1875.] dol [Stevensor. 



coal, while the upper bench is somewhat bory, quite hard and bears 

 much resemblance to the ordinary roof coal of this bed as seen farther 

 north and northwest. The parting varies from ^ in. to 1^ in. and is per- 

 sistent in all the openings in this vicinity. In the lower bench there 

 occur three thin partings, twelve, fifteen and eighteen inches respectively 

 from the bottom, between which is the soft coal, the "bearing-in bench" 

 of the miner. The character of this lower bench is precisely the same 

 with that of the lower division of the Pittsburg throughout northern 

 Ohio. Some pyrites occur here, but the quantity is not great. The 

 upper bench contains a layer of " slate," four inches thick and irregular 

 in its place. On the north side of the railroad the seam is much troubled 

 by sandstone horsebacks, some of which are quite extensive, having 

 been traced for more than half a mile across the entries of different 

 openings. In one bank such a horseback was found, eight feet wide. It 

 was followed for five hundred yards, but showed no sign of thinning out. 

 Along the whole distance, it has not only cut out the coal, but has also 

 trenched the fire-clay and sandstone below. It is said to be moi-e com- 

 pact than the overlj ing sandstone. 



At Wilsonburg, four miles west from Clarksburg, the coal shows an 

 average thickness of seven feet six inches, but near the mouth of the 

 main entry increases to eight feet four inches. The parting is black clay, 

 and varies from | to 2 in. The coal at the base for one foot is very poor 

 and hardly marketable, but the remainder of the lower bench is a very 

 fine coal, containing, it is true, much nodular pyrites ; but this is easily 

 separated. There are no well-defined minor partings in this bench. 

 The upper bench is quite hard and contains much splint coal. It is said 

 to be quite as good for gas-making as the lower portion is, so that all 

 parts of the bed are shipped together, the single foot at the base except- 

 ed, as that is too sulphurous. 



At Coketon, the bed varies from five to seven feet. For three inches 

 at the bottom the coal is very bad, but the whole bed above is taken out 

 for shipment. The upper bench is heavy, compact and leaves much ash. 

 The parting is one inch thick and consists of hard carbonaceous clay. 

 Pyrites occur plentifully throughout the bed but, being in nodules, is 

 readily removed. The roof is a slickensided clay. 



Where the bed disappears, near Wolfe's Summit, it is six feet thick 

 and roofed with ten feet of argillaceous shale. East from Clarksburg, it 

 is mined at Bridgeport and several other localities, but only to supply 

 local demand. Numerous banks are worked in a small way along the 

 West Fork River, and on the road to Shinnston, in this county. They 

 show no material difference from those already described. 



In Taylor county, openiogs were seen near Pruntytown and Fleming- 

 ton, in each case near the eastern outcrop of the coal. At Pruntytown, 

 the bed is single and nearly eight feet thick. Above it is a dull reddish- 

 gray shale, on which rests a massive sandstone. The coal, for the most 

 part is somewhat inferior here, as the roof is very thin and usually not 



