﻿ECONOMICAL 
  GEOLOGY. 
  

  

  Ft. 
  In. 
  

   Shale 
  '. 
  ]- 
  

  

  Hard 
  sandstone 
  5 
  

  

  Shale 
  .£ 
  

  

  Coal 
  j 
  

  

  Slate 
  and 
  shale 
  c 
  .> 
  

  

  358 
  

  

  Only 
  two 
  thin 
  seams 
  of 
  coal 
  were 
  found 
  here 
  below 
  No. 
  5, 
  neither 
  

   of 
  which 
  were 
  thick 
  enough 
  to 
  he 
  of 
  any 
  practical 
  value. 
  No. 
  1, 
  which 
  

   at 
  Seville, 
  about 
  sixteen 
  miles 
  west 
  of 
  Canton, 
  is 
  three 
  feet 
  thick, 
  was 
  

   only 
  one 
  foot 
  at 
  Canton, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  also 
  ahout 
  the 
  same 
  at 
  its 
  out- 
  

   crop 
  in 
  the 
  hluffs 
  of 
  Spoon 
  river, 
  south 
  of 
  Lewistown. 
  

  

  Coal 
  No. 
  5, 
  or 
  the 
  Springfield 
  coal, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  sometimes 
  called, 
  is 
  

   perhaps 
  the 
  most 
  reliable 
  and 
  persistent 
  seam 
  in 
  its 
  development 
  of 
  

   any 
  in 
  the 
  State. 
  Its 
  average 
  thickness 
  is 
  about 
  six 
  feet, 
  and 
  its 
  

   range 
  from 
  four 
  to 
  eight. 
  From 
  Bloomington 
  to 
  Carlinville. 
  along 
  

   the 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  St. 
  Louis, 
  Alton 
  and 
  Chicago 
  railroad, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  

   found 
  at 
  every 
  point 
  where 
  a 
  boring 
  or 
  shaft 
  has 
  been 
  carried 
  down 
  

   to 
  the 
  proper 
  depth; 
  and 
  recently 
  a 
  shaft 
  has 
  been 
  sunk 
  to 
  it 
  at 
  

   Decatur, 
  where 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  at 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  about 
  six 
  hundred 
  feet. 
  

   At 
  Sandoval 
  and 
  Centralia, 
  a 
  seam 
  averaging 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  in 
  

   thickness 
  is 
  found 
  at 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  depth, 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  the 
  

   equivalent 
  of 
  the 
  Springfield 
  coal. 
  At 
  all 
  these 
  points 
  the 
  seam 
  is 
  

   about 
  six 
  feet 
  in 
  thickness, 
  and 
  it 
  probably 
  affords 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  more 
  

   than 
  one-half 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  coal 
  product 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  There 
  are 
  

   now 
  seven 
  coal 
  shafts 
  in 
  operation 
  on 
  this 
  seam 
  within 
  two 
  miles 
  

   of 
  the 
  State 
  capital, 
  and 
  nearly 
  as 
  many 
  more 
  within 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  

   Sangamon 
  county. 
  The 
  roof 
  is 
  usually 
  composed 
  of 
  a 
  hard 
  black 
  

   slate 
  overlaid 
  by 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  of 
  argillaceous 
  limestone, 
  the 
  former 
  

   containing 
  numerous 
  fossil 
  shells, 
  by 
  which 
  it 
  may 
  usually 
  lie 
  

   readily 
  identified. 
  

  

  (Hal 
  No. 
  6 
  is 
  mined 
  at 
  several 
  localities 
  in 
  Fulton 
  and 
  Peoria 
  

   counties, 
  where 
  it 
  ranges 
  from 
  four 
  to 
  live 
  feet 
  in 
  thickness. 
  It 
  af- 
  

   fords 
  a 
  coal 
  somewhat 
  softer 
  than 
  that 
  from 
  No. 
  .",. 
  but 
  freer 
  from 
  

   sulphur, 
  and 
  therefore 
  better 
  adapted 
  for 
  forging 
  iron. 
  The 
  seam 
  is 
  

   more 
  irregular 
  in 
  its 
  development 
  than 
  No. 
  6, 
  and 
  consequently 
  

  

  lected 
  except 
  when 
  a 
  superior 
  quality 
  of 
  coal 
  is 
  required 
  for 
  the 
  

   amith'a 
  forge, 
  or 
  Borne 
  other 
  special 
  use. 
  In 
  the 
  shafts 
  in 
  San 
  

   mon 
  county, 
  it 
  ranges 
  from 
  a 
  few 
  in. 
  dies 
  to 
  three 
  feet 
  in 
  thiokni 
  

  

  but 
  no 
  attempt 
  lias 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  work 
  it 
  in 
  any 
  of 
  those 
  m 
  opera* 
  

  

  tion 
  at 
  tbe 
  present 
  time. 
  

  

  