COAL MINES OF GALLIA COUNTY. 105% 
Ridge Furnace, and in the Valley of Sharp’s Creek, another tributary 
of Symmes Creek, the coal is again found. It hasa thickness of 69 
inches, all told, and its structure is shown above: 
The seam is here regaining the structure and character of the 
Waterloo coal. The Openings indicate good promise of a mining field. 
Two and one-half miles east of this point, and in the main valley 
of Symmes Creek, on the east side, in Section 25, Aid township, there 
is found the last exposure of the Waterloo coal in this direction. The 
seam is mined here by the Russel Brothers. Its structure is as follows : 
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All of the coal of the seam is mined, and no discrimination is made 
as to quality. The coal is held in good repute for blacksmith use, and 
is the exclusive dependence of the shops for 6 or 8 miles around. There 
is very little visible sulphur in it. It mines in large blocks, without 
the use of powder, but it is rather tender, and would not, perhaps, bear 
railroad transportation well. It is sold at the bank’s mouth for 43 cents 
per bushel. Royalty is paid at the rate of 25 cents per ton on lump 
coal. 
This bank, it will be remembered, is on the east side of Symmes 
Creek, and the seam here dips down, never to rise again. The fact that 
volume and quality are so good in this last appearance is one of great 
significance. It warrants the belief in a valuable body of this coal 
below drainage. 
The composition of the Waterloo coal cannot be given as fully as 
is to be desired. The banks are open only at certain seasons of the 
year, and at the time that samples were sought for, a number of the 
mines were obstructed with water, and could not be entered, but the 
three following analyses will do something toward showing the real 
character of the coal. The first samples were.obtained from the stripping 
bank of Charles Neal, Section 19, Walnut township, near Flag Spring, 
on the northern boundary of the basin. The samples represented only 
the bottom bench. The second set was obtained from the entries of 
Thomas Cooper’s bank, in Section 30, Walnut, and to this set the 
character of outcrop coal attaches in some degree. Only the lowermost: 
67 G. 
