Coals and Collieries.

As this is all worked together, it may be regarded as a full three feet bed of coal, exclusive of the shale. There is an increase of thickness as the bed is penetrated, and the lowest measurements are near the entrance of the mine. The roof is of firm slate, and in good condition throughout the entire workings. The coals of the Cumberland coal basin are so well known for their superior qualities as steam-generating coals, and for domestic and other purposes, that it would seem useless to dilate upon that point. The coal of the Bluebough bed is held in the highest estimation for steam purposes, and is said to be preferred to any other in the region. It burns in an ordinary grate with a bright flame and little smoke, and is very durable. It also produces an excellent coke.

The Parker coal lies about thirty-six feet higher in the series, and has likewise been opened upon the left bank of the stream just mentioned, a short distance above the opening of the lower bed. The measurements made of this coal along the drifts where it has been worked, show a thickness of from two feet to thirty inches, with an increase as we penetrate the hill, and may be regarded as giving two feet and a half of coal. The coal of the Parker bed does not differ essentially in its external appearance, or other characteristics from that of the Bluebough bed. The extent of mining operations heretofore carried on in each, seems to have been nearly the same, and the coal of each bed is mined with equal facility. Both mines are in excellent condition for recommencing the work of mining on a large scale, if it be considered desirable.

At twenty-five or thirty feet above the Parker coal bed is another, known as the Powell coal bed, and said to have a thickness of three and a half feet. This bed was not opened at the time of my examination, and I have therefore no personal knowledge of its character.

In the ascending order, another bed of coal, known as the Percy coal bed, lies some forty or fifty feet above the Parker coal bed, and about twenty feet above the Powell coal bed. This is said to be from twenty-eight inches to two feet and a half thick, and the coal of good quality. At the time of my exmination this bed was not opened so as to permit of personal examination.

Some thirty feet higher lies a fifth bed of coal, known as the Hall bed. This has been opened on Jonsie's Run, and has been worked to some extent, and a quantity of coal now lies at the mouth of the mine, which has withstood the action of the weather for several years, and is still in good condition. A fresh mass of this coal presented a brilliant fracture, and freedom from impurities, which indicate a valuable coal. The absence of iron pyrites may be inferred from the fact, that the coal lying so long exposed, is still firm, and shows no effects due to the decomposition of this mineral. The bed is said to be four feet thick, but not having been wrought for some time, the condition of the interior of the mine did not admit of our entering.

There is a sixth bed of coal, known as the Rush Run coal, having a thickness of two feet; and still higher, another bed of two feet thick, having immediately above it a bed of iron ore fourteen inches thick; although the coal alone in this bed may not be sufficient to prove profitable working, it may be found practicable hereafter, when the manufacture of iron shall be established, to work both the coal and iron ore at the same time.

Of these several beds of coal, my attention was especially directed to the Bluebough, the Parker and the Hall beds, the former two of which are now in excellent working condition, and the third has been opened to a sufficient extent to prove its thickness and quality.

The openings of the first two, as before said, are directly upon the railroad, and of the other upon Jonsie's Run, where a descending tram-road or railroad may be made for a short distance, to connect with the railroad along the north fork of Jennings' Run.

* I have the authority of Mr. Hall, the foreman manager of the place, under whose direction it was opened, for the thickness of the bed.

Fire Clays-Beds of fire clay out-crop at numerous points on this estate, and the quality of some of these is second to none in the country for the manufacture of the best of fire bricks. Other beds, of less pure clay, are adapted to making bricks of an inferior quality, and on the out-crop give rise to beds of clay fitted for the manufacture of common building bricks, and for which purpose it is valuable in this part of the country.

The lowest bed of fire clay seen, lies beneath the conglomerate of the coal measures. It has a thickness of five feet, and at many points along its outcrop can be mined at a very moderate expense.

