406  CONTRIBUTIONS    TO    ECONOMIC    GEOLOGY,  1904.         [bull.  260. 
Raccoon  Creek.  The  branch  up  Cherry  Valley  Fork  extends  a  dis- 
tance of  -t  miles  to  the  mines  of  the  Pittsburg  and  Eastern  Coal  Com- 
pany. The  branch  up  Burgetts  Fork  runs  only  a  short  distance  to 
the  mines  of  the  Pittsburg  and  Erie  Coal  Company  at  the  south  end 
of  Burgettstown.  These  two  forks  of  Raccoon  Creek  have  smooth, 
open  valleys,  up  which  railroads  may  be  constructed  to  near  the 
headwaters  of  the  streams  at  a  small  expense  per  mile.  The  Penn- 
sylvania system  is  again  represented  in  the  quadrangle  by  a  branch 
line  up  Chartiers  Creek  and  Westland  Run  from  Cannonsburg  to 
the  mining  town  of  Westland  and  also  by  a  short  spur  up  Chartiers 
Run. 
Across  the  southern  part  of  the  quadrangle  the  Wabash-Pittsburg 
Terminal  Railway   Company    (Wabash  system)    has  lately  built  a 
line  of  road.     This  crosses  one  main  summit  near  Hickory,  where 
the  railroad  attains  an  elevation  of  1,22-3.  feet  above  sea  level.     From 
this  summit  the  road  follows  down  Cross  Creek  to  Ohio  River.     A 
spur   from   the  main   line   of  the   Wabash,  east  of  Hickory,   couldi 
easily  be  built  down  Cherry  Valley,  reaching  the  general  valley  level 
in  a  distance  of   1|  miles  with   a  total  descent  of  only   100   feet.i. 
Owing  to  the  high  altitude  of  the  Wabash  road  as  it  swings  aroundtl 
the  head  of  the  stream  the  valley  of  Burgetts  Fork  of  Raccoon  Creek 
is  hardly  accessible  to  branch  lines,  as  the  grade  would  be  too  steep 
to  reach  the  valley  bottom  from  the  high  summit.     The  valley  of  the 
South  Fork  of  Cross  Creek  is  easily  accessible  from  the  main  line  oil 
the  Wabash,  and  it  affords  an  opportunity  for  the  building  of  i 
branch  line  along  the  southern  edge  of  the  quadrangle.     The  valle} 
of  Pattersons  Mill  Creek  could  be  utilized  also  by  a  railroad  line  a1 
slight  expense,  except  for  a  short  distance  near  the  village  of  Patter 
son  Mill,  where  the  stream  runs  through  a  narrow,  crooked  canyon 
which  probably  would  require  the  construction  of  a  short  tunnel  o]  \ 
of  a  high  bridge. 
In  addition  to  the  routes  already  described,  where  short  and  inex 
pensive  railroad  lines  could  be  built  in  order  to  develop  the  minera  I 
resources  of  the  region,  the  Burgettstown  quadrangle  also  afford 
another  easy  route  for  an  east-west  line  of  railroad  that  has  no 
heretofore  been  utilized.     This  route  has  the  advantage  of  lowe 
summits  than  those  crossed  by  the  existing  lines,  and  also  of  open  anc 
direct  stream  valleys  in  an  east-west  direction.     This  course  extend 
from  a  point  about  half  a  mile  below  Santiago,  near  the  eastern  mar 
gin  of  the  quadrangle,  to  a  low  divide  at  the  head  of  Potato  Garde]. 
Run,  and  passes  down  this  run  to  Raccoon  Creek,  which  it  crossed 
just  below  the  village  of  Murdocksville.     From  this  place  the  cours 
lies  up  Wingfields  Run  and  across  a  low  summit  three-fourths  of 
mile  east  of  Frankfort.     From  this  summit  it  passes  by  easy  grade 
