Warrior coalfield of northern Alabama. — Frazer. 315 
C ullman County. 
The whole of this county is composed of the lower Coal Meas- 
ures, and although in the southwest near the Bremen district one 
and probably two, of the lower important seams of coal in the Ala- 
bama field occur, and the whole county is interspersed with small 
coal seams, yet it is very probable that no deposit of sufficient 
size to make it commercially valuable will be found northeast of 
the imaginary northwest-southeast line six or seven miles south- 
west of the town of Cullman, which has already been referred to. 
A small six-inch vein worked in the bed of a creek about three 
miles west of Cullman in the diy season has furnished coal to the 
citizens of Cullman and the neighboring farmers through the enter- 
prise of a citizen of that town. Iron ores have been reported from 
various directions also, but none were observed. 
On account of the report of a valuable bed of coal in the northern 
part of the county on Flint creek, I made a visit to it. About 
a mile or so northeast of the town of Cullman a conglomerate 
occurs, and underneath this is a small seam of coal. This is one 
of the two conglomerates often called the Upper and Lower 
Tennessee conglomerates, which mark the base of the true Coal 
Measures, and the coal occurs in these seams within 12 to 15 feet 
of shales. At about two miles northeast of Holmes' Gap, varie- 
gated shales form the surface rock, lying very nearly horizontally. 
At Drake's house, which by uncorrected barometer is 175 feet 
above Cullman station, or 977 feet above tide, is the summit be- 
tween Bridge creek and the east fork of Flint creek. 
On the steep hills descending northward to the latter fragments 
of conglomerate appear. A drift has been driven in about 65 feet 
nearly on a level with the surface of the stream, which, when in 
flood, fills it. The floor of this drift is 415 feet below Drake's 
house, or 562 feet above tide (by uncorrected barometer). At 
the mouth of the drift is a very lean and dirty coal mixed with 
clay and sand, in all 2 feet thick. The section is as follows: 
Cap sand rock ? 
Lean and slaty coal ft. 1 in. 
Sandstone 1 ft. 6 in. 
Bony coal mixed with clay and sand 2 ft. in. 
At the head of the drift the coal runs out altogether, unless an 
extremely impure carbonaceous clay of about one inch in thickness 
may be called coal. This drift proves that the coals of the sub- 
