SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT — HOCKING VALLEY. 831 



The coal is easily mined by drifts into the hillsides, and good drainage 

 and ventilation are easily secured. 



The Nelsonville seam is easily traced from the mouth of Monday 

 Creek along the valley of that stream up to S.traitsville and Shawnee. 

 At Bessemer, on the Cawthorn farm, it is seen in a temporary opening, 

 and the quality of the coal appear:; to be good. There are here the usual 

 three benches of coal, but on the top of the upper comes in a highly 

 bituminous shale, with more coal above it. This sljale is generally met 

 with for some distance up Monday Creek, and along the valley of Snow 

 Fork. It is sometimes a foot thick. At the mines at the Akron furnace, 

 it is left for a roof, for which it will serve a good purpose. In places, the 

 coal above this shale will be good, and probably reward its removal. 



A little above the site of the Monday Creek Iron Company's Furnace, I 

 noticed recently the beginning of a drift into the Nelsonville seam. 

 The three lower benches were seen and measured, as follows : 



FT. IJC. 



Coal 1 10 



Shale parting 3 



Coal 2 .. 



Parting 1 



Coal 1 10 



Over the upper coal of this section was seen the laminated bituminous 

 shale observed on the Cawthorn farm, with more coal above, but measure- 

 ments were impossible. The general quality of the coal appeared to be 

 good, and although, perhaps, less dry-burning than at some other points 

 in this coal-field, I should think it could be used in the manufacture of 

 iron. I saw little sulphur in the small pile of coal at the outcrop, but 

 the sulphur question always demands careful and special investigation 

 wherever coal is to be used in furnaces. 



Higher up Monday Creek, at Carbon Hill, I examined the coal some 

 years since. At the point examined the coal is in three benches, the 

 top of the upper being irregular and waving. Shales and not sand-rock 

 formed the roof. The section is as follows : 



FT. IN. 



Clay shales. 



Coal, thickest place seen 4 



Shale 4 



Coal ..:, r '^ 



Shale 1 



Coal S2 



Here the bituminous shale and top coal, noticed down the creek, were 

 not seen. 



