wsher.]  COAL    IN    NORTHWESTERN    WYOMING.  353 
from  rim  to  center,  with  a  direction  according  to  their  position  on  the 
periphery  of  the  syncline.  They  are  very  steep  along  the  east  and 
north  sides,  but  to  the  west  and  south  they  decrease  materially.  The 
area  is  encircled  by  a  continuous  coal  outcrop.  The  lower  coal  bed 
of  the  basal  sand}^  division  probably  underlies  the  entire  district, 
and  the  upper  seam,  75  feet  higher  in  the  series,  here  locally  attains 
a  workable  thickness.  Development  has  been  chiefly  confined  to 
Sunshine  Gulch  and  its  tributaries,  about  3  miles  north-northwest  of 
Sunshine  post-office,  although  openings  have  been  made  at  other  points 
within  the  area.  None  of  these  localities  are  operated  at  present,  but 
the  coal  is  said  to  be  of  excellent  quality.  The  average  thickness  of 
the  lower  coal  bed  in  Sunshine  Gulch  is  6  feet,  while  the  upper  seam 
is  only  2  feet  8  inches. 
A  coal  bed  averaging  6  feet  in  thickness  contains  about  3,000,000 
tons  of  coal  per  square  mile,  but  of  course  there  is  considerable  loss 
in  working.  There  are  now  in  this  field  about  18  square  miles 
underlain  b}^  coal  that  would  doubtless  average  4  or  more  feet  in 
thickness.  On  this  estimate  the  field  has  a  productive  capacity  of 
36,000,000  tons.  A  trial  pit  near  the  north  end  of  this  area,  in  the 
sandstone  bluffs  on  the  south  side  of  Gra}^  Bull  River,  exhibits  the 
following  section: 
Section  of  Vttter's  coal  opening  near  Meeteetse,  Wyo. 
Ft  In. 
Bony  coal 0  3 
Coal ■. 0  10 
Bony  coal 0  2 
Coal 1  6 
Light  bluish-gray  slate 0  3 
Coal 1  0 
Dull-gray  slate 1  0 
Coal 0  4 
Bluish-gray  clay 2  6 
About  4  miles  northeast  of  Embar  there  is  a  small  opening  known 
as  the  Smith  mine,  which  was  formerly  operated  to  some  extent  but  at 
present  is  abandoned.  Some  of  the  earlier  analyses  of  this  coal  show 
a  high  fuel  ratio,  but  an  unusually  large  amount  of  moisture.  There 
is  another  small  mine  in  the  Laramie  formation,  about  2|  miles  north- 
east of  Middleton  post-office,  known  as  the  Eades  mine.  The  bed  is 
4  feet  thick  without  parting,  and  occurs  in  the  massive,  gray  sand- 
stones of  the  basal  Laramie.  The  beds  dip  9°  to  the  north.  From 
an  incline  about  60  feet  in  length  that  has  been  driven  on  the  dip 
a  small  amount  of  coal  is  taken  out  during  the  winter  season.  The 
coal  in  appearance  is  black,  with  a  bright  luster  and  uneven  fracture. 
It  does  not  weather  easil}r.  The  following  section  was  measured: 
Bull  225—04 23 