The second bed of fire clay lies directly beneath the lower coal bed, and is fourteen feet thick, It has been penetrated by a shaft cutting the lower coal on the north fork of Jennings' Run, near the village and brick works, and its out-crop has been traced along the hill to the north-east, where at one point it is now being extensively quarried. It is likewise at other points, at one place, more than two miles to the north-east of the first opening, it has been penetrated by a shaft, and shows still the same character as at the other openings; near the last-mentioned point, also, the lower coal has been penetrated by a shaft.

This clay is of most excellent quality for the manufacture of fire bricks. It is the same in quality as the bed from which the celebrated Mount Savage fire bricks are manufactured.* The bed is accessible every where along its eastern out-crop, and can be wrought with trifling expense. It is likewise accessible at the base of the hill, a short distance below the brick works, and can be wrought either in connection with the lower coal or separately. It has all the advantages of a gradual ascent to the east and north-east, the direction in which it would be wrought, giving, at the same time, a descending grade for the transportation of the clay to the level of the works in the valley of the north fork.

The great thickness, superior quality and accessibility of this fire clay, renders it an item of very great importance in the value of the property; and it may be made a source of large revenue to the estate.

A third bed of fire-clay, ten feet thick, lies beneath the Bluebough and Parker coal beds. A fourth bed of fire clay lies above the Parker coal seam. This bed has a thickness of twelve to fifteen feet or more, and contains several layers of iron ore. The clay is variable in quality in different parts; and though fire bricks have been made of it, care will be required in the selection in order to obtain a uniformity of character. However, it is scarcely possible to anticipate a time when this bed will be required; since the fourteen feet bed of the best clay will afford sufficient material for the most extensive mannfacture of bricks for many years to come.

Fire clay of good quality appears at several other points on the out-crop of beds; but I cannot speak with certainty in regard to its thickness. So far as regards this material, the estate possesses an inexhaustible supply of the best quality, and admirably suited for mining and converting into fire bricks.

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN AND LEHIGH RIVER RAILROAD.

This is another proposed route by which the coal of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, may reach the Eastern markets. The conclusions drawn by Mr. Rea, the engineer, in the annexed report are very strong in favor of the construction of this road. The parties associated for the purpose, have, it appears, opened books of subscription at Schuylkill Haven. In the report of Mr. Rea are presented the facts relative to the region for the proposed route, and also some comparisons are made with other routes.

The Mount Savage Company, located two miles west of your works have an iron furnace and rolling mills for the manufacture of railroad iron, and are also largely engaged in the manufacture of fire brick. They at present employ eight hundred men. Their fire brick are made by the old hand process, which costs from $15 to $18 per thousand.

The accompanying Report of a preliminary survey of the railroad route embraced in your charter, is respectfully submitted for your consideration; as also a map and profile showing the ground to be occupied and the grades of the road.

Commencing the survey at the crossing of the Mine Hill and Reading railroads, near Schuylkill Haven, and following as nearly as practicable in preliminary survey the ground likely to be occupied by a located line, the distance to the mouth of Lizard Creek, on the Lehigh Valley railroad, is something less than thirty miles.

The first half of this distance, from Schuylkill Haven to the Summit near Kepner's, five miles east of the Little Schuylkill, covers all the ground in any way expensive to construct a railroad upon, and presents two distinct lines for your consideration. The first, or Northern line will have a grade of twenty feet per mile ascending eastward, and can be constructed at a very moderate expense. The second, or Southern line, will admit of a grade not exceeding twelve feet per mile ascending eastward, but will require a somewhat increased expenditure for construction and for land damages. These lines would unite about one mile west of Kepner's Summit. From this summit to the Lehigh, the valley of Lizard Creek is so direct, and of nearly uniform descent, as to admit of almost a straight line at a very small expense. Upon this portion of your road, the average grade descending to the Lehigh will be twenty-four feet per mile.

