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Tangascootack M e ; Coal Land Association. LANDS IN GLINTON 60UNTY, PENNA.

RBSPCDM1!* © I F

Frederick Winter, Geofogi$t and Mining TSngii

Ro^eqSer SZjtft, d§60.

P R E F A C E .

The Tangascootack Valley Coal Land Association, offer for sale their lands in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, containing- over four thousand acres.

In order to describe them with some accuracy they publish the report of Mr. Frederick Winter, Geologist, made as far back as November 24th, 1800, that being the only report of these lands, and this made at a period when they were entirely undeveloped.

Since 1868, on a lease then made to certain parties, the veins were opened, cabins built, a railroad constructed, and coal sent to market by way of the Susquehanna River, and the Sunbury and Erie Railroad. Another extensive operation was in progress by a New York Company of adjoining lands at the same period. The coal produced was of excellent quality, in character very much the same as that now mined at Snow Shoe, some few miles distant, suitable for cokeing or smelting purposes, and in veins of sufficient thickness, and accessibility, to have made the operation a success if the parties could have procured

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cars as needed, and freights as favorable as were ob. tained by others, and this for shipment by rail over the Sunbury and Erie Railroad, six or more miles distant but, as the parties did not possess the influence to secure these desirable facilities, the enterprise was brought to a conclusion.

The newly constructed Railroad of the Beach Creek Clearfield and South Western Company, which connects the Anthracite region with the New York system of Rail­roads, is within two miles of the openings of the Lands of this Association. And beside their proximity, and the easy access from our mines to that railroad, there can now be no difficulty in procuring all the cars that may be needed, and a healthful competition will give such reason­able freights as to secure success.

The Association are able to point to the open veins, as evidencing beyond question the character as well as quantity of the coal now ready for mining, and to invite a close examination thereof—and the partial success of the operations of 1868, which have been referred to under the disadvantages then existing, furnish very assuring evidences that with present facilities a successful mining enterprise is at hand, and a safe investment of the pur­chase money.

Further information may be had by application to

D . T . P R A T T ,

No. 727 Walnut Street,

Secretary of the Tangascootack Valley Coal Land Associa­tion.

Frederick Winter's Report.

'o the President and Directors of the Tangascootack Valley

Coal Land Association.

GENTLEMEN:—

I have examined your tracts of coal land in Bald

Eagle Township, Clinton County, Pennsylvania, and sub­

mitting a map of the whole property I make upon it the

following r epo r t :

The tracts of land are situated between the two branches of the Tangascootack Creek, and along it a t the junction of these branches one detached tract No. 15, of the map extends to the west branch of the Susquehanna. The whole es ta te contains 4000 acres strict measure, and the grea te r part is underlaid by several workable coal veins, some tracts contain all the veins of the Clinton County Coal region, of which region the tracts Nos. 1, 2, 5 and 6 form the principal basin.

The railroad of the Farrandsville Coal Company, called the Rock Cabin Railroad, runs at an easy grade from the Susquehanna through the lands of this Company and through the southern part of your property to its western extremity. The railroad of the Eagleton Coal Company, starting from the same point at the Susquehanna, passes your lands at their eastern extremity. Both railroads bring the coal of the different companies to the Susque­hanna, from where it is sent by boats to the market. Near the point where the railroads reach the Susque­hanna, a bridge is already built for the connection with the Sunbury and Erie Railroad. The Eagleton Coal Company intends, besides, to connect with the last named railroad by extending their road two miles down the Sus­quehanna to the point where the Sunbury and Erie Rail­road crosses this river. In this way every facility is afforded to send the coal to the Eastern, and after the completion of the Sunbury and Erie Railroad to the Western market, and towards the lakes.

A general representation of the geological condition of your lands will not be sufficient to give a clear idea of the immense wealth of minerals contained in them. I thought it therefore proper to describe every tract or those tracts separately, which are by forming a common basin in close connection.

Tracts Nos. I, 2, 5 and 6.

