44 



Feather stonhaugh^s Geological Report. 



they depart iVom their parallelism by marked deflections from 

 the general course. Occasionally a ridge will slope off and 

 be discontinued, its place being supplied by another ridge 

 holding the same parallel, or deviating somewhat from it. 

 Sometimes by a sudden flexure they almost double back, and 

 not unfrequently cross the valleys at right angles to the gene- 

 ral parallel. In some localities the beds are tilted up almost 

 to a perpendicular line, in others they are anticlinal ; some 

 sections of them give the perfect form of an arch, and oc- 

 casionally they are contorted and twisted in an undescri- 

 bable manner. It is difficult for any but those who are prac- 

 tically conversant with the complicated state of the geology 

 of this area, to form an adequate conception of the labor and 

 experience requisite to disentangle the complex phenomena 

 which present themselves in passing through any sectional 

 line of this system of ridges. Many proprietors, deceived by 

 the apparent continuity of a particular line of elevation con- 

 taining valuable deposites at other points, have, from slight 

 indications of coal and iron upon their lands, imagined them- 

 selves, by anticipation, in possession of inexhaustible resources, 

 and capital has been vainly expended to bring them into ac- 

 tion. Others, from finding coal in the anthracitic area, having 

 slight bituminous properties, have jumped at once to the con- 

 clusion that the locality was comprehended within the limits 

 of the Western bituminous coal field, that the coal at greater 

 depths would have all the qualities of the best bituminous 

 coal, and would justify a great expenditure of capital to get it 

 to the Atlantic cities.* 



* Mr. Richard C. Taylor, in his valuable paper "on the relative position of the 

 transition and secondary coal formations in Pennsylvania, and description of some 

 transition coal and bituminous anthracite," &c. has sufficiently proved that the 

 supposed bituminous veins of Broad-top mountain, Bedford county, Pennsylvania, 

 belong to the anthracite region. (See Transactions of the Geological Society of 

 Pennsylvania, vol. 1, part 2d, page 177, 1835.) These bituminous anthracites 

 were mentioned in my report of last year, page 24, amongst the instances which 

 show a progression in the quality of coals inconsistent with the general opinion 

 entertained of their vegetable origin. 



