260 GEOLOGY OF ILLINOIS. 



would not probably be thick enough to bo worked with profit, in competition 

 with the Danville mines. There is reason, however, for supposing that No. 53 

 of the section may be found in this neighborhood, at no very great depth, and 

 this, if found, would be likely to yield considerable supplies of superior coal. 

 No outcrops were found which would give any certain data for locating it; but 

 a boring of two hundred and fifty feet would fully test the matter. 



From somewhere in this neighborhood, the outcrops of the various strata 

 seem to turn more northwestward ; but shortly after passing down the south 

 line of township 20, on all the branches of the Big Vermilion, we find the 

 Drift deposits beginning to thicken so rapidly as to conceal all outcrops farther 

 north ; so that we are left to conjecture for the possibilities of that part of the 

 county. Furthermore, there are no outcrops in Iroquois county to give us any 

 hints ; and the knowledge of the beds to the westward is too limited to furnish 

 any certain data. From what we know, however, I am inclined to think that 

 the "Danville," or at least the " Grape creek," seam could be found as far 

 north as Higginsville, at a depth of perhaps one hundred and fifty feet, while 

 the lower seams might be found at Rossville, at not over two hundred and fifty 

 feet. But, with the Chicago and Danville railroad bringing coal from the Dan- 

 ville mines at low rates, it would be long before mines could be profitably opened 

 at that depth, if the presence of the coal were ascertained. In the northwest 

 part of the county, near and beyond Marysville, it would probably pay some 

 enterprising man to bore for coal, unless the heavy bed of quicksand under the 

 boulder clay, which has caused trouble in Champaign county, should be met 

 with. Its undoubted presence in the southwestern part of the county a well 

 at Dallas encountered it at eighty-nine feet appears to be the only reason to 

 hesitate about sinking shafts there for mining either " No. 7" or " No. 6," 

 both of which seams probably underlie the whole of that part of the county. 



An average thickness of eight feet of workable coal appears to be a suffi- 

 ciently low estimate of the two principal seams, over their indicated area, 

 which will include about three hundred square miles. At the usual estimate 

 of one million tons per square mile for each foot of thickness, this would give 

 2,400,000,000 tons of available coal supply. With the probabilities above 

 stated, as to the existence of workable seams outside of the limits here calcula. 

 ted for, it would be a very moderate estimate to increase these figures to 3,000,- 

 000,000 tons, which, at the average price at the mine of $1.50 per ton, would 

 yield to the county $4,500,000,000 ; and by rise in value, the actual receipts 

 will probably much exceed this. 



The present shipment and consumption of coal, from all the mines of the 

 county, is estimated by Col. W. P. Chandler, of Danville, at about 75,000 tons 

 per annum. At that rate, the supply will last only 4,000 years; and the con- 

 sumption is increasing. Alas ! for our descendants. 



