UNDEVELOPED COAL FIELDS OF NOVA SCOTIA GILPIN. 139 



In the section underlying the productive measures at Low 

 Point, at a vertical distance of 600 feet below the top of the 

 Millstone Grit, is the Mullins seam, 6 feet 4 inches thick. 

 Several other smaller seams unknown in this section of which I 

 have no details. 



On the North Sydney side of the harbor the Geological 

 Survey give only one seam about 530 feet below the top of the 

 Millstone Grit, the Matheson seam, 2 feet thick. It is claimed 

 by those who have since prospected this district that there are 

 several other seams up to 5 feet in thickness. 



On the Big Bras d'Or the sections of the Millstone Grit have 

 hitherto shown only traces of coal. 



For a few years past attempts have been made to trace the 

 Mullins seam southwardly into the extensive district lying 

 between Sydney and Glace Bay, and to prove the Tracey seam 

 northwardly into the same district. These efforts have not yet 

 proved successful. There are a number of seams known in this 

 area, as shown in the section, none, however, large enough to 

 compete with those at present worked, although they will be 

 drawn upon in the future when the larger seams become 

 exhausted, and they contain in the aggregate many millions of 

 tons of coal. 



On the Morrison road explorations have been carried on by 

 Mr. Harold and other Sydney parties. They claim to have 

 bored through a number of workable seams. The details of this 

 exploration, not yet completed, will be received with interest, as 

 if their claims as to the thickness of the seams are supported by 

 a good quality of coal a most important addition w T ill be made to 

 the coal resources of the district. 



An interesting portion of this coal field was described by me 

 in a paper read before you last winter, as the results of some of 

 the prospecting for the Tracey seam. Attention was drawn to 

 the curious fact that the fossils of the Cossitt coal field were 

 identical with many characteristics of the true coal measures, 

 although the locality lies in the heart of a wide expanse of 

 Millstone Grit. 



