xt7m0c4sjp37 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7m0c4sjp37/data/mets.xml Norwood, Charles Joseph, b. 1853. 1878  books b96-13-34908700 English Stereotyped for the Survey by Major, Johnston & Barrett, Yeoman Press, : Frankfort, Ky. : Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Geology Kentucky. Coal Kentucky. Report of examinations made along the paths of the north and south running railways in western Kentucky  / by Charles J. Norwood. text Report of examinations made along the paths of the north and south running railways in western Kentucky  / by Charles J. Norwood. 1878 2002 true xt7m0c4sjp37 section xt7m0c4sjp37 












GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF KENTUCKY.

          N. S. SHALER, DIRECTOR.


       A REPORT OF EXAMINATIONS

            MADZ ALONG THE PATHS OF THE


NORTH AND SOUTH RUNNING RAILWAYS

                    IN

    WESTERN KENTUCKY.

         BY CHARLES J. NORWOOD.

      PART VII. VOIL. IV. SECOND SERIES.
  STEREOTYKD FOR THE St HS Y BY AJOR, JOHNST)N    -RA TT, SOMAN PRESS, FRANRI2RT, AT.
                                     285 & 28

 This page in the original text is blank.

 









INTRODUCTORY LETTER.



Professor N. S. SHALER, Director Kentucky Geological Surz'ey:
  DEAR SIR: I herewith present a report of a reconnoissance
made along parts of the lines of the north and south running
railways that lie within the western coal field. The report is
not so complete as at first might seem desirable; it is believed,
however, that it will materially aid future investigations in the
regions of which it treats. My acknowledgments are due to
Captain R. S. Triplett, of Owensboro', and Hon. John McFar-
land, of Daviess county; to Mr. W. F. Barclay, of Russell-
ville; Mr. Samuel Gaines, Editor of the Hopkinsville New
Era, and Mr. Hunter Wood, of Hopkinsville; Col. Sebree,
Mr. J. F. Ford, and Mr. Atkinson, of Earlington; to Mr.
William Mills, of Nortonville (who spent a number of days
with me), and to Mr. M. H. Crump (now of Paris, Kentucky),
for assistance kindly rendered me.
  Mr. C. W. Beckham, Aid to the Survey, accompanied me
for the purpose of studying the timber and soils adjacent to
the railroad lines.
                       Respectfully,
                                   C. J. NORWOOD.
                                                      287

 



A REPORT OF EXAMINATIONS MADE ALONG THE
  PATHS OF THE NORTH AND SOUTH RUNNING
      RAILWAYS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.


                            I.
  The results obtained from the examinations conducted along
the lines of the north and south running railways of Western
Kentucky-namely, the Evansville, Owensboro' and Nashville,
and the St. Louis and Southeastern-are, unfortunately, quite
imperfect, so far as relates to the details of many parts of the
regions through which the roads pass.
  The wisdom of having an east and west section constructed
as the first work in the field soon became apparent, when work
was begun on the north and south running lines. Many points
which, by the aid of the east and west section, are now per-
fectly clear, would have seemed almost hopelessly obscure
without the aid of such a section.
  Even with the aid of that section, however, there are, as
stated above, some parts of the regions in which the succes-
sion and conditions of the beds underlying the surface are
obscure.
  This is largely due to the peculiar geographical features of
the regions along the lines of road; the conditions of which are
such, that the rock exposures are limited in number, and are fre-
quently far between.
  As we recede from the Ohio river we find, in the case
of each road, a wide extent of comparatively flat land, which
reaches southwardly, from the river, for several miles. On
the St. Louis and Southeastern road, this region of com-
paratively flat land extends southwardly for about seventeen
miles-reaching from Henderson nearly to Sebree; on the
Evansville, Owensboro' and Nashville road, the larger part
288

