BULL   MOUNTAIN    COAL   FIELD,    MONTANA.  67 
coal  beds,  it  thins  toward  the  west,  so  that  in  the  SW.  \  T.  5  N., 
R.  26E.,it  measures  less  than  2  feet.  A  typical  section  of  this  bed 
measured  near  the  southeast  corner  of  T.  5  N.,  R.  27  E.,  is  as  follows: 
Section  o/Glendive  coal  bed  near  southeast  corner  T.  5  N.,  R.  27  E. 
It.      in. 
Coal  and  shale 10 
Coal  with  partings  up  to  one-half  inch 2      3 
Shale 2 
Coal 6 
Shale \ 
Coal 2 
Sandstone  .• \ 
Coal 2 
Shale,  brown 1 
4       2| 
As  this  section  shows,  partings  are  numerous  and  so  thin  and  close 
together  as  largely  to  destroy  the  value  of  the  coal.  This  bed  has 
been  stripped  and  certain  portions  burned  with  good  results,  though 
it  is  said  not  to  furnish  so  good  a  fuel  as  almost  any  of  the  higher  beds. 
The  Wildhorse  coal  is  of  much  better  quality  than  the  Glendive, 
but  its  extent  is  somewhat  less.  The  portion  studied  lies  wholly 
within  T.  5  N.,  R.  27  E.,  where  it  extends  roughly  across  the  middle 
of  the  township  from  east  to  west  (O  coal,  PL  IV) .  This  coal  bed  is 
in  the  Fort  Union  formation,  at  a  vertical  distance  of  450  feet  above 
the  Glendive  bed.  Its  average  thickness  is  35  to  40  inches,  and  this 
measurement  is  surprisingly  constant  throughout  its  extent,  except  in 
the  eastern  part  of  the  township,  where  the  bed  is  only  a  few  inches 
thick.  This  is  possibly  the  same  bed  as  that  now  being  mined  by  the 
Republic  Coal  Company  on  Musselshell  River,  2  miles  east  of  Roundup. 
At  tins  point  it  is  reported  to  be  about  6  feet  thick,  but  in  a  slope  1 
mile  to  the  west  the  same  bed  measures  4  feet.  A  sample  taken  at 
the  latter  point  shows  that  the  coal  has  a  fuel  value  of  over  11,000 
B.  t.  u.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  mining  in  this  locality  must  be 
carried  on  down  the  dip,  development  is  greatly  hindered  by  under- 
ground water.  The  following  may  be  given  as  a  typical  section  of 
the  Wildhorse  coal  bed : 
Section  of  Wildhorse  coal  bed  in  sec.  24,  T.  5  N.,  R.  21  E. 
M.      in. 
Coal  and  shale 
Coal 2     11 
Shale 
Coal 2 
3     10 
Above  the  Wildhorse  coal  there  are  one  or  two  thin  beds  of  coal, 
but  the  next  important  bed.  is  the  Buckey  coal  (N  coal,  PL  IV),  l\ 
