84 
Albany Coal. 
Some brown coals, of poor quality, have been found all along the South coast, 
and recently in a bore at Eastwood, near Albany, a three-foot seam was struck, 
much resembling some of the top beds of the true coal measures. 
Fly Brook Coal. 
The Fly Brook is the furthest branch, to the South-East, of the Donnelly 
River, which discharges itself into the Southern Ocean about thirty miles East of 
Cape Leeuwin. The river is always running, as there is a large rainfall, but, 
unfortunately, it is not navigable, the estuary at its mouth being closed by a sand¬ 
bar. The nearest ports that ships could use are Augusta and Hamlin Harbour, 
about 30 miles to the Westward. 
On this Brook some coal mining leases were taken up in the year 1888, but 
the existence of these seams appears to have been known for many years to some 
of the older inhabitants. Several reports had l>ecn made which show that four 
seams of a good coal outcrop in the gully. These were tested in a systematic 
manner by putting down a series of bores to determine the number, size, quality, 
and extent of the seams, which were shown to extend over the whole area taken 
up, the large seams being easily identified when met with in the different bores by 
their persistent thickness, associated beds, and partings; but, up to the present, 
the entire thickness of this formation in the deep ground could not be tested, as 
there was so much water in drifts that the bore hole was continually falling in. 
One of the bores passed through about 20ft. of coal iu sinking to a depth of 128ft. 
This consists of 17 seams, the largest being 5ft. 4in. with a Gin. clay parting, 2ft. 
4in. with a 3in. parting, and 2ft. Bin. with a 2in. parting. Other seams, up to a 
foot iu thickness, could also be worked, as several occur close together separated 
only by shaly partings. 
The coal itself is a highly lustrous variety, having almost the appearance of 
jet, but lacking its hardness, while the woody structure is clearly visible in some 
pieces, and on assaying it proved to be almost identical in composition with the 
coals of the Pacific coast of North America. 
The average of three samples of Fly Brook coal, assayed in Melbourne and 
Adelaide, is :— 
_ TT Fly Brook. 
Water . 16*40 
Volatile Matter ... ... 38*23 
Fixed Carbon ... ... 43*52 
Ash . 1*85 
As the similar coal in America is used largely for steam and other purposes, 
there is no reason why this should not turn out to be of great value to the Colony, 
the great drawback being the distance from a port and the large percentage of 
water ll contains, which renders it too friable for much handling’ It may be said 
that the samples sent awav were no test, as they came out of the creek bed; but 
this will pot make the slightest difference, as the superfluous water would have had 
plenty of time to evaporate before it reached the assayers* hands, and the coal 
from a depth will be found to contain nearly as much. 
The coal-bearing series here consist of sandstone, grits, and clay beds (the 
latter of which are often micaceous), the whole being overlaid by a bed of ferru¬ 
ginous conglomerate, containing large water-worn pebbles of quartzite, quartz, 
and other crystalline rocks. This bed is met in many places in the district, and 
probably forms the junction between the series and the more recent clays, sands, 
and ironstone which covers most of the surface. From information gathered, it 
may be concluded that this formation will be found to extend over a considerable 
area, at first in a North-Westerly and then in a Northerly direction, towards the 
Vasse, where some samples of a less highly mineralised form of coal have lately 
been found in sinking a well. 
