324 COAL-FIELDS OF UNITED STATES. 
in these, coal abounds in White, Morgan, Anderson, 
Roane, Warren, Bledsoe, Rhea, Hamilton, Marion^ 
and Franklin counties. The coal is bituminous and 
of an excellent quahty, burning freely with much 
smoke, and a white, bright flame, furnishing a good 
coke, and containing about 70 per cent, of carbon. 
OTHER COAL-FIELDS OF THE UNITED STATES. 
We have thus briefly described the most impor- 
tant coal-fields of our country which have as yet 
been explored ; there are known to exist numerous 
others, which at no distant day will probably rise to 
an equal degree of importance. Such are those of 
Illinois, Alabama, Mississippi, and Indiana, some of 
which are already worked to a considerable extent^ 
especially on the Wabash. We have, however, 
stated enough to satisfy the reader that nature has 
been most lavish in her distribution of this valuable 
mineral over the surface of our country, and in 
those very places, too, where it would seem to be 
most needed ; and that no country on the globe can 
boast an equal amount of coal deposites with the 
United States of America. 
CHAPTER XXIX. 
MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE UNITJiD STATES— 
(Continued.) 
IRON. 
Iron. — Its importance in the Arts. — Iron in Maine — New-Hamp- 
shire — Salisbury (Conn.)— State of New- York — Columbia—- 
Dutchess and Orange Counties. — The Stirling Mine. — Iron 
in Franklin and St. Lawrence Counties.— Iron Ores of New- 
Jersey— Of Pennsylvania and Ohio. — Dr. Hildreth's Report. 
Iron ore is the most abundant metallic mineral 
in the United States ; and it is found in greater or 
