HOLMES COUNTY. 551 



coe's, in Knox township; on Steel's land, north of Judge Armor's ; and 

 on • Carpenters's land, in Hardy township ; in the ravines, south-east of 

 the Strawbridge mine, in Killbuck township ; below Mort's bank, near 

 the north line of Prairie township; and, perhaps, in all the townships 

 in the county. In most places it is strictly a cannel coal. Near New 

 Carlisle, its outcrop is in the bed of Walnut Creek, and throughout the 

 eastern part of the county it is exposed only in the lowest ravines. It 

 is only locally that it is developed to a workable thickness. 



Coal No. 3. — The sandy shales and sandstones between the last and 

 Coal No. 3, or the blue limestone seam, are ordinarily from forty to fifty 

 feet thick, but are often much less, and occasionally reach a thickness of 

 from eighty to- ninety feet. This coal has a workable thickness in the 

 greater part of the county, and, in places, affords coal of an excellent 

 quality. It is very liable to split up into separate seams, by clay and 

 shale partings, which detract much from its value, and render many 

 openings quite worthless. The blue limestone above it is so persistent, 

 as to constitute one of the best landmarks in studying the geolosry of the 

 county ; but it is occasionally wanting, a highly calcareous shale, con- 

 taining the characteristic fossils, taking its place, and sometimes it is 

 separated from the coal by several feet of shale. It is often cherty, and, 

 in places, assumes the character of a buhrstone. It is often found in 

 large, cubical blocks, and sometimes with mud seams filling the joints. 

 When this is the case, and it rests directly upon the coal, it makes a 

 troublesome roof, and sometimes one that is quite unmanageable. On 

 Mr. Glascoe's land, in Knox township, a drift was commenced under this 

 limestone, which is there about three and a half feet thick, and is di- 

 vided into cubes about four feet square. The water percolating 

 through the mud seams, loosens these blocks, and some of them falling, 

 completely blocked the entry. The hazard was so great, that the miners 

 wisely refused to go on with the work, and the attempt to open the mine 

 was abandoned. 



One of the best openings of this coal is the Dagger mine, in Knox 

 township. The coal rests upon black shale, is six feet thick, in two 

 benches, separated by a clay seam,' five inches thick at the opening, 

 which has gradually thinned down to one inch as the entry is carried . 

 into the hill, and will probably thin out entirely. The coal is hard, 

 bright, compact, semi-cannel, containing a rather large percentage of 

 ash and but a small amount of sulphur. It is, unquestionably, a good 

 domestic and steam coal. 



At Mitchart's, near the northern part of Knox township, it shows 

 about three feet of coal, separated into nearly three equal benches, by 