As I alluded before, the tracts Nos. 1, 2, 5 and 6 form the principal basin of the Clinton County coal formation, and as your mining operations, undoubtedly, not only will begin there but will be fixed there for a long time, I took special care in the examination of these tracts of which 1 give the following description:

The elevation of the mountain range running nearly -due west from the lands of the Farrandsville Coal Com-pany throngh the tracts to be described, is at its highest point 250 feet above the South Branch of the Tangascoo­tack Creek, which creek intersects the southern part of these tracts from wes i to east. The Muddy Run joining the Tangascootack Creek near the southern line of tracts 5 and 6 parts the range in two, forming two distinct ridges, from which the principal one i further intersected by an other little run, which from one of the first settlers there I called Packer's Run in the map, forming one more ridge and the very basin towards every direction of the compass. F r o m this point (Packer's clearing on the map) your coal operat ions have to begin. Gangways can be driven there in every vein, and a junction with the railroad affected with very small cost, the railroad being only several hundred yards distant from the mouth of the gangways to be laid out. The three ridges alluded to before, contain four coal veins and all the measures shown in the m a p in the general vertical section. The names of the veins are in ascending order as follows:"

1. Low Main. 8. Rolling Vein. 2. Small Vein. 1. Top Vein.

T h e Low Main, by which the three ridges are nearly fully underlaid, has an average thickness of tour feet, and is unsurpassed tor Blacksmith purposes and for the smelt­ing or refining of metals principally; iron and copper, where the presence of sulphur would be deleterious. 1 wo different analysis gave the following result:

Volatile matters - j Coke <7 • Ashes . . . . 7

- 100 pure carbon 70

The coke is of grey shining appearance, very hard, and will stand every weight in a furnace. I give to your inspection two pieces of coke each formed of 100 grains of coal, the samples selected from three different parts of the vein.

The area covered by this vein in the tracts Nos. 1,2, 5 and 6, contains about 800 acres. One acre contains 6,453 tons, taking one cubic yard for one ton, which will give a total of 4,517,100 tons. From this is to be deducted one-third for waste and pillars, an amount remaining of 3,011,400 tons of coal to be taken out.

I opened this vein in two different places at the south side of the ridge in tracts 5 and 6, where the dip was 2° south, 51° west.

The best place for mining this vein is in Packer's clearing, (see map) where the lowest point is to be ascer­tained by a few small shafts at the outcrop, from where a gangway is to be driven in the opposite direction of the dip N. 51° east. From this point the coal, with the exception of a small part towards the line of the Farrands-ville Coal Company's land, can be mined out from the whole ridge in tracts 5 and 6 till nearly to their northern line. The next place is at the western side of Packer's Run. With a gangway in about the direction of clue west, the coal in the ridge north of Muddy Run can be taken out till to the western line of tract No. 1, the dip of the openings made by me in tracts No. 1 and 2, show­ing 10° south 80° east. Another place is on the south side of Muddy Run about halfway from its junction with the Tangascootack Creek and Miller's clearing, (see map) from where with a gangway running in a nearly western direction the eoal can be taken out cf the ridge between Muddy Run and Tangascootack Creek.

In giving the before stated directions of the gang­ways, it is of course only understood, how they are to be laid out at first against the principal dip of the vein from the lowest point of its outcrop. Their further course will be indicated by keeping level with the coal vein, and may widely differ from the first beginning, a fact with which every practical miner is sufficiently familiar.

The before stated places for driving the gangways are all very near to the railroad. From the first one the coal can be brought by an inclined plane of easy grade to the shute, which is to be built alongside of the railroad somewhere below the junction of Packer's Run with the Tangascootack Creek . I give y< >u an estimate of the first cost as follows :

300 yards inclined plane with tram-

road and flat iron rails (a $2 50 $ TOO

Shute with six divisions . . . L50

Switch to the railroad 120 yds. @ $5 000

620 yards wire rope ^ inch thick 000

Weigh ing platform . . . . 100

A small building for the drum or

pulley and office . . • . 200

25 yards of gangway @ S-»

20 mining cars (// 410

25

12,726

Besides this there are to be built

about 0 double miner houses (a $400 $2,400

A Superintendent 's house and store 1,200

Total, f&S25

i With the outlay of this capital any amount of coal

can be brought in the market, and I have no doubt, the demand for this coal will be great enough to establish an extensive mining business as soon as the superior quality of it is sufficiently known in the commercial world.

• Fifteen feet above the Low Main runs the Small Vein in an average thickness of two feet. I opened this vein on the outcrop near the same place where I opened the Low Main, and although I stated the thickness of only two feet, there is every indication that it will in­crease under more cover to three feet, and perhaps even to more. As all the different veins run parallel, the same rules will stand good in mining them, as given in the de­scription of the Low Main. To avoid unnecessary reca­pitulations I refer- chiefly to them. The samples I col­lected from this vein were unfit for an analysis, as the openings were made too near the outcrop and the coal too much crushed and intermixed with the accompanying slate. But I can say with certainty, that the coal is highly bituminous, so that one ton of it will surely give from fifteen to twenty gallons of oil. This circumstance en­hances the value of the vein considerably. The mate­rials needed for the erection of a coal oil manufactory, are so abundant and so near at hand that the first outlay will be very small, and I have no doubt, that if a market can be found or any other use can be made with the coke remaining in the retorts, to cover the expenses for mining the coal, a very lucrative business could be established. The demand for coal oil for various pur­poses is in a high increase, and experience has already shown that the oil springs in the western part of this state are giving out rapidly, new discoveries getting scarce and scarcer. For this reason the manufacturer of oil from coal has not to fear too great a competition from the oil

