NESQUEHONING OR RHUME RUN MINES.
As this will embrace a general description of the coal-field, its undula tions, basins, saddles, and axes of formation, with the coal-seams and other details, we will commence at the Lehigh extremity, and describe the field in districts, with sections to illustrate its general features.
The Rhume—or, as it is sometimes written, the Room—Run, or Nes quehoning mines, are the most eastern of any importance. The coal measures exist here almost on their ends, as our miners would say; that is, they are nearly vertical, and are formed into two deep and narrow basins, which rise rapidly in an eastern direction. The south dips of the north basin are from 45° to 50°; while the north dips of the same basin are vertical. The axis, or saddle, between the basins is sharp and narrow, and the south dips of the south basin are from 50° to 60°; while the north dips, as proved at "Hackleburney," are inverted; that is, they dip south at their outcrops and change in their descent to the north. The veins cut here in the old tunnels were counted twice, as they were cut through both south and north dips in the same basin before it was known that a basin existed at the point : consequently, they were named and numbered respectively as separate beds.
There is some difficulty in recognizing the identity of the veins in this locality, from the great change in their sizes and character; and, though a number of tunnels are driven from this point beyond the old mines at the summit, there seems to be no conformity or general sameness in any of the tunnels, since the veins range in size and character to extremes. The Big vein is undoubtedly the Mammoth; but, as far as proved, the Buck Mountain does not appear in its usual condition, though the other veins are frequently larger than usual: yet these conditions are not generally as favorable as they are when in their average sizes.
The following table will present the names and identity of the beds as near as it is possible to do under present development :— There seems to be some doubt as to which is the Mammoth at Nesque honing, whether it is No. 3 or Nos. 5 and 6. No. 3 is in the proper position of the Buck Mountain vein, and Nos. 5 and 6 are where the Mam moth ought to be, but are here divided. If we accept Nos. 5 and 6 as the Mammoth, we can identify the remaining veins with those existing in other localities; but if No. 3 is the Mammoth, we cannot. Some of the small seams cut in those tunnels have not been recognized ; and it is scarcely possible to trace the veins from their north to their south dips, owing to these omissions, since in this locality the veins vary to extremes from their maximum to their minimum sizes, in short distances.
It will be observed in the foregoing table that only seven veins exist in this section of the field; and it is not at all probable that any of them are above the Primrose, or G; and this, which is No. 7, or the 12-feet vein, appears to be the same as No. 8, or the Pencil vein,—one being the south and the other the north dip. Nos. 5 and 6 would thus appear to be identical with Nos. 9 and 10, and these would appear to be the Mammoth divided, as it frequently is in many portions of the coal-field.
Nos. 3, 13, and 14 would thus be the Buck Mountain on different dips. But we must confess that this theory is based on what ought to be the condition of the veins, more than on the developments; and yet it is both possible and probable, notwithstanding appearances to the contrary. The following section of the so-called Mammoth at the Nesquehoning mines does not come up to our ideas of its proper proportions, and particularly when we know that its overlying veins are of equal or greater dimensions.
We may remark in this connection that our data are chiefly derived, in this instance, from Rogers's late report, or Geology of Pennsylvania, which, unfortunately, pre sents a "tangled web" in almost every attempt to justify the coal strata. We must add, also, that the Lehigh miners have made no attempt to classify or identify their veins; and, though we were kindly furnished all the information available, it has been impossible to bring order out of the confusion that here exists. The question, however, is simply this: Is the first large vein above the conglome rate the Mammoth, or the Buck Mountain? If the latter, then Nos. 5 and 6 of the foregoing table are the Mam moth, and the veins fall into order and are in place, as shown by figure 66, in which we have given all the veins, large and small, and have named them, as all our sections are named, a, b, c, d, ee, f. If the contrary is correct, then b would be e, and ee would be g, h, or the Primrose and Orchard,—which is impossible, since those veins have never been found as large as these would make them. Again, the lower veins here are red-ash, while the upper ones are white-ash; and this should be sufficient to confirm us in our conclusions.