18 



jstotes ox the geology 



it with the " Pittsburgh/' which, they beheve, runs out in the hills south from Brown- 

 ville, and does not re-api3ear to the south again until it reaches the neighborhood un- 

 der consideration. 



On Scott's Run, the first openings are seen high up in the hills about two and one 

 half miles from the river, where the coal is worked by Core, Aiken and Ira Ramsay. 

 Mr. Aiken's bank furnishes the following section ; sandstone, very coarse, 30 feet ; 

 shale, 1 ft. 2 in. ; cortZ, 1 ft. 9 in. ; bituminous shale, 1 in. ; coal, 4 ft. 10 in. At Cass- 

 ville, one mile and one half higher up the run, the intervening shale disappears and 

 the whole bed increases in thickness, so that, at Tucker's bank, it shows full nine feet 

 of coal. ]!!^umerous openings in this neighborhood show no material difference, and 

 the seam is generally known as the " eleven foot vein." 



On Robinson's Run this coal is w^orked near Bowlesby's Mills, where it shows the 

 following section : — Shales with some iron, not measured ; Shale, very bituminous, and 

 with thin laminae of coal, 2 feet ; Coal, 1 ft. 6 in. ; Clay 7 in. ; Coal, 4 ft. 8 in. At this 

 point, five miles from the river, the bed approaches closely to the axis and dips very 

 slightly south-east. jSTo other openings were seen. The coal is locally known as the 

 "Cassville Coal." 



The development of this bed here is remarkable, and appears to be limited to our 

 sub-basin. At no point observed does it show less than six and one-half feet of coal, 

 and at Cassville it reaches nine feet. I have not been able to find it in the adjoining 

 county of Marion, and so cannot tell how it may hold out to the south. To the north- 

 west it shoAvs a diminution in size, giving the following section at Waynesburg, 

 Penn. : Coal 1 ft. 8 in. ; Clay, 1 ft. 2 in. ; Coal, 3 ft. 2 in. At Wheeling, W. Ya., the 

 thickness is only two feet six inches, and it is single. 



In the coal, as seen on Scott's and Robinson's Runs, the laminae are coarse and 

 irregularly prominent, often one-third of an inch thick, giving a ligneous appearance. 

 Lamina? of mineral charcoal are found at irregular distances and of varying thickness, 

 but preserving the vegetable structure, and looking much like crushed cane. In some 

 of these fragments of a Cordaites can be recognized. When rudely broken, it fi-e- 

 quently resembles an impure cannel. It burns with great readiness, and for the most 

 part has no considerable tendency to cake upon the fire. As seen on Scott's Run, the 

 lower bed is a good coal, very comj)act, and in high repute. The upper bed shows 

 numerous thin seams of pyrites, and at times is very slaty. At some points it is a 

 very bad coal. On Robinson's Run, the lower bench, if one may judge from the out- 

 crop, contains a good deal of pyrites, not readily distinguishable, however, in the 

 sound coal, within the opening. The upper bed tends to run into bituminous shale, 

 and is not of vei'y good quality. 



