﻿LaSALLE 
  county. 
  

  

  43 
  

  

  Feet. 
  

  

  No. 
  1. 
  Bituminous 
  shale 
  10 
  

  

  No. 
  2. 
  Coal 
  (Streator 
  seam) 
  8 
  to 
  9 
  

  

  No. 
  3. 
  Shale 
  and 
  fire-clay... 
  10 
  

  

  No. 
  4. 
  Black 
  shale 
  4 
  

  

  No. 
  5. 
  Sandstone 
  and 
  sandy 
  shale 
  15 
  to 
  20 
  

  

  The 
  coal 
  in 
  Patterson's 
  shaft 
  is 
  about 
  80 
  or 
  90 
  feet 
  below 
  the 
  

   Streator 
  seam, 
  and 
  the 
  space 
  between 
  the 
  sandstone 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  

   the 
  foregoing 
  section 
  and 
  coal 
  No. 
  2 
  is 
  mainly 
  occupied 
  by 
  argilla- 
  

   ceous 
  and 
  bituminous 
  shales, 
  with 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  bands 
  of 
  hard, 
  im- 
  

   pure 
  limestone. 
  No 
  record 
  of 
  the 
  Patterson 
  shaft 
  was 
  kept, 
  and 
  no 
  

   exposure 
  was 
  found 
  where 
  a 
  detailed 
  section 
  from 
  coal 
  No. 
  2 
  to 
  the 
  

   sandstone 
  under 
  the 
  Streator 
  coal 
  could 
  be 
  made. 
  

  

  As 
  coals 
  No. 
  2 
  and 
  4 
  are 
  nowhere 
  exposed 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  point 
  on 
  

   the 
  Vermilion, 
  a 
  superficial 
  examination 
  might 
  lead 
  to 
  the 
  conclu- 
  

   sion 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  not 
  distinct 
  seams, 
  but 
  the 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  

   quality 
  of 
  the 
  coal 
  they 
  afford, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  roof 
  

   shales, 
  and 
  moreover 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  both 
  seams 
  on 
  Sec. 
  24, 
  T. 
  32, 
  

   R. 
  2, 
  where 
  a 
  boring 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  demonstrate 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  

   lower 
  seam, 
  leaves 
  no 
  room 
  to 
  doubt 
  the 
  separate 
  position 
  which 
  

   they 
  occupy. 
  Hence 
  we 
  are 
  justified 
  in 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  there 
  

   are 
  three 
  coals 
  outcropping 
  on 
  the 
  Vermilion, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  

   worked 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  ; 
  No. 
  2 
  in 
  the 
  shaft 
  at 
  Patterson's, 
  No. 
  

   4 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Lowell, 
  and 
  No. 
  7 
  at 
  Kirkpatrick's 
  ford, 
  and 
  in 
  

   the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Streator. 
  

  

  Some 
  diversity 
  of 
  opinion 
  has 
  existed 
  with 
  those 
  who 
  have 
  given 
  

   special 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  geology 
  of 
  this 
  county, 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  

   position 
  which 
  the 
  Streator 
  coal 
  occupies 
  in 
  the 
  general 
  section 
  of 
  

   the 
  cOal 
  strata 
  of 
  this 
  State, 
  but 
  from 
  a 
  careful 
  examination 
  of 
  all 
  

   the 
  outcrops 
  of 
  the 
  seam 
  from 
  Kirkpatrick's 
  ford, 
  to 
  the 
  last 
  point 
  

   where 
  it 
  appears 
  above 
  the 
  river 
  level 
  above 
  Streator, 
  I 
  am 
  fully 
  

   satisfied 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  exact 
  equivalent 
  of 
  coal 
  No. 
  7 
  of 
  the 
  general 
  

   section. 
  The 
  coal 
  which 
  it 
  affords 
  is 
  perhaps 
  rather 
  better 
  in 
  qual- 
  

   ity 
  than 
  that 
  hitherto 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  upper 
  seam 
  in 
  the 
  shafts 
  

   about 
  Peru 
  and 
  LaSalle, 
  but 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  generally 
  neglected 
  in 
  all 
  

   the 
  shafts 
  where 
  Nos. 
  2 
  and 
  5 
  are 
  found, 
  and 
  therefore 
  its 
  

   average 
  quality 
  at 
  those 
  points 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  fairly 
  determined. 
  

   It 
  ranges 
  in 
  thickness 
  from 
  5 
  to 
  8 
  feet, 
  with 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  about 
  

   6 
  feet, 
  and 
  it 
  probably 
  affords 
  as 
  much 
  coal 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  as 
  

   No. 
  5, 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  next 
  in 
  average 
  thickness, 
  and 
  the 
  one 
  most 
  

   extensively 
  mined 
  in 
  the 
  central 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  county. 
  

  

  