622 A. H. STOKES ON THE COAL FOUND 



The tool used by the men for getting the coal was a small iron 

 hack, which, from examination, appeared as if it was only sharpened 

 once a year to get the annual stock. The light used consisted of a 

 small wick of home-spun wool, fed with whale-oil, depending from one 

 side of a circular piece of tin similar to a common tea-saucer. 



The coal is transported from these mines by both men and women, 

 who carry it upon their backs in small wooden boxes. 



The roof of the mine is good. There are no indications of the roof 

 having ever weighted or broken above the coal ; this is probably 

 due to the small area worked, and that directly the adit is entered 

 there are some hundreds of feet of trap rock covering the coal. jS"© 

 timber or trees of any description are grown upon the island ; hence 

 it would be difficult to obtain wood to support the roof, except by 

 importing pit-props. 



There is very little water found in the mines, and the adits being 

 driven from the mountain-side, what water is found runs away and 

 falls into the valley below. 



Of various sections taken in these mines the following two may 

 be regarded as representing the average thickness of the seam. 



(1) Height 120 metres above sea-level. 



metre. 



Coal 0-37 



Argillaceous shale 0*54 



Coal 0-15^ 



Argillaceous shale 0-15 | Now 



Coal 0-21 y being 



Argillaceous shale 0'15 | worked. 



Coal 0-41 ; 



(2) A section taken about north-east from the above, in another 

 adit or mine, was as follows : — 



Height 113 metres above sea-level. 



metre. 

 Coal and argillaceous shale (about 50 per cent, coal) 0-40 



Coal 0-20 



Argillaceous shale 0-39"] -j^ 



Coal 0'20 [ u • ^ ^ 



Argillaceous shale 0'14 i , », 



Gall 0-57J '"''^''^- 



White clay (thickness not known). 



Area of Coal-fields. 



Previous to the year 1872 the above was about all that was known 

 with regard to these coal-seams ; but the Danish Government having 

 granted a concession of the coal found on this island, further explora- 

 tion was made ; and when I visited it m 1879 I found that the full 

 area of the coal-seams had been proved by numerous openings made 

 all round the mountains under which the coal-seams rested. These 

 points are indicated by numbers and points on the map, and will be 

 referred to in describing each opening and its section. 



No. 1. 20 metres above sea-level. — At this point a small adit has 

 been driven into the mountain-side for about 14 yards, and a thin 

 seam of coal has been worked by one of the inhabitants. 