 
     AND SOUTH RUNNING RAILWAYS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.  5

of the distance from Owensboro' to Crow's Station-a dis-
tance of nine miles-is comparatively flat land.
  Then a succession of low hills and intermediate flat lands-
the valleys of nearry all the streams are, for the most part, low
flats-are the elements in the topography for several miles
towards the south, until we reach what appears to be the great
ridge of the coal field. This term, however, is used not so
much on account of the actual relative height of the ridge,
for this varies considerably in places, but because of its
height and linear extent together. It is on this elevation that
Madisonville in Hopkins county, and South Carrollton on the
Green river, stand; and it seems to be the one which extends
through Ohio county, being included between the streams which
flow southwardly into the Green river, and those which flow
northwardly into Muddy creek. The ridge, as a distinct fea-
ture in the geography, seems to be terminated on the east by
the waters of Caney creek; but its western termination is not
known.
  A glance at the map of Kentucky will show that the ridge
is cut transversely many times by streams, though not so fre-
quently as shown by the map. Indeed, so far as that alone
would show, there does not seem to be any distinct line of
elevation extending along the course indicated above, the ex-
istence of the ridge only becoming apparent (in the present
condition of our maps),. upon observations made in the field.
  This ridge, as will become apparent hereafter, is of much
importance in both an economic and a scientific point of view,
and it is desirable that its form, extent, and structure should
be well understood.
  After passing over this ridge, we again enter flat land, which
seems to be wider in a north and south direction in the west,
than in the east; then, within a few miles, we begin to ascend,
and soon pass beyond the borders of the coal field.
  It will be observed that low lands seem to be the prevailing
features in the geography of that part of the coal field crossed
by the north and south lines of railroad; and that the courses
'A detailed discussion of this ridge is reserved for a report to be given hereafter.
    VOL. tV.-19                                           289

 
6   EXAMINATIONS MADE ALONG THE PATHS OF THE NORTH



of the ridges and of the valleys are usually in a west and east
direction.
  This arrangement of the feature lines is to be referred to
two causes; that is, the relative proportions of low and high
lands is chiefly dependent on the composition of the under-
lying beds, while the direction of the ridges is largely due to
the condition of the beds.
  Along the larger part of the distance traversed by each road,
shale beds or very incoherent, easily disintegrated sandstones
are the surface beds. As a result, we find extensive "flats"
prevailing in those regions that are underlaid by the shales,
and the hills low where the sandstones are the first underlying
beds. Such hills, besides being low, have another marked
characteristic; they are, usually, either flat-topped, set with
occasional hillocks (a condition which seems to be due to a
mingling of shales and soft sandstones), or their surface is
gently undulating, though not infrequently marked with many
shallow ravines, which are usually deepest in the sandstones-
flattening out in the shale beds.
  In no part of the State, perhaps, has the eroding power of
water been more effectual in altering the surface features of a
region than in the western coal field. No deep gorges are
left (though there is no reason to suppose they have not ex-
isted for a time), nor are there any high mountains to be seen;
but, instead, a great and general leveling has taken place, and
is even now in operation, the form of the surface being altered,
and the heights lowered rapidly year after year.
  The surface is especially marked by flats towards the Ohio
river, along both railroads; so that few or no available rock
outcrops are seen in that direction; and even when we comen
farther south good exposures of the beds are rare. These
conditions, taken in connection with the fact that a fault or
fold extends across the country in an eastwardly and west-
wardly direction-the disturbance (although sometimes par-



The topography of the coal field, and the various details concerning it; the effect of
the composition and condition of the beds upon water-courses, etc., is to receive attention
in a future report
290

