| OCR Text |
Show OUR ANTHRACITE CDAL VEINS. .. Process of Formation Described by Mnrysvdlc Prcc LnMCct Tlh: Krx'onn inan is not prep-ncil to vouch for tho correctness of the following, fol-lowing, lie Is not ns old as tho editor of tho Maryavalo free Lance, and con-seqitrntly con-seqitrntly was not on tho scents at the time tho coal vents' neilr Harmony Vcio being formed. However, It Is interesting interest-ing reading and wti reproduco it in full. '"Itroso (JO. A.) Thompson accompanied accompani-ed by Mrs. Tholnpson camo down from his ranch in Circle Valley Tuesday, llrose has just returned from his adtli-racltescoal adtli-racltescoal veins situated about four miles north east Of Now Ilnnriony in Iron Cotlnty, and talked interestingly of his prdperty upon which elcvon men are working, In describing thu coal veins, of which there are three, averaging nearly four feet Illicit, Mr. Thompson said their courso downward Is rletirly vertical. A tunnel is being run and will Intersect the veins at great depth and afford an enormous sloping area. "Tho vein ar tlneUcil tiy sandstone while the west vein has an erupttve, probably andesltc, 'hanging woll.' "Itwlll, probably, interest many Frco Lance readers; who have nd tlmo nor opportunities for Ctudy on the subject, to brlelly describe the modus operandi of nature by which tho thoughtful old Uame provides a supply of fuel for the comfort and nrogfets of tho human familyi "The gentle reader may go backward In the history pt mother earth as many millions of years as ho or she may seu ftt, and then add a few mlllldus more oFyears. Tropfcal hVot and niolsture combined to produco rank vegetation. Down near New Hormony wns a, low lying swamp tiudei laid by satillstonc. About tit feet of vegetable mould was formed in the swamp when tho bottom bot-tom settled several feet and was covered by water. Condltons were admirable for the existence and multiplication multi-plication mollusks. Of that species I.ernbllbrancbes pet dominated abt multiplied until tlio bed was about four feet thick and wns the "roof" of tho embryo roat vein. A slight ilp- waid moyeulcnt of tho awamp occurred and was again covered with vegetation until another 32 foot bcilL of vegetable mould was deposited. Thus alternate settling nod rising of tho swamp took place until three heparato beds of vegetable veg-etable mould was tlcposltcd. Then followed a subsidence of -the swamp and the lylnf down of several hum dm), perhaps thousands, of feet uf sandstouc, lime or other rock material. The pressure of the overlying mass of rocic reduced tho 32 feat, bf vegetable mould in each of tho layers to about 0 feet in caidi of them, wlillo heat and other agencies transformed the mould into bituminous coal. Millions of years ofterwardj, or towards tho close of tho Tertiary hgoi the earth's crust was broken and the New llarmoq) coal beds Vecamo almost vortical veins. From tho earth's melted interior ,u great mass of crivptivn rock substance forc'iyl Jts way up between the west coal vein, and. tho adjoining "country rock" which it probablo covered. The added pressure reduced each vein Of bituminous coal to about four feci in thhihncLS, wliilu tho iutehse. hear of the adjacent , mass of intuticd audcalic transformed tho vein tilling into an thraulte cbal. "For further information apply to llroso Thompson.-' . . i 1 1 1 1 |
