COAL  IN  WASHINGTON  NEAR  PORTLAND.  OREG. 
By  J.  S.  Diller. 
The  discovery  of  additional  coal  deposits  on  the  Pacific  coast  is 
always  a  matter  of  economic  interest,  especially  when  located  near 
convenient  lines  of  transportation. 
Last  August,  while  attending  the  Miners'  Congress  at  Portland, 
my  attention  was  called  to  a  bed  of  coal  recently  opened  in  the  State 
of  Washington  about  55  miles  northwest  of  Portland.  The  coal 
occurs  on  Coal  Creek,  12  miles  west  of  Kelso,  a  station  on  the 
Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  and  only  a  few  miles  from  a  slough  at 
tide  level  leading  to  the  Columbia  River. 
Mr.  Ralph  Moody,  of  Portland,  kindly  guided  me  to  the  locality 
where  Ave  found  a  small  mine  in  operation.  An  incline  follows  the 
coal  doAATmvard  at  an  angle  of  from  5°  to  18°  for  400  feet.  Drifts 
run  a  short  distance  both  ways,  and  two  men  were  working  at  each 
breast.  The  cars  are  drawn  to  the  surface  by  a  small  stationary 
engine,  and  about  25  tons  of  coal  AAere  alread}^  in  the  bunkers. 
The  coal  bed  is  6  to  7  feet  in  thickness,  AATith  tAvo  small  partings  of 
sand.  The  top  bench  has  12  to  18  inches  of  bony  coal,  the  middle 
bench  21  feet  of  better  quality,  and  the  lower  bench  18  inches  of  coal 
in  part  good.     The  coal  bed  is  overlain  by  soft  sandstone. 
In  the  niine  the  coal  looks  bright,  but  on  exposure  it  loses  its  luster, 
cracks  someAAhat,  and  partially  slacks.  Some  part  of  it  is  Avell 
banded  and  contains  small  pieces  of  fossil  resin. 
Tavo  specimens  Avere  taken  for  analysis,  one  from  the  middle  (0700) 
and  the  other  (6761)  from  the  loAver  bench.  The  Avork  Avas  done  by 
W.  T.  Schaller  in  the  Geological  Suiwey  laboratory,  with  the  follow- 
ing results 
411 
