to be of the best quality, though surface weathering may be offered in part or wholly in explanation of its apparent inferiority. An analysis of dried samples taken from the surface shows : Volatile matter.. Ash....... 37.59 55.90 6.51 Other seams are This seam is illustrated in Plate XIV. said to be exposed in the banks between this point and the Little Missouri river. Lignite on Sand Creek.-Reports of a lignite seam forty or more feet thick, which was said to occur thirty miles southwest of Dickinson and about an equal distance from Medora, directed attention to the country east of the Little Missouri. Directions for finding the "big seam were somewhat vague, but that it was located on Sand creek at length became certain. When found, it proved to be near A. E. Russel's ranch, and in Township 135, Range 101, Section 31, on land that the surveying party, which had just passed through, had determined to belong to the Northern Pacific railroad. Lignite outcrops continuously for a quarter of a mile along the creek. At the north end of the exposure the section given was: At the south end the lignite reached the remarkable thickness shown below: How long this thickness is maintained could not be determined, for while the outcrop was traced south of the point at which the last section was taken, conditions for measuring the total thickness were not favorable. The rapid thinning of the seam to the north furnishes a most effective illustration of the nature of many of the lignite beds. The lignite throughout the seam appeared to be of good quality, with the exception of the upper two feet, which were rather soft. An analysis of dried material taken from four points A Gulch in the Bad Lands Which is Being Cut Rapidly in the Wash That Has Filled an Older Gulch. Photo by Rev. H. V. Rominger. at different elevations in the south end of the exposure gave the In one small area the seam is wholly burned out. On account of its position, great quanities of lignite can be obtained with very little stripping. Lignite on the Little Missouri Near the 777 Ranch -Some very Sne lignite seams outcrop at this point, which is some miles south of Yule. Rising directly from the water's edge at one point, the banks of Laramie clay and coal reach a height of 110 feet, which is the level of the second terrace, shown in figure 13. In the hills back of this terrace the surfaces are concealed and a section in height equal to that at Medora could not be obtained. Lignite seams probably exist above those noted. The section shown was as follows: 8. Clay 7. Lignite 3 6. Clay 10 5. Lignite, soft.. 3 4. Clay.... 18 3. Lignite, good 5 2. Clay.... 30 1. Lignite,good, more than 12 Water level This section is illustrated in figure 6. The lowest seam extended below water level, and its thickness could not be determined. It is shown in Plate XV where it extends from the water to the end of the hammer above the climber, without a break. The other seams in the section are barely shown in the distant bluffs. The lignite from the lower seam is highly esteemed by the neighboring ranches, and appears to be unusually firm. An analysis of dried material taken from a somewhat weathered surface gave the following result: Fig. 6. Section thirty miles south of Medora at the 7 7 7 ranch, showing lignite seams. Lignite at Yule.-Two and three seams are exposed in the bank of the Little Missouri both north and south of Yule, one of them of good quality. The lower seam found farther up the river and described in the preceding paragraph was not seen, but conditions were not favorable for an outcrop close to the water. Lignite in Black Butte.-This imposing butte, probably equal in elevation to Sentinel Butte, is situated not far from Township 134, Range 101, about forty miles south of Medora. Like Sentinel Butte it is capped with a heavy sandstone stratum. Two lignite seams are reported as outcropping in its sides, one of them, said to be six feet, thick being mined to some extent. At the Gamble ranch, three miles west of the butte a fine spring was seen flowing from a lignite seam, the thickness of which was not known. The quality of the coal appeared good, and it was but a short distance beneath the surface. LIGNITE OF MCLEAN COUNTY F. A. WILDER AND L. H. WOOD. For convenience in description, the lignite of McLean county will be reported in connection with six centers: Coal Harbor, Fort Stevenson, Coal Lake, Washburn, Dogden Butte and Harvey. All of these centers were visited during the past summer, the last two by Mr. L. H. Wood, who has described them for this report. Lignite is by no means restricted to these centers, but development work has been carried on about them to some extent, and data could be obtained without too great an outlay of time. The county will well repay more exhaustive study. Lignite About Coal Harbor.-Coal Harbor is situated in the western part of the county, near the Missouri river. The lignite deposits in its vicinity have long been known, and early attempts were made to exploit them. Naturally the first exposures recognized were those along the Missouri river.. In the bluffs near Coal Harbor, the following section occurs: |