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Pov bow mena nee rately hc emi fein Meni hyem na ieninernenren beleitntanciente rei dims Sa uprima tenet met Antornse ns hen arden! enmeshed on Speamutingin ah toedt ony oo dang 2 TeSys caer ciStesect LAbLEEPaSS eaheaonebherahhnad ahve wmraminnnise icin bit wa ivest sitesi we telat ainrae ne winbure more . waa brin b freemen: bv apart mmecnee eh cremee anys hoy weed da LE Semnpin eos : etcaogeddeiccdenddadkdad aden qceatigant tee tagets: (resiotetereet reper peated or hI erscerten Bie eae Sap crnsyurse tr theste st, oomsecpacninie cake! sist ee eerie ete oe peers seiaaneei sey | get Ps be nebo bhehebwehd Viitwewe me alee Ghaotes Poe ne nye mene ama ay clin te pee eet 5 Sno gee naar rw lain yeere one eouwehicenn dip Smarr apin tinea al ties : Sars SEAR Serre mina SPirkvobphpet oviemy eetteedinc beekinnsee bat bp mebbh ch lebebsid ba : mes apmny bad ce renee Wome mis toetie ion poaces tera st ceereen near cs «ene: Sdwh pe bpon a. hehbe pow Lao a patnivl outs mai age ree) ehamgee > wt - 2 ena omy Ghee os Secaakioeee Zaqestse i ibneank Lephot bok aprmbans ob warm leailabaeieide one aoe mae ewe p> pba Sanbeaant became Toes eee ey mapa ate oe ne aren a te ar ~stm «n= popes + heme we nee --- - . we ; wow blowewine Rees Meek Ps ~ mo ele Seietaarr ie rite iy set te Rennes ws ema tolieleap pire nian jp tule Lidejaceniomnee bes woe sere peter ehenivas bot pees sone ‘% spe wage ye es pene sme + ee ee aes “> eee ee ee i heey rere eee leet ae ee Onl eg ee! Shh webu e ene eetinn nN oar nn gn hs re —s0 ee warren mbm a nivale beatae ease soar e-em nh a poe puaebwmmer arma ph nbitnee phn tons nik ein a A rn A BL GA ec acl sapelalony te) shunacne thie legege orn rap totuepap amis marerebiehe 0 cy Soave fs Lenvievey caine intamehominay jmapicmenen canine @iavaa sevanssy sa es Aeme U Mrirte or ee be-tetege wonme. ravine AO 8 semen enn i st 5 scopeciorpeeie cyte Pee ee Cee ee re ne | re anon hee op prey ke wey B10 teen wes ere vee se me ee peer te eee oat wae went New weesares ss erm Semper poop mnparey ~ owe sae plein aeaweypincseccmm pedcemangeonayng wlobeisatir meena : =* . «=» . . : ; = > * . He ERE Noel We Re aT Sa anh LN TNE baled’ SF wee . . “ - 7 ae ae SO a The oe =. . . > — d > =~ 2 7 " “ 3 . Ome ce 3 ae Te mete 37 65 ee aa ~~: ele y ; TAURI As ih og events das ea wid ais Bie soe ods oats RR 399 63 PU ae Balance 2.0.6. eee Fenn ceree ne pene sseeesseces enneees 894i) GMa $42,588 72 F vs Pai Be Pag: ; Overload & pi ae és: ote re a f PTs pl VV e ee agen “er } hie ~wit< & os a, a ‘ ad Teh be) \ iy are an = vax? 7 ‘ ' Ai tM : } : ) ‘ ty ‘ ' ‘ no r > 4, ps tol & iy id ‘ ; ’ “5: : ‘ ey | we worl \ ; ’ i y —_ * in We - & W. TT. C.D : sf g \ € ‘ GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. | REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST . FOR 4h : 1890. ry : g tS yf : | 7 lv] CONTENTS. REPORT OF STATE GEOLOGIST. REL tONs OP EAMG ITIE LES caves wosbalis oF oe ale Sie andi w alts dora w wieigherdh: Chalerdw os Nts Mime eas 86 xv BTU ROU LEHR eaten, ya) <2 yo oe es Wal soo yal SS. La Sd oo Rees Mos eae aah oets Ringe nS Soyo xvii Work of the second year............ Fei Pony Cck.b Sic aces Ec STM Chis OL Gaes Ee en xvii PROPORERIDELY: <5 05 cle cea > chat sls ee MELO oiy Seles ae OO reels ONC REAC. a Oa ae XVli Gran leanis eas oe wocians Sheth, a acs Boss Mas Sih 2 tye ain: Se ae nee xxii Palepnteloey = of .sidic wond.ss's ade ot atelens lh Se OE asec boom oaacue Nae tune xxix Chemical Baboratory.:..<4/62 < as ace RAS AME SOE As ak Se enaN Saco atts icl d& XXX UTM Car. ee oil 8 REN eI CP SCoOS curt oo a a xXxxi HEPES ERAT eee oc Bre, eave ht Dern eet asl sl Mabel oysrnict 3 pe atte eae xxxi ERE cu Gicec tere atts hye ire Feet beh Lene ime Grn Sealants oudlis oe: Sos « ¥, 5| SOR Xxxii PaDHEAHONS: ;.¢ cae ewe oe « Nn Oy Mea yay, ARE Ton Cee en) OL ae Ee ae RT es PP XXxili Co-operation with the public schools........ a ear eh ia ake Xxxiii MMGEIE POSOUTCOM OLN LOXARE oes ec sarc a) AS ca cc Oo tre Oud ele wale Cas ald ewe & ale XXXV WIIEOUMIELONY. estoy cae eon dee ee ee js Mata say seve a (ee Wald btn ct dots XXXV LPPSUESTEO “SILS 9g: emat legs dley Maer, Uy SERRE SUED. keuttaie E fie Gna aCe BP, rea a aa Xxxvi EPR Ae Ee ce iON akin charts eeaiatas Goce) ah bres susret a icwhe a Owe paw aye 6 xlvi Bret Ples ae LUE near Ace Ayer n + So8) SUR SNG Ne eRaT ew ovads MSs Soare S-anew 6 Cae epee xlix Peas sh REPU LO TNA ee hac 5 eyo wee vole ok euch so ashe Svelotonbia OG la Sa opie sae Se gle baa li SESpMMEOMIENGS SPOME Ao a: ofa ay 0 38) 6 toyss' 6 sls 0,6, Hina, sehen Ces Ga taster seer er crsste alia li Chaya ir Brleke! i535 se i viens d Che 6 oa te Nae AE aM deahe alin les Mortinneme RiGee cee o's lvi STATE Ee sel pe oe MEER Caine 2 CR tee <1 lvi DCHICHEMIEREGUIAN fry, Seed he (aie Spe MS bea Qalets Coins a hip Miam, rockin Pnsials, Wiel, Ss lvi EES HOt an LAI ee ate, seaite aac meee eer: O aone a ven sc teb eerie. Svssejeye: Se eNOh, ab. bow lvii Sand for mortar.......... Bate Toh Gy, Ween OM EOC fst MD A a ge lvii Metals and Ores... ......... Rites au shat Lane oa tar sarily lates alee it a BRN Ms 2 aa eyes 6 lvii REIN aa ioe a fata eee oh ace wai Ta Wie fara elalela ate ee nishecs Siete eo Se 8.6 Ge hee ae lvii UCC ated cior ccnicid or ye cnip o of Ak hia roe See Nets ewe aha bale ee Ixii Wee ARID Ne ZATLO Os. cy oh ate ci8 Conve APRS GRRE Ea otter at a BAA SREP EP eee stein, Ma 8" lxv Gold and silver..... ee TPG ENGR a acts etord oor aie Gs whe see sie is: mtaiebe'a's's.8 lxvii PU STM ON me es sla e ahe Be iets woe tieea wel ae aas AE eau oe eels, Cased ok coy ett a ue he lxix ERE a oe ch 2)4 in Jado an eksye'h ae wie eR SIS Mw Soe ale Bie enc eiw els, wb 9-055 lxix BUMP CET gle! ie neha Sis iiate ieee oe he meets wwe sins peih SEs he Ibro.3 EEMERBE LB seer tte aos che ot, PPE PONOEN Atel Melee ase ene elena eralivek avgica deed ee ees lxx ie EAI CM i Man Tie ee oI eae! iT eae ere skaie ella k oracle Wie wis Suis “e 0 « lxx CrrAmionie SiONes ANG COMS Pe. thee ho ic kale, See beeen tewe xxi SCRE ACEO t a IPH ISU IIIA ee iere em oj oce of fo fajeeidlecldie se licle Gade ak y Sis a[e ewe ase Ixxiii Road materials..... Ne oes ope er tate ise oie oa eines Hone ares oh eed KW ole kee tee os lxxv PE AOEES MOURA 2 is DE Lacie ed sine cuca ees hd kelledc esse wbawess Ixxvi ® Other eceononnie materials... 2... .0cs ecb ds ences WASH hs ot ek o's CA BLeRI Pie. attesiag Water CONDITIONS Of TEXAS. oc ccc ccawticcc cans csinnces weues Datereits )xxxvili Acknowledgements ..............6. PPR nIe estel a aie) cava ists aie) orn Bie atau ons Mrov's © lxxxviii [vii] REPORTS OF GEOLOGISTS. | Ae ee Report of Mr. W. von Streeruwitz................ Bibra alg in Bae Va eeabias Oke epee ae ; hee. 3. Comstock fh).c2ha7 cy uhele eye ee wee Set cic ha Seas ET Cpa Le cee Raa SARL ALE Py teh te Ai Mandp ee aa een . Je IB Wieder ye ot. oe 28S esd je eee oe eee Sate goatee aha WEKienmedyy, fo... «k-s athe ate Gee ele Ses Ha sa covelie ie eoeeae aie ete JH: lerndon ..y.¢. 25s arene hey 85 iA Cee: vie anaes hauehateare Sa eee 2 ‘ ; a > 4 uh CONTENTS. ACCOMPANYING PAPERS. REPORTS ON THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. Part I. General Statement, by HE. T. Dumble. AMER UE CLONDS sire! o\s:.0i deans. 5! oka, hs ey pene eee Rd De Re ce ow.) ees 1 Historical ¢ os 0 cc. 5 va oh al ow ater eree Rice ckbe pile! OGUMRA Nit tel ile Sekt) Ar 8 PBOVPSTAPDY-. Foals casa Hee eee eereene ears or rere: LES Mc. eee ee MUPAIOT APY «20 ss a daahcnepeipnehse wcltaala heat Ie oe ee ea oy analee ale 2h eR 22 The ores and their mode of OCCUITENCE ..... ee eee eee eee eee eee eee ewe eees in es Part Il. Fuels and their Utilization. Chapter I. Charcoal manufacture in Texas, by John Birkinbine........... seneeees BO Chapter II. Lignites and their utilization, with special reference to the Texas biker coals, by Dr. Otto Lerch...... Pareles is gale wie! dnstagde ate aeons aia ses Salads Winer «toe Part III. Description of Counties. : Chapter I. Cass County, by Wm. Kennedy— Preliminary notes......... oe Hs all se SORE SN 65 Topography ..... sneheee S asf ead ge Dalle oh eheve A Mare Ca cis Spee 9 Evan ve Rhea ee ¥. oe Stratigraphy. ego 516 ([eology aid SOUS... stoi. cece Co upline ae pet iailera ene ate aveijate Senin iii oe CONTENTS. xi Wise County—continued. Timber, water, and building material ..................000- Herbs 4 pki COPS 8 ik Sayer SE as aa AuE) ay AN Ge Cale oie eet 2 en ag 518 Other mineralsis che i eS i oes pera ta amore olcu Pe eee ate |) bi Sheet 519 Parker County— COANE ee Lp re ee nel vas elise: Peptic erecta NS entrar Grate Liss6 » 519 Palo Pinto County— ERO poe es rerp hiya M Oe Cra ACe) ye fat. Pcie hs igoileis ia ale whaiel ann. e too smn im tollePal alba loc ya's yo 521 EO LOOM Bmore aioe caer vainds Ae, ere CR rcanaudiatoh doe oleh ie PRS eprom oe 522 Snead pet Cy GATTO OH 2a fotrs fee a) Hastie take pairo eel w rai foy gus obinlabe Melle a O)S. mips ve Ry RRR Ace fous esa 523 Water and buildine material jit ieee sos alee crews ao Py eye teeta ‘ov frock 524 IN SUG OAS Po lor iti a Bie sass kas 48S) oS oe Sree rch eget avetta ie es AAR uh SIR MS cet so: 525 Coaliescert. fri sves 54 cy ey arene acer ey Reg pa Mees shee ta tigsa poh tt sahara ie 526 Stephens County— Popogtaphiy and. Graimage pa). keh sassuete olde od Looted ees os RAM e aes. 534 OO a ds es ik srl t st aaa tte catia ae Mea tuctisy cic ie aces: © out haGe etepTOKG MONOD ew: of hace 534 CL ete eM Py aren GH ral lid rae Ber aetalia tan a eee el S's aUeLela LS aR AAD Rado cial. 535 analy camel LALOR den Sel. gs NreRe ea APM eels sect ag ai alklGs MNO Ne ape" 536 pen ee dere Fe Ne set ape career he ne wee MENU TaN ass chek Bedck Sin! af Sg a) SRS ae eet ew 0. 6 537 Brown County— HOMOGEADM TAME) CAMA. ions Gets leon ss alelbilelol ecole lane Alu)2) «4}21d airelavasleRlel Oothube & 541 AM aot i A ROR Beats oleh ae Me Pol fetish tye 9/0) jer/bleraiple a! avait SH aLHIg VELA ale 542 Negrete ry Meare TI Ha lth oo oll ta, sasin! wap silclel elena! Sv lad velba ioyehe at ale « 542 Timber, water, and: buileime materialist. wc 6 6 cam os ces eal eee eek 543 OM ee Rte t eters elena, 2 PMc e ete ye toue He ollohateteiiol sales one xchencicyencteie ebay evere eh cele. < 544 eA eestor tahnspes 0 fis oro aint os bes a's ile eae eee Me alone iceee aie CaN ees 544 Eastland County— COAL... eee eee eee eee ete ee eee eee tree tenet eee eee 544 Coleman County— Topography and. dramage.). se. ue eh ls ee ee BN tasty oie! Gra. sin oh tay & “oie .... 546 ONO hs ncaa, 5 aslo ss 0) pai Aic Stonsbings Foca ro cin See oe, Econ? BOS URAL Cntr EOE Re arte 546 DOM UNIEEOT a AUG MALE: chelates ote oie geleyesioel' lew !e 8 hectare a) vyel see iapereiw 4 « aS De 547 Even OUunns SILI EDEMA les Lae ccokt le aye tasese ie Wapege colon Sac ehcbeaan dies cvcies Wey ther tv Sa) 6 A bo .058 548 Oil and natural gas...... Beet cect Fac Re oY R RE TAaL Ne aA Ie Sn NES ORR OO 548 De Aereeal Me rete eae eee indole es eM f eich deste el ni 4d 2h) geveuopspohy spars) sy'e bus. ° 549 Appendix— ERR MUNI BPRS a whe ho apo ara Be et eacal wi ahage, oe rape ailoyala/elovoled he ma Saha ae a as 8 552 REPORT ON THE GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE CENTRAL MINERAL REGION OF TEXAS, BY THEO. B. COMSTOCK. OEE ee, ic on pV RE RO IN A ig CO SIENA tk TE ey ut lle naa i 555 Pathe | General toview Of SEOlOGIC SITUCUDIC, 0/1). [225 ww eee ces lac ubwence wrens 556 PEER CBOE oes oa neo ve Se aR ela se tk, ..« > 15 6nebitletal> deci chew cciee aie eee 654 Refractory materials....... bw eats ee Ba Bar eipted alta ghia ate as 00 neta 654. Hictilematenalsie hs ecn-, «20 Son ps pe witela) wple es a ener aac at eer eee 655 Part III. Supplement— Archean TOCKB. Jo oee.noedd ede eeune ees ee @ gto ss See ee Soe a. ee 656 Hparchean ro@ks, «..3..2cs-des cos souuic deen fe see Seema: nae oc eee 658 Paleazeie Toca: s: N20 ait tuo ocean Matias : ah el ok 3:8 tal fk ae ta meee km 659 REPORT ON THE GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF TRANS-PECOS TEXAS, BY W. H. VON STREERUWITZ. Chapter I. Definition of area included in the region...............26 cccceucees 669 Chapter: IT. “Descriptive geology... .. i340. ibs ehsvenuee | Wee a elon in eee 677 Chapter HT. Mineral resourcesand: irrigation ...2%..00G. ) Pca es oe eee 689 Biumter Gistrieti. 20 23 ye Aci isla lak acy Ws Ra ee ee ee 691 Bonanza district oe ase kG! Sa DRG Soci! Neen ee te 692 Big ‘Guleh, or Silver King, district: 2......20 bic 0% 400s geile cheyenne ee ee 695 Zimpelman’s Pass district...... .. wt 2 eRe ties at ay RO ee 696 Plerra BlanGa: JuUMCHOw 5 Lisi yee 55 | snda/bleveleseing pin hows: eehe use aelayste eine ie Sandee Same 697 Baeig Ml oummtaiig) «2 oi2).p. ke. Cay Sts alarails aca! bs id i Bas CL a a ed 697 Hills between the Texas and Pacific Railway and cliffs of the Sierra Diabolo... 698 Ornamental and building stomes 0.27... 5 sie.g «oes ere Ge oon ways Mohs) Bee 700 MRAP ATION: ech, ibs wo slanted se feyaisbjaliot zine lave) a NS Leake lol Bhateite talc iter ana A Nr WevelopmeMh were ke scores a) wi eaulcdored Meioere lave ae elanote eevee ats Chapter [V.:. Minarals of Trans-Pecos Texas... .!...'.). 065050 sewn see S'la: pe Oe Chapter V. Report on Cretaceous deposits, by J. A. Taff ower s0retaceous Orie is \o)e\e\ si cbe.o'a' «se sec! nie Mlevel Win ol agittos WOMeC dat eee eae ene ADEA KGIWISION, ©, Ws She pastes love ate al aca) ole movie pt otahnn On) Ale uae yyy ta ie ae Predoricksbure division). .:)4 42 Ast) / sis ieba ee eee eee iy oes legs Wiaislaita, GIVASI OI 5 i 5 edie: n0)e' «| a). jai etnigp Biie ela laleley abokal al uakal aS eae ae pai Upper Cretaceous series? i... seca 2 es Lower Cross Timber or Dakota division....... : Eagle Ford or Benton Shale division ...............0..4. palo Comeluditige nema ie, jays o x xsis od halsis'ejeb sais alae tinlae Othe neces Sr ; XXV. XXXVI. XXVIL. XXVIII. Fig. 1. Section“of Hightower Ridge ..... Section of Allan’s Bluff 10. Section of lignite bed near Port Caddo................ 11. Section three miles west of Hughes Springs 12. Section two miles east of Daingerfield 13. Diagram showing benches between Pilot Hill and Caddo Bayou 14. Section of Texas Fire Brick and Tile clay pit..............-+: 15. View from Brewer’s Mountain, Nacogdoches County 16. Section four miles southeast of Carthage ILLUSTRATIONS. View from Quitman Mountains toward foothills. Oil well, Nacogdoches County. Map of oil region of Nacogdoches County. Map of iron ore areas of Kast Texas. Thurber Coal Mine. Shaft No. 1, Texas and Pacific Railway. Vertical section of strata, Northwest Texas. Comparative section of strata. Southwestern part of Young County. Northern part of Stephens County. Weatherford and Milsap.. Ground plan of a long wall working. Section across the face of a long wall working. Thurber, Erath County. Gordon, Palo Pinto County. Vicinity of Crystal Falls, Stephens County. Vicinity of Cisco, Eastland County. Sections across Carboniferous and Permian. Red sandstone quarry, Quito, Texas and Pacific Railway. Map of coal districts. Weathering of Burnetian gneiss, Cat Mountains, Llano County. Exposure of Upper Cambrian shales, Silver Mine Creek. Map of Central Mineral Region, with transit lines, etc. Economic map of Central Mineral Region. Map of the Central Mineral Region. (In pocket.) Diabolo Mountains, El Paso County. Lower outlet, Carrizo Canyon. Sections along lines indicated on topographic map of Trans-Pecos Texas. Sections of Cretaceous in E] Paso County. Topographic map of Trans-Pecos Texas. (In pocket.) Profle of Calvert Bluff, Robertson County: 9.0) se. cea ces Sea e- 5. 2. Profile in the vicinity of Hall’s.... Section showing relations of sands Section at A. Duncan headright oepeeeeere = - [xiii] -2e ef @s eee: ee ecw eereceneeeeseee ree e ee} Cr ee) 3 4 Bb eenom on Ea’ ec cika deve si pad 5 6. Section two miles southeast of Marshall 7 8 4 FeO eee eee eo eee eo e1 ee oee oes eee i i re a CC aCe oeeee ec ee ecr ee sree tree eon er een ee e+ see al eil@l wie) (s) (sia) vi @)iw ele! «6 aie we 6)" 6 oh) eife © © © « 0 0 6 6 , ew eee eee eee eesee eee ee ester ee ee er ee es eoeeseeee cevneSeaovswoseveeeCeaesnren eevee e297 000 ILLUSTRATIONS. iG. 1 t:- Twomey Creek disturbances... 2.2.00). oe oe ee ee ee eee sn . prs 18. Section of iron ore deposit four miles north of Timpson ......... es eis 2: 9 19F Wolk Mountain sandstone... 0... .c6 ss seme eee rR ir Ss is sig der | Edm eBaugitod lenite bad)...1.. enisegee 587 - “ae ; . ue 68. Complications in structure at eastern end of tin belt...............-..2000. 601 . oar 69. Neighborhood of Shaft Mountain, Mason County......... ........-22ee0> 601 =" Ree sit 70. Spiller mine, Mason County... ?.... 220%: «os - on amici eee ee ee 603 ae a LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, INSURANCE, STATISTICS, AND HIsTorRy, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS, Austin, Texas, May 1, 1891. Hon. L. L. Foster, Commissioner of Agriculture, Insurance, Statistics, and History, Austin, Texas: DEAR S1rR—I have the honor to transmit herewith the Second An- nual Report of the Geological and Mineralogical Survey of Texas. This Report is mainly devoted to the description of the mineral re- sources of the State, so far as determined by the work of the Survey during the two years ending December 31, 1890. We have endeavored to make these statements in such manner as that they will be valuable to every citizen, be he land owner, farmer, mechanic, capitalist, or what not, and have used illustrations and maps freely to make clear the conditions under which the various materials occur. I greatly regret that at the last moment circumstances arose which prevented the coloring of the maps of the Central Mineral Re- gion and of T'rans-Pecos Texas, to indicate the geology of the areas, as had been arranged for, and hope that they may be so issued in the near future. | ! Owing to the necessarily great mass of matter, and the limited ap- propriation for printing, it has been found necessary to omit several reports which it was intended to include in this volume. I would sug- gest, in order to get them out more speedily, that they be printed as a Bulletin. In conclusion, I desire to express my most sincere thanks for the perfect freedom of action you have granted me and the unfailing assist- ance and advice you have so kindly given at all times. Only under such conditions was the amount of work which has been accomplished by the Survey during the brief period of its existence a possibility. Yours, very truly, H. T. DUMBLE, State Geologist. [xv] are SECOND ANNUAL REPORT GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. EK. T. DUMBLE, State Geotoaist. INTRODUCTORY. The character of work required to carry on the investigations of the Survey during its second year, in accordance with the plan outlined in the First Annual Report, was necessarily somewhat different from that which preceded it. The broader features of the different geological formations had been determined, the character of the materials composing them and some idea of their extent had been ascertained, and with this as a basis we were prepared to take up in greater detail the study of each formation with its various economic minerals and possibilities. The work of the different field parties was therefore planned and carried out as nearly as possible with this end in view. Numerous dif- ficulties were encountered, and in some instances the results are not as definite in character as I had hoped to have them, but the general and total result is most satisfactory. WORK OF THE SECOND YEAR: TOPOGRAPHY. One of the most serious troubles experienced by the different field parties was the lack of accurate maps. Without a correct map on which to plot his observations the field geologist is working to the greatest disadvantage. Our county maps are insufficient for the purpose. Many of them are old. They do not show the proper courses of the streams. Few roads are laid down, and these, owing to the frequent changes, are often differently located on the map from their actual location on the 2—geol. ; XVill REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. ground. Even the railroads do not appear in some of them. There- fore in endeavoring to carry on this detailed work we are met on every side by this great want, and much of the time that should be spent in the study of the geology must be given to correcting inaccuracies of the maps. cra | | I have made an earnest effort to remedy this deficiency as far as pos- sible. With this in view I went to Washington and had a conference with Major Powell, Director of the United States Geological Survey. As was stated in the First Annual Report, the topographic work car- ried on under the direction of the United States Geological Survey had been completed over some twenty-four thousand square miles in the center of the State. More exactly, the area covered by this work to June 1, 1890, was bounded by parallels 30° and 33°, and meridians 97° and 99° 30’. | These maps are engraved in sheets on the scale of two miles to the inch. On this scale each square degree forms four sheets. The prin- cipal points are located by triangulation, and the relative heights and differences of elevation are based upon the railroad levels of the coun- try. Where there is a system of railroad lines which cross one another at various points a series of checks is afforded, and the degree of accu- racy with which these levels are run is sufficient for the best of these maps. With these levels fora basis the reliefs of the whole country are determined by running lines of levels, plane table work, and baro- metric observation. The maps are printed in three colors; the water-courses, lakes, etc., being in blue; the contour lines, by which each difference of elevation of fifty feet is shown, in brown; and the roads, railways, and other cul- tural features and lettering in black. They are by far the most accu- rate maps in existence of the region which they cover, and have been of great service, since they are fully sufficient for any but the most detailed work or that requiring a larger scale and greatest accuracy in detail. The intention was to extend eastward by this season’s field work. I therefore requested of Maj. Powell that the field work of the present year be planned to meet our requirements more nearly, and in- stead of working to the east of the area given above that they take up that area lying between meridians 99° 80’ and 100°. The completion of this tier of sheets would give us the topography of all the Central Mineral Region, part of the Abilene-Wichita country, a large portion of the Cretaceous area, and all of the Central Coal Field except that REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. X1xX portion lying north of the completed line of work of last year—the 33d parallel of latitude. I also requested that if possible the United States Geological Survey take up the entire topographic work west of the Pecos River, or if unable to do that, at least to finish the primary triangulation for us in order that we might take up such detached areas as we desired to study and have accurate connection between them such as this would give. Maj. Powell promised compliance as far as possible, and under date of June 9 writes: | : “Tt has been arranged that during the field season of 1890 topographic field work will be carried on in the tier of sheets indicated by you, immedi- ately west of the area already mapped—that is, between 99° 30’ and 100° of longitude. It is hoped that the maps resulting from this work will prove of service to you. “Tt is not yet possible to indicate what topographic work will be done this year in the Trans-Pecos region. The addition of the irrigation investigation to the work of the Geological Survey has led to the assignment of all topo- graphic work in the region to the Irrigation Survey, and the order in which different districts are surveyed is determined by the needs of the irrigation investigation.” He also informed me in the same letter that although the United States Geological Survey could not undertake triangulation in Texas as a basis for our own topographic work, the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey was especially authorized by law to co-operate with any State wkich is conducting a geologic or topographic survey by ex- ecuting triangulation for it. Having already been assured by Dr. T. C. Mendenhall of such co- operation as he could give, I immediately wrote him asking that the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, of which he is the superin- tendent, take up the primary triangulation of Trans-Pecos Texas. In his reply of June 28 he says: “In response to your request I will say that we can begin the primary tri- angulation along the boundary line of Texas near the point to which you refer, commencing with your base line if desired, but preferably perhaps at E] Paso, and running down the Rio Grande. This triangulation would cover possibly a strip of fifty miles wide, and would furnish you with a number of points and bases from which a local triangulation for topography could pro: ceed. I would endeavor to begin the work during the present season and push it as fast as possible, but the high character of the triangulation de- XxX ' REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. manded would necessarily make it somewhat slow. This, however, would — not in any way impede your own operations in topography and secondary or tertiary triangulation.” The co-operation thus secured will be of the greatest benefit to our work in Trans-Pecos, as it will enable us to take up the topographic mapping of detached areas according to their importance and to con- nect them by doing the intervening flats and less important portions more at leisure. CO-OPERATION OF THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. The work of the United States Geological Survey in this State dur- ing the years 1889 and 1890 was as follows: 1889. In topographic mapping surveys were completed for sheets covering approximately the counties of Shackelford, Palo Pinto, Par- ker, Tarrant, Dallas, and Johnson. 6 sheets. 1890. Sheets covering approximately the counties of Concho, Tay- lor, Runnels, Jones, and parts of Falls, McLennan, Hill, Coke, and Tom Green. 8 sheets. This, together with the twenty-three sheets already surveyed, twenty- one of which have been engraved, gives us a total of thirty-seven sheets, representing an area of nine and a quarter square degrees, or about forty thousand square miles. During the past field season the work in this State has been in gen- eral charge of Mr. R. U. Goode, Geographer. It has been prosecuted by four parties as follows: Triangulation party, in charge of Mr. C. T. Urquhart. Party for establishing primary levels, in charge of Mr. A. E. Wilson. T'wo topographic parties in charge of Messrs. H. L. Wallace and H. O. Gordon, respectively. In astronomic work Prof. R. S. Woodward, assisted by Mr. A. P. Davis, determined the location of the 105th meridian of west longitude at a point east of the town of Sierra Blanca, Texas. This was effected by first determining an astronomical position at Sierra Blanca, the lon- gitude being ascertained by telegraphic exchange of time signals with the observatory at Washington University, Saint Louis, and the lati- tude by the method of zenith distances. From the astronomical position, longitude 105° 21’ 24’’ west, latitude 48° 35’ 58”” north, thus determined, the 105th meridian was located by triangulation, and a zenith mark on the meridian established, | REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. Xxi The following is a list of the topographic map sheets of this State which were engraved up to the first of December, 1890: Bastrop, Burnet, Meridian, Austin, Llano, Hamilton, Blanco, Mason, Brownwood, Fredericksburg, Gatesville, Coleman, Kerrville, Lampasas, Granbury, Taylor, San Saba, Stephenville, Georgetown, Brady, Breckenridge. CO-OPERATION OF THE UNITED STATES COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY. Assistant Stelman Forney, of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, left Washington late in November for El Paso, where he will begin the reconnaissance for primary triangulation. His scheme will follow the general direction of the Mexican boundary line, and will be connected with the base lines measured by this Survey and by the United States Geological Survey. WORK OF THE STATE SURVEY. TRANS-PECOS TEXAS. In this district an effort was made by Prof. Streeruwitz, assisted by Mr. Wyschetzki, to complete the section begun last year by mapping the area between the Quitman Mountains and the Rio Grande. This was, however, found to be impracticable on account of lack of facilities for securing supplies and the impassable condition of the old roads south of the mountains. It was therefore thought best to map in the Diabolo and Carrizo mountains on the northeast, which was accord- ingly done. The accuracy of the work done in this district is fully established by Dr. Woodward’s remeasurement of many of the angles with instruments of great precision, with resulting differences well within the limit of error of the smaller instrument belonging to the Survey, and his verifi- cation of the Texas Base Line to within 351,,. For the benefit of the surveyors of West Texas Dr. R. S. Wood- ward, of the United States Geological Survey, in connection with Prof. Streeruwitz, erected monuments in the vicinity of Torbert, giving the true north and south line, and also an accurately measured line for the XXil REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST, correction of their chains. This is marked by monuments in the Texas Base Line. i That portion of the work which was finished appears with the report of Prof. Streeruwitz on the geology of his district. CENTRAL MINERAL REGION. The topographic work in Dr. Comstock’s district was carried on by Mr. J. C. Nagle, and is intended to furnish, in connection with the work of the United States Geological Survey, the accurate topography of the entire area of the rocks older than the Coal Measures in Central Texas, asa basis for mapping the complicated geology of this region. The work was carried as far as possible in the time allowed by the present field season, and the map as far as completed accompanies this Report. In September Mr. Nagle was elected Assistant Professor of Engineer- ing at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, and the com- pletion of the plotting of the map has been done by him without cost to the Survey. ji MAP OF TEXAS. The map of Texas used in the First Annual Report was printed from the plates belonging to the United States Geological Survey, by permis- sion of Major Powell. As it was necessary for us to have maps of the State on several different scales, we began early in the year to collect materials for getting as correct data as possible for use in construction. Maps of each county were sent to the respective county surveyors and all required alterations noted. These were compiled on a post route map of the State corrected to late date, and the copy from which engraving is to be made was drawn from this corrected base. This has been engraved on the following scales for the use of the Survey and the Department of Agriculture: z20¢30 Or 20 miles to one inch. sestios) or 40 miles to one inch. e33000) OF 100 miles to one inch. GEOLOGY. EAST TEXAS. On March 28th Mr. W. Kennedy was sent into Hast Texas to con- tinue the work of mapping the iron ores of Cass, Harrison, and other REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. XX1ll counties, and at the same time to study the associated clays and lignites. In pursuance of instructions he proceeded to Cass County, after map- ping which he took up the investigation of Harrison County, and before returning to Austin made a brief reconnaissance of parts of Gregg and Marion counties. | In order to complete enough of the mapping of the district to make a satisfactory report, it was determined to send Messrs. J. B. Walker and J. H. Herndon into the field. Mr. Walker went out, under in- structions of June 6, to map the iron ores of Rusk, Panola, Shelby, and Nacogdoches counties, and in addition to make such observations of the geology as his time would allow. To Mr. Herndon was given the study of Smith County, including its iron ores, clays, lignites, and building stones, on the completion of which he returned to Austin and resumed his regular work in the chemical laboratory. These counties were gone over as thoroughly as the time permitted, and their studies have added much to our knowledge both of the gen- eral and economic geology of the region. The reports of these gentlemen will be found in Part II of this Re- port—‘The Iron Ore District of Hastern Texas.” During the field season I visited Mr. Kennedy while he was at work in Cass County, spent several days in working with Mr. Herndon in Smith County, and visited Anderson and Houston counties for the purpose of collecting specimens of ore from certain localities previously mapped by Mr. G. HK. Ladd, or reported on by Dr. Penrose, which were needed for analysis. My investigations were greatly facilitated by the kind as- sistance of the citizens of Palestine and Crockett. The artesian water belt of the Gulf coast being a very important factor in the economic geology of the region, I tried to take up the study of it in such intervals as occurred in my administrative work. I visited Ledbetter, from which point I was enabled through the kind- ness of Captain A. W. Littig, superintendent of the First Division of the Houston and Texas Centra] Railway, to visit several of the most favorable localities for the study of the outcrops of the Fayette Sands, which constitute the catchment basin of the artesian belt. The results were of importance in this connection. Later I visited Galveston and Houston to investigate the results of the artesian borings at those places. It is to be regretted that more time could not have been given to this XX1V REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. important work, but it was found impracticable to complete it. Conse- quently only a brief statement is made concerning it. THE CRETACEOUS AREA. In February. 1890, Mr. Robt. T. Hill, having resigned from his pro- fessorship at the State University of Texas, was appointed Geologist in charge of the Cretaceous area. Under this appointment he first pre- pared his paper on ‘The Cretaceous Rocks of Texas and Their Kco- nomic Uses,” for the First Annual Report. This report comprised the material contained in the introduction to Bulletin No. 4, together with some new matter which had been ob- tained in tracing the Cretaceous-Tertiary parting north of the Colorado River, to which was added brief mention of the economic features of the formation. | His work for the present year, as outlined in his letter of instruc- tions, was the economic geology of that portion of the Cretaceous lying north of the Colorado River, including its soils, marls, building and paving stones, cement and hme materials, artesian water conditions, and such additional work in general or special stratigraphy as might be carried on with the above ends in view. He began field work in the latter part of March, starting from Tex- arkana to make a study of the region adjacent to Red River. He con- tinued to work westward, taking in such portions of the Indian Terri- tory as became necessary to the proper understanding of his region. With his various assistants he covered as rapidly as possible the area of the Cretaceous north of the line of the Texas and Pacific Railway, and also considerable portions to the south of that line such as had not previously been examined. His work, as detailed in his letters from April 8 to July 28, proved of the greatest interest both from a scientific and economic point of view. Among the facts thus determined were: the presence of a great fault north of Denison, which has its effect on the present course of Red River; the absence in North Texas of the “Alternating Beds” of the Fredericksburg Division; the separation of the Trinity Sands, between Comanche and Wise counties, into two beds by a stratum of limestone, which has, in some places, a thickness of two hundred feet; and the presence of greensand marls. On the 26th of July he was called in for consultation in regard to REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. XXV the preparation of his report, the amount of his allotment not permit- ting longer field work. At the same time a request was made by the citizens of El Paso that he be sent to examine and report on the prob- abilities of artesian water at that place. He was instructed to make this and a similar investigation at Georgetown, to start his assistants on the preparation of their notes for his use, and to have his report ready as near the Ist of October as possible. On the 26th of August he presented his resignation from the Survey, to take effect as soon as his report was prepared. On his return from Hj] Paso he expressed a desire to have his resignation take effect at once, and that he be allowed to make his report when he could, as he wished to enter into business arrangements which his connection with the Survey would prevent and which would pay better than Survey work. ‘This being found impracticable, he presented a physician’s cer- tificate on September 26, stating that he was physically unable to make a report, at this time, and on September 30 he presented another resig- nation, to take effect at once without a report. Under the circum- stances this was accepted, under the conditions that he return all his notes, maps, and materials to this office and observe his written agree- ment in regard to the publication of the results. This terminated his connection with the Survey and explains the reason for the non-appear- ance of a report on the region included in this investigation with the present volume. 3 He had, as assistants in this work, Messrs. J. S. Stone, J. A. Taff (who was transferred to Prof. Streeruwitz’s division in May), L. T. Dashiel, G. H. Ragsdale, and W. T. Davidson, the work of all of whom he fre- quently commended highly in his letters. NORTH TEXAS. Prof. Cummins was instructed to take up the detailed study of the Coal Measures of the Central Coal Field. His field force was the same as that of the preceding year. He first traced the partings between the Permian and Carboniferous to the Brazos River, and the upper part of Coal Seam No. 7, and then made an instrumental section entirely across the Carboniferous from the edge of Throckmorton County southeast by Graham and Mil- sap, and tracing at the same time the outcrop of Coal Seam No. 1 from XXVI1 REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. Wise County to its southern terminus, continuing the section down the Brazos to the line of Hood County, about ten miles above Thorpe’s Springs, thus giving a connected section entirely across the Brazos Coal Field from the Permain on the west to the Cretaceous on the east. From here the party moved back to Palo Pinto and then to Crystal Falls, where the work of tracing Coal Seam No. 7 was again taken up: and carried south to Cisco. I was with this party during this part of the work. The second line of instrumental section was across the Colorado Coal Field from near the head of Pecan Bayou, where the Carboniferous is overlaid by the Cretaceous, southeast to San Saba. Careful measurements were made on the dip of each coal seam at various points, in order to get the average dip. Hxaminations were made of all mines and prospects within reach of the line, and the out- crops of both of the workable coal seams were mapped as closely as pos- sible in the time allowed for field work. The instrumental work was done by Mr. N. F. Drake, assisted by Duncan Cummins, and the result of the season’s work in giving us an exact knowledge of the different members of the Coal Measures, their relations and thickness, has a.most important bearing on the question of coal mining and consequent fuel supply in Central Texas, and has also added greatly to our knowledge of the building stones, soils, and other economic features of the region. GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS. From all the information at hand concerning the Guadalupe Mount- ains it seemed probable that an examination of them would add con- siderably to our knowledge of the relations of the rock structure of the Central and Western region to that of the Trans-Pecos, and give valu- able information as to artesian well possibilities. Mr. Tarr was, there- fore, instructed to make a reconnaissance of the mountains, and in order to more fully familiarize himself with the section of the Texas Permian to drive from Lampasas to Pecos City, by which route he would cross the entire series of Carboniferous and Permian beds. This part of the trip was satisfactorily accomplished; but on his arrival at Pecos City it was found that circumstances would prevent the entire completion of the trip as planned, and his work in these mountains was limited to the Guadalupe Mountains proper, and did not include their extensions southward far enough to get the connections desired. He, however, REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. XxXVil fully verified the results of Dr. G. G. Shumard’s work in regard to ar- tesian water supply, and ascertained the probable absence of deposits of ores or coal in the region. Upon his return from this trip he re- signed from the Survey. The results of his work will be found among the papers accompanying this Report. CENTRAL TEXAS. Dr. Comstock took the field this year under instructions to complete his general work in the regions which he was unable to reach the pre- vious season, and to give especial attention to working out the mineral resources of his district as fully as possible. The work was carried on as far as possible with these ends in view, but the difficulties arising from the fenced up condition of the country, lack of suitable roads, and often of water, provisions, and feed for teams accessible to the places at which work was contemplated, rendered it impossible to do all that was anticipated. His general route was from near Burnet south and west by Flat Rock Creek and Round Mountain, through Blanco and Gillespie counties, with excursions into the southern part of Llano County in working out the geology of Honey Creek Cove and the Riley Moun- tains. Then through Mason, Kimble, Menard, and Concho counties as rapidly as possible, tracing the western boundary of his district. Following the northern boundary through McCulloch County he then turned into the region of Katemcy, Fredonia, and Cherokee to Silver Mine Hollow, Burnet County, at which point I joined his party for afew days. From there his party worked south and came into Austin. This general route was interrupted by frequent trips toward the inte- rior of the district for the examination of such localities as had been passed by during the last year for lack of time, but the hindrances mentioned above proved so great that it was found impossible to visit all that he wished. In November Dr. Comstock also devoted a week to the field study of the district in which tin was discovered by him. The results of this season’s work fully confirm the general statements made regarding the stratigraphic geology of the region in the First An- nual Report, while in economic results it has given returns of greatest value. Among them may be noted the mapping of the area of the Burnet marbles, the various outcrops of granites, special study of the lead- bearing districts already known and the discovery of new ones, the study of the brines, the mapping of the general outcrops of the veins of iron ores, more detailed study of the gold, silver, and copper ores of — XXVill REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. the district and the determination of the probability of their existence in workable quantities, and finally the discovery of the existence of tin, which is in itself one of the most important of all. — TRANS-PECOS TEXAS. Prof. W. H. Streeruwitz, having practically completed the topographic mapping of an important area, including the Quitman and Sierra Blanca mountains, parts of the Eagle, Diabolo, and Carrizo mountains, and the foot hills adjacent to them, was instructed to investigate its geology, with special reference to the valuable deposits of precious metals already determined as existing init. He accordingly went to Fort Davis and got together his teams which had been at pasture, and after some trouble in securing assistants, finally started work with Mr. Ralph W yschetzki as Assistant Topographer, and Mr. J. A. Taff as Assistant Geologist. Mr. Taff was given the study of the Cretaceous strata of the region, Prof. Streeruwitz working on the crystalline and older strati- fied rocks. The winter having been an unusually dry one, great diffi- culty was experienced in getting water at places convenient to the work without long hauling. The summer heat was also excessive, and lacked the invigorating breezes which are usual in that section. Taking it altogether, the work was done under very considerable disadvantage and even hardship, and it required the best of good nature and all the enthusiasm which the intensely interesting features of the geology of that region evokes to overcome them and succeed as fully as has been done. The work that has been done includes the tracing and mapping of the various mineral veins of that district, specimens of all of which were taken and are now in the laboratory for analysis. Of the value of the district as a mining region there can be no doubt, and since ex- cellent water occurs in the deeper workings and is found in the Quitman Valley, there is no longer any fear of a lack of this important item. Besides this, the general geology of the region has been studied, and, as far as the limited time permitted, compared with similar adjacent areas; and while it is not possible to fully correlate the older rocks with those of other regions, much has been done towards the clear un- derstanding of the structure and the stratigraphic relations of the various granites, porphyries, quartzites, marbles, etc. The fine porphyries and marbles have been collected for the purpose of showing their great beauty as building and ornamental stones. REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. xxix In the Cretaceous a clear and comprehensive section of the system as it appears in the area has been obtained, which not only develops facts of some scientific importance, such as the absence of the Alter- nating Beds of the Fredericksburg Division, but furnishes economic results also that will in time be of considerable interest to that portion of the State. PALEONTOLOGY. The necessity for a correct knowledge of the fossils occurring in the different formations, and even in the different beds of the same forma- tion, is as absolute for the correct determination of certain economic re- lations as any other branch in the science of geology. The fossils are the guide boards of the geologist, and in spite of the fact that in many cases practical men look upon the labors of those whose time is given to such study as an utter waste, they must be studied in order that the exact succession of the rocks be known and their relations accurately defined. This is easily understood and ap- preciated if we take into consideration that each separate series of rocks has its own characteristic fossils, and that having definitely determined these, and by them the relations of the underlying and overlying strata, we can make a section showing the succession and thickness of each series of beds, and from such section in many cases tell exactly the chances for artesian water, for coal, or oil, or natural gas, and many other substances, at any point at which any one of the beds so determined may appear upon the surface, and often very closely approximating the depth at which they lie. In the Coal Measures, for instance, there is a persistent band of limestone with a certain association of fossil forms. We have determined them and know from observation that a coal seam lies a certain distance below them. Therefore at any place at which this limestone appears upon the surface, or where we find its characteristic fossils, we immediately begin the search for the coal seam. Many other instances of equal importance might be given of the economic use of the study of fossil forms. Of its relations to knowledge from the standpoints of biology and world-building it is unnecessary to speak. While this is true, we have found it almost impossible to do anything in this direction here owing to a lack of books and type specimens for reference. We have therefore taken advantage of the kind offers of assistance that have been made at different times, and have by this XXX REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. means succeeded in getting a large amount of much needed work done at very little money cost to the Survey. | Prof. Angelo Heilprin, of the Philadelphia Academy of Sciences, took up the study of the fossils from the Tertiary beds which were collected by Dr. Penrose and myself. He has completed the work and sent me a list of his determinations. These, together with the descriptions of such as were undescribed or unfigured, will appear in the Transactions of that Academy at an early day. Dr. Ferdinand Roemer, Professor in the University at Breslau, Ger- many, was the first geologist who wrote of the Texas Cretaceous, and his works are still our textbooks in paleontological matters. It was thought best on that account to ask his co-operation in determining and describing the numerous fossils of the Cretaceous. His reply was prompt and favorable, and the third shipment of material is now on the way to him. In the trip made by Prof. Cummins and myself from Abilene to the Double Mountains in September, 1889, a number of new Nautiloid forms were found, and after they were gotten together in the Museum I for- warded some of them to Prof. Alpheus Hyatt, of the Boston Society of Natural History, for examination. They proved to be of such in- terest that he has made a study of them in connection with similar forms from Kansas and other places, and has furnished descriptions of all of them, together with accurate engravings, for incorporation in this Report. Prof. E. D. Cope, of the Philadelphia Academy of Sciences, who has already described many of the fossils from the Permian beds of Texas, has offered his services in the determination of such Vertebrate fossils of that period as we may collect, and has given us such aid as he could in furnishing a check list of those which he has already described. By the means of such co-operation I have secured for the Survey as- sistance that will be of greatest value, and have had forms identified which could not be done by the Survey itself in anything like a satis- factory manner. CHEMICAL LABORATORY. Soon after the completion of the work required for the First Annual Report, Mr. J. H. Herndon was given field work, as has been stated, in Kast Texas. During Mr. Herndon’s absence in the field Mr. Magnenat made all REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. 52.54 analyses and carried on other necessary laboratory work in the Survey laboratory. Mr. P. S. Tilson continued the work of soil analysis, to which were added a number of East Texas iron ores, until the last of July, when he tendered his resignation as Chemist to the Survey to accept the po- sition of Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the Agricultural and Me- chanical College of Texas. Upon his resignation such material and apparatus as was the property of the Geological Survey at the laboratory of the Agricultural and Me- chanical College was brought to Austin, and the chemical work was all concentrated in our own laboratory. On Mr. Herndon’s return from the field he again resumed charge of the laboratory, and he and Mr. Magnenat have had the entire work since that time. A general statement of the work of the year is given in another place. It has been almost entirely analytical, and little time was available for any original work, although there are many questions of interest which await investigation in connection with the ores and other materials col- lected. LIBRARY. I have added to our reference library as many books as I could bear- ing directly upon our work, but it is still very incomplete. Even the sets of Geological Reports of the various States and the different United States Surveys are still incomplete, and the Transactions of the numerous Scientific Associations are either unrepresented or present only in de- tached numbers. Numerous exchanges are arranged for, and further purchases will be made as rapidly as the appropriation will admit. Our distance from all public libraries renders the building up of one of our own a prime necessity. MUSEUM. ' There has been little change inthe Museum. The difficulty of secur- ing suitable field assistants for the character of work wanted compelled me to use all the force in the field, and in consequence there was no one to take up the Museum work; Mr. McCulloch, to whom it had been assigned in January, having been fully engaged in assisting me in read- ing the proof of the First Annual Report and other office work until just before his resignation from the Survey. It is intended to improve XXXil REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. its condition as far as possible as soon as the present Report is ready for the printer. OFFICE WORK. My office work this year has required much closer application than that of last year, and in consequence I had little time for field work. In addition to the usual routine and correspondence I was engaged un- til June 1 in editing and revising the manuscript and reading the proof of the First Annual Report. I then used a few weeks in the necessary work of visiting the different field parties, and on the resignations of Mr. McCulloch in August, and Mr. Jones in September, I was left en- tirely without office assistance for more than a month. The amount of correspondence is steadily increasing. Letters of inquiry are coming in constantly from the different portions of the State regarding differ- ent points of interest which require time and study for proper answers. These include such questions as artesian water supply at many different points, the utilization of the greensand marls of Eastern Texas in par- ticular localities, the lignites and their uses, localities and descriptions of clays for pottery and fire brick, the availability of certain waters and soils for irrigation purposes, the prospect for coal at certain localities, the location and extent of the deposits of bitumen, and many other sim- ilar subjects. I have also been called upon for special detailed reports on several subjects, among which may be mentioned : A report on the artesian water conditions of Texas west of the 97th meridian and north of San Antonio. This report was made at the re- quest of Hon. J. M. Rusk, Secretary of Agriculture, for the use of Congress in their inquiries in regard to the use of artesian water in irni- gation. A report on the iron ores, fuels, manganese, fire clays, and other materials requisite for steel making which are found in Texas, with especial reference to their use at San Antonio. This report was made at the request of the Board of Trade of San Antonio for submittal to the officers of the Army Board, who were charged with the duty of se- lecting or recommending a site for the erection of works for the manu- facture of heavy ordnance. In October Dr. Otto Lerch was appointed Assistant Geologist, and given the special work of collating the results of the lignite industry in Germany from such literature as was available (the most of which REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. Xxxlll was kindly loaned us from the library of the University of Texas), and preparing a statement of this in connection with the lignites of Texas. Upon the completion of this work he began the preparation of a pre- liminary statement of the history, present conditions, and probable fu- ture of irrigation in Texas. Mr. W. S. Hunt was appointed to the position formerly filled by Mr. J. L. Jones, and began work November 10. PUBLICATIONS. The First Annual Report was the only volume issued by the Survey during the year 1890. The edition was not large enough to meet the demand for it, and after the required number was reserved by law and a few for exchanges, those remaining were distributed to the best advantage over the State and United States. I have, however, fur- nished the daily newspapers with a series of papers on the mineral re- sources of the State, and have also issued some of these in circular form, as there were numerous requests for them from different portions of Texas. CO-OPERATION WITH THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. There having been several inquiries for collections of minerals of Texas for use in the public High Schools of the State, in connection with the study of Mineralogy and Geology, I began the arrangement of sets for such a purpose, which should consist of a fairly representative collection of the various minerals and rocks found in Texas and de- scribed or mentioned in the elementary works on Geology. Having gotten together enough materials for about twenty collections, I notified Hon. O. H. Cooper, Superintendent of Public Instruction, of my readi- ness to supply the collections, in the following letter: Austin, Texas, February 10, 1890. Hon. O. H. Cooper, State Superintent of Public Instruction, Austin, Texas: Dear Siz—As numerous requests have been received during the past six months for collections of the rocks and minerals of Texas for the purpose of illustrating the study of Geology in the various High Schools of the State, 1 have made up a collection of specimens of suitable size, which are numbered and labeled plainly and ready for use in the way desired. These specimens, besides the ordinary educational value of such material, have the additional advantage of being all from the State, and therefore just such forms as the student will meet with in his field studies. | These collections will be furnished to any High Schoo] in Texas on appli- 38—geol. XXX1V REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. cation of the Principal, approved by the School Board, the only requirement being that a suitable case be provided for their preservation. An ordinary show case, eight feet in length, with locks on the doors, will answer admirably; or, if an upright case be preferred, a book case with glass G.. doors will answer. Similar collections of the characteristic fossils of the different geologic periods will be prepared for the fall term. Yours, very truly, BH. T. DOUMBLE, State Geologist. This was published in the Texas School Journal and other papers, and the consequent demand for the collections has been far beyond our ability to supply. Forty-one sets, more or less complete, were fur- nished, and since their shipment we have had applications for something over twenty more. During the last field season attention was given to securing the materials needed for supplying the specimens lacking in some of the collections sent out, and for furnishing complete collections to the other applicants. It is proposed to follow these collections of rocks and minerals with others giving the characteristic fossils of our various geological forma- tions, and it is hoped that each High School in the State will sooner or later have both these collections as a help in teaching Geology and in- teresting the young people of the State in the study of the natural features around them. Collections were furnished the following schools and institutions: Atlanta Male Institute, J. B. Madden, President. University of Texas, Prof. F. W. Simonds. Agricultural and Mechanical College, College. Austin High School, I. H. Bryant, Principal. Austin Colored High School, H. T. Kealing, Principal. Abilene Public Schools, Geo. W. Roach, Superintendent. Chappell Hill Female College, F. W. Tarrant, President. Cisco Public Schools, C. G. Faust, Superintendent. Colorado Public Schools, Jacob J. Hill, Superintendent. _ Comanche High School, C. O. Smith, Superintendent. Calvert High School, A. W. Kinnard, Principal. Corsicana High School, Chas. J. Alexander, Superintendent. Crockett Academy, BE. A. Pace, Principal. Dallas High School, T. G. Harris, Principal. Denton High School, E. B. Keyte, Principal. REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. XXXV Ennis High School, Joseph C. Watkins, Superintendent. El] Paso High School, Miss Ella B. Meekins, Principal. Fort Worth High School, P. M. White, Superintendent. Hempstead High School, S. H. Dean, Principal. Gonzales High School, Oscar Chrisman, Superintendent. Gainesville High School, W. L. Lemmon, Principal. Kyle Seminary, Milton Park, Principal. Lovelady High School, H. W. Browder, Principal. McKinney High School, J. T. Johnson, Superintendent. Pecos High School, A. D. Wallace, Principal. Paris High School, D. R. Cully, Superintendent. Richmond High School, E. W. Smith, Principal. San Antonio High School, W. Schoch, Principal. Timpson High School, T. R. Day, Principal. Tyler High School, Percy Pennybacker, Superintendent. Whiteright Grayson College, Anderson & Butler, Proprietors. Winsboro High School, E. H. Trammell, Principal. St. Mary’s Academy, San Antonio, Brother Lewis, Principal. St. Mary’s Academy, Austin, Sisters of the Holy Cross. Texas Deaf and Dumb Asylum. Taylor High School, A. P. Hill, Superintendent. Texas State Geological and Scientific Association, Houston. | Waco High School, Mrs. W. D. House, Superintendent. Bastrop High School, J. L. Hood, Principal. Pleasant Grove High School, E. H. Tramwell, Principal. MINERAL RESOURCES OF TEXAS. INTRODUCTORY. The mineral resources of Texas are too varied in their character and too widespread in their occurrence to permit more than a brief review of the results obtained by the investigations of this Survey during the past two years. Previous to the organization of the present Survey little systematic work had been done toward securing definite and accurate information of the various economic products of the geology of the State. Many mineral localities were known, and the qualities of many ores, soils, and other materials had been tested by analyses. A few mines and manu-— factories scattered here and there over the State had tested some of these deposits practically, but there was nowhere a statement of such — XXXVI REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. facts concerning them as would enable the owner or prospector to form any definite idea of their relations or probable values. The following statements are based for the greater part on the work of myself and associates of the present Survey (although all reliable sources of information accessible to us at present have been examined), and many of the facts will be found stated in much greater detail in the various papers accompanying this and preceding Annual Reports, to which the reader is referred. FUEL AND OILS. WOOD. Over Eastern Texas the amount of wood suitable for fuel purposes is seemingly inexhaustible; but as we go west it grows less and less, until in many places mesquite roots or even the “‘ Mexican dagger” are the principal source of supply. The investigations of the Survey up to the present have been confined to an examination of the wood supply of certain counties with reference to the manufacture of charcoal for iron smelting, and this will be more fully discussed in Part II of this Re- port, “Report on the Iron Ore Region of East Texas.” Other facts are also given in other parts of the Report. LIGNITE. Intermediate between peat and bituminous coal we find a fossil fuel known as lignite or brown coal. It cuntains less water and more car- bon than peat, but has more water and less carbon than bituminous coal. Lignites are the product of a later geologic age than bituminous coal, and the bituminous matter has not been so fully developed as in the true bituminous coal. Lignite varies in color from a brown to a brilliant jet black, and oc- curs in all degrees of purity, from a lignitic clay to a glossy coal of cubical fracture. The greatest amount of our lignites, however, are of black color, changing to brownish black on exposure, often with some- what of a conchoidal fracture and a specific gravity of about 1.22. Lignite occurs in beds similar to those of bituminous coal, although they are not always as regular and continuous. | LocALitiEes.—The area in which the lignites occur in Texas was de- fined in general terms in the First Report of Progress, p. 20, as follows: “The lignite field is by far the largest field we have, and the coal strata it contains are of much greater thickness than those of either of theothers. As REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. XXXVli nearly as we can at present mark its boundaries they are as follows: | Begin- ning on the Sabine River, in Sabine County, the boundary line runs west and southwest near Crockett, Navasota, Ledbetter, Weimar, and on to Helena and the Rio Grande, thence back by Pearsall, Elgin, Marlin, Richland, Salem, and Clarksville to Red River. ‘Tt includes fifty-four counties in whole or part, and while we do not know of the occurrence of lignite in every one of these, it will in all probability be found in all of them sooner or later.” Within the area thus defined lignite. has been observed at hundreds of localities. Drs. Shumard and Buckley reported many of these, and many others have been described by members of the Survey. The beds vary from a few inches to as much as twelve feet, which thickness has been observed and measured in numerous places. The lignites have been mined in greater or less quantities in several places, among which may be mentioned: _Athens, Henderson County. Seven miles east of Emory, Rains County. Alamo, Cass County. Head’s Prairie, Robertson County. Calvert Bluff, Robertson County. Rockdale, Milam County. Bastrop, Bastrop County. Lytle Mine, Atascosa County. San Tomas, Webb County, and others. Of these localities the Laredo ‘San Tomas” coal stands out sharply above the rest. Although it is classed as a lignite on the ground of its geologic occurrence, it is much superior to any of the ordinary lignites, as is shown by its analysis. A description of the bed and analysis of the coal were given in the First Annual Report. Uses oF Licnire.