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VICTORIA COAL MINES,
AT LOW POINT, SYDNEY, C. B.
HENRY YOULE HIND, M. A., F. R. G. S.
(r,ATE I'UOKKSSOU OK CHKMISTRY AND GEOLOGY IN THE CXIVKRSITV OF
TRINITY COUiEGE, TORONTO.) . , i.
Author of " Niirrativo of the Canudiiin Explorhi^ Kxpeditioii in Hiipert's Land,"
" ExploratioiiR in the Interior of the Labrador iVninsiiln," " Keport
on tlie rSeology of New Hrnnswiek," &q., Ac, Ac.
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HALIFAX, N. S.
: PIUNTEP BY JAMEH IJOWES & SONS, HOLLIS STHEET, ,
- Junk, 1867. .■'( 'i .v-.aJwi^ 'i.i -i^,.'ii
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: "-^ ' ' Windsor, May 2lHt, 18()7.^ '
Gentlemen, > vT^iKaV'a ,.T«[lfr? w«,r 'TA '- -^' '•''"^ ' t"
In compliance with your request, (latod Halifax, M.iy l.st,
,. 1867, 1 now beg leave to present you with my report on your
1^ mining areas at Low Point, Sydney, Cape Breton.
I am, gentlemen, , ,.
• ■ ' . ^' .11 . [ .; / fr «' Your obedient servant, av xi
Messrs. Fkaser, Paint & Co. •'''^K'v -:?;;;i^^^?v..r ^o- '^^/u,?i ,
NoTE.-The Mining Areas in the following report are at present owned
.•'ill)!'.' ''iiin'-i. vi'' ^' ■ .(| , I 1 1 ! -!ni:'f A'h-h
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'I'liKSE areas lie wholly within the limits of the productive
C'arhoniferous l^aHiii, wliieh oeeupies a portion of the north-
eastern extremity of the Ishind of Cape Breton, and is known
as the Sydney Coal Field of North America. .,■ , <» .Aru
The soul hern houndarv of the ureas is formed hv the coast
line of the entrance to the Harbor of Sydney, for a distauei?
of two and a half miles ; they then extend northerly under
the sea. '!i,,,i .■- ;; !,■ i,. ... ■.' i.. ., ■:•,,.: , sr.-
The rocks, with theii" associated l)eds of coal, form a shallow
subordinate trough at the edge of a basin extending in a '
north-easterly direction of unknown extent. 'I'he whole of
tht: lim of this basin on the coast of Cape Breton appeary to
be broken bv icentle folds in the strata into a number of minor
troughs, so as to resemble a roughly corrugated edge, the
folds or wrinkles of which represent the different subordhiate
coal ])asins of the northern part of Cape Bi'eton.
The centre of the trough in which your mining areas lie
may be 8uj)i)osed to be two and a half miles due north of the '
Ross \'ein, where it ap])ears on th<' coast. With this point
approximately representing the deepest portion of the trough,
the northern side will be found to have much less elevation
than the southern boundary, in consequence of the anticlinal
fold which separates it from the next succeeding trough or
corrugation in the rim of the basin, being low^ in comparison
with that on the south side. The effect of this difference
will be to cause the measures to lie much Hatter and at much
greater depth on the northern than on the southern side.
The interests involved are of no. present importance, but it
57907
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appears to have nn Important hearing on tlie ({uestion whether
it would eventually he possihle with known appliances to
work seams of coal at the depth tlu'V prohahly assunie within
two and a half miles to tliree miles of the coast. Any specu-
lations on this question arc, however, wholly unnecessary, for
within one niile of the coast, and m ithin the limits of the area
in question there are li)(),()()(),()0() tons of coal, ftdly one-half
of which is avqihd)h\
The attitude of the rot;ks on the whole southern houndary
of the area shows no disturhance, and a g<'nth', uniform, hut
very slight variation of dip. 'J'herc does not appear to hv any
reason for apprehension with regard to the existence of faults
or fractures, no evidence heing \isihle on the south coast,
although there are slight and prohahly wholly unimportant
disturbances apparent on the north-westerly coast of the
harbor. '^'•' ' .■ ''" ! f >\ihi >i't in i)>j'«<>n -ftLif >>}■ > <.i.'^
m The dip of the rocks is nigh 40 to 44 degrees, but it
diminishes rapidly, and at a depth of 200 fvct on the slope at
the Koss Seam it lessened from 43 degrees to 38 degrees.
