CAHABA COAL FIELD: HENRYELLEN BASIN. 23 
ville road near the Glenn place, crosses the basin and leads 
to Branchville in Cahaba Valley. Another road leaves 
Trussville, taking almost a due east course across the Coal 
Field, and also leads to Branchville. Another road leaves 
Trussville, crosses the Field and leads to Moody’s cross- 
roads in Cahaba Valley. Another road leaves Gate City 
and Irondale, and crossing the Georgia Pacific and Colum- 
bus and Western railroads at places, leads to the Rowan 
place in Cahaba Valley; this is called the “Rowan Road.” 
Another road leaves Gate Gity and Irondale and crosses 
the basin going by the Glass Ford on Cahaba river, and 
Pledger’s Mill on East Cahaba river, to a point on the 
Cahaba Valley road about two miles north of Bridgeton. 
Another road leaves Birmingham, crosses Shades Mountain 
at Watkin’s Gap, crosses Cahaba river at the Dodd Ford, 
crosses the East fork} of Cahaba river just below DeLoach 
and Company’s grist mill and leads to Columbiana, crossing 
Cahaba Valley southwest of Bridgeton about one mile ; 
this is called the Columbiana and Birmingham road. 
At least nine-tenths of the measures of the entire Cahaba 
Coal Field are crossed by, and partly exposed, along the 
above roads. The succession of these measures is as fol- 
lows: Approaching the basin from the northwest, you pass 
over the sub-carniferous rocks to the base of Shades Moun- 
tain or Rocky Ridge; ascending said mountain you first ar- 
tive at the base of the Millstone grit formation, about three 
hundred yards from the crest of the mountain. About 150 
yards above you pass over a seam of coal known as the 
Brock seam. This seam is thin and not workable in any 
part of the Cahaba Coal Field where I have yet seen it, 
though in the northern part of the Warrior Field, I have 
seen it of good size, holding even as much as four feet of 
workable coal of good quality. Above this comes a heavy 
layer of Millstone grit, which in places is a conglomerate of 
white sandstone with numerous white pebbles imbedded 
in it, and in other places, a heavy bedded coarse white 
sandstone. After descending Shades Mountain or Rocky 
Ridge, you will find heavy layers of gritty slate, in which 
ig a thin seam of four or five inches of coal. Continuing on 
in the direction of the dip you will ascend another high 
