THE BLOUNT MOUNTAIN COAL FIELD. 71 



posed strata, beside the unknown amount of fault or up- 

 ward sliding of the vertical rocks, between it and the con- 

 glomerate, as exposed in Straight Mountain. If no fault or 

 upward thrust of the strata existed here the measurements 

 would make the Cowden approximately coincide with the 

 S< f /id Creek No. 1, No. 5 of the General Section, and the coals 

 of these seams bear a close resemblance to each other. But 

 the seams do not correspond in thickness, nor in the gen- 

 eral character of their surroundings, so far as these could 

 be seen on Sand Creek. 



We must moreover consider the probable amount of up- 

 ward thrust of the vertical rocks of Straight Mountain, 

 which certainly cannot be less than the whole height of the 

 mountain from 300 to 400 feet or at the lowest estimate, 

 than the difference between the height of the top of the 

 mountain and the general level of the adjacent coal meas- 

 ures. This would give an apparent depression, by so much, 

 to the measures, as compared to the Straight Mountain 

 rocks, hence they appear in this section below their normal 

 place in the field. Taking this fact in connection with the 

 measurements made, it becomes evident that the southeast- 

 ern outcrop of this seam must be looked for higher up in 

 measures than the upper Sand Creek Seam, and that its 

 probable position southeast of the Cowden opening will be 

 at, or near, the Blackburn Fork of the Little Warrior. 



This portion of the field contains many coal seams, and of 

 these Nos. 7 to 14 inclusive of the General Section have been 

 cut by that little river, yet none of these carry similar coal, 

 or have the appearance of the Cowden Seam. And there 

 seems to be none there yet undiscovered. 



Apparently the solution of the difficulty must be found in 

 the other proposition, that some one of the seams already 

 known has changed in character and quality of its coal, be- 

 tween its southeastern and northwestern outcrops. Which 

 one is it? The answer can only be given hypothetically. 

 The seam that from its position and general make-up would 

 appear the most probable one, is the Bi<j Holt Seam No. 7 

 of the General Section. 



