50 GEOLOGY OF ILLINOIS. 



the other, on a small ravine still further south, where the seam has been worked 

 in an open trench on the outcrop. The coal is here from eighteen to twenty 

 inches thick and is overlaid by about two feet of bituminous shale, above 

 which about six feet of clay shale was seen. The beds immediately below the 

 coal were not exposed, but we are inclined to regard this as an outcrop of the 

 lower seam, No. 1. On the northeast quarter of section 31, township 2 south, 

 rano-e 5 west, there is an outcrop of coal that was known as Bassett's coal bank, 

 and was worked at the time of our first visit to this part of the county, in 1853. 

 The coal is here from sixteen to eighteen inches thick, and is overlaid by about 

 two feet of black shale, containing numerous fossils, among which were a large 

 Distinct, perhaps only a variety of Discina nitida, Aviculopecten Coxana, A. 

 pellucidus, Productus muricatus, Orthisina crassa, Orthoceras Rushensis, and 

 Pleurophorus soleniformis. On the southwest quarter of section 7, township 3 

 south, range 6 west, there is a similar outcrop of coal and bituminous shale, 

 the latter containing the same fossils as at Bassett's. South of Liberty, and 

 west of Kingston, coal outcrops at various localities on the head-waters of Mc- 

 Donald's creek, and before the construction of the C. B. & Q. railroad, the 

 beds were worked quite extensively, and the coal hauled on wagons to supply 

 the Quincy market. Since the construction of the railroad, however, coal can 

 be more cheaply obtained from the mines in McDonough county, and those 

 formerly worked in this part of the county, have been generally abandoned. 

 There is, however, a little coal still dug in this vicinity, to supply the demands 

 of the immediate neighborhood. An analysis of Bassett's coal, reported in Dr. 

 Norwood's "Analysis of Illinois Coals," made by Mr. Henry Pratten, gave the 

 following results: 



Specific gravity 1.2684 



Loss in coking 42.52 



Total weight of coke 57.48 



100.00 



Analysis: Moisture 9.20 



Volatile matters 33.32 



Carbon in coke 51.48 



Ashes, pale red 6.00 



100.00 

 Carbon in coal 55.91 



The Coal Measures in the south part of this county, as in Pike, are quite 

 irregular in their development, and seem to assume the character of outliers 

 from the main coal field. North of Columbus, the three lower seams are found 

 in their regular order, although not all equally constant in their development. 

 Coal No. 2, or the Colchester seam, is by far the most constant, and will prob- 

 ably be found underlying nearly all of townships 1 and 2 north, in ranges 5 and 

 6 west, in this county, and may be reached by shafts, at a depth varying from 