—The real value of this material as fuel is not at all appreciated. Lignite, up to the present time, has been regarded as of very little value. Two causes have been instrumental in creating this impression ; first, the quality it possesses of rapidly slacking and crumbling when exposed to the air; and second (and perhaps this is the principal cause), all who have attempted to use it have done so without first studying its character and the best methods of burning if, and they have in most cases endeavored to use it under the same con- ditions which apply to a bituminous coal containing little water. While lignite may not differ materially from bituminous coal in weight, its XXVIII REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. physical properties are entirely different. This is due not only to the amount of water contained in the lignite, amounting to from ten to twenty per cent of its weight, but also to the fact that it is the product of a different period of geologic time, and it may be that the develop- ment of the bituminous matter differs in some way in thetwo. Therefore in any intelligent effort to make it available for fuel, these considera- tions must be taken into account and proper allowances made for them. In Europe, where fuel is scarcer than here, lignites of much poorer quality than our average deposits are successfully used, not only as fuel for domestic purposes but also for smelting. The fact that hgnites have not been used in the United States is taken by some as an evidence of their worthlessness, but if we turn to Kurope we find that their usefulness is of the highest character. From the Jahres Berichte der Chemischen Technologie,* by Dr. R. Wagner (1855 to 1889), I have had a careful compilation made of the progress of the lignite industry in Germany. From this we learn that although the German lignites are inferior to those of Texas, as proved by nu- merous chemical analyses, they are in use for every purpose for which bituminous coal is available, and for some to which such coal is not suited. Their principal use is, naturally, as fuel. They are used in the natural state, or ‘“‘raw,” in places for household purposes, and also to a very large extent in Siemens’ regenerator furnaces; and, even in connection with coke made from the lignites themselves, as much as forty to seventy per cent of raw lignite is used in the smelting of iron ores in furnaces of suitable construction. Raw lignites are also used in the conversion of iron into steel by the Bessemer process, but require a small addition of coke for this purpose. For general fuel purposes, however, the lignites are manufactured into briquettes, or coal bricks, of different sizes, by pulverizing them, evaporating the surplus water, and compressing them under presses similar to those used in the manufacture of pressed brick. Many of the German lignites contain as much as thirty to forty per cent of water, and the heat which is necessary to drive this off acts on the chemical elements of the lignite and develops the bituminous matter * This work is a yearly review of the progress of applied chemistry and chemical indus- tries in Germany. It gives accurate descriptions of all new processes and reviews all pub- lications on subjects connected with the application of chemistry to manufactures, and is also devoted to everything connected with the science of chemistry itself. It is of the highest authority. REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. KXX1E sufficiently for it to serve as a bond or cement under the semi-fusion caused by the heavy pressure which is applied to make it cohere. Such coals as do not form their own cement in this way are made to cohere by the addition of various cementing materials, such as bitumen, coal tar, pitch, starch, potatoes, clay, ete. Lignites prepared in this way are fully equal to ordinary bituminous coal as fuel for all purposes, and possess, in addition, several important advantages. They are more compact, and are in the regular form of blocks which can be stored iv four-fifths the amount of space occupied by the same weight of coal. ‘They are much cleaner to handle, and the waste in handling, which in the case of bituminous coal is often as much as twenty per cent, is very little. Owing to its physical structure it burns with great regularity and without clinkers, making it a very desirable steam fuel. For these reasons it is often preferred to bituminons coal. Coke of excellent quality is made from lignites in ovens properly constructed for the purpose. These ovens are of various designs suited to different characters of lignite, but all accomplish similar results, and the coke thus produced is used for all purposes for which other cokes are adapted. luminating gas of very superior quality is manufactured from lig- nites, and is in use in many German manufactories. Lignite also forms the base of many other important industries. Up to the time of the discovery of the oil fields of America and the great deposits of mineral wax, or ozocerite, the lignite was the principal source of supply of paraffine and illuminating oils, and even now, al- though comparatively few factories are run solely for their production, as was formerly so largely the case, the amount manufactured as by- products is very large. These substances are the results of distilling the lignites in the same manner in which gas is produced from bituminous coal, and the product consists of gas, water, tar, ammonia, coke, and ash. The tar contains paraffine and mineral oils, as well as being the basis for the analine dyes for the production of which great quantities of lignite are used. Powdered coke from lignites is used in the manufacture of gunpow- der, of blacking, and for filters, and is substituted in many places for the more costly boneblack. Finally lignite is used very successfully in the place of boneblack in xl REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. clarifying sugar. In this, as in all uses of lignite, reference must be had to the particular kind of lignite to be employed. | Just as bituminous coals vary, and that from one locality proves more suitable for certain purposes than that of another seam at no great dis- tance, so the lignites differ and the characteristics of each must be studied in order to ascertain for which of these many uses it is best adapted. | | Sites With such evidence as this before us—the results of fifty years of experiments and trial ending in successful operation in all these vari- ous uses of lignites—there can remain no shadow of doubt of the adapt- ability of the great lignite fields of T’exas, and other parts of America as well, to meet the wants of the people for cheap fuel. The ease and cheapness of mining, the small cost of preparation, and its value when prepared, will enable it to compete with wood in the best wooded portions of the State, with coal in close proximity to the coal mine, and it will prove of inestimable value in those localities in which it is the only fuel. BITUMINOUS COAL. The work of the Survey during the past two years has resulted in fully determining the limits of the Central Coal Fields, in ascertaining the number, thickness, and dips of the workable seams of coal, and in approximately mapping their lines of outcrop. The coal measures consist of beds of limestones, sandstones, shales, and clays, having an aggregate thickness of some six thousand feet. The dip of these beds is very gentle, averaging less than forty feet to the mile in seam No. 7, and about sixty-five in seam, No. 1, and is to- ward the northwest or west. Very little disturbance has been noted in it beyond a few slight folds and small faults. These two facts—slight dip and undisturbed condition—are of great importance in the mining of the coal. | T'wo seams of workable coal were found, Nos. 1 and 7, respectively, of the Texas section. None of the other seven seams observed are of sufficient thickness to be of economic value. The Central Coal Field is divided by a strip of Cretaceous south of the line of the Texas and Pacific Railway. The two divisions thus formed have been named after the principal rivers which cross them— REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. — xli the Brazos* Coal Field, or Northern, and the Colorado Coal Field, or Southern. | In the Brazos Coal Field both of the workable seams of coal are found but No. 1 has not yet been identified in the Colorado Coal Field, and No. 7 is therefore its only workable deposit. Coal seam No. 1 first appears at the surface in Wise County, some eight miles southwest of Decatur. It outcrops in a southwestern direction nearly to the southwest corner of the county, when it turns more sharply west and appears in the southeastern portion of Jack County. It crosses into Palo Pinto County near its northeastern cor- ner and its outcrops appear in a south-southwest direction entirely across this county and down into Erath, until it disappears beneath the Cretaceous hills and is found no more. On this seam are located several mines and prospects, among which may be mentioned those of the Wise County Coal Company, Mineral Wells Coal Company, Lake Mine, Car- son and Lewis, Gordon, Johnson, Palo Pinto, and Adair. The output from these mines is gradually increasing. These mines, as well as those on Seam No. 7, were briefly described in the First Report of Progress, and those now in operation are de- scribed more fully in this Report. Coal Seam No. 7 is first observed outcropping near Bowie, in Mon- tague County. From this point it bends southwestward, passing north of Jacksboro, between Graham and Belknap, when it turns south, running just west of Hliasville, by Crystal Falls and Breckenridge, to and below Cisco, when it, too, passes under the Cretaceous ridge. South of this ridge we find it again on Pecan Bayou, in Coleman County, and from here the outcrops extend in a southerly direction, near Santa Anna Mountain, to Waldrip in McCulloch County. On this seam we have the Stephens Mine, in Montague County, and various prospects in Jack County. Considerable work has been done in Young and Stephens counties, and coal of fair quality mined, but lack of railway facilities prevents anything like systematic mining. The seam becomes thinner and much poorer toward Cisco, graduating into a material little better than a bituminous shale. Probably the largest amount of work ever put on a coal seam in Texas was expended in this county, but the whole thing was given up at last as imprac- ticable. *The name Brazos was originally applied to the northwestern portion of this field by Dr. Chas. Ashburner in a paper read before the American Institute of Mining Engineers in 1879. It is now extended to cover the entire area north of the Cretaceous ridge mentioned. xlii REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. On the southern portion of this seam, or that within the Colorado Coal Field, there have been numerous prospecting shafts sunk, but no coal of any consequence has been mined except for local consumption. The various mines were described in the First Annual Report. The principal ones are located north of Santa Anna, on Bull Creek, Home Creek, and at and near Waldrip. The thickness of these two seams is about equal, each averaging about thirty inches of clean cval. They are similar also in having at most places a parting of clay, or “slate,” of a few inches in thickness. While the outcrops of the two seams are parallel to each other in a general way, they vary from twenty-five to forty miles apart. In the northern portion the seams are separated by some twelve hun- dred feet vertical thickness of limestones, clays, and shales. This thick- ness, however, increases rapidly toward the south. As has been stated, the dip is gentle; that of seam No. 1 will not aver- age over sixty-five feet, and that of No. 7 is less than forty feet. The average increase of elevation of the surface of the country toward the west is only a few feet per mile (not exceeding ten), and in consequence the extension of these beds can be found anywhere within eight to ten miles west of their outcrops at less than six hundred feet in depth. The linear extent of the outcrops of these two seams is fully two hundred and fifty miles). They are probably workable for at least ten miles west of their line of outcrops, giving us an area of twenty-five hundred square miles of coal lands. Even if only two-fifths of this area prove to be fully adapted to coal mining, we have one thousand square miles, each of which contains nearly three millions of tons of coal. The roof of these coal seams is sandstone, limestone, or a hard clay which makes a good roof. The mines are generally dry. The quality of the coal varies considerably. In some few places it is high in sulphur, in others very little is found. It also varies greatly in the amounts of ash and moisture contained in it, as well as in its fuel constituents, but careful selection will result in a fuel that will give perfectly satisfactory results. | Of its value as a steam coal there can be no doubt, for it has been fully tested for railroad and other uses, and is taken as fast as it can be mined, leaving practically none to be sold for ordinary purposes. So far as Iam informed there has been but one attempt at testing its coking qualities in regular coking ovens. This was done by the man- - REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. xliii ager of the Johnson, or Texas and Pacific, Mine. The quality of coke produced gives every promise that, with proper care in selecting mate- rial and attention to burning, it will produce a coke fully adapted for the best metallurgical uses. In addition to this Central Coal Field there are others on the western borders of the State. One of these, the Nueces Coal Field, was de- scribed in the First Report of Progress of this Survey, and again in the First Annual Report. Since that time a boring made at Eagle Pass, four miles from the outcrop on which the Hartz Mine is situated, reached the same coal at five hundred and thirty-one feet. This coal cokes in the crucible, and there isno doubt but that an excellent coke can be made from it, if ovens of suitable construction are used. This seam is the thickest in the State, averaging nearly five feet, and must prove of very great economic value. ? A second coal field is that containing the deposits in Presidio County between the Capote Mountain and the Rio Grande. The specimens of this coal which have been furnished for analysis show it to be very high in sulphur, but no detailed examination of it has yet been made. BITUMEN OR ASPHALTUM. This valuable material exists in Texas under several conditions. Its most frequent occurrence is probably in tar springs. These are found in many places in the Tertiary and Cretaceous formations, and occa- sionally among those that are older. It is in these cases the seepage from the beds which contain it. So far few, if any, of these beds have been examined to ascertain their extent or quality, for there has been little or no demand for the material. Among these may also be in- cluded the Sour Lakes of Hardin and Liberty counties, at which both bitumen and gas occur in large quantities. In other places it is found as deposits of greater or less extent, im- pregnating the accompanying sands, sandstone, and limestone. These have not been given much more attention than the springs, but some of the localities have been examined and specimens of the material analyzed. | The tar springs are of frequent occurrence in certain beds of the Timber Belt Series. which stretch across the State in a belt approxi- . mately parallel to the Gulf coast and from 100 to 150 miles inland, and are at places connected more or less with deposits of oil. They are also found along the belt of country underlaid by the Fish xliv REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. © Beds, or Eagle Ford Shales, of the Cretaceous, as may. be seen in the ~ vicinity of Fiskville and other localities in Travis County, and still others southwest of the Colorado, Similar springs are found in Burnet - and other counties in the older rocks. ; - | The deposits which have been examined most fully are those of An- derson County east of Palestine, where there is an asphalt bearing sand. This appears to be due to the oxidation of the residuum of oil left in the sand. Here they are of unknown and somewhat uncertain extent, as they are apt to run into an oil bearing sand. This is possibly the case with many of the deposits of Kast Texas. In Uvalde County there are several outcrops of bitumen impregnat- ing both sandstone and limestone. Of the former, Mr. Owen says (First Report of Progress, page 72): ‘This oyster bed is underlaid by eight feet of black asphaltum sandstone, from which it warm weather the asphaltum exudes and forms small pools.” This is on the Nueces River fourteen miles southwest of Uvalde. The stratum here de- scribed is continuous. The stratigraphical position is some thirty feet below the San Tomas coal vein (that which is worked above Laredo), and Mr. Owen states that the sandstone occurs at nearly every locality where its stratigraphical position was exposed. The connection of this asphaltic material and the coal seam mentioned over an area exceeding one ‘thousand square miles opens one of the most profitable fields of fuel industry in Texas. Analyses of these asphaltum sands give an average of fourteen per cent asphaltum. Beds of similar sands are known in Jack, Montague, Martin, and other counties. Analyses gave the following percentages of bitumen: | Montague County, 8.90 to 10.20. Martin County, 10.72. The asphaltic limestone found in Uvalde County, specimens of which are in the Museum, is richer in asphaltum than any of the sandstones, the average of three analyses giving 20.35 per cent of bitumen. This gives it the same composition as the best grade of asphaltic limestone gotten in the Val-de-Travers, Switzerland, of which the famous asphalt streets of Paris are made. It isa natural mixture of asphaltum and limestone in the best proportion for good road making. OIL. Oil is often an accompanying material when the tar springs and de IREPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. xlv posits of bitumen are found in the Timber Belt and Hagle Ford beds. Thus, in the counties of Sabine, Shelby, Nacogdoches, San Augustine, Anderson, Grimes, Travis, Bexar, and others, oil in small quantity has been found. Most often, it is true, the quantity has been too small to be of much economic importance, but in Nacogdoches County one of the fields has had considerable development and the results are satis- factory. Besides these deposits there are others in the Carboniferous region, where small quantities of oil are secured in wells and springs which appear to have a larger quantity of the lighter oils connected with them. The only places at which oil is at present produced are Nacogdoches and San Antonio. NacoepocHes Oi WELLSs.—In the vicinity of Chireno, Nacogdo- ches County, a number of oil wells have been bored, many of which became producers. A pipe line was run connecting the wells with the railroad at Nacogdoches, and shipments of oil have been made from time to time. This locality produces only a lubricating oil, but it has the property (through absence of paraffine) of withstanding very severe cold, and is therefore of high market value for railroad use where such oils are needed. San ANTONIO O1L WELL.—Mr. Geo. Dulnig, when boring on his place for water, at a depth of three hundred feet struck petroleum, and subsequently, in another boring at some distance from the first, came upon it at two hundred and seventy feet. The flow is only about twenty gallons a day, but is continuous and regular. The oil is a supe- rior article for lubricating purposes. GAS. Another economic product accompanying these beds of bitumen and oil is Natural Gas. Its existence has long been known in Shelby, Sa- bine, and adjoining counties, and it was found in well boring in Wash- ington County and elsewhere many years ago. Within the last two years fresh borings have been made in the vicinity of Greenvine, in Washington County, and the flow of gas found to be of considerable amount. It has been found near San Antonio at depths of from four hundred to eight hundred feet, and also at Gordon and other places in the Carboniferous area. No attempt has yet been made to bring it into use, or even to fully test the character or extent of the fields thus far determined. | ase: xlvi REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. FERTILIZERS. Under this heading might well be included everything that can be applied to a soil for its amelioration or the increase of its fertility. This would therefore, in its widest application, embrace even the addi- tion of sands to clay soils of such sticky character as our famous black waxy. The deposits, however, which will be mentioned here are Apa- tite, Bat Guano, Gypsum, Glauconite (or Greensand Marl), Chalk Marl, Limes, and Clays. : APATITE. This mineral, which is a phosphate of lime, has as yet only been found in very small quantities in Texas. Its value as a fertilizer is due to its contents of phosphoric acid, and if it can be discovered in any quan- tity will be of very considerable value in connection with the green- sand and other marls in sandy lands low in that essential element. Phosphate of lime is also the chief constituent of bone, and any depos- its of this character will also prove of value. As yet known no de- posits rich in phosphatic material have been found in Texas. BAT GUANO. As a fertilizer Bat Guano occupies a place second to nothing, except it be the Peruvian guano. Its great value as a fertilizer is due to its salts of ammonia, potash, and phosphorus. It is found in caves in Williamson, Burnet, Lampasas, Llano, Gillespie, Blanco, Bexar, and other counties of Texas in great quantities. It varies greatly in qual- ity. Many of the caves are so situated that water has access to the beds, and parts of the valuable salts of ammonia are dissolved and car- ried off. In others, fires have by some means got started and immense bodies of the guano burned. Many analyses have been made from different caves, and large quantities of it have been shipped, but the present lack of railroad facilities in the vicinity of the deposits has prevented their successful working. . us Analyses of guano from Burnet and Gillespie counties gave a value of over $50 per ton. GYPSUM. : As a top dressing for many crops Gypsum is of great use, and when _ ground for this purpose is known as land plaster. Ground Gypsum is also an excellent deodorizer. REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. xlvii Texas is abundantly supplied with this material. Not only does it occur in immense deposits in the Permian Beds west of the Abilene- Wichita country, but all through the Timber Belt Beds it is found along the streams and scattered through the clays as crystals of clear selenite, often miscalled “mica” or “‘isinglass.” It is of all degrees of purity, from the pure selenite to an impure gypseous clay. So far it has been little used for this purpose in Texas. GREENSAND MARL. This marl is a mixture of sand and clay with greensand, and often contains quantities of shells. Greensand, or glauconite as it is often called, is a mineral of green color composed of silica (sand) in chemical combination with iron and potash, and usually contains variable quan- tities of other substances. This marl also contains more or less phos- phoric acid, and the shells furnish lime. Where it occurs in its original and unaltered condition it is of a more or less pronounced green color, due to the color of the greensand init. Where it has been subjected to chemical action the greensand is gradually decomposed and the iron unites and forms hydrous oxide of iron, or iron rust. This altera- tion gives rise to a great variety of color in the different beds of the material. When it is fully altered in this way it forms the red or yel- low sandstone so much used in Kast Texas. Numerous analyses have been made of these marls, both in their original and altered conditions. They contain, in all the samples tested at least, lime, potash, and phosphoric acid, just the elements that are required to fertilize the sandy soils and to renew and increase the fer- tility of those that have been worn out. ‘These elements occur in the marl in variable amounts, and less in the altered than in the unaltered material. In nearly every instance, however, the amounts were suffi- cient to be of great agricultural value to every field within hauling dis- tance of such a deposit. It often happens, too, that these beds of mar! lie in closest proximity to the very soils on which they are most needed, and all the farmer has to do to secure the desired results is to apply it as a, fertilizer. | If any proof is wanted of the adaptability of these marls, and of their great value on just this character of soil, it is shown in New Jersey, where exactly similar conditions exist. In that State there were large | areas of pine land soils which were, like ours, of little agricultural value because of the small amounts of potash, phosphoric acid, and lime con- xlviii REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. tained in them. There were, however, large deposits of greensand mar] adjacent to them, and its use has been of the highest benefit. This 1s fully attested both by the agricultural and the geological reports of the State. The late State Geologist, Prof. Geo. H. Cook, said of them: “It gives lasting fertility to the soils) I have never seen a field which has once been marled that is now poor. One instance was found where poor and sandy land was marled more than thirty years ago and has ever since been tilled without manure, and not well managed, which ~ is still in good condition. Fruit trees and vines make a remarkable growth and produce fruit of high flavor when liberally dressed with this marl.” This is testimony that can not be doubted, and although the green- sand marls of Kast Texas are not as rich as those of New Jersey, they are nevertheless rich enough to be of the same use to our lands. Nearly two hundred thousand tons of greensand marls are used yearly in New Jersey. The first requisite to the best results is that the marl should be pow- dered as finely as possible before spreading it on the land. The green- sand decomposes and is dissolved very slowly, and the finer it is powdered the more rapid will be its action. It should also be spread evenly and uniformly over the ground. It is ordinarily wet when first dug, but after a certain amount of drying it can be easily pulverized, or it can be dried more rapidly and rendered more friable by the mix- ture of asmall amount of quicklime with it. It could also be improved by composting it with barnyard manure or guano. Owing to the diffi- culty with which the greensand is dissolved the effects are not always so apparent the first year, but it is a lasting fertilizer, as is shown by | the quotations given above. The amount required will of course vary with the amie of the soil and the quality of the greensand. From three to ten wagon loads per acre would perhaps be the usual amount required, although some soils might need even more. CALCAREOUS MARLS. Lime is already used to a large extent in agriculture, and will be — used more largely still. Its uses are to lighten clay soils and to make ~ sandy soils more firm, while sour soils or swamp lands are sweetened by — its application. In addition to this the chemical action brought about- by its presence in the decomposition and rendering soluble of other REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. xlix constituents of the soil is very great, so that its action is both chemical and physical. Its use is perhaps most beneficial when composted with organic manures or the greensand marls. When the calcareous marls are soft enough to be easily powdered they may be applied as they are, and in this condition the action of the lime is much more gradual and of longer continuance. When they ex- ist as harder rocks they will have to be burned before applying them. Among the rocks of the Cretaceous series are many deposits which are especially adapted for use in this way. Localities are numerous in the divisions known as the Austin chalk and the Washita limestone which will afford a soft material well suited for the purpose. It often happens that in the greensand beds themselves there are large deposits of fossil shells still in their original form as carbonate of lime. Where these occur the marl is of great value, as it contains that which will render it most valuable on such sandy lands as need it. CLAYS. Some of the Clays of Hast Texas will prove of value as fertilizers on account of the large amount of potash they contain—as high as five and six per cent in certain cases. While it is true that much of the potash is in chemical combination with silica, and therefore only soluble with difficulty, if composted with quicklime this substance will be rendered more soluble and prepared for plant food. FICTILE MATERIALS. Texas has not yet begun to take that place among the manufacturers of pottery and glassware which the character, quality and extent of the materials found within her borders render possible. For pottery mak- ing there exist clays adapted to every grade, from common jug ware and tiling through Yellow, Rockingham, C. C., White Granite or Iron Stone China, to China or Porcelain of the finest quality. Glass sands are also found of a high degree of purity, and many other materials of use or necessity in the manufacture of these various grades of goods are found here. While the subject of clays has not yet received the attention that it is proposed to give it, numerous specimens have been secured and an- alyzed, with the result of proving the facts as stated above. _ Among the clays of the Division known as Coast Clays are some that will answer for the coarser stoneware, such as jugs, flower pots, drain 4—geol. ] REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. tile, etc., and others which from their refractory character are well adapted for the manufacture of charcoal furnaces, and possibly of sewer pipe. “The Fayette Beds, as was stated in their description in the First An- nual Report, contain beds of light colored clays, many of which are pure white. These beds of clay not only underlie and overlie the mid- dle beds of Fayette Sands, but are also found interbedded with that Series. The excellent qualities of these clays were first stated by Dr. W. P. Riddell, of the First Geological Survey of Texas under Dr. Shu- mard. His specimens were obtained from the Yegua, in Washington County, and in the vicinity of Hempstead. Since that time many an- alyses have been mace of clays of various portions of these beds, and while some of them are tuo high in alkalies or fusible constituents, oth- ers are well suited to the manufacture of all grades of earthen ware be- low that of porcelain, or French china as it is called. Clays of this character have been secured in various localities from Angelina to and below Fayette County. There are beds in the Fayette Sands that will be of value in glass making. Some of the beds are composed of clear angular quartz grains without tinge of iron, having only an occasional grain of rounded red or black quartz. In the Timber Belt Beds there are other clays and sands well suited to the manufacture of earthenware and glass. Most of the beds of pot- tery clays of this Division examined so far in Hastern Texas are, how- ever, only suited for the coarser grades of earthenware, but in Grimes and Robertson counties (and possibly in others as well) clays of higher grade are found. In Robertson County, not far from the town of Mexia, there is a de- posit of sandy clay which is readily separated by washing into a kaolin of excellent quality and a perfectly pure quartz sand. This kaolin has been tested practically and produces a good porcelain. Potteries have been erected in various parts of the State within the limits of the Fayette and Timber Belt beds for the manufacture of com- mon earthenware, flower pots, etc., and several are now in successful operation. Among localities of potteries may be mentioned Lavernia, Wilson County; Athens, Henderson County; Kosse, Limestone County; Burton, Washington County, and others. REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. hi KAOLIN. In addition to the kaolin already mentioned in Robertson County, kaolins of excellent quality are found in Edwards and Uvalde counties. These are pure white in color, somewhat greasy to the touch, and are infusible in the hottest blow pipe flame. Being practically free from iron, they are adapted to the making of the best grades of china. They are free from grit and every other objectionable impurity. A compari- son of the analyses of these kaolins with those of established reputation will more fully show their value. The analyses of the Texas specimens are by Dr. Everhart, of the State University: Nassau, Ivrieux, Devonshire, NuecesCo., Edwards Co., Germany. France. England. Texas. Texas. Pe ree oS ee as, 18. 13. 12. 4.53 6.05 Plame. || 5282 ec). Sts flat oe 27.30 38. 33.66 43.17 PCD ES Bt phere sph as ctdna © 45.06 46.80 47, 46.60 48.41 MME Mee 2 ens Aes 6S 5 oF ste st Shas eee 43 .38 SITET Ce eer ne ere AT 1h Oh 96 10 WRAPS) 452 5. acl da, Spoaie oe ee 2.50 1.76 1.65 1.78 5 9 SONU ae EY La ak On neared I Of the other materials needed in the manufacture of pottery we have deposits of feldspar well suited for glazing; gypsum for the manufac- ture of plaster of paris for moulds; clays suitable for the saggers, and cheap fuel in abundance. BUILDING MATERIALS. BUILDING STONE. The variety and widespread occurrence of the rocks of Texas suitable for construction is so great that it will be impracticable to allude to them in any other than general terms. They will therefore be grouped under general headings. GRANITES. Granites occur in widely separated portions of the State. The first locality is what has been termed in our reports the Central Mineral Region, the second is in the extreme west, or Trans-Pecos Texas. The granites of the first or Central region are of different colors. The best known is the red granite, such as was used in the construction of the Capitol building. The color is red to dark reddish-gray, varying from fine to rather coarse grain in structure, and susceptible of nigh polish. lii REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. The outcrop of the granite, which can be quarried to any desired dimen- sions, covers an area of over one hundred square miles. There is a quarry now in operation on the portion from which the granite was taken for the building of the Capitol, on account of which it was originally opened, the material used having been donated by the owners, Col. Norton, Dr. Westfall, and Geo. W. Lacy. Beside this particular granite there are many others in this region which will prove as useful. In the northern part of Gillespie County there is a brownish granite of very fine grain which takes a beautiful polish ; and in addition there are found in various portions of the region granites varying in color from light to dark gray which are well adapted for building purposes, and in some instances will prove of decided value for ornamental and monumental purposes. The granites of Trans-Pecos Texas, like those of the Central Mineral Region, are well suited both for building and ornamental purposes. The western granites, however, lack the variety of color which is found in those of the Central Region, being for the most part a lighter or darker gray, the felspar being very light colored in all of them. They are adjacent to railway transportation, however, as the Southern Pacific Railway passes very near their outcrop in the Quitman Mountains and directly by them in the Franklin Mountains, near El Paso, and will sooner or later come into market. PORPHYRIES. Among the most beautiful and indestructible of our building stones we must place the porphyries. Their hardness, however, and the diffi- culty of quarrying and dressing them, often prevent their taking the place in actual use that their good qualities would otherwise secure for them, but where the elements of durability and beauty are Sout their worth must be properly recognized. Porphyries of almost every shade and color abound in Trans-Pecos Texas. There are in the Museum specimens taken from the outcrops in the Quitman Mountains alone which are readily divisible into twenty or more shades. These vary through light grays, yellows, reds, purples, and greens to black, and their polished surfaces are especially rich. The quantity and accessibility to railroad transportation must prove sufficient inducement for their development. REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. hii MARBLES. The deposits of the marbles, like those of the granites, are found both in the Central Mineral Region and in Trans-Pecos Texas. In addition to these deposits there occur in numerous places limestones more or less altered from various causes which are locally called marbles, and are sometimes both beautiful and useful when properly dressed. Among such deposits may be noticed what is known as the Austin Marble, a stratum of the Cretaceous which has been altered until its fossils have been changed to calcite. ‘The body of the stone is when polished of a light yellow color, and the tracings of the contained shells in pure cal- cite, which gives a very pretty effect, although their fragile character detracts greatly from the usefulness of the stone. Other deposits of similar semi-marbles of various colors are found among the Carbonifer- ous limestones of the northern portion of the State. The marbles and semi-marbles of the Central Mineral Region are the altered limestones of the Silurian and older beds, some of which are of fine texture and capable of receiving an excellent polish. The marbles of the Silurian beds found in San Saba, Burnet, Gillespie and other counties, which are known as “ Burnet Marbles,” are both of solid color and variegated. They are found in beautiful pink, white, buff, blue, and gray shades, _and although not true marbles are well adapted for many uses. The marbles belonging to what are called the ‘‘ Texan Beds,” a forma- tion older than the Silurian, are, however, real marbles. They are found near Packsaddle Mountain, Enchanted Peak, and in the Comanche Creek region of Mason County. They are often snowy white in color, of even grain, and among the deposits are found strata of medium thickness. They are not, however, as extensive as the deposits of the semi-marbles. In Trans-Pecos Texas marbles belonging, as is supposed, to the same geologic age, exist in great abundance, and for beauty in color can not be surpassed. From the Carrizos to the Quitman Mountains outcrops occur in the vicinity of the railroad of marbles which are certain at no distant day to become the basis for great commercial industry. ; They are found banded or striped and clouded as well as pure white. They are fine grained, and can be quarried in stone of almost any dimensions. Some of them when polished will rival the Aragonite or Mexican Onyx in delicacy of coloring. liv REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. LIMESTONKES. The limestones of Texas which are suited for building purposes are abundant and widespread in their occurrence. The Cretaceous forma- tion which covers fully one-fourth of the entire area of the State abounds in limestone well adapted for structural purposes. In addition to this we have the limestones of the Carboniferous, Permian, and Silurian sys- tems, so that the total area is largely increased. The limestones of the Cretaceous occur both in its upper and lower divisions. In the Austin chalk there are beds which furnish excellent stone which is quarried for use in many places, but a large portion of it is too chalky and not firm enough for general use. The best lime- stone of this formation is that contained in the Fredericksburg and Washita divisions of the Lower Cretaceous. These limestones are of color varving from white to yellow, very rarely darker, and are often somewhat soft when first quarried, becom- ing harder on exposure. Among the materials of the Clear Fork division of the Permian for- mation are some even bedded limestones of square fracture, fine even grain, and good color, that will prove valuable as building material. These were observed in the northwestern part of Shackelford County, and will also be found north and south of that locality along the out- crop of these beds. Seymour and Ballinger show buildings constructed of these limestones. SANDSTONES AND QUARTZITES. The sandstones are fully as widely distributed as the limestones, bee found in nearly all districts in greater or less quantity. In the Fayette sands are found beds of indurated sands of light color which have been used in various localities along their line of outcrop for building purposes. Rock has been quarried from these deposits from many localities, principally at Rockland, Tyler County; Quarry Station, on the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railroad; Rock Quarry, on the Houston and Texas Central Railway, in Washington County, and in various parts of Fayette, Lavaca, and other counties to the south- west. In the Timber Belt Beds the altered (and even the unaltered) green- sand marls are sometimes so indurated as to be used for building pur- — poses. In addition to which many of the hill-cappings of sandstone, which at times replace the iron ore, are valuable building stones. REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. lv In the Cretaceous area north of the Colorado River there are no sand- stones of any particular value so far as our examinations have extended. The area of the Central Coal Field abounds in excellent sandstone for building stone, some of which has been extensively quarried and used in the construction of buildings from Dallas west to Cisco. It is of good color, quarries well, and presents a handsome appearance in the wall. Itisso generally found in this district that it is impossible to name the localities. In the Permian there are some sandstones which will be of wide ap- plication in the buildings of the State. Hast of Pecos City, at Quito, on the Texas and Pacific Railway, a company has recently opened a quarry in a compact, well jointed red sandstone which is probably of Permian age. It is of a beautiful red color, uniform in texture and color, easily worked yet durable, and in every way adapted to the best uses in building. The company in boring a well at the place have passed through more than one hundred feet of this red sandstone, thus proving its unlimited quantity. It will compare favorably in every way with the sandstones formerly imported into the State for the fronts and trimmings of buildings. Beyond the Carrizo and Diabolo Mountains there is a fine grained red sandstone which is destined to be one of the finest building stones of the State. It isa little darker in color than the Quito stone, finer grained, firmer, of even texture, and will lend itself to almost any character of decoration. In this Trans-Pecos Region there are many other sandstones and quartzites which will in time come into use for structural purposes. SLATE. The two areas in which the older rocks are found both give promise of furnishing slate suitable for roofing. In the Central Mineral District several localities have been examined which on the surface give indi- cation of furnishing good roofing slate, and in the vicinity of the Car rizo Mountains, El Paso County, similar indications are found. It will of course require some actual work in opening the quarry sufficiently to ascertain the condition of the material below the surface to fully decide the value of the deposits, but the indications are very favorable and warrant such an attempt at development. Thus it is readily apparent that-in building stone there is no lack of variety, as well as an ample supply of all that can be made useful. lvi REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. CLAYS FOR BRICK, TERRA COTTA, AND DRAIN TILE. Clays suitable for brick making are found in all the different forma- tions occurring in the State. All are not of equal value, and indeed the brick made from some few are quite inferior, but the majority pro- duce good serviceable brick. The colors of the brick vary from yellow or cream color, such as are made at Austin, through various shades of browns and reds, according to the character of the clay. In Hastern Texas, as well asin the Carboniferous area, the brick are usually mottled from the amount of iron in the clays. Selected clays, however, in these localities produce brick of excellent color. The importance of this in- dustry will be seen by the following statement of the aggregate of brick production for the year 1889, which was received from the operators of the brick kilns in answer to inquiries: Brick burned during 1889, 95,000,000. Many of the clays of the Tertiary examined during the past year are well suited to the manufacture of Terra Cotta and drain tile. These are found in the region covered by the Timber Belt Beds, as well as among the Fayette Clays. Those of the other areas have not yet been examined fully enough to determine their availability for these pur- poses, but it is probable that many Carboniferous clays will prove well adapted for them. LIME. As is well known, the lime made from the rocks of that horizon of the Cretaceous formation known as the Caprina Limestones (which is the most persistent bed of all the formation) is unsurpassed for quality. The fame of the Austin lime is well established. Other beds of the Cretaceous will answer well in lime making, although some of them contain too much clayey matter, or are otherwise unfitted for this use. Lime is also made from the limestone of the other deposits, but none of these have been so successfully operated as those above mentioned. The reports received for 1889 gave a total production of 190,000 barrels. CEMENT MATERIALS. Cements are of two kinds, Natural, or Hydraulic, and Artificial, or Portland. i Natural, or Hydraulic, cement is made from certain clayey limestones, which, when burned and ground, have the property of setting or becom- REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. lvii ing hard under water. Portland cements are of similar character, but are made by artificially mixing the limestone and clays in the proper proportion. | Materials for both characters of cement exist in abundance within the State. The limestones of certain beds of the Cretaceous are argil- laceous enough to make cement when properly calcined and ground, and the same properties are claimed for some of those found in the Tertiary, but our tests have so far failed to bear out the claim. Some of the limestones belonging to the Clear Fork Beds of the Permian might answer if the percentage of magnesia was not too great. The materials for Portland cement are, however, more abundant, and the product of so much better quality as to render the natural cement a matter of comparatively small importance. The Austin Chalk is rather widespread in its distribution and adjacent to clays of almost any required grade. | The entire practicability of the manufacture of Portland cement has been shown by the two factories which have undertaken it, one at San Antonio, the other at Austin. The former supplied much of the cement used in the erection of the present Capitol building, and as the reports of it by Gen. Gilmore show, it was of very excellent quality. The works at Austin are now under way, and it is proposed to in- crease their capacity. | | PLASTER PARIS. Plaster Paris is produced from gypsum by driving out the percent- age of water which is chemically combined with it. Its manufacture on any desired scale is entirely practicable in the Permian region of Texas, where many beds of gypsum of great purity occur. SANDS FOR MORTAR, ETC. Sand for mortar, plaster, etc., is found in many places. The Creta- ceous is perhaps the area in which it is scarcest, and it can be brought in from either side. The locations will be more fuily discussed in the descriptions of counties. METALS AND ORES. IRON. Probably the most important of our ore deposits are those of iron, which in various forms are found in many parts of the State. ~ lvill REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. Beginning at the Louisiana line with a breadth of nearly one hun- . dred and fifty miles, stretching southwest in a gradually narrowing belt and probably fading out in Caldwell County or just beyond, there is found a series of hills of greater or less elevation which are capped with ferruginated material, varying from a sandstone with a small amount of oxide of iron in the matrix, to limonite ores of high grade. Of this division only a few of the counties of Hast Texas have been fully examined, but enough has been done to show the probability that the greater amount of workable ores of this belt lie east of the 96th meridian, although there may be localities west of that line at which ores of value occur. These ores are assuciated entirely with rocks of the Tertiary and later periods. In the Cretaceous no iron ores of any consequence are known except in the extreme west, where deposits of ochre seem to occur in connec: tion with strata belonging to the Fredericksburg Division of the Lower Cretaceous Series. There are only a few ores of any value found in the Carboniferous area, and those of the Permian are not of much importance. The Central Mineral Region, however, contains, in connection with its deposits of older rocks, large deposits of very valuable ores, includ- ing magnetite, red hematite, and various hydrated ores. Finally, in Trans-Pecos Texas, Iron ores of the hematite and magnetic types are found in veins of considerable thickness. Thus it will be seen that the distribution of the ores is general, ex- tending entirely across the State from east to west. The ores of Kast Texas all belong to the class of limonites, or brown hematites. They have been divided according to their physical struc- ture, due to the manner of their formation, into three general classes: 1. Laminated Ores. 2. Geode, or Nodular, Ores. 38. Conglomerate Ores. To which it may be necessary to add a fourth, Carbonate Ores. The origin and character of these different classes of ores were dis- cussed in the First Annual Report, and the results of our further studies will appear in this Second Annual Report. In brief these are: LAMINATED ORES.—These ores are brown to black in color and vary in structure from a massive to a highly laminated variety in which the laminze vary from one-sixteenth to one-quarter of an inch in thickness, frequently separated by hollow spaces, and sometimes containing thin seams of gray clay. The average thickness of the ore bed is from one - REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. lix to three feet, although it may exceed this in places. This class of ores is most extensively developed south of the Sabine River. The ore bed is generally underlaid by a stratum of greensand mar] from ten to thirty feet in thickness, and overlaid by from one to sixty feet of sands and sandstones. NoDULAR, OR GEODE, ORES.—These ores, which are best developed north of the Sabine River, usually occur as nodules or geodes, or as sandy clay strata. These were described at page 76 of the First An- nual Report, as follows: “Tt generally occurs in nodules or geodes, or as honey-combed, botryoidal, stalactitic, and mammillary masses. It is rusty brown, yellow, dull red, or even black color, and has a glossy, dull, or earthy lustre. The most charac- teristic feature of the ore is the nodular or geode form in which it occurs. Some of the beds are made up of these masses, either loose in a sandy clay matrix or solidified in a bed by a ferruginous cement. The ore lies horizon- tally at or near the tops of the hills, in the same manner as the brown lami- nated ores to the south of the Sabine River. The beds vary in thickness from less than one foot to over ten feet, the thicker ones being often inter- bedded with thin seams of sand. The ore bearing beds are immediately over- laid by sandy or sandy clayey strata.” CONGLOMERATE ORES.—These were described, at page 81 of the First Annual Report, as quoted below: “The variety of ore included under this head consists of a conglomer- erate of brown ferruginous pebbles one-quarter to two inches in diameter and cemented in a sandy matrix. Sometimes a few siliceous pebbles are also found. The beds vary from one to twenty feet thick, and are generally local deposits along the banks and bluffs and sometimes in the beds of almost all the creeks and streams in the iron ore region just described. Sometimes they cap the lower hills. They are generally of low grade, but could be concen- trated by crushing and washing out the sandy matrix. They usually contain more or less ferruginous sandstone in lenticular deposits, and are much cross- bedded.” The investigations of the Survey in East Texas show an aggregate iron bearing area of one thousand square miles. This is not all asolid bed of commercial ore, but the area within which commercial ores are known to exist. If even one-fourth be taken as productive iron land, and the bed be estimated at two feet in thickness, both very safe estimates, we have a total output of fifteen hundred million tons of iron ore. lx REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. The quality of the ores vary from those adapted to the manufacture of steel, or ‘‘ Bessemer ores,” to those of low grade. CRETACEOUS IRON ORES. The ochres of the Cretaceous are found in Uvalde and Val Verde counties, and probably elsewhere. From analyses they appear to be of very high grade, but no examination has yet been made of them by the Survey. CARBONIFEROUS IRON ORES. A great quantity of hematite ironstone is reported to occur in the beds adjacent to the Waldrip-Cisco Division, which, if it equal the sample analyzed, is a very valuable ore. It will be found described on page 215, First Annual Report. IRON ORES OF THE CENTRAL MINERAL REGION. These ores are of three classes, Magnetites, Hematites, and Hydrous ores, each of which has its own place and mode of occurrence. The Magnetites lie in the northwest trend in the Archean rocks, which for practical purposes may be confined between “ northwest-southeast lines drawn through Lone Grove town upon the east and through Enchanted Rock upon the west. This blocks out a district twenty miles wide, and extending perhaps thirty miles in the direction of the strike. Within this field, however, various structural features have prevented, in many places, the outcropping of the iron bearing system, so that probably two-thirds of the area is not in condition to yield ore without removing thick deposits of later origin. Assuming that one-third of the territory, in scattered patches, will show the Fernandan beds at surface or at depths that may be considered workable from.an economical stand- point, it must be understood that only a small fraction of the thickness of these strata is iron ore. Keeping in mind also the folded condition of the rocks, it is evident that the chances for mining will be dependent largely upon the character of the erosion, it being premised that the iron bed, if such it be, is not very near the top of the system to which it belongs.”* The general section of this system of rocks shows that the magnetite, sometimes associated with hematite, occurs in a bed usually about fifty feet thick at a definite horizon init. The investigations of the Survey *First Annual Report, p. 348. REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. lxi show that there are several belts within which valuable deposits are known or may be discovered. The most eastern of these is the Babyhead belt, and the outcrops fol- low a line bearing southeastward, west of Babyhead Postoffice and Lone Grove, and coming out southward very near the Wolf crossing of the Colorado River. Probably the best exposure of this belt is in the Baby- head Mountains, and its northern boundary does not cross the Llano County line. To the southeast good results may be expected as far as Miller’s Creek. A second belt west of this occupies the area between Packsaddle and Riley mountains, and stretches northwestward by Llano town toward Valley Spring. Ores of value have been found in many places in this belt, the surface indications of the underlying beds of magnetite being hematite or limonite. | The third, or the Iron Mountain belt, is that on which the greatest amount of work has been expended, and in two places in it large and valuable masses of magnetic iron have been exposed. The bed is most persistent, and can be traced for miles. At Iron Mountain a shaft has been sunk down the side of the iron outcrop to the depth of fifty feet, and a cross-cut of twenty-two feet cut in the lead. The quantity of magnetite and hematite exposed here is very great. About three miles south of Llano City considerable prospecting has been done by drilling with diamond drill, and also opened by a shaft, disclosing iron almost identical with the Iron Mountain product. The most western of these belts les between the Riley Mountains and Enchanted Rock in the south, and possibly having a greater width to the northwest. While it is covered in places by later rocks, the indica- tions are good for the discovery of important masses of iron ore in it. _ In quality the magnetites are high grade Bessemer ores, being low in silica, phosphorus, and sulphur, and very high in metallic iron. HEMATITES.—These ores seem to be chiefly derived from alteration of the magnetites. They usually crop out along portions of the north- ern border of the magnetite area, and are chiefly segregations in sand- stone, and although none of the exposures have yet been worked, valu- able deposits will be found following the trend of the magnetite beds. These segregations are to be found chiefly in the red sandstone of the Cambrian system. They will be of value as Bessemer ores. THE HypRATED IRon Ores.—The ores included in this variety em- brace many different varieties. These appear almost exclusively in )xii REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. veins, for the most part in the older rocks. While they are not abun- dant enough to sustain any industry by themselves, they may become valuable in addition to the other iron ores. PROSPECTS OF THE IRON INDUSTRY IN TEXAS. Taking the iron ore deposits of the State as a whole, and considering their wide distribution, their excellent quality, their relation to fuel sup- ply and other necessaries for smelting and manufacturing them, no doubt ean remain of the magnitude which the iron industry is bound to assume in this State, and that Texas is destined to become one of the great iron and steel producing centers of the world. COPPER. The copper ores of Texas are of two characters. Those of the Cen- tral Mineral Region and Trans-Pecos Texas occur in veins, while the ores of the Permian area are found as impregnations and segregations in the clays. THE PERMIAN COPPER ORES. The copper ore of this division was first described by Capt. R. B. Marcy in his report on the exploration of Red River in 1852, when he found specimens of it in Cache Creek. In 1864, Colonel J. B. Barry sent a party with Indian guides to Archer County and secured a considerable amount of ore, which was shipped to Austin and part of it smelted and used for the manufacture of percussion caps for the Confederacy, under the superintendence of Dr. W. De Ryee. After the war several attempts were made to develop these deposits, but lack of transportation facilities and the fact that the high grade ore bodies were in pockets and irregularly distributed pre- vented the success of the undertaking. Still later General McLellan and a strong company made an effort to utilize the deposits of Harde- man and adjoining counties, but it seems that the true nature of the deposits were not fully appreciated, and the result was the same as those of earlier date. As has been stated, these ores occur as impregnations or segregations in the clays at certain definite horizons in the formation. They are not in veins, therefore, but in beds, and are not to be mined by sinking shafts to lower depths, but more after the manner of coal deposits. There are three (and possibly a fourth) of these horizons, one in each division of the REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. lxili Permian. The Archer County deposits belong to the lower or Wichita beds, the California Creek bed to the Clear Fork beds, and the Kiowa Peak stratum or strata to the Double Mountain beds. The general manner of occurrence is the same in all. The ores are found in a bed of blue clay from three to four feet thick. It is sometimes found in a pseudomorphic form after wood, in which case the oxide of copper has replaced the material of the woodv fibre in the same manner as is done by silica in ordinary petrified wood. In other places it occurs in rounded nodules of different sizes, ‘‘ like potatoes in a bed,” as it 1s graphically described. In addition to this the stratum of clay is impregnated with copper to the extent of forming a low grade ore in places. Analyses from various localities of average specimens of these copper clays yield from 1.6 to 4.5 per cent of copper. In any successful attempt to utilize these ores the work must be undertaken with a view of recovering the copper from the copper clays by lixiviation as the principal object. The extent of the deposits and amount of copper contained in them in places seem to warrant this character of development, and the probability of finding many rich pockets, such as have been found in nearly all the workings so far attempted is additional inducement for the erection of such works. Some of these pockets have yielded as much as six thou- sand pounds of ore assaying sixty per cent copper. The general lines of the outcrop of copper clays are as follows: The lower bed appears at Archer, and from there nurtheast to the mouth of Cache Creek, the original place of discovery. The next bed is found in a line running from Paint Creek, in Haskell County, northeast through the northwestern part of Throckmorton County, and crossing Baylor County west of Seymour, and Wilbarger County east of Vernon into Indian Territory. The upper bed appears at Kiowa and Buzzard Peaks, and passing through the northwestern part of Hardeman is finally found on Pease River west of Margaret. COPPER ORES OF THE CENTRAL MIN ERAL REGION. In this region copper ores are known principally from the surface in- dications of carbonates and sulphides, which are found in outcrops and scattered through the rocks in various localities. The principal out- crops are confined to the Babyhead District, extending westward from the Little Llano to the head of Pecan Creek. A few others are found lxiv REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. still further westward in Mason County, and some in Llano, but all are apparently connected with the same series of rocks. The ores at the surface are largely carbonates, both Azurite and Mala- chite occurring, but the latter predominating. Tetrahedrite is more or less common, and sometimes carries considerable silver._ Chalcopyrite is also present in small quantities, and in some places Bornite occurs. The various prospecting works which are scattered through -this area, beginning at the Houston and Texas Central Railway diggings on the east, includes many trial shafts and pits sunk by Capt. Thomas G. Me- Gehee on Little Llano, Yoakum, and Wolf Creeks, Hubbard Mining Company on Pecan Creek, others by the Houston Mining Company on Wolf Creek, and the Miller Mine also on Pecan. Further west in Ma- son County similar prospecting works are found. In addition to these some prospecting has been done in the vicinity of Llano, and also south- east of that city. Specimens taken from the different localities by dif- ferent members of the Survey assayed all the way from one per cent to forty five and six-tenths per cent copper, in silver from nothing to 107.8 ounces per ton, and of gold from nothing to one-fifth ounce. There have been several attempts at development, but there are no mines in successful operation at present. The work that has been done on the different outcrops has not been carried sufficiently far, nor has it been of such a character, as to make it possible to speak with certainty regarding the existence of extensive bodies of copper ore in the district. What has been done, however, taken in connection with the outcrops aid assays, and our knowledge of tne geological formation of the coun- try, suggests the accumulation of ores of considerable importance below, and will justify a much larger expenditure for the purpose of develop- ing them than has yet been made. COPPER ORES OF TRANS-PECOS TEXAS. The ores of this district have been known for many years, and con- siderable prospecting has been done on them. There is, however, only one mine in operation at present—the Hazel Mine in the Diabolo Moun- tains, near Allamore, EH] Paso County. This mine is situated at the foot of the Sierra Diabolo on a lime-spar lead cutting through a red sandstone. ‘The principal ore is copper glance or sulphide of copper, at times carrying a good deai of wire silver, and occasionally rich pockets of grey copper. This pay streak runs in a vein from a few inches up to ten feet in width, in a gangue of strongly siliceous limestone, which VIEW FROM QUITMAN MOUNTAINS TOWARD FOOTHILLS. REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. lxv is also impregnated with the ore. The width of this gangue is in some places as much as thirty-five feet, and the material is a low grade ore of about fifteen dollars per ton. In the Carrizo Mountains and further south in the Apache or Davis Mountains are other good copper prospects, in addition to the many outcrops in the Quitman Mountains and Sierra Blanca region which show copper at the surface. — LEAD AND ZINC. While many finds of lead ore have been reported in many portions of the State, all those outside of the Central Mineral Region and Trans- Pecos Texas have proved to be merely float specimens. In the Central Mineral Region the lead ore occurs sparingly in veins in the older rocks, under similar conditions and within the same area as marked out for the copper ores, but it is principally found in the rocks of the Cam- brian or Silurian age under circumstances similar to that in which it is found in Missouri. Perhaps the most extensive “digging” on any of the veins of galena was that of the Sam Houston Mining Company, who worked in the Riley Mountains. This shaft, which followed the irregular course of the vein, was one hundred and sixty feet or possibly more in depth. There was a string of galena, sometimes widening out and sometimes almost entirely missing, but enough ore was not secured to satisfy the owners and work was stopped. The deposits which occur in the horizon of an age apparently corre- sponding to that of the Missouri galena ores have been prospected, chiefly in Burnet County. The principal work is at Silver Mine Hol- low. The galena is not only scattered through the sandy, ferruginous vein material, but is found abundantly in the adjacent dark gray to green magnesian limestone. Its original source is probably the “ cavy- ern limestone” of the Silurian, but up to the present time there has not been sufficient development to make it possible to speak with any degree of certainty regarding the exact locality of the ores. No zine ores at all are known in the Central Mineral Region. In Trans-Pecos Texas ores of both lead and zine are very abundant and contain silver and gold in variable quantities. The prospects of the Quitman Mountains and vicinity are the best known. ‘These mountains are crossed by numerous vein outcrops and indications of ore, and wherever prospecting holes have been sunk there are promis- 5—geol, lxvi REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. ing indications, and even distinct veins of lead carrying silver, most of them at least having traces of gold. Occasionally, also, tin is present. ‘The outcrops are generally composed of iron silicates, with probably some carbonate and oxide of iron, usually containing a little silver; a few feet below the surface the copper stain begins; deeper down the quantity of copper increases and traces of lead appear with the copper. This becomes stronger the lower the shaft is sunk, and shows zine and bismuth in greater depths.”* The zinc sometimes amounts to thirty per cent of the whole, and even pure argentiferous zinc ores are found. One fact observed is that on the northeast slopes of the mountains ura- nium is found in connection with the ores, while on the southwest slopes this metal gives place to molydenum even on the same vein traced across the crest of the mountain. There are a number of shallow prospect holes scattered over this re- gion, but very few of them reach a depth of fifty feet. Several mines have, however, made shipments of ore, the principal shippers being the Alice Ray and Bonanza mines, both of which are on the same vein. ‘Tl -ir ores have an average value of $60 to $65; but owing to the fact tl it they contain twenty-five to thirty per cent of zine and that the El Paso smelters are not prepared to properly treat such ores, it has not been found possible to work them profitably after paying for roasting the zinc out of the ores in place of receiving. pay for it. The Bonanza is the best developed mine in the Quitman range. The lead runs about east and west, dipping almost vertically in a contact between granite and porphyry. A shaft ninety-five feet deep is sunk to a drift below, running on the vein and about three hundred and fifty feet in length, which shows a seam of galena from two to ten inches in thickness. This carries an average of about thirty ounces of silver, although it sometimes reaches as high as sixty ounces, to the ton. The shipping average of this ore is about thirty per cent of lead, twenty- five to thirty per cent zinc, and thirty ounces of silver to the ton, and about five hundred tons have been shipped. From the drift a winze is sunk one hundred and ten feet deep. On the Alice Ray claim, at a distance of three thousand feet from the Bonanza, a tunnel is run into the same lead. This mine is five thousand and ninety-five-feet above the sea level, which, when compared with the deepest body of the Bonanza, shows an ore body four hundred and fifty feet in height by about four thousand feet long. The ore body of the *First Annual Report, p. 221. REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. Ixvii Alice Ray, like that of the Bonanza, is a well defined vein of galena, running from two to eight and ten inches in width. There are many other valuable prospects in this district, which are more fully described in the reports. Beside the ores of this district, ores are found in districts on the east and south. The Chinati region is, however, the only other one in which much prospecting has been done. Here there are a great many pros- pecting shafts, as well as some well developed mines. The ore on the river side is galena, the outcrops being strongly ferruginous streaks, similar to those of the Quitman Mountains. Some outcrops show car- bonates and sulphides containing both bismuth and silver. An assay of one of these outcrops gave silver ten ounces, bismuth three and five- tenths, lead forty and five-tenths per cent. On the eastern side the con- tacts between the porphyries and crystalline limestones are very clearly marked, and it is on these that the most satisfactory prospecting work kas been done. These yield both fine milling silver and galenas. In the other ranges examined to the south and east similar ores also exist, but they are at present so difficult of access that little work has been done on them. GOLD AND SILVER. The precious metals occur in connection with the ores of copper, lead, and zinc, as has already been stated under those heads. They occur also in a fre@ state. Small amounts of free gold have been found by panning in the Colorado River and in some parts of Llano County, but the amount found is too small for profitable working. Native silver has not yet been reported. In Trans-Pecos Texas, however, the con- ditions are more favorable, and there are two mines now working a free-milling silver ore in Presidio County, and many trial shafts have been put down in the surrounding region. In the Quitman Mountains some of the quartz and ferruginous outcrops show traces of gold, and by using the pan colors of gold are frequently found in the gravel and sand. A small piece of quartzfound near Finlay assayed eleven ounces of gold to the ton. Taking this evidence, with the general geologic features of the Quitman and surrounding mountains, the presence of gold is established, although the probable quantity is still uncertain. Free gold has also been observed in certain ores received from Presidio County. The best developed mine in this region is generally known as the lxvlll REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. Shafter or Bullis mine, and is owned and operated by the Presidio Mining Company, who are now working two mines—the Presidio and Cibolo. In the former, which was discovered in 1880, the mine consists of pockets and bunches of ore of irregular shapes and sizes, generally isolated from each other, imbedded in a limestone country rock, thus forming chamber deposits. 