Stevenson.] b\)^ [Oct. 7, 



stone. For 5 feet the coal is soft and clean, but below that is one foot of 

 liard coal which seems to be quite bony. A blossom in the bank of the 

 stream, and 15 feet aboA^e the water's edge, was stripped off and showed 

 about 9 feet of coal, but the character and structure of the bed could not 

 be ascertained. Samples for analysis were taken from the exposure in the 

 run, an effort being made to obtain a section of the 5 feet there shown. 

 As analyzed by Mr. A. S. McCreath, the coal has : 



Water 1. 225 



Volatile combustible matter 21.435 



Fixed carbon 74.603 



Sulphur 0.435 



Ash 2. 302 



It is a coking coal, altogether too soft for shipping. The coke should be 

 of exceptional purity, but the amount of volatile matter is so small as to 

 make the strength somewhat doubtful. ISTo full exposure of this bed was 

 seen on Laurel creek, but at the old opening near Nelson's, on that creek, 

 the thickness is said to be about 6 feet. The bed is nearly 90 feet above 

 Laurel creek at the mouth of Coal branch. 



The interval between the Coal hranch and Nelson coal beds is occupied 

 by a more or less flaggy sandstone which forms bold cliflis along Laurel 

 creek and Coal branch. It was not followed above the mouth of that 

 branch. The upper bed rests almost directly on this sandstone and only a 

 few feet of shale separate the clifi" from the lower bed. 



The Nelson coal hed is reached on the Tazewell and McDowell road as 

 one appi'oaches Laurel creek. Thei'e, at say one mile above the mouth of 

 Laurel creek, Mr. Nelson has made an opening which has been pushed 

 to about 25 feet. The working does not take in the whole bed, and the ex- 

 posure at the mouth of the pit is such as to render measurement diflicult. 

 As nearly as could be made out, the structure of the bed is as follows : 



1. Coal 5' 4" 



2. Bone 0' 2" 



3. Coal 0' 6" 



4. Bone 0' 2" 



5. Coal 2' 10" 



6. Clay 0' 6" 



7. Coal V 0" 



10' 6" 



Nos. 6 and 7 were not seen in detail, and the thicknesses are given ac- 

 cording to Mr. Nelson's statement, these parts of the bed having been well 

 exposed at an opening which he had abandoned. 



The total thickness of the mined portion is about 7 feet, but there would 

 be no difficulty in taking out fully 8 feet, as only a thin slab of coal need 

 be left to strengthen the roof. Of the part above No. 6, the whole, except- 

 ing the two layers of bone, is good, the coal between these being nearly 



