0¥ WEST VIR&miA. 



25 



No. 23 in its local development is of some importance. I have seen it only east of 

 the Monongahela, but it exists on the west side. Thirty years ago it was opened near 

 Decker's creek, three miles from Morgantown. At the same time it was opened in 

 the hill opposite the University, near the village. Two or three years ago it was opened 

 in a ravine east from the village, with a view to supply the village. The work was 

 abandoned owing to the thinness of the bed, which made the cost of extraction too 

 great to admit of competition with the openings into the Pittsl^urgli, During the 

 present year it has been opened by Mr. Millar, opposite the University, and also by 

 Mr. Fordyce, a short distance to the north, merely to supply the owners. 



At Mr. Millar's opening, the seam shows : Bituminous shale six to eight inches ; 

 coal three to three and one-half feet. The general structure of the coal is slaty, and 

 in some portions its fracture resembles that of impure cannel. In others it is dis- 

 tinctly conchoidal and of the color of lignite; while again it resembles the Grahamite 

 of Ritchie County, or the Albertite of ISew Brunswick, to a wonderful degree. Near 

 the bottom, the coal is very hard and brilliant, apparently only semi-bituminous. It 

 does not ignite as readily as the other coals of this region, but lasts longer on the 

 fire, and produces an intense heat. In burning, it gives off little soot, not enough to 

 coat the pipe, " being almost as clean as wood," as Mr. Millar expressed it. It, how- 

 ever, contains a considerable amount of free sulphur, which rendei'S it very hard upon 

 stoves. The ashes are bulky but light, and contain no cinders, as the coal burns up 

 clean. It is unfortunate that this coal has so much sulphur, as otherwise its very 

 large proportion of fixed carbon would render it very valuable for manufacturing 

 purpos es here where the available coals contain so much volatile matter. This bed is 

 frequently cut up by " horsebacks" and " mudseams." 



Iron. In the shale 'No. 1. there is usually found a highly valuable deposit of pro- 

 tocarbonate of iron, rich and pure, locally known as the " Olyphant blue lump." Near 

 Uniontown, Pennsylvania, it is well developed, and Mr. Olyphant has worked it suc- 

 cessfully there for many years, in Fairchance furnace. On Scott's run, near Haigh's 

 mill, the quantity is consideralDle, and one may work out half a ton of nodules in a short 

 time with but little labor. According to the Pennsylvania surveyors this deposit is 

 not found to the north from Redstone Creek ; and I have been informed by Hon. F. 

 H. Pierpoint, who is engaged in mining the Pittsburgh coal at Fairmont, that it does 

 not appear under the coal bed there. It is said to be found south from Fairmont, 

 near the Monongahela river. The distribution of this ore is of much economical im- 

 portance, as it is the most extensive deposit in this region. In No. 10, nodules of 

 large size are common ; but the character of the rock is such as to render profitable 

 mining impossible. No. 30 contains two seams of ore. The lower is irregular in 



A. p. S. — VOL. XV, G. 



