﻿LaSALLE 
  COUNTY. 
  41 
  

  

  home, 
  and 
  for 
  export 
  to 
  the 
  north, 
  where 
  no 
  coal 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  

   either 
  in 
  this 
  or 
  adjacent 
  States. 
  

  

  The 
  local 
  examinations 
  made 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  year 
  were 
  mainly 
  

   confined 
  to 
  the 
  southern 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  county, 
  and 
  were 
  especially 
  di- 
  

   rected 
  to 
  the 
  determination 
  of 
  the 
  number, 
  thickness 
  and 
  relative 
  

   value 
  of 
  the 
  coal 
  seams 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  within 
  its 
  borders. 
  

  

  The 
  axis 
  of 
  disturbance 
  which 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  mentioned 
  as 
  

   crossing 
  the 
  county 
  from 
  northwest 
  to 
  southeast, 
  follows 
  the 
  course 
  

   of 
  the 
  Vermilion 
  river 
  from 
  its 
  mouth 
  to 
  the 
  Livingston 
  county 
  line, 
  

   and 
  probably 
  beyond, 
  and 
  has 
  produced 
  a 
  marked 
  irregularity 
  in 
  the 
  

   distribution 
  of 
  the 
  productive 
  coal 
  seams, 
  and 
  rendered 
  their 
  deter- 
  

   mination 
  somewhat 
  more 
  difficult 
  than 
  would 
  be 
  the 
  case 
  if 
  the 
  beds 
  

   had 
  remained 
  in 
  their 
  normal 
  position. 
  

  

  North 
  of 
  the 
  Illinois 
  river, 
  and 
  east 
  of 
  this 
  axis, 
  no 
  productive 
  

   mines 
  have 
  been 
  opened, 
  except 
  on 
  the 
  outcrop 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  seam, 
  

   where 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  worked 
  to 
  a 
  limited 
  extent 
  for 
  a 
  local 
  supply, 
  nor 
  

   is 
  it 
  probable 
  that 
  any 
  extensive 
  coal 
  mines 
  will 
  ever 
  be 
  opened 
  in 
  

   that 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  county, 
  although 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  considerable 
  area 
  there 
  

   that 
  is 
  underlaid 
  by 
  thin 
  outliers 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  Coal 
  Measures. 
  

  

  South 
  of 
  the 
  Illinois, 
  and 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Vermilion, 
  there 
  is 
  quite 
  an 
  

  

  extensive 
  area 
  underlaid 
  in 
  part 
  by 
  three 
  productive 
  coal 
  seams, 
  

  

  though, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  determine, 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  two 
  of 
  

  

  these 
  could 
  be 
  found 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  locality. 
  At 
  Lowell 
  the 
  Vermilion 
  

  

  river 
  flows 
  over 
  massive 
  beds 
  of 
  Trenton 
  limestone, 
  and 
  this 
  forms 
  

  

  the 
  lower 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  bluffs, 
  extending 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  to 
  

  

  the 
  height 
  of 
  twenty 
  feet 
  or 
  more 
  above 
  the 
  river. 
  The 
  limestone 
  

  

  is 
  here 
  directly 
  overlaid 
  by 
  the 
  Coal 
  Measures 
  fifty 
  feet 
  or 
  more 
  in 
  

  

  thickness, 
  showing 
  the 
  following 
  section: 
  

  

  Feet. 
  

  

  No. 
  1. 
  Sandstone 
  partially 
  exposed 
  8 
  to 
  10 
  

  

  No. 
  2. 
  Shale, 
  with 
  bands 
  of 
  Septaria 
  10 
  to 
  12 
  

  

  No.3. 
  Black 
  sheety 
  shale 
  2to 
  3 
  

  

  No.4. 
  Clayshale 
  6 
  to 
  8 
  

  

  No. 
  5. 
  Coal 
  No. 
  4 
  3 
  

  

  No. 
  6. 
  Green 
  and 
  purple 
  shales 
  8 
  to 
  10 
  

  

  No. 
  7. 
  Trenton 
  Limestone 
  15 
  to 
  20 
  

  

  The 
  sandstone 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  foregoing 
  section 
  was 
  only 
  ex- 
  

   posed 
  in 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  bluff 
  about 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  below 
  the 
  bridge 
  at 
  

   Lowell, 
  and 
  is 
  probably 
  the 
  same 
  sandstone 
  which 
  underlies 
  the 
  

   Streator 
  coal 
  at 
  points 
  further 
  up 
  the 
  river. 
  A 
  band 
  of 
  limestone 
  

   occurs 
  somewhere 
  in 
  the 
  bluff 
  at 
  this 
  point, 
  composed 
  mainly 
  of 
  

   crinoidal 
  stems 
  about 
  half 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  diameter, 
  a 
  specimen 
  of 
  which 
  

   was 
  found 
  here 
  by 
  the 
  Hon. 
  Elmer 
  Baldwin. 
  I 
  did 
  not 
  find 
  it 
  in 
  

  

  