared with its 

 requirements, according to the United States Geo- 

 logical Survey, amounting to one-tenth or one-thir- 

 teenth of the consumptive demand in normal years. 

 The coal measures lie close to the surface, so close, 

 indeed, that occasionally mining operations have 

 been hindered by the insufficiency or absence of the 

 covering rock, permitting the encompassing drift 

 and surface waters to cumber the openings driven 

 into the coal measure. Unfortunately, the Upper 

 Peninsula, the seat of an enormous wealth of metallic 

 minerals, seems wholly lacking in coal of any sort. 

 Even if the coal of the Lower Peninsula were ade- 

 quate for State needs, it is non-coking in quality. 

 However, the admirable waterway system encom- 

 passing Michigan on almost every quarter affords a 

 ready avenue for the importation of coal from neigh- 

 boring states. 



If Michigan lacks coal, it is superabundantly sup- 

 plied with peat. Occasionally one hears of attempts 

 being made to perfect processes for its economical 

 utilization as fuel, but, so far as is known, little sue- 



