Section of the Alleghany Mountain, 8^c. 437 



ridge we have just crossed. At present no coal has been ex- 

 tracted from this vein. Sixty feet lower, at Dale's farm, is a 

 second, and larger vein, consisting of three seams, and comprising 

 nine feet altogether, having two partings, of three inches each. 

 The upper seam only, four feet thick, has hitherto been worked. 

 At thirty-nine feet lower, is another large vein : and at least 

 six other veins of coal occur, in descending to the level of the Mo- 

 shannon creek, at Hoffman's dam. This is 324 feet further down, 

 and at this point in our section, we have arrived at 575 feet be- 

 low the Alleghany ridge, at its lowest part. These coal seams, 

 and the subjacent strata of sandstone and fire clay, so far as we 

 have been able to extend our observations, appear, with tole- 

 rable uniformity, to decline at a small angle towards the north, 

 or rather the north-west. 



It would be irksome to proceed with the details. Our profile 

 exhibits the intersection of several other coal veins ; but how 

 many of them are distinct from those we have previously noticed, 

 cannot readily be determined, as they have not all been proved 

 or worked ; and moreover, there is an obvious change of incli- 

 nation. Those near Philipsburg, at the Beaver dam and 

 neighbouring collieries, or coal banks, as they are locally term- 

 ed, dip to the S. and S. W., to meet the more elevated beds 

 and strata we have before mentioned, which incline to the 

 N. and N. W. Some other veins, more to the northward than 

 our section exhibits, crop out with a similar inclination to 

 the S. W. along the banks of the Moshannon, extending toward 

 its junction with the west branch of the Susquehanna. This 

 inclination seldom forms a greater angle than 'one or two 

 degrees, and affords great facilities for obtaining the coal. 

 Fifteen miles westward of Philipsburg, and further within 

 the interior of the basin, the coal veins incline to the E. 

 and N. E., that is, toward the Alleghany chain, its apparent 

 boundary. 



Faults, if any occur, are rarely observable, within such a vast 

 unexplored area. There is probably one of several feet, on or 

 near the Beaver dams, as shown by the letters A and B on the 

 section, the vein being the same at both points. 



In regard to quality, there are variations in these veins, as I 

 believe occurs in all coal basins ; but here all are bituminous. 

 The coal which is chiefly raised near Philipsburg, is in conside- 



