Page:The South Staffordshire Coalfield - Joseph Beete Jukes - 1859.djvu/54

it from falling. The second bed, called the Top Slipper, and the third and fourth beds, which together are called the White coal, are reckoned the best for chamber fires. Next to them in goodness are reckoned the eleventh and twelfth beds, called Sawyer and Slipper. After them come the eighth, ninth, and tenth, called the Foot-coal. Stone coal, and John coal. The Tows and Benches are preferred for making the cokes with which iron ore is smelted, and therefore are generally reserved for the furnaces. They do not kindle a flame so vividly as some of the foregoing measures, but they give a more durable and stronger heat. These two measures contain the largest proportion of fibres resembling charcoal. The part of the Brassil measure which contains pyrites is generally laid aside, or used only for burning bricks or lime. The Humphries, being the lowest measure, is that which is cut away in order to let those above it fall down, and, therefore, most of it is reduced to the small coal called sleck."

Proceeding from this central portion of the district, in every direction, we find several minor changes taking place in the constitution of the Thick coal. The individual beds, even where they are all present, vary frequently in thickness, and often in quality, in such a way, however, as to maintain the mean aggregate thickness of 30 feet over by far the greater portion of the district.

There are much more remarkable variations to be now noticed. In by far the larger portion of the extent of the Thick coal we find the upper beds consisting of—

1. Roofs, varying from 2 to 4 feet.
2. Top slipper or spires, varying from 2 to 3 feet.
3. White coal, generally about 3 feet.

Or sometimes the "Roofs" only is mentioned above the "White coal," with a thickness of 3 or 4 feet. If, however, leaving the central part near Dudley, we go towards the district between Bilston and Wolverhampton, we shall find the "White coal" forming the upper bed of the "Thick coal," and we shall get above it a separate bed of coal more or less removed from the "Thick coal," under the name of the "Flying reed coal." At Deepfields, near Coseley, we get the following section:^[1][2]—

	FT.	IN.
Flying reed coal	4	0
Blue binds	54	0	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$	84 feet
Rock	30	0
White coal	3	0

under which come the "Tow," "Brassil," and the other measures of the Thick coal.

At Highfields, nearer Bilston, we have^[3] (Vertical Sections, sheet 26, No. 51)—

	FT.	IN.
Flying reed coal	3	6
Sundries	54	0	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$	204 ft. 3 in.
Do.	30	0
Do.	89	11
Rock	30	4
White coal	3	0
Tow coal	2	0
&c.	&c.	&c.

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1. Taken from the "Miner's Guide," published by Mr. T. Smith.
2. "The Miner’s Guide, being a Description and Illustration of a Chart of Sections of the principal Mines of Coal and Ironstone in the Counties of Stafford, Salop, Warwick, and Durham", Thomas Smith, 1836; or second edition, 1846 (Wikisource contributor note)
3. From Smith's "Miner's Guide."