FULTON COUNTY, 



105 



the former locality, the coal contains a much larger per cent, of ash, with more 

 bitumen and less carbon than at the latter, and in quality it seems to be con- 

 siderably below the average of the coal from this seam at other localities in the 

 county. 



The following analysis of coal No. 2, from Colchester, in McDonough county 

 is given here to indicate its general character in this portion of the State. It 

 is taken from Norwood's "Abstract of a Report on Illinois Coals," and was 

 made by the late Mr. Henry Pratten, former assistant in the Illinois Geological 

 survey : 



Specific gravity 1.290 



Loss in coking 4L2 



Total weight of coke 58.8 



100.00 



Analysis : Moisture ' 5.4 



Volatile matters 35.8 



Carbon in coke 66.8 



Ashes, (white) 2.0 



100.00 



Carbon in coal 60.10 



Coal No. 5, as has already been stated on a preceding page, is rather local in 

 its development, and was only seen in the vicinity of Cuba, and at John Wil- 

 liams's mine, five miles and a half northeast of Canton. The coal afforded by 

 this seam is more like that from No. 6, being softer and lighter than the coal 

 of No. 4. 



The lower seams are generally much thinner than those above, and usually 

 range from two to four feet in thickness, but afford a very good coal, especially 

 No. 2, which, in its average quality, is probably not surpassed by any coal in 

 the State. Nevertheless, occurring here in close proximity with seams much 

 thicker, and more favorably situated for working extensively, it will only be 

 mined along the outcrop of the seam, for the supply of the immediate neigh- 

 borhood, until the thicker beds overlying it are partially exhausted. It is but 

 seldom that No. 1 is found thick enough to be mined profitably, and the mines 

 at Seaville are the only ones that we met with in this seam, in the county. No. 

 3 has been opened at several points, but the mines have been subsequently 

 abandoned, probably because it could not be successfully worked in competition 

 with No. 4, which usually outcrops in the same vicinity. 



Cannel Coal. A thin seam of cannel coal occurs in the vicinity of Avon, in 

 the northwest corner of the county, and before the discovery of the vast depo- 

 sits of oil in Pennsylvania, was mined for the distillation of oil. We first vis- 

 ited the locality in 1859, and found ten retorts in operation at that time, the 

 product of which was said to be from three to five hundred gallons of oil per 

 day. The seam from which the material was supplied, was only from fourteen 

 to twenty inches in thickness, and the cost of mining at that time was about 

 14 



