COAL IN NEW-YORK. 



255 



eying into the Potomac, " all the streams rising in 

 the great coal-field west of the mountains flow into 

 the lakes or into the Ohio River, and, consequently, 

 the ground falls off or declines in that direction, 

 and becomes too low (as is generally supposed) to 

 contain the coal measures. Its northern termina- 

 tion or boundary may be traced from the Tonewanda 

 Creek almost in a direct course west to the Ohio 

 state-line." "There would need," says Mr. Tay- 

 lor, " a total height of mountains of 5120 feet, at 

 the state-line between New- York and Pennsylva- 

 nia, to contain the coal measures, whereas the hills 

 there are probably below 600 feet in altitude." 



The scientific corps at present engaged in the 

 geological survey of the State of New- York, coin- 

 cide with Mr. Taylor in the opinion that coal is 

 not to be looked for to any extent in this state, as 

 its rocks are supposed to be of a much earlier date 

 than those of the coal measures of Pennsylvania 

 and Ohio. But it should be recollected that coal is 

 not restricted to any particular period, although cir- 

 cumstances at particular periods may have contribu- 

 ted to its greater accumulation. Thus we find it in 

 mica slate at Worcester ; and in Mansfield, Mass,, 

 a bed of anthracite ten feet thick has lately been 

 discovered in a graywacke rock ; and in Rhode 

 Island, anthracite is also found in the same rock, 

 forming a vein 14 feet wide. Now there are nu- 

 merous localities of both anthracite and bituminous 

 coal throughout almost the whole series of the tran- 

 sition rocks of this state, though hitherto they have 

 been discovered in only small quantities. From the 

 highly bituminous character of many of our rocks, 

 and the frequent occurrence of petroleum or hquid 

 bitumen, it would appear, at least, highly probable, 

 that beneath these same rocks beds of coal may 

 exist, though it does not necessarily follow. As 

 our rocks, however, are chiefly intermediate be- 

 tween the graywacke, which forms an extensive 



