176         CONTRIBUTIONS   TO   ECONOMIC   GEOLOGY,   1907,   PART  II. 
The  coal  bed  is  thinly  covered  and  shows  slight  evidence  of  weather- 
ing in  the  deposition  of  sulphur  and  salts  in  some  of  the  joints.  The 
coal  slacks  rapidly  and  can  be  kept  in  stock  only  a  month  or  two. 
The  sulphur  and  ash  are  both  high,  the  sulphur  exceeding  that  of 
any  of  the  other  coals  of  the  Bighorn  Basin.  (See  analysis,  p.  198.) 
The  coal  is  finely  banded,  bright  layers  with  waxy  luster  predomi- 
nating over  dull  layers.  The  parting  along  the  bedding  planes  is 
well  developed,  causing  the  coal  to  break  into  thin  plates.  The 
cross  breaks  are  irregular,  with  a  tendency  to  conchoidal  fracture  in 
the  hard,  bright  layers. 
The  mine  was  opened  more  than  twenty  years  ago.  It  has  been 
worked  almost  continuously  since  1900,  with  an  average  production, 
according  to  Fishery  of  about  400  tons  per  year.  In  1907  the  output 
was  about  1,000  tons,  but  this  will  probably  increase,  as  the  product 
is  used  entirely  by  the  town  of  Basin,  which  has  been  growing  rapidly 
in  population  since  the  construction  of  the  railroad.  The  coal  is  sold 
for  about  $2  per  ton  at  the  mine.     It  is  hauled  to  Basin  in  wagons. 
On  the  east  bank  of  No  Wood  Creek,  one-half  mile  northeast  of 
Manderson,  is  an  opening  known  as  the  Converse  prospect,  at  which 
the  following  section  was  made: 
Section  of  coal  bed  at  the  Converse  prospect,  near  Manderson. 
Shale.  Ft.     in. 
Coal,  dirty 1       2 
Shale 2 
Coal 6 
Shale i 
Coal 4 
Shale 4 
Coal 6 
Shale ; . .  8 
Coal 8 
Shale 10 
Coal 8 
Shale 1 
Coal 10 
Shale 4 
Coal 1      4 
Clay. 
Total  coal 6 
This  is  thought  to  be  the  same  coal  bed  as  that  exposed  in  the 
Rogers  &  Gapin  mine;  but  if  it  is,  there  must  be  a  fault  between  the 
two  openings,  producing  an  offset  of  over  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  The 
miners  report  that  in  the  Rogers  &  Gapin  mine  they  encountered  a 
fault  which  cut  off  the  coal  bed  at  the  end  of  the  abandoned  workings. 
This  fault  could  not  be  examined  in  1907,  on  account  of  a  fire  in  the 
a  Loc.  cit. 
