64 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. 



When examined, the opening or pit was partly filled up, 

 and only the upper part of the coal seam was visible. It 

 was described by the man who opened it, as having a 2-inch 

 slate parting near the bottom ; approximately the seam car- 

 ries about the following 



SECTION : 



Coal, solid, good 36 inches 



Slate parting 2 inches 



Coal, solid, good . . . : 14 inches 



Thickness of coal at outcrop, 50 inches. 



There is good reason to anticipate an increase in the 

 thickness of this seam when cut in beneath a solid roof. It 

 would require a further cutting of ten feet at this place to 

 get under a solid cap rock, Until that is done, a fair ex- 

 posure of the size of the seam, or of the quality of the coal 

 it carries, cannot be obtained. 



This coal has been freely tested in blacksmith forges, and 

 is commended as a good shop coal. The seam is evidently 

 one of the best in this coal field ; probablv carrying a thicker 

 body of solid coal than any other yet discovered. 



But unfortunately this seam is of but very limited extent. 

 So far as yet known it only underlies portions of sections 

 17, 18 and 19 of T. 12, E. 3 East. Possibly a little of this 

 seam may exist in section 9 of this township, though its out- 

 crop was not seen there, and this opinion is based solely on 

 the fact that a portion of that section is apparently high 

 enough to contain it. 



The space which this seam is certainly known to underlie 

 is about 700 acres. But small as this area is, should the 

 seam only hold the thickness it shows at the outcrop, it con- 

 tains over 5,000,000 tons of coal. 



The strata in the ridge containing this seam are nearly 

 horizontal. This ridge stands just where the northwest dips 

 of Blount Mountain meet the southeast dips from Straight 

 Mountain, both gradually declining into the horizontal 



