1880.1 'f'^ [Stevenson. 



Water at 225' 1.610 



Volatile matter 38.850 



Fixed carbou 57.879 



Sulphur 0.771 



Ash 0.890 



which shows it to be a gas coal of superior quality. The coke, in point of 

 ash, cannot be excelled. 



Coal bed, No. 32, is the most important and least variable bed of the 

 series and it is likely to prove of great economical importance, as it will 

 afford coke for working the vast deposits of iron ore which exist along the 

 line of the Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio railroad and in Northwestern 

 North Carolina. It was seen on all of the streams except Looney and 

 Calahan creeks, the place of the bed being concealed on those streams 

 where the water runs over it. A line of springs marks its outcrop on 

 Pigeon fork and the coal is exposed on the first branch of that fork. An 

 imperfect opening on Church House run shows : 



Coal 3' 10/' ^ 



Shale 0' 5" [ 7' 9" 



Coal 3' 6" J 



The top part of the bed for eleven inches is very hard, a true splint, 

 which is an advantage, as the roof is not always secure ; but the remainder of 

 the upper bench is very soft and much of it has a prismatic structure. The 

 lower bench is somewhat less soft, but is very tender. The coal taken out 

 at this opening cokes well. An exposure near the mouth of Preacher run 

 shows : 



1- 6' 11" 



Coal 2' 8" " 



Parting 



Coal V 



Shale 0' 3" 



Coal 3' J 



At a mile further up the run, the bed has the same structure, but is only 

 6' 9" thick. The coke made at the latter opening is very hard, porous and 

 silvery. On Kelly's run the bed is somewhat thicker and shows : 



Coal 4' 5" ^ 



Shale 0' 3" [ 8' 5" 



Coal 3' 9" i 



But the character of the exposure is not such as to indicate the quality of 

 the coal. The same bed is shown on a little branch of Roaring fork, 

 where it is not far from eight feet thick. Sigillaria and Syringodendron 

 impressions are numerous in the shale parting. 



To determine the quality of the coal, samples were taken from all the 

 benches except ihe hard splint coal on top. These yielded the following 

 on analysis by Mr. McCreath : 



