20 ECONOMICAL GEOLOGY. 



Ft. In 

 . 11 



No. 32. Black shale 



No. 33. CoalNo.6 



No. 34. Clay shale 15 



No. 35. Black shale S 



No. 36. Coal (local) ^ 



No. 37. Fire-clay 2 



No. 38. Gray shale 14 



No. 39. Hard black rock (limestone) * 



No. 40. Black slate ^ 



No. 41. Coal No. 5 _j> G _ 



Total depth 354 6 



All the coal seams from 5 to 9 are clearly represented in this 

 shaft, and are readily identified. It is to be regretted that such 

 records are not kept of every shaft sunk in the State, for they 

 would be of permanent value to the proprietors and operators alike, 

 in settling many questions that necessarily arise in coal mining 

 operations, and would prove a source of scientific as well as eco- 

 nomic information to all who desire to become acquainted with 

 the fuel resources of the State. In visiting the various shafts that 

 have been sunk within the past three or four years, 1 have found 

 that not more than one-third of the whole number have preserved 

 any record whatever of the different beds passed through. 



Two very important experiments have been made during the past 

 two years, to determine whether the main coal seams could be 

 found available over the central portion of the Illinois coal field, 

 and both have proved successful. The first one undertaken was the 

 shaft at Mattoon, which is probably the deepest one west of Pitts- 

 burg. In this, coal No. 2 of the general section was found at the 

 depth of about 800 feet. No. 5 was passed at a depth of nearly 

 700 feet, but was found to be too thin to be of any practical value. 

 For the following details of the Mattoon shaft I am indebted to 

 Theo. Jonte, Esq., and Mr. Stoddard: 



MATTOON SHAFT. 



Ft. In. 



No. 1. Surface soil 5 



No. 2. Yellowclay 8 



No. 3. Bluesand 3 



No. 4. Hard-pan 35 



No. 5. Sand and gravel 17 



No. 6. Blue clay and gravel 38 



No. 7. Green clay shale 15 



No. 8. Limestone.... 1 G 



No. 9. Clay shale 23 



No. 10. Limestone 2 



No. 11. CoalNo.15 4 



No. 12. Fire-clay... . 4 