 
     AND SOUTH RUNNING RAILWAYS OF WFESrERN KENTUCKY.     7

tially masked) reaching fully from the east boundary of Ohio
county to Sebree, in Webster county, and probably beyond
-show at once the difficulty, if not the impracticability, of
constructing a connected geological section from the Ohio
river southwardly, without the aid of more complete data than
can be obtained by limiting the observations to the narrow
strips along these lines of railroad. The most we are able to
(lo is to obtain skeleton sections along these lines, which may
be filled in when needed (and any imperfect conclusions modi-
tied), as the material is gathered from the more extended
surveys that may be made to the east and west of the lines.
The plan has accordingly been to delineate, in a simple man-
ner, on the profiles, such outcrops as were found-without
attempting to show them continuously connected, except in
those places where a perfect familiarity with the relative
positions of the beds, or the distinctness of the connection
warranted it; and to give a general outline of the economic
geology along the lines.
  Plates of comparative sections of the beds exposed along
the respective roads, and other necessary illustrations, are
appended to the report.
                              II.
  THE EVANSVILLE, OWENSBORO', AND NASHVILLE RAILROAD.
  At present the rails are laid on this road from Owensboro'
only so far as its point of junction with the Elizabethtown and
lPaducah Railroad (at Owensboro' Junction), a distance of about
thirty-six miles.t
  The southern extension of the road seems to lie within the
limits of the coal measures for the most of its length through
Muhlenburg county; and from data obtained from Mr. Bar-
clay, of Russellville, there seem to be outliers on the line in
the northern part of Logan county. For the present, only
'This disturbance was more fully studied in Ohio county, and there received the name
Of the "d Rough Creek uplift." I first suspected its existence in 1874, hut did not fully
determine its general character until the spring of t876, when the study of Ohio county
was undertaken. February, 1877.
t It is understood that arrangements are now in progress for the completion of the road
to Nashville.  March, 1877.
                                                             291

 

8    EXAMINATIONS MADE ALONG THE PATHS OF THE NORTH

that part of the line which extends from Owensboro', through
Daviess and McLean counties, to Owensboro' Junction, in
Muhlenburg county, will be discussed; the intention being to
complete the section from Owensboro' Junction to the Logan
county line when the survey of Muhlenburg county is com-
pleted. At Owensboro' Junction we find what are considered
to be the highest workable coals yet found in the western coal
field, namely, coals A and B.
  One or the other of the coals, usually coal B, is worked in
the several mines at the Junction. Coal B has been worked
in the Louisville and Stroud City mine, in the Ross mines, and
the Galena, formerly known as the St. Louis mine. The
coal is reached by shafting at the Galena and the Louis-
ville and Stroud City mine, but at the Ross mines the bed is
reached by drifting. These mines were noticed in a former
report.
  Following are analyses of averaged samples of coal B col-
lected at the several banks:

              COMPOSITION.                1       2      3

Moisture...................               4.16    3.36     5.40
Volatile combustible matter.... .. .. .. ..    37.44   37.90    34.20
Fixed carbon..... .. .. .. .. .. . .. .    49.80   52 74    54.20
Ash. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. ..    8.6o    6. oo    6.20
Total..00.00                                    ioo.oo l00.00

Sulphur..... .                            2727    2.686    3.136
Specific gravity.                         1-407   1-309    1.235

  No. I is from the upper member of the bed at the Ross
mines.
  No. 2 is an analysis of the bed at the Louisville and Stroud
City shaft.
  No. 3 is the analysis of samples collected from the Galena
mine.



See report on the geology along the line of the Louisville, Paducah, and Southwest-
eam Railway, part VI, volume I, second series Kentucky Geological Reports, N. S. Shaler,
Director.
292

 

     AND SOUTH RUNNING RAILWAYS OF WESTERN KENTUCKIY.       9

  The upper sixteen inches of the bed at the Junction Is
known as the "gas coal." Following are analyses of sam-
ples collected from (a) the Galena shaft and (b) the Louis-
ville and Stroud City mines:

                  COMPOSITION.                   a  

Moisture......................            .       4.60     4.60
Volatile combustible matter .................. .  37.60   42.60
Fixed carbon......... .. . .. .. .. .. . ..   .   52.64    50.o6
Ash. .  . .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. ..               5...          1..    . 16    2.74
Total..                          ...... .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. . .. .      _.00t00.0o

Sulphur ....... .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. ..  ,    .   2.372     .60o
Specific gravity.                  ....................   1.307   1.280

  Coal B is about on the level, or a short distance below the level
of the railroad at Owensboro Junction, and dips towards the
northwest.
  As stated in a former report, Owensboro' Junction seems to
lie within a geological depression, the beds rising southwardly,
westwardly, and somewhat eastwardly; but dipping northward-
ly.  In the cutting just north of the crossing of the Elizabeth-
town and Paducah Railroad, ten feet of the sandstone which
overlies coals A and B is exposed, the base of the bed not
being visible. Towards the visible base there is a conglom-
erated band of ferruginous concretions; and in the parts near
this ferruginous band, small quartz pebbles, usually not larger
than small shot, are found.
  This sandstone, and the beds of shale associated with it, are
exposed in the cuts, and in the small elevations near the rail-
road, for nearly three quarters of a mile, towards the north;
there being, however, apparently, a general sinking of the
beds in that direction.
   About one quarter of a mile northwardly, beyond the Junc-
tion, the South Carrollton road crosses the railroad, and mounts
a ridge which extends for the larger part of the way to South
Carrollton.
                                                            293

