39 



laiometret howcver, consisting of 198 feet (60-3 m.), 

 occurs in a thickness of strata of 1,847 feet 

 (562-9 m.) (2). Assuming the extent of 

 the basin to be 230 square miles (526 sq. km.; 

 and the average thickness of workable coal at 

 100 feet (30-4 m.), the total available supply 

 of coal would be about 23,000,000,000 tons. 

 [2]. 



The coal measures are overlain by a great 

 series of conglomerates, sandstones and shales 

 containing, towards the base, thin seams of 

 coal of a semi-cannel nature and reaching a 

 maximum thickness of from 4000 to 5000 feet 

 (12 19 to 1524 m.). It is over comparatively 

 limited areas only, however, that such great 

 thicknesses of the overlying beds are to be found, 

 denudation having removed them to a large 

 extent over the greater part of the basin. 



Where crossed by the railway in the valley of 

 Michel creek, the basin has narrowed to about 

 four miles (6-4 km.) in width and the beds 

 overlying the coal measures have been entirely 

 removed by erosion. 



222-3 iTi- Michel. — Alt. 3853 ft. (1174-3 rn.). At 



357-7 km. Michel, near the centre of the 



223-8 m. Natal. — trough, the Crowsnest Pass Coal 



360-2 km. Company is operating an exten- 



227-5 rn- Sparwood. — sive colliery and coke-making 



366-1 km. Alt. 3637 ft. plant. The company has devel- 



(1108-5 m.). oped seven seams in all, four on 



the south side of the valley and three on the 



north side ; of the former the seams designated 



upper No. 3, No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5, have the 



following respective widths: 10 to 12 ft. (3 to 3-6 



m.),4^ to 5I ft. (1-3 to I -6 m.), 6 to 8 ft. (1-8 



to 2-4 m.) and 6 to 8 ft. (i -8 to 2 -4 m.), while 



on the north side. No. 7 seam is about ii| feet 



(3-5 m.) thick with a 2| foot (-76 m.) parting; 



No. 8 is from 8 to 14 (2-4 to 4-2 m.) and No. 9 



is about 10 feet (3 m.) thick. No. 9 seam has 



not been worked for some years. All the mines 



at Michel, with the exception of No. 3, are 



worked by the pillar and stall method: in No. 