Location, Northern Line.-It is proposed to commence the location at a point on the Mine Hill Railroad about two miles above the junction with the Reading Railroad, by which one mile of distance will be saved, and a more favorable grade obtained. There ascending with a grade of twenty feet per mile, cross over the Reading Railroad at the end of the first mile:-then following the slope of the hill to the Poor House, pass the summit at Lessig's with a cut of twenty feet:-then keeping along the Southern slope of the slate ridge, which extends from the Schuylkill to the Lehigh, and crossing the branches of Mohannan and Pine creeks with tolerably high embankments, and keeping north of Orwigsburg, reach the summit at Stigerwalt's with a cut of forty feet deep, and then descend along the Southern slope of the hill to the Little Schuylkill with a grade of forty feet per mile; cross the Little Schuylkill at the Dark Hole north of Ringgold with a high bridge, and then ascend with a grade of twenty feet per mile along the southern slope of the slate hill to the fourteenth mile-then crossing the valley of Koenig's creek near Henry Sassaman's, and cutting through the Limestone Ridge near Jacob Goodshall's, keep along the south slope of this ridge to Kepner's Summit, at the seventeenth mile; and passing this summit with a ent of about thirty feet, commence descending with the waters of Lizard Creek, crossing to the north side of Limestone Ridge with the stream some distance east of the summit, and keeping the north slope of this ridge and the valley of Lizard Creek to Pennsville; then passing through the ridge with the stream, and keeping down the valley, join the Lehigh Valley Railroad near the mouth of Lizard Creek, in a total distance of thirty-one miles.

From a careful computation of the amount of work upon this line, I estimate its cost as follows:

The claims for land damages along this line would be small, as it avoids the more highly cultivated and valuable farming land for almost the entire distance.

Southern Line.-The location of this line corresponds with the northern line to Lessig's Summit. The line then diverges to the south, keeping the valley north of Orwigsburg,―cutting through the summit south of Hummel's,

and taking the north slope of Limestone Ridge to Pine creek,-crossing this creek with a tolerably high embankment near Schall's powder mill, then along the south slope of Limestone Ridge to the summit at Moyer's,-then keeping south of McKeansburg and crossing the Little Schuylkill south of Ringgold :— cutting through the summit between Little Schuylkill and Sechler's run, and keeping along the south slope of Limestone Ridge, connects with the Northern line near Kepner's Summit. This line can be constructed with a grade of twelve feet per mile ascending eastward, without any increase of distance, and would avoid the descending eastward grade to the Little Schuylkill.

The cost of construction would somewhat exceed that of the Northern line, princpally for crossing the Little Schuylkill at a less favorable point, and the claims for land damages would be considerably augmented. A more careful instrumental examination of this line, upon the final location of your road, may lead to its adoption in preference to the Northern line at an increased cost. As a grade of twenty-one feet per mile has been adopted upon the New Jersey Central Railroad, which must govern in a considerable degree the working of trains upon your road; and as the Northern line will afford this grade at a very moderate cost, it was not deemed necessary in the preliminary survey to examine more than the governing points of the Southern line, which establish the practicability of a grade not exceeding twelve feet per mile against a coal tonnage, and of grades ascending westward of not exceeding thirty feet per mile. The determination of the grade to be adopted upon your road, will be simply a question of arithmetical calculation. The difference in cost of transportation upon a grade of twelve feet, or twenty feet per mile, according to the data we have assumed in the following portion of this report would be about 24 cents per ton for the entire length of your road, in favor of a grade of twelve feet. Estimating money for railroad investments as worth 8 per cent. per annum, it would require a business something over three hundred thousand tons annually for each one hundred thousand dollars expended in reducing the grades from twenty to twelve feet per mile. A grade of twelve feet would have an ultimate annual capacity of about 3,000,000 tons with a double track, and 750,000 tons with a single track; a grade of twenty feet, a capacity of 2,500,000 for a double track, and 600,000 for a single track. Either would be capable of a business equalling your most sanguine anticipations.

The connections of your road with other railroads, will be highly favorable for coal trade. It will connect directly with the Mine Hill railroad whose tonnage is fast approaching two millions annually; and by a branch of two to three miles your road can connect at Mt. Carbon with the other coal-carrying roads of the Schuylkill. These direct connections are of great importance, as they obviate the necessity of using any portion of the avenues controlled by opposing interests. They also command the outlets of by far the largest proportion of the coal shipped from Schuylkill county.