3 | The Cibolo has the same general character, but, in addition, has an ore body situated in a well defined fissure, and isacontact deposit. This company work their own mill and ship their product as bullion. The mill, which is of ten stamps of the common California pattern, is located on a hillside, so that the ore from the crusher falls to the automatic feeder at the stamps, from which the pulp is lifted to the amalgamaters. The amalgam is freed from the excess of quicksilver by straining, as usual, when retorted and fused. This mill averages from thirty to thirty- five tons of ore per day, which yields from forty to forty-five ounces of silver per ton. The motive power is an eighty-horse power engine. There is an ample water supply in Cibolo Creek to permit an increase in the size of this mill and the erection of others as well, and there is also good opportunity to build storage reservoirs along it. There are other locations being worked up, many of which promise good returns, and there is no doubt that this district must soon become one of the centres of the mining industry in Texas. IMPORTANCE OF THESE INDUSTRIES. . From the foregoing description of the occurrence of copper, lead, zinc, silver, and gold, it is clearly evident that we have in Texas deposits of the ores of these metals which are abundant in quantity and of suff- ciently high grade to fully warrant the claim so often made of our great resources in this direction. The work of the Survey has established the connection and relations existing between many of these ore deposits and the rock materials enclosing them. It has proved the continuity of the veins over considerable distances. It has proved and asserted the value of the ores, and stated the certainty of profitable returns from sys- tematic and intelligent prospecting and mining. It has pointed out places at which prospecting could be carried on, and in some special in- stances has given advice to those at work. The ores are here. They are abundant enough and sufficiently rich to justify the rapid and ex- tensive development of our mining industry, but this development is hindered, not only by laek of transportation facilities and proper reduc- REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. lxix tion works, which may be remedied by private enterprise, but also by the uncertainty of land lines and other things which can and should be changed by legislation. Until the locations of land lines are definitely settled, and th® prospector has some assurance that after his work in developing a mine he will be secured in its possession at a reasonable cost, and not be called upon for a heavy royalty, or even have to give up his work entirely, little willbe done. ‘The State has millions of acres of University and other lands in Trans-Pecos Texas. By a generous policy toward prospectors and settlers (for much of it will ultimately be made agricultural land if proper assistance is granted), this land can be made to bring its proper revenue from taxation instead of lying un- taxed as at present. TIN. | The occurrence of tin was reported, doubtfully, in the Central Min- eral District last year, and it was also found in connection with lead ores in T'rans-Pecos Texas. In November, during the examination of speci- mens collected by members of his party, Dr. Comstock found some ex- cellent pieces of Cassiterite, or Oxide of Tin, and made a special trip to decide the reality and manner of its occurrence. This resulted in the discovery that it occurred not only as Cassiterite, but in small quanti- ties in connection with other minerals in the rocks of a certain portion of the Burnetan System extending from the western part of Burnet to the eastern part of Mason County, a distance of fifty miles, and having a width of eight to ten miles. In this belt the tin ore has been found at four or five localities. It occurs in a quartz of somewhat banded ap- pearance, and when pure may often be recognized by its weight, being of greater specific gravity than the iron ores. Near the divide between Herman Creek and tributaries of the San Saba River, in Mason County, are the remains of two old furnaces, and considerable slag which carries tin in little globules scattered through it. While it is impossible to speak positively of the probable quantity of ore, the indications are favorable for its existence in amounts sufficient to be of economic value. In Trans-Pecos Texas tin was found by Prof. Streeruwitz in connec- tion with some of the ores of the Quitman Range. MERCURY. Like tin, this metal has been reported from several localities, but up to the present we have not succeeded in verifying any of the reports or of finding any traces of it. lxx REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. MANGANESE. The only workable deposits of manganese yet defined by the Survey are those of the Central Mineral Region. These deposits are both in the form of manganese ores and of combinations of iron and manga- nese ores in different proportions. The Spiller Mine, south of Fly Gap, Mason Conse! is the only known occurrence of the manganese ore on an extensive scale any- where in the region, although surface croppings were traced, which seemed to indicate companion belts to the one which has been opened at the locality mentioned. The ore is rather siliceous psilomelane, with patches of pyrolusite and more or less black wad, filling cavities and crevices in the vein, which is three or four feet wide. The ore seems to lie as an interbedded vein, and numerous borings were made on it with a diamond drill, presumably for the purpose of prospecting in the direction of its dip.* Manganese ores are found under similar circumstances in the region between Packsaddle and Riley Mountains, and specimens are reported both from Gillespie and Blanco counties. Manganese also occurs as an ingredient of the various limonitic ores, and in one instance such an ore was found to contain as much as eleven per cent of this metal in the form of dioxide. These deposits, however, are not likely to prove of much economic value. BISMUTH. Bismuth occurs in small quantities in connection with the ores of the Quitman range, and in one vein examined in the region of the Chinati Mountains as much as three and one-half per cent of this metal was found in the ore (galena). | ABRASIVES. BUHRSTONE. In the Fayette Sands are found stones of excellent quality for use as millstones. In Jasper and other counties millstones which have given perfect satisfaction in use have been cut from certain horizons of these sands. GRINDSTONES. Certain sandstones in the Carboniferous and older formations furnish *First Annual Report, p. 345. REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. lxxl excellent materials for grindstones, but up to the present they have only been utilized for local use. WHETSTONKES. No whetstones have yet been manufactured in Texas, although ex- cellent material exists for such a purpose. The Fayette Sands probably furnish the best of the material, and some specimens from Fayette County are now in the Museum. Other material suitable for the pur- pose is found in the Central Mineral Region and in the Central Coal Field. INFUSORIAL EARTH. Several localities of deposits of this material are known in Hopkins, Leon, Polk, and Crosby counties. Very little has been mined for ship- ment. ORNAMENTAL STONES AND GEMS. Among the gem stones may be mentioned Beryl, Smoky Quartz, Rose Quartz, Silicified Wood, Garnet, Agate, Moss Agate, Amethyst, Jasper, Sardonyx, Tourmaline, and others. QUARTZ. The clear white variety, which is known as “crystal,” is sparingly found in masses of a size suitable for use. Clusters of crystals are found which form handsome ornaments, but the greater part are stained or milky. SMOKY QuARTZ.—The Central Mineral Region produces fine crystals of smoky quartz of deep color. Barringer Hill, Llano County, is one of the best localities. Rose QuaRTz.—Beautiful shades of rose quartz are found in Llano and Gillespie counties. AMETHYST.—Gillespie County furnishes some amethysts of fair color, but the deeper colored ones have so far been found only in the Sierra Blanca or Quitman region. THETIS Hair StTONE.—This variety of limpid quartz with fine needles of actinolite scattered through it is found in the northern part of Gil- lespie County, near Enchanted Rock. - BERYL.—Some very large fine crystals of beryl have been found in Gillespie County, and occasionally in Llano County. Ixxii REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. GARNET.—Garnets are abundant both in the Central Mineral District and in Trans-Pecos Texas. Fine cabinet specimens showing both large and attractive crystals are in the Museum, but no systematic work has been done in working the deposits. There are several colors—brown, black, and green—and they occur in abundance. Among the localities may be mentioned Clear Creek valley on Burnet and Bluffton road, Babyhead, King Mountains, and similar areas in Llano and Gillespie counties; in the Quitman Mountains, and other localities in Trans-Pecos Texas. In Llano County fine crystals are also found of Idocrase, or Vesuvianite, which is near the garnet in character. TOURMALINE.—-Black tourmaline is abundant in certain granites of Llano County, and will be useful for all purposes for which it can be employed, although there is no prospect of specimens of value for cab- inet purposes being found. CHALCEDONY.—Some fine specimens of chalcedony have been found in Travis County in the neighborhood of the disturbances caused by — the Pilot Knob eruption. They also occur in Presidio County and other portions of West Texas. CARNELIAN.—Carnelians have been found in the vicinity of Van Horn, El Paso County. SARDONYX.—Beautiful specimens of sardonyx are found in the Trans-Pecos region in El Paso or Jeff Davis counties. A number of specimens are now in the Museum. JASPER.—In this same region are found handsome varieties of plain and banded jasper, but, ike the other deposits, there has been no at- tempt at deveiopment, and only a few specimens have been collected by persons happening on them. Pebbles of jasper are also abundant in the drift as far north as the Staked Plains. AGaTE.-—The occurreuce of this beautiful stone has been mentioned in the former reports of this Survey. It is found abundantly in several parts of West Texas and occasionally in the river drift of the Colorado. In West Texas they are found in a schistose material and scattered over the surface in large quantities, from fragments to boulders of consider- able size. The colors are rich, and the banded and fortification agates show beautiful bandings and stripes. Moss agates are also plentiful, and there is ample room for the establishment of an industry in this material, even if they are only collected for shipment abroad. The average price paid for rough agate for manufacturing purposes at Idar, REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. lxxill Oldenburg, Germany, one of the principal manufacturing cities of this material, is about twenty-five cents per pound, and the beauty of the varieties occurring in Texas would add materially to that price. Puppine Stong.—Of equal beauty with the agates are some varie- ties of metamorphosed pudding stones brought from the lower moun- tains by Prof. Streeruwitz. They take fully as fine a polish, and the variety of color and shape of the inclusions are very pleasing. SERPENTINE.—Some of the serpentines of West Texas will be valu- able as ornamental stones. So far no “precious serpentine” has been found, but some of the red and green varieties will come into use as the region is developed. Central Texas also affords varieties which may be utilized. es SILICIFIED Woop.—While the greater part of the silicified wood of the State is not of much value as an ornamental stone, there are certain horizons in the Fayette Beds in which the wood has been opalized and presents a pleasant variety of color and banding. ‘These will probably be used quite largely for various purposes in ornamental work so soon as their beauty is properly shown. PEARLS.—Texas is one of the principal pearl producing States of the United States. Mr. Kunz, in ‘“‘Gems ard Precious Stones,” mentions one from Llano valued at ninety-five dollars, which was sold in New York. The pearls are found in the Unios, or fresh water mussels, which abound in the Colorado, Llano, and Concho rivers, and many other streams in Texas. They have been collected in large numbers, and in collecting them great numbers of the shell fish have been destroyed. In order to avoid this wholesale destruction, and leave the animal to propa- gate more valuable progeny, Mr. Kunz recommends that instruments similar to those used in Saxony and Bavaria be introduced here. One of these is a flat iron tool, the other a pair of sharp pointed pliers, both fashioned for the purpose of opening the shells for examination without injury to the animal, which, if no pear! is found, is replaced in the shoal. ALABASTER.—A labaster of fine grain and translucency occurs both among the rocks of the Cretaceous formation and in the gypsum region of the Permian. Its uses in vases and statuary are well known, and material suitable for any of these purposes can be secured in any desired quantity. REFRACTORY MATERIALS. Refractory materials, or those which will stand very high degrees of heat without injury, are of the highest importance in manufacturing. lxxiv REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. They enter into the construction of all furnaces for iron, or steel, or pottery, or glass, or the various other products of high temperatures, and are an absolute necessity in the proper development of such man- ufactures. Of such substances fire clay is doubtless the most important. The essentials for a good fire clay are not so much the proportions of silica and alumina, although the larger the percentage of silica the greater its refractory power seems to be, but its freedom from materials such as lime, soda, potash, magnesia, or oxide of iron, which could unite with the silica and form a glass, and thus cause fusion. | FIRE CLAYS. Of our Texas fire clays only two or three have had any decided or extensive trial. These are from the beds found in Henderson, Lime- stone, and Fayette counties. The first two are found in connection with the Timber Belt Beds, the third in the Fayette Beds. In use the brick made at Athens from the Henderson County clay have proved to be of excellent quality. They have stood the severe test of the iron furnace at Rusk and of some of the lime kilns, and are highly recommended for their good qualities. The brick from the beds of Limestone County are also of good quality, and proper care in their manufacture will make them fully equal to any. The Fayette Clays which have come under my notice, which are classed as fire clays, seem to be somewhat high in fluxing constituents, but more careful selection of the clays may en- tirely obviate this difficulty. The fire clays are found usually in connection with the lignite beds, and in the Central Coal Field directly underlying the coal seams. They are therefore found scattered over a wide area of the State, but only a few of them have been examined by the Survey. These are nearly all from Hastern T'exas, and were collected during the past field season. While they have not yet been fully studied, numerous analyses have been made, and it is found that many of them are too “ fat,” or contain too much alumina for use in the state in which they are dug, but re- quire a large mixture of sand to correct the excessive shrinkage that would otherwise take place in drying them, amounting in some specti- mens to one-fourth of their original bulk. Others, however, are of ex- cellent quality, and careful selection of localities for mining will yield very favorable results, and clays be secured suitable for brick for furn- aces, kilns, ovens, fire boxes, retorts, saggers, and the many other sim1- lar articles. REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. lxxv GRAPHITE, OR PLUMBAGO. In the Central Mineral Region are deposits of limited extent of an impure graphite in shales and schists. In view of the larger deposits of pure material in other localities it is not probable that this will be of much value. SOAPSTONE. This highly infusible stone, which is used as firestone in stoves, hearths, and furnaces, is found in large quantities. One of the best exposures is about two miles south of west from Smoothing Iron Mountain, and the most favorable districts for its further occurrence are that between House and Smoothing Iron Mountain and the King Mountains, and to the west of that area in Llano and Mason counties ; also southeast in Llano, Gillespie, and Blanco counties. As a lining for furnaces and other purposes which do not require a very firm texture this material is fully adequate, and it can be cut or sawed into blocks or masses of any desired shape, with a perfectly smooth surface if desired. MICA. While mica is a very abundant mineral in both the Central and Trans-Pecos regions, it is not commonly of such transparency and size as to be commercially valuable. Specimens are in the Museum, how- ever, from both localities which combine these requisites, and it is en- tirely probable that workable deposits may be found. It is used in stove fronts, lanterns, etc., also in the manufacture of wall paper and as a lubricant. ASBESTOS. Asbestos has often been reported from the Central Region, and many specimens have been received bearing that name. Upon examination this is found to be fibrolite, and may answer for many purposes for which asbestos is used as refractory material, but not for the finer uses of the manufacture of cloth, ete. ROAD MATERIALS. Among the various materials suited for road making are the large gravel deposits which are found in many portions of the State; some of the quartzitic sandstones which occur in the Fayette Beds; the eroded flints of the Cretaceous; some of the firmer limestones of the lxxvi REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. lower divisions of the Cretaceous and the Carboniferous areas; the basalt of such areas as Pilot Knob in Travis County; some of the sandstones or siliceous iron ores of the iron region of Hast Texas; the granites and other tough rocks of the Central Region are especially valuable, and similar rocks and the quartzites and porphyries of West Texas will also prove of value when transportation charges will admit of their use. The occurrence of asphaltum in various portions of the State has al- ready been noticed, and its use as paving material is well known. For the construction of sidewalks, in addition to the material above mentioned, flagstones are found in various localities. MATERIALS FOR PAINTS. GRAPHITE has already been mentioned under refractory substances. OcHrE.—This is a hydrated oxide of iron, usually containing more or less clay or sand and giving various shades of yellow, red, and brown. The most valuable is that which on preparation furnishes the color called Indian red. Ochres are found in connection with the geode and nodu- lar ores of Hast Texas, forming centers of the geodes, and also deposits of limited extent. It is reported at many localities in the area covered by the Timber Belt Beds. In the Cretaceous area good ochres occur in Uvalde and Val Verde counties, in the latter of which one locality has been developed to some extent and the material shipped. _ Other deposits have been opened and worked very slightly for local use in different parts of the State. BARYTES is found in Llano County, but has not been put to any use at all as yet. OTHER ECONOMIC MATERIALS. SULPHUR. Specimens of native sulphur of a high degree of purity have been received from Edwards County, but up to the present no detailed ex- amination has been made to ascertain its quantity or the condition of its occurrence. SALT. Like many of the other valuable deposits of Texas, the occurrence of the salt is widespread. Along the coast to the southwest are lagoons or salt lakes from which large amounts of salt are taken annually. Be- sides the lakes along the shore many others occur through Western REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. Ixxvii Texas, reaching to the New Mexico line, while northeast of these in the Permian region the constant recurrence of such names as Salt Fork, Salt Creek, etc., tell of the prevalence of similar conditions. In addition to the lakes and creeks from which salt is secured by solar evaporation we have also extensive beds of rock salt. That which is at present best developed is located in, the vicinity of Colorado City, in Mitchell County. The bed of salt was found by bor- ing at 850 feet, and proved to have a thickness of 140 feet. alent tee ee 1). Qualitative analyses'on record... 2. Fis arses end ecieye siete ce conan 12 SPECIAL ANALYSES. Alkaline deposit (test its fitness for glass making)............... ) 1 Soda Ash (Bremer & Co.—used for glass making).............. 1 Ziegelerz (78.5 per cent of metallic copper)..............-++ a«-% 1 Ochre, mineral paint 2). 2.7.3 sic os pe ele eee ee eee 2 Pertilizers, bat’ guane-s,/.o%.. - Wein oS sola cae ene 2 Pig lron:(Cass County) \)is< ere aieviettetieier eh ee 1 Mynite Sand Rock... ::.des ste came sna owe ee Sa eran 2 PROM. 29<.'pg hen ”nsoig over a conse Caen nae ee Pore 8 Bec, ¢ 2 PASPOMUANGUTD:. .. 5 ooo sa: v'cpaceod wish oatarel ste wile talletstins stole itn kee ena 3 Punsphate Roel |... 64. njos ame eels ols piers beater eee ee ] lay Tron: Stones... .....'.c's.s «ald dald pie a oie while ieee eee 6 Total number of complete analyses. ...°. ..:....--.c¢a-e eer pies 532 Wotal number of partial analyses... 2/1! 00.105". eee 83° 83 Mae sales nia sie ad 6 a'a'e 6b 'o'o le alee ot Mite tae chee 615 Very respectfully, JOHN H. HERNDON, Chemist in Charge. REPORTS OF GEOLOGISTS. c1x CHEMICAL WORK OF THE SURVEY AT THE LABORATORY OF THE AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL COLLEGE. Mr. P. S. Tilson, during the seven months of his connection with the Sur- vey in 1890, made sixty-nine examinations of soils, clays, and iron ores which were divided as follows: | SOILS Mamiplete Mem Ca + ANALYSES sc. a\o.ss: «ccs stm eesti Bie wre ype ta ol eda ile an 25 Mechanical analyses o_o. 6. e.g ee wees SOO MOO Bay COMIC Od 12 BT \ CLAYS STIDTTSUIE) DOSES ay eR Rs APY ene On on 1 1 IRON ORES. Limonites, from Cass County, complete analyses................ 25 Limonites, from Cass County, partial analyses....... Seely. mses re 6/2 Fo PRGA 6 ore has, «3s sgahyaileiie cps lis Bee erate) eter eee Neca ate" o svorereuat 69 EERO ¢ DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, INSURANCE, STATISTICS, AND HISTORY. PAPERS ACCOMPANYING THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS FOR Here REPORTS | THE IRON ORE DISTRICT EAST TEXAS. 8—geol, CONTENTS. Part I]. GENERAL STATEMENT. Historical, Topographic, Stratigraphic and Descriptive Scene ean, Sie an aeiarars K. T. Dumble. Part II. FUELS AND THEIR UTILIZATION. CHAP. NEURO Warcod iy has 6 {vee Sa iets ss i EAS ON ON AERO ee aE J. Birkinbine. CHap. LL ATRTICUUGTS aatole 4 Siiessreo cach ic ae AES a A BRO OR A ....Otto Lerch. Part III. DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES. ’ CHAP. LO ACE ea eae Ae ci we eer rey ae _... William Kennedy. Sarr len MATION, 2/582 tec) Ua ean oe Se eS = Porath para ra nye ossutes ae aves William Kennedy. ELE, LIL sel SETS SOC aR a aie eas ee nn are er een William Kennedy. Case, UW Gregg’)... 0.2% A Si Ot CRORE REE CORR Engen ON” RR _... William Kennedy. CHAP. V. Morris, Wood, Upshur, Van Zandt, and Henderson...... William Kennedy. eee OE eee TIEN Wok eral sit yes wc | 6 Me aetet s oy ES y Lane eee a J. H. Herndon. ewe EU METEOR 5 att hoo: 6 oes ec dhapel, wise cs'sidle 8s Pics SWORE al WO Mee J. B. Walker. Gre Will “Shelby .:... 5 ees OR Peto k tool a Ghte: Sra S Cake wires eek Swe J. B. Walker. i CAEN ULI gong a Peels ae SS Sten ies) Catels Gheck ere» Tags Walker CHAP. te MACOCMOCNES = ie re eras aterc 8 eS, See tel Bek a a lenaneh ai'asoieraney areas J. B. Walker. rte el OMCTOKCE. oso oe. sls oe ss Meee oeoe-eciehoe: Sena aes ora eae J. B. Walker. “EULE ORCL a ANTS (5 (0) 1 Sod en cre PRC ag ee a oe EK. T. Dumble. Sear aUBb ae LEOUSTOM,. 122) 5 .a'e). fei st ae ator oS. gine evens ew gs so epeyecviees oe K. T. Dumble, Ae iia. A GENERAL DESCRIPTION IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS, BY E. T. DUMBLE. INTRODUCTION. That part of Texas of which the following pages treat is situated in the northeastern corner of the State, being the territory lying east of the 96th degree of longitude and north of the 31st parallel of latitude. From this area we exclude, as being non-iron bearing, the portion north of Sulphur Fork, and also the northwestern corner, in which the black waxy prairies of the Cretaceous are the prevailing formation. In this district, so restricted, there are nineteen counties: Cass, Morris, Marion, Upshur, Wood, Harrison, Gregg, Panola, Smith, Van Zandt, Rusk, Cherokee, Henderson, Anderson, Houston, Nacogdoches, Shelby, Sabine, and San Augustine, containing in the aggregate 14,430 square miles. In each of these counties iron ore exists in greater or less quantities and of varying qualities. Ores of similar character are reported from other counties west and south- west of this area, but our investigations have not extended further than the limits stated.* As will be seen by reference to the accompanying map, the iron ores are very unevenly distributed through this region, and as we have mapped them cover an area of about 1000 square miles. The scale, however, on which the map is published is such that many of the deposits which are really valu- able do not appear at all, owing to their comparatively small size. In addi- tion to the map, the boundaries and location of the ore deposits are given in detail in the various reports, so far as it has been possible to define them. * Tt lias not been found possible to complete the work in this district in as detailed manner as was intended. In Gregg, Sabine, Morris, Houston, and San Augustine counties no attempt has been made to do detailed work, and we have had to content ourselves with a recon- naissance of them for the purpose of ascertaining the presence or absence of workable de- posits of ore. In four counties only have we gone over the subject as thoroughly as we intend working the entire area, For these reasons the present must only be considered a partial report. 8 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS, ~ In order that the work might be completed more rapidly, there have been several geologists in the field, and the reports on the separate counties are given as made by them. * HISTORICAL. The existence of beds of iron ore in the eastern part of this State has been known almost from the time of its first settlement. In a new country, where supplies had to be brought from great distances | by the slow methods of transportation in use at that time, it was only a mat- ter of course that the abundance of wood for charcoal, the purity of the ore, and the probability of a remunerative market at home should prove sufficient inducement for men of enterprise to engage in its manufacture. Such was the case; and some time in the fifties Mr. J. S. Nash erected a small furnace in Cass County. Of this furnace Dr. B. F. Shumard states, in 1859, that “it was erected several years since.” This was the first attempt to utilize these ores of which we have any knowledge. The investigations of the Geological Survey under Dr. Shumard, which were carried on during the year 1859, proved that the ores were not confined to Cass County alone but were very abundant. He says: + Until the commencement of the present survey, it was not known that we had workable deposits of iron, except in one or two localities. But our labors have demonstrated the important fact that we have a vast iron region in the eastern part of the State, embracing considerable areas in Cass, Harrison, Rusk, Panola, Smith, San Augustine, and Shelby counties. The ore deposits belong to the tertiary era, and consist chiefly of hematites and limonites, of which there are several varieties. We have also found in this district exten- sive beds of carbonate of iron. According to Dr. G. G. Shumard, Cass county alone is capable of supply- ing a number of furnaces with an abundance of excellent iron ore for many years. The ore occurs here in regular layers, which sometimes obtain a thickness of fifty feet. The only iron furnace our State can boast of is lo- cated in this county. I1t was erected seyeral years since by Mr. Nash and has been in nearly constant, and I believe profitable, operation up to the pres- ent time. The ore is mined near the furnace, and the kinds preferred are a porous variety of hematite, termed by the proprietors “‘honeycomb ore,” and * Such descriptions as are written by myself are of counties examined by Dr. Penrose and the iron ore localities mapped by Mr. G. E. Ladd. These are written from the notes of Dr. Penrose, to which the results of my own examinations are added in places. Much of the other matter contained in this report is taken either from the former published reports on this region by Dr. Penrose or from his notes, which are admirable in their clearness and detail. Quotations not otherwise credited are from Dr. Penrose’s writings. + First Report of the Geological and Agricultural Survey of Texas. B. F. Shumard, M. D. ‘This report is reprinted as an appendix to “A partial report on the Geology of West - Texas.” Dr. G. G. Shumard. Austin, 1886, pp. 142, 143. HISTORICAL. 9) compact brown hematite. The pig metal and castings produced from these ores are of excellent quality and command a high price in the market. Our detailed examinations in Rusk county have developed the occurrence of almost inexhaustible deposits of workaUle hematite, similar to that found in Cass, while our general surveys in Cherokee, Nacogdoches, and the other counties above enumerated have convinced us that further explorations will reveal there also the existence of equally extensive accumulations of this im- portant element of State wealth. Other deposits of iron occur in the tertiary strata in the middle division of the State, but so far as our observations have been carried these ores are in- ferior to those found in the East. In the counties of Caldwell and Guada- lupe, examined by Dr. Riddell, are heavy deposits of iron ore, but they contain such a large proportion of silex, in the form of sand, as to render them gen- erally unfit for profitable smelting. We have fair workable ores from Bastrop and Llano counties, but further researches are necessary before we can give a positive opinion respecting their value. Dr. Riddell’s analysis of an average specimen of the honeycomb variety from the Nash mines vielded the following result: Specifie gravity, 2.2891. Morse andumeauier volatile at. red heate. v5.c.5.. occic chavs co dhe c visled elec de labled s ¢ MAEM SLL Ge dle, dele tees SIS leak Saale | oe Bk ieee Be LE and te eA ea al RENAL GE TE SS 8.122 PERE ES TSaTt es PAE een 79.604 TEE ne pe ok Hell eee ee RR a Se 047 100.000 Dr. Riddell’s analysis of a specimen taken from an, extensive ore deposit in Rusk County, about four miles east of Sulphur Springs, gave: Specific gravity, 3.3245. Ae RO PRE ERAN bees om rir Bor ka a Oe Sy On RHE Se CR RR BEER 2p 1.0360 Se COIS IMALECEIIMGOMMOICLIH. ACIOS sca. s, Anis clo Selec dane Wels bb Slcwie leak ole bs 8.7941 aR er MAPLET MILO MAAE REP ek PnP Als SR SRE Met al erg MOM gh) Sis ataiahl oad Slate’ bre 71.7826 OPUS sat Aig Bic Le ha ee Ree ed ne A a 18.3873 100.0000 The specimen analyzed represents a variety that is very common through. out the iron region of this part of the State. This is the first clear statement which we have of the character, extent, and age of these ores, and, although the actual thickness of the beds is much below that claimed for them, it is nevertheless sufficient to fully warrant the conclusion of a practically unlimited supply. The extra session of the Highth Legislature, in 1861, which suspended the Geological Survey, showed the value of its work by the following: Joint Resolution Concerning Iron Foundries in the State of Texas. Wuereas, There is in the counties of Marion and Cass, in this State, an inexhaustible supply of iron ore; and, whereas, foundries are at this time in successful operation in said localities, fostered by the enterprise of the citi- zens of Texas; therefore, 1. Bert resolved by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That the government of the Confederate States of America is hereby respectfully invited to con. sider the propriety and importance of establishing in said localities a foundry and manufactory for the manufacture of ordnance and arms for the Confed- erate States, 10 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS, 2. That the Governor is hereby requested to cause a copy of this joint res- # ‘olution to be transmitted to the delegates of this State in the Congress of the Confederate States, to be by them laid before the government of said Con- federate States; and that this joint resolution take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Approved April 8. 1861. In response to this invitation the Confederate Government took charge of some of the furnaces already in operation and ran them for the purpose indicated. Others were erected in various localities, and gun barrels and other supplies and munitions manufactured. Effort has been made to secure the official records of the operations of these furnaces, but the volume of Records of the Rebellion in which they will appear is not yet published. In addition to the works erected in this way a few others were constructed by private capital. In this way the total number of furnaces was somewhat augmented, although the total output of iron was comparatively small on account of the small size of the works. The iron made at the small bloomaries, from the rich ores of the region, was very malleable and tough, and the traveler of to-day finds many articles in daily use among the farmers, in the neighborhood of these old bloomaries, which, they will tell you, were made directly from the ore at the ‘ foundery,” as they always call them. The Ninth Legislature, in 1863, reorganized the Military Board, which was composed of the “Governor of the State, who shall be ex officio President of the Board, and two other members, who shall be appointed by the Gov- ernor.” This Board was given control of all public works and supplies, and empowered ‘to aid producing within the State by the importation of arti- cles necessary and proper for such aid.” They were authorized to erect iron works by the following Act: An Act to Provide for the Manufacture of Iron by the Afilitary Board. Section 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That it shall be the duty of the Military Board to erect and put into operation one or more furnaces and forges and other suitable works for the manufacture of iron, to be located at such place or places as may be selected by said Board. Section 2. ‘That all iron manufactured by said Board, or under their direction, not needed for the defense of the State or in the performance of their duties, shall be sold to the people, according to such regulations and on such terms as said Military Board may establish, and the proceeds of such sales paid into the Treasury of the State. Section 3. That one million dollars, or so much thereof as may be neces- sary, be and the same is hereby appropriated for the purpose of carrying into effect the provisions of this bi.l. Section 4. That this act take effect from and after its passage. Approved December 16, 1863. Among the special laws passed by this Legislature was one incorporating the Texas Iron Company, of which J. S. Nash, James Alley, William Nash, HISTORICAL. 11 H. P. Perry, Josiah D. Perry, and others were the charter members, ap- proved March 5, 1863. Under this incorporation the Nash furnace was continued in operation, and pig*iron and castings were manufactured at it. This same session of the Legislature passed a general law offering as an inducement to manufactories a section of land for each one thousand dollars invested in the erection of such manufactories. The Sulphur Fork furnace was the first to take advantage of this law. SULPHUR FORK IRON COMPANY. This company was incorporated under an act of the Legislature entitled “An Act to incorporate the Sulphur Fork Iron Company,” approved De- cember 4, 1863. On June 15 the company was organized with nineteen stockholders. The shares were valued at one thousand dollars each, and among the stockholders was the State of Louisiana, which owned fifty-two shares. The furnace was built of brick and was thirty-four feet square and thirty- six feet high. In addition to the furnace stack, the entire plant was of. sub. stantial construction, and consisted of large coal shed, engine room, molding room, steam saw and grist mill, machine shop, and necessary dwellings, etc., for operatives. This furnace was located on Horton’s headright, just west of Springdale The daily capacity of the stack was eight tons, and the articles manufac: tured were pig iron and hollow ware. These works continued in oberon until the first of April, 1865, when they stopped running. The value of this plant, as determined by a commission appointed for the purpose of determining how many sections of land were due them under the law mentioned above, was $97,500. HUGHES FURNACE. The erection of this furnace was begun in 1859, but the manufacture of iron was not undertaken until two years later. It was located about one and a half miles southeast of Hughes Springs, in the southwestern portion of Cass County. From the best information now obtainable it had a capacity of twenty tons daily. Mr. Hughes built the furnace, but never operated it, as the Confederate Government took charge of it soon after its erection, under the invitation extended them by the State of Texas. Under government management a very large amount of pig iron and castings were manufactured, and at the close of the war the furnace was continued in operation for a short time by the Federal authorities. 12 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. YOUNG’S IRON WORKS. About eight miles southwest from Jacksonville and three miles from the Neches River was located one of the most extensive iron works of its time in the State. It was generally called by the name of the president of the company owning and operating it, “‘Young’s Iron Works.” | The smelter was of the most substantial construction, built of selected brown sandstone, which abounds in the vicinity. Its outside dimensions were a square of thirty-four feet at the base, and it had the same height. This smelter was operated successfully for a time and pig iron and castings manu- factured, but the explosion of the boiler and killing of one or two men thereby interrupted the work for a time, and the close of the war caused its final stoppage. Lverything was put in order and left to await the building of a railroad to the furnace. Dr. Young secured the charter for the Houston and Great Northern Railroad, which was projected to run just by the side of the works, and the building of the road was begun, but before twenty miles of it had been constructed Dr. Young was killed in an accident. Nothing further was ever done with this furnace, which is still standing. PHILLEO’S IRON WORKS. ‘South of Rusk about eight miles, amid pine clad hills, and at a perennial stream of clear water, is Philleo’s Iron Works, where ore was smelted on a large scale during the war, at the close of which smelting was suspended and only the foundry business continued; hence the works are now in a very dilapidated and decaying condition. During their operation three hundred men were employed.” * THE NECHESVILLE BLOOMARY. Dr. J. B. Bussey, of Timpson, furnishes the following account of the bloom- ary located near Nechesville, Anderson County, in which he was personally interested. In the year 1863, Col. Chas. Bussey, father of Dr. Bussey, and Mr. Joseph P. Griggs began to erect works to make iron. They began with one twenty- five-horse power engine, using the ordinary fan blast. They soon found that this would not answer, and that it would be necessary either to enlarge the plant or stop operations. About this time Dr. J. B. Bussey returned from the army, and thinking that it was a good investment, took a third in- terest in the works. Another engine was bought, additional sheds were erected, and two tub bellows, or blowing cylinders, were made; in fact, almost an entirely new bloomary plant was erected. . With this plant it was expected to manufacture from three to four thou- * Dr. S. B. Buckley, First Annual Report, ete. HISTORICAL. 13 sand pounds of iron daily, and operations were continued until a production of about fifteen hundred pounds daily was reached, and new fire places were being added as rapidly as possible. Perfect success seemed an assured fact when the works were burned, as is supposed, by an incendiary. ~ The production of this bloomary was only fifty thousand pounds all told. The ore was taken from a mountain a mile north of Nechesville, and was of the “curly” variety. As nearly as could be determined it worked nearly sixty per cent The iron produced from it was of superior quality. The fuel used was pine charcoal, burned in the vicinity. THE MONTALBO BLOOMARY. This bloomary, which was situated about ten miles south of the Nechesville works, was in operation at the same time. It was located on the south bank of Mount Prairie Creek, some eight or nine miles north of Palestine. This was one of the plants operated under the management of the Confederate Government. From the iron smelted there gun barrels and other munitions of war were manufactured. THE KICKAPOO BLOOMARY. A short distance north of the Nechesville bloomary, in the vicinity of Kickapoo, the Confederate Government began the erection of a bloomary of the same character as the others scattered over the adjoining country, but, so far as can be ascertained, it was never completed. THE McLAIN, OR LINN FLAT, BLOOMARY. This bloomary was located in the northern part of Nacogdoches County, about twelve miles from the town of Nacogdoches and six miles from Linn Flat. It was constructed and operated during the latter part of the war, and at the cessation of hostilities work was stopped. According to Dr. Buck- ley,* 150,000 pounds of hammered iron bars were made here in the eight months during which it was worked. These works suffered the same fate, that of fire, that befell most of the others. Besides the furnaces and bloomaries already mentioned, another was begun by the Confederate Government a few miles east of Nechesville, in Cherokee County.. The war ended before it was in running order, however, and it was abandoned. KELLEYVILLE FURNACE. This furnace was erected in 1869 by G. A. Kelley. It was located five miles north of Jefferson, and was put into blast in 1870. In 1882, owing to * First Annual Report of the Geological and Agricultural Survey of Texas. 8. B. Buckley, State Geologist, p. 19. Houston, 1874. 14 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. financial embarrassments, it was sold to the Marshall Car Wheel and Foundry Company, which company changed the name of the establishment to “Loo Ellen” furnace, and continued to run it until 1886, when, owing to the fact that the Car Wheel and Foundry Company could not use all the iron made, and the dilapidated condition of the furnace, it was blown out. | The stack was originally square, but was changed to a round in 1874, Bosh, nine feet; height originally, thirty-four feet, but afterwards raised to forty-five feet, and its capacity was ten tons per day. Fuel used was charcoal, while for flux limestone was gotten from Dallas. The iron produced was hot blast charcoal soft foundry iron when made by Mr. Kelley. That made by the Car Wheel Company was a hard iron, espe- cially suitable for chilled castings, such as car wheels, etc., that being the character of iron wanted by the company. Mr. Kelley reports that the amount of flux needed was ten per cent of weight of ore. Fuel, one hundred and thirty-three bushels of charcoal to produce one ton of metal. Cost of metal, $13 per ton. Ore averaged fifty- five per cent. Mr. Kelley used a low pressure blast, the Car Wheel Company high pres- sure. THE STATE FURNACE. - The aid afforded in the development of the iron industry of Eastern Texas by the building and operation of the “‘Old Alcalde” furnace by the State at the Rusk penitentiary can hardly be overestimated. By its careful manage- ment and successful operation it has fully demonstrated the workability and superior excellence of the ores which surround it. From the biennial reports of the Superintendent of the Texas State Peni- tentiaries* we get the following account of its construction and operation: The penitentiary was located at Rusk on account of the deposits of rich iron ores in the vicinity, and for the purpose of employment for convict labor for making iron, and at other industries growing out of it. The prison had no railroad connections, and could not be successfully organized and utilized as a prison until such connections were made. As soon as the Board was fully satisfied in regard to railroad connections, it had an examination made as to the character, quantity, and quality of the iron ore, with the view of hav- ing erected a blast furnace for making pigiron. Mr. G. A. Kelley, employed: to make such investigation, reported very favorably, and the Board secured the services of Mr. E. C. Darley, of St. Louis, a furnace engineer, to furnish plans and estimates for a small furnace, and to superintend the construction of the same. The plans submitted and adopted are for about a twenty-five ton furnace, which is estimated to cost about $25,000. The castings, boiler, and part of the other machinery and material are on the ground. The blast furnace was started in the latter part of February last, but the results from it were unsatisfactory, as it failed to turn out the quantity or quality of * Biennial Report, November, 1880, to October, 1882, pp. 4, 5. Austin, 1882. HISTORICAL. 15 iron expected, the yield being only about eight or ten tons per day, when the furnace was expected, under proper management, to yield twenty-five or thirty tons per day. The trouble was attributed to various causes, but finally it was concluded that the furnace was not properly constructed, and that the bosh, or lower part of it, was not in the right shape to produce the best re- sults. Hence, after a blast of about two months, it was blown out and the bosh changed. It was blown in about the first of June, and, it was claimed, made more and better iron, but still its workings were far from satisfactory, and it was banked and stopped about the first of September.* The Nineteenth Legislature made an appropriation of $50,000 for the development of the iron industries at Rusk. I had been directed by your Board to employ an expert to visit Rusk and make an examination of the furnace, plant, iron ore, lime rock, timber, etc., and make report of the result of his examination. After corresponding with, and upon the recommenda- tion of several leading iron men, I employed Mr. John Birkinbine, of Phil- adelphia, to make the examination His visit and examination was made about the first of June, 1885, and in July he submitted an interesting and ex- haustive report, in the conclusion of which he says: “I have no hesitation in saying that you have a furnace plant better equipped than a majority of the charcoal furnaces in the United States. In fact, I do not think there are more than fifteen in the country which may be considered equal to it in all respects. The ore supply seems to be sufficiently abundant for the require. ments of the present and near future, and the quality, as indicated by analy- sis made, will give you an ore richer than the average ores throughout the United States, and produce iron of good quality. You have unusual facil- ities for manufacturing charcoal cheaply, and of superior quality. You are unfortunate in having no supply of good flux immediately available, but this disadvantage is less than it would be in a furnace using mineral fuel. You can produce iron with an expenditure for labor no greater than the average at charcoal furnaces throughout the United States, and the cost of making pig iron at Rusk is less than the majority of the furnaces in the country. You are at a disadvantage in having but one railroad, and that a narrow gauge, but that may be overcome largely by the cordial co-operation of the officers, which, they assure me, you would receive. There seems to be a variety of industries which can be made to pay, and utilize a large portion of the pig iron produced in the furnace, but it is probable that you will have to, at least for the present, combine several of these to obtain satisfactory re- sults, and afterwards, if the indications point to certain of these being most advantageous, the others can be dropped. With the large area of your State, its rapid growth, and increased demand for all manufactures of iron which accompany such development, there would seem to be a good opportunity for the transformation of such of the product of your furnace as you cannot sell into merchantable commodities.” After the consideration of Mr. Birkinbine’s report, your Board determined to make immediate preparation for starting the furnace, and authorized me toemploy Mr. R. A. Barrett, of St. Louis, as furnace superintendent. Mr. Barrett had superintended the construction of the furnace, and had great confidence in making it perform all that had originally been promised. He came on at once and set about making the necessary preparation for its oper- ation. He put in a new bosh, changing the shape of the same as originally constructed. We had a supply of coal on hand, taken in the settlement with * Reports of the Superintendent and Financial Agent of the Texas State Penitentiaries for two years ending October 31, 1884, p. 12. Austin, 1885. 16 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. Comer & Fairis, and we procured lime rock from Coryell County, by the Texas and St. Louis Railroad, at a cost of about $4 per ton delivered. The furnace was started for an experimental test on the 30th of November, 1885, and ran, with splendid results, to the 10th of January, 1886, when the coal became exhausted, and it was blown out. The output of iron was seldom less than twenty-five tons per day, and frequently over thirty tons per day, From this blast the total yield was 1044 tons of excellent iron. The furnace was again put in blast on the Ist of July last, and is now in blast, and the yield to date from this second blast is 3069 tons. Total out- put of the two blasts 4113 tons, which is worth at a fair cash valuation $16 per ton, or $65,808. As to quality of the iron, I submit the following extracts from letters re- ceived from iron men to whom samples were sent: The Johnson Iron Works, New Orleans, says: ‘‘The sample of pig iron sent us has been used up in the manufacture of machine castings. The iron is of excellent quality and runs well in the mould. We would have no hesi- tation in using this grade of iron for any class of our work.” Mr. J. L. Smyser, vice-president of Lithgow Manufacturing Company, of Louisville, Ky., says: ‘‘I thank you for the samples of iron just received. I want to say promptly that they have every outward evidence of being excel- lens; better than any irons being sold in this market. 1am positively as- tonished that Texas is making any iron at all, to say nothing of its quality. If there is plenty of this 1ron, Texas would bea good place for a foundry.” Mr. Paul A. Fusz, secretary of the Chouteau, Harrison & Valle Iron Com- pany, St. Louis, writes Mr. R. A. Barrett, thus: “Your piece of pig iron came to hand to-day. The*pig is the best I have ever seen from a charcoal furnace. It appears to be perfect.” More than half of the yield of the furnace has been of the quality from which we have such flattering reports. I can assure you that these results have been very gratifying, and they are due, to a great extent, to the skill and ability of Mr. Barrett, who has made but few pretentions, but has in a quiet, modest way performed much more than he promised. The results, too, demonstrate the fact that the former failure of the furnace was not attributable to a faulty construction, but to the want of proper management. | Contract For Capito, Castines.—It was very fortunate that soon after the determination to operate the iron furnace an opportunity presented to make a large contract for castings, which would consume a large amount of the products of the furnace. On the 26th of October, 1885, a contract was made by your Board with Mr. Gus. Wilke for a large amount of the cast iron work for the new Capitol; principally columns, with their pedestals, bases and caps, and the castings for the dome of the building. The prices agreed upon were 22 cents per pound for the columns, bases, etc., and 4 cents per pound for dome castings, delivered in Austin. The estimate of the amount of cast- ings is about two million pounds, which at an average of 32 cents is $67,500. The work to be performed was difficult, but Mr. R. A. Barrett, our furnace manager, agreed to take general supervision over it, which he has done, and his services in this respect, as in others, have been invaluable to us. It took considerable time and outlay of money to get our foundry and machine shops properly equipped for this new character of work. A good foundryman had to be employed; also an experienced, skillful pattern maker. All of this was done as soon as possible, and we now have probably the best equipped foun- dry south of St. Louis. The foundry department is under the immediate charge of Mr. Frank Kavanuagh and the pattern shop under Mr. R. Flachs, an HISTORICAL. 1 both competent, good men. The character of the work in the foundry has necessitated the employment of a citizen moulder, Mr. Hd. Robinson. With this exception the work is all done with convict labor. We have made and shipped under this contract the columns, pedestals, bases, and caps for the first, second, and third stories of the Capitol building, amounting to 609,860 pounds, and are now at work on the fourth story castings. The work so far done is in Austin to show for itself, and has been pronounced excellent by all who have seen it. The contractor and Capitol Commissioners have expressed themselves as well pleased, both with the material and workmanship. The castings for the dome will be of a different character of work and more difficult to execute, but I have full confidence in our ability to doit. The margin for profit in this contract is not large, but three objects will be accom- plished: 1. The consumption of the product of the furnace. 2. The em- ployment of a large number of convicts within the walls. 3. The training of a large number of convicts into skilled moulders. In addition to the forego- ing advantages, the cisplay of our work from iron manufactured in the State will be a splendid advertisement, both for the State and our prison industries. Tue Pirpz Founpry.— Mr. John Birkinbine, before alluded to, discussed in his report the various industries connected with the manufacture of pig iron which might be carried on with convict labor... He says: ‘The manu- facture of cast iron water and gas pipe would consume a large quantity of iron, but would use a small amount of labor per pound of metal, and would require more expensive appliances than the manufacture of car wheels; but with the rapid growth of Texas, and the fact that no iron pipe of any amount are made nearer than St. Louis, Mo., or Birmingham, Ala, this specialty would seem worthy of careful consideration, as the contracts made would be with safe parties and in large amounts.” In the latter part of January last, when on your visit to Rusk, and after thorough discussion of the matter in all its phases, you determined to inau- gurate this as one of the industries for the Rusk Penitentiary, and directed me to proceed and have erected the necessary buildings and appliances for such foundry. I placed the work under the entire control of Mr. Barrett, who went to St. Louis to get the necessary information as to details of construc- tion, to enable him to get up the detailed drawings and plans for the work. The work is of considerable magnitude, requiring much labor and material. and as a great deal of this material consists of castings (about five hundred and fifty thousand pounds), which had to be made in our own foundry, it has been somewhat delayed to avoid conflicting with our Capitol contract. There has been delay, also, in obtaining material from St. Louis, because of the strike. This material has recently arrived and we are rapidly finishing the other castings. The pipe foundry has been placed at the end of the furnace cast house, so that when the furnace is in operation we can use its product to a considerable extent for pipes without remelting, thus saving the cost of coke and the wear and tear of the cupola in remelting. We have, however, fitted up cupola and blower, so that the pipe foundry can be operated when the furnace is out of blast. The appliances of this pipe foundry are first class in every particular, and it will be complete and ready for operation in a short time, and will utilize the labor of from thirty of fifty convicts. From the number of inquiries constantly made about water pipe, I feel sat- isfied that the capacity of the furnace and foundry will be hardly sufficient to _ supply the demand.* * Reports of the Superintendent and Financial Agent of the Texas State Penitentiaries, for two years endiug October 31, 1886. Austin, 1886, 18 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. The successful operation of the iron furnace, reported in my biennial re- port of 1886, has continued up to the present time. The furnace has not been operated constantly, having had to blow out two or three times for repairs and coal. The product in the two years is reported at about nine thousand tons; the amount on hand twenty-six hundred and fifty-four tons. During the two years there has been sold 6540, and consumed by the foundries at Rusk prison 2389 tons. The records show during the last two years there have been used in producing pig iron 18,903 tons of iron ore, 4523:tons of lime- stone, 1276 cords of wood, and 1,207,761 bushels of charcoal. The iron turned out is kept up to a high standard as to quality. Until a few months ago the product was altogether hot blast iron, but recently there has been some demand for cold, or rather warm, blast iron to make car wheels, and a large lot of this kind has been made to supply this demand, and it is giving excellent satisfaction. The success of this furnace has accomplished one object of its erection, viz., the development of the iron resources of Eastern Texas, and has thus induced capital and enterprise to come from abroad and invest in similar enterprises. The town of New Birmingham has been located and is being built up » within two miles of the penitentiary, one or more new furnaces are to be erected, and other enterprises contemplated and promised, which will all, directly or indirectly, benefit the industries of our prison, especially if better transportation facilities are thereby induced. Tue Water Piee Founpry.—This was compieted and put in operation after the date of my last report. Itis an excellent plant, and from it has been turned out a large quantity of excellent pipe, ranging in size from three to twelve inches in diameter. I can not say that we found such a ready sale for water pipe as anticipated, from the fact that high railroad rates have operated against us. With a much more favorable rate, recently obtained, we can no doubt find ready sale for all we can make. The pipe foundry gives employment to about seventy-five convicts.* The record for the past two years is but a continuation of the success which has attended it under its present management, and pig iron of most excellent quality is made, besides large amounts of iron pipe, etc. NEW FURNACES. In addition to the furnaces mentioned, others are now completed or in pro- cess of erection at New Birmingham and Jefferson. One, the Tassie Belle, has just been put in blast at New Birmingham, and is reported as working very successfully. TOPOG RA PEY The fundamental idea of the topography of this district is that of a compar- atively level plateau, which has risen gradually and slowly from beneath the waters of the Gulf, in which the various beds of clays and sands of which it is composed were deposited. Its present varied surface; hills spreading out in * Reports of the Superintendent and Financial Agent of the Texas State Penitentiaries, for two years ending October 31, 1888. Austin, 1889. TOPOGRAPHY. AS table lands, or solitary cones or buttes, or often presenting only a vista of gentle undulations; valleys, which are in places only steep-sided ravines, but further on widen out into pasture land and farm and meadow; and the lower lying river bottoms, often miles in width, through which the sluggish rivers wind their way in tortuous channels, spreading out here and there into lakes; these are all carved out from this ancient table land by erosive action, assisted in some measure by the later submergences to which it has been subjected. So far we have found little evidence of any disturbance of the strata which can- not readily be referred to the action of just such agencies as are now at work over the entire region. Faults are not uncommon, but usually they are of slight extent, and are in most cases certainly only due to sub-erosion or induced by the drying and shrinking of the strata. These causes are ample, also, to explain many of the numerous benches which may be observed in various places. Tue HieuHianps.—This table land was not confined by the limits given to the district, but stretched into Arkansas and Louisiana on the northeast and east, as well as still further to the southwest. By far the larger portion of it which remains in this part of Texas is to be found in a series of plateaus or flat-topped mountains, mesas, and buttes, beginning in the southern part of Cherokee County, running north and northwest, and spreading across the Neches into Anderson County and east into Rusk and Henderson. Southeast- ward areas are found in Nacogdoches, Sabine, and other counties. Northward they extend into Smith County, beyond which their identity is lost; the other highlands, although originally parts of the same table land, lacking the dis- tinguishing marks of these principal remnants. These plateaus have, in almost every case, “their summits capped by a horizontai or nearly horizontal bed of iron ore or sandstone, and to this cov- ering they owe their existence, it having protected them from the erosion which has worn down the surrounding country. The hills, locally called ‘mountains,’ sometimes occur as small flat-topped hills—the butte and mesa of the west—and in others spread in broad plateaus, sometimes covering an area of twenty or thirty square miles, deeply cut by the steep-sided canyons, and often showing an almost perpendicular slope.” The highest points now remaining of this old table land are parts of the flat-topped hills of Cherokee County, which have an extreme altitude of six hundred and sixty feet. Irom this the elevation decreases in all directions, sinking in some places to or even below the three hundred feet level. Four hundred and fifty feet is probably the extreme variation of elevation in the entire district. “These are the uplands of this portion of the State, and possess a soil far different from the surrounding lowlands, and a climate excellently adapted 9—geol, 20 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS, to the cultivation of fruit. In fact, such lands are now among the greatest _ fruit districts of Texas, and bid fair to be a worthy competitor of the Calli- fornia fruit country. ‘Gent Mountain, in the western part of Cherokee County, is a beautiful example of this plateau country. It comprises over twenty square miles of area, is largely underlaid by iron ore, capped by a sandy soil, and thickly covered with oak and hickory. From its summit, looking south and west, can be seen the lowlands of the Neches River bottom, and beyond the roll- ing country of Anderson County. To the north can be seen Gray’s Moun- tain, Grimes Mountain, Ragsdale Mountain, and many other iron clad hills. To the east looms up a similar range, constituting the iron ore plateau of Rusk and New Birmingham.” The soils of these table lands are of a gray sandy character, and are under- laid by clay subsoil, often stained red by iron. ‘The gray surface soil blends into and is doubtless derived from the red subsoil, to which it owes its agri- cultural value.” Tue LowLanps.—Surrounding these highlands we find large areas from which erosion has removed the beds of iron ore or sandstone and the great bed of greensand that immediately underlies these, and has brought to view the numerous and varied beds of clay and sands upon which they were originally deposited. These form the lowlands, the gently rolling and undu- lating portion of the region. The lowland soils are of three kinds: red clayey, red sandy, or mulatto. ‘These soils are extensively represented in Hast Texas, and form some of the richest lands of the region. They are not sharply divided from each other, but gradually blend together. They are underlaid by the clay and sandy strata of the Timber Belt beds, and owe their color to the decomposition of glauconite and other iron bearing min- erals. “The ‘mulatto’ soils are of a brownish red color, and are generally the re- sult of the decomposition of the large glauconite beds of the region, and as they contain the fertilizing ingredients of that mineral, they are very pro- ductive. Next to the river bottom lands, they are the most productive soils of Hast Texas, and are extensively developed in Anderson, Smith, Cherokee, Rusk, Gregg, Harrison, and other counties.” While there is no doubt that the entire region has been submerged more than once since its first emergence, the evidence seems to prove that the prin- cipal drainage channels established in Quaternary times, or possibly earlier, continue to be the principal ones of to-day. In Texas the primary systems of this region are those of Red and Trinity rivers. These have their source far west of this region, and their channels cut deeper into the underlying beds than do those of the rivers of later TOPOGRAPHY. me’ derivation, such as the Sabine and Neches. In the northern portion of the area the main rivers flow a little south of east; further south their courses are more nearly south. In the first case they belong to the drainage system of Red River and its adjacent lake system, while in the latter case the drain- age is towards the Gulf. “The Red River rises in the eastern slopes of the Staked Plains, in North- ern Texas, passes through the Red (gypsiferous) Beds, the Paleozoic rocks, and the great Cretaceous area of Central Texas, and finally deposits in Hast Texas a sediment composed of materials from these regions, in the form of a highly calcareous red silt. The Trinity rises in the Carboniferous rocks of Northern Texas, but far east of the Staked Plains, and passing down through the Cretaceous prairies becomes charged with calcareous matter. Hence its sediments, though often calcareous, do not have the red color of Red River. The Sabine rises still east of the Trinity, while the smaller rivers, such as the Neches and Angelina, rise in the timber region, and the character of the sediment of them all varies with the region they rise in and flow through. “Though traces of gravel and river silt are found along the rivers, and sometimes reach down to the water’s edge, yet all of them may be said to flow in channels cut in the older sediments, as such strata crop out at very frequent intervals along their courses. In this respect they resemble the Mississippi, in connection with which a similar statement has been made by Humphreys and Abbot.* “All of the Texas rivers are navigable to a greater or less extent, and until the introduction of railroads an extensive shipping business was carried on in transporting the cotton production of the region. Of course the amount of freight that could be carried depended on the high or low condition of the water. Now, however, boats rarely go up them for any considerable distance, as the journey takes a long time on account of the currents in the rivers, and, consequently, competition with railroads is impossible. The Sabine was for- merly navigated for three hundred miles from its mouth, while cotton boats — capable of carrying one thousand bales made regular trips up the Trinity to Green’s Landing, in the northwestern part of Anderson County.” The rainfall is very considerable throughout the district, being greatest dur- ing the winter and spring, and the erosion is proportionally extensive. The soit, unindurated character of much of the material composing the geological formations of this region are very favorable to the percolation of water, and springs are very abundant in every portion of the district. . This soft condition of the materials also renders the work of erosion the more easy and rapid. These agencies are steadily continuing the work which has already sculp- *“ Report on the Physics and Hydraulics of the Mississippi River,” by Capt. A. A. Hum- phreys and Lieut. H. L, Abbot. 1861, yi THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. tured the country into its present contours; the fall and rush of surface waters wearing away the exposed beds of sands and clays; the springs by their slower but more continuous action performing the part of sub-erosion, and undermin- ing and breaking down many hills and plateaus that would otherwise stand unimpaired on account of their more impervious coverings. This region is heavily timbered. On the south is the terminus of the long leaf pine belt of the South Atlantic and Gulf States, which to the north gives way to the short leaf pine, the oak, the gum, and the hickory. STRATIGRAPHY. The iron ore region of East Texas, as here defined, is underlaid for the most part by strata of Tertiary age. In only a few places are there exposures of Cretaceous strata, and when they do appear as inliers they belong to its uppermost members, and are accompanied by salines. : “The uppermost part of the Cretaceous and the base of the Tertiary strata are both composed of soft clay and sand beds, which succumb readily to the weathering action of the atmosphere, and consequently the line of separation is often impossible to locate exactly. The uppermost beds of the Cretaceous in Texas and Arkansas’ are composed of sandy and ‘glauconiferous’ strata, sometimes reaching a maximum thickness of three hundred feet. These have been termed the ‘glauconitic’ division by Hill. They vary in composition from beds of pure siliceous sand to beds composed entirely of glauconite, and between these two extremes are found all gradations in the relative propor- tions of the two materials. These beds are the equivalent of the Ripley Division of Alabama, and probably are the Southern representative of the ‘Hox Hills’ Beds of Nebraska. The ‘glauconitic’ deposit becomes more argillaceous towards its base, and gradually runs into a great deposit of cal- careous clay over twelve hundred feet thick, and characterized by large quan- tities of Hxogyra ponderosa. This bed represents the ‘Exogyra Ponderosa Marls’ of Hill’s Upper Cretaceous section, and underlies a large part of the great prairie region of Central Texas. These Upper Cretaceous beds dip gently to the south and southeast, and formed the Texas shore line of the early Tertiary sea. Upon their much eroded surfaces were deposited the Eocene clay and sandy strata which underlie East Texas. “The Tertiary deposits of East Texas, overlying these Cretaceous strata, consist of a vast thickness of sand, clay, and glauconite beds, in some places characterized by great quantities of lignite, and in others by beds of littoral fossils. In fact the whole series represents a succession of coastal, subcoastal, or brackish water deposits, alternating with marine deposits of a littoral char- acter, and between these two extremes we find all gradations. The lagoon STRATIGRAPHY. Ve or subcoastal deposits compose by far the greater part of the series, and the marine strata represent slight and temporary submergences of the coastal area. “The Tertiary strata strike in a general northeast and southwest direction, approximately coincident with the coast, and dip gently toward the east or southeast at an angle varying from 0 to 5 degrees. This dip, however, is very irregular and undulating, and no estimates of thickness of strata based on it can be relied on. In fact, a northerly or northeasterly dip is of no un- common occurrence, though it is simply a local phenomenon. “This variable character of the dip, however, does not require the suppo- sition of a disturbance or upheaval of the strata for its explanation. It is doubtless due to the natural sinking and warping in a great thickness of soft beds. In fact, it would seem a most unnatural thing to see several hundred feet of soft clays and sands, covering an area of many thousand square miles, lie horizontally when they were exposed to the influence of atmospheric agencies. The unequal expansion and contraction of strata of different con- stituents, due not only to heat but to the drying out of the beds, would alone account for much or all of the warping that is exhibited throughout the Tertiary country. Besides, the chemical action that has gone on in these beds is probably also accountable for a part of the variable dip. Faults are of frequent occurrence, and are to be accounted for on the same principle as the variations of dip. They are rarely over eight or ten feet in throw, and play no important part in the features of the country. Jointing is also a very common phenomenon throughout the whole of the East Texas region. “‘ Hstimations of thickness of the Tertiary strata of this region are attended by peculiar difficulties, as the dip is too variable to be relied on in such esti- mations. The strata are rarely exposed in such a way as to show any con- siderable thickness of any beds, and reliable records of well-borings are very scarce. It seems possible, also, that much of the Tertiary area may have grown by a gradual encroachment of the land on the sea by a process of ac- cretion, such as is seen in many places on the Atlantic coast to-day, and that it does not always require the supposition of a submergence.