 
10   EXAMINATIONS MADE ALONG THE PATHS OF THE NORTH

  At -the point where the wagon road crosses, just east of
the railroad, sandstone equivalent, in part, to that seen at
Owensboro' Junction is exposed. In some of its parts it is
extremely coarse-grained and conglomerated-the pebbles
being of quartz; they are small, however, and are sparingly
distributed through the rock, which is incoherent and ferru-
ginous brown in color.   Within a short distance from this
exposure, on a higher part of the ridge, at the base of which
the sandstone crops out, other beds are exposed, as shown in
the following section:
i. Variegated Sandstone-colors, brown, pink, and yellow. The rock is soft
    and incoherent......... .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .  .  20 feet.
2. Space......... .. . .. .. .. . .. ... . .. ..   .  .  50
.,. Coal has been opened, but is now covered; thickness unknown.
4. Space ............................... . 40
S. Brown, disintegrating Sandstone, somewhat of a conglomerate. Full thick-
    ness not seen.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.1.0...... .. .. . .. .. .. .   .  1
    Total.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.1...... .. .. .. . ... . .. .  .  120
  This is down to the bed of the railroad. Still other beds are
exposed in the ridge as it extends towards South Carrollton,
and will be noticed on a succeeding page.
  Between the fourth and fifth railroad cuts, north of Owens-
boro' Junction, about three thousand feet northwardly from the
wagon road crossing, a shaft was sunk sixty feet in depth, and
coal obtained. Some time prior to these examinations the shaft
had been abandoned; but some of the material in the heap
of debris, near the mouth of the pit, was yet in a fair state
for examination: fragments of limestone containing Mar/inia
(hinea/us) AthIyris sub/ili/a and Crinoid columns were found.
It is stated that coals A and B were both penetrated in the
shaft in this order:
. CoalA.....                                            4  feet.
2. Limestone...... .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. . -454   
3. Coal B-... .-..                              .       5.
  No opportunity has been found for verifying the thickness
given for the beds. This shaft was sunk, it is believed, under
the direction of Mr. Throckmorton.
  Passing on to the north from this shaft, the beds are found
to continue their downward descent towards the north.
24

 

     AND SOUTH RUNNING RAILWAYS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.      I I

  At H. D. Rothrock's mine, about half a mile northwardly
from Throckmorton's shaft, the coals A and B are found at a
depth of one hundred and five feet below the bed of the rail-
road, which has descended about seven feet of vertical dis-
tance from Throckmorton's shaft. This mine is about midway
between Owensboro' Junction and South Carrollton.
  A section of the strata at this mine is quite interesting, as
we have here the first plain section of the beds above coal A,
in which a higher coal is shown.
  The following is the record of the materials penetrated in
the shaft, as furnished by the manager:
i. Earth, etc .......................... 15 feet.
2. Sand rock.......         .                    3 to 4
  "Soap-stone" (argillaceous and sandy shales) . . .  . . . . . . 5o
4. Coal                   .            .                  8 inches.
5. "Soap-stone" (sandy shale).. ...               35
6. Coal A...........   . ... . . .                  5 '.  6
7. Under clay...... .. .. . ..  . ........   2
S. Limestone. ... .        .                  3 feet to 3 ' 6
9. Coal B...     .       ... 4''

  Both of the coal beds were worked, but the lower bed, coal
B, was the one most largely wrought. The upper sixteen
inches of coal B was known at this mine, as at those at
Owensboro' Junction, as the "gas coal," a name which ap-
pearances would seem to justify. It is a remarkably fine
coal for general purposes; and should it prove useful for gas-
naking, it may be mined and shipped distinct from the other
parts of the bed with profit.
  The following is an analysis of averaged samples collected
from coal B, the " working bed: "