The dip of the Fraser Seam is al>out ''2H degrees, showing a
slight undulation between it and the Koss Seam."'' :'♦ -'!''";
The following table )ei>resents the number of seams which
have been discovered on these areas and the thickness of each
seam, also the quality of the coal as far as ascertained. ' " ' '
NAMK.
THICKNK.SS.
KKMAKKS.
1.
Carr Seam :
4 feet.
Good Coah:, .ft .d^wir/wji
9.
Paint " <i, 1
7 "
5 ''
DO'. do.
3.
Crandall Seam......
Kxcell^t C<ial-8teet Woli(t«ti^j)" nftil )
Coal. S
4.
Lyle "
3 »'
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5.
Ross "
7. .% ,
Bxcvllont Coal — a iimall senni overlies It two
«billnt north. ■'X'i-
T).
Willie FniserSeam.
3 ,^ ,
Df, y-
7.
No. 3 Seam
5 "
Indifferent, very ferrugin's.
8.
Hugh McGillvray..
4,5 "
"• requires prospecting.
{).
2 Foot Seam..
Good.
10.
8 Inch "
11.
Fraser "
7 feet.
Good.
rinrr-;r
^^
Tahlk showing tlie qutintiry of Cosd in («ach seam in one
square mile :
Tf r t-
.r !'
NAMK.
r
TONS.
11 lUn'i^ ;■:'!(.
'ijhki.v »•>•'••" 1. Cftfp
;,^J:;, i ,,, ,j. 2. Paint 6,%i^,000 ,,; „^.
'' 4. Lyie ...'.if'' 3,200,000 ^ ''''"""" '♦«
' !'.Hi'i': ).! 6. Rog8 ; 6,969,600 .(t^) -jA')'
./;.. •L'»J»..M ., «. ^Villle Fraser .....1 3,200,000 * ,; ,,,,,,
., 7. No. .M ' 4,978,285 ;
Mir Murrrn y^ ir. McGiUvray .3,982,«20 ' " ^*''" '^^^
riiiliM*) -..Mi;) 9 1 ^''
H<l' r>iii'ii 10 ,
, ,,.. 11. Fraser ! 6.969,600
; 1 1 ^ 1 ■. 1 1 .
' *':''i'i 'i '"" ;i''«r Total 45,230,610 tons in one
square mile, or upwards of 135 million tons on the three
square niil(»8 owned at present by the eompany. - ; W^l'^-Ti
The questions relntiui^ to the character and thick ncsVdif^tK^
roof between each seam or any set or grouj) of seams are very
important, and in the present instance entirely satisfactory.
The vertical distance between the Paint and Oandall
Seams is 17 fathoms. .. •.-
Between Crandall and Ross 104 fathoms.
** Ross ,ind Willie Fraser .56 "
' " Willie Fraser and McGillvray 15 "
"" * McGillvray and Fraser 149 '*
'J'he surface measurements from whiclr Oiese thicknesse
were deduced were made by Mi-. Ouseley, Provincial I^and
Surveyor. v.
The rocks between the seams are heavy bedded sandstones,
with intercalated bands of shale. The sandstones are miiform
and persist{;oj5 i '.'(ihp »h*ale& art^ J ^Vpqueiia;!;^ arenaceous and
compact, and thfcl-b 'b ii6^'evKlen(?e> thlit'^dahgers or difficulties
may arise ivbrii' wbphmi? anf 'of tht^ stk\k^ \n\doY the sea differ-
^iPP
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go ug»«oO fl*«co-
ent from tlionc to wliicli iiilnii(i (••►IlicricM arr somrtinics m\h-
jectcd, aiul whicli cjin be rciuUly overnnnc. . ;i»in ;ji»v*';*
The tojio^niphical flctnilH of thr accoiuimnyiii^ map an-
taken from the Admiralty Surveys. 'I'lie well kiiovMi capa-
bilities and advantages posHessed by Sydney liarbor render
any allusion to the situation of tbe an^as in relation to liar))or
aeeonnuodation superHu(»us. ♦ .
The objeetions which at the Hrst blush mii^ht appear to
Bome in eonsequenee of the necessity of mining' under tbe
sea, are m holly inuiginary at present and must so remain for
many years to eome unless unforseen and improbable contin-
geneies oecuir. N\ ben tlie workings ext( lul so far under the
ocean as to render ventilation a serious ((uestion. it will he
time to eonnider the means to be adopted ; but iis there is
accessible coal within a third of a mile from the sliore, suf-
ficient to siij>i)ly 1()0,0()() tons ])er annum for one hundred
years, the subject may well be left till the future.
/I.. ..,». I, •...•,(.; \ery respectfully yours, ; ,
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