226 GEOLOGY OF ILLINOIS. 



in the bank of the river, and may be traced for half a mile or more 

 along the stream. 



West of the mines, at the salt works, and on the extreme western 

 side of the ridge in which those mines are situated, at Mr. Whissen's, 

 on sec. 23, T. 9, E. 7, a coal that is reported to be four feet thick was 

 struck in digging a well. On account of the mineral character of the 

 water no use was made of this well, and it is now filled up, but pieces 

 of coal can still be found mixed with the debris of gray and black shale 

 that was thrown out at the time of digging. The agreement of the 

 shale and superimposed sandstone with the rocks seen at Equality, and 

 on the east side of the same ridge above No. 5 coal, can leave no doubt 

 as to its synchronism with that bed. The following section gives the 

 succession of rocks in the hill that lie above the coal in Whisson's 

 well: 



Ft. 



Bcddish, coarse-grained sandstone 69 



Silicious shale 20 



Gray, argillo-silicious shale 15 



Black slate, (reported in -well) 2 



CoalKo.5, " " i 



101 



About one mile south of the above locality a four-foot bed of coal is 

 reported in a well at Mr. Taylor's place, which I refer also to No. 5. 



Coal No. 7. — This is the next coal in the ascending order that was 

 seen in Saline county. 



At Equality, on the eastern edge of Saline county, Nos. 5, 6 and 7 

 coals are seen in regular sequence, but westward the two lower beds are 

 replaced by shales, and.No. 7 increases in thickness. 



Three and a half miles west of Equality, on sec. 15, T. 9, E. 7, at Mr. 

 Grear's, coal No. 7 was passed through in sinking a well. It is said to 

 be four feet thick, and is overlaid by a limestone as at Equality. In 

 some fragments of the limestone lying around the well a few fossils 

 were detected: Atliyris subtilita, A. Royisii? Spirifer cameratus, and 

 Loplwpliyttum proliferum. In a ravine about fifty feet east of the well 

 the limestone outcropped, and is overlaid by shales and shaly sand- 

 stone, as follows : 



Ft. In. 



Drift and soil ?■ 25 



HaTd gray limestone - - 2 6 



Sbale ? 



Coal, No. V 4 



Between Mr. Grear's place and Harrisburg No. 7 is found on some of 

 the low ridges, but the greatest part has been removed by denudation, 

 though there may be outcrops of it before reaching the Horse-swamp 

 and the broad bottom land along the middle fork of the Saliue river. 



The thin-bedded rock in the mound-like hill upon which Harrisburg 

 is built is in part the representative of the sandstone over No. 7 coal, 