* “Por the sake of convenience in description, the Tertiary strata underly- ing Hast Texas have been divided as follows: SECTION OF THE GULF TERTIARY OF TEXAS. LATER TERTIARY? Fayette Beds. | Sands, clays, and lignites. | 300 to 400 feet. (Grand Gulf, Hilgard): Timber Belt, or ; Sands, clays, lignites, and ; 800 to 1000 feet. Sabine River glauconites, or green- EOCENE: Beds. sand marls. Basal, or Wills 250 to 300 feet. Point, Clays. * The estimates of thickness given are simply approximations, and are intended more to show the relative size of the different divisions, than to represent absolute thickness, 24 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. ‘Sufficient data have not as yet been collected to warrant an attempt at a detailed correlation of all the Texas Tertiary with that of the other Gulf States, and therefore the various strata are provisionally divided as above. The classification depends, first on their lithological character; and secondly, on the very different and very characteristic topography that each of the three divisions gives to the country underlaid by it. The Basal or Wills Point Clays underlie a narrow strip of rich rolling prairie region, east of and parallel to the great Cretaceous prairie of Central Texas. The Timber Belt sands and clays underlie the great timber region of Hast Texas. Through- out the whole of the Eocene area no evidence of any considerable break in deposition can be seen. The lagoon and marine deposits appear to have al- ternated with each other in an unbroken series. Frequently there are found in one bed fragments of the stratum that underlies it, but no great amount of erosion of these lower beds appears to have taken place, and the little that has gone on is simply what might have been expected to accompany a grad- ual transition from one kind of deposition to another. The paleontological evidence on this point, though as yet somewhat meagre, all tends to show a gradual and almost continuous deposition from bottom to top of the series, and the few breaks in the fauna that have been observed can probably all be explained by the interposition between the fossiliferous beds of the lignitic and other non-marine strata. In this continuity of deposition the Texas Hocene closely resembles that of Mississippi, the different stages of which, ac- cording to Hilgard,* ‘are intimately interconnected by community of species, Doty) from Claiborne to Vicksburg. BASAL OR WILLS POINT CLAYS. ‘At the base of the Tertiary and immediately overlying the eroded surface of the uppermost Cretaceous strata in Hast Texas is a great bed of stratified clay, which, on account of its position as the lowermost bed of the Hocene in this region, has been provisionally called the Basal Clays. These underlie a stretch of interspersed prairie and timber lands, the country being composed mostly of prairie, with occasional belts and groves of timber. The timber is all hard wood, consisting mostly of post oak, blackjack, and hickory. The belt is sometimes over ten miles wide, and runs between the western edge of the timber and the Central Texas prairies, from the northern part of the State to the Colorado River and beyond. The stratification of these beds is very characteristic, and is very different from the massive structure of the underlying Upper Cretaceous ‘ Ponderosa Marls,’ but on a weathered surface, where the stratification is not seen, the clays of the two formations are not * “The Old Tertiary of the Southwest,” Am. Jour. of Science, Vol. XXX, Oct., 1885, p. 267. STRATIGRAPHY. 25 easily distinguished.* They consist of a stiff laminated clay, yellow, gray, blue, or bluish-green in color, frequently interbedded with seams and laminz of sand, containing many concretionary masses of gray non-fossiliferous lime. stone, the latter much cut up by veins of brown crystalline calcite, and vary- ing in size from a few inches to six feet in diameter. They are generally of a flat elliptical shape, and of a gray color. Large quantities of gypsum are also found in places in the clay. One of the most constant characteristics of the clay is the presence in it of soft small white calcareous concretions one- tenth of an inch to two inches in diameter, and often having the cauliflower- like form of some of the geyserite of the Yellowstone Geyser basins. These are found very plentifully, and often collect in large quantities in creek beds. No lignite beds have been seen as yet in these clays.t Such deposits are found well developed at Wills Point, in Van Zandt County. West of Wills Point is seen a deposit of shell limestone, composed almost entirely of shells of Lower Eocene fossils It is traceable up and down Rocky Cedar Creek for seven miles, and underlies the divide between Rocky Cedar and Muddy Cedar creeks, a distance of four miles. The following section of a well on this di- vide shows the character of this bed. Pa eaGE ONE er STUC OUEE COLOM sa 5 aio felereh ee, 0 01 p%e ah eneic nie aiicie ahevaiey ss i!aise.'s aysleleus's «e's 3 feet. PeGragiand yellow elay-(Basal Clays) 0.062)... oir Wel eecjes es seelled eines 9 feet. Pema RUM RISEN SE OTEGE MEY 203 Jot i Negevee ts cfs auSiand ovals ciahateie Ale acd edie e's lace eects Biehl 3 to 4 feet. Pepa ERM CME EU AINGL PES crete 2h UN ah: dys fois) ako re 18 9s E05 os Sines aus) iol) «\ Goahelnne AU oye Ara, 6 14 to 2 feet. ESI EL LUTPES IO Soe eg ects BP RCC DIT CRS CME I) Paes tr Ene ee ee 3 to 4 feet. 6. Sand in bottom of well. The Rocky Cedar limestone is probably the lowermost bed of the Tertiary series in this part of the State. The shell limestone bed is probably of lim- ited extent, occupying no very important stratigraphical position, and appear- ing at the base of, and as a component part of, the Basal Clays. It is of great importance, however, as showing the geological position of the lowermost Tertiary strata in Northern Texas.” , THE TIMBER BELT OR SABINE RIVER BEDS. “The Basal Clays, everywhere from the northern part of the State to the Colorado River, blend upwards into the sandy Timber Belt Beds. These form the mass of the Tertiary formation in Texas, and underlie the great timber region of the eastern part of the State. They are composed entirely of sili- ceous and glauconitic sands, with white, brown, and black clays. The clays, *The Basal Clays are probably largely derived from the destruction of the underlying Cre- taceous strata. +These clay beds probably represent the Eo-lignitic of Heilprin’s Eocene section, the base of Hilgard’s “Northern Lignitic” in his Mississippi section, and the Arkadelphia Shales at the base of Hill’s ‘‘Camden Series” in Arkansas. 26 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. however, are greatly in the minority, and the siliceous sands compose by far the larger part of the whole series. Lignite beds are of very frequent oc- currence, varying from a few inches to ten and twelve feet thick; and the sands and clays are often impregnated with vegetal matter to such an ex- tent that numerous traces of petroleum, asphalt, and natural gas have beer found in the Hast Texas region, sometimes in quantities of considerable eco- nomic importance. Many of the black and brown clays and sands owe their coloring matter to this ingredient of vegetable material, and burn white or buff color when exposed to heat. The sands are generally much cross- bedded, gray to buff in color, and contain black specks, which are often glauconite. This latter mineral is a common constituent in many of the beds, and there are found all gradations, from a pure siliceous sand to a pure green- sand bed, such as are well developed in the iron ore regions of Anderson, Cherokee, Rusk, and other counties. All the sand beds are more or less im- pregnated with carbonate of lime, and often it is in such quantities as to form beds of calcareous sandstone, where it acts as-a cement and forms a soft, friable rock. Sometimes even beds of limestone are found, and cal- careous nodules and concretions are of very frequent occurrence throughout the whole of the Timber belt Bets. One of the most characteristic features of the region depends on this presence of carbonate of lime in the sandy beds. It is the occurrence of great masses of sand, varying from one to ten feet and more in diameter, and cemented into a hard rock by the calcareous matter. These rocks vary much in shape and hardness. Sometimes they have a con- cretionary shape and weather in concentric layers; at others they show the horizontal stratification of the beds in which they occur, and gradually blend into the soft enclosing sand. “This presence of carbonate of lime is of the greatest importance, from an agricultural point of view, to the welfare of Hast Texas, as it renders soils underlaid by such strata of great fertility and durability; whereas without it, | many of them would be perfectly barren. Many of the sands are also inti- mately mixed with a fine impalpable white clay, which renders the beds soft and highly plastic when wet, but when dry it forms a hard, solid mass, often occurring as a friable sandstone. When such beds are exposed to erosion by creeks and in gullies they break up into lumps, which become rolled and rounded, and form putty-like pebbles. This is a very characteristic kind of erosion in some of the Lower Tertiary strata, and such beds are well devel- oped in central Van Zandt County. The sand beds are generally also varia- ble in composition. They blend by insensible gradations, both vertically and laterally, into clay or sandy clay beds, so that minute correlations, even in beds very close to each other, are difficult to make. This extreme variability in composition is simply one of the many proofs of a near shore deposit. The STRATIGRAPHY. Ja sand beds often contain considerable quantities of dark brown or gray mica. The clay beds of this division vary from a pure white highly plastic clay to a dark brown, or even black, material containing large quantities of lignitic matter. They are generally laminated, or finely stratified, and frequently occur interbedded with thin seams of sand,* the latter often in lenticular streaks, while the clay is generally continuous. THE ORES AND THEIR MODE OF OCCURRENCE. 29 phere, retains the dark green color of the unaltered greensand. It contains considerable iron pyrites and numerous casts of fossils of the Claiborne epoch. This bed in turn is underlaid by a great series of sands and clays, constitut- ing the Timber Belt Beds. Sometimes thin seams of iron ore are found in the greensand below the main ore bed, but they are small and rarely of value. At times they lie horizontally, and at others occupy joint cracks. The main ore bed is usually. directly overlaid by a thin seam of dark brown and very hard siliceous sandstone, varying from one to six inches thick, and averaging about one and a half inches. It adheres closely to the iron ore bed, though the line of separation is sharp and well defined. Above this is a gray sandy deposit, becoming more clayey and ferruginous towards its base, and varying from one to sixty feet thick. This latter thickness is, however, very extreme, and the average is about six to eight feet. As a rule the thickness of the ore depends, in a general way, on the thickness of the overlying sand bed, it be- ing thicker where the sand is less than fifteen or twenty feet than where it is greater. Other conditions, however, enter into the thickness and continuity of the iron ore bed, and these often upset the working of this rule. Never- theless, the general fact holds good that when the ore is capped by a great thickness of sand it is liable to be thin and discontinuous. The hills on which the ore occurs are steep and show a broad flat plateau-like surface, heavily capped with post oak, blackjack and hickory, generally of a small size, but very dense. The ore crops out on the brinks of these hills, forming a protrud- ing rim or crown, and often covering the slopes with great masses which have broken off from the main bed. They are often deeply cut by the ravines of creeks which have originated in springs in the superficial sand and which flow away from the plateau in all directions, cutting deep gullies and expos- ing the ore bed along their courses. On top of these plateau areas the cov- ering of sand often conceals the ore for a distance of several miles at a time, but it is always found cropping out at the top of the slopes, and in wells, proving its continuity over very large areas. But, as has been stated above, when the overlying sands and sandy clays reach a great thickness, the ore grows thin and very often runs out altogether. ‘““The following section on the slope of the plateau and just east of Gent shows the occurrence of the ore: PUG LAVAOE WINE COLIC SANG Ne | viele sg viaie nu Sie aa Sila die culoaee bu Leech ae fe 1 to 10 feet. 2. Siliceous sandstone capping............. ee Mee ey oh eater Peth A TA uiods 9S 01s 1 to 2 in. Se ewrOwl IAMmiALed WON. OFC 2.06 fee elds paws vie Meee b Ac oPere gait ouidnt conte Gel ae! oh ave 2 feet. 4. Indurated greensand with thin seams of clay and casts of fossils. ........ 45 feet. OE DBA, ULC AN CMe (SAMO Arie 2 oth asale% ccoke be bueid ce ee Heese Sek es baa eae 20 feet. 6. Dark blackish-brown sand, more clayey towards the base, nodules of rusty clay ironstone showing shrinkage crackS........0..secccsesceccasees 31 feet. Pero MALCiay, Saud tO WAS Of SCCHOIN, 0 ..1'c0 ccc cccc ee veccvccccesesscs 11 feet. 30 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF BAST TEXAS. 2. NODULAR, OR GEODE ORES. “These ores, though somewhat similar in chemical composition, are dis tinctly different in physical character and in their mode of occurrence from those already described. They are well developed in the northern part of Marion County and in southern Cass County, and extend thence into Morris, Camp, Upshur, and the counties lying to the west. “The ore is a brown hematite and occurs in a great variety of forms. It very rarely shows the laminated structure of the brown laminated ores or their resinous lustre. It generally occurs as nodules or geodes, or as honey- combed, botryoidal, stalactitic, and mammillary masses. It is rusty brown, yellow, dull red, or even black in color, and has a glossy, dull, or earthy lustre. The most characteristic feature of the ore is the nodular or geode form in which it occurs. Some of the beds are made up of these masses, either loose in a sandy clay matrix or solidified in a bed by a ferruginous cement. The ore lies horizontally at or near the tops of the hills, in the same manner as the brown laminated ores to the south of the Sabine River. The beds vary in thickness from less than one foot to over ten feet, the thicker ones being often interbedded with thin seams of sand. The ore-bearing beds are immediately overlaid by sandy or sandy clayey strata. The sand beds are in the majority, though pure clay is found at some distance below the ore. The overlying sands are at times entirely eroded and the solid floor of brown hematite is exposed to view. In other places it is covered by from one to” thirty feet or more of sand. This overlying stratum varies considerably in character; sometimes the sands are loose and gray, at others more or less solidified and deeply stained by iron. Sometimes they contain considerable clay and show ferruginous segregations, so that a section of the bed discloses lumps of hard, yellow semi-hardened sandy clay. The beds also often have a mottled red, yellow, and white appearance, and contain tnin seams and lumps of clay. The sands are very much cross-bedded, and frequently layers of hard-pan or thin ore are seen following the lines of cross-bedding. Unlike the ores of Cherokee, these beds are not dependent on the thickness of the immediately overlying sands. ‘Sometimes, though not so often as in Cherokee County, the ore is capped by a stratum of hard ferruginous sandstone* varying from one inch to over a foot in thickness, and occasionally similar beds are interstratified with the ore. The line of separation of the top sandstone and the ore bed is sharp and well defined. Though the iron ore is usually found near the tops of the hills, one or more beds are often seen at a lower level, lying horizontally like the upper bed, and separated from it by sands. These lower beds, unlike those *Frequently this sandstone is found alone and without any ore. In such cases it some- times reaches a thickness of over twenty feet. (See Building Stone.) THE ORES AND THEIR MODE OF OCCURRENCE, 31 in Cherokee, are often just as thick or thicker than the top beds. Such a formation as this, with its interstratification of soft and hard beds, gives a very characteristic topography to the country. As in the Cherokee region, the horizontal strata have been cut through by the numerous rivers and creeks, leaving flat-topped hills and plateaus, with steep escarpments and an alternately receding and protruding outline, resembling, on an exceedingly small scale, the sides of the western canyon. “The beds of the creeks are generally very sandy from the detritus washed down from the uplands, and frequently large beds of conglomerate, composed of ferruginous pebbles in a sandv cement, have been formed along the stream. ‘‘In many places benches are seen along the slopes of the hills. These, un- like those in the land of the brown laminated ore, probably owe their origin to the alternation of hard and soft beds.” , 3. CONGLOMORATE ORES. “The variety of ore included under this head consists of a conglomerate of brown ferruginous pebbles one-quarter to two inches in diameter and cemented in a sandy matrix. Sometimes a few siliceous pebbles are also found. The beds vary from one to twenty feet thick, and are generally local deposits along the banks and bluffs, and sometimes in the beds, of almost all the creeks and streams in the iron ore regions just described. Sometimes they cap the lower hills. They are generally of low grade, but could be con- centrated by crushing and washing out the sandy matrix. They usually contain more or less ferruginous sandstone in lenticular deposits, and are much cross-bedded. These ores are seen throughout East Texas from the Red River to the Brazos, but have as yet been put to no practical use, on ac- count of the abundance of the other ores. On White Oak Creek, in Chero- kee County, and at the house of William Smith, a bed of rock is seen which in places is twenty feet thick, and interbedded with sandstone. It rises from the bed of the creek upwards, and is traceable at intervals for several miles above and below this place. Similar beds are seen on the Neches and An. gelina rivers in many places, as well as on Larrisson, Bowles, Box, Gum, Killough, Mud, Sulphur, and other creeks in the same county. Such beds are also found in Anderson, Smith, Rusk, and the surrounding counties. In Marion and Cass counties they are also plentiful. Near Lasater, Marion County, conglomerate ore is found at the foot of Leverett’s Hill, and also in the streams running off Berry Hill.” eeu soul Jal FUELS AND THEIR UTILIZATION. CHAPTER I. CHARCOAL MANUFACTURE IN TEXAS. BY JOHN BIRKINBINE. The existence of iron ores in the State of Texas naturally directs attention towards the possibility of smelting them within the State, but the primary requisite of fuel commands first attention, for unless future developments 1n-’ dicate sources of mineral fuel different from what is now known, it may be assumed that there is no immediate prospect of obtaining a supply of this necessary article of a character suitable for iron manufacture within the limits of the State. There is, however, another source of fuel, namely, charcoal. upon which our earlier American iron industry was developed, and which to-day is used in the production of a large quantity of pig iron, amounting in the United States during the census year ending June 30, 1890, to 655,520 net tons. This amount of iron was produced in nineteen States, one of which was Texas; and it is probable that a total of over 75,000,000 bushels of char- coal were consumed in the census year for the production of pig iron alone, In addition, a large quantity was used for other purposes connected with the iron and other industries, for the smelting of silver ores, etc. Unfortunately, personal knowledge of the iron ore resources of Texas is confined to the eastern portion, as the writer has not yet had an opportunity of inspecting the deposits of Llano and adjacent counties. Although it has been his privilege to traverse the State from Texarkana to Laredo, from El Paso to Denison, and from Denison to Taylor, as well as minor trips through- out the State, the remarks here made will be necessarily confined to the pro- duction of charcoal for smelting iron ores in the eastern portion of Texas. The great Southern yellow pine belt, which extends into Texas, furnishes wood from which excellent charcoal can be produced, and it is from this class of fuel that most of the charcoal pig iron of Alabama is made. The product of Alabama in the census year included 103,964 net tons of pig iron made with charcoal. In addition to the yellow pine belt, the hard woods which form a considerable portion of the vigorous forests otf Eastern Texas will produce charcoal of superior quality. The extent and character of the [33] 34 THE IRON ORE DISTRIGT OF EAST TEXAS. timber which can be utilized offer facilities and inducements for the pro- duction of charcoal with which to smelt the local ores, and thus enrich the manufacturing interests of the commonwealth. Much of the timber is of such ‘an excellent quality and of such large size as to cause regret that it should be sacrificed for burning into charcoal, were it not for the consolation that the maintenance of large timbered areas is essential to the continuance in activity of blast furnaces, where this fuel is the basis upon which the smelting operations are carried on. The necessity of maintaining these large timber areas naturally encourages a system of protection which none of the other utilizations of forest products warrant, and if an active pig. iron industry is established in the State it may necessitate, for its continuous life, the re- forestration of areas denuded of their timber, as well as an encouragement to protect forests from ravages by cattle, damages by fire, etc.; and the operation of a blast furnace using charcoal as fuel will, to a large extent, re- duce the sacrifices of standing timber by farmers, who girdle the trees to encourage their decay and to permit of their more ready removal for the purpose of clearing the ground. Charcoal is manufactured in a number of ways, but these may all be divided into three classes: | (A) Cuarrine In Pits ork MetLers.-—This is ordinarily carried on in the woods where the timber is cut, although in rare cases wood is hauled to a con- venient center and there charred, so as to reduce the cost of attention and watching. The pits or meilers differ considerably in form, but the plan most generally adopted in this country is a circular or conical heap or pile of wood covered with leaves or turf. In Europe these heaps are sometimes made rectangular, and in China the pits are wells sunk into the ground, the tops being covered so as to secure slow combustion. In some of the heaps logs can be charred, but the usual practice in this country is to cut the wood into four feet lengths and place it in the heaps. The yield of charcoal in meilers varies considerably in accordance with the kind of wood used, the depth and character of the cover, and the skill of the attendance. Taking the standard bushel as adopted by the United States Association of Charcoal Iron Workers (namely, 2748 cubic inches), the yield obtained from meilers will range from twenty-eight to forty bushels, the average approximating thirty-three bushels, or one hundred bushels for three cords. This estimate, like all others which follow, is based upon using four foot wood, well cut and properly ranked so as to obtain a good cord measure. (B) Cuarrine in Kizns has an advantage over charring in meilers in the fact that the enclosing walls, being generally of brick masonry, are tighter than a turf covering, and therefore the operation of producing charcoal can be more readily controlled, and the loss from radiated or condensed heat FUELS AND THEIR UTILIZATION. 35 is less) The form of kiln varies from a rectangular construction with arched roof, holding one hundred cords or over, to a conical one having a capacity of but twenty-five cords. Between these two extremes the shapes of kilns vary as well as their capacity; some are of the form of a truncated cone, with solid cover and with a flat dome roof, while others more closely approximate the bee hive form. Although some kilns are constructed of stone masonry, brick masonry is preferred, and thin walls are less liable to crack and cause leakage than thick walls. Several attempts have been made to introduce semi-portable kilns or meil- ers in which the walls are made of metal, but unless these are protected by an outside covering, the loss from radiation is so great as to prevent a good control of the coaling operation. As a rule, kilns are fired internally in the same manner as meilers; that is, a portion of the wood which is placed in the kilns is consumed to furnish the necessary heat for carbonization, the admission of air being controlled by suitable openings placed in the walls. In some batteries of kilns which have been used in connection with the utiliza. tion of the by-products of carbonization, the heat is obtained from an outside fireplace, the results of combustion being carried into the kilns. In these instances the batteries of kilns are connected by series of trunks or pipes with an exhaust, which draws the smoke from them, passes it through con- densers to obtain pyroligneous acid; the remaining gas, which is combustibie, being returned to the fireplace outside of the kilns. As ordinarily built, kilns will produce from thirty- three to fifty bushels of charcoal, the average in this country being about forty bushels of the stand- ard named, so that taking the same volume of wood it is possible to obtain from the ordinary form of kiln from twenty per cent to twenty-five per cent more charcoal than is yielded in meilers or pits, and if the outside fireplace is used a still greater saving is produced, of course at the expense of fuel burned elsewhere than in the kilns. (C) Retort cHarRine is the carbonization of wood in closed aoe ves- sels, the heat being applied externally and the products of combustion carried to condensors so as to obtain the pyroligneous acid, the uncondensed gases being passed under retorts to assist the solid fuel in the combustion chamber. Retorts are of various forms; they are horizontal cylinders with one end arranged to be opened so as to receive the wood, or they are cylindrical buckets filled with wood, elevated by a crane and placed over a fire, or they are cylinders placed on an incline. The form most used in the latter posi- tion is a modified lune shape, in cross section, the object being to secure a practically uniform thickness of the wood over the fireplace. As none of the wood need be consumed, the possible output from retorts is greater than is obtained from kilns, the yield ranging from forty-five to sixty bushels, the 10—geol, 36 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS, average being probably fifty-two bushels; that is retorts produce from twenty per cent to thirty per cent more charcoal than kilns, and from thirty-five per cent to sixty per cent more charcoal than meilers from the-same variety of wood. It is necessary in some forms of retorts to reduce the size of wood much smaller than is used in kilns. This is done at an expense of labor, but produces a more uniform size and more regularly carbonized product. It is also possible to collect a larger proportion of the vapor which produces the by-products from retorts than from kilns, and a smaller amount of wood be- ing under treatment, retorts permit of better control and a more perfect car- bonization than kilns. A tradition among colliers is that charcoal made under dirt covers is of a superior quality to that made either in kilns or retorts. This should not be the case except, possibly, in so far as the turf covering, following the shrink- age of the pile of wood as it carbonizes, prevents, to a certain extent, over carbonization; but the percentage of imperfectly charred wood, or “brands,” is generally greater in meilers than in kilns or retorts. The control given by a practically tight masonry structure or a perfectly tight metallic one should permit of producing the grade of charcoal desired, and much of the failure to obtain satisfactory results is undoubtedly due to the operators. Michigan is the largest producer of charcoal pig iron in the United States, its output for 1889 being 234,817 net tons, and the charcoal for producing almost all of its iron was made in masonry kilns or retorts. In Alabama, which ranks next to Michigan as a producer of charcoal iron, kilns are not so largely used, and considerably more than one-half of the charcoal used there ~ last year was made in meilers. The utilization of the pyroligneous acid which is condensed from the vapors resulting from charcoal kilns or retorts is in the direction of producing ace- tates for dyeing and for methylic alcohol. The practicability of such utiliza- tion depends largely upon the location of the plant, for unless a market for the by-products is accessible it will not pay to collect them. The quantity of alcohol and acetates obtained from a cord of wood also varies greatly, in ac- cordance with the kind of wood used, and therefore before taking up the pos- sible utilization of the by-products, the cheapness of the production of char- coal, the character of the wood used, and the possible markets for the by- products must be carefully considered. True economy will dictate that in any enterprise which is planned to con- sume a large amount of charcoal, the process should be mapped out which will obtain the greatest amount of fuel from a given acreage of wood, and hence coaling under dirt covers (that is, in meilers or pits) would not com- mend itself to those who favor protection of the timber areas of the State. Not only do kilns or retorts produce a larger amount of charcoal from the FUELS AND THEIR UTILIZATION. ~ Kon same quantity of wood, but they can be placed in nests or groups at conve- nient points, where wood can be assembled without much outlay, and from which the charcoal can be delivered to the point of consumption conveniently. Placed thus they also permit of more thorough attention and oversight. The form of kiln or kind of retort are subjects which must be considered individually for each location, and it would seem that the most promising method which an iron industry established in Texas should follow, at the present time, would be one which did not sacrifice any timber which could be saved without seriously increasing the material cost of charcoal. Ifa cord of wood costs seventy-five cents to cut, and the yield is thirty- three bushels per cord, the outlay for wood per bushel of charcoal will amount to about two and one-third cents. If, however, forty-two bushels per cord were obtained, the cost of wood per bushel of charcoal will be only one and three-fourths cents; whereas if fifty bushels per cord are secured the outlay would be but one and one-half cents per bushel. It will thus be seen that there is economy in hauling wood to a common centre and producing charcoal from it in such manner as to obtain as large a yield as possible. 38 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. CHAPTER II. LIGNITES AND THEIR UTILIZATION, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE TEXAS BROWN COALS. DR. OTTO LERCH. Brown coal,* often called lignite, is but a variety of mineral coal. It does not differ in its chemical composition from other mineral coals. Graphite, anthracite, and the large number of the different varieties of stone coal all possess the same constituent chemical elements—carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and a number of inorganic compounds called ash. The varying pro- portion of the constituent elements alters the physical and chemical properties of the coais, and, correspondingly, their economic value. The cause of this different proportion of the constituent elements in the materials is generally, though not always, the geological age of the coals—the amount of carbon contained in them increasing with increasing age. Lignite is a product of Mesozoic and Tertiary times, and its more recent origin is indicated by its woody structure being generally well preserved. The formation of the brown coal has taken place through long geological ages, under varying conditions, and consequently the composition, quality, and economic value of the lignites change from a hard black and glossy coal, of which the lignitic nature can be detected only by chemical analysis, through various stages to a product resembling the common peat but recently formed in our marshes. Brown coal is well distributed all over the globe, and many of its deposits — are mined and utilized in various parts of the civilized world. Germany produced in 1887, 18,000,000 tons of lignite, constituting one-fourth of her total coal production, and all other European countries produced the brown coal in similar proportions. ~ The rapid growth of manufacture, and with it the increasing demand for fuel, has steadily increased the production of brown coal, and countless experi- ments have been conducted to enhance the intrinsic value of this coal by making it suitable for various manufacturing purposes. The patient and constant labor of scientist and manufacturer, liberally supported by capital, has been successful, and brown coal is now used, accord- ing to its quality, in the manufacture of paraffine and mineral oils, illuminat- ing gas, blacking, powder, tanning material, artificial manure, tar, coke, briquettes, and for smelting purposes. In addition to this, the lignite is largely in use in a raw state or in form of briquettes as fuel for household purposes. * In this article lignite and brown coal are used as synonomous terms. FUELS AND THEIR UTILIZATION. 39 The State of Texas possesses Immense deposits of this mineral treasure covering a large part of her eastern territory, frequently associated with de- posits of valuable iron ores. The age of the coal, as determined by the dif- ferent State Geological Surveys, is Tertiary, and according to analyses made by different members of the present Survey, the coal is frequently of the finest quality, far superior to that so extensively used in Huropean countries. These deposits have long been known by the people of Hastern Texas, but have been generally considered valueless, and consequently but little, indeed almost no mining of the material has been done in this region, with the ex- ception of a few places where the coal has been used for household purposes. Dr. Buckley first gave a general outline of the formation in which the lig- nite occurred, and in the First Report of Progress* of the present Survey it was more fully defined as ‘“ Beginning on the Sabine River in Sabine County, the boundary line runs west and southwest near Crockett, Navasota, Ledbet- ter, Weimar, and on to Helena and the Rio Grande; thence back by Pearsall, Elgin, Marlin, Richland, Salem and Clarksville to Red River; including fifty-four counties in whole or in part.” The following year explorations were continued by the Survey, and a large amount of valuable material has been collected. The geologic features of the basin have been studied, the as- sociation of the lignites with the iron ores worked out, a number of analyses have been made to determine the economic value of the coal, and it is now beyond question that the lignitic basin of the east will be in the future an extensive iron and coal producing district of the State. This report is in- tended to call the attention of the people to the wealth of this district, to show in a preliminary way how the brown coal has been utilized in European countries, especially in Germany, and to compare the material now used for various manufacturing purposes with the brown coal of the Hast Texas lig- nitic basin. Space and time are limited, and it must be left to future reports to treat more fully of this interesting subject, which promises so much for this portion of the State. DISTILLATION OF LIGNITES. TAR AND ITS. DERIVATIVES. The basis of a number of valuable products, paraffine, mineral oils, colors, etc., is the tar obtained from lignites, and the process is therefore highly im- portant. Its main feature is the dry distillation of the lignite, which is effected by different methods. One of these, which was long in common use and well illustrates the principles, consists of a plant of from twelve to twenty-four cast iron retorts, each of which measure from seven to ten feet * Page 20. 40 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. in length, about thirty inches in width and twelve inches in height. The re- torts are filled from the front, each being supplied with a movable iron cover. All the retorts are placed in one furnace and heated at the same time through cross fires. The vapors as they distill are conducted into a collecting main, which is connected with the back of each retort by smaller pipes and elbows. This system has its disadvantages, as at each filling the resulting coke has to be removed and the retorts have to be shut off during the operation from the collecting main, causing an interruption in the process. A very ingenious apparatus, allowing the continuous manufacture of the tar, consists of a number of vertical cylinders of cast iron or chamotte mass. These cylinders, from twelve to sixteen feet high and nearly three feet in diameter, contain a system of rings with oblique walls (bell shaped). These rings are placed one over another vertically, so as to form a second interior cylinder, which is covered with an iron cone, over which the filling of the ap- paratus takes place. The exterior and interior cylindrical chambers formed by this system of rings are connected through spaces left between the walls of the rings. The apparatus terminates below in a cone communicating through its lower aperture with a box, which can be shut off from the cylin- der. After filling, the coal gradually sinks between cylinder and ring walls. Flues passing around the cylinders furnish the heat necessary for distillation. The vapors of the distilling coal enter between the rings into the interior cy]l- indrical chamber, from which they escape into the collecting and condensing apparatus. On opening the lower cone the ashes fall into the box beneath. The ashes are removed every two hours. Notwithstanding the advantages that this process offers are very great, the distillation of the coal in retorts is still preferred by a number of manufac- turers for various reasons which, however, can not be mentioned here. After distillation the tar is refined and rectified, and its further treatment depends on the qualities it possesses and the various products of manufacture for which it is to be worked. The many varieties of tar obtained differ but little in external appearance. If the process of manufacture was well conducted they possess a light coffee- brown color, solidify on cooling on account of their paraffine contents, are of alkaline reaction, rarely acid or neutral, and of a strong odor, resembling that of creosote. Hxposed to the air, they oxidize and assume a dark brown, some- times deep black, color, their specific gravity varying between .880 and .975 (water 1.000). PARAFFINE. ‘ One of the products resulting from the dry distillation of brown coal is paraffine, the obtaining of which was the main object of the Kuropean brown coal industry for many years after the discovery of the possibility of its manu- FUELS AND THEIR UTILIZATION. 41 facture from lignites. The labor of the most prominent chemists and manu- facturers was long directed to the development of the process of its manufac- ture; and although it has lost in importance since the utilization of the large deposits of ozocerite for this purpose, and since kerosene oil has so extensively taken the place of candles, a number of factories are still profitably engaged in its manufacture. Paraffine was discovered in 1830, by Reichenbach, who at once recom- mended it for the manufacture of candles, because it burned without soot. Notwithstanding its valuable qualities for this purpose were fully recognized at this early day, the cost of its manufacture limited its common use until in 1850 James Young erected a factory at Manchester, manufacturing the paraf- fine from coals and lignites. Ever since this time it has kept a prominent place in the industry of candles, and its manufacture has been highly devel- oped. One of the oldest methods of manufacturing paraffine from lignite will be mentioned here, as the principle of the process has not changed, though the details have been altered and improved. This process consisted of the fol- lowing various manipulations: The lignite is broken into fragments of the average size of a walnut, and if it contain sulphur it is moistened with lime- water. The coal so prepared is transported to the drying oven, which is generally two hundred feet long by twenty feet wide, and so constructed that the hot ash remaining after the distillation in the retorts can be used for the dessication of the ignites. After the coal has been thoroughly dried it is subjected to distillation, one firing being sufficient for the heating of two re- torts. The firegas is conducted below them into a chimney of considerable draft, usually forty feet high. A large reservoir receives the liquid products of distillation and serves to separate the ammonia from the tar. The ash is treated with the ammonia and furnishes an excellent fertilizer largely in de- mand. To remove the hydrosulphuric acid and ammonia still contained in the tar, it is well mixed in a large revolving drum with a solution of copperas and then subjected to distillation with superheated steam. The vapors, as distilled, are condensed in cooling spirals and separated into mineral oils (photogene and solar oil), lubricating oils, and paraffine. The paraffine is obtained from the remaining liquid through crystallization, and the raw pro- duct purified through repeated pressing and washing with sulphuric acid and liquor of potash. The construction of the oven can be such and the process can be so conducted that but little coke is produced, and principally ash, tar, ammonia, water, and volatile matter be produced from the distillation of the lignite. As mentioned before, the process has been greatly improved in all its phases, but only a few of the most important changes need be noticed. In 42 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. order to avoid the repeated distillation necessary according to the old pro- cess, the tar is subjected to a treatment with sulphuric acid, and after separ- ation from the acid is distilled over hydrate of lime; the paraffine obtained by crystallization and for purification is pressed with white lignite tar. This process, by avoiding a second distillation and the decomposition caused there- by, yields a superior article and a larger amount of paraffine. MINERAL OIL. Since the discovery of the large North American oil fields, the product ob- tained from them has gradually, and now almost entirely, supplanted the oils artificially produced from lignites. At present there is hardly a single factory in the world in which the production of these oils from brown coal forms the main object. However, as they frequently constitute side-products in the various branches of the brown coal industry, their qualities remain of interest, and will be briefly noticed. The mineral oil proper is a clear, colorless, thin liquid, gradually assuming a yellowish color, of moderately strong, though not very agreeable, odor. It burns without soot in lamps constructed for the purpose. The solar oil possesses a similar, though somewhat different, odor, is clear and colorless after distillation, but turns brownish on keeping. It is used successfully for illuminating purposes in suitable lamps. The lubricating oil is of an iridescent brownish or greenish color, has the consistency of a heavy oil, and possesses a weak and not disagreeable odor. GAS. The manufacture of illuminating gas from brown coal is an industry of . considerable importance. Experience proves that: smelting works and fac- tories which are located in the lignitic region can employ such plants with profit. As early as 1859 Tashé published a number of experiments con- ducted on a large scale at his factory in Salzhausen by Nidda, in Hesse, Germany, and even at that date expressed his opinion that a profitable utili- zation of lignites for the manufacture of illuminating gas was beyond all doubt. He obtained three hundred and fifteen cubic feet of gas from one hundred pounds of brown coal in small fragments. In the same year Kohl- mann used lignite tar in the manufacture of gas, and his experiments were very successfully repeated in 1866 by Rouvel, who pronounced the gas to be possessed of high lighting power, simple and cheap in its manufacture, and valuable for small as well as for large establishments. Walker and Smith add that the gas is of far superior quality to that produced from common stone coal, and preferable for house use on account of the absence of sulphur, . better lighting power, lower rate of consumption, and less heating: effect. They produced in their factory at Egeln one hundred and ten cubic feet of FUELS AND THEIR UTILIZATION. 43 gas of four candle-power from ten pounds of tar by injecting the tar into the highly heated retorts and thereby hastening the process. With a slow flow of tar into the heated retorts they increased the lighting power of the gas to eight candle-power, but lessened the quantity produced. By this method ten pounds of tar furnished sixty cubic feet of illuminating gas of eight candle. power. This process was practically tested and is highly recommended by a number of factories and smelting establishments after many years use. More recently very satisfactory results have been obtained in the manufac- ture of illuminating gas from brown coal by treating it with paraffine oil. The materials have to be well mixed, and after a few days standing it will be found that the lignite has completely absorbed the oil, and is then ready for transportation. The coal prepared in this way furnishes an illuminating gas of excellent quality, and can be used in common stone coal retorts. DYKES. The manufacture of the so-called tar colors, analine, etc., has become of the highest economic importance, but as it constitutes an independent industry it must suffice in this place to notice that lignite tar has been largely and suc- cessfully used in color factories. The attention of manufacturers was early called to the fact that the tar obtained from the distillation of brown coal was, in its constituent parts, very similar to stone coal tar; and A. C. Lieberman and O. Burg showed that the tar conducted through heated tubes filled with charcoal changed into a mixture of hydro-carbon, containing, like stone coal tar, four per cent of benzol and toluol and nine-tenths per cent of raw an- thracen, and generally very much resembled the stone coal tar used in the manufacture of dyes. The results have been fully satisfactory. LAMP BLACK. The manufacture of blacking powder from brown coal deserves mention. Kramer described the process of its manufacture in 1855, and mentioned es- pecially the superiority the product possesses over the bone black then in use. He states its price to be half of that of bone black by superior covering quality, and not requiring, like the former, an addition of sulphuricacid. F. Matthey and others have more recently treated the subject. TANNING MATERIAL. In order to use brown coal for tanning purposes, W. Skey heats the coal with nitric acid and evaporates the mixture to dryness. The dark brown residue dissolves in water, possesses a bitter, astringent taste, and precipitates lime from water solutions. 44 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. SUGAR REFINING. Lately lignites have been very advantageously used in the purification of sap in sugar factories, supplanting the costly bone black. It is claimed that in many instances it is sufficient to filter the sap over the coal. In others, however, it is necessary to prepare the lignites for use. The coal is thor- oughly dried, converted into a fine powder, well mixed with the sap, and the purified liquid pressed or filtered from the mass. The lignite, after hav- ing served for this purpose, can be used as fuel. FERTILIZERS. The use of brown coal refuse in the manufacture of artificial manure has been mentioned before. FUEL. Far superior in importance, however, to any utilization of brown coal yet treated of, especially with reference to Texas lignite, is its use as burning material in form of coke or briquettes. The fortunate association of lignites with the iron ores of the eastern part of the State makes them one of the most valuable mineral products the State possesses, and the time is not far distant when their high economic value in Texas iron smelters will be fully realized. On this account the following pages will treat more fully of the subjects enu- merated, though, like the foregoing, they are intended only to be preliminary to a more exhaustive discussion, with special reference to modern improve- | ments in the manufacture of coke and briquettes and their utilization in iron smelters, to be made in a future report. COKE. The history of coke dates back for a number of years, and the principle features of its rational manufacture have been long known. It was obtained by the dry distillation of coal when the production of illuminating gas was the object of the process. It has also been obtained in various other branches of the coal industry, and large establishments have been erected to obtain it. It may not be altogether uninteresting briefly to review the early history of coking lignites, which dates back more than fifty years. As amatter of course, the first experiments were crude and the results not very satisfactory. The coking of the material was effected in those early times in coal kilns, that is, the brown coal was heaped up in piles, containing sometimes not less than - sixty tons of coal, covered with earth. The coke obtained by this method was generally of the same quantity and quality, about forty per cent of small pieces of considerable hardness. These experiments were followed about 1860 by others conducting the coking in closed iron chambers or brick ovens, and the process further improved by cementing the lignites with tar before FUELS AND THEIR UTILIZATION. 45 subjecting them to the coking in retorts and ovens of more modern and re- cent construction. The results have been quite satisfactory; the coke is ob- tained in larger pieces, and hard enough to stand transportation without breakage. It is used for fuel, lamp black, in filters, and for the manufacture of gun- powder; more frequently, however, it is manufactured for use in smelting works. The largest amount of the product is secured when the process is so conducted that no carbon of the coal, or but little of it, is burned through admission of air, and when the retorts are kept at a uniform heat in all their parts during the coking process. The efforts of experts engaged in this;in- dustry have been directed, from its beginning up to the present, to obtain a more perfect construction of the ovens for increasing their’ producing capac- ity and saving fuel. | It is now everywhere conceded that the experiments so patiently conducted through many years have been successful, and that though the process may admit of further improvements, the results obtained so far have been highly satisfactory. A plant consisting of a number of furnace ovens was used in Belgium very early. The ovens were of small dimensions with a large num- ber of flues, passing below the floor, meandering along their sides, and con- ducting the distilling vapors of one oven to the next, where they serve to heat the coal. An admission of air into the horizontal canals secured the burning of the gas and a full utilization of its heating capacity. A coke of excellent quality is also obtained from the refuse coke remain- ing in the retorts after the distillation of lignite for the manufacture of min- eral oils and paraffine. The material is ground to a fine powder, well mixed with from eight to ten per cent of tar, and formed into briquettes which are heated in retorts with the distilling vapors. | An oven for the manufacture of lignite coke of the following construction was long successfully used in Duerkheim a. d. Haardt, Bavaria, Germany, where a seam of brown coai occurs about three feet thick. The material is, however, so crumbling that it is impossible to mine it in pieces of a size suit- able for burning purposes, and on that account it was considered perfectly worthless till it was found that it could be manufactured into coke of the finest quality. The product obtained is so superior an article that it has been successfully used as filter coal, as lamp black, and in gunpowder factories. The coking of the lignite is effected in an oven containing two ranges of cylindrical retorts of fire clay, generally twelve in number, about eighteen inches in diameter and eight feet high. The filling of the retorts takes place from above through cast iron cylinders supplied with covers of the same material. The retorts are connected below with cast iron cones immersed about four to nine inches in water contained in a shallow slanting brick 46 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. basin. This construction facilitates the removal of the prepared product. The process, as may be seen at a glance, is continuous. The filling from above corresponds to the removal of the coke below. One hundred pounds of lignite furnish fifty pounds of coke, on an average, and also about five hundred cubic feet of gas, which, of course, is used for the coking process. The product obtained is of a deep black color and of a shining fracture. The coke, after being ground in a common grist mill, is washed to remove the impurities, ground over in a moist state, dried, and is then ready for use as lamp black. Ground in a dry state and less fine, the coke is in demand as filter coal, or for the manufacture of gunpowder. _ A number of improvements have been made by various manufacturers in the construction of coke ovens, of which a few will be mentioned. The re- torts have been placed in a horizontal position, with iron covers in front. The filling is effected as in stone coal retorts used in the manufacture of illu- minating gas, and the removal of the coke is through bent tubes connected with the back of each retort and of equal dimensions with it. The ends of the tubes are immersed in water. A very ingenious apparatus has been sug- gested by Richard Wintzeck essentially differing from ovens of older con- struction in the following feature. An air canal is placed below the base of the oven, which receives heat from the escaping vapors of the coking room and conducts the warmed air through fissures in the base of the oven into that apartment. The high temperature of the air causes instant ignition of the distilling vapors of the coal lumps, hastens the process, and produces a more complete coking of the coal. Ovens which, together with the manufacture of coke, make it an object to increase the production of ammonia and tar, have largely taken the place of those which neglect these products. The following is their distinguishing feature: The distilling vapors produced by the coal are drawn into an ap- paratus serving for the condensation of tar and ammonia, and thence returned to the oven, where they enter heated canals. Below the base of the oven they are mixed with warm air, and undergo combustion here as well as on their way to the chimney. As soon as it has sufficiently heated a system of flues, the progress of the escaping fire gas is reversed. Thus the gas coming . from the condenser passes these heated canals, while the escaping fire gas serves to reheat the parallel system of flues, cooled by the gas on its former way from the condenser to the base of the oven. Various improvements have been made since in the construction of the coke ovens, and C. Otto describes a coke factory now in operation for a num- ber of years at Gottesberg, Germany. Its principal feature is a connection of the ovens with Siemen’s gas regenerators, and the results are so favorable that the larger number of factories in Germany are operated on this plan. ' FUELS AND THEIR UTILIZATION. 47 Lately, however, only the air necessary for combustion of the gas is heated. This has been found more profitable, as along system of flues conducting gas and air in parallel canals may, by occasionally occurring leaks, mix in the re- generators, cause melting, and thereby disturb the process of manufacture. Besides, the volume of air necessary for combustion is about six times the volume of gas to be burned, and for these as well as for other reasons it seems to be of higher importance only to heat the air intended for combustion of the gas. BRIQUETTES. - Of higher economic importance still than the utilization of brown coal in the form of coke has become the manufacture of briquettes from lignites. This article is very extensively and successfully used in HKurope as fuel for household purposes, and for production of steam it is frequently preferred to common stone coal. Its form is convenient for shipment, it is more cleanly in use, and its heating effect generally the same, sometimes better, than that of common coal. Like in any other industry, the first experiments in the manufacture of briquettes were very crude. Generally lignites do not furnish more than from ten to fifteen per cent of coal in pieces large enough for fuel, and in order to utilize the refuse the same was mixed with water, formed into coal bricks, and were ready for use when air dried. Though the manufacture of these bricks was soon supplanted by machines, the product was not very sat- isfactory for on account of their considerable water content, frequently as high as forty per cent, they could not be subjected to a higher pressure, were easily decomposed on exposure to the atmosphere, and in consequence crumbled to dust. inally convinced that this product would not yield the expected and desired success, experiments were made to evaporate the water of the lignites to give the coal a higher heating capacity, and form the dried product under high pressure into coal bricks, which were then called briquettes. The press for the manufacture of briquettes now in use in Germany was invented about 1856 by Exter, in Munich, and since its early introduction has been changed but little. Till 1860 a number of experiments were made in the manufacture of briquettes, almost without success; but at that time it became commonly understood that the most important point in the manu- facture was the drying of the lignites, and not the pressing of the coal bricks. Since then the experiments have been prosecuted with new zeal in this direc- tion, and at the present, after thirty years of costly experience, it may be said that a lasting success of the manufacture of briquettes is secured. It is necessary to reduce the water contents of the lignites to about fifteen per cent before they can be profitably subjected to the press. An addition of tar is, however, very rarely necessary, for the lignites generally contain enough 48 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. to serve as a cement for the coal particles when under a, pressure from one - thousand to fifteen hundred atmospheres. The bitumen already prepared - during the drying process is molten under this enormous pressure, and in this state cements the coal particles. As the contents of bitumen and water are very different in the lignites, the manufacture of briquettes requires a great deal of attention, and the oven as well as the press must be adapted to the physical and chemical properties of the coal in order to afford a good commercial article. The process of the manufacture of briquettes consists of the following manipulations: The lignites are crushed into small fragments and fall from the crusher into the collecting room, where they are received by a slow re- volving roller provided with ribs, and thrown through apertures below upon a sifter placed in an oblique position. By avery simple but ingenious con- trivance an upward and downward as well as a forward and backward mo- tion of this apparatus is effected at the same time, and consequently the coal is thrown over it with a springing motion. The smaller fragments of uni- form size which have passed during this process through the meshes of the sifter fall upon an elevator and are transported to the coal room above the drying oven. The coal is here collected in larger quantities, so that the dry- ing process can be prosecuted night and day, Sunday and holiday, without interruption. Only with a continuous operation can the highest results be effected. DRYING THE LIGNITES. The most difficult part in the manufacture of briquettes, as mentioned be- fore, is the drying of the lignites. A*coal rich in bitumen needs less water than one poor in hydro-carbons, but no rule has been laid down to fix the amount of water necessary for the different varieties, though it is generally considered that lignites containing from fifteen to twenty per cent of water are ready for the press. The process is not alone intended to evaporate the superfluous water, frequently from thirty to forty per cent, but also to equally dissolve and distribute the bitumen throughout the coal. By a very early method the drying of brown coal to be used for smelting purposes was effected in chambers placed on both sides of a long and small building, leaving a passage between them. Only one of the smaller sides of the building communicated with the air, where a furnace of considerable ca- pacity was located, from which constantly hot vapors were conducted in tubes through the passage to the chimney. The heated air of the building was then forced by a fan placed on the opposite side into the chambers filled with the coal. Improvements followed upon improvements, and in 1878 a method was patented in which the introduction of drums formed an entirely new part. FUELS AND THEIR UTILIZATION. 49 This system permitted the lignites to be brought in close contact with hot air or the escaping fire gas, thus avoiding the loss of heat sustained through its expansion in large rooms. It also allowed the regulation of the temperature and removed the danger of an ignition of the coal through the sparks fre- quently contained in the fire gas. Ludwig Ramdohr substituted in the succeeding year, very successfully, super-heated steam for the hot air. On account of their expansive force the aqueous vapors penetrate the coal without mechanical aid; they are chemically indifferent to it and do not cause ignition even with a higher temperature. It may be mentioned here that if the coal refuse or dust frequently used in the manufacture of briquettes is too poor in bitumen to cement the par- ticles when under the press, various substances have been recommended to supply the deficiency; tar, starch, potato flour, albumen, lime, gypsum, alum, and others The organic compounds are objected to on account of their higher price. The inorganic material increases the amount of ashes. The selection of one or the other has to be governed by the surrounding circum- stances. As stated previously, however, the use of an artificial cement is rarely necessary in the manufacture of briquettes from lignites. A few years later a drying apparatus, then in successful operation, was described, consisting of a large cast iron cylinder with double walls, the chamber be. tween the walls receiving the escaping steam from the engine room through an aperture on one side and emitting the vapors on the other, after passing them around the cylinder. The apparatus was ‘surrounded with a wooden mantle. Between both mantle and cylinder wall air was warmed and con- ducted into two tubes placed on the inner circumference of the cylinder. These tubes consisted of a number of small truncated cones, one over another, so as to leave spaces between them. The hot air, on entering the cylinder through these apertures, passed the coal, to escape through a tube of similar _ construction in the center of the apparatus. The drying process is contin- uous. The filling is done from above, using lignites which have been warmed by the air escaping from the central tube. The dried lignites fall below upon a revolving table, from which a scraper throws them into the receiving vessels. Enough has been said to indicate the direction in which the improvements - proceeded, and it is now only necessary to mention the different systems mostly in use to complete this brief review. OvENSs IN WHIcH THE Dryine 1s Errectep THRovcH Escapine Fire Gas.— The apparatus consists of circular cast iron plates, generally fifteen in number, each about twelve feet in diameter, and placed one over the other. A revo- lution of a central axis causes a system of scrapers connected with it, two over each plate, to turn the lignites upon them and gradually move tiem through small openings from the uppermost to the lowest plate, where they are re- 50 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. ceived by a cone conducting them into the collecting room. The whole is placed in a square oven, the fire gas of which enters the drying apparatus above described and passes through the coal from plate to plate through an opening below, on its way to the chimney These ovens are profitably used only in the drying of lignites poor in bitumen, requiring a high temperature. An apparatus in which the drying of the brown coal is effected with super- heated steam is of similar construction and possesses the same system of scrapers to move the coal over the plates. It differs, however, from the former in its double walled plates resting on four hollow columns, of which two serve to conduct the steam between the double walls of the plates, and the others constitute canals through which it passes on its way to the chim- ney. A mantle of sheet iron enclosing the oven keeps the working room free of dust. This drying apparatus can be used with advantage for almost all varieties of brown coal except those requiring a high temperature. An oven used with great advantage in some instances consists of a large revolving drum, placed in an oblique position and containing a number of tubes. The axis is hollow and conical towards the center and its mantle per- forated. The steam from the engine enters its upper part, passes through the apertures into the interior of the drum, and after passing around the tubes escapes through the lower opening in the axis. A cone is placed’ above the higher part of the drum from which the coal enters the tubes and gradually slides, pushed by the revolutions and oblique position of the ap- paratus, towards the lower front, falling into the collecting room. Finally, a system frequently used consists of a peculiar arrangement of sheet iron of an interrupted form, over which the coal slowly slides down. The hot air used with this method is warmed by the escaping steam of the engine and forced through the coal, entering the apparatus below and es- caping above into the chimney. Sometimes these ovens are also supplied with a system of tubes through which steam passes, aiding the drying pro- cess. The above short review shows clearly that the main difficulty in the European, and especially German, briquette manufacture ‘is the drying of the hgnites, and notwithstanding the numerous and costly experiments which had to be conducted to overcome this obstacle, this industry has flourished and has enriched the people engaged in it. PRESSING THE BRIQUETTES. The pressing of the briquettes, though a simple process, has to be con- ducted in accordance with the quality of the lignites, a coal of larger grain requiring less pressure than one of dusty consistency. The briquette ma- chines resemble the well known pressed brick machines of this country. As mentioned before, the Exter press, with about eighty revolutions (eighty FUELS AND THEIR UTILIZATION. 51 briquettes) per minute, and double compression is still extensively used in Germany. The Couffinhal press, largely used in France, possesses also the advantage of exerting a double compression, thus yielding bricks of equal density on both sides with a minimum at or near the middle. LIGNITES IN SMELTERS. The utilization of raw and dried brown coal in smelters was an object long desired by iron manufacturers, and at the present a number of furnaces are in profitable operation constructed for the use of this material. An appro- priate construction of the smelters for this purpose is necessary, that the pe- culiar composition of these coals, their loose texture and crumbling quality, may not disturb the reducing process. The carbonization of the lignites must be effected with the escaping gas near the mouth of the smelter, as, on account of their just mentioned quality of crumbling and their predilection to absorb moisture, they can not be subjected to a further transport. Kern uses a combination of smelter and coke oven, the smelter not over seventeen. feet in height. The escaping gas is utilized to carbonize the coal, to roast the ores, and to heat the air necessary for the blowers. A cylinder contain- ing the ores and prepared coal is placed above the smelter and parted from it through a cone over which the material rolls into the furnace on lifting the cylinder with levers. The escaping as passes around this apparatus, flows through several canals, in which a number of cast iron retorts are placed to carbonize the lignites, is used in the ore roasting ovens, and heats the wind for the smelter on its further way to the chimney. There is nothing theo- retically which will make the utilization of raw brown coal objectionable in iron smelting. However, the preparing room must be large enough to per- mit the coking of the coal inside the oven. A use of the unprepared coal seems to be desirable, furnishing a gas of a greater heating capacity and a larger quantity of it, by avoiding the very considerable cost of a separate coking establishment. The only question is, what method can be most profit- ably employed to supply all, or the largest amount, of firing material in use by lignites for the manufacture of iron. To obtain this desirable end several important points have to be considered. As mentioned, a large preparing room, the inconvenient size of which can be somewhat diminished by work- ing hot ores; and secondly, an oven of small vertical dimension, to lessen the density of the smelting column. The use of cval of a larger grain is desir- able, and blast of high temperature evenly distributed through the smelter aud under adequate pressure will greatly facilitate the process of smelting. By observing these conditions an addition of from fifty to seventy per cent of raw lignite has been made for a number of years at Zellweg, Germany, Kaian, Siebenbuergen, and other places. 