Moisture... .. .. .. . .. .. .. . .. .. . .. .. . .. ..      3.80
Volatile combustible matters .................... . .   36.20
Fixed carbon.                                               5180
Ash... .. .. . .. .. . .. .. . .. .. . .. .. .. . .. ..      8.20
Total... .. .. .. . .. .. . .. .. . .. .. .. . .. . ..    100.00

Sulphur.3..... .. . .. .. . .9... .. . .. .. . .. .. . .    3-194
Specific gravity.      .  .        .....                    1.332

 A fire occurred at this mine subsequent to these examinations, and since then it has
not been in operation.
                                                              295

 

12   EXAMINATIONS MADE ALONG THE PATHS OF THE NORTU



   From Rothrock's mine to South Carrollton we find occa-
sional outcrops of the beds which overlie the coals at that
mine. In the bluffs facing Green river, at South Carrollton, a
fine section of the upper beds is exposed. A thickness of at
least one hundred and twenty-five feet of beds is found in the
river bluff, which, added to that found in Rothrock's shaft, at
the foot of the bluff, gives a thickness of about one hundred
and eighty feet of beds which overlie coal A at that point.
   The following is the section exposed in the bluff near Roth-
rock's mine, which is about half a mile below (northwest-
wardly) South Carrollton:
1. Space from hill top, about ................. . 30 feet.
2. Black and chocolate colored Bituminous Slate; the upper two
     inches is soft and smutty.     .      .1.0.............        io inches.
 3. Dark bluish argillaceous Shale.... ............           10
 4. Dark argillaceous Shale and thin lamin. of Coal; may be termcd
     an argillaceous coal-very poor-the earthy matter predomi-
     nating.................       .         ..         .          6
 5. Clay and Shale; the upper two feet is mostly clay, and the lower
     part mostly argillo-sandy shale, greenish drab in color. In
     the clay under the coal (No. 4) irregular pieces of light blue
     clayey limestone, apparently somewhat pyritiferous, are founsd.
     The rock seems to be local in its nature, and is soFewhat con-
     cretionary.................              ,        .  5
 6. Massive Sandstone................. .                  30
 7. Black argillaceous, carbonaceous Shale....... . .. .   .  x
 8. Black bituminous Slate, with thin seams of clay .... . . . .  I
 9. Coal, separated from No. 8 by two inches of clay .. .  .  ..   .  I   x
 to. Variegated Shales (mostly greenish) and thin sandstones . . .  50 "
 . Limestone-the "I South Carrollton Limestone'" . ....   . 3 to 10
 2. Space, probably filled with Shale....... . . . . ..   .   15
 13. Sandstone. This is usually an admirable building stone, and is
     quarried for such purposes in the vicinity of South Carrollton;
     it seems, however, to pass into shaly or thin-bedded sandstone
     at some places....... . . . .. . . . . .. . . .   .  25
14. Shale-sandy and bluish-grey in color....0... .. . .   .  so  
15.Coal . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . "       8  "
16. Sandstone.  ...... .  . .. .   I... . . . . .. .   .  20
17. Argillaceous () Shale....... . .. . . . . .. . .   .  It
I8. Shale and thin streaks of Coal. This is known among the miners
     as the "wild" coal....... .   ..".... . . . . .   .   I  2
19. Coal.................             ....    . from 6   to 6  2
20. Under clay.........................                        4
21. Limestone; base not seen...........         ..               "   6
  The beds from      No. I to    No. 14 are exposed       in the bluff
facing the river; the underlying beds are to be seen in Roth-
rock's shaft, at the base of the bluff.        The   section   is a very
plain one, the succession of the beds, from the top of the hill
to the base of the coal shaft, being quite distinct.
  The Sandstone,No. 6 of the section,is peculiar in some of
its features. It is much cross-laminated towards the bottom;
296

 

