43 



Ki^mT/^ Pass Coal Company; from here the Morrissey, 

 Fernie and Michel railway branches off and 

 follows the valley of Coal creek up for a distance 

 of five miles (8 km.) to the Coal Creek colliery. 



GEOLOGY IN THE VICINITY OF COAL CREEK. 



Coal creek is a tributary of the Elk river from the east, 

 which occupies a comparatively deep valley cut through 

 the Cretaceous rocks, thus affording a suitable railway 

 grade to the point where the valley floor rises to meet the 

 easterly dipping coal measures. Here the mines are 

 situated. The coal seams strike approximately at right 

 angles to the valley, thus enabling tunnels to be driven 

 on the seams on each side of the creek, while, as this point 

 is approaching the centre of the basin, the seams 

 dip at much lower angles (12 to 18 degrees) than at 

 their outcrop along Elk river escarpment. The company 

 is working five seams here while several others have been 

 prospected to some extent. The seams being worked with 

 their several thicknesses, are as follows: — 

 No. I Average thickness 10 feet (3 m.) 



' " 4I feet (i-37 m.) 



' " 12-14 feet (3-6 to 4-2 m.) 



' " 8 feet (2-4 m.) 



* " 3Heet(i-6m.) 



I, 2 and 5 are the ones most extensively 

 I and 5 being opened on the north side of 

 the valley, while three mines are being operated on No. 2 

 seam, viz. — No. 9 mine on the north side and Nos. 2 and 3 

 on the south side of the valley. The coal from all the seams 

 except No. 2 is mined by the pillar and stall method, 

 whereas, in the mines on No. 2 seam, the longwall system 

 is in use. Inside the mines, haulage is by horses and air 

 locomotives, while all the coal from the various mines is 

 hauled to the same tipple from the several entries by steam 

 or electric motors. The tipple, a steel structure 840 feet 

 in length, which bridges the valley, is of the Heyl and 

 Patterson revolving side dump pattern, and is capable of 

 handling 4,000 tons daily. It is electrically driven and 

 equipped with the necessary screening and picking appli- 

 ances. The slack coal is stored in large bins at Fernie 

 and is utilized there in making coke, 452 beehive ovens 

 being in operation. 



No. 



2 



No. 



5 



A 





B 





Seams 



Nos, 



worked ; 



Nos. 