11—geol. 52 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. A smelter of horizontal extension has been in use for several years in Friedrichshuette, near Rokitzan, Bohemia. The oven consists of a vertically placed cylindrical chamber (Gicht) opening into the large square preparing room, continued by the conically shaped reduction chamber and the smelting apartment. The different chambers are placed obliquely inside the oven and surrounded by a system of flues to conduct the escaping gas on its further way to the chimney. After filling the oven with coal and heating it to the neces- sary temperature, the ore and lignites, crushed to fragments of convenient size, are thrown through the mouth into the preparing room, and slide along the oblique floors of the different chambers into the smelting apartment, their forward motion assisted by a transporting screw. The further management of the process is the same as in the vertical iron smelters. Though the question whether the raw or dried brown coal can advantageously supply the use of coke or charcoal in iron furnaces has not been solved, it has been shown conclusively that an addition of raw or prepared lignites to coke, made either from lignite or bituminous coal, will give very satisfactory results, and this method has been used in a number of smelters uninterruptedly for many years. The process of smelting with lignite coke is conducted in the same manner as with bituminous coke in common smelters, and only needs to be mentioned. | RAW LIGNITE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STEEL. The utilization of raw brown coal has also been successfully introduced in the manufacture of steel. To heat the Bessemer retorts, however, a small addition of coke is necessary during the process of manufacture. The flame of the coal is long, and though it heats on this account the higher portion of the walls satisfactorily, the desired temperature of the bottom of the retort can only be secured through an addition of coke. For all other firing pur- poses, however, the smelting of the raw iron, the heating of the boilers, etc., this coal has been used with the greatest advantage. OCCURRENCE OF TEXAS LIGNITES. The lignites of Texas, as mentioned before, occur in the Fayette Beds and Timber Belt Beds of the Tertiary deposits. The borders of this area, which may be termed the lignitic region of Texas, have been determined and were fully described by Prof. E. T. Dumble in the Mineral Resources of the United States, 1887, and First Report of Progress of the Geological Survey of Texas, since which time they have not been changed materially by the later investigations. They are copied in full on page 39 of this Report. The Fayette Beds ‘underlie the Coast Clays and other Quaternary deposits of Texas. Their outcrops cross the entire State from the Sabine River to the FUELS AND THEIR UTILIZATION. 53 Rio Grande, and consist of clays, sands, limestones, and pebble deposits. The underlying Timber Belt Beds are composed of siliceous sand and greensand marls, interstratified with clays, generally of a brown color, and thin beds of limestone. The beds of lignites contained in both these series of rocks are very numerous, sometimes occurring in lenticular masses of greater or less extent, thinning out in every direction, and again form extensive seams of considerable thickness, frequently fourteen feet. A correct mapping of these deposits has not yet been completed. The Texas Tertiary has been but little disturbed. The force lifting these strata to their present level has caused a gradual and slow elevation, leaving them as originally laid down by the Ter- tiary sea. However, though no violent volcanic eruptions have distorted these beds, they are nevertheless found sometimes broken, faulted and bent, caused by the drying and compression of loose moist underlying deposits. CALVERT BLUFF SECTION. bigs: Profile of Calvert Bluff, Robertson County, Texas. nese —— tes BOWMAN G) TCG TIVEL(SUtis, 2) ove) fo oes etyece dic fos) s baSiw ye, 5.8 s/s sees See a 10 feet. ome CEVA OMA lets 's c/s ahetaic o04)3 007: Ma ERC Maret en Pyan ebony 3h = o2) Oro. 3) feet. aN MEL Ce yerote re eaters are Saree. hn A Sie cee ee Se eee trae as 12 feet. Os, (ESRD ST CLE Ne et ol RE AN Odor A oe Ban RARE ROO te ea 2 feet. ey ACSIA le MCN aR cok era Ie Sg URL NM ee eA a 2 feet. G. “Gray Clay o. dec. EG hte Daren te. i ae es a PUR 3 feet. After R. A. F. Penrose Jr. ALAMO SECTION Bb Ee SAMO ANG CLAY... 2 vale a sev droele oo see gy SAUER OPE as eee 26 feet. Dees GEES TCS NBME 8 Ae aol Depa ER ea 3. Or mee a Ni ee 23 feet. Mae etnies Diack and Often ClOSSWe oe ad 5 oss ahs clei Giey io ecg ies 20 inches. Li GIF RI 0 on Dk Oe ee an, Men arc Pe en Se 2 feet. Pm PATONG UVC AV Ara Miah sie. ote anne Selfevsrs te! storage die ah>. 4 -ajh eae eierele 6.8 9 feet. EEN ed iia En a Phy ane cet a a aie che aah asp veo al a8 4 feet 2 inches. After R. A. F. Penrose Jr., Geological Report of Texas, First Annual mony ISSO SH a: Dumble, State Geologist, I, p. 26; II, p. 35. The European lignites are of the same geological age, were formed under similar conditions, and consequently they resemble in composition and quali- ties the Texas brown coal. 54 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. The European lignites vary in physical and chemical qualities according to the more or less complete decomposition of the original material from which they are derived. Principally, however, their vegetable origin is well pre- served, and can be easily traced in the woody structure of the different varie- ties, which very frequently contain the stems, leaves, and branches of trees and plants in a good state of preservation. The coals form compact, brittle masses, with conchoidal fracture, or they exhibit an earthy or woody tex- ture, and, according to their appearance and qualities, they are distinguished as pitch coal, fibrous coal, woody coal, paper coal, wax coal, and common brown coal. Their existence has exerted a marvelous influence upon the in- dustry and prosperity of European countries. They belong to the class of mineral fuels, and, with iron, are the most useful minerals found on our globe, upon the development of which modern civilization is based. In Europe, as well as on this continent, in Texas, the lithological material which composes the beds containing the brown coal deposits consists mainly of loose sands, various colored clays, and sandstones. SSS Sey —— QF FT BFS RRR Ze SSS Fig. 2. Profile der Oligocaenformation in der Gegend von Halle a. d Saale nach Laspeyres. Credner Elemente d. Geologie, p. 641. . Germany. G. Aelteres Gebirge............0..2--0-- cM sabedis one Ae posse Porphyry. 1. Kapselthon: 4 225 Septarienthon.7...1.. --saeer 2 ei oe ee eae Clay. Se “iG limmencsard 327) telsh is is ares ce cns = Metenareee rete DOA eae Sand with mica. Pe) Diluvaum 4 ). 2. icant cp Eye yin EE, Sa Se teas COMPARISON OF LIGNITES. The economic value of lignites can only be estimated correctly from a comparison of the analyses of Texas brown coal with coals worked advan- tageously for many years in Europe. Their analyses must therefore be of the highest interest. ? | OU OU FUELS AND THEIR UTILIZATION. ANALYSES OF TEXAS LIGNITES. Volatile Fixed Water. matter. carbon. > @ > Sulphur. Rockdale, Milam County, analysis by J. H. | 13.800 ! 43.550 | 36.830 | 5.320 | 1.350 Herndon. Leon County, analysis by J. H. Herndon. .| 14.670 | 37.320 | 41.070 | 6.690 | 0.250 Laredo, analysis by J. H. Herndon . ....| 2.500 | 51.050 | 39 100 7.350 | 1.500 Eagle Pass, analysis by J. H. Herndon..... 3.675 | 39.420 | 41.700 | 15.205 | 0.810 Eagle Pass, analysis by J. H. Herndon..... Corso soeOol Neate Zale e240) 1 108 Montague County, analysis by J.H. Herndon.| 12.090 | 35.840 | 42.310 | 9.760 | 0.800 Hopkins County, analysis by E. T. Dumble.| 14.020 | 36.100 | 44.130 | 5.750 | (* Angelina River, analysis by E. T. Dumble..| 16.230 | 32.540 | 37.770 | 13.460 | (*) Brazos River, near Calvert, analysis by HK. | 11.000 | 39.500 | 45.000 | 4.500 |...... T. Cox, of Indiana.’ | Average of a number of analyses of Texas | 12.600 | 38.100 | 47.750 | 11.550 |...... lignites, analyses by W. V. Streeruwitz. | Atascosa County, analysis by J. H. Kalteier.! 14.000 | 16.000 | 56.000 | 14.000. ...... Lignites rich in Bitwmen. | | Robertson County, analysis by J.H. Herndon.) 16 475 | 58.400 | 18.675 6.450 | 1.330 Atascosa County, analysis by J. H. Herndon. 13.285 | 59.865 | 18.525 | 8.325 | 2.360 * Not determined. ULTIMATE ANALYSES OF FOREIGN LIGNITES. Jahresbericht der Chemischen Technologie, R. Wagner, Jahrg. xxxv, pp. 146-151. | | Chemically | Carbon. Hydrogen. | Hyg. Water.) combined | Nitrogen. Ash. | | water. Lobeditzer lignite .......... | 35.05 . 28 35.38 | 13.61 | 0.44 | 14,24 ene Braun kohle, no locality given.; 40.78 1.23 ZR 30 e etSe2 0/03 OLS 9.42 Braun kohle, nolocality given.; 44.33 etoll 34.50 |, 15.72 | 0.48 3.36 Duxer kohle....).. Pere AAD 2.14 DBMSAT ie os b4ar 044 5.62 Duxer und Biliner kohle..... 45.74 2 22 BOG. we lea t® ORAS a i opal Braun kohle, no locality given.; 45.98 2.05 31.27: | 14.43 | 0.48 5.79 For further information see above quoted work, ‘‘ Brown Coals, their Economic Value, and comparison with Stone Coals in furnaces of different construction.” ULTIMATE ANALYSIS OF TEXAS LIGNITE. ] | Chemically Carbon. Hydrogen. | Hyg. Water. | combined | Nitrogen. Ash. water. ES a eas Re a Rockdale, Texas, analysis by 53.4] Bs, Lat" oe he N69 0) 10535 | 5.65 J. H. Herndon. | | ANALYSES OF FOREIGN LIGNITES. | [eee eee 3 Water. | matter, | carbon. | 488 | = | | | | @ — ae a ie ah a a ; i une | Koflach, Germany, analysis by Kerply ....| 26.000 | 28.860 | 41.800 | 3.340 | (*) Vascovado, Italy, analysis by E. Kopp..... 21.800 | 26.480 | A2E O20 samo 200K |< 35.4. * Undetermined. 56 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. The following table prepared and published by E. T. Dumble in 1884, shows the comparative value of Texas and European lignites of best localities: Coke. Ash. Hee Somubof Braniee.. 5). psea eee ove cls ee ol Become 49.100 | 4.990.) 127232 Mouth of Rhone... :25% eae ie ond See Oa ee 41.100 | 13.430 | 10.783 lessen ,Cassel’= :..\. z.:.tc [a pee it St oe ....| 48 500 1.770 | 11 826 Gower *Alpss.:\. 2. .ccaepenee ihn, RR SR ieaea eer eeeee ae SAO O00 3.010 | 11.490 Golden: City, Colorado me wrsmnprenrenet choos 66. 2 6 4 ..««| 49.4004) S850" ee wee MexaS 3.04. cs Se Rhaoeeee ee ou. wae... | 58.000 | 10.000 | 12.520 METHOD OF ANALYSIS. The proximate analyses of lignites made in the laboratory of this Survey were made according to the following method: Two grammes of the finely pulverized lignite were dried in a weighed platinum crucible at 115 C., weighed, and this operation repeated till an increase in weight indicated an incipient oxidation. The percentage of moisture was calculated from the low- est weight. To determine the amount of volatile combustible matter, the above cruci- ble, with contents, was covered, ignited in the strongest heat of a good Bun- sen burner, and again over a blast lamp; then cooled and weighed. Fixed carbon was found by removing the cover from the crucible and burning off the remaining carbon over a Bunsen burner. The sulphur was determined in the form of sulphate of barium. A glance at the foregoing tables will show that the Texas lignites are superior in quality to European brown coals, to nearly all of which the analyses have been given. Jlowever, in order to determine the economic value of a natural product, and to admit of its profitable use, a number of other condi- tions must be favorable. After its quality has been tested and found sufii- cient or suitable for the purpose for which it is intended to be used, the manu- facturer has to consider its location, quantity, demand, and facilities for trans- portation to market in order to insure success. Texas brown coals could not well be more favorably located for any of the different manufactures enumerated than they are. Their almost exhaustless deposits cross the entire State sub-parallel to the coast, holding a central posi- tion between the timberless prairies of the northwest and the Gulf of Mexico in the southeast. A large number of railroads, connecting the inland cities of the State with the ports along the coast, pass on their way through the lig- nite region of Texas and furnish convenient communication to either side. The prepared product may serve to transport the manufactured article to market. A steady increase of the population of the State will increase the demand for fuel and all the other articles derived from the working of the FUELS AND THEIR UTILIZATION. 57 coals. The association of lignites with valuable iron ores will develop the iron industry, and the vicinity of the Gulf to the coal fields will give the State ~ an advantage in building up an export trade which other countries with simi- lar mineral resources do not possess. Of course the development of mines, the building of coke ovens, smelters, etc., will draw a desirable immigration to ' the State and increase the prosperity of the people. It has been said that the great body of forest growth of Eastern Texas will prohibit the development of the lignites, and that true stone coal will furnish superior and cheaper material for fuel and other purposes. | Contrary to this, a few men have early recognized the importance of these brown coals. There is, however, little literature on the subject, and the for- mer geological reports only mention the existence of the deposits. Prof. EH. T. Dumble, in a number of scattered newspaper articles, beginning as early as 1877, described the localities where outcrops of brown coal occur, pro- nounced their economic value, and published analyses of the different coals. In 1882 he published an article entitled “Cheap Fuels—Texas Lignites Com- pressed,” which, on account of its importance as containing an accOunt of the first practical test in the manufacture of briquettes to which Texas brown coal has been subjected, will be given almost in full. “COMPRESSED FUEL FROM TEXAS LIGNITES. “BY E. T. DUMBLE. ‘Houston, Texas, 1882. ‘Seeking to make the large deposits of lignite in our State available, I pro- jected a means of coking it. My invention was approved and commended by Prof. Silliman, of Yale, who madea personal examination of it. While work- ing in this matter I was led to examine into the practicability of putting the lignite into a better shape for fuel and transportation. “The heating power of the crude material has been established in very many localities, but its want of density and its lability to crumble on expos- ure to the air presented objections that had to be overcome. ‘Finding that artificial fuel, made by compressing slack coal and lignite, with use of a bond, had been in successful operation in Europe, I set about obtaining information concerning the same, and have found * * * the machinery required. “The prepared fuel manufactured by this process from refuse coal and lig- nite has met with such success that the company finds that it pays to break up bituminous coal and prepare it to meet the demand, and are continuing to manufacture these briquettes at a profit. “From the analysis sent the manufacturers of the machinery, they were satisfied that our Texas lignites could be made into an excellent fuel. I de- termined to have a conclusive test, and shipped ten tons to France, nad it 58 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. made into fuel, and tried. I now have their report and specimens made from material shipped them. The specimens are hard and dense, and will give a good heat, comparing favorably with Indian Territory coal. -Taking their test as a basis of calculation, I find that it is possible to make a good, ser- viceable fuel from Texas lignites at a very reasonable price. ‘The lignite sent was mined from the bluff of the Brazos River, near Cal- vert, where it had been exposed to the action of the air, and only the surface coal removed before taking the quantity sent. The difference between the quality of this shipment and of the lignite found in the same bed a few hun- dred feet distant is shown by the two following analyses, the first by the chemist of the manufacturers of an average sample of the material sent, and the other by Prof. E. T. Cox, State Geologist of Indiana, of a specimen from the same bed, not more than four hundred feet distant. Havre. Prof. Cox. WigGerss > oe a Re, oe SPOR. al 6 Sal des ote nd eae 20.30 11.00 Volatile matt€r........... . oe sae liebe Bu pee | 35.94 39.50 Fixed carbon ...... ee ee aes eo onlan ce bc | 31.56 45.00 Agha) Le. SINS) fo ee Mi Leite iE 12.20 4.50 TGS (ATES shee Se acs fe eon! oe Sle ot Goeem cused ARMS ohana een ee eee ay 13.068 Wieight-olcubie foot... 22 nea: ese0 oe » LUMP rky nails ad oid isaia Sho eae ae ee 77 pounds. ‘‘By comparing the amounts of water and ash in these two specimens it will be seen that a low grade of lignite was operated on, as one would natu- rally expect from the exposed position from which it was obtained. My own . analyses of lignite from different parts of the State vary considerably, but none show a lower grade than that of the Havre chemist, so that I think it perfectly safe to use the result given for any locality. “The manufacture of the fuel consists in mixing it by machinery with cer- tain proportions of adhesive materials, subjecting it to a certain degree of heat, and then passing it under a very powerful hydraulic press and forming it into briquettes. The adhesive materials are coal tar, pitch, or starch. * xk xk x “5 +f x x x 2 “This, in connection with my process for coking the lignite, will prove fuel adapted to all requirements, for use in households, factories, engines, and smelting works, and at a price which solves the problem of cheap fuel for Texas for years to come. “In extent the lignite deposits are inexhaustible. They underlie a strip of country from fifty to one hundred miles in width, extending diagon- ally across the center of our State, from northeast to southwest. These de- posits are crossed by every main trunk railway line in Texas, and the Austin branch of the International and Great Northern runs over them almost its entire length. The beds vary from a few inches to twenty feet in thickness, FUELS AND THEIR UTILIZATION. 59 and are associated with vast’quantities of very fine iron ore. The abundance and accessibility of these materials give promise that, now a method of util- izing them is offered, only a short while will elapse before manufacturing the ores and products of our State will add to the wealth of the same.” It will be noticed that even at that early date the outlines of the lignite re- gion of Texas were correctly described, the conditions of a prosperous manu- facture of the raw material into briquettes were conclusively shown, and the importance of the occurrence of the lignites in association with the Hast Texas iron ores was fully set forth. The test, made with a large amount of ma- terial of the lowest grade, by French manufacturers is of the highest import- ance, and the results obtained must remove every doubt from the mind of the greatest sceptic that Texas lignites can be used with advantage in the manu- facture of briquettes. A careful comparison of the coal used in European countries for the manufacture of coke and other derivates of the ignites with the brown coal found and examined in Texas can leave no doubt that the State possesses a material far superior in quality for the manufacture of the named commercial articles. Notwithstanding their inferiority, notwithstanding the near vicinity of ex- tensive coal fields containing the very best stone coal, and notwithstanding that the most of them can be obtained only by deep mining, that immense for- est tracts are cultivated with the utmost care, that almost every tree cut is re- planted as quickly as removed, millions of dollars have been advantageously | invested in Huropean lignites. Their manufacture sustains a large and skilled population, and exerts the most important influence upon the prosperity and wealth of the countries in which the coal beds are located. How much higher will be the results obtained in our State by a judicious working of the immense quantity of coals of the very finest quality. Though it is true that we luckily have also large fields containing stone coal, and that still large tracts of piny woods cover the eastern part of the lignite region of Texas, the experience gained in Europe shows conclusively that neither the forest constantly replaced, which even in this Southern clime can not be done in less than twenty years, nor the vicinity of stone coal will retard the devel- opment of this independent industry, even under the most unfavorable con- ditions. To use the coals advantageously the most costly experiments had to be made; experience had to be gained in the construction of ovens, furnaces, engines, etc. Nothing was known, and yet a steady advance and a progress in the mining and manufacture of the lignites can be noticed, going side by side with the progress in forest culture and a more rational mining of stone coals and their manufacture. In North Germany alone the briquette manufacture has increased since 1875 from twenty-nine presses, with a working capacity of half a million 60 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS.. tons of coal, to one hundred and eighty-six presses in constant operation, working two and one-half million tons of the brown coal per annum. In the Tertiary lignitic basin of Bohemia brown coal deposits which crop out in places dip to a depth of not less than twelve hundred feet, disturbed by basaltic and phonolitic eruptions. In the lignitic basin of Albona, Istrien, the brown coal has been mined for the last sixty years, and, notwithstanding the deposits are very irregular in that region, disturbed and of varying thickness, the annual production of the coal has been increased from fifteen thousand tons in 1883 to from sixty- five to seventy thousand tons in 1888. The brown coal is of a bituminous character (‘‘Pechkole”), and used in the factories of Triest, Fiume, Pola, and Venice, on steamers, and in the industrial establishments along the eastern coast of Italy. The extensiveness of the works may be judged from the fact that in 1882 about fifty-two miles of railway were used in the mines to win the coal.* How different are the conditions in our State at the present time. There is no risk to take; the experience of Europe for the last fifty years is at com- mand. With lhttle trouble drawings for machinery, furnaces, and ovens of | latest construction and highest perfection can be procured, and all that is necessary to complete a factory, and which at the present can not be manu- factured in this country, can be forwarded from Europe with little cost. Ex- perts who have devoted a lifetime to the brown coal industry can be induced to initiate and conduct the process, saving costly experience which is only to be acquired through many years of actual work in a factory. Abundant quantities of the most excellent material exist for operation, and, if judiciously selected, for all the different branches of the manufacture of products from lignites. These coal beds, located in a rich agricultural section with productive soils, a congenial climate, and growing population, where immense quantities of ex- cellent iron ores await the development of the lignite industry, and by their vicinity to the Gulf, offer a limitless market to the ready product. These are conditions which insure success to the manufacturer, prosperity and wealth to the people. LITERATURE. Jahres Berichte uber de Leistungen de Chemischen Technologie, von Dr. Rudolf Wagner, from 1855 to 1889. This work and the following authorities cited therein have been drawn upon: | PARAFFINE, MINERAL OILS, AND TAR. Reichenbach (1830) Journ. f. Oekonom. Chem., viii, p. 445. * Berg und Huttenmaenn. Zeitung, No. 15. 1884. FUELS AND THEIR UTILIZATION. 61 Warren de la-Rue, Rep. of Patent Inventions, March, 1859, p. 268. Polyt. Centralbl., 1854, p. 637. V. Kobell, Journ. f. Prakt. Chem., viii., p. 305. Wagemann, Dingl. Journ., cxxxix, p. 293. H. Vohl, Dingl. Journ., clii, p. 306. H. Vohl, Polyt. Centralbl., 1857, p. 1300. H. Vohl, Dingl. Journ., cxlv, p. 51. Polyt. Centralbl., 1857, p. 1853. Paul Wagemann, Dingl. Journ., cxlv, p. 309. Chem. Centralbl., 1857, p. 691. B. Huebner, Bericht der Deutschen Chem. Gesellschaft zu Berlin, p. 133. Dingl. Journ., clxxxxix, p. 240. Bulletin de la Soc. Chim., 1868, x, p. 331. Wagner’s Handbuch der Technologie, 1864, Bd. v, p. 407. Bericht uber d’ vierte Versammlung d’ Vereins fuer Mineral In- dustrie vom 11th. Marz, 1869, Munchen, pp. 24-32. Katalog d’ Ausstellung d’ Deutschen Reiches, Berlin, 1873, Gruppe ili, p. 104. M. Albrecht, Zeitschrift d’ Vereins Deutcher Ingenieure, 1874, xvii, p. 577. Polyt. Centralbl., 187 4, p. 449. LIGNITES—HEATING EFFECTS OF. Handbuch der Chemischen Technologie, von Dr. Rudolf Wagner; translated by William Crookes, p. 717. E. Seidler, Deutsche Industrie Zeitung, 1872, p. 257. BLACKING. Kramer, Furth. Gewerbezeitung, 1855, p. 88. TANNING. W. Skey, Chemic. News, 1866, Nov., p. 206. Dingl. Journ., clxxxiii, p. 255. Deutsche Industrie Zeitung, 1867, p. 78. F. Motthay, Uber d’ Verwendung d’ Braunkohlenkoks zur Herstellungen von schwartzer Farbe. O. Gmelin Oesterreich. Zeitschrift fuer Berg und Huettenwesen, 1877, p. 451. Chem. Centralbl., 1877, p. 825. ILLUMINATING GAS. Tasche, Hess. Gewerbeblatt, 1859, Nr. 26. Polyt. Centralbl., 1859, p. 1590. Macadam, Chemic. News, 1866, No. 353, p. 110. Ding]. Journ., clxxxii, p. 318. 62 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. Rouvel, Deutsche Industrie Zeitung, 1866, p. 508. Berggeist, 1866, Nos. 90 und 98. Berg u. Huettenmaenn. Zeit., 1867, 2. 263. H. Liebau, Resultate ueber Braunkohlenfette zur Gasfabrikation. Magde- burg, 1867. Emil Bausch. P. Rouvel, Berggeist, 1868, p. 219. Ding]. Journ., clxxxix, p. 68. Polyt. Centralbl., 1868, p. 1129. Deutsche Industrie Zeitung, 1869, p. 427. Dingl. Journ., p. 356. Polyt. Centralbl., 1870, p 153. Chemical News, No. 530, p. 35. UTILIZATION OF LIGNITES IN SMELTERS. Kern, Berg und Huettenmaenn. Zeit., 1871, p. 189. Chem. Centralbl., 1872, p."393. Fr. Naumann, Die Vergasung erdiger Braunkohle zum Betrieb der Schmelz und Brennoefen, Dampfkessel, Retorten-feuerungen und Ab- dampfpfannen. Halle, i873. G: Knapp. | HK. Heyrowsky, Karthner Zeitschrift, 1875, p. 133. e Berg und Huettenmaenn. Zeit., 1875, p. 230. Chem. Centralbl., 1875, p. 560. F. Kupelwieser, Zeitschrift des Berg und Huettenmaenn. Ver. F. Steiermark und Kaernthen, 1881, p. 261. A. Kerply, Berg und Huettenmaenn. Zeit., 1875, p. 198. Stahl und Hisen, 1882, s. 426. Oesterr, Zeitschrift fur Berg und Huettenkunde, 1882, s. 2, 19, 31, 44. MANUFACTURE OF BRIQUETTES. Mittheil. d’ Nass. Gewerbever, 1853, No. 19. Dingl. Journ., cxxxiv. Tasche, Polyt. Centralbl., 1859, p. 1594. Hartmann, Berg und Huettenmaenn. Zeit.. 1859. Polyt. Centralbl., 1859, p. 622. H. G. Faibairn, Mechanic’s Magazine, 1869, p. 134, Aug. R. Linke, Chem. Industrie, 1878, No. 2, p. 63. . Ludwig Ramdohr, Patentschrift (D. R. P., No. 4514 und 2232 im Auszuge Zeitschrift f. die ges. Thonwaarenindustrie, 1878, Nr. 12, p. 251), Vogel und Comp. in Neusellerhausen, Leipzig. D. R. P., Nr. 20,527. R. Jacobi in Zeit. D. R. P., Nr. 26,424 und 27,546. C. Rowold in Meuselwitz. D. R. P., Nr. 32,933 und 32,593. FUELS AND THEIR UTILIZATION. MANUFACTURE OF COKE FROM LIGNITE. G. R. Bluhme, Berg und Huettenmaenn. Zeit., 1855, Nr. 25, 29. Dingl. Journ., cxxxvil, p. 419. D. Boccasini, Bayer Kunst u.fGerwerbebl., 1862, p. 423. F’. Illgen, Journ. f. Gasbeleuchtung, 1872, Nr. 5. Polyt. Centralbl., 1872, p. 541. Deutsche Industrie Zeitung, 1872, p. 145. R. Wintzek, Chem. Industrie, 1878, Nr. 9, p. 311. Forbes and Abbot, Chem. Industry, 1878, Nr. 10, p. 336. Ding]. Polyt. Journ., 252, 255, 283, 254s, 373. D. R. P., Nr. 25,825, 26,421, 24,404, 25,526. C. Otto Stahl und Eisen, 1884, s. 396. 63 Jerse d Dred 8 Cem DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES. CHAPTER © CASS COUNTY. BY WM. KENNEDY. PRELIMINARY NOTES ON CASS COUNTY IRON ORE REGION. The iron ore region of Cass County extends in a general though somewhat irregular course from the southwest end of the county to the northeast. In the southwest it covers a roughly shaped parallelogram extending along the lower half of the Morris County line southward to the Marion County line, thence eastward along the northern boundary of Marion County for several miles to near the crossing of the Texas and Pacific Railway. From the northeast corner of this parallelogram a long, narrow, irregularly shaped tongue or ridge extends northeasterly to near the town of Atlanta, when it widens out into a rude sort of a triangle, having its northern side somewhat parallel to the course of the Sulphur Fork of the Red River. The outlines of this ore bearing region are very irregular. Roughly speak- ing, they may be described as follows: Beginning at the Marion County line, on the east side of the Ambrosi Douthet headright, the course of the boundary is north to the northeast cor ner of the same headright. From this point it runs northwesterly along the west side of Jim’s Bayou to the southeast corner of the Curliss Jarnigan headright. The line then turns southerly to the north side of the Echols headright. From the Echols land it turns northwest through the southern portion of the A. D. Duncan headright to the northeast corner of the Andrew Hampton survey. The line then turns along the east side of the Benjamin Hawkins and Luanna Ward headrights and easterly across the north side of the John Davis headright to the northeast corner. From there southerly to Jim’s Bayou; southeasterly along the Bayou to the Rachel Kimborough head- right. From the northwest corner of this headright the line trends easterly through the Kimborough, Buffalo Bayou, and C. R. Railway Company’s head- rights to the Sherman Grosvenor’s survey. It then turns northeasterly to the Texas and Pacific Railway near the centre of the William Donahoo sur- vey; thence east to the west side of the Philip Duty headright; northeast [65] 66 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. through the northwest corner of the Philip Duty survey, and continues in the same direction to the centre of the Martha Ingram headright; northerly through the Ingram and James Ritchey headrights, and then has a northwest- erly course through the Richard M. Allen and Cass County school lands, _across Black Bayou, and through the southeast corner of the P. M Keeton headright. The course is then east to the west side of the Jane Ritchey head- right, slightly south of east through the Albert Pride headright, and thence northeasterly to the southwest corner of the W. W. Holman survey; thence irregularly to the Arkansas State line, near the northeast corner of the Cass County school land. The line then turns north of west to near Alamo Sta- tion, on the Texas and Pacific Railway, southerly along the Texas and Pacific Railway to the northwest corner of the John C. Cooksey headright, westerly to the center of the John Myers headright, and from there in a general west of south direction to the southeast corner of the north Berry Wilkins tract. The line then turns southeast to near the centre of the south side of the Luke Roberts survey; east to the west side of the P. M. Keeton headright. From this point the course of the line is a general west of south direction to the southwest corner of the John Nall headright; then west to the southwest of the Thomas Wilson; north, to north side of the H. J. Storey headright; south- west to the southeast corner of the Jarius Barry headright. From here it turns northwesterly to the northeast corner of the Luanna Ward survey, then west to the southwest corner of the Henry Buckler headright. From this point it turns in a northwesterly direction and passes into the P. H. Tuckett survey in Morris County. The area embraced within these boundaries has an extent of about four hundred and fifty square miles. Although this area comprises the chief ore producing region of Cass County it also embraces many miles of territory within which no ore occurs. The oreless regions are chiefly among the bottom lands of the larger creeks and second bottoms in the northeastern portion of the county. Of the bottom lands along the creeks the best example is those of Black Cypress, which, upon the line of road between the town of Linden and the Avinger station, on the East Line Railway, are in the neighborhood of three miles wide. Many of the ridges in the same are also entirely formed of sand, and either contain no ore, or the ore lies too deep for any practical purpose. The actual area of ore bearing lands within the county will not fall much short of three hundred and fifty square miles, which may be apportioned among the several divisions as Sousewesterm Held oo cdi k ee | ns Dis o ob Se 200 square miles. CpRira ON ee cc eke esas dss) ae eee be ee 30 square miles. Nimroastern Meld! 6 si ck ee eee eee ee ee eee 120 square miles. RMR! Ne eiwteiccew as: Vic. Sh oi as" 6: 80a) 6 cereie. 0»: 0) oe rr 350 square miles. DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES. 67 While the outlines given above embrace the great ore belt within the county, there are a few small deposits lying beyond them. On the east, along the “breaks” cf Beach Creek, on the Samuel Burn- ham headright, a deposit of a dark blue geode or nodular concretionary ore occurs. Toward the southeast of the county, on the James Davenport and John H. Rives headrights, as well as in numerous places along the banks of Frazier’s Creek in the same part of the county, there are many outcrops of a siliceous ore much mixed with a ferruginous sandstone. A small hill of the same class of ore is also found in the southeast quarter of the John Watson headright, about three miles east of the Kildare station, on the Texas and Pacific Railway. In the northern and western portions of the county ore also occurs in iso- lated patches. The chief of these deposits are those of Lambert's Ridge, on _the Wm. Lambert headright, the deposit on the Cusseta Mountains near Cusseta Postoffice, and those on the Cynthia Latimer and John Styles head- rights.* Throughout other portions of the county which have been designated as non-producing ore regions small scattered outcroppings of iron ore are occa- sionally met with. These outcroppings are occasionally seen in the banks of the streams flowing through the region, but more frequently in the form of isolated bowlders and nodules upon the sides of the sand hills, or as a thin covering of gravel and ore pebbles covering the tops of the higher hills. . Whatever ores may be found within the boundaries of Cass County of suf- ficient economic importance or value to work will be obtained within the limits of the area above defined. TOPOGRAPHY OF THE ORE REGION. The topography of the principal ore bearing district of Cass County may be described shortly as a series of long ridges, having an elevation of from fifty to eighty feet above the lower or second bottom lands of the eastern por- tion of the county, and having a general elevation of from five hundred to five hundred and eighty feet above the level of the mean tide in the Gulf of Mexico. These ridges have in the main their long axes extending in a northeast and southwest direction. This, however, is not exclusively the case, as many of the larger ones have lateral branches or spurs extending at right angles, or nearly so, from the main body; that is, in a northwest and southeast direction. These ridges are generally, indeed, in nearly every instance, divided from each other by steep-sided, narrow, deep ravines, the bottoms of which are * The ore in these ridges was examined by Mr, A. G. Taff. 12—geol, 68 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. usually occupied by narrow streams, fed by the numerous springs found everywhere along the sides of the ridges. Wherever ore occurs upon the top of a ridge broken masses and fragments are found profusely scattered along the sides, giving to the casual observer the impression that the whole of the ridge, or at least the greater part of it, is composed of ore. It is only when the observer gets down into the stream at the bottom of the ridge that the covering of ore is seen to be superficial. In the perpendicular, lately formed walls enclosing the stream the beds of sand forming the main portion of the ridge are seen. Where trees growing upon the sides of the ridges have been blown over and uprooted, the actual thickness of the ore covering is also disclosed. In some of the ridges thin seams of a laminated ore occur at depths vary- ing from twenty to forty feet, or even more, from the top of the ridge. Where those seams occur the hills invariably present a terraced appearance. . This appears to be due to the protecting influence of the ore bed exerted in favor of the underlying sands. The upper sandy division is generally com- posed of a light colored, loose, unstratified sand, which erodes more rapidly than the lower division of stratified clayey sands, even where not protected by a lower bed of laminated ore. This terraced condition, however, does not appear to be altogether the re- sult of an underlying seam of ore. It appears in many places in which the lower bed of ore is absent, and it has been noticed in places where even the surface or upper bed is also wanting. The structure of the hill has some- thing to do with the formation of these terraces. In the places where they occur with only the single upper bed of ore the side of the hill often presents the appearance of having a second bed outcropping at the terrace. The broken condition of the surface bed of ore presents but little protection to the immediately underlying loose and incoherent sand, and this sand being easier eroded than the underlying stratified beds, in a short time wears off and leaves the stratified material in the form of aterrace. The ore being thus deprived of its support falls down upon the terrace, and thus forms a belt of ore along the hillside which might be readily looked upon as an outcrop- ping of a second ore deposit. Some of these terraces may be attributed to land slides, due to the under- mining of the upper beds by the washing away ofthe lower division of strati- fied sands, or to an underground drainage attacking the cinnamon-brown and white sands which appear occasionally as underlying the stratified red and white and mottled unstratified sands. These occurrences may have taken place, but they are certainly very rare, and do not appear to be a very promi- nent factor in the production of the numerous terraces skirting the ridges throughout the portion of Cass County under consideration. 2 DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES. 69 While the want of a good topographical map of the region of course pre- cludes a definite answer to the question, there is a considerable quantity of negative evidence, all of which goes far toward proving not only that these benches are not due to the action of sea or lake, but, on the contrary, that they are due chiefly to causes at present actively engaged in the work. 1. There are no large streams, except Sulphur Fork, within the limits of the region, and there are no evidences of any stream or river or any drainage system older than the present, unless we assume the broken and eroded con- dition of the iower stratified red and white sands with their accompanying un- stratified deposits of mottled sand to be due to the action of sub-aerial streams before the upper beds of brown and yellow unstratified sands were deposited, and even in that case the drainage system of the time of the deposition of the stratified beds must have been in the same general direction and position as that of the present. , 2. Thestreams within the district are all modern in their aspect, even where they pass through the level lands or second bottoms near the Sulphur Fork on the north, or through the flat wooded region to the east and southeast. Throughout the lower level lands in these regions there are, however, numer- ous evidences of the want of stability of these streams in the matter of chan- nels. There is scarcely one of them that has not changed its course within a very recent period. In nearly every bend there is a chain of ponds or sloughs connected with dry, shallow channels, giving unmistakable evidence of a change of stream bed. The present course of the Sulphur Fork, the largest stream in the district, turns sharply to the north at the southwest corner of the C. Johnson survey, and continues that course in a general way as far as the northwest corner of the J. S. Jackson survey, where it resumes its gener- ally eastern course. Between the Johnson land and the James Wilson sur- vey, about five miles east of the place where the river turns east, there is a chain of deep pools, ranging from one hundred to three hundred yards in length and connected by a series of dry or shallow marshy channels. These pools, with their connections, run in a northeasterly course and indicate a change in the course of the river of over three miles at its greatest extent. This old channel is still used occasionally for lumbering purposes, and saves many miles of rafting. 3. The benches are not uniform in their levels for any distance, nor are the benches where they appear upon both sides of the ravine of the same altitude, the one on the southern side of the stream being usually lower than the north- ern, this difference depending upon the width and direction of the stream bed. The upper surface of the stratified beds generally indicate the elevation of the local bench when it exists, and the difference of altitude between the two sides of a ravine is due to the dip of these beds, This is, however, not always (Cie > THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. the case, aS in some instances where beds of ore exist these beds have pro- tected the underlying unstratified material from the rapid erosion to which the overlying sands have been subjected, and in this way have formed benches. These are, as a rule, nearer the tcp of the hill, and form a second series. 4. The rainfall of the district is peculiarly adapted to rapid erosion. Dur- ing the summer months the rainfall is light. The summer rains are generally thunder showers, filling the stream beds with torrents while they last. Pre- viously to the advent of the storm the surface sand is light and dry, filling the air with a fine dust. The torrent readily washes this sand down from the hillsides and carries it off to settle in the lower reaches of the stream channel, or, as in the winter and spring, to be deposited over the great extent of territory at that time under water. An illustration of the rapidity of ero- sion in this region may be obtained on the east side of the A. D. Duncan headright, near Mr. J. M. Lockett’s house. The section is as follows: White sandy Soils inin inc s20 aise ow stceie: eetemeruain ticcsetoke ore carey eneret Ruch Eee 1 foot. Dark bluish sands ss oi0i5 os. «'s.aetels: ote weietebetnte, asts aloo -/c? ete shake teye Lene mene 4 feet. Yellowish-browm: Sands oi... Js.))5:ic osha Geers oe care rote soe ageless eo 12 feet. Coneretionary bed of fine quartzite, ... ay. akete es ici sie hg eee ee lee 4 inches. Black clay; «ssc icm-srewG” ots se aa gb ete nee oie Malate a ie wet ea cone eee 6 feet. 274 feet. The stream has worn away the upper seventeen feet for over two hundred yards in advance of the quartzite, and within the last ten years has cut a channel one hundred feet long, forty feet wide, and seventeen feet deep; or two thousand five hundred cubic ‘yards of sand have been removed by a stream which is without water at some seasons of the year. During the winter and spring months the rainfall is comparatively heavy, and is also much steadier than during the summer. No statistics of temperature or rainfall are kept within the county, and no reliable information can be given upon the subject. PTRATIGBAPEY: Sections taken at numerous places throughout the county show a compara- tively uniform sequence of the different deposits occupying the region. These may be divided into two divisions. Ist. An upper unstratified deposit of sand containing in some places beds or deposits of nodular concretionary iron ore, and occasionally thin beds of laminated iron ore. These sands are mostly of a light gray color, but change to a yellow, brown, and red. In thickness they vary considerably, ranging from four to eighty or one hundred feet. In texture they vary from a light. soft dust to a hard, DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES. A compact mass. Where exposed on the tops and sides of ridges they are easily transported by the wind or rain, but lower down towards the bottom of the section these sands become hard and firm and have the consistency of a soft stone. | 2d. A lower division consisting of stratified, and in many places unstrati- ified, sands, sandy clays, and clays. The stratified sands usually appear as thinly laminated material, having alternate lamine of red or yellow and-.white sand. Occasionally the white lamine consist largely of a white sandy clay. These lamine are from a quar- ter of an inch to half an inch in thickness. This deposit is always found un- derlying the laminated ore, and when the ore is absent it is usually covered by a thin stratum of ferruginous sandstone. This covering rarely exceeds one or two inches in thickness. Closely associated with these stratified beds, and occupying the same hori- zon, are deposits of unstratified mottled white and red sands—the red ap- pearing as red blotches or spots upon the face of the white. The stratified sands are much broken, having been cut through by erosion, and where this has taken place the mottled sands appear between the ends of the beds and the eroded portion, forming, as it were, a cushion between the broken ends and the water. These mottled sands have the same texture as the stratified beds, and have the appearance of having originated from the destruction or disintegration of the stratified material. The following sec- tion will give an idea of the relations between these two deposits: Fig. 3. a, Overlying unstratified yellow sand. b, Thin deposit of laminated iron ore or ferruginous sandstone. ec, Stratified red and white sand. 4d, Mottled unstratified sand. The thickness of this deposit varies in Cifferent localities. The total thick- ness seen in the neighborhood of Queen City is about seventy feet. In the cutting of the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway near Hughes’ Springs it shows a thickness of only twelve feet. The next underlying bed appears to be a brown sand in some localities, and so far as can be seen has no regular stratification, but is cross-bedded and twisted in every direction. In the cutting at Hughes’ Springs the deposit underlying the red and white stratified sand is a black clay, thinly laminated with partings of dark gray sand and containing occasional bowlders of concretionary iron ore. fip2 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. The following sections show as far as can be ascertained the structure of Cass County: 1. Alamo section. Elevation above sea level 239 feet. i Sand and Clay «0.0.26 S eerie ee 6 ects ole) eee eee eee ene 26 feet. Paw GRAY (CLAY... ..2..7./.)0. 6 ated eae kes joven >» Cis iecelees ate het Eee ene ge eee Bes A 23 feet. 3. Lignite, black -and glossy..7).. >. 2... .¢.-0 “one Eee ree .... 1 foot 8 inches. AL MGEBY SAIC. 0. ca e's, crite qiaze eicuee steel, sieso aeiei oe) Sane mean eae ener 2 feet. 6. Hard sandy clay oo.i6c ci. e ig oe co vie's 0 54 Gen Rn eRe nee ene 9 feet. GC Dignite oc. ae celine. cable oe caiee wie 4.5 56 ceeepe yee earn ne eae 4 feet 2 inches. 2. Springdale section. Elevation 370 feet. 1, Brown Sand). ioc). :esieiciere 2) «wise, Sas 2 8 neue ee cee ese oye 40 feet. (?) 2. Yellow stratified sand with black partings ‘seen .2 o0).. 2 s6' Peer 10 feet. 3. Section half a mile north of Queen City. Rlevaeen 384 feet. 1. Gravelly ore and broken pieces of nodular ore, sandstone, and sand... 5 feet. 2... Laminated ‘ore’... 2.5 pei lates mt ol srelnisielel eae ses reer eee Set ee eee 4 feet. Stratified white and red sand, with white sandy clay................ 65 feet. . Brown sand, with clay mixed at various sepihe Vet d Wh okie eee .. 25 feet. 5, Dignite.... sisdys sea) Gotehw a inoue sie ie nape erate nr «olor elena meget eee areca 1 foot 6 inches. 4. Section on eomtneee corner of M. Spell headright. Elevation about 370 feet. L Rediclay.s-s:.. = 2:5:cud. acc tsmreveleverea ys emote erates fete cree ache re tea ee 10 feet. 2. (Bard white sand: .cn.e ee ee eek one Beech 10 feet. 3. Blackish-gray sand with pyrities>....< 22 .s< « pile aye & alec ele 8 ejene ie 1 She Ene IEE eee Prsecen We ise) The elevation of this well is about 300 feet. 8. Section at A. Duncan headright. Elevation about 350 feet. ’ Section at A. Duncan Headright. DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES. 73 ee SREP REORGOM rerereta ete ana i0e ores. cer ieieisies crk[ts cle le Sit aptiasie ele ete. eco d/autie ee 1 foot. Pre ERMA ENEC OE SUUIT Cla ye ye SAN er soe ath cept, Wuye See wlclevicitle wieleeitl's ss.ase se ese 15 feet. 3. Yellow sand streaked with white near bottom of 20D hom Oo Gann OOOO ame 30 feet. Pama VY LGR SAME ste sels careers, Geshe ieee © eves ga AE ihc oe a ied atragouls GAs a¥e' ai soho 0-26)'6 6 feet. Ds LELAGIR CIES TSS Te G65 Se GO oe Une IR I DOS ten aE 3 feet. 6. White sandy clay, changing into a white and ee white and orange sand.. 10 feet. PEGE AMECSICSCONG tS tte ae ld cos walea Nees ss) wilice eh ceece ge eee Pee 2 nehes: Sere MNCHECOUS. SANGye CLAY) S28. foes cciate chante Salers eit Weis soe es eihve's alle So 6 feet. A well on the same headright half a mile south gives 1 PIS UG S00) 1 AN eee ae RPE Merten et opel etareelatel sits atulars, off Gre? 6 1 foot. i AUELT UI SISEIIG IR a aol c, SIT ane PRON RRS Ue uae ee nH Pe ves « 16 feet. seeeicek clay containing nodules Of iron’ PyTitesiy 2 eh Says eke erciens he ssc Wlelelew eu a's 25 feet. d WGLONTISTITGISE AS See ex Bele eo aire Semesir ge oe ry Ui Sn Aare rare Com neon a A a 4 feet. Between these two sections there appears a deposit of the stratified red and white sand in a position where it appears to take the place of No. 6 of the first of these two sections, and probably a portion of No. 8. A bed of clay ironstone appears on the top of the stratified sands. Another section in a stream about half a mile east of this gives the follow- ing: 1. Surface soil, a drab or yellowish gray sand............. AONE USSR Ae ta 1 foot. PMD AE eae PUES RAIN 2a, fa7aho: ola 2) aus che) alol sd) wisielerohs 2s a eerste ae Nato ls ot eleva sich ens 4 feet. ea Me MALIPST I IEC WVAUR SATION oro. cia clays cross ters. e\sisis'aies. 4S 4 alepape eel esete, sii vie Weiaibie a a 12 feet 4. Fine grained quartzite, having the appearance of a bed of nodules cemented to- BECNET 8 ote ojatraalelaicpor a's 4 6 Lhe ech en co PIO iol aOR ae UAL Eee 4 inches. 5. Black laminated micaceous clay, in every respect similar to No. 8 of above sec- C3 See ge Sa a ATL Ss tae Ure ere tae eee h oars Chibi St cna, Avoleetianateys 6 feet. Passing to the western side of the county, we find the section at Hughes’ Springs to be a succession of brown unstratified sands, stratified red and white sands, and black clays. Section at cut on Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway, three miles west of Hughes’ Springs. Elevation, 409 feet. 1. -Red ferruginous sandy soil, with thinly bedded iron ore and ferruginous BANGSLOMCS fo vs!) b 07 © PRO evs he Meee Ee ota cA eet dle ttonel ane) ay ahurcer siaiiovs) 10. feet. 2. Stratified brown and white sands, with a broken bed or pavement of nodu- wu Ore Near centre of bed; ore, foot thick 0... to... oe el ee ele 4 to 6 feet. 3. Black laminated sandy clay, containing rounded bowlders of ore and sand- stone and showing efflorescence of pale yellow...........2-seeeeee- 8 feet. A well on the Joseph Burleson headright, about a mile and a half east of Hughes’ Springs, gives the following: 1. Conglomerate and nodular iron ore with red sand .... .........00000- 12 feet. 2. Black earth, a thinly laminated sand and sandy clay with small patches of white sand and nodules of yellow ochreous matter in lower division. 15 feet. 2 FIASIU ote Dod See ee 14 to 2 feet. PED RIMECEOAMEM LOTS ALOK 98 ys 5 sls WALI «bic old caves cieleien a e:h.s weld eteae 6 feet. 35 feet. 74 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS, The elevation of the mouth of this well is about 440* feet above sea level. Other sections from pits and wells in the neighborhood show the same suc- cession of strata, but with varying thicknesses. GENERAL SECTION. A completed section of the strata of Cass County appears to be, from all the information obtainable, as follows: Yellow, brown, and red or orange sands, unstratified and irregularly laid down, containing nodular concretionary ore deposits and beds of laminated ore and fer- TUGIMOUS SANASTONES ..6. cick. ee Selec eee alee els eV elch cee eRe oe ee neon 200 feet. Iron ore, mostly laminated, and accompanying sandstones .................26. 10 feet. - Stratified and unstratified red and white and mottled sands, black, yellow, and red clays, and sandy clays, and occasional deposits of lignites......... ......0. 183 feet. 393 feet. IRON ORES. The ore beds or deposits of Cass County are generally in the form of ag- gregations of bowlders and nodules. The conglomerate ores are usually in large irregularly shaped or rough rectangular blocks. The geode, or nodular, concretionary ores, have various forms, usually rounded, oval, or lenticular. There are, with the exception of some small deposits of laminated ore, no con- tinuously bedded ores within the county. The geode, or nodular, ores fre- quently lie upon the same plane, and are so closely packed together as to give them the appearance of a continuous bed. TuicknEess.—In thickness these deposits vary from a few inches to a maxi- mum of ten feet. This maximum, however, occurs in very few places, and even then it is generally broken by the intermixture of thin beds of a white or yellowish colored sand. In the western division the heaviest deposits found have thicknesses of from six to ten feet. Near Hughes’ Springs a well on the Burleson headright shows an iron deposit twelve feet thick. In this well the ore is mixed with a yellow colored ferruginous sand. On the E. West headright a well passed through four or five feet of ore. To the north of Hughes’ Springs a well on the Burris headright shows ten feet of ore mixed with yellow ferruginous sand. Several old pits dug in the neighborhood of Hughes’ Springs show the ferruginous ores to be four feet thick. In the railway cutting, three miles west of Hughes Springs Station, the ore has a thickness of ten feet. Here it is also much mixed with brown sand. Near Avinger, on the Andrew J. Fowler headright, a siliceous ore four feet thick underlies a yellow sand having a thickness of two feet. *The altitude of Hughes’ Springs Station, on the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway, is 379 feet above the level of the mean tide of the Gulf of Mexico, and these levels are from baro- metric readings, having 379 feet as their base. ° DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES. 75 Crossing Black Cypress Bayou, to the south side of the Gideon Storey _ headright, the ore deposits appear in the bluffs to attain a maximum thick- ness of ten feet. It has the same thickness of ten feet on the east side of the George Davidson headright. Old pits dug at various places east of the Davidson headright, on the Gideon Storey and headright lying south, do not not show this thickness, however. In these pits the ore, so far as could be seen, is not more than five feet. In the southern part of the county, on the Ambrosi Douthet, Santiago Tos- cano, John Kettrel, and William Crain surveys, pits dug by prospectors show the iron deposits of this region to have at least a thickness of four to five feet. On the northwest corner of the Lavinia Mornen survey a well thirty feet deep passed through ore four feet and then alternate beds of sand and ore to twenty feet. In the same region, at Mr. Renaud’s, on section No. 20, Cass County school lands, two wells having depths of fifty-five and sixty-five feet respectively, after passing through the surface ore deposit of four feet, gave thin streaks and nodules of ore mixed with sand to a depth of fifty feet. The thickness of the ore in this region may be taken as four feet. In some places it may be somewhat more. The thin seams of ores found in the wells _ are generally separated from each other by deposits of sand varying from four to six feet. Near Atlanta, on the west side of the Jane Richee headright, an iron mine recently opened by the Lone Star Furnace Company, of Jefferson, has been dug four feet deep. This, however, does not reach the bottom of the deposit. Trial pits dug further down the hill show outcroppings of a laminated ore. The whole thickness here, including laminated and nodular ore, may be taken as having attained the maximum thickness of ten feet. On the west side of the J. B. Mix headright the ore deposits show a thickness of from three to four feet. On the Horatio Cunningham survey the same thickness is ob- served. . To the east of the Texas and Pacific Railway, and about two miles north by east of Queen City, on the south side of the Albert Emmanuel land, as well as the west side of the D. W. Gilbert survey, the conglomerate ores are found to be about five feet thick, witha probability of being more. ‘This ore is broken into large rudely quadrangular blocks, many of them showing a thickness of over four feet. These blocks rest upon others, but to what ex- tent or thickness it is impossible to say. No excavations have ever been made. About a mile southwest of this deposit, on the M. L. Ware headright, a well was dug showing five or six feet of a broken ferruginous sandstone and nodular ore. Several miles further east blocks measuring from eighteen inches to two feet have been found, but not extensively. On the east side of 76 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS, the Jesse B. Bowman and J. C. Durham headrights the conglomerate bowl- ders average eighteen inches. Near Springdale, on the James Horton, Rachel P. Moore, N. Rhea, Amanda Haygood, Memphis and El Paso Railway, W. de Woody, Wm. Kolb, and J. T. Wood surveys the ore averages four feet in thickness. ‘The ore deposits on the Memphis and EH] Paso Railway and James Horton tracts exceed this in places. . On the southeast corner of the Samuel Harrison headright, on the farm of Matthew Powell, a deposit of conglomerate ore shows blocks measuring over two feet in thickness. These blocks are tilted and lie upon the side of a hill. The deposit here is probably over four feet in thickness. CHARACTER OF OrES.—The iron ores found in Cass County may be divided into the three grades or classes adopted by Dr. Penrose. Ist, laminated ore; 2d, geode or nodular concretionary ore; and 3d, conglomerate ore. The distribution of these ores is such that, with the exception of the con- glomerate ore deposits, no separate localities can be stated to contain exclu- sively any special class. Laminated, geode, and even conglomerate are gen- erally found together and commingled to such an extent that it would be im- possible to separate them. In the description of the separate ores, under each heading a few of the places where the particuiar class of ore under consider- ation forms the most prominent ore is given. These are not the only places where such ore is to be found, but rather the places in which it forms the largest proportion of the ore found in the locality. I. LAMINATED ORE. The heavy deposits of laminated iron ore found in the counties to the south of Cass appear to thin out toward the north, and in Cass County this class of ore is found usually in a fragmentary condition scattered amongst the other ores and ferruginous sandstones of the district. It is also found in thin seams or strata at various depths. Where it is bedded it is generally, if not always, overlaid by a thin stratum of soft sandstone, and by heavy deposits of unstratified yellow or orange-colored sand. In many places it is also un- derlaid by sands of a similar color and texture, but the greater extent of the beds of laminated ore immediately overlies the heavy deposits of stratified white and red sand, or their equivalent in the form of a mottled red and white unstratified clayey sand having a texture of the same quality as the strati- fied beds. The overlying unstratified sands vary considerably in their thick- ness, ranging from four feet to thirty feet, and the underlying ore appears to have a somewhat similar variability as to thickness, it being a kind of a gen- eral condition that the thicker the sand deposit the thinner the ore, and in many of the very deep beds the ore deposit is wanting. The laminated ores of Cass occur in thin lamine of a dark brown or chest- DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES. fai nut color, interstratified with similar laminez of a bright orange or yellow. These lamine rarely exceed a quarter of an inch in thickness. The ore also occurs as a massive ore of irregular thickness and associated with a thin overlying stratum of sandstone. It is also found in pieces formed of small cuboidal blocks intermixed with clay, and of such a character as to readily crumble or fall to pieces. This last condition of the ore is not very plentiful in Cass County. Occasional outcrops of this ore are found in the cuttings along the line of the Texas and Pacific Railway from near Springdale to Kildare, a distance of twenty miles. Laminated ore is also found in wells throughout the part of the county lying west of the railway. In a cutting about a mile north of the Queen City station a deposit of laminated ore about four feet thick occurs. It is here composed of thin strata, averaging about one-fourth of an inch in thickness and alternately dark chestnut-brown and bright orange in color. The following is a section of the cutting: 1. Surface ferruginous gravel and orange-colored sand................. 5 feet. Pome WEret CUEAENIEH OF SONG SAMCSTOMES:. 0504 5.6 sic 3 ars o-6) 9) oreo leersnah oie ejans, aa iment’ 3 inches. 3. Laminated ore in alternate laminze of dark chestnut- prog and orange TELLGIN? “Saeco 4 feet. 4. Stratified white and red clayey sand (total thickness not seen)........ 3 feet 12 feet 3 inches. On the hill constituting the Berry Crawford iron mine, on the west side of the Jane Richee headright, about a mile north of Atlanta, a broken bed of massive laminated ore two feet thick lies immediately under three feet of nodular ore. This class of ore also constitutes the greater portion of the ore deposit found on the southwest corner of the J. B. Mix headright and east side of the northern portion of the P. M. Keeton headright. In both of these places it is in massive blocks, broken and tilted on edge and having the appearance of being the outcrop of a bed extending east to the Berry Craw- ford mine and northward through the Mix survey. Black Bayou runs along the west side of this hill, and, as the underlying material is a sand, there is every probability that the breaking and tilting of these blocks may be due to the erosion of the underiying sand by the water of the bayou and the break- ing of the unsupported ore bed. Extending northward from this place the same class, and probably the same bed, of ore is found on the A. Birmingham and Horatio Cunningham headrights. On the east side of the hill, on the M. 8. Mullens headright, laminated ore occurs. It is also found further to the west, on the Widow Powell’s farm, on the R. M. Burton headright, and northward on the south- east of the Dickson Dyer, EH. C. Simons, Elisha Baty, Josiah Massie, James Batey, and John B. Denton headrights. é 78 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. The upper surface of this area is for the most part covered by a heavy deposit of yellow sand, and the ore deposit lies exposed at various places along the breaks and small streams in the district. The ore is, as usual, overlaid by a thin stratum of sandstone, which is in turn overlaid by these deposits of unstratified yellow sand. This sand is about ten feet in thick- ness over the greater part of the area, but in several places on the Douglas- ville and Atlanta road it rises in hills of over fifty feet.. A section of the hill on the east Josiah Massie gives the following: 1. Yellow sand (unstratified).. ©./.......7. wage oe ele A RRR Sie ee a 10 feet. 2. Ferruginous sandstone and laminated ore, showing twelve feet on slope of hill and forming a bench, :. 2. 4 see 0222 wig aioe eos tte ee 4 feet. 3.. Brownish-yellow sand to foot of hill.......... 52. ..j.02 us oe eee 20 feet. This same class of ore is also found on the Squire Frazier headright. Northeasterly from this place, and on the James Clements headright, an outcrop of the thin laminated chestnut brown and yellow ore is seen in a cut- ting in an old wagon road along the side of a ridge, near Mrs. Rodgers’ house, where it presents a section of 1. Ferruginous gravel, with nodules of ore and yellow sand................... 12 feet. 2. ._ Thinly laminated chestnut and yellow ore .....-...-+.0%- <6. sues ante 14 feet. 3. Brown sand (thickness not seen).. 020.2 sere ae es en eee woes) 22 get 154 feet. Ferruginous sandstones and thinly bedded but much broken laminated ore occur in the northeastern part of the county. On the Nic. Edgar headright, west side of the Daniel McKinney and north side of the Buffalo Bayou and Colorado Railroad Company’s surveys, laminated ore in a fragmentary condi- tion occurs. In this district it les close to the tops of the hills, and in some places forms the cap. This ore is underlaid by an orange colored sand. In the central part of the county laminated ore occurs in the vicinity of Linden. It is seen in thin beds on the south side of the town, and on the northeast corner of the Matthew Powell headright, a little over a mile north of Linden, it has a thickness of ten or twelve inches and is overlaid by a de- posit of yellow sand, which, half a mile southwest, has a thickness of over thirty feet. In the region containing the Lavinia Mornen survey Cass County school lands, J. N. Jackson, and associated small surveys, laminated ore occurs not only near the surface, but also in small seams or beds at various depths from twelve to sixty feet. With the exception of a few spots of several acres each, the country is covered by a light yellow unstratified sand. Where the ore occurs upon the surface it consists of nodular concretionary ore with a good quality of laminated ore in a broken and fragmentary condition. The wells throughout the region show the underlying beds of laminated ore to be very ee DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES. 79 thin, not exceeding three inches, and to lie enclosed in a yellow sand. In some parts of this region the yellow sand attains a thickness of over forty feet. Where this thick deposit of sand occurs ore is generally absent or ex- ists in the form of a thin gravelly covering lying upon the tops of the ridges. In the western part of the county the laminated ore deposits are not, as a general thing, very thick. On the upper R. Cornelius survey, according to Mr. Taff’s observations, there is a bed having an average thickness of two feet. This bed is disclosed at a depth of fifteen feet in a well boring. On the A. J. Fowler headright another well gives the following section: “a ETQA PE Serta TS En a 2. cn SUR ES RE Oa De oe Oe re ee Pet eer Tae 2 feet. UT Los eetinnGed Sree se Geass Bee ena > eta eee at enn rt Oa ee 4 feet. 2. WELLS ERIN S - ole Ais aay 5 Coes mee elle Mar OA Sint eT on en 26 feet. ce LELS.SIE (SPE De Pe Shey et ae eR Oo ee ea RA ete un UNO Pee RR ee 3 feet. 35 feet. On the same survey this same bed of laminated ore occurs in a cutting on the side of an old road. In this place the section is: PRS BL a ig Vee os feo oe S5O) SS Siw tall We Nellore auereielalord, s wiags Nii ace 4. feet, 2. Laminated ore and arenes ean detonot: sons a nba ete NAS TOOL: 3. Orange yellow clay and sand or clayey sand ards as a eof sandstone Saas tareca 6 In the region extending from Avinger to Hughes’ Springs small deposits of laminated ore occur associated with an orange-yellow clayey sand. These deposits overlie and are in direct contact with the orange sand. This same class of ore crops out at various places in the hills on the banks of Turkey Creek, in the Joseph Burleson, Larkin Martin, and W. M. Burrets headrights. It also occurs on the EK. A. Merchant headright. About three miles west of Hughes’ Springs, on the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway, laminated ore occurs, thinly bedded and lying among red ferruginous sand and thinly bedded sandstones. This deposit, sand, sand- stone, and ore, is ten feet thick, and directly overlies the laminated red and white clayey sands found underlying so great an extent of the county. On the Evan Watson, Jarius Berry, Gideon Story, George W. Davidson, and several other headrights laminated ores occur in varying quantities. TABLE SHOWING ANALYSES OF LAMINATED IRON ORES FROM CASS COUNTY, TEXAS. 1S) : a ° hs 2S ae Ba 4 ee | ae 2 a % es oe ee | 8 ge | es |g | 3 ESE NG en leeeille MeN aa See ee = aS = a ae 5004 De ee ley [A acs (seston oped i, epnillsis Cele Ri oe renee 34.71 BOLE (EY oo 2. vars a SONS Ts a2. 0.89] 0.11/19.04/13.68 0.27|100.959/39.13 SUAS ee acl LL Bl wee 0.23} 0.57/21.12/12.64, 0.27/100.06 |37.34 ld eee '53.0615.76]......, 0.44) Trace. |18.00/13.06 0.18/100 50 |37.14 AE 0s OLS GL14: 99). / ua | 0.11] 0.47) 7 28)14.46) 0.98] 99.90 |43.13 MaRS Aa Si pads Sigh « oi dhe 43.7510. 05 Trace. 0.40] 0.51/35.80| 9.40 Trace.| 99.91 |30.32 RBM rp inae sreebci ds 62.33).....)