﻿4 
  ECONOMICAL 
  GEOLOGY. 
  

  

  Coal 
  No. 
  2, 
  however, 
  is 
  very 
  uniform 
  in 
  its 
  development, 
  though 
  

   it 
  seldom 
  attains 
  a 
  thickness 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  three 
  or 
  three 
  and 
  a 
  

   half 
  feet. 
  The 
  superior 
  quality 
  of 
  the 
  coal 
  which 
  it 
  affords 
  has 
  led 
  

   to 
  its 
  heing 
  mined 
  wherever 
  it 
  can 
  he 
  reached 
  at 
  a 
  moderate 
  depth. 
  

   Along 
  the 
  western 
  and 
  northern 
  borders 
  of 
  the 
  coal 
  field 
  it 
  has 
  gen- 
  

   erally 
  a 
  very 
  uniform 
  thickness 
  of 
  ahout 
  two 
  feet, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  

   of 
  Murphysboro, 
  in 
  Jackson 
  county, 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  double 
  seam, 
  the 
  upper 
  

   division 
  being 
  three 
  feet 
  and 
  the 
  lower 
  two 
  feet 
  in 
  thickness. 
  In 
  

   the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  LaSalle 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  lowest 
  coal 
  found, 
  and 
  there 
  has 
  

   an 
  average 
  thickness 
  of 
  about 
  2^ 
  to 
  3£ 
  feet. 
  

  

  Coal 
  No. 
  3 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  uncertain 
  seam, 
  and 
  is 
  more 
  frequently 
  

   represented 
  by 
  a 
  bed 
  of 
  bituminous 
  shale 
  than 
  by 
  a 
  true 
  coal. 
  It 
  

   has 
  been 
  mined 
  at 
  Atkinson, 
  in 
  Henry 
  county, 
  where 
  it 
  ranges 
  in 
  

   thickness 
  from 
  three 
  to 
  three 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  feet 
  of 
  good 
  coal. 
  It 
  also 
  

   outcrops 
  in 
  Fulton 
  county, 
  three 
  miles 
  northwest 
  of 
  Fairview, 
  show- 
  

   ing 
  about 
  eighteen 
  inches 
  of 
  good 
  coal. 
  The 
  lower 
  seam 
  in 
  the 
  

   Bloomington 
  shaft 
  I 
  am 
  also 
  inclined 
  to 
  refer 
  to 
  this 
  coal, 
  and 
  it 
  

   is 
  there 
  three 
  feet 
  eight 
  inches 
  in 
  thickness. 
  In 
  Gallatin 
  and 
  Saline 
  

   counties 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  three-foot 
  coal 
  which 
  occupies 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  

   position 
  in 
  those 
  counties 
  that 
  No. 
  3 
  occupies 
  in 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  

   Illinois 
  river, 
  but 
  as 
  the 
  thicker 
  seams 
  lying 
  above 
  it 
  are 
  easily 
  ac- 
  

   cessible, 
  but 
  little 
  attention 
  has 
  been 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  lower 
  seams. 
  

  

  No. 
  4 
  is 
  also 
  an 
  uncertain 
  seam 
  and 
  has 
  only 
  been 
  identified 
  at 
  

   two 
  or 
  three 
  points 
  in 
  the 
  State. 
  In 
  Gallatin 
  county 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  

   two 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  feet 
  in 
  thickness, 
  and 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  identified 
  at 
  one 
  

   or 
  two 
  points 
  in 
  Fulton 
  county. 
  Away 
  from 
  the 
  borders 
  of 
  the 
  coal 
  

   field, 
  nothing 
  is 
  at 
  present 
  known 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  these 
  

   lower 
  seams, 
  all 
  experiments 
  being 
  usually 
  ended 
  when 
  the 
  first 
  

   workable 
  coal 
  is 
  reached. 
  A 
  boring 
  at 
  Riverton, 
  seven 
  miles 
  east 
  of 
  

   Springfield, 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  one 
  near 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  that 
  has 
  

   been 
  carried 
  entirely 
  through 
  the 
  Coal 
  Measures. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  is 
  the 
  report 
  of 
  that 
  boring, 
  furnished 
  by 
  Mr. 
  ('. 
  B. 
  

   Swan, 
  the 
  contractor, 
  commencing 
  below 
  coal 
  No. 
  5 
  and 
  extending 
  

   to 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Coal 
  Measures: 
  

  

  Bottom 
  "f 
  ''"ill 
  

  

  lay 
  * 
  

  

  Limestone 
  4 
  

  

  Blaok 
  shale 
  

  

  Olayshale 
  

  

  \i 
  * 
  

  

  Kir<- 
  .liiy 
  

  

  (It 
  

  

  Limestone 
  

  

  