CAHABA COAL FIELD: HELENA BASIN. 59 
the valley south of it to Buck Creek. At this point the 
fault vertical coal measures are only a few feet across, but 
north of this at the southeast end of the horizontal section 
across this basin from “I” to “J,” the fault vertical coal 
measures are more extensive. The direction or strike of 
the seams and rocks in this basin, along the South and 
North Alabama Railroad, is about northeast and south- 
west. The direction of dip about southeast. 
The rate of dip varies, and is as follows: In this basin 
along the South aud North Railroad, at the Wadsworth 
seam, close to railroad, the dip is 42°; at the Pump seam 
the rate of dip is 40°; at the Blackshale seam, close to rail- 
road, the rate of dip is 38°; at the Smithshop seam on rail- 
road, the rate of dip is 32°; at the Conglomerate seam the 
rate of dip is 29°, and at the Helena s2am the rate of dip is 
28°. 
The basin is drained by the tributaries of the Cahaba 
river, Buck Creek making a deep cut through the basin at 
the south end. The surface area of the Helena basin is two 
and a half square miles, and its seams, counting all work- 
able coal over two feet in thickness, and to a depth of 2,900 
feet, contain 45,000,000 tons (of 2,000 pounds) of coal, mak- 
ing no allowance for waste in mine pillars, or loss in min- 
ing. In the foregoing computation I have included the 
south end of the basin on both sides of the South and 
North Railroad, though since the recent opening up of the 
new railroads Helena & Blocton, the Brierfield, Blocton & 
Birmingham, and the Gurnee & Bessemer, and the Anniston, 
Syllacauga & Shelby, the said south end has become of 
more value for manufacturing sites than for mining pur- 
poses. 
The following analysis of the coal from the Blackshale 
seam, near Helena, was made by Dr. Otto Wuth, of Pitts- 
burg, from a barrel full of coal from a channelled section of 
the seam : 
WW abe ses nveas | ave aadcanueh. x aelaeneadian at a ere tac ee oe oom 21 
‘Bitumen secccatguaer Skee acaden ja Ladanoause sda 33.29 
Fixed Carbone: s xi22¢5 0 aoe ieee nes wera .. 64 10 
ASH: 23. 2ioak Soaca OMe ehe RS DME be eO See lembkee igs 2.34 