...... Lape 0773513000)... .| | Trace} |....... 43.63 Analyses: {P. 8. Tilson. {L. E. Magnenat. #J.H. Herndon. (T) Collected by Mr. re G. Taff. 80 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS: Localities. 500. Six miles north of Linden, near Charles Tapp survey. 504. James W. Old’s survey, five miles north of Linden. 507. Half a mile northwest of Cusseta Postoffice. 508. John Styles headright, north of Cusseta Postoffice. 509. Cusseta Hill, on Crawford & Sanche’s headright. 722. Widow Rogers’ farm, James Clements headright, on Knight’s Bluff road. 731. Near center of A. Emanuel survey, near Queen City. 2. GEODE, OR NODULAR CONCRETIONARY, ORE. This ore is different from the laminated ore in its mode of occurrence and form. Itis usually found in Cass County, forming the capping of the sharper ridges, and in patches where the elevation of the plateau regions rise some- what higher than the surrounding general level. In common with the lam1- nated ore and sandstones, it also occurs on the tops of many of the benches along the sides of the numerous ridges. Among the yellow unstratified sands forming the upper beds of the region it appears in the shape of a pavement, or loosely bedded. Geode, or nodular concretionary, ore occurs in the form of irregularly rounded nodules or concretions of varying sizes, ranging from two to eigh- teen inches and even two feet in diameter. It»is also found in flattened oval disk-shaped concretions. Many of these nodules are broken and fragment- ary, and lie scattered in cup-shaped pieces along the tops and sides of the ridges. In structure, these nodules are generally formed of concentric rings lying around a solid central nodule of brown or yellow ochre. Some few are hollow, but the greatest proportion have the central space filled with a white or yellow sand of a similar texture to the sand amongst which these nodules lie. In the flattened oval and many of the rounded nodules the central cavity is filled by folds of ore of the same nature and formed from the inner con- centric rings or divisions of the nodules. The outer appearance of these concretions is of a rusty brown, while the interior rings are formed alternately of a dark chestnut and bright orange. The orange partings are generally of an ochre or clay and are very thin, while the chestnut colored ones range from half an inch to one inch in thick- ness. The inner coating is frequently of a rich glossy black color. In many of the nodules the chestnut color of the concentric rings is replaced by a dark steel blue. This is especially the case with nodules lying along the banks of the small streams in the lower ground in the eastern and southeastern por- tions of the county. Nodular concretionary ore occurs extensively throughout Cass county. It is probably more extensive than either of the other classes of ore found in the region. It is not confined alone to the higher grounds, but also occurs in DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES. 81 many places throughout the lower eastern portions of the county, where it forms the great proportion of the ore. An extensive deposit occurs along the banks of the Little Beach Creek, on the Samuel Burnham and James Harris headrights, about four miles west of the Arkansas State line. In this deposit the nodules average about ten inches in diameter, and when broken present a steel blue appearance. The deposit lies in a loosely bedded form over the headrights named, and appears to have a thickness of about two feet, and is overlaid by a light yellow sand, averaging from one to ten feet in thickness. Above the ore deposit there lies a broken fragmentary bed of ferruginous sandstone. i Scattered over the Jane Richee headright deposits of nodular ore of vary- ing thicknesses occur. On the road from Atlanta to Queen City the deposit is only a few inches thick and lies upon the stratified white and red sands. In the hills at Berry Crawford’s mine this ore has a thickness of three feet. This ore has been mined by the Lone Star Furnace Company, of Jefferson. Northward from Atlanta nodular ore is found thinly scattered over the greater part of the Willis Pitman, Jane Richee, James Clements, Samuel Harrison, and a part of the Horatio Cunningham headrights. On the Willis Pitman and Jane Richee headrights the ore is covered by a deposit of yellow sand. On the Horatio Cunningham and other headrights it lies mostly upon the surface in a broken condition. Northward, along the line of the Texas and Pacific Railway to near Springdale, the surface ot the higher ground is strewn with fragments of this ore. Beginning near Springdale and extending in a northwesterly direction, a ridge of ore and sand with its spurs embraces the greater parts of the James Horton, Memphis, El Paso and Pacific Railway, A. Goodman, William Kolb, W. de Woody, James T. Wood, Howard Reames, and P. Hall headrights, and the southern half of the John Myers survey. This ridge throughout its greatest extent is covered by a compact ore and gravel associated with a fer- ruginous sandstone. The P. Hall headright and part of the Cannon Smith headrights have a covering of yellow sand varying from one to ten feet deep overlying the ore. Fragments of laminated and conglomerate ores occur through this ridge, but the nodular concretionary ore forms the greater pro- portion. The ore in this region is a little over four feet in thickness, and is underlaid by a red clayey sand. In the central portion of the ore region of the county nodular ore occurs intermixed with light yellow-colored sand. On the Cass County school land, near Mr. Renaud’s house, this ore lies upon the surface, and is also found in his well several feet in thickness. At W. R. Brown’s house, on the same land, the nodular ore forms the surface, and occurred in a well fifty feet deep all the way down to the depth of thirty feet. Between these two pl ces, a 82 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. distance of about two miles, the surface of the country is covered with yellow sand having a thickness of about two feet. Nodular ore appears to underlie this sand and crops out on the sides of the hills. In some places it lies scat- tered over a space of fifteen or twenty feet and forms a belt along the side of the ridge. On the Lavinia Mornen land and on the Martha Ingram head- right ore deposits are seen cropping out from beneath a heavy deposit of the same white sand. Similar outcrops are also found upon the banks of several small brooks on the Willis Hester and William Gilbert headrights. The ore deposits on the Ingram, Hester, and Gilbert headrights are very small and of no practical value. ; On the George 8S. Young headright nodular ore extends over the lands oc- cupied by A. Goodman and D. D. Dodd. as well as several other small patches on the same headright. The greatest development of nodular ore occurs in the western portion of the county. In this region many of the concretions reach a diameter of from one and a half to two feet. On the southwest of the M. L. Ware, south side of the Gideon Story, Louis Strong, Fisher and Miller, James Allen, and George W. Davidson, as well as several other surveys in the same neighbor- hood, great masses of this ore lie upon the surface of the ground, covering the sides and tops of the ridges, and overlie stratified red and white sandy clay. From this ridge these ore masses extend to the Cypress bottom. On the west side of the Cypress, nodular ore is found on the W. P. Dickson and other headrights west to the Morris County line. In the southern part of this district this ore occurs on the O. H. King and D. H. Edmondson and surveys east to the Andrew J. Fowler headright. It is also found on the James Coffee, William Hutchinson, and other headrights lying upon the higher grounds between Cypress Creek and its tributary streams. On the John Kettrell headright and several small surveys lying to the west as far as the Cypress; on the south side of the A. D. Duncan, north of the Ket- trell survey; on the W. H. Crain, Santiago Toscano, and northern part of the Ambrosi Douthet headrights, concretionary nodular ore associated with a fer- ruginous sandstone occurs, mixed with an orange colored sand. The ore in this region is over four feet thick. Small quantities of nodular ore also occur on the south side of the H. J. Story and Evan Watson headrights. It also occurs in small deposits through- out the county, but with very few exceptions, most of which have been men- tioned, these deposits are of no practical value. As bearing somewhat upon the origin of these concretionary ores, it may be noticed that in a creek on the Patrick W. Birmingham survey there are great quantities of rounded and oval-shaped nodules of clayey sand enclosed in a covering of dark red oxide of iron. In appearance these clayey nodules are CASS COUNTY. 83 very similar to ore concretions, and it is only when broken that their texture can be discovered. TABLE SHOWING ANALYSES OF CONCRETIONARY IRON ORES FROM CASS COUNTY, TEXAS. No. 706+... ere: | 114%. .| TISt..... ote. xt | : 727+. 28" Lc. 729%... 730... 732% , 133%... 735*... 740*... 953%... 954* 50lt. 502+. 503t...| 505t.. 506t... 510t.. Bvt): plat”... 514t S ES 3 a & | cm Ss . & 8 as Sd ag oe S 8 Sy Y aS a8 ae 3” 3 3 a g acl, a rw 0) = = 4H iW nD 4 37.99 | 49.90 4.31 | Trace.; 0.80 | Trace.| 0.20 7.00 Oe8a0 |b Li. 20 3.17 | Trace.| Trace.} Trace.| 0.24 8.22 70.83 | 13.80 Sao} braces 020) 1 O22 Traces) P20) 61.80 {725.30 3.20 | Trace.| Trace.| Trace.| 1.56 8.50 i AGM EAMG GUL Howat svar le dud cuss (EPR ta I Aeisca woe lid canaues on 80.85 S255 DAUR EL a ecesopealiege oe etches Trace.| Trace.; 11.60 61.44 | 27.80 BENIG? lerseces OPLOT OR2e ie iracen ao. 74.60 9.00 5200) |) Eraces/ Trace: 0532) 7 0,105) 10e30 79.32 6.20 4.68 | Trace Trage Trace.| 0.5] 9.17 57292 | 29.80 4.48 | Trace.| Trace.| 0.32 | 0.34 eo esol 7.60 MOR e he Bs. c 0.21 | 0.32 | Trace.| 6.85 (290 + 14.260 APG” heeess shots Trace.| Trace.| 0.11 6.61 85.70 0.40 EDO! the Sic) a" 0.50 | 0.25 | Trace.| 6.11 81.36 3.00 OE Ae Dats I Oeses WO ebl 9.60 11.56 9.00 AEN OA Nivals cack: Oxo ORS 2 On 34: 8.15 (fs aa 1.95 Mec ealltate octave 0.69 | 0.12 | 0.22 | 10.95 B2e2 oh wOu2o. 1 1409 | Traces, 0. 65) |) 0.62): 0), 14)" LIS86 70.93 S204 la OSs KO OSAa | ons has Trace.| 0.19 ; 11.32 67.31 7.20 | 14.76 | 0.032 | Trace.| 0.13.| 0.25 | 10.41 mead 9.14 AO So Nets ccae s Trace.| 0.32 | 0.92 | 11.43 Oe LOSE: he PO TBE is. s 2s OL27Ge ORO 3 LOS ION 12293 58:90 | 12.07 | 16.12'.| Trace.| 0.77 | 0.94 | Trace.) 12.02 5) F(z MM) | I GER A SU (a O45 70825 | Rrace 192 76.84 SOM Wel De let Nios acs Oni |) On25 | 0.57 9.11 99. 100. 100. 99. 100. 100. WOU. 100. 100. 101. Metallic Tron. Analyses made in Laboratory of Geological Survey of Texas by *J. H. Herndon, +L. E. Magnenat, {P. S. Tilson at A. and M. College Laboratory. No. 706. Pacific Railway. No. headright. Pog i '9 ee, s ELS: S73 5 Lt. . 128. . 629. . 130. 732. No. 733. No. No. No. No. 735. 740. 953. 954. Localities. Lavinia Mornen headright. Lavina Mornen headright. Mr. Waters’ farm, P. M. Keeton headright. Iron geode centre, M. L. Hinton’s farm, R. M. Hatfield headright. W. H. Hunt’s farm, on Queen City and Douglasville road, on M. S. Mullen Northeast corner Horatio Cunningham’s headright. W. R. Gilley headright, near Queen City. West side of Rachel P. Moore headright. Corner of J. Massie headright. Mr. Moore’s farm, J. J. Hudson headright, near Atlanta. Berry Crawford’s mine, one mile north of Atlanta. Tron geode, south side of A. Duncan headright. ‘S. Burnham survey, on Little Beach Creek. James Horton headright, near Springdale, fourteen miles Leta of Jefferson. 13—geol. Concretionary iron ore, one-half mile southeast of Lanark Station, on Texas and 84 ' THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. Specimens collected by Mr. A. G. Taff. No. 501. One to four miles south of Cusseta, on W. F. Young’s survey. No. 502. Southwest corner of John Lick survey, seven miles northeast of Linden. No. 503. Five miles northwest of Linden. No. 505. 5S. Hill survey, eight miles northeast of Linden. No. 506. Charles Plank survey, five miles southeast of Atlanta. No. 510. Cusseta Hill No. 3. No. 511. From Lambert’s Hill, on William Lambert survey, nine miles north of west of Linden. No. 512. Bowlder foot of hill north of Blackwell, on D. Bryant headright. No. 514. On Linden and Red Hill road, two miles northeast of Linden. 3. CONGLOMERATE ORES. Conglomerate ores, although not so extensively developed areally through- out Cass County, are yet of sufficignt importance to be considered equal to either of the laminated or nodular concretionary ores. This ore is a mixture of ferruginous pebbles of sizes ranging from half an inch to an inch in diameter, ferruginous sands and gravels, and occasionally a siliceous pebble cemented together by oxide of iron. In the purer con- glomerates siliceous pebbles are usually absent, and these also contain a greater proportion of the iron cementing material. These ores are generally found occupying positions along the banks of the streams in the district, particularly in places where these streams have cut through the first or lower range of ridges lying between the lowlands of the country toward the east and north and the upper or main ridges. They are frequently found capping or lying high up on the sides of the lower hills occurring amongst the main chain of ridges. The most extensive deposits of this class of ore found in Cass County oc- cur on the south side of the Albert Emanuel and west side of the David W. Gilbert headrights. This deposit lies upon both sides of a small creek and rises about fifty feet above its bed. The ore is in large quadrangular blocks measuring from two to four feet along each side. The actual thickness of the deposit is not known, as no excavations have ever been made. It is evidently over five feet in thickness. Experimental tests made of this conglomerate show it to produce a fine light gray soft iron, and to carry about thirty per cent of metal. The next deposit of any extent is on the side of a hill on the southeast cor- ner of the Samuel Harrison headright, close to Mr. M. Powell’s house. Here the blocks are scattered, and many of them tilted on edge. They are par- tially covered by a gravel, which appears to be the result of a disintegration of the conglomerate ores themselves. The hill appears from a section in the stream at Mr. Powell’s house to be composed of a mottied sandy clay. The following is @ section from the bank of the stream at this place: CASS COUNTY. 85 1. Yellowish white sand.......... bab ag Satet ). ees etd bial etek ae ae MP a ee ie 60 feet. 644 feet. Whatever may have been the origin of these conglomerate ores, their pecu- liar position and relation to the water courses of the region seem to point to their being of a comparatively recent origin; that is, that their formation be- gan at the same time the present system of drainage commenced. ‘The older and higher conglomerates are therefore less recent, although of the same age, as the lower and softer conglomerates, such as those on Jim’s Bayou and other places. As a material from which to manufacture iron these conglomerate ores, or the best of them, will not work profitably with the present facilities for the obtaining of fuel in Cass County, and can not compete with the nodular con- cretionary ores so far as expense is concerned. CASS COUNTY. 87 TABLE SHOWING ANALYSES OF CONGLOMERATE IRON ORES FROM CASS COUNTY, TEXAS. 3 = 2 2 ep Sa 5 % eg] 3d a 2, ~ Ss E F an E gq | 2g an z ee x B < Ss iS a A 5 iS sm 709+ Pr mIUe eR eT ne Cec Paes Rone lie cee ill toys: dee/INd tis, oagatl eetavor vs [leer des ciate ll eiielle! 15 a le 22.07 7 LSS See ee ees a STUY CON Roe ell is GU ie tS ae en en an ee a TO | 29 42 Le aed Serene SR) Om AAD cele: PAREN AIRES ANG UP ORC O tan oll hae a IRM ORICA OY 30.56 Pees auc) SP GEL | SSP aa i Meo Ree ls 21 1 (Ta ene 40.56 i, SUES I ee 9 | el | Pe ie aired nce ens Ieee eke Pie o.eon 6 || aeRO 30.39 TEER ow a] METS SG AS er 0 [ee acne | an Weare [a eer (Se ero 1S es |e a 35.25 qs ~|-66..29 |-2).50 SH Olellbrecyees 22608 20525. |) 0r33 5.20 | 100.08 | 46.40 703+ ee Mee ech CO hase ware lectens w wi | eieor erg will ace tecetel x COV lV cok See A a I ce 39.44 Analyses in Laboratory of Geological Survey by *J. H. Herndon, ¢L. E. Magnenat. Localities. No. 709. Luanna Ward headright, one and a half miles west of State line between Arkan- sas and Texas. No. 715. Silas Dobbs headright, on Knight’s bluff road, three miles west of Queen City. . No. 719. Thomas Young survey, near Lanark switch, Texas and Pacific Railway. No. 720. South side of Hurricane Creek, three miles from Atlanta. No. 734. Northwest corner of Luanna Ward’s headright, six miles northeast of Queen . No. 736. M. Powell’s house, southwest corner of S. Harrison headright. No. 743. Near Hughes’ Springs, on HE. A. Merchant’s headright. ANALYSES OF CASS COUNTY IRON ORES. Thirty-nine analyses of the iron ores found in Cass County have been made. Of these, seven are of the laminated class, twenty-four belong to the nodular concretionary grade, and eight are conglomerate ores. 1. LAMINATED ORES. Of the seven laminated ores, five have percentages of silica ranging from 18 to 35.80 per cent. One reaches the low figure of 7.28 per cent, and in one the total metallic iron only was determined. In sulphur they vary from a trace to twenty-two one-hundredths of one per cent. Phosphorus is also present in these ores to a greater or less extent. Traces only are found in two, eleven one-hundredths of one per cent in two more, and another gives a little over four tenths per cent. While these impurities are comparatively high, the quantity of metallic iron derived from the ores is low, amounting to only 43.63 per cent in the highest one, No. 731, and 43.18 per cent in No. 509, while the others range from 39.13 per cent down to 30.32 per cent. Were there no other considerations regarding these ores, such as the small- ness of the deposits and the high percentages of impurities found in them, the low proportions of metallic iron would militate against their being worked profitably. 88 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST THXAaS. Ze NODULAR CONCRETIONARY ORES. Twenty-four analyses of these ores have been made, and with a few excep- tions they appear to be sufficiently rich in metallic iron for furnace purposes. As a general thing such ores run low in silica, the highest being 17.20 per cent. In this ore, although the silica may be somewhat high, it contains 3.17 per cent of alumina, only 0.19 of sulphur, and has only a trace of phosphorus, while the total percentage of metallic iron (49.58 per cent) places it in the rank of workable ores. No. 735 has a total percentage of metallic iron of 51.77. Its alumina amounts to 4.63 per cent, sulphur only eleven-hundredths of one per cent, and of phosphorus only a trace has been found. The other ores of this group are generally low in silica, most of them ranging from less than two to about ten per cent. In sulphur and phosphorus the nodular ores are also low. In sulphur the highest shows 0.92 per cent of sulphuric acid, or about three-tenths of one per cent of sulphur. The quantity of sulphur in these ores is so small that by any of the ordinary modes of roasting and washing practiced in the working of this class of ores this impurity can be easily and quickly eliminated. In phosphorus the highest amount shown is fourteen-hundredths of one per cent. Six of the ores analyzed give each this amount. Some of the most extensively developed ores of this class in the county, however, only show traces of phos- phorus. The analyses given have all been made from fair average samples, and the percentages of metallic iron shown could easily be enhanced by picking speci- mens and by roasting, so as to drive off the contained water and sulphur be- fore analyses. 3. CONGLOMERATE ORES. Hight analyses of this class of ores have been made, and the results do not justify the use of these ores for the manufacture of metallic iron. Of the ores found in Cass County, the geode or nodular concretionary class, from an analytic point of view, are decidedly the best. They are also the best and most extensively developed ore within the limits of the county, and, from a practical point of view, appear to be the only ores capable of be- ing profitably and economically worked. The laminated ores are but poorly developed and are of a generally low grade, while the conglomerate ores, though well developed in many portions of the county, especially in the neigh- borhood of Queen City, are altogether too high in silica to be profitably or economically utilized by any of the present methods of manufacturing iron. These ores are, however, subject to magnetization by roasting at a red heat. It may be possible to concentrate them by crushing, washing, and separating CASS COUNTY. 89 as far as possible the larger siliceous particles, and then by drying and roast- ing at a red heat, to render these ores sufficiently magnetic to be concentrated by some of the numerous magnetic separators now in use for magnetites, and by these means be rendered fit for use; but in the present condition of the iron markets of the world and the large quantities of better and more easily obtained ores lying useless, these operations could not be carried on without entailing considerable loss to the proprietors of the mine or furnace attempt- ing to use such ores. FERRUGINOUS SANDSTONE. In some localities throughout the county the ferruginous sandstones contain a considerable quantity of oxide of iron, many of them showing as high as thirty or even thirty-six per cent of metallic iron. The quantity of silica in these sandstones, however, make them of little or no value from a metallurgi- cal point of view. These deposits are as a rule very broken, and can not be said to have any regularity of bedding or deposition. They lie in irregular heaps or masses of roughly shaped bowlders, and from their positions appear as if at one time regularly stratified, but afterwards broken up by their own weight, owing to the withdrawal, by erosion, of the underlying sands. The roughness and irregular form of the bowlders forming these sandstone deposits are due to atmospheric action caused by the rain, wind, change of temperature, and in some cases partly to the action of vegetable life. In some instances these sandstones may be utilized for building material where the roughness of the material will not form an objection, such as in foundations of buildings, or any other underground work, with the exception of well curbing or cistern lining. As a general thing, however, they are too soft to be readily worked or to stand any great amount of weathering where it might be necessary to use them in the construction of buildings. Some have been used by the people throughout the country for building chimneys and fireplaces, but with only partial success, and the general verdict of those who use them is that these sandstones are unsuitable for that purpose, owing to their tendency to break into small fragments when heat is applied to them. CLAYS. The clays of Cass County are of comparatively little value. No clay suit- able for the manufacture of anything but the coarsest earthenware has been seen in any practical quantity. None of the clays are pure enough to make a white ware. They are all too much stained with iron—a condition which will render any ware such as jugs, jars, churns, etc., being glazed with the “Albany slip” or some other black glaze. The Cass County clays may be divided as follows: 90 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. by POTTERY CLAY, A small deposit of a light blue clay occurs within the corporate limits of the town of Atlanta. This clay lies under a six foot deposit of yellow sand or clayey sand containing nodules of iron or a ferruginous gravel. It is said this clay was at one time successfully used for pottery business, but no authentic information could be obtained as to its manufacturing qualities. The clay will not make a ware of any other class than black glazed, and is not suitable for fine work. Its areal extent could not be obtained with any degree of accuracy, but it probably covers from ten to fifteen acres in an intermittent manner. The outcrops seen would give it this area. ‘ 2. FIRE CLAYS. A good fire clay must be free from any ingredient which would be liable to combine with any of the other materials and form a flux. For this reason it is necessary that any clay intended for fire purposes should be as free from iron and all alkalies as possible. The sandy clay lying around the broken edges of the stratified red sand and clay beds is frequently found in a condition free enough from iron and other impurities to render it available for fire clay purposes, and occasional deposits of a comparatively pure siliceous clay are found which may also be profitably used for fire brick making. With judicious washing and working these siliceous clays may also be used for the manufacture of some grades of earthenware. A deposit of the first class has been found on the southeast corner of the M. Spelman headright. It is seen in a cutting on the Knight’s Bluff road. Another and purer deposit occurs on the Texas and Pacific Railway, on the James Howell headright, about half a mile north of Queen City. This de- posit underlies two feet of stratified red and white sand. The following isa section: 1. Thin stratum of concretionary ore and ferruginous gravel...... ...... ..+. 6 inches. 2. pBrowmish yellow ‘Sand... 2... 0.0 +10 sm > san iss 4a SMe eNe re eee eae 2 feet. 3. wotratified red.and white sand... ..........0+ «10 2o0s see ieee ee eee 2 feet. 4, Bedof sandy: Clay i... 0s 5s s0 s2 neo 0,0 agi ele ahels Dip ien nee eee 2 feet. 5. Stratified red and white sand. No. 5 is seen about one hundred yards farther south, and also half a mile east, as well as some distance west. Deposits similar to these two are found in many other places throughout the county. A deposit of pure white siliceous clay lies on the northeast corner of the — Jane Richee survey. It is about five acres in extent and has a known depth in the centre of the deposit of seven feet. From this seven feet centre it » > a CASS COUNTY. 91 slopes off gradually in every direction and thins out to a few inches or passes under a bed of brownish yellow sand. -This clay has been tested at the Portsmouth (Ohio) Fire Brick Company’s works and recommended as a clay suitable for the manufacture of a high grade of No. 2 fire bricks. An analy- sis of this clay made in the laboratory of the Survey gives: SETS So plot ig Cooks BURED See OFA Bete IR ) MRS RaenPe Be fer Nie en gee Oe ea 82.60 REGRESS ERA EPRI ETT FET, Fe ee come Aa) So Sabon ASE wi aNe Va eae eh ale Sidle so 8 10.25 JD ETTTS ET Bao GWE SH che OG oe ORE Oe rte a at aN eo 7 2.25 PTET 5 suck elo Oe I I oi ee COG CLR ROIS Er ras ger ernment eA Trace oe JJ ETE DS IT) OTT SIS es ies eis bone ane Zoe Sc UE Aint eee a nO re 4.46 99.56 The alkalies (mostly soda) are rather high, and the clay can be materially improved by washing, so as to get rid of a part of them. 3. BRICK CLAY. Materials for the manufacture of ordinary building bricks occur in pro- fusion, being widely scattered over almost every part of the county. No regularly established brickyard exists in Cass County. Occasional kilns have been burned at Linden, Hughes’ Springs, near Avinger, at At- lanta, and Queen City. The yard at Atlanta is the only one which has been continuous for any period. The others are only used once, or probably twice, as demand may arise. The material used is the upper deposit of unstratified sand wherever found of a sufficiently clayey texture. The bricks are all very hard and badly spotted with dark blue iron stains, due to the existence of iron oxide in nodular shape. These bricks are unsuitable for.any place where fine work or a pleasing appearance is wanted. The bricks are all hand made, and all front or ornamental bricks are imported from St. Louis. Owing to the intermittent manner in which the work is carried on, no re- liable statistics of the clay industry of Cass County could be obtained. TABLE SHOWING ANALYSES OF CLAYS COLLECTED IN CASS COUNTY, TEXAS. | ' a | Ss Sj No : Z q g | as ) | g d di E & & a 3 ra a ka ie | a 3 Ss 25 S Bee Sos a hae UL a eee 82.60 | 10.25 | 2.95 4.46 Trace, |e lias na 99.56 hE Foes hr 66-70) | 11.43 | 3.0% 4.00 1.30 | 0.08 | 13.00 | 100.28 Sn Oa is eee 68.30 12.20 1.42 | 5.00 | Trace.| Trace | 13.60 | 100.52 aDark black clay (lignitic). hDark clay (lignitic). Analyses made in Laboratory of Geological Survey by #J. H. Herndon, tL. E. Magnenat. Localities. No. 600. Near Queen City. No. 705. Gideon Storey headright. No, 710. A. Duncan headright. 92 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. BUILDING STONE. With the exception of the light gray or white sandstone and the red fer- ruginous sandstones, there is no building stone in Cass County. The red sandstones are mostly found in blocks or large flat, slabby bowlders, and are used for laying foundations or piers upon which the houses in the country stand. ‘These sandstones are also often used for building fireplaces and chimneys. A ledge of bright brown sandstone occurs on the south side of the John H. Rives survey, in the southeastern part of the county, but is not of any extent. Scattered throughout the southwestern and central part of the county there are deposits of a light gray or white sandstone suitable for building purposes. These deposits occur on the south side of the J By Mix and Joshua Hudson headrights. A large deposit also occurs at Linden, where it has been quar- ried for furnace building. Another deposit, which has also been quarried, occurs on the southeast of the B. Hawkins survey, and a deposit is also found on the northeast of the Evan Watson headright. These white sandstones are said to have been used at Kellyville and Jeffer- son for building furnaces, but with what success has not been ascertained. The deposit on the B. Hawkins is soft and easily powdered. _ It is possible this stone might be utilized for glass making purposes Some of the mottled sands weather into a fairly hard condition, but whether they would be suitable for building purposes remains to be tested. MINERAL SPRINGS. There are numerous springs of a chalybeate nature within the county, but with the exception of Hughes’ Spring, on the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway, none of them are utilized. Hughes’ Spring rises on the side of a hill about a quarter of a mile from the railway station, and at an elevation of about twenty feet above the level of the railway. Another spring in the southeast of the county, known as Baugus Spring, was at one time largely patronized, but it has now fallen into disuse. LIGNITE. Throughout the county various deposits of lignite have been reported as being found in the digging of wells. These deposits, with the exception of those in the neighborhood of Alamo and “Stone Coal” Bluff, on the bank of the Sulphur Fork, near the James P. Francis headright, are of no practical value. In general the lignites are found from thirty to forty feet under- ground, and do not exceed two feet in thickness. The Stone Coal Bluff lignite lies in the bottom of the river, and can only be approached at low water. It is reported as having a thickness of six feet, 2 CASS COUNTY. 93 and underlies a bed of sandy clay. The Alamo lignite appears to be divided into two beds, one at forty-nine feet and the second at sixty-five feet. A section of the shaft is aPC RICL TCL AN a eae Nt A ue orcs oie nw eter ere inin ated o Shi wedi ers WSS ose se 26 feet. CEA GM iar iesycca tg 2 fortes yay Gyateravleyoran dhe GANS siete yale) wid ss 23 feet. SPEC TENNER PIP gee FS ISA Ba aliens eae SCGteehon dt oar Gshhovellonsraag i open oie ates 1 foot 8 inches. 4- Gray sand...3...<6.5,; Ao Ble eho Geno SE cag oid Ne ERO Ont icatie erEP 2 feet. eae PAT CLES EUG YH CUA tae Anta e ela 8 Boje DiG\ ois hie ere oles Sw eA ee le! Bei G nears ss 9 feet. Sa LOTITO ps, es Ce i eo a A a a 4 feet 2 inches. The lower lignite bed was not cut through. This shaft was sunk by a company with the intention of mining the lignite ’ of the lower bed, but, owing to the difficulties encountered, the undertaking had to be abandoned. The quantity of water accumulating in the shaft, to- gether with the softness of the overlying material, contributed largely to the failure of the company. . Closely allied with, and probably belonging to, the lignitic series there is a black sandy clay.. This clay occurs in the section shown on the A. D. Duncan headright and also in a small circular valley on the D. Glaze headright, about eight miles west of Linden. On the Duncan headright it shows a thickness of six feet, and on the Glaze headright six or seven feet. While this black clay can not be utilized for the purpose of making earth- enware, the small proportions of lime and iron will also militate against its. being of any value in the way of a glazing material. To serve this purpose a clay requires to possess a great quantity of materials capable of producing fusible silicates; that is, the constituents of the clay will require to bein such pro- portions as will combine and fuse more readity than the clay constituting the main body of the ware. At the present time the glaze used for making black ware is mostly if not altogether imported from Albany, N. Y., and is usually known among pottery men as “Albany slip.” The following is an analysis of this glaze made by Dr. Brackett, of the Arkansas Geological Survey: Sie aT PP ork tS as canes Ac cae Oe te Pao co eves et ON aie; oh sinc isle pais Hw ouilbed ¢ 58.05 A JUTDTLD gcc bh tic Pees .6.6 ROO ee Rea ISIS GET Cetin ara PRE ee e 14.86 LES GE en Etee Sec Ne ID EI “Cup Ce BLEU Me a nl aC 6.76 ean a Ne ee st ee ciate) sd le Noid Mae ATA NNS § cues ahah 1a bs einer eddees. a 6.61 LSU cel bere lola c UPA CREAR ae Rinne ORI t Ae oa ake nny ih a en 3.08 UTS 2 ah eeie is 7p pinta ait eee a PPT ane re sei aire evararelcre.ihs eka terc chee tS orks salts a Ee eID ON 13 a2) RE Pe a 28 nt 5 ohh hole. hee oy Iie Ste clon dew fe ldhore bude « 0.80 LUE CLL TTL oe ict Se PEE ve a aN 7.41 98.75 The fusible qualities of this clay consist of the high proportions of ferric oxide, lime, magnesia, potash, and soda. 94 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. GREENSAND MARLS. Greensand marls are found scattered throughout various places in the county, but these sands are in such an altered condition as not to be of any practical value. At Hughes’ Springs and in the surrounding country unaltered greensands have been found in many of the wells. This sand is usually found at depths varying from twenty to thirty feet, and the thickness of the bed ranges from two feet, found in a well on the Joseph Burleson headright, to six feet, found in another well on the same headright, but about two miles distant. Six feet thickness was also found in a well on the HE. A. Merchants headright. The position of this sand is seen in the sections already given on page 73. The following is an analysis of this sand made in the laboratory of the Survey by J. H. Herndon, Chemist of the Survey: SHH 6 odie ate nee ba 0 4 '6'n so esla ales w elavosminly ite elie le eileuaren jaltcie Syehe a aera yee ee 60.80 Tron and alnming: 5....¢/0- eon eee ere eee 2 fo 3 Toiahncegs (ol ay bec okeres che Crean names 22.20 LUNG See se eee re rie ere ean Ar OA a One Seo 0.99 Mapnesia. .), 2k: iare,nee eeisutetstatars aw | mw valle olay :SoePiaye: dices g BRE DR teeletn sg Gla ete tea 0.72 sulphuric acid 25, -. eee haterekeets Hd tlegh teas oo ere agate hae Bh ote eer ea ghhe eee 2.69 Potash «oi. oo) secede | ae hie CAk Mea vets oreo a aie nie ate ete orev eihre ict 0.66 SOC: soi 5's: cee osece “o'falle 1S Brac» lo MaL8 we fettatey Sal a ah SUPN Sle ees bee age latte er stanicet atone eee felt epee 2.90 Phosphoric acid’. chciesn aelericcs pia eee erent ST oe ee a AS Trace. Loss On ignibion), 4-2 urs ee ae eras SRE Ee er eS G0 9.50 100.46 TIMBER. Over the greater portion of the ore region, and in fact over the greater portion of Cass County, there is a dense growth of timber. The larger tim- ber consists chiefly of pine, red and yellow; oak, including the white, red, black jack, post, and pin oaks; some hickory and walnut. These last two are in small quantities and very scattered. In the lower portions of the county and bottom lands the growth is mostly of gum—sweet and black— some holly, and a considerable quantity of cypress. The acreage under timber will probably not fall far short of 400,000 acres, and may approximately be apportioned thus: Acres. Red and yellow pine:..............- PE Eo oo 266,666 White Oak cece s see a ieee een ace lene e's cle | aires mee teen 40,000 PROG Oa oie ielaalenpaie tases nn 5) wie Boe ore ee wie oo 6 6 odo ee ee 20,000 IELEYC pc) ee ae MIRE i oh SSO. -... 20,000 Pasi PIN Oak ya ie a. oles. we: -hewsie pie ae ee) + + 20.0 Se 2 ace ee bynes 20,000 Cypress, gum, holly, and other trees in scattering lots...............ceeeeeeee- 33,334 400,000 CASS COUNTY. 95 Of the smaller growths the principal varieties are sassafras, persimmon, grapevine, and occasionally cane. Many of the woods, especially in the lower lands, are almost impenetrable, owing to the dense undergrowth and wild vines. It is estimated by the various lumbermen at work in the county that the various classes of timber would yield an average of fifty cords of charcoal timber per acre. WATER SUPPLY. There are no navigable streams within the county. Sulphur Tork, the largest, affords facilities for rafting timber during a portion of the year, but that only a short period. The other creeks and bayous of any practical value for mining .purposes are Baker’s Creek, Little Cypress, Black Bayou, Fra- zier’s Creek, John’s Creek, Jim’s Bayou, and Black Cypress. From these any large supply of water could only be obtained by storage, as the largest of them consist only of a chain of pools during the summer or dry season. All the smaller streams are completely dry during that season. 96 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. CHAPTER II. MARION COUNTY. BY WM. KENNEDY. INTRODUCTORY. Marion County may be justly looked upon as the pioneer iron county of Texas. Although not the first to establish iron furnaces or bloomaries, she was the first to put them into operation in such a manner and at such a time as to insure their continuance. Some time between the years 1850 and 1859 Mr. Nash erected a furnace on the Walter H. Gilbert headright and began the work of smelting ore from the immediate vicinity of his furnace. This furnace was, after continuing in operation for a number of years, allowed to fall into disuse, and no more furnace work was done in that part of the State for some time. This furnace was in operation when visited by Mr. Shumard in 1859. In 1859 Mr. Reece Hughes began the erection of a furnace in Cass County, but it was not operated until 1863; and in 1864 the Sulphur Forks furnace was erected in the northern part of the same county, then known as Davis County. These furnaces, however, were but very short lived, neither of them being in operation for more than a few months. In 1869 Mr. G. A. Kelley established a small furnace at Kelleyville for the manufacture of the ordinary grades of soft foundry pig iron, and also for the manufacture of such iron hollow ware as the trade of the country demanded. In 1870 this furnace began operations and continued under Mr. Kelly’s charge until the year 1882, when it was purchased by a Mr. Ware, an Alabama iron man. Mr. Ware operated the works until 1883, when the furnace plant and pig iron on hand were sold to the Marshall Car Wheel Foundry Company, which continued operations until 1886. In that year the furnace required extensive repairs and remodeling. This the Car Wheel Company considered would require rather more expense than they cared to incur, and preferred to let the furnace go out of blast. Since then the works at Kelleyville, or ‘Loo Ellen,” as the furnace was afterwards called, have been idle. In the tenth census of the United States (1880) Marion County was the only county in Texas represented among the iron producing regions of the United States, and then only by the old Kelleyville furnace. On page 74, Vol. 15, we find Texas ranking nineteenth in the list of iron producing States . of the Union, with a production of 3600 tons of ore having a value of $8100, or a spot value of $2.25 per ton. From the same tables we find that the ore MARION COUNTY. 97 averaged between forty-five and fifty per cent, thus giving a net production of metal of 1620 tons. The value of the tools employed is given as fifty dol- lars and the total cost of labor used in the production of the ore as $7200, or about $4.47 per ton. In 1888 Messrs. John A. Kruse & Co., of Chicago, ob- tained a franchise from the citizens of Jefferson, the county seat, for the pur- pose of erecting a charcoal blast furnace of not less than fifty tons capacity, and also for the operating in conjunction therewith a car wheel foundry. These works have been erected, and it is expected that operations will be commenced early in 1891. GEOGRAPHY AND TOPOGRAPHY. _ Geographically, Marion County lies along the north side of the Caddo system of lakes or bayous which form the head of the navigable waters of the Texas division of the Red River system of drainage, with Cass and Harrison counties lying to the north and south, the State of Louisiana on the east, and Upshur County on the west. This area embraces an extent of four hundred and eighteen square miles. | The general elevation of Marion County does not exceed four hundred and fifty feet above sea level at the highest point. Lines of levels along the Texas and Pacific Railway and Hast Line Division of the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Railway show the general altitudes to be: TEXAS AND PACIFIC RAILWAY. Le TAS (GPULBE Se wt A RAG Be ace oe cece itt es ogo! Ry et 205 feet. egret iad between the twobayous. 56.2 i.e. des ee eee ee be wee oe wp 247 feet. Big Cypress...... SP mae ts ne ied Te etme ea) OLENA OST rig) 204 feet. | PATS TTS CE AR ce rei pean ere Loar rg Seen UR a 232 feet. “ELEGIS GUL ESISIE Oae ae A ae a nee ce SA le JT CH ee ae a Re 199 feet. eee CANTON (ll Of) CMONB OMA 5 ay) 5 caicc Sy ... 0.465440 aca ee EE ee 38.40 1 500: Pe eer wre mmr Sc AR Rn So Ge ko hae see 2.20 Ma On CSIa::. 0.033 :.vteeg ee REACTS DRACO ee aS a PO te eee cc 2.23 POtASIN: oic:.0,5:'5.55 (5 se-tfouw tot oe sunsanalaie aie) aie ei ame meme mE, eee men eae hte a sa eegeeaoaee eee 1.14 Slip huis y..s2 avec eee eee i sgape See R eset a se ate Saree et SRE ae 0.77 Phosphorus |. .-..4'. 1 dine. sie,sobleidod fe Be Aees) Saye 6; s)ater'e! eel cdege cho ete aay «tae Trace. Seda... 105 eee eee ane vA Heoge (lt oaihy UL er 6.00 Loss on ignition....... ‘ee! tld ete leivid cb hatte: Bible kc ooula: Wal BUREN: Weg SU 4.21 100.75 LIGNITES. Several deposits of lignites are known to exist in various parts of the county. Inthe boring of a deep well at Jefferson three beds of lignite were passed through at different depths, the first one being struck at thirty-four feet. Lignitic deposits are also found at many places along the north side of Caddo Lake, both in the wells and in the channels of many of the numer- ous streams which enter the lake on that side These deposits are, however, reported as being too thin for practical purposes, the thickest at present known being not more than eighteen or twenty inches in thickness. These lignite beds have not yet been studied sufficiently to determine their actual thickness or areal extent and qualities. The lignite deposits of Marion County belong to the great lignitic deposits which are found extensively developed throughout the whole of Eastern Texas, lying at different depths and of varying thicknesses, and at the same time of a generally fair character. In speaking of Texas lignites, Dr. Penrose says (First Annual Report of the Geological Survey of Texas, p. 95): “These lignite beds occur through- out all Hast Texas, from the top of the basal clays on the western edge of — the timber to beyond the middle of the Fayette Beds, sometimes to within a hundred miles or less of the gulf coast. They are not confined to any special strata. Yet they are so numerous and often so thick that if they were to be used on a large scale vast quantities of the material could be ob- tained. They vary in thickness from a fraction of an inch to over twelve > feet.” HARRISON COUNTY. 115 CHAPTER III. HARRISON COUNTY. BY WM. KENNEDY. THE IRON ORE REGION. The iron ore deposits of Harrison County form a part of the great ore bear- ing belt extending through Kast Texas from Sulphur Fork of the Red River, on the northern boundary of Cass County, southward through Cass, Marion, Harrison, Upshur, Gregg, and other counties. The boundaries of the Harrison County ore bearing lands may be roughly localized as follows: Beginning at the Gregg County line, near the south side of the David Hill headright, and running east to the west side of the W.S. Smith headright, thence turning southeasterly to the southwest corner ‘of the W. C. Crawford headright. From this point it turns north, curving around to the southwest corner of the upper division of the W. Mcllvain headright, thence east to the middle of the western half of the south side of the William Patton headright, and then southeasterly through the Jose Sanchez headright, extending a short distance into the John M. Dorr head- right. The line then turns east by north to near the northeast corner of the same headright, and then follows the left bank of the Potter Creek, at a short - distance west of the creek, into and through the S. P. Hall headright. Turn- ing on the left bank of Potter’s Creek, it follows the course of that stream to near the centre of the Clery Grillet headright. The line then turns sharply east to the southeast corner of the Ephraim Tally headright, thence north along the east side of the same to the south side of the Samuel Jordan head- right. From the Jordan headright the line continues in a broken condition to the east side of the Robert W. Smith headright, with a few detached out- lying knolls on the D. Macdonald and J. Prewitt headrights. From the southeast corner of the Robert W. Smith headright the main line turns northerly through the Smith and Henry Martin headrights, northeasterly through the Thomas Gray, Joseph EH. White, and John Johnson headrights, and into the Joel B. Crain headright. In the southwestern end of the Crain headright the ore line turns westerly through the Crain, J. C. Post, Lewis Watkins, and Thomas Gray headrights to the bottom lands of the Little Cypress Creek. The line then follows the margin of the Cypress bottom lands to the southwest corner of the James Gormon headright, and then south by east through the Henry W. Vardaman headright to the northwest corner of the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado Railway Company, westerly 15—geol. 116 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF “EAST TEXAS. through a part of the W. D. Mize, and into the southeast corner of the John - Page headright. From near the centre of the John Page headright the line runs southwesterly through the Francisco Calvillo, Martin V. Lout, 8S. Choate, and M. L. Downing headrights, into the southeast of the Micajah Lindsey headright. The line turns northwest for a short distance through the Lindsey headright, and then turns in a general west by south directiqn to the centre of the Samuel Porter headright. It then passes through the north side of the Philip H. Pearson and runs west to the county line, on the north side of the David Hill headright. The northern side of this division is broken in several places by creeks. The two most important of these breaks are made by the wide bottom lands of Blalock’s Creek, in the Thomas Gray and Henry W. Vardaman headrights, and Ray’s Creek, running northerly through the William D. Mize and Rob- ertson Ascher headrights. The southern portion of the boundary of this field is very broken, and from the southeast corner of the Ephraim Tally headright to the Lake bot- tom lands appears more in the form of detached portions or hills, containing. ore in greater or less quantities. The northern iron field of this county lies altogether upon the north side of the Little Cypress Creek. The southern boundary of this field begins on the west on the south side of the Eli Casey headright, extends east to the southeast corner of the E. N. Eubank headright, thence southeast to the north side of the David Adams, through this headright, and then curving southerly to the north side of the W. C. Allan headright. From here it turns easterly, curving around towards the north to the southeast corner of the M. Hunt headright; thence northerly through the Ward and theS. T. Watt headrights, and northeasterly to the northeast corner of the A. J. Oney. From this point the line runs almost due north to the Marion County line. In some places this boundary line rises abruptly from the edge of the bottom lands and at others by easy, gradual stages or benches. The total area of ore land within Harrison County lying in the Hast Texas ore belt may be placed at two hundred and forty-five square miles, divided thus: North of Tittle Oypress. . .\.5 0-20 52. ales 6 wee ee ee 95 square miles. South of Inttle Gypress.... s.ch.- se cus bo oed olen Bee ee eee 150 square miles. 245 square miles. Small ore bearing areas are found at various places to the south and east, lying without the limits given above. These are generally in the shape of rounded or oval shaped hills, capped with thin deposits of ferruginous sand- stones and laminated iron ore in a broken and “fragmentary condition. Nodu- HARRISON COUNTY. 117% lar concretionary ores are also found in the same localities, and occasionally in the neighborhood of the streams bowlders of conglomerate ore occur, but usually of little or no economic value. Deposits of this class occur on the Josiah Prewett and southeast corner of the John Johnson headrights. These deposits are chiefly ferruginous sand- stones in small fragments, and lie upon the tops of small rounded hills of brown sand. Another deposit occurs upon the southwest corner of the Eliza- beth Carroll headright, about three miles from the Sabine River. The de- posit here covers an eliptical shaped hill about sixty feet high, and is mainly composed of broken laminated ore of the massive variety and ferruginous sandstones, the sandstones greatly predominating. Near Roseborough Springs, on the P. Lindsay headright, there is another deposit of thinly scat- tered fragments of ore lying upon a light brown sand, which in turn rests upon a stratified grayish white sand or sandy clay, with occasional red or brown strata lying among the grayish white sand. On the J. P. Townly headright, on the east side of the Sherrard Branch of Hagerty’s Creek, there are two hills of about eighty and one hundred feet elevation, and rising pre- cipitously from the bottom lands along the creek. These hills are covered with large blocks of ferruginous sandstone, but no iron of any class appears. Another deposit of the same character occurs on the north end of the Hamil- ton McNutt and Joel B. Crain headrights. This deposit consists for the most part of a thinly scattered layer of ferruginous sandstone, with a few nodules of concretionary ore. Throughout the non-iron ore bearing portions of the county there are occa- sional thin deposits of ferruginous gravel, small pieces of ore, and sandstone. These deposits do not as a general thing exceed an inch in thickness, and are not more than a few yards square in extent. None of these deposits are of any economic value. TOPOGRAPHY. The ore region of Harrison County appears to form the remnant of an ex tensive plateau, which extended from the northern part of the State south- ward. This plateau-like region is cut off somewhat abruptly towards the south and northeast portions of the county, and also shows that a considera- ble amount of erosion has taken place in the northern part of the county. All that now remains is the narrow flat-topped ridge extending from the western boundary of the county eastward to about seven or eight miles north and east of the town of Marshall. Along the southern margin the elevations of the ridge, as compared with the lower stage of the country, show some abrupt changes within short dis- tances, 118 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. These elevations, secured from railroad profiles and barometric readings, give the northern side an average height of about two hundred feet above the bed of the Little Cypress Creek. The elevations shown by the levels of the Marshall and Northwestern Railway, and barometric readings through the region north of the Cypress, show the country to the south of the creek to have an average elevation of from eighty to one hundred feet above the northern part of the county. These figures also tend to show the existence of a flat-topped ridge extend- ing from the western line of the county eastward to some miles east of the town of Marshall, and having an average elevation of about eighty feet above the surrounding lower lands along the southern side, and gradually rising towards the northern side, where the average elevation appears to be about two hun- dred feet above Cypress Creek and in places from eighty to one hundred above the highest points of the northern part of the county. This ridge at its widest part does not exceed eight miles, and narrows towards the western part of the county, where the width does not exceed four and a half or five miles. On the east, the ridge breaks into a succession of lower ridges, gradually losing its distinctive elevation until it merges into the general level of the lower lands. On the northern and southern sides the face of the ridge slopes gradually from the lower to the higher levels, except where the larger creeks flowing from the higher grounds, both towards the north and the south sides, have cut wide steep-sided channels. In some places there is an appearance of bench-like formation, but this does not ap- pear extensively or continuously for any distance, and only where there is a difference in the material composing the beds or owing to the presence of beds of iron ore. On account of the erosion due to the presence of numerous small streams and some large creeks, this southern ridge presents the appearance of a series of flat-topped, rounded and oval-shaped hills, having, with some few ex- ceptions, the same general elevation. The higher hills, such as Hynson’s Mountain, Barnes’ Hill, Twyman’s Hill, on the south side of the Clery Gril- let, and the ridge stretching northwesterly through the John Deckert and Seth Sheldon headrights, owe their higher altitudes to a covering of sand- stones and iron ores. Qn the same general principles, it may be said the rounded hills rising out of the lower plain to the south and east of the county owe their existence to their protective covering of sandstone and ore. | What might be considered the crest line of the region, or the divide be- tween the drainage area of the Sabine River and the Little Cypress Creek, is extremely irregular, and in two places is almost cut through by the waters of the creeks. On the O. H. P. Bodine survey the Moccasin Creek flowing north and the Dufford’s Creek flowing south, interlock, Dufford’s Creek taking its HARRISON COUNTY. 119 - rise between two prongs of the east branch of the Moccasin. The same thing occurs near the headwaters of Ray’s Creek and the middle prong of Potter’s Creek. On the eastern end of the ridge the different headwaters of the Hight- Mile, ilaggerty’s, and Watkins’ creeks interlock with each other so as to pre- sent a complicated series of low rounded hills and deeply cut stream channels. On the northern side, going west from Marshall, a series of creeks known as Potter’s, Caney, Page, Moccasin, Panther, and Clear flow north into Cypress. These creeks have cut narrow, deep ravines through the sands and clays along their upper portions, and have formed tortuous channels through comparatively wide sandy bottoms as they near their respective points of junction with the Cypress. Most of these streams have their origin in springs and have deep, steep-sided, rounded heads, with occasional over- hanging banks. Numerous small streams exist throughout the region, having a tendency to form the country into the appearance of a double comb, having the back or main ridge extending in an easterly and westerly direction and the latteral spurs turning in a north and south or somewhat northeasterly and southwest- erly direction. In many cases the latteral spurs have an elevation equal to the main ridge. | | The part of the county lying to the north of the Little Cypress forms a plateau-like region, much broken by stream courses. This region lies at a much lower elevation than the country to the south of the creek. Its southern side, along the Little Cypress Creek, rises somewhat abruptly from the bottom lands. At Jones’ Crossing, near the Upshur County line, the difference of elevation between the creek bottom and the hills along the southern boundary of the plateau is ninety-six feet. At Allan’s Crossing the upland showsvan elevation of two hundred and sixty-two feet and the bottom lands two hundred and eleven, a difference of fifty-one feet. Coming east- ward, at Sloan’s Bridge the side of the table land rises from two hundred and ten feet to three hundred and forty feet in a distance of two miles. The levels of the Marshall and Northwestern Railway show an increased eleva- tion of from two hundred and eight at the bridge over the Cypress Creek to two hundred and sixty-nine at the eastern side of the ore field. In the two last places the ascent is made by successive easy, bench-like grades, due proba- bly to the presence of beds of laminated ore in the huls of gray sand peculiar to this northern section of the county. Along the southern side of the plateau, going west, there are only three creeks of any size; Bear Créek, to the action of which is due largely the abrupt termination of the plateau in its eastern extension; Lick Creek, near the cen- tre of the region, and Eagle Creek, in the western end. To the south and east of these ridges the country is rolling and in places 120 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. hilly, but with a general lowering of level until the flat bottom lands of the - Sabine River and the region of the Caddo Lake system is reached. Through- out the lower region there are a few conical shaped hills protected from the general leveling process going on rapidly by a capping of ferruginous sand- stones and broken fragments of ore. St RATIGRA PEW: For the division of the county into a northern (that lying north of the Lit- | tle Cypress Creek) and a southern division (or that portion of the county lying southward of the same creek), there are other reasons beside the simple geo- graphical fact that these two districts are separated by a large creek having a margin of broad bottom lands, or the question of altitude The two divi- sions are different from a stratigraphical point of view. In the southern field there is a considerable extent of country overlaid by a rich brown or dark orange-red sand. containing a considerable quantity of ferruginous gravels, siliceous pebbles, and fossil wood. To the north of the Cypress this brown or orange-red sand is not to be found anywhere. In the southern field the overlying sands generally lie upon sands having a lighter yellow or white color, and where these sands are wanting the upper brown sand rests immediately upon thinly laminated red and white sands or clayey sands, or their equivalents, the unstratified mottled red and white clayey sands. North of the Cypress the universal covering is a gray sand resting upon beds of laminated iron ore or upon a very heavy deposit of alternate strata of gray clay and gray sand. In this deposit, which appears to be somewhat similar to the borings from the deep well at Jefferson, the gray clay usually lies in strata from two to four inches in thickness and the sands in somewhat thicker strata. Occasionally the clay assumes a heavy bedded or even an unstrati- fied condition, in which the deposit is frequently from five to seven feet in thickness. The total thickness of the deposit of gray clay and sand is not known. In one place if has been pierced to a depth of thirty-one feet with- out passing through it. The following three sections show the structure of this part of the county: I. Well at M. B. Alexander's house, on A. Dean headright. Altitude about 300 feet. 1.) Gray unstratified sand. ..)..) 24. h.jcanceld cee nnlerie eine aie 10 feet. 2. Laminated iron ore and sandstone............. 3) Lie ee Serer i.e, 6 “feet SMEG SANG. 0. 2. d.20 » aati ee eee pe eo Cena 5 feet. 4. Alternate strata of grayish white sand and clay. The clay appears to be lying in strata of from 2 to. 4 inches and the sand from 4 to 5 inches, At 45 feet the sand becomes thicker at the expense of the clay .............. 31 feet.+ 51 feet. - HARRISON COUNTY. 124 IT Weill at G. W. Cook’s house, on the S. N. Hall headright, about five miles northwest of No. 1. Altitude, 382 feet (bar.). eG Tay, SANG. 5 oF Xo Neale | a0 See MIRE s Gti NO dug Sra avene Was fates 1 foot 6 inches. PeaGEay Clay « 3././< « ME Rep peste rT Ao ote eye Pcrss he os ale ee Seta Mek 15 feet. 3. Gray laminated clay........ Nuke ths Nygisel deter arts to. Absent fo rehetoe diet ae 50s 2 feet. PEM SEM CLAN ee tec, GRO sah Sic Seay @ x) cow) Sud aun eos niet Raids 4 Ws 2 feet. Sy Sandstone ....... Ae MRICS, pee oes Rha EONS EII RE Ne era Se eee 1) mee 1 foot 6 inches. 22 feet. ITE, Section from cutting in road at Mr. Allan’s house, on the W. C. Allan headright, close to Litile Cypress bottom lands and about three miles south of No. 1. Altitude of creek bottom, 212 feet. l. Brownish gray sand, seen a few yards back from edge of bluff............ 3 feet. 2. Conglomerate ore in blocks measuring from 18 inches to 2 feet. This con- glomerate is hard and solid and forms surface of bluff atedge.......... 2 feet. 3. White sand stained yellow in places. This sand is hard and compact ..... 6 feet. Laminated iron ore, with thin overlying stratum of sandstone—iron of mas- SLATE TRIES ie rc geet eer Co SG EO Gee RAR RTE aS tor Ui ona Os gn ee 4 inches. 5. Greenish yellow spotted sand in a compact form, somewhat glazed on outer surface, but broken with mumerous*irregular fractures filled with iron, giving the face of the bed a reticulated or net-like appearance........ 10 feet. i ieminiaied ore and ferrusimous Sandstone: .... 0.06.0. cece ee ee cee ee ene 2 feet. 7. Greenish yellow sand spotted with round dirty white or gray spots. In mMerECspects tuis bed resembles INO! Dis sie. cise 0G coho eyes eee 4 10 feet. 8. Soft, friable, very sandy conglomerate lying at base and probably a recent formation not belonging to above section. This section lies below the one at M. B. Alexander’s well, but whether it discloses the state of affairs underneath the region in which the well lies can not be corroborated. | The southern division, or that part of the county lying south of Little Cypress, divides itself naturally into three sections: First, the high plateau- like region extending through the central portion of the county from the western boundary to a few miles east of the town of Marshall and upon which Marshall stands; second, a belt of land lying around the base of this ridge and within a 300 foot contour line, the chief characteristic of which is its dark brown or orange-red sands with their associated gravels and fossil woods; and, third, an area of gray sands and silts lying in a semi-lunar shape along the Louisiana State line, with projecting horns or extensions stretching along the lake region in the north and the Sabine River on the south, and beneath the three hundred foot line. To this region belong the bottom lands around these waters as well as a large portion of the Little Cypress bottoms. 1. The structure of the plateau or ridge of ore bearing country of the county is shown by the following sections to consist of sands, clays, and ore deposits: 122 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS ~ bet RO Well near Mr. J. B. Hall's house, on the Clery Grillet headright. Altitude, 550 feet. Soit yellow unstratified sand). fs 2.0. eee ee + isc a Ee ae hams een 27 feet. Dark brown laminated ore: 3.2- 302. 02 ene oe Eh Ee Se 6 feet. Coarse yellow sand... 20.000. sll.) wd eee ot ee ote ee 10 feet. Dark brown laminated ore. Thickness unknown. ‘ IT. Section of east side of Hynson’s Mountain, near Mineral Springs, on S. Wagley headright. Altitude of hill, 572 feet. Ferruginous sandstone blocks and fragments of laminated ore lying on side of hill and mixed with a brown sand and gravel ....... 50 feet. Thin layers of a slaty dark blue color.4222..(. .....-- eee 10 feet. Light blue clay and sand with streaks of iron stains and ferruginous - MAtHET wc. ao (AS ishh. ) io... tose 10 inches. 2,7) brownish yellow? sand. 2s. 0). 4) shee Ae os Cee Ae vie Fg wd 2) pe Ave SW iite sand); see sere ae ee Be sc orh doe obs ae s,e aes a eee ee 3 feet. + These sections are all from the lower terrace or belt of country lying at the base of the plateau-like ridge running east and west through the county and lying between this ridge, and the belt of gray silty sands having a still lower level along the courses of the Sabine River and Caddo Lake region and stretching across the county in a semi-lunar form between these two points, having the projecting horns stretching along these two water courses, while the center of the crescent reaches to near the Papaw Creek on the east side of the Lucinda Wallace headright. The average elevation of this belt of brown sand is about three hundred and fifty or three hundred and sixty feet above sea level. The upper sand of this area may be described as a dark brown, somewhat between an orange and a red color, changing in localities to a lighter hue or grayish brown and cinnamon brown color. This sand is somewhat coarse- grained, and among its chief characteristics are: (1) Its total disregard of the condition or form of the underlying beds. It covers all alike. Over the stratified. red and white sands and sandy clays, unstratified mottled sands, and where these are absent lying upon the stratified dark blue, clays or greensands, this brown sand lies like a mantle. It varies in its thickness ac- cording to the condition of the underlying materials. (2) The great quanti- ties of gravel found in association with this sand. This gravel is chiefly de- rived from ferruginous sandstones, but considerable quantities of a white quartz stained yellow, and small rounded and waterworn pebbles of a gray- ish crystalline or metamorphic rock are found throughout the deposit. These gravels are found bedded in pockets and scattered throughout the sand, singly or in small numbers. In the darker browns the gravels when present are usually found bedded as in the dark brown sands on the Johnson, Townsend, and Payne headrights. Among the lighter browns and grays the pebbles are scattered in no uniform manner, but are generally found singly and at considerable intervals. Another circumstance worthy of note connected with the presence of these gravels is the fact that when the pebbles are scarce or sparsely scattered through the sand there is a total absence of the softer fer- ruginous pebbles and nothing but the harder crystalline materials are present. Whether the ferruginous gravels be derived from the thin beds lying in the HARRISON COUNTY. ) 2H higher ridges of the county (and they appear to be), it is true that the far- ther we get away from the breaks along the sides cf these ridges or the lower lying hills along the plateau margin the fewer deposits of ferruginous gravel are to be found. Another circumstance connected with the existence of these quartz and other crystalline pebbles is their existence among the brown and yellowish brown sands frequently found capping the highest points of the central plateau and consequently above the sources of the ferruginous gravels. The origin and movement of these ferruginous gravels may be illustrated by Section III, already given, and shown in Figure 6. In this section the brown sand overlying the summit of the hill to a depth of two feet con- tains so much ferruginous gravel derived from the weathering of the sand- stone bed that the deposit might almost be considered a ferruginous gravel. The heavy deposit of brown sand lying at the foot of the slope shows com- paratively few pieces of ferruginous matter. The sand as well as the gravel at both places are of the same nature and both are derived from the same source. | Diagram showing relative positions of ferruginous gravel and brown sand on hill two miles southeast of Marshall (Section IIT): Fig. 6. a, Brown sand. b, Ferruginous parting. c, Stratified blue clay. d, Dark blue stratified sandy clay. e, Creek. 3. The third characteristic of this brown sand, and the most distinguish- ing one, is the presence of fossil wood in large quantities. In size these frag- ments vary from two to ten inches in diameter and from six inches to ten feet in length. Some of the fragments indicate trees having a growth of from twenty-eight inches to three feet in diameter. The wood is generally silicified and has a white or brown color. The colors, however, vary according to the prevalence of iron in the sand. Some of the fragments are stained a dark iron brown, and others have the mole- cules of vegetable matter largely replaced by a hydrate of iron. Some of the fragments are soft and chalky white, readily soiling the fingers, and others are hard and sonorous when struck with the hammer. There does not appear to be any abrupt or sudden change between the re- gion occupied by the brown sand and the area overlaid by the light gray silty sand, forming the third division and lying to the south along the Sabine River and eastward along the Louisiana State line. These gray sands occupy 128 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. a generally lower level, having an average altitude of about two hundred and fifty feet. which gradually lowers towards the lake region in Louisiana. Greenwood having an elevation of two hundred and twenty-two and Shreve. port one hundred and ninety-five feet. Where the brown and gray sands meet in the vicinity of water courses the brown occupies the upper ground lying along the margin and the gray lies within the bottom lands—no brown being found in that area. From this position it looks as if the gray sands belong to a newer formation or a more recent period of the same age, and have been laid down since the pres- ent system of drainage had its origin. The few sections obtained from this area show the gray sands to be un- derlaid by brown, gray, and mottled clays; the mottled clay being mostly unstratified, while the stratified brown and gray clays are frequently cross. bedded and irregular in their deposition. Section of well on James Harkin headright, near the Louisiana State line. Altitude two hundred and eighty feet: Ves (Qey SOU osc ceisce Seats uals Drovis oaig alte assis vate ne ela RRC ns cakes fe et ce 1 foot. 2: sBLOWsishy Clave. cermin lei eee ees RE Ae Er ry TARE thin 5 A 4 feet. 3. Hard, smooth, laminated clay with occasional strata of gravel....... rete een 18 feet. 4. Gravelly clay—gravel more abundant than clay.............0. .