THE BLOUNT MOUNTAIN COAL FIELD. 11 



DRAINAGE. 



While the drainage from the top of Blount Mountain 

 flows mainly with the dip of the strata to the northwest, 

 into the head streams, or tributaries of the Warrior River ; 

 yet the area is distinctly divided into a series of basins by 

 divides, or higher lands, which cross the field in a south- 

 easterly and northwesterly direction, and make well defined 

 watersheds between the head waters of these tributaries. 

 The first of these divides near the southwest end of the field, 

 crosses it near the surveyed line between Blount and St. 

 Clair counties. Leaving Straight Mountain in section 19 and 

 running east to section 22 in T. 14, B. 1 east is an elevation 

 of land; a low flat divide between the Canoe Cretk, and 

 Warrior River drainage. From the top of Buck Ridge in 

 said section 22, the dividing line of drainage is along the 

 ridge northeast for about one mile ; thence in a general 

 northeasterly direction with the Blount Mountain to S. 8, T. 

 13 of K. 3 east. From thence in a general northwesterly 

 direction along a high and broad plateau is the division of 

 drainage between this basin, and the basin of the Locust 

 Fork of the Warrior. The public road from Murphree's 

 Valley to Whitney, generally, is near the top of this divide, 

 from Tatfs Gap in Straight Mountain, (S. 26, T. 12, B. 2 

 east) back to Heathcock's, and Aughtery's Gaps in Blount 

 Mountain, in sections 16 and 21, T. 13 of B. 3 east. From 

 Tait's Gap in Straight Mountain, south westward, the bound- 

 ary of drainage mainly coincides with that mountain to the 

 beginning point. Only two small short streams break 

 through it, one at the Allgood Gap, opposite the Champion 

 Mines, the other at the Clowdus Gap three miles farther to 

 the southwest. These two flow into the Calvert Fork of the 

 Little Warrior. With the exception of these two small 

 branches, all the drainage of the included area is into the 

 Blackburn Fork of the Little Warrior River. This area may 

 hence be appropriately referred to hereafter as the Black- 

 burn River Basin. 