     AND SOUTH RUNNING RAILWAYS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.  13

and, near the bottom, frequently immediately above the black
carbonaceous shale (No. 7), conglomerated bands of sand and
ferruginous nodules occur. The exterior of the ferruginouLs
nodules is frequently red (due to oxidation), and where the
sandstone is thinly bedded or incoherent, it is much stained
from them. Knife edges of coal are also not infrequent in
the lower part of the sandstone. The physical character of
the sandstone seems to be variable; varying from a massive
bed to thin or shaly beds, and from a hard, compact rock to a
soft, incoherent one.
  The Limestone, No. II, which, for convenience, has been
termed the "South Carrollton Limestone," varies in thickness
and character; its average thickness may be about six feet.
It is somewhat mottled, having somewhat of a ferruginous
exterior, marked with dove, drab, or ashy white splotches;
upon its fractured surface the rock seems to be mainly blue or
dove-colored, changing at some places to drab or chocolate
brown. In the vicinity of South Carrollton the surface of
the limestone is usually thickly studded with large crinoid col-
umns; other fossils seem to be comparatively rare. Productus
splendens, Athyris sublilita, and an occasional gasteropod, were
found. Immediately at the town the limestone undergoes a
curious modification in thickness. By the road leading down
to the ferry it is found as a massive bed, showing a thickness
of about four and one half or five feet; but at the lage
spring, only a few yards away, the thickness is swelled to
nearly thirteen feet. At the spring the lower ten feet seems
to be massive; but the upper part is a breccia of sandstone
and limestone.
  This bed seems to be quite trustworthy as a source of water
supply; springs are usually found issuing from beneath it.
  This limestone was first noticed on the road to Owensboro'
Junction, at a point about two or perhaps two and a half miles
(by road) from South Carrollton, its position there being
about thirty-seven feet higher than at South Carrollton, and
about fifty-seven feet higher than in the river bluff near Roth-
                                                          297

 
14   EXAMINATIONS MADE ALONG THE PATHS OF THE NORTH

rock's mine; the northwardly dip of the rocks is thus plainly
shown.
  When the first examinations were made in the locality of
South Carrollton, this limestone was referred (although with
some doubt) to the one which usually separates coals A and
B; but the evidence is now pretty plain that it occupies a
position about eighty feet above coal A, there being little
doubt that the coal wrought at Rothrock's mine, below the
town, is to be referred to that number. The order in the
beds at this mine, and in the shaft on the railroad (see page
I x), is nearly the same: in each shaft a coal of twenty inches
in thickness is found, at from thirty to forty feet above the
ones below. It is true that only one coal below the coal of
twenty inches thickness has been found in the South Carroll-
ton shaft; but there is no reason, as yet, to believe it will not
be found. So far, the shaft has been sunk only four feet be-
low the coal, a limestone being encountered at that depth
which has not yet been passed through.
  The coal at the South Carrollton mine seems to have a con-
siderable amount of pyrites distributed through it in lumps
and bands; these are probably partially cleaned from the coal
as it is mined. The upper three feet of the bed is considered
the best; no analyses have yet been made of it. The bed is
about twenty feet, or perhaps a little more, below the level of
thy water in the Green river, when at its ordinary stage. Thie
bed worked at Kincheloe's bluff (or Lewisport, as it is on the
map) is evidently identical with the "1 working bed" at the
Rothrock mine. Its physical characters seem to be the same,
and, so far as shown by long measurements, its position below
the South Carrollton limestone agrees with that of the South
Carrollton bed. The coal was examined, though rather im-
perfectly, at two places, as the drifts could not be entered for
any considerable distance at that time. The section at the
mouth of the drift now working is as follows:
x. Massive Sandstone, about  ..................  2 f feet.
2. Coal and fragile Slate, and threads of clay, in alternating layers . i
3. Coal, with thin seams of clay.            2
4. Clay seam..                                          3 inch.
S Coal. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . ..   .. .. .. . .  3 "  
298

 
     AND SOUTH RUNNING RAILWAYS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.  15

