SAN<;AMON rorvry. 313 



is probably coal Xo. 3 of tin.' Illinois river section. The dip of the strata 

 in the vicinity of Springfield appears to be about six feet to the mile to 

 the eastward, and a boring at Decatur of a little over five hundred feet 

 in depth failed to reach Xo. 5 coal. At the depth of about three hun- 

 dred and forty-five feet they found a hard gray limestone eleven feet 

 six inches in thickness, which I believe to be the Carlinville limestone, 

 and if so the boring would have to be carried from sixty to ninety feet 

 further to reach the coal that is mined in this city and vicinity. 



A section of the Howlett shaft, given below, will show the thickness 

 and relative position of the beds to be passed through to reach coal 

 Xo. 5 in the central part of this county, commencing at the bed-rock 

 below the drift : 



Feet, In. 



Xcu 1 . Gray sandy shale 29 



Xo. 2. Black shale 3 



Xo. 3. CoalXo. s 2 



Xo. 4. Fire-clay 2 



Xo. 5. Impure limestone 3 



Xo. 6. Gray sandstone 18 



Xo. 7. Sandy shales 49 9 



Xo. 8. Blue clay shale 16 2 



Xi>. 9. Limestone 3 



Xo. 10. Black shale 1 



Xo. 11. Coal Xo. 7 2 



Xo. 12. Fire-clay 4 f 



Xo. 13. Red and blue shales 11 4 



Xi>. 14. Hard rock (limestone?) 3 6 



Xo. 13. Variegated shales !> ti 



Xo. 16. Limestone 



Xo. 17. Reddish shale ,' 



Xo. IS. Thin coal Xo. 5 



Xo. 19. Fireclay 7 ti 



Xo. 20. Sandstone and shale 32 



Xo. 21. Limestone 1 6 



Xo. >. Black shale 2 i 



Xo. -it Coal Xo. 5 6 



206 10 



The next shaft sunk in the vicinity of Springfield was that of Mr. 

 Jacob Loose, two-miles south of the city, at the junction of the Toledo. 

 Wabash and Western, and the St. Louis, Alton and Chicago railroads. 

 Beard and Sanderson's shaft is one mile north of the city, and Starne 

 and Shutt'.s just west of the city limits, on the line of the Springfield 

 and Southeastern railroad. This last named shaft is located in a creek 

 valley, and the coal was readied at the depth of about one hundred 

 and fifty feet. All these shafts are upon the same seam, which averages 

 about six feet in thickness, with an excellent roof of bituminous shale 

 and limestone. 



Going west from Springfield, this seam gradually rises towards the 

 surface, and at Pleasant Plains the coal is found at the depth of about 

 one hundred and ten to one hundred and twenty feet below the general 



