Coal Measures in Tennessee. 141 



at the depth of fifty to one hundred and fifty feet. About three 

 miles east of Burksville, on Renwick creek, is a petroleum spring, 

 which discharges oil in such quantities, that it floats on the surface 

 of the water into the river, a quarter of a mile below the spring, 

 and was set on fire by a fisherman who was following his sport by 

 torchlight. In Adair County, Mr. Conover, in boring for salt water, 

 about a mile from the Cumberland river, at thirty feet down, struck 

 a bed of coal forty five feet in thickness ; at one hundred and fifty 

 feet beneath the coal, a vein of salt water was reached, into which 

 the augur dropped, and immense quantities of gas were discharged 

 for a number of days. On Crocus creek in Russel County, about 

 one hundred miles from the foot of the mountain, in boring a salt 

 well, gas issued in such force and volume, as to throw the augur and 

 poles, out of the well into the tops of the adjacent trees. Coal and 

 salt water, are found from the heads of the Cumberland river, to the 

 heads of the Licking, occupying the whole of the northern and eas- 

 tern borders of the state of Kentucky ; west of this line, iron ore 

 was deposited very abundantly. For the above facts, 1 am indebted 

 to my friend R. Peter, M. D. 



Coal Measures in Tennessee. 



The following statements from Dr. Troost of Nashville, in an- 

 swer to my enquiries on this subject, will be interesting, as showing 

 the extent of the coal deposit in that direction. 



" 1 . Respecting the extent of the coal strata. The second ele- 

 vation of the Cumberland mountain, is composed of coal measures. 

 The most southerly extremity of that formation, that I have exam- 

 ined, is near Battle creek, in the ridge which encloses Sequatchy 

 valley, where it crops out at several places, also to the west of Jas- 

 per, and in several places east of that valley, as in the vicinity of 

 Washington, McRheaco.; continuing thence in a N. E. direction, it 

 crops out near Piney creek and Emy's river, where it takes a N. 

 W. course, and crops out at several places near Obey's river, and on 

 the north western declivity of the Cumberland mountain. 



" I beheve there are some deposits of coal in the Clinch mountain, 

 but I have not yet visited that part of Tennessee. In fact, I have 

 not yet investigated properly any of our coal formations. I have 

 postponed it until I shall have it in my power to clear up some ap- 

 parent anomalies, which I think I have found in the succession of 

 the strata which compose the Cumberland range. I am well con- 



