GILPIN ON THE GROUPING OF THE PICTOU COAL SEAMS. ^81 



Art. yil. The Grouping of the Pictou Coal Seams. 

 Br Edwin Gilpin. 



(Read March 10, 1873.) 



Our knowledge of the Pictou Coal field was for many years 

 confined to the district worked by the General Mining Association, 

 the south crop of the Pictou great seams. The crops of the main 

 and deep seams had been carefully proved by the Agents of the 

 Company, and elaborate analyses made, but their explorations had 

 never been pushed to the west of McCulloch's Brook, and it was 

 considered that the disturbances met there threw the seams out of 

 the miners' reach. In accordance with the generally accepted 

 theory, the seams underlay the town of New Glasgow at an inac- 

 cessible depth, and were covered by the measures of the Upper 

 Carboniferous. 



When the monopoly ceased in 1858, it was believed that the 

 lines of the General Minins; Association covered all the available 

 coal, and consequently for some time little interest was taken in 

 prospecting. The discoveries of Mr. French in 1865 opened a new 

 district called the Westville or Bear Creek. This gave a great im- 

 petus to explorers, and large sums of money were spent on both 

 sides of the river. The reports of Sir W. Logan and Mr. Hartley 

 contain all that is known of the field, but the general public cannot 

 be expected to derive much information from the exact and statistic 

 cal form in which it is compiled. 



On the west side of the East Piver the Acadia seam was proved 

 for a distance of over two miles, and now supports three large col- 

 lieries ; two underlying seams were also found. 



To the south a coal seam has been opened on, but not clearly 

 connected with its right and left hand neighbours the Main and 

 Acadia seams. Opposite New Glasgow the coal measures are 

 found to dip south, and a large bed of coal has been proved. 



The explorations on the east side of the river have opened a new 

 district underlaid by three groups of seams, the Upper and Lower. 

 In the latter are comprised the Albion and associated seams, while 

 the former contains the Marsh and McBean Groups. 