orines a fair profit will be secured to him, if the condi­tions for an establishment of this kind justify the erection at the beginning. The price for raw oil is 2.) cents per ffallon at the springs, the refining is done in the eastern cities, and the refined oil is sold at tatf cents wholesale.

One ton of the Small Vein contains at least sixteen

gallons of oil, which are worth 25 cents per . *4 00

gallon or * The mining and other extras per ton cost J l 00

The extracting of the oil J ^ > • * * • »

Remains a net profit of $- J,()

without the coke remaining in the retorts, of about one-

half ton to every ton of coal.

I must remark, that the figures of the costs are rather too high, as the mining as well as the exac t ing can be done for lower prices ; but I always take ,t for a better method in making calculations of tins k.nd, to put the costs a little higher, which will raise the es,mated pro at the end, than to take them too low, by winch the result will remain behind the expected estimation.

It is, moreover, impossible yet, to make a fa o * » Won as long as the amount of bitumen contamul n the

coal is not fully tested * * * ^ ? 2 £ j £ vise you therefore, to order a shatt to u the vein under a high cover, say about * £ * { £ £ collect samples front different parts o d u « « * -jected to an exact • £ £ » £ £ of Ac ™« l.f ^ chemists of the o t y c , P h , a d h .maJ J-about s ixteen amount of bitumen readies y manufac-gallonsof oil per ton, the erection of a coal o 1 forv would be advisable, as in tins case a la.r pro!

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guaranteed. Under all circumstances a nearer investi­gation will be justified, as the costs of it amount to com­paratively nothing.

In the tracts Nos. 1, 2, 5 and 6, this vein covers about 650 acres. One acre contains at the thickness of two feet 3,226 tons, which gives a total of 2,096,900 tons. Taking off one-third for waste and pillars the coal to be mined out amounts to 1,397,934 tons.—

The next vein in ascending order and about fifty feet above the Small Vein is the S. C. Rolling Vein. The thickness of this vein varies from three to four sometimes even to five feet, from which the attribute " rolling", a name given by the miners, who worked this vein exten­sively in the lands of one of the adjoining companies. The coal is nearly the same as that of the Low Main, very free from sulphur and slate, and in high repute for blacksmithing, for which purpose it was sold in consider­able quantities by some of the companies of the Clinton County Region. The mining of the coal has no difficul­ties, but the varying thickness gives some annoyance to the miners. I opened the vein in Miller's field in tract

>. 1. A small terrace through the middle of this field indicates the outcrop. The area of workable coal covers about 250 acres. To explain the great difference between the area of the Small Vein, which is only fifty feet lower, I

tve to state, that the area of the Rolling Vein is much ider than 250 acres, but the small cover over it will not

justify the expression "workable." One acre contains 6,453 at an average thickness of the vein of four feet, making a total of 1,613,250 tons. Deducting one-third for waste and pillars, the amount of coal to be taken out is 1,075,500 tons.—

From forty-five to fifty feet above the Rolling Vein runs the Top Vein. I opened this vein above Miller's

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field in tract No. 1 at two different places. With one shaft I struck the vein in a depth of eleven feet in a thick­ness of four feet, but the cover was not sufficiently high to find the coal in its pure state, and although the hill rises about twelve feet higher, I doubt that the coal in any place will be found workable. The area covered by the vein is about 75 acres. Below this vein is a very pure fireclay four feet in thickness, which could be mined together with the coal. As the coal is hard enough for the burning of fireclay bricks, it can be used for this or similar purposes advantageously. To send it to the market I would not advise, as long as no further investigations prove its fitness for it. The shaft through the vein was three by five feet wide. I examined every piece of coal as it came out with the greatest attention, but did not find any single trace of sulphur. This fact would prove the coal very valuable if it should be found workable anywhere.

T o give a fair idea of the dip of the different coal-veins, I measured the heights of the three ridges, and drew two vertical sections through their length and breadth in the map. A glance at it will make the con. ditions of the different stratas easy to understand.

Tracts Nos. 13,14 and 15.

No. 13 has about SO or 40 acres of the Rolling Vein.

