56 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. 



highest point. Water level, however, is always a relative 

 term, dependent on the natural drainage of the locality. 

 Yet the base of these upper measures here is so near the 

 level of the river that it is apparent that they are absolutely 

 lower by from one to two hundred feet than they were a few 

 miles to the southwest. 



The lowest seam of this upper series of measures is No. 

 24 of the General Section, a very fine seam of excellent coal. 

 It was opened near its southeastern outcrop, on the head- 

 waters of Pouch Creek, by Mr. Phillips, and is known as 

 the Phillips Coal Bed. The opening is in S. 19, T. 12, K. 3 

 East, about 50 yards east of the range line, and within a 

 100 yards of the southwest corner of the section. 



The coal was reached by stripping off the surface clays, 

 three to six feet thick. No cap rock or roofing slates above 

 the coal at this point. Coal of good quality, in one solid 

 bed, 3 feet 2 inches thick. The works were filled up when 

 examined and a section of the bed could not be obtained. 

 The dip of this seam at this place is 10 to southwest, this 

 is doubtless due to some local roll in the measures. A 

 quarter of a mile to the northwest, where the rocks are well 

 exposed, the dip is very regular, about 8 to northwest. 



This seam of coal could be drained and mined at this 

 place, and when cut into beneath a solid roof would doubt- 

 less yield a still better quality of coal, with a probably in- 

 creased thickness of seam. A short distance from the open- 

 ing the edge of the cap-rock of this seam crops out, but its 

 thickness could not be ascertained. 



The rocks above and around this seam are all quartzitic, 

 composed of distinct and well rounded grains of quartz. 

 All of them show the saccharine or sugar-loaf texture ; 

 while some have the fish-roe, or oolitic texture. This pecu- 

 liar lithological structure extends from a little below this 

 seam, with slight variations to the very top of the measures. 

 Hence this upper group of coal seams may be properly 

 designated as the quartzitic, or upper conglomerate group. 



This is a very interesting and valuable group of coal 



