5O2 
Lesley. ] 502 [April 21, 
LAUREL RUN COALS, 
Leaving the curious topography of the Big Creek, Middle Creek, and 
Mouth of Indian Downthrow to be described hereafter, in connection 
with Paint Lick Mountain and its Iron Ore, and going east up Indian 
sreek Valley, I can only report coal mines on Laurel Run, a side branch 
coming into Indian from the northwest. Mr. Christian has here opened 
several beds, one of which is reported to be much over six feet thick. 
The coal is wagoned to the county-town of Tazewell, Jeffersonville, fifteen 
or seventeen (15 or 17) miles distant. The following sketch will show 
how the coal comes out to market—two miles to James Smith’s, on the 
3aptist Valley Road (beautifully engineered, at low grades), formerly a 
turnpike, and still the highway between East K entucky and Middle Vir- 
ginia; two miles to the Clinch Valley Road ; thirteen miles by either of 
these two roads to Jeffersonville : 
tony Ridge (curisrians tuse { 
MINES 
soe 
ea) : 
TnALb are Creek. : 
eT a Ld on 
ESTES rc eek 
.. a as Smsacay 
or op IES go heiaree oek 
Clinch Riper 
What the character of the Christian Coal is I do not know by personal in-- 
spection ; but it must come from the same beds, and be essentially similar 
to the Scott Coals, and also to the Abb’s Valley Coal next to be described. 
Just east of the Christian Mines runs a limestone valley, along the 
south side of the Downthrow, in which the waters sink into caverns. Tt 
is called ‘Sinking Waters.”? Any one familiar with Abb’s Valley (15 
miles further east) will see at once, that the formation is the same ; but 
I will show that Stony Ridge separates the two valleys and that the 
coal areas which I have been following all the way from Wise County are 
cut off, or whittled down to a fine point, opposite Jeffersonville. The next 
cross-section, No. 8, will show how this is done, and also how the Abb’s 
Valley coal beds are brought down to the present surface by quite a dif- 
ferent Downthrow from the one we have been tracing thus far, all the 
way from Guest’s River in Wise County ; a Downthrow bchind and to 
the north of this one ; as the map in colors will also help to show. 
The Clinch Valley Downthrow, going east from Indian Creek, catches 
in its jaws a less and less number of beds and width of coal ground, until 
at last, on crossing the great road from Jeffersonville north to Tug Fork 
of Sandy, it holds but the lowest coal bed, standing at a high angle and 
very little of it left. 
This is seen on the Section No. 8, marked Captain Frank Peery’s Coal. 
How far east along this crack this coal can be traced. I do not know ; 
but nothing of value can be expected from it ; which is a great pity ; for 
at this point easy access to the back country ends. 