T h e measure of these tracts lay below the conglomer­ate and contain no coal. If the ore vein below this rock is in a workable state, it must be deferred to further in­vestigation. A description of this ore vein I shall give

below.

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Tracts Nos. 7 and 9 .

In the tracts 7 and 9, the conglomerate caps the hills and covers their slopes, so that there is no prospect of any workable coal vein, which may be the case in Tracts No. 11 and 12; but as they are too remote from the railroads, the nearer investigations must be deferred to the future.

Tracts Nos. 3 and 4.

In these tracts the northern slope of the ridge in the tracts Nos. 1 and 2, described before, is intersected by the " Middle Run " (see map) forming two spurs and a basin of about 200 acres, containing the Low Main and Small Vein. The Rolling Vein is in the top of the ridge but if workable is doubtful.

Tracts 8 and 10.

The ridge running from west to east in the tracts 5 and 6, is intersected by the coal run in the lands of the Farrandsville Coal Company, its prolongation forms another ridge in the tracts 8 and 10. The southern slope is owned by this company, who have worked the Low Main in different places, their gangways extending towards the boundaries of tracts 8 and 10. No doubt exists, that about 200 acres containing the Low Main and Small Vein can be mined out by using the gangways of the aforenamed company.

About the further geological condition of your pro­perty I have to remark, that a coarse sandstone (second conglomerate) in a thickness of about fifteen feet runs eight feet below the Rolling Vein. To this rock is to ascribe the existence of the ridges in tracts 1,2, 5, 6, 8 and 10, as

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it withstood the inundations and preserved in this way for mankind the great mineral resources of their contents. The absence of this rock would have made those ridges with their coal veins an easy prey of the waves of the floods, leaving nothing but the lower conglomerate as a barren but mighty witness of their irresistible powers.

The lower conglomerate crops out in a thickness of twenty-two feet on both sides of the south branch of Tangascootack Creek, yielding an inexhaustible amount of building materials. From its middle down, six to eight feet thick, is a eompact white, coarse-grained sand­stone, which is unsurpassed for hearthstones in iron smelt­ing furnaces, and affords building stones of every size from the largest column to every cube desired. As will be seen from the vertical sections of the map, the lower coal vein runs in a distance of fifteen feet above the conglomerate..

Iron Ores.

There are many outcrops of small iron ore veins diffused through the whole measures, but I found none sufficiently thick to be called workable, although their quality is in some places excellent. A few feet above the Top Vein is a clay slate interspersed with superior hematite ore, and a similar one at the top of the Rolling Vein. Five feet above the Small Vein in a hard dark slate, runs a vein of superior blackbancl ore, of the thick­ness ofabout one foot, changing sometimes in a slate of the same color as the one but of less or no iron yield.

Below the conglomerate is a vein of yellow hematite ore varying in thickness from four feet to a mere trace of it. This vein sometimes parts in two, both of workable thickness and has in some places a great similarity with the s. c. red shell ore. In the lands of the Tangascootack

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Coal and Iron Company, this vein showed every indica­tion of a workable state, and was the cause of inducing this company to the erection of a small charcoal furnace. But it soon gave out, and researches at other places gave no satisfactory result. This enterprise therefore must be pronounced a failure. The coal measures of Clinton County are not high enough to contain one of the moun­tain limestone veins, which material must be used in great quantities to flux the highly silicious ores, and as it is to be brought by railroad from far distances, the costs of it fall too heavy in the balance of any calculation. As long therefore as no other veins of ore are found of sufficient quality and quantity to be smelted together with the ores below the conglomerate, I would never advise any com­pany in this region to sink large funds in the erection of an iron smelting establishment

Agriculture.

The three ridges in the tracts Nos. 1, 2, 5 and 0, are

very well watered, and slope gently down in a southern direction. The measures between the upper and lower conglomerate are nearly free of stones, and covered with a subsoil of more than two feet thickness from the de­

cayed woods of thousands of years, which circumstance makes the slopes of said ridges exceedingly well adapted

for agricultural purposes, a fact very seldom found in mineral districts, particularly coal fields.

Congratulating you, gentlemen, for the proper in­vestment of your capital in buying so valuable a property, and with the sincere desire to see the most sanguine

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hopes for the development of your estate realized, I remain

Very Respectfully Yours,

FRED. WINTER,

Geologist and Mining Engineer.

ASHFIELD, CLINTON COUNTY, PENN'A., NOV. 24th, I860,

Nos, i, <?, 5 and 6 there is over 200 acres more land

than is estimated in these tracts. And the allowance of

six per cent, in all the tracts—All the old tracts largely

over run the amount marked on the draft.