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. 



First Seam , . 5 



Second Seam 7 



Third " 13 



Fourth " , 4 



included in about 550 feet. 