--.eee .-.. 3 feet, 26 feet. In some places on this headright the sands and clays are twisted and broken and more or less cross-bedded. At Robertson’s Ford a section of the river bank gives: eee Gray send tee, Pee ee eT ee = We beiabblete ble) eee era ee 1 foot. 2. Mottled, brown, blue, and yellow unstratified clay.... .................-- 45 feet. Ser DAIONIIO) tem acters ae eee eine sa pe wievlp 4 yao a bud coe lolol ae Re eetatenn Sper te 6 feet. 4. Dark blue sandy clay to walters ;.. w.is'e.s 9s oct > © ola aul giclee ais eee 3 feet. IRON ORES. The iron ore deposits of Harrison County consist mostly of laminated and conglomerate ores, with a small quantity of nodular concretionary ore. The laminated ores are found generally in a broken and fragmentary condition, mixed with ferruginous sandstone, capping many or most of the hills within the limits of the county or else lying buried under a superincumbent mass of yellow or gray sand and showing no outcrops beyond a broken and fringed end of the bed lying upon the surface of and protecting some bench-like ex- tension of the sand hill. It is also frequently found in digging wells. This ore is found in extensive deposits in various parts of the county. Along the margins of the streams and at a considerable height up the hills, lying close to the water courses and even capping the low lying hills in the HARRISON COUNTY. 129 same positions, the two grades of conglomerate ore are found scattered in the form of large irregularly shaped blocks. The lower and more recent of these deposits are frequently in a thinly bedded condition. The geode or nodular concretionary ore, although sometimes found among the higher yellow and gray sands, belongs more essentially in this county to the dark brown and red sands belonging to the middle division of the county. In thickness these deposits vary from the scattered deposits of a few inches to a maximum thickness of twelve or fourteen feet for laminated ore. For nodular, concretionary, and conglomerate ores no thickness can very well be given, as those ores are generally found in the form of nodules or bowlders. Probably the heaviest deposits of nodular ore are those found on the W. C. Crawford headright, where, mixed with a brown sand, it reaches a thickness of four feet. On the J. M. Dorr headright the same material is about seven feet. The conglomerate ores are generally found in the form of large irregu- lar blocks or bowlders, and measure in places from 2x2 x1 to 6x4x2 feet, and many are even larger--some on the north side of Little Cypress Creek having a size of over ten feet in length and from three to five feet in thickness. On the C. Grillet headright it forms a ridge of blocks for some distance and having an elevation of about fifteen feet. In that portion of the county lying to the north of the Little Cypress Creek the ores found consist of laminated and conglomerate ores, the conglomerate greatly preponderating. At Oney’s Mill, on Hagle Creek, on the 8. B. Simp- son headright in the western part of the county, the conglomerate ore les upon both sides of the creek in the form of huge masses, some of which measure ten feet in length, eight feet in width, and over three feet in thickness. These huge blocks lie piled on the top of each other to a height of over twenty feet along both sides of the creek for more than two hundred yards. Further down the stream, and underneath these blocks, a bed of laminated ore of the massive variety about a foot thick appears in the breaks of the hill along the widening bottom connected with this stream. This is on the eastern bank of the creek, and along the western bank these ores appear in a similar relation to each other. Oney’s mill is situated within a few yards of the crest of the divide between the two Cypresses and on thesouth side. On the north side of this divide a small stream, tributary to the Big Cypress Creek, flows through a region covered by similar blocks of ore. These ores are on the S. B. Simpson headright, and they also occur on the John Morton, Dan Jones, M. Redding, and other headrights in this neighborhood, at which places they have about the same thickness. On the H. Oney and J. Oney, two small headrights southeast of the S. B. Simpson headright, laminated ore in a very broken condition shows a probable thickness of three or four feet. 130 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. ; The estimated thickness of the ores in this region may be considered as not exceeding a maximum of fourteen feet. | Coming east from this place the ores on the B. Wilson and D. Maxwell headrights do not exceed two feet. These are laminated and lie too deep for practical purposes. On the north side of the John Beaty, near Montvale Mineral Springs, the thickness is about four feet. On the Wm. Beckwell headright a very siliceous ore in blocks ranging from four to ten feet or more in length and from five to six feet in thickness caps some of the hills near Lancaster’s Mill, and also occurs surmounting some of the higher hills on the J. Petsick headright. To the south of this, on the Stinson lands and the W. C. Allan headright the ores are mostly a conglomerate, with thinly bedded laminated ore underneath. The conglomerate lies mostly in its usual position along the margin of the higher ground close to Little Cypress Creek bottom lands or along the edges of the ravines formed by the small streams flowing into these bottoms. The ore in these lands, including the conglomerate deposits and underlying laminated ore beds, does not exceed five feet. Along the D. Bryan, M. Hunt, and Daniel McPhail lands, and where the higher lands approach the Cypress bottoms, laminated ore crops out in vari- ous thicknesses, culminating in a bed five feet thick found in a well on the A. Dean headright at M. B. Alexander’s house. On the south side of the Little Cypress the thickest ore deposits reach the maximum of fourteen feet and in some places may exceed this, though in the majority of the ore locations the ore does not exceed four or five feet, and in many not more than two or three feet. In the western part of the ridge, on the Robert Hightower land, the beds of laminated ore have a thickness of over ten feet. It is somewhat thicker on the Peter Pinchum headright, where a break across the headright near the northern side shows a bluff of nearly fifty feet covered with projecting blocks of a siliceous ore; the thickness is probably from eight to ten feet. The deposit gets thinner as it comes east, as on the J. Bowen and Dan Davis and northern side of the Wm. Nelson headrights it falls to two or three feet. On the Seth Sheldon and John Deckert headrights the ore hills reach an altitude of six hundred and twelve and six hundred and forty feet, and so far as could be seen the ore covering averages a thickness of ahout five or six feet. It may be thicker, but its lower division is very liable to be considerably mixed with a brownish yellow sand. On the Clery Grillet headright the surface ore in no place exceeds four or five feet. A deposit of conglomerate ore on the east side near the W. OC. Duffield headright shows a ridge of blocks measuring from five to six feet in length and from two to four feet in thickness. In the northern part of this " ze HARRISON COUNTY. 13] headright the surface ore shows a thickness of five feet. Near the centre of the headright, at Mr. J. B. Hall’s house, a well forty-three feet deep passed through a bed of laminated ore six feet thick at a depth of twenty- seven feet, and after passing through ‘en feet of yellow sand underlying the ore bed the well stopped at a lower bed of the same grade of ore. The thickness of this lower bed is not known, as it was not cut into more than a few inches. On the S. Wagley headright, at Hynson’s Mineral Springs, and a. hill about three-quarters of a mile west, the three classes of ore occur, having a combined thickness of probably twenty feet. ‘These ores lie in different posi- tions on the hil, and their thickness is hard to arrive at with any degree of satisfaction. On the Ephraim Tally headright Barnes’ Hill shows a deposit of crumbly ore about six feet thick. Through the Francisco Calvillo, W. B. Rhea, and Samuel Jordan headrights the ore deposits do not exceed two feet. On the Henry Teal headright the ore deposit is not over two feet in thickness, of which one foot is a laminated ore of the massive variety. In the northeast- ern portion of the ore region, on the Thomas Gray and Lewis Watkins head- rights, a ridge of laminated ore ten feet in thickness occurs. The upper division is broken, fragmentary, and associated with red sand. The lower, as exposed in the Marshall and Jefferson public road, lies in a solid condition two feet in thickness. Following the methods employed in describing the iron ores of the other counties in Hast Texas, the ores of Harrison County may be divided into three classes: 1, Laminated Ore; 2, Geode or Nodular Concretionary Ore; and, 3, Conglomerate Ore. Of these the laminated and conglomerate ores are the most extensive in their development. The geode or nodular concre- tionary ores, although found more or less scattered throughout the yellow and brownish yellow sands of the higher ridge through the centre of the county, are more intimately connected with and best developed among the dark brown or orange-red sands belonging to the second or middle division, lying at a lower level around the base of the ridge. Although laminated and conglomerate ores occur associated with these sands, the occurrences are rare and the ores not of a sufficient extent, except in very few places, to be of any practical value. . In the detailed descriptions of these ores the localities given are those in which the ores are most prominently developed. The smaller deposits found outlying among the gray sands in the eastern portion of the county are not considered of sufficient value to be enumerated. 16—geol. 132 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. 1. LAMINATED ORE. As we come southward the deposits of laminated ore, which in Cass County, towards the northern boundary cf the iron ore region of Hast Texas, were found only in a fragmentary condition, appear to thicken, and from occupying a very insignificant position among the iron ores of the northern region in Cass, gradually assume a more prominent position in coming south until in Harrison County the development of this class of ore is such that it occupies the position of being the most important iron producing ore in the county. Keeping to the same general principle of the thicker the overlying sandy deposit the thinner the underlying bed of laminated ore, it is noticeable -that wherever these beds approach the surface or become the capping of the hill they become thicker and heavier, reaching their greatest development when found as a surface deposit. Although this may be accepted as a general rule, it is not without many extensive exceptions. Thin beds as well as thick de- posits frequently occupy a position close to or upon the surface, while com- paratively thick deposits of the ore lie at depths of from ten to fifty feet. It is, however, usually the case that where thinly bedded ores occur at the sur- face they are in a broken and fragmentary condition and mixed with great quantities of ferruginous sandstones. The laminated ores of Harrison County occur in beds made up of thin lamine of a dark brown or chestnut brown color, interlaminated with thin lamin of a bright yellow, and have a resinous lustre. The yellow laminz are frequently absent, and the beds then become a segregation of dark brown, almost black, glossy laminated ore. Surface deposits where the yellow col- ored laminz are absent assume a lighter brown tint. These lamine rarely exceed half an inch in thickness and usually do not exceed one-fourth of an inch. This ore also occurs as a massive ore of variable thickness—from two inches to three or four and sometimes five feet. In color these deposits of massive ore vary from a dark chestnut brown to a lighter shade of brown specked with small irregularly disseminated patches of yellow. In the thin. ner beds, the partings or sides of the strata are frequently of a dark, almost black, glossy hue. Laminated ore also occurs in considerable quantities in a crumbly condition, the pieces being generally in a thin, scaly, or cuboidal form, having the blocks and scales somewhat mixed with clay. In color, this class of ore is usually of a dark chestnut brown and has a brownish red streak. The powdered ore also shows a brown color. The most extensive developments of laminated ore occur in the western part of the county on the Robert Hightower, John Bowen, western portion of the Daniel Davis, and north side of the William Nelson headrights. The ore in this region lies in the form of a ridge in an almost due north and south direction. The ridge is nearly half a mile long and from two to three hun- HARRISON COUNTY. 133 dred yards wide. The ore is a dark brown with glossy black and yellow partings, and lies in layers of from six to eight inches in thickness, the whole body being about ten feet thick on the Hightower land. Across the Bowen and on the western end of the Davis headrights, the quality remains the same, | but the thickness is not more than three or four feet, and on the Bowen it is broken and fragmentary. This irregularity of thickness is apparently due to the fact that a break occurs on the Hightower land and the Bowen and Davis lands are considerably lower. It is possible the ore on these last two head- rights belongs to the lower division of the Hightower ridge. Hightower. Bowen. Davis. oO «eS a SATE eth = =—— SSS ES ee SS : oe wateeae SO a FS TN Se we See = SZ i= : Higa a, Yellow sand. b. Laminated ore. ‘c, Fragmentary ore. Due south of the Robert Hightower headright lies the Peter Pinchum headright. On this land, there is a ridge of siliceous ore or ferruginous sand- stone, extending across the middle of the north half of the headright for nearly a quarter of a mile and from one hundred to two hundred yards wide. This ridge has a face height of about fifty feet, which is covered with huge blocks, some of which measure ten feet in length and from six to eight feet in width and having an average thickness of three feet. It will probably be found fit for mining to a depth of thirty feet for some distance into the hill. This ore is too siliceous to be used alone for any iron work, but may be found suitable for mixing with some of the less siliceous ores. Commencing on the south side of the John Decker headright, near the southeast corner, and extending in a northwesterly direction for nearly a mile and a half through the Decker and northern portion of the Seth Shel- don headright as far as the south side of the B. M. D. Burrows headright, there is a ridge of yellow sand covered with a heavy deposit of broken lami- nated ore of the massive and crumbly varieties, mingled with broken ferrugi- nous sandstones. These pieces rarely exceed a foot in length, lie closely packed together, and form a solid iron covering for this ridge. The thick- ness of this ore covering averages from five to six feet. On the hills around Hynson’s Springs lies a covering of laminated ore of the siliceous and crumbly characters. These ores appear to lie on either side of the hill tops. Although not exclusively confined to any special location, the crumbly ore is found in greater profusion on the western than on the top or eastern side of the hills. The same peculiarity is noticed also on the Barnes hill, on the west side of the Ephraim Tally headright about a mile 134 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. east of the springs. The eastern sides of these hills are mostly occupied by deposits of siliceous, massive, laminated ore and ferruginous sandstones. In ' these localities the laminated ore forming the cap covering the summits of these hills has a thickness of about eight or ten feet. | On the Thomas Gray and Lewis Watkins headrights, in the northeastern portion of the ore region, there is a ridge of laminated ore consisting chiefly — of broken fragments or bowlders of laminated ore and ferruginous sand- stone. This ridge lies upon a red sandy clay or sand, and has a thickness of about two feet. Underneath this red sandy clay there occurs another deposit or bed of ferruginous sandstone and massive laminated ore about two feet in thickness. The following is in a section of the region: 1. Broken fragments of massive laminated ore and ferruginous sandstone ........ 2 feet. 2. Wed sandy clay 2-72 cee tes se 2M nian Paget tae oy) Ch) ee eee 3 feet. 3. Ferruginous sandstone ~. - 00 ...4) 6 sepa 5 cen soe te & eee pe 1 foot. 4. Massive laminatediore: ici... 2.5 us 2: ayefe ithe te ee ee 48 ive ty eee 2 feet. 5. White and red sand and sandy clay stratified in thin lamine. In the northwest part of the county, on Hagle Creek, beds of massive laminated ore occur. in the form of large blocks from eight to ten or twelve feet in length and from one to three feet in thickness Similar deposits oc- cur in many places in this region, but as a general thing the blocks have: been broken into small pieces. These are all surface ores, but in many places throughout the county the beds of laminated ore are found under heavy deposits of yellow, brown, and gray sands. | On the north side of the Little Cypress, on the A. Dean headright, a bed five feet thick lies under a deposit of gray sand ten feet thick. The follow- ing section shows its position: il ; Gray SBD, ¢ os a 50a belo Dia ENE Bie ius els easels 24a se) Cescaseiiag oa ee 10 feet. 2., Laminased: ‘Ore. .:0/4i- es syecieee ee ee ee PA ning in a p eotke be step eks cee nea The broken edge of this depesit appears in the Coffeeville road about two hundred and fifty yards southeast of this place. On the W. C. Allan headright a bed of laminated ore two feet thick lies beneath twenty-one feet of gray sand, conglomerate ore, and a greenish yel- low spotted sand. On the south side of the Little Cypress wells dug in several places show - the presence of laminated ore in various thicknesses and at different depths. A well on the Clery Grillet headright shows a deposit of a dark brown thinly laminated ore six feet thick at a depth of twenty-seven feet. In this well another deposit is found ten feet deeper, but the thickness is not known. On the south side of the John M. Clifton, James B. Chaffin, and Henry Teal headrights, thin deposits of laminated ore occur lying under a brown HARRISON COUNTY. . 135 and orange-red sand at depths varying from five to twelve feet, and close to the town of Marshall beds of laminated ore occur in broken and fragmen- tary conditions at various depths beneath an orange-red sand. These beds, however, are thin and of no practical value. Thinly scattered deposits of laminated ore in a broken condition or thinly bedded are also found at other places throughout the county; but while some of them may be of use, the greater proportion of these beds will be found of no practical value, many of them being mere shells not exceeding two or three inches in thickness. TABLE SHOWING ANALYSES OF LAMINATED IRON ORES FROM HARRISON COUNTY, TEXAS. e | | é | ES = : Bad | | lB 5 : BO S| ee eo eo gk lee, cere gee |. | Ba at a eae = Ei g si at | 53S $ us Same a ee = = 4 D a a =n eee eb s9t | 1660). 709 |... Trace.| Trace.| 0.27 | 13.20 | 100.07 |: 47.53 tee OA LOO | LOS Noyes oe | tiosys & Trace:| Trace.| 13.50 | 100.05 | 42.85 Pee ties 30-9" ono). | lrace.| Urace:| Trace:|0: 56)" 9290) ||) VO0201 33% 27 eters GL 024 162005) LOT Ve... 3. Trace.| 0.32 | 0.35 7.90 | 100 07 | 44.82 1534... .| 69.65 | 13.20 2.05 | Trace.| Trace:| 0.08 | 1.14 | 14.00 | 100.12 | 48.75 pereat 90) 26-70 1 O10... ws Mtrace: ne OLOt 81) | LOOmT as) 45243 806+...| 67.75 | 16.80 | 5.45 | Trace.| Trace.| 0.10 | 0.26 9.60 99.96 | 47.42 Bed | 44,07 | 39°70 | 8 33°} Trace.| Trace.) 0:33 | 0.15 7.20 99.78 | 30.84 808* . Ga.99 | 13540) - 8.30) [5.2.65 | Trace.| 0.22 | 0.12 | 14.20 | 100.19 | 44.76 Analyses made in the Laboratory of the Geological Survey of Texas by +L. E. Magnenat, *J. H. Herndon. Localities. No. 747. Hynson’s Mountain. No. 749. E. Tally headright. No. 750. OC. Grillet headright. No. 752. Six miles northwest of Marshall, near railway crossing. No. 753. J. B. Hall, C. Grillet headright. No. 804. Walnut Creek, near stand pipe of Marshall Water Works. No. 806. R. Hightower headright. No. 807. L. Watkins headright. No. 808. J. Decker headright. 2. GEHODE OR NODULAR CONCRETIONARY ORE. The occurrence of geode or nodular concretionary iron ore in Harrison County is somewhat limited in extent, and although it is found scattered more or less over the entire county, it does not appear to be developed to any great extent upon the higher lands, but is almost exclusively confined to the region of dark brown or red sands, and even there, is only sparingly de- veloped. The nodular ore of Harrison County is usually found in small quantities lying near the base of the higher central region and among the brown sands, from which they appear to have been washed out by the extensive erosion going on within the area of their occurrence. 136 THE’ IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. The geode or nodular concretionary ore occurs in the form of irregularly rounded nodules or concretions of varying sizes, ranging from two to eight or ten inches. Occasionally nodules of a foot or fifteen inches in their great- est extension are found, but nodules of this size are rare in Harrison County. In structure these nodules are usually formed of concentric rings or layers lying around a central piece of brown or yellow ochreous matter, frequently sand, and occasionally clay. Some are filled with a sand similar to the de- posits in which the nodules are found, and others appear to have no central core, as they are found hollow. This may probably be due to the absorption of the central core by the inner ring, or probably due to some fracture in that ring allowing the loose sand to escape prior to the addition of the succeeding outer layers. From the analogous cases found in the structure of some clays and the manner in which accretions or nodules are formed, it might fairly be inferred that these concentrically ringed iron nodules were formed in a similar manner.. Among recent clays, as well as among many of the clay shales belonging to the Lower Coal Measures, nodules or concentrically formed concretions occur. These concretions occur in rounded, oval, and other shapes and in all sizes, and appear to have been formed round a cen- tral core, sometimes a piece of wood or a shell, and very frequently of a harder piece of the same material as that forming the concentric layers of which the nodules are made up. On the Dan Davis headright, in Harrison County, many of the concretions found on the east side appear to have formed around a core of ferruginous gravel and to have the central gravel firmly cemented to the inner ring of the nodule. Extensive deposits of flat or slightly raised ore on the north side of the Peter Pinchum headright show the same tendency of the ore to concentrate upon and attach itself firmly to the underlying gravel. In Harrison County nodular ore occurs. chiefly scattered over the north side of the Clery Grillet headright and among the series of small rounded yellow sand hills in that neighborhood. It is also found in scattered quanti- ties along the sides of the Hynson Mountain and on the hill to the west. On the southwest corner of the W. C. Crawford headright, about two miles west of Hallville, the summit of the ridge forming the termination of the central plateau in that region is covered with a broken mass of red sand and nodular ore to a depth of about five feet. A short distance north of this, at’’Squire Lynch’s place, where the Marshall and Longview road crosses the same ridge, the nodular ore is found in thin scattering quantities. The west end of the Dan Davis headright is occupied by deposits of a laminated ore lying close to the surface. The nature of the district changes near the center of the headright at Mr. Black’s house, and from that point eastward through the Davis and partly acrdéss the Bailey Lout headright the HARRISON COUNTY. 137 : & country is covered with an orange-colored sand, amongst which nodular ore in considerable quantities is found. The nodules found here lie quite close to the surface and have a depth of about three feet. These nodules lie closely packed to each other in places, but eastward they become more scattered. These nodules are probably the largest seen in Harrison County, and are from twelve to fifteen inches in length, having a thickness of from two to six inches.. They are concentrically ringed like most of the other nodular ore geodes, but have the peculiarity of having their centre or core filled with a fine gravel firmly cemented together in the form of a conglomerate and have this gravelly core attached to the inner layer of the surrounding bands. On the banks of Walnut Creek, about two and a half miles north of Mar- shall, there is a mixture of nodular ore, ferruginous sandstone, laminated and conglomerate ores. The nodular ore is not very prominent. On the Joel B. Crain, John Johnson, and Joseph HE. White headrights scat tered quantities of nodular ore are found in the different washouts common throughout the region. The surface soil is of a dark brown or orange-red color and contains a considerable quantity of ferruginous and other gravel, and fossil wood. The nodular ore found throughout the district is embedded in this sand in apparently great quantities. Nodules are found thinly scattered over the surface, embedded and projecting from the sides of the cuttings made by the streams and rain, from which those lying in heaps along the bottoms of these cuttings must have fallen. These nodules are dark rusty brown upon their exterior surface, but throughout the interior they are a dark steel blue, and many have a considerable play of color when freshly broken. While some are partially hollow and show concentricity of their lamine, the greater proportion of the nodules have the interior rings so pli- cated as to show an almost solid body. The depth of the ore bearing gravel in this region is about six feet. Small quantities of nodular concretionary ores are also found in the region lying to the north of Little Cypress Creek. Although nodular concretionary ores of this class show a considerable per- centage of metallic iron in their composition and are practically of easier ac- cess for mining purposes, those of Harrison County are not of sufficient im- portance in point of quantity to be extensively worked alone. 138 _ THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. > TABLE SHOWING ANALYSES OF CONCRETIONARY IRON ORES FROM HARRISON COUNTY, TEXAS. 22 scuba Ey | ae) eee ae: ie i= § a at a | B2 | ga | S25 z ae ae Bl. hes Ss 3 Hike ee Fa si T48*,..! 62.33 | 10.90 | t 0:43.) 02380 tees 74.04 | 43.63 T514...| 61.34 | 11.85 | 16.26 | Trace] Trace.| 0.25 | Trace.| 10.40 | 100.10 | 42.93 809*...| 73.03 9.80 8.17 | Trace.| Trace.| 0 29 | 0.32 8720 99 81) | "51 12 Sl0*.,.| 72540 | 11.30 | 6.80 | Trace" Trace:| 0.15 | QO; OG ui ase 2 99.82 | 50.68 * 811*...| 72.40 | 14.50 | 5.80 _ Trace | 060 | 0.30 | 0.19 | 6.30 | 100.09 | 50.68 Analyses: *J. H. Herndon, tL. E. Magnenat. {Not determined. Localities. No. 748. Top of hill one mile west of Hynson’s Springs. No. 751. Top of hill at Hynson’s Springs. No. 809. Hardy Berry farm, J. Johnson’s headright, northeast Harrison County. No. 810. Kast side of Dan Davis headright. No. 811. Hardy Berry’s old field, J. Johnson’s headright. 3. CONGLOMERATE ORKS. The conglomerate ores are not very extensively developed in Harrison County. Where found, these ores are generally associated with the streams, either, as in the case of the older deposits, lying high up on the bank or near the sources of the streams, or, as in the case of the more recent depositions, lying close to the present course of the water or within a very limited dis- tance from it. In some places throughout the county these two deposits can be seen occupying their relative positions and within a few yards of each other. Numerous instances of this kind occur along the banks or margins of the higher lands lying along the Little Cypress Creek bottoms. In cases where the older conglomerate is absent, the newer deposit can be seen fring- ing the base of the mountain or bluff, while a stratum or bed of laminated ore or ore fragments is exposed in the face of the hill higher up. Section of bluff at Mr. Allan’s honse, on the W. ©. Allan headright RoR s Fig. 8. N a, Gray sand. b, Conglomerate ore. c, White sand. d, Laminated ore. ©, Greensand. f, Laminated ore. g, Greensand. h, New conglomerate ore. i, Bottom silt. k, Cypress Creek. Some of the deposits of the older conglomerate ores sometimes occur in bowlder form high up the sides of isolated sand and gravel hills found over the surface of the central plateau. HARRISON COUNTY. 139 The conglomerate ores of Harrison County may be divided into two di- visions: 1. An older and higher deposit, in which the conglomerate consists of ferruginous pebbles from half an inch to an inch in diameter, sands, and gravels, with occasional siliceous or quartz pebbles. This deposit breaks with an even fracture and presents a firm, solid face. 2. A newer deposit of conglomerate, in which the material consists chiefly of a ferruginous gravel and sand, very closely held together by the same cementing material. Pebbles of any size or material are usually absent in this newer deposit. This deposit always lies close to the present stream beds or within a very short distance above them. From its composition, looseness of texture and materials, and its association with large quantities of gravel of a texture similar to that of which it is formed, it has the general appearance of being of recent origin, if, indeed, it is not at present actually in the course of formation. As a source of iron these newer deposits are of no value whatever. They might, however, probably be used in composition with coal tar or asphaltum, or even alone, as a material for road making purposes. The older conglomerates are not, as a general thing, very rich in iron, and are not likely to be used in the presence of the great quantities of better and richer ores found throughout the county. The localities in Harrison County in which these ores have their greatest development are: On the east side of the Clery Grillet and west side of the W. C. Duffield headrights there is a ridge of the older conglomerate ore lying in an easterly and westerly direction for nearly one hundred and fifty yards and having an elevation of about sixteen feet. This ridge lies upon the north bank of a prong of Potter’s Creek, and the blocks into which the ore has been broken are tilted in the direction of the creek bed. This condition is no doubt due to the erosion of the underlying sand. These blocks are of large size, many of them measuring over six feet in length. Farther down the main stream of the same creek a deposit of the same grade of conglomerates occurs upon the S. P. Hall headright. This deposit is somewhat more pebbly than that on the Grillet headright and is associated with extensive deposits of gravel and sand. Along the base of the mountain upon which Hynson’s Springs are situated, and the mountain lying about a mile west, conglomerate bowlders occur, and on the west side of the hill near John Cole’s house, on the Micajah Lindsay headright, the same class of ore is to be found in blocks of large size. It is also found upon the western sides of several of the small hills upon this sur- vey in blocks, and is as a general thing a very poor pebbly conglomerate. This region is tributary to Page Creek. Conglomerate also occurs along the banks of Walnut Creek, in the James Chaffin headright. 140 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. In the region north of the Little Cypress conglomerate ore occurs in con- siderable quantities along the banks of Eagle Creek, Lick Creek, and the upper portion of Bear Creek. On Hagle and Lick creeks the ore occurs in large irregular masses, and is found in the same condition along the south side of this region from the western boundary line of the county as far east as the south side of the A. Porter headright. On the W. C. Allan headright and at other places along the same line the newer conglomerates occur, forming a base or fringe to the higher lands. Along the hills forming the southern margin of the Cypress bottom lands the newer conglomerate also crops out at various places. Of these the best developed deposit is seen near Mr. W. L. Sloan’s house, on the J. W. Over- street headright. In this place the conglomerate is scattered over the side of the hill in thin blocks or slabs of from three to four feet in length and width and about ten inches in thickness. A short distance up the hill a ten inch bed of the same material projects from beneath the light brown sand. The whole presents the appearance of having been formed at no distant date and afterwards broken up by change in the course of the creek, which is at pres- ent flowing through a flat piece of sandy land about one hundred yards away. TABLE SHOWING ANALYSES OF CONGLOMERATE IRON ORES FROM HARRISON COUNTY, TEXAS. No. Peroxide of Iron Alumina Magnesia, Sulphuric Acid Phosphoric Acid Water and Loss on Ig- nition Metallic Tron 793% ...| 48.79°| 39.40 |... 2ckal. csacelisu ce atei ob ole 156 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. and texture of lignitized wood. The grain and fibre of the wood are still visi- ble and can be easily traced. In texture it has all the appearance of a mem- ber of the pine family. This lignite does not burn so readily as the others, but acts very like a wet wood. The smell from the fire is not so strong, but in other respects, such as showing a red ash, it is the same as the other lignites of the district. In splitting and breaking it splits easily along the fibre, but breaks only with considerable difficulty, and then only with a square fracture. Section of lignite bed in stream on O. Hendricks survey near Port Caddo: Fig. 10. a, Gray sand. b, Lignites. ec, Sandy pebbles. d, Rusty grey sand. The lignites from the Lake Caddo region are a dull, lustreless black. They have not yet been examined with regard to their action under fire. No specimens of the lignites from well borings were obtained, and conse- quently no definite particulars can be given. The economical uses of these lignites are many, but so far nothing has been done with them. They may be utilized by sugar manufacturers as a clarify- ing medium, and by recent improvements in the formation of stoves can be cheaply and successfully used for such purposes as cooking, heating, and for steam or any other purpose in which long carriage or exposure to atmospheric changes will not be required. The main objection to the burning of these lignites will be the smell of the noxious gas arising from their disintegration and destruction by fire. No experiments have been made with the view of testing these lignites for furnace, foundry, or blacksmith purposes. The more immediate economical uses to which the lignites of Harrison County can be put are: First, as fuel in the manufacture of bricks, both the common ordinary building bricks, pressed bricks, and fire bricks. In the manufacture of all these classes of bricks lignite might profitably be utilized as a fuel, particularly in the early stages of burning or “water smoking.” Second, in mixing with the siliceous or the close textured aluminous clays of the county for manufacturing fire bricks. Ground lignite may be used in place of sawdust, which is frequently done, and so render the bricks lighter and more porous. The modus operandi of this process is thus: The clay and lignite are ground together in the mill before passing into the machine. When dry and placed in the kiln, the heat, at first low and steady, dries the clay and the lignite together, driving off the combined water of both, and we F HARRISON COUNTY. 157 when the kiln is ‘“‘pushed” or raised to the highest stage of heat the lignite is consumed and leaves the brick in a porous condition. By this process the species of earthenware known as terra cotta lumber might also be made from the same materials, and many of the numerous light fire-resistimg articles used in architecture made out of materials at present in a useless condition. The peculiarities attending the firing of pottery will probably preclude the use of these lignites in that branch of the clay industries until some changes be made in the construction of the kilns commonly used. It is probable some of the better grades may be found useful for gas pur- poses, but this is very doubtful in so far as the Harrison County lignites are concerned. ANALYSES OF LIGNITES FROM HARRISON COUNTY, TEXAS. = a 3&8 5 No. & as Glee | a e | € 5 | es Ben Wine Bein = 704 + 35) Back Sena eae | 14.850 | 38.520 | 39.605 6.175 Mi 0.850 100.00 107 + FE SAN Ne his | 13.350 42.820 35.670 7.000 | 1.160 100.00 RPT Seema bO400 35.950 44.750 2.300 0.600 100.00 952 + 385 Se | 10.050 33.310 35.860 18.700 2.080 100.00 Notr.—No. 717 is of the nature of lignitized wood. fanalyses by L. E. Magnenat. Localities. No. 704. 3B. Anderson headright, Robertson’s Ferry, Sabine River. No. 707. J.T. Ramsdale headright, Rocky Ford, Sabine River. No. 717. Francis Wilson headright. No. 952. Port Caddo headright, McCathern Creek, Hendricks survey. WATER SUPPLY. The drainage of the county is divided into a northern and a southern basin, or the drainage area of the Cypress and that of the Sabine. A small portion of the northwestern part of the county is drained by Big “Cypress, and the eastern lowlands belong to the area drained by the Caddo Lake sys- tem. The southern portion is drained by the Sabine River, and the central waters are carried off chiefly by the Little Cypress Creek and thrown into Ferry Lake, near Jefferson. , The crest line of the central plateau forms the divide between Little Cypress and the Sabine drainage area, and from its summit the streams tributary to these two flow north and south. There are no large streams within the area, and the main tributaries of Sabine and Little Cypress are mostly dry or only a series of pools throughout the greater portion of the year. The principal creeks tributary to the Sabine River are Mason’s, Village, Dufford’s, Potter’s, Hight Mile, and Papaw creeks. On the north side of the central region the creeks flowing into Little Cypress are Watkins’, Ray’s, Caney, Page, Moccasin, 158 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. Panther, and Clear creeks. On the north side of the Little Cypress the creeks tributary to that stream are Bear, Lick, and Hagle creeks. For mining purposes these creeks would require to be dammed and the water stored; otherwise, with the exception of Sabine River and Little Cypress with its associated lake system, the water supply would be insufficient for the necessary work in connection with the manufacture of the iron ores of the county. Good wells and many springs are found throughout the county. Wells descending as low as the micaceous black clays and greensands, as well as many entering the deep lying blue clays, have their waters impregnated with sulphate of iron. The wells belonging to the Marshall City Water Works are bored to a depth of sixty feet, and pass through a deposit three feet thick of dark blue clay. The water from these wells is charged with a small quan- tity of sulphureted hydrogen. The water when allowed to stand in the pipes smells strongly of this gas but has no unpleasant taste. The only navigable waters in Harrison County are those of Caddo Lake and its extension to Jefferson, and the Sabine River. The latter is navigable for small river boats as far as Haston Ferry, in Gregg County, for probably four months in the year. No navigation has been carried on for some eight or ten years. MINERAL SPRINGS. There are numerous springs of chalybeate water scattered throughout the county, but only three of these are utilized either as health or pleasure re- sorts to any extent. These are Hynson’s Springs, Roseborough Springs, and Montvale Springs. Hynson’s Springs have already been described by Dr. Penrose. (First An nual Report Geological Survey of Texas, p. 99.) Roseborough Springs are a series of springs lying on the side and at the base of a small hill on the H. C. Lewis headright, about nine miles south of Marshall, and from eighty to one hundred feet (bar.) beneath the elevation of the town. The main spring has a flow of about ten gallons of water per minute. ‘The water isa pale amber color, and when allowed to stand for some time throws down a dark colored sediment. These springs are chalybeate, and contain chiefly iron and alumina with sulphates of calcium and magnesia. These springs have been recommended for skin diseases and are largely patronized. The following is an analysis of the water from No. 1 spring: « GT orige Of SOCIO a Ss 3 mss eheie oon bone elec 0 ve + 2 ohne 11.452 Sulphate of lime...... ee ato Ne ela) aleve De a sas =, gael steel ove te 36.617 Sulphate of magnesia 7... 2. ose oes Lio bie « 9-0) eer iene oa ee 23.123 SoCmemrienet rn UPON C7, 5 cia a a Sinko hb do ales 16.497 HARRISON COUNTY. 159 Sulphate of soda..... Ty ee tees ake eet ia ys Wes ble tin alo bie dahald wits a « . 8.670 Sulphate Te SUPA GOP Co SG OO Is One eL ERR ea ee of 6.385 Silica and insoluble matter......... Ie RE Os cco Se Eee On ae a 5.481 STINTS Cy DOESN eee incognita Ae a io) sake ee a 3 848 fotalerams per water galloniof 23. Cube imChes. 56 eee te ie oe eee eee pa OK Free carbonic acid gas 15.19 cubic inches per gallon. Temperature at well 68°. Specific gravity not determined. The water has a strong acid reaction and is of a pale amber color. Note.—On reaching the Laboratory a large amount of the iron had become oxydized and precipitated. The jug containing the water was well shaken and portions taken for analysis, J. H. Herndon, analyst. Montvale Springs is a newly organized place of resort, and lies on the line of the Marshall and Northwestern Railway, about sixteen miles from Mar- shall. The following is an analysis of this spring: rcp atOrOl POtASD | sic 605 ies ah cus os oy a ee en iee PEER bes th ia meg! Att bn 1.307 Trane lta Ce Ole RODIN QU AeA Oh ane Pies, oe Rae On, LST NMG AN ae aie eS 0.609 Sulphate of lime ........ ... Merce enesh tay a cea eee ce es MY Rep cn shiek aah Wiehe 5 le aye Lae FB LG Wanbonate of linie... 6.2 hoses SOR th pee Meares Anan Ani ae Rey ioe duet patenee! pd. US} SARBOUALCIOF TOM, 26 ies aide ne os POSE MANOR CRIS EOACUNE ode Erde Fe) Oa a ge es Oa: ES JSUT: 6 21d po Renee ee een ONL et eon: Bye Trace. ilies aud insoluble matter. ...0.....62 005060 ld SORE? Sed aa i ashe a Ma eet Cece Ie e924 SLIDE os Sige ate AS sO te a avid ag ect pay TENS 2 Neel pe CUR ire Ra Re Trace. Total grains per water gallon‘of 231 cubic inches..................6.- LH ieee. OOS Free carbonic acid gas, 15.52 cubic inches per gallon. Temperature at well 65°. This water has a slight acid reaction. Analysis by L. E. Magnenat. TIMBER. The total area of Harrison County is computed at eight hundred and ninety-nine square miles, or five hundred and seventy-five thousand three hundred and sixty acres. Of this, about three-fourths, or four hundred and thirty-one thousand five hundred and ‘twenty acres, are covered with timber of various classes and different stages of growth. In the older timbered dis- tricts the growth consists of the different classes of oak—red, white, black- jack, post, and pin oak, with a quantity of bluejack oak on the sand hills; pine, hickory, walnut, ash, cypress, black and sweet gum, with the smaller growths of elm, holly, sassafras, and persimmon. The undergrowth in many places is dense. Cane grows upon the wet border lands of the streams. In the newer timber lands. or lands thrown out of cultivation within the last ‘fifteen or twenty years, pines greatly preponderate and are growing up rapidly, to the almost total exclusion of every other kind of timber. When cultivation ceases, and the land is thrown out, young sassafras and persim- mon trees take possession and keep the lead for a year or two, then the pine 160 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST. TEXAS. begins to shoot up, and within a period of less than ten years the whole tract is covered with a dense growth of young pine trees, ranging from ‘two to eight inches in diameter. Between the tenth and fifteenth years the greater number of these trees die, and the survivors, having more room to grow, in- crease their diameter measurements from ten to twelve inches. After the the twentieth year the growth is much slower. Under the present system of cultivation the acreage of land under timber is gradually increasing, or, at least, holding its own against the operations of the few saw mills and new clearings. Of these timbers the oaks greatly preponderate and probably occupy one- half of the whole region. The older pine region of the county is almost ex- exclusively confined to the portion lying north of Little Cypress Creek. Detached portions of pine lands are found throughout the county, but not in extensive bodies. It is estimated that the total acreage of land occupied by pine timber, exclusive of the young growth unfit for saw ‘logs, does not exceed sixty thousand acres. Along Cypress Creek bottom lands, and also in some portions of the Sabine River bottom lands, cypress timber is found: in considerable quantities, but the black and sweet gums are the more abundant. Small quantities of holly _ are alsc found in the lower bottom lands, but the trees are as a general thing of no practical value, and scarcely reach a growth much larger than the sassafras. The timber lands may be divided thus: Oak, including white, red, post, pin, blackjack, and blucjack oaks ........ 215,760 acres. Pine, including young @rowtlt...:.0.s:2.5 2svaasls 2 ctsle siaaasters eueieeeinen eee 143,840 acres. Cypress, gums, and other trees: =.) sce sous sae «6 aleesae tata ee eens 71,920 acres. Pottall &oi sv ncscdinw cv ehialen vis arate ote ee ee ee 431,520 acres. The average quantity of wood per acre suitable for fuel purposes is about forty-five cords. This will give a total of nineteen million four hundred and eighteen thousand four hundred cords. GREGG COUNTY. 161 CHAPTER IV. GREGG COUNTY. BY WM. KENNEDY. PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE IRON ORE DISTRICTS OF | GREGG COUNTY. During the month of October a few days were spent in Gregg County with the view of ascertaining and defining in a preliminary way the actual occur- rence of iron ore within the boundaries of the county, and also in roughly ascertaining the areal extent of the ore regions. No attempt was made to make the survey as exact and final as has been done in the other ore bearing counties within the limits of the ore belt, and the questions relating to the stratigraphical and structural geology of the county, except in a very general way, have been left to be taken up next season. STRATIGRAPHY. The few cursory notes taken exhibit a similarity of structure with the other counties lying to the east and northeast. The higher grounds of the county are covered with a hetrogenous mixture of orange-red, yellow, and brown sands, fragments of ferruginous sandstones of irregular sizes and forms, and laminated iron ore with nodules of concretionary iron ore, many of which are broken into small fragments, and occasional bowlders of conglomerate ore. The lower, or grounds lying intermediate between the ridges and the river bottom sands, are covered by a yellowish or brownish colored sandy loam, containing occasional nodules of iron ore, and the river bottom lands are chiefly made up of a silt or fine gray colored sand. In the northern portion of the county the underlying deposits exposed in many of the stream cuttings consist of thinly laminated dark blue or slate colored sandy clay, apparently belonging to the same series of lignitic de- posits found exposed in the bank of the Sabine River at the International and Great Northern Railway crossing, and also on the C. A. Fraser headright a short distance east of the bridge on the Longview and Kilgore public road. In the region around EH. M. Cabbiness’ gin and grist mill the section shown in a creek is as follows: 1. Brown or orange-red sand, with broken fragments of concretionary ore and siliceous pebbles..... Ware ce cae Lay Re co Moai neat afete 10 to 30 feet. 2. Dark blue or slate colored, thinly laminated, sandy clays, exposed...... 2 to 4 feet. The same characteristic section is also seen at many other places along the 162 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. road running west from this place to the Upshur County line, near the Omega Postoffice, with the exception that the unstratified orange colored and brown siliceous pebble bearing deposits become heavier towards the west, and also that the lower division of the deposit, as seen in the cuttings, assumes a more regular and somewhat roughly stratified condition, as well as becoming more like a soft sandstone or sand which has been consolidated and hardened by exposure. These deposits are also found extending into Upshur County. Coming southward the country is so covered with brown and gray sands that no sections are exposed until near the line of the Texas and Pacific Rail- way, which runs in an east and west direction across the county. On the east side of the Isaac Skillern headright, about two miles west of Longview, a cutting in the course of a small creek crossing the Longview and Glade- water public road shows the following section: 1. Brown sand, mixed with gravelly pebbles of quartz and other crystalline rocks and ferruginous sandstones. Wgtcd ; vee pets a sleneeiers .. 4 feet. 2. Stratified white and red sands and mane ange the white sandy clay predomi- nating, VIStbleri. sis...) 2. aera Te 2p dw Al ops SRR ethene Cee . . 4 feet. At the crossing of the International and Great Northern Railway with the Longview and Kilgore public road, and lying to the east of the public road, the same series of stratified red and white sands (No. 2 of above section) and sandy clays, with their protective covering of ferruginous matter, is again seen. The section is as follows: 1. Ferruginous gravel, with crystalline pebbles, brown sand, and conglomerate iron:ore in the form of bowldersiea.:..a6..cc emo see eerie oo eee Matos 2; ‘Thin ferruginous parttime. So seein sautes os oe eee alaed | oth ym elastase cae 6 inches. 3. Stratified red and white sands to bottom of @uitme. >> 2....-.-.-s eee 6 feet. The apparent dip of these beds is towards the south. Another section of the same nature is also seen at Willow Switch, on the Texas and Pacific Railway, about three miles west of Longview. | A well twenty-two feet deep, on the south side of the Alexander Furguson headright, is reported to have the following section: ey Brown sand: .5..... ‘ns Osa ta Bae here nae ee LOSS gett hee We av o0 ot a ere 2.” Thin layer of laminated iron ore....2... 22:54 Ee Ae eo Fe .. 4 inches. By UCM CIA eS Me cia ae ajo ltse se eee os oe we sea « 9 ease odele Memes | an rr 14 feet. 4, White sand, containing large quantities of gy pau: ina “ere divided con- UO eS Sey chs bain wines MP er MS ES oe = 2 feet. 224 feet Water was obtained in the white sand, and the thickness of the deposit is unknown. The next section obtained was at the iron bridge, on the International and GREGG COUNTY. 163 Great Northern Railway, crossing the Sabine River. This section givés the following: 1. Brown ferruginous sand, with siliceous pebbles and small quantities of ARO UT RPTROMP ORG yn e Sa ee eos Nees 2 wceue er ssc Mesa teese peelly cio itvee aia ales a Gert @ 20 feet. Pe Parkiereemish: Cray, mICACeOUS SANS. i.) Mo. eke ae ee lhe 10 to 15 feet. 3. Thin seams of earthy lignite and alternate layers of dark colored sand (the thickest bed of lignite does not exceed ten inches at any point)... 2 to 5 feet. 4. Dark bluish or slate colored sandy clay to water................----- 2 toy 8 feet. These strata have an apparent dip to the south (or with the course of the river, which is here a few degrees to the east of south), but are somewhat irregular and wavy in their form. At the iron bridge on the Longview and Kilgore public road a bluff on the south side of the river gives the following section: 1. Brown sand, with broken fragments of laminated iron ore and ferruginous sand- stone with a few broken nodules of concretionary iron ore........ ....... 5 feet. Pe bEOWE Sane wath streaks Of WAlIte SAG is cis cies so oi coaveaisaileng eravainibie wclancle avers 20 feet. 3. Light colored, almost white, sand of same texture as No. 2 and apparently be- PAM OM OCR OAL NO HATNE AG MOSUL) cbc reins spit a ay ora Saray suc ettello sel ate) ovelabars's 41d e's a.'6 10 feet. ea HgM OIC TMACACCOUS SAM. a dees ue) oles ail duitig ew. tisiem sox oR ee he tie wis ate Sete 25 feet. Doo) BAG ee BAUER see cial ee cud mee) as Pe preheat eA oe 20 feet. SPECI ANIGYICIAY UO WALCET. 0s ue wa eles cele werent (iat Seles Wales EMae reais 10 feet. 90 feet. The next most prominent section is taken from a bluff on the south side of the Sabine River, at Iron Bridge Postoffice. This bluff follows the course of the river for nearly half a mile, and its wall-like face forms a formidable ob- struction to the river’s tendency to turn southward. The following is a sec- tion of this bluff taken at the bridge: 1. Surface deposit of dark brown or coffee colored sand, with broken fragments of SOS SME are cen GU ALE Po Recucu tar aiaieenia au. Se olauaa\ Wa! aia git! Fee ees ee aalaleal 2.0 eee 6 feet 2. Heavy bed of yellowish brown sandstone, soft when freshly cut but weather- ing hard on exposure. (This bed has been quarried at different places farther down the river, as well as at this place, and used for building purposes.).... 6 feet. PP ESEONV LLCS LUE, STILTS LO ENON LAr HS, Bo) a Poteet ae hisloule dre /due sleted ih we Gale hi 6 feet. Brown or yellowish brown sandstone, similar to No. 2 but softer and more fri- able, with alternate strata of a similarly colored sand..............0+--00- 10 feet. 5. Brown or yellowish brown colored sand, containing occasional nodules of iron ore, to level of water. (This sand strongly resembles, in color and texture, the underlying roughly stratified sands in the northern part of the county.).... 12 feet. 40 feet. The trestle supporting the south end of the bridge rests upon the upper side of No. 2. The extent, position, and formation of these two bluffs—the upper one at the crossing of the Longview and Kilgore road and the other or lower one at 18—geol, 164 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. the Iron Bridge Postoffice—are interesting in view of the peculiar tendency of all the Texan streams tributary to the Red River division of the old Mis- sissippi system of drainage, after having traveled for many miles in a gen- eral southeasterly course to suddenly change to a nearly direct eastward flow. This course is maintained for a few miles and then the river resumes its normal southeasterly, or more generally a southern, direction towards the Gulf of Mexico. At this place the Sabine flows eastward, and apparently with the strike of the several deposits with which the river is associated. These two bluffs are connected by a chain of lower bluffs lying about half a mile south of the river’s present course, and the whole presents a semi-lunar appearance, having the two ends abutting on the river and the lower ground filled with river silt. The bluffs appear on each side of the river in something like an alternate series, and where a bluff occurs on one side of the river the other bank lies mostly in the form of a low, flat, marshy, or silt filled bayou. These alternate bluffs, with their accompanying silt deposits and marshes, seem to indicate the instability of the river and a series of oscillations in the course of the stream channel within a comparatively recent time. The exact condition or extent of these changes has not yet been studied. IRON ORES. The iron ores of Gregg County belong to the same classes of ores—the laminated, nodular or concretionary, and the conglomerate ores—found scat- tered throughout the other counties of Hastern Texas. 1. LAMINATED ORE. Laminated ores are but sparingly represented in Gregg County. This ore ~ is a brown hematite of a chestnut color and often of a highly resinous lustre. In structure it varies from a compact massive variety, showing no structure, to a highly laminated form, the lamine varying from one-sixteenth inch to a quarter inch thick. The iamine frequently show a black, glossy surface, though the interior is always the characteristic chestnut brown color. The laminated ores of Gregg County are found mostly in a fragmentary condition. No deposits in situ of any extent or value were seen anywhere in the county. The only deposit of laminated ore occurring in Gregg is a thin deposit, not exceeding six inches in thickness, found exposed on the road and in the banks of a small stream known as Rocky Branch, on the east side of the Alexander Furguson headright, about two miles west by south of Long- view. In addition to this deposit being very thin, it is also of a very low grade. Small scattering fragments are found in places throughout the ore areas of GREGG COUNTY. 165 the county, but are in most places in association with the ferruginous sand- stones belonging to and overlying such ore deposits whenever they do occur in regularly bedded form, 2. GEODE OR NODULAR CONCRETIONARY ORE. This ore is also a brown hematite and occurs in a great variety of forms. It generally occurs as nodules or geodes, or as honeycombed botryoidal, sta- lactitic, and mammillary masses. It is rusty brown, yellow, dull red, or even black in color, and has a glossy, dull, or earthy lustre. The most character- istic feature of the ore is the nodular form in which itoccurs. These nodules or concretions have frequently a striated appearance, showing a brown and yellow alternation of lamine when broken, and have been formed by the con- cretions of ore forming in thin deposits or layers around a nucleus of some other matter. This nucleus is frequently, from some cause or other, wanting and the nodule is found hollow when broken. In others the nucleus consists of a white or yellowish colored sand or a brown ochreous material. These concretions are found loosely scattered throughout the brown and orange colored sand, sometimes in heavy deposits and lying so close together as to give them the appearance of a regularly bedded ore; but in most places in Gregg County this ore lies in scattered nodules or in very small deposits, both areally and in thickness. A small deposit of this class of ore occurs among the brown gravelly sands on the David Hill headright and northward along the county line for a mile or two. Between Cabbiness’ gin and grist mill and Omega Postoffice several small deposits of the same nature occur, and there are also some small de- posits found scattered throughout the rest of the ore areas of the county. An ochreous form of this ore occurs on the Isaac Skillern headright, near the crossing of the Longview and Gladewater and the Longview and Gilmer pub- lic roads. 3. CONGLOMERATE ORES. This variety of ore consists of a conglomerate of brown ferruginous pebbles, with some siliceous pebbles cemented in a sandy matrix. These beds are usually of local deposit, and are found along the banks and blutfts of almost all the streams in the iron ore regions. These ores are found in Gregg County in association with both Grace and Hawkins’ creeks, as weil as in the form of bowlders scattered over the greater part of the county, but always in close association with the creeks and smaller streams. A poor grade of conglomerate forms the protective covering of the chain of low bluffs lying between Iron Bridge Postoffice and the Longview and Kilgore public road on the south side of the river. Conglomerate ores are of a very low grade and can not be worked profit. 166 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. ably. It is probable that by crushing, washing, and concentrating these ores might be used. By heating to a low red heat the contained iron be- comes slightly magnetic, and in that condition might be separated by magnetic concentration. Owing to the cost attendant on these operations, the present condition of the iron markets of the world, and the existence of so many better ores, it is not likely that any use can be found for these ores for many years tocome. They might, however, be profitably used as a material for the formation of wagon roads in the localities where the ores occur. THE IRON ORE BEARING REGIONS OF GREGG COUNTY. The high ridge of ore bearing sands and gravels found in Harrison County extends into Gregg for a few miles, having its termination near the west side of the David Hill headright. This western end of the great Harrison ridge somewhat resembles its northeastern end, in so far as it finishes in a succession of sloping steppes or benches, and consists of a brownish red or orange-red colored sand containing quantities of nodular or concretionary ore of an ap- parently fair quality, but in no place of sufficient quantity to render them available as working deposits. Crossing the wide bottom lands accompanying the headwaters of Grace’s Creek, we find the ore beginning near the southwest corner of the David Benton headright, and from that point extending in a northwesterly direction to the county line and for some distance into Upshur County. This ore de- posit forms the division or ‘‘divide” between the waters of the Sabine River and Cypress Creek drainage areas, all streams flowing southward finding their outlet in the Sabine River, and those having northern flow passing into Little Cypress Bayou. Roughly this area may be considered as extending from the southwest corner of the David Benton headright in a northeastern direction to the northeast corner of the R. W. Crane headright, and a short distance in the same direction into the James F. Dixon headright. From this point the hill swings round somewhat sharply to the northwest, reaching the north- east corner of the W. H. Hart headright. It then passes in a somewhat semi-lunar form along the northern side of the W. H. Hart, across the James Price, C. P. Hertford headrights, and follows the west bank of a small creek through the David Meredith headright into the Rogers headright, crossing the county line near Omega Postoffice. The line from Omega turns in a westerly direction through Upshur County, but to what distance has not yet been determined. The southern boundary of this area, beginning at the same point on the southwestern corner of the David Benton headright, crossing in a westerly direction along the south side of the James F. Dixon to the west prong or main stream of Grace’s Creek, thence northward to the head of the creek, GREGG COUNTY. 167 and then in a northwesterly direction through the James F. Dixon, H. H. Kirk, and M. Alexander headrights, and a little west of north through the Marshall Mann headright, crosses the county line into Upshur on the eastern side of the Meredith Chandler headright: The line then passes to the north- east corner of the William King headright in Upshur. How much further this ore extends into Upshur is not known, as the line has not yet been traced. The total areal extent of this region is in the neighborhood of eight and one-third square miles. The ore found in this region is a mixture of a highly ferruginous sandstone in the southeastern division, and a series of deposits of the nodular concre- tionary variety in the northwestern division and along the Upshur County line. Throughout the whole of the district the ore is thinly scattered, and in only a few places attains a sufficient thickness to be entitled to be con- sidered as a workable deposit. Even in these it rarely attains a thickness of more than a few feet, probably not exceeding more than four feet at the greatest thickness, and then only over a few acres. Along the Upshur County line the nodular ore is overlaid in many places by a considerable thickness of yellow or brownish yellow sand. The nodules are thin and scattering, and so far as observed are of no practical value. In the area comprising the David Benton and James F. Dixon headrights the ferruginous sandstones are prevalent and appear in the form of a mound near the Judson Postoffice. In the north and east of the Dixon headright these sandstones lie in the shape of aridge from ten to fifteen feet, and some- times more, above the rest of the region. These sandstones have been quar- ried for building purposes, but with indifferent success. About two miles north of Longview a thin deposit of ore and ferruginous sandstones occur in a short ridge extending in an easterly and westerly di- rection across the Hamilton McNutt headright. The ferruginous sandstones of this area have been largely employed as building stones—a purpose for which they appear to be very well adapted. As an iron producing source the materials of this deposit are of no practical value, although a small quantity of very good ore is to be found in association with these sandstones. The next extensive tract of ore bearing lands lies upon the west side of Grace’s Creek, in a somewhat irregular form and carrying small quantities of ore of different grades. The outline of this field may be defined as follows: Beginning at the crossing of the Kilgore and Longview public road and the International and Great Northern Railway, near the bridge across Grace’s Creek, the eastern limit of the ore extends a little west of north through the Marshall Mann headright to the line of the Texas and Pacific Railway near Willow Switch. From this point it extends due north across the Isaac Skil- 168 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. lern and David Furguson headrights and along the east side of the William _ Robinson headright to the northeast corner of this survey. The line then turns west to near the northeast corner of the Henry Hathaway headright, and thence southerly along Hawkins’ Creek, through the W. H. Castleberry headright, tothe south side of the same survey. It then turns east and north- east to the northwest corner of the Isaac Skillern headright, and from that point in an irregular line to near the Sabine, on the southwest corner of the Alexander Furguson headright, and then eastward through the Furguson and Marshall Mann headrights to the crossing of the public road and Inter- national and Great Northern Railway. This field comprises an area of about fourteen square miles. The ore over the greater portion of this field is thin and scattering, and consists chiefly of conglomerate and nodular ore, with a great proportion of ferruginous sandstones. The only heavy deposits are those along Hawkins’ Creek near the western boundary of the field, and these are chiefly of a sili- ceous variety of conglomerate ore. Throughout this ore field all the various classes of ore found in Hast Texas are represented. On the east side of the Wm. Robinson headright, near the old Allison place, the ore is represented by a gray ferruginous sandstone. This sandstone is found in a fragmentary condition, scattered over the sur- face of the ground in pieces ranging from two or three inches to sixteen or eighteen inches or more in length, and although generally in flat pieces, many of the larger fragments present the appearance of having been formed around some central nucleus, which has since been removed, giving the sandstones the figure of a broken earthenware pot. Across the Isaac Skillern headright and on the west side of Grace’s Creek the ore exposed in many places is in the form of a conglomerate, carrying not more than 32.61 per cent of metallic iron, and also as a highly ferruginated sandstone, which will probably carry in the neighborhood of twenty-five per cent of iron. Crossing to the eastern side of the W. H. Castleberry headright, consider- able deposits of a poor quality of conglomerate ore are found lying along both banks of Hawkins’ Creek. On the west side of the Wm. Robinson headright, and through the central portion of the Isaac Skillern headright, small scattering deposits of nodular concretionary and an ochreous concre- tionary ore are to be found covering the surface of the ground, but in very few places were these nodules found to extend to more than a few inches in depth. An analysis of a sample of the ochreous variety of these ores found on the’Gilmer and Longview road, near the junction of this road with the road to Gladewater, gives the following: GREGG COUNTY. 169 SUTGS bode SARS OS. 606 BOND 610 BO CHOIUD G:O2'0 0.0L RTD CI CI ORT Ono teen aetna ie ea ea 10.10 MES ICM CSM nc fold oh orspcier Freee fea 8 ese lo aieue (syeayes a6 “ae, eyel> 21 Pein lacs: at aen *715 42 Js SNISIDA Sg ole dihcleta dnc So ch Scie cue een OSORIO ROI ENC RITOirat prkaC o 6.78 ST LTEMIIG CEILw d otis scien coche ie epee eien Ore ci ties Up ener SAC oe a te ee +0.11 LIS DIGG BOs abc Als gd HE Accoln es Siege 9 Bees ot Aan EC on ce een ed $0.44 PNG |, =e ais ew, 3 is Sree ebay Vet Pier cP al sg clad Pane ror ie Soll aya ayes euch exe dat cesss 1S, Asha she 0.10 RHE CIGEES cab Ge a clei e0 0s Ob COIR IG G Cen TEIRNO hq) Ge) GOI rs CaCl cnn iUion Nara nC Rrra meena aC Trace i Scie Tee rel cre ites tah rsle ro HGhs Ge ayicrana ctor ele vane shor te) Hastie sissies ani @ mlb es 4, 6 wie oN 99.96 One hundred parts of iron contain 0,363 of phosphorus. * Metallic iron, 52.79. + Sulphur, 0.044. { Phosphorus, 0.192. The southern portion of this field in the Alexander Furguson and Marshall Mann headrights is occupied by a thin deposit of laminated ore and ferrugi- nous sandstone. The ore and accompanying sandstone lie in the shape of large flat slabs, some of which measure from five to six feet in length and from two to four feet in width, but in no case do the combined thicknesses of the two reach six and most of them not more than four inches. Throughout portions of the Skillern headright a deposit of laminated ore is reported as being struck in boring wells. This deposit is said to lie at a depth of about twenty feet. Its thickness is not known. TABLE SHOWING ANALYSES OF ORES FROM THIS DIVISION OF GREGG COUNTY. d ee | 2 a q os Bip Teh || Wes a a3 2. os B < a | 5 iS = a & an aig. = .| 50.48)| 35:80 |....-. hms | eth Re a ONE ara ge 35.34 959 .....| 75.42 | 10.10 | 6.78 | 0.11 | 0.44 | 9.10 | Trace. | 7.01 | 99.96 | 52.79 BO 66 98 | 11.60 |...... foe ee iierne emir tet arene 46 .88 961 46.59 | 44.00 |...... bee Msc ial gsc ne Dan (a 32.61 Localities. No. 958. A. Furguson headright. ' No. 959. I. Skillern headright. No. 960. W. Robinson headright. No. 961. On Gladewater road, two and a half miles west of Longview. The only other portion of the county north of the Sabine on which iron ore was found to exist at all is on the western side, near where the Upshur County line crosses the H. H. Edwards headright. This ore deposit, with the exception of some ridges on the farm of Mr. Lewis Barnes, is very thin and scattering, and consists chiefly of a ferruginous gravel, with a few blocks or bowlders of conglomerate and laminated ores scattered throughout the gravel. The siliceous pebbles found associated with the gravel are abundant in this region. The ore on the ridges on the Barnes farm might more prop- erly be designated as a highly ferruginated sandstone, and is found in large slabs forming the crests of the three ridges in several places, and also form- ing a debris of broken material along the sides of the intersecting creeks. 