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Show PROSPECTING FOR COAL. A Khier's Views cn the Subject Alpine City, Nov. '-.-Ci. 7-. I lind in the Hei-aI-D of Oct. l'-ih an extract from the Utah Iir-i ' -z-'.'r, cntiiid, "Co.d near the I iiy." I do nut wi-li to ray anything with the view of disheartening men. or cmng tit. 'in U) cease their 0er.ii:ons in endeavoring en-deavoring to find out wliat is in the j lud.len reee?ses of our mouut-iii.?. but I do not like to sec men following a "wild coose chose'' with their eyes shut liie many have done, as will be seen bv following the lutsc oi the V-.-salch mountains from the Fi-'mt of the Mountain to Mt. Xebo. Thousands of dollars have been spent by alno-t every settlenicnt in Utah county, in fruitless endeavors to find coal, all of ' which has been done in good faith; because "'old practical coal miners'' ; believed there were goo.l indications , of coal being found at a short distance. dis-tance. Permit me lo say this is a poor guide, as there are hundreds of 1 coal mineis who have spent nearly ah their lives in digging coal who know no more about the croppings of coal than men who nev-j were in a coal country, from the iTJt that they have never seen the cropping. The reason there has been so much spent in this county is because men, hav- 1 ing seen a black substance protruding from tlie base oi the mountain, a substance sub-stance known to miners by dillerent names, such as shale, base, bine, &,c, they thought by following it it would run into coal, and only when means have failed then have tncy been forced to abanelon their foolish enterprises. Having had some experience in digging coal, and also in prospecting for it, permit me to give a little ol my experience for the benefit oi those engaged en-gaged in the business. Where, coal crops to the surface it is coal to the last inch. Coal never turns into any tiling else; when cropping out to the surface its appearance is the same as when found hundreds of feci, below, but the nearer the surface the more inferior the finality. Coal does not alwavs run in an uninterrupted stratum strat-um till it crops out. Its location is frequently changed by what is known to tho miner as dykes, hitches, slips, &e., throwing the heel down, in some instances, hundreds of feel, thereby causingit to be found at the same depth miles away; but still it is the same wherever found. Any person : wishing to satisfy himself of this fact has on'lv to examine the coal beds of Sanpete, Weber, Echo Canon, Kvam ston, Pennsylvania, Wales, England, Scotiami, auu wnerevcr coa.auuunus. Now let me explain a little of the nature of this mineral winch has deceived de-ceived so many. It is of a darkish : color, resembling slate more lhancoM. Having some little of the properties of coal, it will burn when put' on a hot fire, but it is not safe to sit near the fire while it is burning.on account of the sparks living. There- are certain cer-tain minerals which are always found near coal, such lis white sandstone, tire-clav, limestone, aud this blue-stone, blue-stone, but ihev are nt uhro ;.- sure guides to coal", as they are frequently found where ihece ie no coal. Trusting he alrave will benefit coal prospector, I may at some future time give my views on the cheapest and best way ot" parching for eoal. ElSENEZEU flfXTELt. |