It will connect with Lehigh Valley railroad, at a point about thirty-eight miles above Easton, and your whole business will thus pass over about fivesixths of the entire length of that road. This will afford the most favorable connection for that company for the coal trade of Schuylkill county, and from the large amount of business awaiting an outlet in that direction, your road will be one of the most important tributaries of the Lehigh Valley railroad, and of the New Jersey Central railroad. You can, therefore, expect to be met by these companies by liberal arrangements for transportation, and perhaps by material aid in the construction of the short link promising to add so largely to their business.

Your road will connect the mines of Schuylkill county by railroad directly with the harbor of New York, by the shortest and least expensive link yet to be constructed for that purpose. Such a road is now required by our coalmining interests, and could not fail of receiving a large coal and miscellaneous tonnage. It will soon become indispensably necessary to enable our miners and shippers to reach the harbor of New York with their coal at all seasons

Coals and Collieries.

of the year in competition with the coal of other regions.-The ability to reach this coal-consuming heart at the season when its demands are the greatest, cannot be too highly appreciated. Those whose foresight and energy have preceded us in this, have every prospect of reaping an early and rich reward.

Will the business offered warrant the construction of your Road, with the prospect of remunerating dividends? To establish this, we would merely refer to the extent of the coal trade, and the proportion of it which will be made tributary to your Road.

The coal trade of Schuylkill county has now reached an aggregate of nearly four millions of tons annually, of which at least one-half goes to New York and points eastward and northward. Of this latter, a large proportion would pass over you Road as soon as completed, rendering it a dividendpaying road from its opening.

By a comparison of the areas of the several coal fields drained by the railroads penetrating them, we find the proportion converging to the following points about as follows, viz:

To Schuylkill Haven, an area of
"Mt, Carbon,

Tributary to your Road,

To Tamaqua,

"Mauch Chunk,

82 square miles

32

66

66

114 "

66

20

66

66

66

66

60

174

Total from Schuylkill and Lehigh,

of which your Road, by a short lateral to Mt. Carbon, will command one hunAnd this large dred and fourteen square miles, or two-thirds of the entire coal fields artificially drained by the improvements of the Schuylkill and Lehigh, allowing to the latter about twenty square miles of the Wyoming coal fields. proportion of these coal fields converging upon your Road, is now sending and will always continue to send its full proportion of anthracite coal to market. This proportion of one hundred and fourteen square miles of coal field made tributary to your Road, contains probably a greater amount of coal per acre than any other portion of the anthracite coal fields. The upper beds contain the only Red Ash and Gray Ash coals reaching the eastern markets; -the lower beds contain White Ash coal unsurpassed in quality or quantity by any other region. You can therefore have no doubts of a sufficient coal business for the present support of your Road, with every reason to expect your business to increase as rapidly as you shall be prepared to accommodate it.

Besides the coal tonnage, you can reasonably calculate upon a considerable passenger and miscellaneous trade growing up with a direct railroad communication between the Schuylkill coal region and the city of New York, which will add materially to your business, and be an important item of reve

nue.

The distance to New York, by the Schuylkill Haven and Lehigh River, Lehigh Valley and New Jersey Central Railroads, is as follows:

Mt, Carbon to Mouth of Lizzard Creek,

Mouth of Lizzard Creek to Easton,

Easton to Elizabethport via N. York Harbor,
Elizabethport to New York,

By Phila, & Reading and N. Jersey Railroads,

By Schuylkill Navigation and Delaware and Raritan Canal,

By Phila. & Reading Railroad and Delaware and Raritan Canal,

Can your road compete with other lines carrying coal, in the cost of transIn the last annual report of the Reading Railroad Company, we portation? have the cost of transporting coal on railroads deduced from the experience on that road for the last five years, by J. Dutton Steel, Esq. This is undoubtedly the most complete and reliable analysis of the cost of transporting coal to