  At an abandoned drift, a few yards down the river from the
above described one, the coal occupies a position about ten
feet lower than at the first bank. The same arrangement of
the parts of the bed occurs, thus:
x, Sandstone.
2. Clay shale and coal.
3. Coal......                        ...... 2feet.
4. Clay......        ......                       .    to X inch.
5. Coal .......................... 3()
  The beds below the coal were not seen.
  From South Carrollton towards Livermore the northwardly
inclination of the strata seems to continue for at least three
miles, and then, at some point beyond that, to rise towards
the north; the precise limit of the northwardly dip, however,
is obscure. The materials exposed in the railroad cuts within
that distance consist chiefly of sandstones and shales. In the
first few cuts beyond South Carrollton a bituminous shale, un-
derlaid by coal, is occasionally exposed. The last exposures
are seen in the tenth and eleventh cuts northwardly from the
town-a distance of about five and a quarter miles from the
station.
  The section in the tenth cut is as follows:
i. Soft, disintegrating Sandstone, about ... . .   15 feet.
2. Jointed blue Shale ................ ...  .0 to 2
3. Dark argillo-bituminous Shale; hard and somewhat slabby . . .  X  6 inches.
4. Coal...      . ......                   X foot to i " 6
5. Under clay..... ... .. .. ... .. . . . .... . I
  In the eleventh cut the section is very little modified; the
coal, however, is about eight feet above the railroad bed, which
is descending towards the north, and argillaceous shale is ex-
posed beneath the under clay.
  From this cut northwardly the road descends irregularly,
sometimes rising, sometimes descending. and reaches a wide
area of flat land at about three miles from South Carrollton.
Just before entering the principal "flat," however, the road
cilts through a low, rather flat-topped elevation, and exposes
lilmestone; this is at a point about four miles from South Car-
rollton. The limestone is filled with Mfar/inia plano-convexits,
.aild contains At41his subliZiltz and Afarfinia perplexits  The
precise relative position of this bed is conjectural; the expos-
                                                             299

 

16   EXAMINATIONS MADE ALONG THE PATHS OF THE NORTH



ure is very limited; the base is not exposed, and the outcrop
is limited to a horizontal distance of only a few yards. The
bed is exposed in the middle of the cut, and is concealed,
apparently cut off, by quaternary deposits towards the north
and south. It somewhat resembles the limestone which sep-
arates coals A and B, but it may be equivalent to the ", South
Carrollton Limestone."
  Beyond this cut we descend towards low ground, and soon
enter a swampy, densely-timbered flat, which is about a mile
wide. This is known as the "Thoroughfare." There is little
doubt that this Thoroughfare was at one time the channel for
the Green river, or of some large stream which emptied into
the river. About midway across the flat the road cuts through
a low gravel ridge.
  Beyond the Thoroughfare the ground sweeps gently up-
ward and forms a low irregularly-topped ridge, known as the
"Island."  Island Station stands about midway across the
ridge.
  In the first cut made by the railroad as it ascends from the
Thoroughfare a coal seam 20 inches thick is exposed, as shown
in the following section:
i. Soft Sandstone.
2. Shale......... .. .. .. .. .   ...........  . 3 feet.
3. Coal, divided thus:
      a. Coal....... ... . ..   .  to inches.
      b. Clay........ .. .    ..   "
      . Coal........ .. .. .  .   8   "    Coal, i -  8 inches.
      d. Clay X....                      
      e. Coal........ .. ...    .  2 "
4. Under clay and Shale to railroad ........ ......... . 6
  Northwardly from this cut, at about three quarters of a mile
southwardly from Island Station, the road exposes two coal
stains, which probably represent coals A and B. They are
separated by i8 inches to 3 feet of limestone, and are respect-
ively I 2 and 6 inches thick. The following section shows the
arrangement of the beds:
s. Clay, etc., mostly quaternary deposits.
2. Coal stain of Coal A about..... . ....... .. .  .  X foot.
3. Clay..                                              6 inches.
4. Limestone, filled with Mafaptanoa..mexws, i8 inches to. .  3 44
5. Coal stain of Coal B......... . . . . . .
6. Clay and Shale ...................... . .
300

 
     AND SOUTH RUNNING RAILWAYS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.  17

  It is possible that one of these coals is equivalent to that
seen in the cut to the south; but this is only conjectural.
The beds seem to be rising to the north, so that the 20 inches
of coal seen in that cut may be above the ones at this place.
  In the cut just north of the depot at Island Station,nodules
of limestone, probably equivalent to the limestone described
above, are exposed in the upper part of the cut, underlaid by
sandy shale and sandstone.
  From this point the road descends to the north for about
three quarters of a mile to a flat, which is about half a mile
wide. Sandstones and sandy shales, which underlie the beds
seen at Island Station, are occasionally exposed in the rail-
road cuts