170 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. The total area of this ore region is not more than two square miles, and in no portion of the area can the ore be looked upon as of any economic value. That portion of the county south of the Sabine River has only been ex- amined partially, and even that only in the portion contiguous to the river. With the exception of one or two localities nothing definite is known about the region. | On the western side of the county, on the W. W. Avery headright, a de- posit of iron ore is said to exist, but nothing is as yet known regarding its quantity, extent, or quality. Where the Longview and Kilgore road crosses the Sabine the south bank of the river rises in a precipitous manner to a height of ninety feet. The upper portion of this bluff is composed of a brown sand, with fragments of laminated ore, ferruginous sandstones, and some broken nodules of concre- tionary ore, the talus on the side of the bluff being almost altogether made up of ferruginous sandstones in the form of large blocks and fragments. This bluff is the northern termination of a flat-topped ridge extending from the south bank of the Sabine River in a southwesterly direction towards the vil- lage of Kilgore, and occupying that portion of the country lying between Rabbit Creek and Winn’s Bayou. In the immediate vicinity of the river small quantities of ferruginous sandstones, with some broken nodules of con- cretionary ore, are found as a surface deposit. Further south the sandstones predominate. . On the north end of the Elenor Bradley and Henry Hoover headrights a range of bluffs lying a short distance south of the river shows considerable quantities of the newer grade of conglomerate iron ores, and on the north- eastern portion of the centre of the Bradley land, along Dutchman’s Creek, small quantities of broken concretionary ore are found intermingled with the overlying brown sand and siliceous pebbles. The iron ores of Gregg County, so far as they have been examined, may be considered as non-workable ores. Where any quantity exists the quality is not good, and can scarcely be ranked higher than a ferruginated sandstone, probably carrying about thirty to thirty-five per cent of ore. Where the higher grade concretionary and ochreous ores are found the quantity does not justify any attempt being made to operate them. LIGNITES. The lignitic series of sands, clays, and lignites appear in Gregg County at various places along the Sabine River. No deposits of lignite of sufficient thickness to be of any practical value were seen. Some years ago shafts were sunk on the H. Frost headright for the pur- pose of mining the lignite deposits underlying the sandy deposits. Several GREGG COUNTY. 141 tons were mined and used as fuel on the Texas, Sabine Valley and North- western Railway. No satisfactory tests were made, as this fuel was abandoned on economical grounds, lignite having been found a more expensive fuel than wood. The pits were deserted and are now filled up with sand and water. Where the International and Great Northern Railway crosses the Sabine River the northern bank shows a section of thirty feet of sands, lignites, and clays, capped by about twenty feet of ferruginous and siliceous gravel, sand, and small nodules of iron ore. The following is a section at this place: Brow Mlernugimous mands ANG @ravels 056s ake ed ws diss ele ao eis bees ede 20 feet. Pee Warke sreenishssray, MICACCOUS SANGS). (2. i oes be de bees je a she teeh altel 15 feet. Thin seams of earthy lignite, with alternate strata of dark colored sand, the PiamMEseann Of NeMILeONe tOOb tMIGke, 2 cicyacc sino os seas) oe a aie o ciee here 5 feet. Pe biism colored sandy clay to-watler, 2... kid eee ia Gels Sw gels ee te Peo Leet: | 48 feet. The bluff at Iron Bridge Postoffice is made up chiefly of alternate strata of sand and soft yellowish brown sandstones or altered greensand. No lignites appear in this section. Lignite is reported as being visible at different points along the river at low water. BUILDING STONES. The yellowish brown and dark brown sandstones or altered greensands found in the bluff at the Iron Bridge Postoffice, and scattered in profusion in the form of large blocks on the F. Thorn headright, have been used as a building material with considerable success. These sandstones, although soft when first quarried, have a tendency to harden when exposed to the action of the weather. They cut square and make a good joint, but will not admit of any great degree of fineness in dressing. The durability of these sand- stones is very great. | The ferruginous sandstones accompanying the small deposit of laminated ore on the Hamilton McNutt headright have been used to a considerable extent for building purposes in the town of Longview, and as foundation material for houses and bridges along the lines of the Texas and Pacific and International and Great Northern Railways. These stones are obtained in irregularly shaped blocks of various sizes, and require considerable work be- fore being fit for use. The ferruginous sandstones found on the H. H. Hd- wards headright may be used for building purposes in any position where not in immediate contact with heat or where fine dressing is required. 2 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. CLAYS. The clays of the county were not examined with sufficient care to deter- mine their relative value. No clays suitable for any of the finer uses were noticed, although some small deposits may occur interstratified with the lig- nitic sand and sandy clays. Brick clays or earths occur in considerable quantities in the neighborhood of Longview. A kiln of brick was burned at Harpville several years ago, and in 1890 a small kiln was burned by a Mr. George Echolls on the Isaac Skillern headright. The bricks burn to a pale gray and are disfigured by dark blue iron stains when burned hard. Soft burned bricks made from this earth are a light shade of red or rust colored, according to their position in the kiln. When hard burned the brick is very hard and not easily broken or breaks with an irregular fracture. Great quantities of a yellow colored clayey sand or earth which might be utilized in the manufacture of bricks occur around the village of Gladewater. No use, however, is being made of these deposits. SOILS. The upland region of the county is covered by a light sandy loam, fre- quently changing to a sand. The color is alternating, with proportions of ore found in the vicinity, and is generally a brown, orange-red, or brownish yellow. The subsoils are mostly of a sandy or clayey nature. The land is generally poor. In the lower lying regions the soils are of a brownish yellow colored sandy clay, having spots of yellow colored sandy brick earth or clay. Extensive deposits of this class of material are found in the vicinity of Long- view, where it covers the whole of the M. Greer, southern part of the Hamil- ton McNutt, and the whole of the Alexander Jordan headrights, as well as a part of the Avery Johnson headright. It is also found extensively developed in the district around Gladewater. The subsoil is a mottled clay in most places. Throughout the bottom lands fringing either side of the Sabine River and along Grace and Hawkins’ creeks, the soil is a light yellowish gray colored fine sand or silt, having a depth of from ten to twenty feet. TIMBER. The timber is mostly oak, hickory, and pine, with the different kinds of oak greatly preponderating. BORDER COUNTIES. lis CHAPTHER, V. MORRIS, UPSHUR, WOOD, VAN ZANDT, AND HENDERSON COUNTIES. 3 BY WM. KENNEDY. The counties of Morris, Upshur, Wood, Van Zandt, and Henderson mark the northwestern limit of the iron region of Hast Texas. A line drawn from the eastern side of Morris County, about four miles north of Hughes’ Springs Station, on the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway, and running in a south- erly direction through Morris County to a few miles west of the point where the Upshur County line intersects Big Cypress Bayou, thence in a south- westerly direction to about three miles north of Gilmer; from there in a westerly direction to near Quitman, in Wood County; thence southwest through Wood, crossing the Sabine near Mineola, and then in a south- westerly direction to near the centre of the south line of Van Zandt County, near Beaver Creek; crossing into Henderson and turning back in a south- easterly direction to near Brownsborough, and thence southwesterly into Anderson County, near the Trinity River, will give an approximate boundary to the western and northwestern edge of the brown hematite iron ore fields of East Texas. The ore deposits lying along and within the boundary thus approximately given are not extensively developed in any of the counties named. In Morris they are found as extensions or outliers belonging to the Cass and Marion County deposits. In Upshur and Wood counties the ore deposits are found partly as extensions from other counties and partly as isolated deposits scat- tered over the eastern and southern portions of the counties; and in Van Zandt and Henderson the ore deposits occur altogether in isolated hills, in the southwestern portion of Van Zandt and northeastern and southeastern portions of Henderson. The total area of these ore deposits does not exceed seventy square miles, and is distributed among the various counties as follows: MPA ERIORG OUI gET tne EP ey hes S. oho ted oi Godekn Gini biduine hencke § 15 square miles. | VSIA CG TT ile eR Geo UP i 10 square miles. i GCUG. COTTIER 2 eri Rate RE Rr ara earn er Ray Ay Seah 25 square miles. uMeKie AMIGA OPE 2 2s oli 2 ot anelsia SE ah ie ane cose sae cw elder uae square mule, Se MCMMCLO EO OME Yr... K-42 a Reka alee cele vcedlawl dv oda 6 olds 19 square miles. VE pe wenec! CUE, tee IEE th 0 ee ee rie 70 square miles. The ore deposits found along the boundary line thus drawn are mostly of the nodular concretionary variety throughout Morris and Upshur counties. 174 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. Toward the southern end of the line in Van Zandt and Henderson counties, although nodular concretionary ores are present in considerable quantities, the lists of specimens obtained by Mr. Ladd and myself show a preponder- ance of laminated ores of the buff crumbly variety, with some ferruginous sandstones. Along the streams and watercourses crossing the line of ore deposits in the whole of these counties there are several considerable deposits of conglomerate ore. The analyses of these ores show them to carry from forty-three to fifty-six per cent of metallic iron in the Upshur ores, and from thirty-nine to fifty-six per cent in the Henderson ores. The Wood County ores are, as a general thing, low in iron, only three of them touching as high as forty-five per cent. Two analyses have been made of the Van Zandt ores, but the metallic iron in either does not exceed forty per cent. The ores found in these counties, which, from the content of metallic iron, would be considered as of sufficient value to work, contain the impurities sulphur and phosphorus in exceedingly small quantities, and many of them might be considered of sufficient purity to be ranked as Bessemer ores. The others are all within the limits necessary to rank them among the ores suitable for the manufacture of steel by the open hearth process. Among the Upshur ores the sulphur ranges from 0.02 to 0.37 per cent, and in the same ores the phosphorus ranges from a trace to 0.38 per cent. The best ore of the Wood County collections shows a trace of phosphorus only, and of the Henderson ores only two contain anything more than a trace of phosphorus. Of these one of the ores from near Fincastle shows an iron-phosphorus proportion of 0.22 per cent, and the other, an ore from Battle Creek, has a proportion of 1.15 per cent. The other ores from this county all belong to the Bessemer grade of ores. The workable ores of Wood County show percentages of 0.29 and 0.34 per cent of sulphur, and in Henderson County sulphur appears as traces only in the whole of the ores analyzed, except one, in which that impurity amounts to only 0.17 per cent. These ores. can easily and readily be desulphurized by washing, roasting or calcining as practiced in the ordinary methods of prepar- ing such ores for the furnace. It will be noticed that every one of these ores contains lime in greater or less proportions, some of the Upshur ores showing as high as 2.30 per cent. While these softer limonite ores, when worked by themselves, have all the characteristics of the East Texas iron ores, in that they produce a peculiarly tough, durable iron, suitable for the manufacture of car wheels and all the implements necessary for farming purposes, a judicious mixture of these lim- onites with the harder magnetites of the Llano region would improve the grade of pig iron and also steel which might be manufactured from these ores. MORRIS COUNTY. 175 The suitable proportions can only be determined by the actual working of the ores, but in few cases will this be found to exceed forty per cent of mag- netite. MORRIS COUNTY. IRON ORES. The iron ore deposits found in Morris County lie altogether in the south- eastern portion of the county, immediately adjoining the extensive ore de- posits of Cass and Marion counties, of which they are apparently but an extension. ‘ In Morris County the ore region comprises a series of hills, having a north and south course, and extends in the form of a narrow strip along the eastern boundary of the county from the north end of the Edward West headright as far south as the J. W. Body headright. The ore margin turns west through this survey to the east side of the David Sorrel headright, and then north again, extending in this direction to the south side of the B. Hamilton headright. It then turns southwest to the southeast corner of the J. B. Lilly headright, from which point the line runs in a southerly direction, following the course of Bruton, or Beaver, Creek to Holley Creek, on the south side of the Leander Kidd headright. On the south side of Holley Creek the trend of the ore is southeasterly along the southern end of the ridge to near the centre of the west side of the Wm. King headright, and thence southwest to the Marion County line, on the Samuel Johnson survey. The ores of that portion of this field along the eastern side of the county belong to the nodular concretionary or geode variety, and exist in the form of irregularly shaped nodules of sizes varying from six to ten and twelve inches in diameter. These nodules are usually hollow or found filled with a yellow sand or brown ochreous matter. A few nodules of the glossy black radiated or fibrous variety of ore are also found in this region, but not in anything like sufficient quantities to make them a representative class. A few deposits of conglomerate ores are also found in connection with the creeks of the district, and scattered throughout the whole field there are large quantities of black glossy ferruginous gravel or sand. The pebbles of this gravel vary in size from that of a small pea to pebbles having diameters from half an inch to oneinch. These gravels are mostly found in connection and mixed with a dark brown sand. The ores found in the western portion of the main ore region of the county, as well as on the King, Cherry, and associated headrights, are chiefly of the concretionary class, in a segregated and botryoidal form, and are usually associated with a highly ferruginated sandstone. These ores lie in the. form of large irregularly shaped masses, roughly pitted and mammillated on the 176 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. surface, and have usually a dull, earthy, lustreless brown color. In places this dull brown gives place to a beautiful glossy black color, with a brilliant lustre. This black ore occurs generally in the form of thin streaks running through the brown, and sometimes occurs as broad patches, in which cases it always presents a mammillated surface and is rarely of any thickness. When broken the ores of this part of the field present a concretionary ap- pearance, and the portions between the ore septa are usually filled with a dark brown ochreous matter, and although sometimes empty this condition is very rare. This ore usually surmounts the hills forming the ridges in which it occurs, and with the exception of a few spots on the tops of the highest points of the ridge is wholly exposed. In some of the high hills the ore is covered by de- posits of fine yellow sand from five to ten feet in thickness. The broken con- dition of the ore renders it difficult to measure the thickness of the deposit with accuracy, but it may be estimated about five feet. The maximum thick- ness of the deposits does not exceed eight feet. Throughout the whole of the region immense deposits of ferruginous gravels and sands occur, lying around the base and well up on the sides of the ridges, and in some places reaching as high up the hill sides as the edges of the ore deposits from which they were evidently derived. These sands and gravels contain large quantities of ore in the form of nodules and broken fragments from the size of small peas to that of a man’s head. The ores in these gravels are usually of a good quality, although more or less mixed with sandstone. This forms the main body of the Morris County ores, but isolated fields occur in the vicinity of the town of Daingerfield, to the west of the town on the Henry Proctor headright, and another in a range of hills rising about one hundred and fifty feet above the level of the lower plain or bottom lands of the neighboring creeks. This ridge begins on the southwest of the J. N. King headright, passes in a southeasterly direction to near the northeast corner of the south J. N. King headright, then south to the northwest corner of the J. W. Duncan headright, and then, swinging around in a westerly di- rection to the middle of the east line of the J. V. Cherry tract, it assumes a southwesterly course to near the south side of this survey, where it termi- nates in a high round-topped hill. Passing around the base of this hill, the ore line turns northeasterly through the H. 8. Proctor headright, and thence east to the J. N. King survey. A rounded isolated uill on the east side of the Ewing Ellison headright is also capped with ore, but is of no great extent. Ore is also reported to exist on the James Knolb headright. The ores found on the Cherry and King headrights are similar to those MORRIS COUNTY. E77 found in the main ore field on the eastern side of the county, and may be considered a portion of the same field. The following analyses are of specimens collected in this region: ANALYSES OF IRON ORES FROM MAIN ORE DEPOSITS IN MORRIS COUNTY. % om oS ns) He come! 0) = = = 4 a 3 OH iS) [ & i) < a 4 Ay D al fe A 1094+...) 81.60 Oe LOG 2M oie eas races | s0-32— traces) 10.80 100502) a7 212 1095+. ..| 84.98 HAO) oD AW. chee Trace. | Trace.| 0.17 6.00 9929) bo 48 1096+ ...| 76.54 CEO es sO Ow eye Trace. | 0.48 | Trace.| 13.00 99.98 | 53.58 LS eee Na ea HERSOP ORAS! Weve: Trace. | 0.38 | Trace.| 12.65 | 100.03 | 51.60 1098* . (4250 bets 00) 5. LO) race: Trace: | 0.32.) Trace.) 1508 99:590')| 52.01 1099* ...| 76.50 7.80 | 4.50 | Trace. | Trace.| 0.36 | 0.12 | 10.70 99.98 | 53.55 Analyses dy jL. E. Magnenat, *J. H. Herndon. Localities. No. 1094. Nortewest corner of the J. W. Duncan headright. No. 1095. From a different portion of same headright. No. 1096. Dr. Bradfield’s farm, James N. Gray headright. No. 1097. James N. Gray headright, three and one-half miles south of Daingerfield. No. 1098. Leander Kidd headright. No. 1099. Leander Kidd headright. These ores are very generally mixed in the banks, and it is very probable that every ton of ore mined in any portion of this field would contain more or less of each class here represented. An average sample of the whole combined would give the following analysis: © J MENS GE Sp ete Ges GB beg cree, Bro ies CRG NCN SAMRAT i a 17.94 aes Ee rye A eta Sd R rea NS Svea s TM Ne Laas Massie: he igiahalial fade ld 8.18 PEMA Fotos ox is hee es pe JEW ALE eS REA Chad Te te Chat) 075 EAU MEAD ESR Ca ae 3.46 EMOS PHOTIC ACIC. ..2° so. ote «ic ee eer ee cdot mtr eR NBA i AIPU TA C22 cht ase I Oro oy LLL, SGI ae ar COS ELST ree ee a Rhys gece ee any olen tan ahaa 0.04 wel bee 2 cc eek ad AEROS CO PRR Ce ReRCRDIC IO Die hc AIL eee SR EM UBD es Sa Traces. CSE, CL ATT 111 ie ea rex rt icee sae ee pth) 10.04 Metallic iron, 54.56. One hundred parts of iron contain 0.247 of phosphorus. This ore if calcined would give from the above analysis 60.69 of metallic iron. These ores compare favorably with the limonites of Alabama of the sub- carboniferous metamorphic regions of that State, and the Tuscaloosa forma- tions, which Dr. E. A. Smith ranks second in importance in the production of iron in Alabama,* The ore field in the immediate vicinity of the town of Daingerfield consists of two high hills lying on the Henry Proctor headright and extending in an * The Iron Ores of Alabama, in their Geological Relations, 1887. 178 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. easterly and westerly direction. The hill to the west has an elevation of one hundred and fifty feet (bar.) above the level of the rails of the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway at the Daingerfield station.* A section of the region in this neighborhood shows: | 1. Ferruginous gravel and iron ore found in well on top of hill ................ 30 feet. 2. Greensand in well, but not bored through. (This greensand appears in the form of a broken ledge of soft yellowish green sandstone along the face of the hill at an elevation which would indicate its having a thickness of at least twenty cic) PP OaEn Tidy etic tl S55 e008 o's eam EN eA UE) G- waite Geer. 3. Mottled yellow, brown, and white sand... ...-...2..0 -se4e 4 ae eee 15 feet. 4. Thinly laminated bluish iron-stained sands or clayey sands... ............... 4 feet. 5. Light bluish, white, or yellowish white clayey sand. ..............0s..<-- 4 feet. 6. Micaceous black sandy clay, with thin streaks of lignitic matter............. 8 feet. 7. Dark blue sandy clay, enclosing bowlders of red sandstone, containing imprints of leaves, visible..... aly seb fotcause tte OMAR an-cre seawe ispie AS eo alg eeiay Cane ee 2 feet. 8. White sand or sandy clay........ nyse ena. alone S jul Aad a aye .» 2 SO fees. Total: 23d stctegitte (lain ck ete tele nie eta ea ee ee Ha Sieeheat needa tee 119 feet. Numbers 1 and 2 of this section are from a well on the top of the west hill; 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 from a brook north of the town; and 8 from a washout in Dr. Bradfield’s farm at the base of the east hill. The ore of this region is chiefly of the concretionary class in the form of a dark brown or ‘black variety, and considerable quantities of the black nodules have a radiated or fibrous structure. The surface of this district is covered with a mass of fer- ruginous sand, gravel, and fragments of ore of varying sizes. Although the greater portion of these ore fragments do not exceed two to four inches in diameter, many of them range from two to four feet in their greatest length. These large bowlders are found mostly high up the sides of or on the sum- mits of the hills. The line of the ore deposit is difficult to make out, and probably does not exceed two or three feet in thickness. The deposit itself forms a covering of the west hill, but on the hill next the town it is covered by a heavy deposit of sand. The ferruginous sands flanking and running high up the hillsides are heavily charged with ore nodules and fragments of the same character ag that of the bowlders on the tops of the hills. In thickness this sand varies from two to fourteen feet. The lower portion of the deposit is generally free from ore or gravel. Masses of ‘a soft greenish yellow colored sandstone or altered greensand occur throughout the whole ore and gravel along the lower portion of the hillsides, and a belt of this material ten or fifteen feet wide in the form of broken bowlders occurs about fifty feet from ‘the tops of the hills. This belt forms a small bench, and the broken sandstone found along it appears to in- * The elevation of the rails at this station is 398 feet above tide. MORRIS COUNTY. 179 dicate the existence of a sandstone bed lying at the base of the greensand de- posit found in the Rogers well on the top of the hill lying to the west. This would indicate that these greensands are at least twenty feet in thickness. Fragments of a dark brown sandstone are scattered throughout the red sands and gravels lying around the base of these hills. These sandstones contain impressions of leaves. Three varieties of these leaves have been ob- tained, but they have not yet been determined. Specimens of ores collected from this field give the following analyses: 2 s 8. = 9 _s 2 No. of Analysis. = S g E | a ao ee 2 & 3 ce Vries B 4) 3 a B 4 eB = Nea LOSO eo. fh | 76.26 | 5.20 | 6.84 | Trace. | Trace. | Trace. | 11.60 99290) ose 38 Bier alee 19.00) oe 0! | 013) race.) race, | Trace..| (9.45 99.95 | 55.35 Mew 109275. -.5--|) 30-20) |/4.20' | 3.10. | Trace: |'Trace.)Trace | 12.50) | 100.00 | 56.14 eos 50.20) 9430) |) Oo o0n) Trace. | 03 iiraces 92000) 10008) |/*56. 74 Analyses by L. E. Magnenat. * Phosphorus, 0.449. Locality. Nos. 1090, 1091, 1092, 1093 from Henry Proctor league. As these ores are more or less mixed throughout the whole of this field, an average analysis will best show the true worth of the ore. The following is an average analysis of the above ores: EELS VE eta ee RS vs On re See Cn REL Reena eae ee oage IEE cee bape Bd SS Bia is 6 iti fie ene erg Pee er cr Pi en Pa RC re 4.86 JUTE oe thatch BEA ye ere ne aaa gare SE i IP A eee ae 5:29 a ee ns eee eet Stns Coe ee cars Mel eia a wi hoe Bead she ols suee ae ee Silat s Trace MMI AMMAGING AGING. 22 head Hates Lo. wd inlet tos eg. Sim lela TOMA ELLE EES AEDS ee 0.26 Sulphurie acid....... Dy aa kala ae ere eae Faas wide aa at ay chia’ Peas ars Cedaba ast Trace. ere PMEMOTIL OEE Ye ors 62 M19 Sp oich 22a ais Vide ores wh (ate ates slash aae yell aie ooviy Sa ieye"h Whe sie e 4° 10.64 99298 Metallic iron, 55.25. One hundred parts of iron contain 0.204 of phosphorus. By calcining this ore the percentage of metallic iron will be increased to 61.87 per cent. The total area of ore producing lands within Morris County has been com- puted at fifteen square miles. Much of this, however, may be found on care- ful examination to be too poor in ore to be of any practical value. GREENSAND MARLS. Deposits of greensand marls occur at various places within the county. These deposits have been particularly observed on the eastern boundary of the county in the neighborhood of Hughes’ Springs, where the deposits noted 19—geol, 180 | THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST: TEXAS. in Cass County extend westerly into Morris, and in the immediate vicinity of the town of Daingerfield. The Daingerfield deposits occur on the Henry Proctor headright, immediately underlying the iron ore deposits of that ' neighborhood, and a short distance west of the town, and appear in the form of a greensand in a well dug some years ago. On the face of the hill the same deposit appears as a soft yellowish green sandstone. This deposit, No. 2 of general section on page 178, has a thickness of about twenty feet. These greensands can scarcely be utilized as fertilizers, as they only contain 0.4 per cent of soda and potash and 0.7 per cent of phosphoric acid, with a small proportion of lime In the event of the overlying iron ore being utilized these greensands will be easily obtained for any purposes to which they may be suited. LIGNITES. Deposits of lignite are reported as existing along the banks of Sulphur Fork on the northern boundary of the county, and at various other places lying north of Daingerfield. These have not yet been visited and examined. On the Jonathan N. Bohonan headright, about five and a half miles south of Daingerfield, there are several exposures of a thin seam of lignite. At Mr. S. H. Pruitt’s house an attempt has been made to develop this vein, and an opening has been made with a view to mining the lignite for local use. The vein at this place is only fifteen inches thick, and dips a few degrees south of east, and according to Mr. Pruitt, at the rate of one inch in three feet. A section of the opening at this place shows the following: L; » Wellow Sand. 423 Fis fee woot ee ees aeiae oeee e eeeeeeeee T feet. OS (LAgMite: 5s isctinge stole oe nis enone aig eheuayate See the ain ert ate as eae a tesa Raa ga 1 foot 3 inches. 3. Black or dark blue stratified sandy clay, mixed: with lignitic matter, VASROLO oi 5:6: ese ala cugial Bas Gaia desde ail smge te elo ohaig hte ty Slane eer oe 5 feet The lignite at this place, although reported as being of a fair quality, can not be worked. The following is an analysis of the lignite: MOIBTUITO 2 ca. wate coc c'e Sepik Gok dese le eee ie eg! 4.45 Wolatile matter. ......). foc cee eo Ree hee ee 52.05 Hired carbon. :... 2.5 6 cade es oes wero ene e pee. bee OO . bp ip PO ihe Fie ohale a Sd bc win & op hiss belie eek lle RegNet ere Gopher 28.35 100.00 CLAYS. Unless the dark blue clay associated with the lignitic beds can be utilized, there are no clays in this county, so far as have been observed, of any practi. cal value. Analyses of this clay show it to have only traces of alkalies. It may probably be of a fairly refractory character and suitable for a low grade of fire clay goods, # MORRIS COUNTY. 18] Ordinary building bricks have been made in the neighborhood of Dainger- field, but these bricks are generally rough and rather weak. No regular brick yards exist, and the bricks made are only made at long intervals. The following sections show the general relations of the various strata of this region: Section of cutting on Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway three miles west of Hughes’ Springs. , igre 1, Brown unstratified sand and gravel. 2, Unstratified mottled clay. 3, Black or dark blue stratified clay with sandy partings. 4, Thin layer of ferruginous gravel. 5, Thinly bedded or laminated white and brown sands. 6, Thin irregular pavement or bed of conglomerate ore. 17, Thin beds of ferruginous sandstone. Section of cutting on Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway two miles east of Daingerfield: Fig. 12. 1, Brown unstratified gravelly sand. 2, Thinly bedded white and red sand. 3, Thinly bedded white and blue sand. 4, six inch layer of soft sandstone. 5, Same as No. 2. 6, Unstrati- fied mottled sand. 1, Ferruginous sandstone. The stratified red and white sands and black micaceous sandy clays of the lignitic group appear in the cuttings along the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway in this region as far as Daingerfield. A short distance north of the town these black micaceous sands are seen in a stream cutting, and show a thickness in this place of eight feet. Throughout thezlower black micaceous clays nodules of iron ore occur, lying in the form of thin beds or pavements. These nodules are generally of large size and average from twelve to twenty- four inches in their longest diameter. These pavements are somewhat irregu- larly distributed throughout the cuttings, but are never superimposed upon each other, and as no more than one ever appears, even in the longest cuttings, it is presumed that they are continuous and all of the same horizon and formed at or about the same period of time Beds of a sandy yellow ochreous clay also occur in these regions, but these are as a general thing too sandy to be of any practical value. These clays would require to be washed to free them from the intermixed sand before the ochre could be utilized, and this would entail cost far beyond anything 2 182 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. they would realize if brought to market. Bricks have been made of this material in the neighborhood of Hughes’ Springs, but they are not consid- ered of a good quality. UPSHUR COUNTY. The next county south of Morris County, and lying within the ore boundary already defined, is Upshur County. From our present knowledge of the iron ore deposits of Upshur County, their mode of occurrence appears to be in the form of small patches, ranging from fifteen or twenty acres to thirty-eight hundred and forty acres in extent and somewhat scattering in their positions. From the specimens obtained these ores belong chiefly to the geode or nodu- lar concretionary and conglomerate varieties, and the analyses made in the laboratory of the Survey give the following results: ANALYSES OF. IRON ORES COLLECTED IN UPSHUR COUNTY BY MR. G. E. LADD. s z a ES | = | s 2 fe = | BL a | Ss = eB eh 319+...) 61.57 | 22.32 6.03 | 0.10 | 0.16 | Trace. | Trace.| 10.04 | 100.22 | 43.09 325*...| 80.78 | 4.30] 2 22 | 0.02 | 0.38 | 0.88 | Trace.| 10.47 | 99.05 | 56.44: 3264.,.| GB.79 | 18.77 8.31 | 0.36 | Trace.| 2.30 | Trace.| 5.05 | 100.58 | 46.05 BBO". 2.771.781 14,10)" 2.8271 0.28") race tiraee: | ime 11.10 | 100.08 | 50.24 338"... .| 66.09) 1586 6,91 | 0.37 | 0.28 | 1/81"| Trace. |) 112,40 99.71 | 46.23 341¢...| 48.65 | 26.07 | 12.65 | 0.26 | Trace. | 2.30 | Trace.| 10.30 | 100.23 | 34.05 Analyses made in the Laboratory of the Geological Survey of Texas by *J. H. Herndon, +L. E. Magnenat. Localities. No. 319. Ahira Butler headright, northeast corner Upshur County. No. 325. Three miles southeast of Coffeeville, on the Wm. Hambright headright. No. 326. Ahira Butler headright, in northeast corner Upshur County. No. 335. Two miles southwest of Coffeeville, on the John Parker headright. No. 338. Ahira Butler headright. No. 341. Northeast corner Upshur County. Beginning at the northeast corner of the county, the first deposit of ore is a straggling remnant of the conglomerate deposits found in the western end of Marion County and the northwestern portion of Harrison County, on the Wm. Murray headright. Northwest of this deposit and about a mile from the village of Coffeeville a deposit of ore, extending in a general northwesterly direction for nearly four miles and having a width of about one and a half miles at its greatest diameter, occupies a large portion of the western side of the Ahira Butler headright, the whole of the J. Martin and N. S. Paymenter headrights, and portions of the east side of the E. Wilkerson and W. G. Holloway headrights, UPSHUR COUNTY. 183 an area comprising nearly three thousand nine hundred square acres, or about six square miles. The ores of this field consist principally of the laminated and nodular grades, with the accompanying ferruginous sandstones. Analyses of these ores show them to be of a moderate quality, carrying both sulphur and phos- phorus in small quantities. See analyses Nos. 326 and 338. About three miles south of Coffeeville, on the John Parker headright and near the centre of the survey, there is a small rounded deposit of concre- tionary ore, having an areal extent of about two hundred square acres. See analysis No. 335. Hast of this last deposit and about three miles southeast of Coffeeville there is another small deposit of ore on the Wm. Hambright headright. This de- posit appears from its position to be the terminal part of the extensive lami- nated and conglomerate deposits found farther east on the William Murray headright and extending thence into Harrison County. This deposit appears: to be chiefly a concretionary ore of a good grade, very low in silica and sul- phur, but carrying seventeen-hundredths of one per cent of phosphorus. The metallic iron is also over the average, being 56.45 per cent. See analysis No. 325. This ore also carries about 0.88 per cent of lime. Going northeast from Gilmer, the public road to Fayette crosses a ridge of ore land about four miles northeast of Gilmer. This deposit, which is ap- proximately three miles in length, has a width of about three-quarters of a mile and comprises an area of fourteen hundred and forty square acres. Be- ginning at the northeast corner of the Wm. C. King headright, the eastern boundary of the deposit passes in a southeasterly direction through the Ben- jamin Talbot, C. B. Teal, northeast corner of the Elias A. Burrell, and south- west corner of the James Wagstaff headrights, thence through the J. M. Clough and into the Alfred Hefner headrights. From this point it turns west for a short distance, and then in a northwesterly direction, in a line almost parallel to the eastern boundary, through the Ames W. Smith, E. A. Burrell, and C. Wright headrights and into the Wm. King headright, turning east to the place of starting. Another deposit occurs in the vicinity of the town of Gilmer. There are several small deposits, the first and most extensive of which is in the form of two rounded hills lying on the south side of the John J. Hooper headright, comprising together an area of about thirty acres. The next deposits lie about two miles west of the town and on -the north side of the J. B. B. Davenport headright, and have an area of ten or fifteen acres. In the neighborhood of Omega Postoffice, and extending as far west as Glenwood Postoffice, and thence southwesterly to and including the West Mountain region along the Gregg County line, there are deposits of concre- 184 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. tionary ore imbedded in the overlying orange colored and brown sands. These brown sands have a thickness ranging from four to fifty feet, and wherever cut through appear to overlie the thinly laminated dark blue micaceous sandy clays of the lignitic formations. The exact areal extent of this deposit of ore is not known, as the outlines have not yet been traced. The total area of iron ore lands within the limits of Upshur County may be placed at six thousand four hundred acres, or about ten square miles. WOOD COUNTY In Wood County the iron ores are found scattered in small bodies through- out the greater extent of the county. The Wood County ores are chiefly of the nodular concretionary variety of limonites, and a few deposits of the laminated class and some conglomerate ores found along the margins of the creeks. The heaviest deposits of these ores are found: First, on a ridge running north and south through the southern portion of the Philip Gonzales headright and extending south for a short distance into the I. Meredith sur- vey. This deposit is mostly of the nodular or concretionary variety, and car- ries about 47.76 per cent of metallic iron, with 0.24 of phosphorus, 0.14 of sulphur, and 14.50 per cent of silica. The next deposit of any size is an oval shaped hill on the east side of the Wm. M. L. Burnett and west side of the Joel C. Bradford headrights. The ore from this region is a poor quality of limonite or a clay iron stone, carrying only 34.27 per cent of metallic iron in association with 36.27 per cent of silica. This ore contains 0.31 per cent of sulphuric acid and a trace of phosphorus. It also contains 2.10 per cent of lime and 1.20 per cent of manganese. Another deposit of laminated ore occurs about one-half mile east of Lake Fork and two miles north of the Texas and Pacific Railway—partly on the west side of the Simon Gonzales and partly on the J. Monteith headrights. This ore contains only about 29.98 per cent of metallic iron, with 40.60 per cent of silica, and is therefore of no practical value as a producer of metallic iron. About three miles northeast of the village of Mineola there is a small de- posit of concretionary ore on theG. Greer headright. The ore of this deposit only shows a percentage of 27.84 per cent of metallic iron. In the neighborhood of the town of Quitman scattering deposits of iron ore occur. These deposits are mostly of the nodular concretionary and con- glomerate varieties and occur in thinly scattered quantities, covering a dis- trict of from three to seven miles north and west of Quitman. Conglomerate ore also occurs on the Sulphur Spring road about ten miles north of the town. The ores found in this region have from thirty-two to fifty-three per cent of WOOD COUNTY. 185 metallic iron; the best ore being that found on the ridge extending from three to seven miles northwest of the town of Quitman. An analysis of this ore gives: Webcal MCIRVEO ON Plate 8 nie ee Tel aint ee opS is Sian els Peis lyn ee ve Re ene lens ojo gf ole syayee «s 53.76 SIGE 08 sad Sui a ee eS SSIS ie AS Se ee CRORE ena a a 9.50 SULTINT ISA gf 65 pag ate GUL IRE ACS OS OIRO EERE SROs RDC SIERRA a ane a en 0.116 HESEVGR pa INO) GUS es es ate ee, a as es eR Eafe sas Che Pskhaybts “elit Richa ldo deb ca\la eye so) wrayer: oh: Trace LETTTREN ca! Sd ay cola ty ee eR eee Grin oh i Ep ee tie he PRO Be a 1.06 WRARPRATIOS O42 8 octets drape fos tohe wo wise oe eT Ras Sins Neneh cera Orne ae a ABE i: M0283 A small quantity of clay ironstone is found on the J. B. Mansell headright about three miles west of Pine Hill, and a deposit of nodular concretionary or geode ore also occurs about two miles southwest of the same place. The following table will show the analyses of the Wood County ores from specimens collected by Mr. G. E. Ladd: ANALYSES OF IRON ORES COLLECTED IN WOOD COUNTY. 2s ; 4 $ eee as az =e So ete aa ae eae ee san oe ase g PMO erste iets hart ar aie) eMeite See obe2a | 14-50 jolt | OF86) | Prace.|\ 0.34.) 02bTi| 10/201) (99.587 | 41.16 queer to .50 | 9.90%) Trace. |: 1,06. )... 25. 0.29 | Trace. | 12.30 | 100.78 | 53.76 pepe o4 iG | 25.00 | 1264 \ Trace, |/Drace.| 0.517) 1.127) 11.20 | 100.28: | 38.33 oe7.---| 39.15 | 40.40 | 8.42 | 1.06 | Trace. |-0.18 | 0.31 9.50 | 99.65 | 27.84 gates.) 44.98 |) 36.70.) 6.82 | 2.27 | Trace.| 0.02 | 0.16) 9.70 | 100.65 | 31.48 339}....| 42.84 | 40.60 | 7.86 | 2.10 | Trace.| 1.04 | Trace.| 6.10 | 100.54 | 29.98 340}... | 45°96 \06.21 ! 4.04 | 2710_) Trace: ! 0.31 | Traces). 7.25 | 10063 | 34.27 aoe 45 4) AL 50 | 1-16) | Trace: Trace.) 0218) | 0.35 5.95 | 100.28 | 31 59 aa | AG 900) oO. 90 | Aol) | Trace... < 0.15 | 0.22 | 8.38 | 99.80 | 32.88 356*.... 64.36 | 21.40 | Die OA WE ACE bart ayers 0.30 | 1.54 | 10.10 | 100.34 | 45.05 Analyses by *#J. H. Herndon, ,L. E. Magnenat. Nos. 328 and 340 respectively, 0.83 and 1.20 manganese. Localities. No. 317. Gonzales headright, three miles northwest of Pine Hill. Concretionary ore. No. 328. Three to seven miles northwest of Quitman. Nodular masses. No. 329. Three miles north of Quitman. Clay ironstone. No. 336. Three and one-fourth miles northeast of Mineola, Greer headright. Concre- tionary ore. No. 337. Two miles southwest of Pine Hill. Concretionary ore. No. 339. One-half mile east of Lake Fork, two miles north of railway. Laminated ore. No. 340. Three miles west and north of Pine Hill. Clay ironstone. No. 353. West of Quitman. Clay ironstone, ochreous. . No. 355. Sulphur Springs road, ten miles north of Quitman. Conglomerate. No. 356. Quitman. Conglomerate. 186 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. VAN ZANDT COUNTY. The iron ore deposits of Van Zandt are confined to the eastern portion, and thin out and disappear before passing the centre of the county. The only iron ore deposits known to be of any extent occur in the southeastern portion. The main body of ore is in the form of along narrow ridge ex- tending from the northeast corner of the HE. Arrington headright through the L. Buford headright, and northeast through the R. Crane and I. Piles headrights to near the center of the B. M. Boland survey. The ore found in this ridge belongs to the laminated grade, but so far as the present methods of working iron ores are concerned this ore is non-productive, an analysis showing only 32.88 per cent of metallic iron. Small rounded isolated deposits of laminated ore occur in many of the sur- veys in this section of the county. The largest appear to be the deposit found on the A. S. Johnston survey. The total area of iron ore territory in Van Zandt has been computed at one square mile. ANALYSES OF IRON ORES COLLECTED BY MR. G. E. LADD IN VAN ZANDT COUNTY. od a s ° H 2 8 © Re a ; & es | 33 5= Sh TA Ser Me : a. | S28 bee ee | eee oO = = “cs res | Bc Om iS) = Fy MD < | ow = Q | 4 a = = =e ee 5 344” ...) 46.98 | 28.40 | 12.42 | 0.28 |...... 0.41 | 0.51 | 11.21 | 100-2) | 32286 01+ ..<1°58.25 | 14,80.) 12285 | Trace. | Trhess: 2 0.48 | 13.50 99.88 | 40.77 Analysis by *J. H. Herndon, +L. E. Magnenat. Localities. No. 344. Buford survey, four miles northeast of Edom. No. 357. A. 8. Johnston’s survey. HENDERSON COUNTY. IRON ORES. Crossing the southeast corner of Van Zandt County, the western boundary of the East Texas iron ore fields enters Henderson County near its northeast corner. The first deposits found lie upon the north side of Battle Creek, on the Juan M. Martinez headright. On the south side of the creek, and on the same survey of land, another deposit of ore of the same quality occurs. This region consists of high, broad, flat-topped, steep-sided hills, having a general elevation of one hundred and forty feet above the level of Battle Creek. The general trend of these hills is northwest and southeast, or in the same direction as the creek. The whole area of this field does not exceed twelve hundred acres. HENDERSON COUNTY. 187 The next deposit of ore found lies in the neighborhood of Brownsboro Station, on the St. Louis, Arkansas and. Texas Railway. This deposit occurs in a long narrow range of flat-topped hills, having a general course of from a few degrees west of north to southeast. The general elevation of these hills does not exceed one hundred and forty feet above the level of the bottom lands of Kickapoo Creek on the north and of Flat Creek on the south. This deposit begins on the south side of the Dickers Parker headright, and the east side runs east of south to near the center of the north side of the J. Carver headright, whence it turns east to the west side of the J. N. Gaines headright, thence south to near the southwest corner of the Gaines headright. From this the line turns west to the east side of the Susan Head headright, and from there turns west of north to the Dickers Parker survey. The area of this field comprises about eighteen hundred acres. Crossing the broad flat bottom lands belonging to the Flat Creek drainage area, the next iron ore field, and by far the most.extensive ore region in Hen- derson County, lies in the district between Mulberry Creek on the north and Caddo Bayou on the south. Towards the east this field is limited by the broad bottom lands of the Neches River, and on the west by a series of de- posits of yellow sand. The boundary of this field, beginning at the south- east corner of the James McDonald headright, passes south through the Maria Trinidad Equis headright to the north side of the Juan Jose Martinez survey, then turns east to near the west side of the Thomas Chaffin headright. From this point the line curves around to the northeast corner of the E. Cazanova headright, and thence with a gentle curve southwesterly to the southeast corner of the A. H. Caldwell headright. From there the ridge turns southeastward and crosses the Anderson County line on the Alfred Benge headright. The western boundary of the field passes northwesterly through the A. Benge and D. M. Dickerson headrights into the east side of the Isaac Burton headright. Turning northeast it reaches the southwest corner of the Juan Jose Martinez headright, and thence southwest to the southwest corner of the W. L. Scott headright, From here the ore boundary passes north along the W. L. Scott and Simon Boon headrights to Boon Mountain, on the northwest corner of the A. K. Jones headright; thence northeast to the southwest corner of along the south side of the James Mc- Donald headright to. the southeast corner. The total area of this field is nearly fourteen square miles. The region covered by this field presents a series of rounded, oval shaped, and long, narrow, steep-sided hills or ridges, having a general uniform eleva- tion of from one hundred and forty to one hundred and sixty feet (bar.) above the bottoms of the creeks in the neighborhood. The sides of the ravines cut by the creeks show a complicated series of s 188 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. benches, alternating in number according to the relative position of the hills and streams. Round Mountain, so.called from its shape—an isolated flat- topped hill on the northwestern corner of the A. K. Jones headright—shows only one bench close up to the summit of the hill; and Pilot Hill or Buffalo _Gray sano =m Buff crumbly iron ore note Lellow _s "Caddo Bayou Rig. 13: DIAGRAM SHOWING BENCHES BETWEEN PILOT HILL AND CADDO BAYOU. Ridge, on the Alfred Benge headright, shows no less than four within the distance from Caddo Bayou to the summit. The intermediate hills, such as Pine Hill or Cooper Mountain, on the W. H. Watts headright, show four benches, while the hill on the Luke Gauntt headright, behind Mr. James Gauntt’s house, shows only two. The streams flowing through the ravines all have the V-shaped bottoms common ‘to water-cut channels. The deposits within the region and constituting the ridges are compara- tively uniform in their positions, the ore deposit being found at a level of one hundred and forty feet, and where the elevation of the ridge does not exceed this height the ore covers the surface in the form of a flat cap, broken into large bowlders, frequently measuring from six to ten feet in length and four to six feet in width, and having a thickness equal to the whole depth of the ore deposit. Such points of the ridges as reach the higher elevations of one > hundred and fifty and one hundred and sixty feet are covered with a light gray and yellow colored sand. The benches found along the sides of these ridges are altogether due to the action of the streams flowing at their bases and to atmospheric agencies. The beds underlying the iron ore deposits are of a yellowish colored sand, with a sandy clay lying close to the base. A section of the country at J. Gauntt’s house gives the following: Ui Grae Bese | cece! eis 5 5 2p) oe bck ore od ie de eheeto ss eee ee 10 to 15 feet. 2. bedyehiuterumpbly iron ore... . . 0s. 5. «eck epreisueh eer eee 4 feet. 3. Yellowish colored iron-stained sand................ aero 2 ats ea 120 feet. 4... Sandy layer esc sss. - PEEPS ae 4 i sess 20 feet. Bos Gray Gare GCIAN te eos aia cs ae ene source Es SPL LP 8 So 2 feet. 6. ignite (kewe tio ejover)) 2.6/2. 2.) bs Ree iether 2 feet. These yellow sands (No. 3) are easily eroded, and by their destruction the iron ore deposit is left unsupported. Blocks of ore are thus detached, fall or HENDERSON COUNTY. 189 slide down the hillside, to accumulate and form a bench at a level lower than where they originated. These ore deposits when in place are covered with a thin deposit of ferruginous sandstone, and the blocks found covering the second and lower benches, besides being tilted and sloping downward, are frequently completely overturned, showing the ferruginous sandstone beneath the ore. The iron ores found throughout the different ore fields of the county are all of the laminated variety of Dr. Penrose’s classification, and belong to that division of the laminated ores known as buff crumbly ore. These ores have all a uniform appearance and thickness, and are overlaid throughout the whole of the region by a soft brown ferruginous sandstone. This sandstone thickens towards the northeast, and is found in greater quantities in the ore fields around Battle Creek than in the region around Fincastle and Boon Mountain, in the southern field. The analyses of these ores show them to carry phosphorus in greater or less quantities, extending from a mere trace to 0.44 per cent, and sulphur ex- ists only in exceedingly small quantities, all of the analyses made showing only traces of this material. The local details of the most prominent portions of the southern fields give a thickness of ore about three feet. At Round Mountain, on the Allen K. Jones headright, the hill has an ele- vation of one hundred and forty feet above the level of the creek, and is covered on the summit by large blocks of ferruginous sandstone and buff crumbly iron ore. Some of these blocks measure six feet in length by four feet in width, and are from two to four feet in thickness. The ferruginous sandstone found here in association with the ore does not exceed two or three inches in thichness. A narrow, deep, steep-sided ravine divides Round Mountain from Boon Mountain. Boon Mountain has the same structure as Round Mountain, and belongs to the same range of hills. Close to J. M. Gauntt’s house, on the Luke Gauntt headright, another hill rises to an eleva- tion of one hundred and fifty feet above the bottom lands. This hill is a long, narrow, flat-topped ridge, running in a northeasterly and southwesterly direction. The bench around the hill at an elevation of one hundred and forty feet is covered with broken fragments of buff crumbly ore and: ferruginous sandstone, and the side of the hill is covered with a broken debris of the same character of material. The ore on this hill does not exceed three feet, and the associated sandstone two or three inches. The highest portion of this ridge is covered by a deposit of grayish colored sand about ten feet in thickness. A well twenty-two feet deep at Mr. Gauntt’s house, close to the base of this hill, passed through a red and black clay into lignite. Another isolated oval shaped hill, known locally as Pine Hill or Cooper 190 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. Mountain, is situated on the south side of the W. H. Watts headright. This hill has an areal extent of about three hundred yards in length and one hun- dred yards in width, and an elevation of one hundred and ten feet. The summit of the hill is covered with a deposit of buff crumbly ore and ferru- ginous sandstones, measuring from three to six feet in length, and widths varying from two to five feet. The deposits of ore on this hill do not exceed two and one-half to three feet in thickness. The otherwise precipitous sides of this hill are divided into four benches or steppes. These benche§$ are covered with large blocks of ore which have apparently slipped or fallen down from the summit of the hill. Many of them have been completely turned over in their descent, and now lie in positions showing the sandstone which usually covers this class of ore lying underneath the block. On the W. J. L. Scott headright the hill forms a broad, level plateau, the highest portion of which, near the Myrtle Head school house, is covered with a deposit of gray sand about twelve to fifteen feet in thickness. In ascend- ing the hill on the west side, a broad bench is passed over before reaching the school house. This bench also appears on the road leading southeasterly towards the village of Fincastle. The bench on both sides of the hill is cov- ered with blocks of broken buff crumbly ore, showing a thickness of a little over two feet. The uniform quality and elevation of these blocks of ore show them to be the broken outcroppings of a similar deposit of iron which passes through the plateau and underneath the gray sandy deposit crowning its highest points. A series of small hills occurs on the Juan Jose Martinez headright around Fincastle Postoffice. These hills are all rounded in form and rise to sharp peaks. All of them contain iron ore of the same quality and thickness as the other hills already described. Beginning a little to the south of Fincastle, on the EH. Cazanova headright, and extending southwesterly through the southwestern portion of that sur- vey and covering the whole of the A. H. Caldwell headright and part of the D. M. Dickerson and Alfred Benge headrights, the ore is contained in two almost parallel ridges. Near D. M. Dickerson’s house the ridges unite and form one high ridge, terminating in Pilot Hill or Buffalo Ridge on the south side of the Alfred Benge headright, near the Anderson County line. Pilot Hill has an elevation of over one hundred and eighty feet above Caddo Bayou, and is covered with a deposit of over thirty feet of gray sand, which also covers the higher portions of these ridges. The ore deposits in these ridges appear in their relative positions of about one hundred and forty feet above the creeks which flow at the western and eastern bases. The ore of this region is all of the buff crumbly variety and is overlaid with a thin deposit of ferruginous sandstone. Some large blocks surmount HENDERSON COUNTY. 191 the ridges and lie scattered along their sides, but the greater portion of ore deposits in this region exist in the form of broken pieces of small sizes and coarse ferruginous gravel. From its generally broken condition it is difficult to estimate the thickness of the ore deposits in this region, but it is probable that about three feet of good workable ore-will be found throughout the greater portion of the ridges. On Pilot Hill the ore when seen in place has this thickness. While the quantity of ore found in the region forming this field may not show a thickness of more than three feet, and a great extent of the area may not exceed two and one-half feet, the sides of the hills all show a large quan- tity of debris from which vast quantities of workable ore may be readily and cheaply obtained. The enormous erosion which this region has undergone has been the means of removing the soft underlying yellow colored sands and allowed the ore blocks and fragments to fall down along the sides of the hills and ridges, until now these accumulated blocks form deposits of ore many feet in thickness, and which will require years of steady mining to remove be- fore the ore beds now in place will require to be touched. It may be esti- mated that within this ore field each square mile of ore deposits carries in the neighborhood of seven million tons of ore. Specimens of ore collected in this field give the following analyses: ANALYSES OF IRON ORES COLLECTED IN HENDERSON COUNTY. é ; a : 2 F e r ie : E $ Bg = as ie Ne eo | § come ipeeoy tech asi: otal ge os B ees iS A a a0 ie iJigg A) or 64.30) 15.40} 10.70)...... TOG bees ener 0.24) 7.70) 99.40) 45.01 Ze ald) 59,20) 16.20/11 20. 63. 2. Traces | phos Trace. | 13.45|100.05| 41.44 scaled 0) 80.45} 4.30} 3.15) Trace. | Trace. | Trace. | Trace. | 12.15}100.05| 56.31 1O77F +. ......:| 69.90) 10.40) 10.90) Trace. | Trace.| Trace.| 0.35), 8. 5/100.10} 48.93 OOS +.) os. 55.59) 17.20) 14.81) Trace. | Trace. | Trace.| 1.10) 11 5/100.05) 38.91 LOGS eae 67.14) 14.00} 7.46) Trace. | Trace.|Trace.| 0.64! 11.00/100.24| 47.00 124) 67.14} 10.30} 9.06) Trace. | Trace. | Trace.| 0.54) 13.20/100.24| 47.00 UL See 63.02) 14.30) 9.58) Trace. | Trace. |Trace.| 0.51) 12.50) 99.91) 44.11 Analyses by *J. H. Herndon, ,L. E. Magnenat. (lL) Specimens collected by Mr. G. E. Ladd. Localities. Nos. 255 and 257. Juan J. Martinez headright near Fincastle. No. 347. A concretionary ore found two miles west of Fincastle. No. 1077. Pilot Hill, on Alfred Benge headright. No. 1078. Round Mountain, on A. K. Jones headright. No. 1079. Hill at J. M. Gauntt’s house, on Luke Gauntt headright. No. 1080. Near Myrtle Head school house, on W. J. L. Scott headright. No. 1081. A. H. Caldwell headright. , The central or Brownsboro ore field consists of a number of flat-topped ridges, extending in a generally north and south direction, and covers an area of nearly two square miles. This field appears to be a continuation of 192 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. the southern field, although it is separated from that region by the extensive bottom lands of Kickapoo Creek. The ore found in this area has the same general characteristics. It belongs to the same buff: crumbly class of ore, has the same thickness of between two and four feet, and lies at about the same general elevation of about one hundred and forty feet above the creeks. A specimen of ore collected in this region by Mr. G. E. Ladd gives the following analysis: Herric Oxide | jeepney ok iol HAL ee 73.60 per cent. ROLTCR: oe die en inise Wale ele hte le 5 6 a /ste ue guerel | eu Mee a ee ee 10.06 per cent. Alumina. «4.52 hfe mete Digicel s 6.9). ho cd-da le eee eee § ht scoh ese cee . . 9.89 per cent. Phosphoric atid sy. eg ege.sic ss vid oc aero eve ae Prac sacle ener eee ', - Trace. Sulphuric acid 55 5 dc sieve aye w erw'aiee aco doe & cee tenernna Sie eases ete rea ne eee ne Trace [D111 nn ee ets meen Ae EA SRO eh OOS AW eA Oo Bo bio Trace Water and loss... ... UNE EEE Pemie h BR 8 4.8 Glee NS Chet S spae ages ee 6.75 per cent. 100.30 Metallic irom sith: acstaadis ce soerd's cata tee cies an ee ei ie Cee eee ee 51.52 per cent. The northern ore field, lying on the Juan M. Martinez headright along the banks of Battle Creek, comprises an area of nearly two square miles. This ore field consists of two flat-topped ridges, lying on both sides of the creek, and having an elevation above it of one hundred and fifty feet (bar.). The upper portion of the hills is covered with a heavy deposit of grayish yel- low sand, under which the ore deposits appear as outcropping and broken fragments, many of which have fallen farther down the steep sides of the hills, and in numerous places have been the protecting covering of the small benches along the eastern and southern sides of the hills. The ores of this field are similar to those found at Brownsboro and in the southern portion of the county in the neighborhood of Fincastle. On the south side of the J. M. Martinez survey there is a small ridge of ferruginous sandstone and concretionary ore in small fragments. In pass- ing northwesterly this ridge increases in altitude until it reaches its maximum altitude of one hundred and fifty feet (bar.) above Battle Creek. Near: Mr. Chapman’s house, and on Mr. D. Cade’s farm on the same head- right, the ore is of the buff crumbly variety, covered with the usual ferrugi- nous sandstone. The ore bed in this field appears to have a general or uniform thickness of two and one-half or three feet. Large quantities of broken fragments of ore are found as debris lying along the bases of the ridges. This debris is mixed to a considerable extent with the ferruginous sandstones overiying the ore. These sandstones appear to increase in thickness in passing from the south- west to the northeast of the county. The specimens obtained from this portion of the county give the following analysis: HENDERSON COUNTY. 193 TST Tr TUS 2a eh iaats Orhooieic care 0 gt Oe MRALO CI Ob ech Sane CROP CREE Baoan 58.24 per cent. SLL ets ae GENE Rise artes a Remar Stage Ee evi is eauh etait Abedin Sis iG 22.10 per cent. 1s LU SSTUT TTC) S98 Glee aren ies nance can, eee PRE See anes ey alle wae gre, » 8.16 per cent. Saiiphininie aGid ac, 3505 Ses fais Pg ae in HO De ttn Ya NO ene Poe ire Trace. | PROSTIAGTED POG eRe Oe Bide Oe en cr seca cae Re ee et 1.08 per cent. | STA a peer chs Secetekrd eins eye ae eae eae See Se Oe Ree Rees ict Hen erate ote 0.29 per cent. UANSS. TE TSTTTIOW Acie oS GS GU AISOI TIC Le SEMI OES vee ke areas ame 10.11 per cent. 99.98 per cent. MCRAE EON terra crseiaten Sig) Se cede ms Soler ain cat A she atonnlela a se de ve 40.77 per cent. The uniformity of the elevation of these ridges, together with their simi- larity of structure and general thickness to the ore deposits on the west side of Smith County, as well as those of the adjoining portion of Anderson County, lead to the inference that during the period in which the sand de- posits from which these ore beds were afterwards derived were being laid down, the surface of this part of the sea bottom had a uniform level, sloping gently towards the southeast with a very uniform degree of dip, not much greater, if any, than the fall of the present stream beds, and that the broad bottom lands of the Kickapoo, Flat, and Caddo creeks,.as well as the low lying, partially swampy lands along the Neches River, have all been formed by the action of these streams within comparatively modern times. No faults, breaks, or dislocation of the strata are observable throughout the whole of this region, and all the beds maintain their uniformity of eleva- tion; and the general southeasterly dip shows these deposits to be compara- tively free from the minor undulations observable in many other places in Hast Texas. The enormous amount of erosive work performed by these streams may be estimated from the fact that Flat Creek, a comparatively small stream, has cut through the ore bearing ridges to a depth of one hundred and fifty feet and formed a series of bottom lands nearly six miles in width, while the nearest ore deposit to the Neches River on the Henderson County side is that on Battle Creek, and is three miles distant. The similarity and relative positions of the deposits on either side of Battle Creek show that this creek has divided the northern ore field into two di- visions by cutting for itself a channel near the centre of the field nearly three- quarters of a mile in width, over a mile long, and one hundred and forty feet in depth. BUILDING STONE. The only building stones found in the county are the soft, friable, yellow and brown indurated glauconitic sands found everywhere throughout East Texas. Deposits of this sandstone occur a few miles north of the town of Athens, and also on the south side of the J. M. Martinez headright, half a 194 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. mile north of Chandler Station. At this latter place the sandstone is a yellow, soft, easily cut stone, lying in strata from eight inches to two feet in thick- ness, the whcle section presenting a face of about ten feet. CLAYS. Extensive deposits of clays of widely different characters occur through- out the western and central portion of Henderson County. Some of these deposits are at present being utilized for the manufacture of ordinary build- ing bricks, ornamental and paving bricks, while the finer qualities of the clay deposits in the neighborhood of Athens are being utilized for the manu- facture of fire bricks, earthenware, and drain and sewer pipes. The most extensively developed deposits of clay within Henderson County are found in the immediate vicinity of the town of Athens. In this region alone five deposits of clay of varying characteristics occur, all of which have been worked at one time or another in a more or less desultory manner. Bed No. 1, occurs on the T. Murchison farm, on the west side of the James B. Attwood headright, about one and a half miles north and a little east of the town. This clay bank lies on the north side of a small stream, and has a thickness of two feet where open, but apparently thickens towards the southeast. This clay is thinly laminated and of a very pale lead color, drying almost to a white, and contains small crystals of what the potters call “tiff,” or gyp- sum, in its lower division. A section of the bank at Mr. M. K. Miller’s pit gives the following: L* Ferruginous gravel and yellow Sand: 7-4... - ces ye aee Fee che eae 2 to 10 feet. 2: Pale lead colored laminated clay... --.6-.-5, >) ase eee 2 feet. 3. . Lignitie sand or black Sandy clay 2.0% 2, 22 10s tee cioe im ce te From the dip of the beds in the region this clay appears to be the highest in the list of clay deposits in this neighborhood. _Half a mile further west, and on the same headright, Bed No. 2 occurs. This deposit dips slightly towards the east, and has the same light blue or pale lead color and is six feet thick. It was worked some years ago for the manufacture of earthenware, but with the exception of a few trial loads ob- tained by M. K. Miller, it is not now in use. A section of the pit gives the following: i, Permupinous sand and gravel... .. 2. ss 6 «sno oe ere eee Mois 5 feet. 2 ePale teadicolored clay «....... 0:5 3°. 4 2% eee «dw eet brs Satie eer eee 6 feet. Bo TS MTING MATER. wo Se eee ee wa wie ke ope betel ee ot Ae een From its elevation and its relation to the underlying black lignitic clay or sand, this deposit appears to be a western extension and outcropping of the deposit found in the Miller pit. HENDERSON COUNTY. 195 Bed No. 3 occurs in a brook on the Bishop farm, on the Boly C. Walters headright, about a mile north of Athens. This clay is a pale brown and blue color, and underlies a pavement of large ferruginous bowlders and has a thickness of over six feet. A section of the opening gives the following: Pee Mellow: sandy: clay: amd. Samad, 7) 6 Gilsys oes Wb wake Se ON ela Feely ie 2 feet. Py OW ler EU 2 yeh se se sett: | MAR ed testi at hall hid Ru be ern oa 6 to 10 inches. a hrowich, blue clay. 2 s.0. cela Zeiss <= ie 3 MRM T ee raf aces 2 On tect: This deposit appears to underlie the M. K. Miller deposit and overlie the deposits found close to the town of Athens. This clay has never been used for manufacturing purposes. | Bed No. 4 occurs about a quarter of a mile west of the town. This is the most extensively developed deposit of clay known in Henderson County. Outcroppings of this deposit are found in numerous places throughout the Thomas Parmer and B. A. Clark headrights, and underlies the whole of the town of Athens. The western edge of the bed so far as yet known is seen outcropping in two small cuttings on the St. Louis, Arkansas and Texas Railway, about a mile west of Athens. The bed has a slight dip to the east, or a little south of east, and a tendency to thicken in its easterly course. At the pit opened by the Texas Fire Brick and Tile Company’s works this bed has a thickness of two feet at the western end of the pit, but rapidly thickens to eleven feet, and at Henry Morrison’s pit on the Clark headright, one mile east of the town, it has a thickness of twelve feet. The clay is hght, almost white in color, and overlies a fine white, even-grained siliceous sand. A section of the Texas Fire Brick and Tile Company’s pit gives the following: Ww Fig. 14. 7 | E a, Texas Fire Brick and Tile Company pit. b, Henry Morrison pit. Pe chowislinbrowal Sandy Clay...) sa e.5 2 adejaycetle be oh cd ee sd since sees 5 feet. Pie COMOTe MIE Claes sia ones a a eee es cee ke oe edie e ee wes 2 to 1 feet. Se NMEA Ae re espe Lid Mle Ue Je, 5 feet. 4 LIS CBT Die Sie PRESS eo ee reer eee ee, Wi as 1 foot. Seale wine sandy clay (known to be)< ji sui .sias ees. ceaeeies es euditiesd 4 feet. The section at Henry Morrison's pit gives the following: wae Mominauronsl 'Saiidy Clay ii. Aes IN hh DL end Alo dda ae 5 feet. 2. Light bluish white clay, containing small spots of bright red in the upper divi- pion Wirbecoming! wiite.in, the lower. jo. 0g. vcs ssw cate snes dees oan 12 feet. 2 URS TLNS COTS ea see 0a Get 2 ae a The areal extent of this bed or deposit is not known, but the numerous openings which have been made indicate its having a workable area of nearly two miles in length and over a mile in width. An opening made in this de- 20— geol. 196 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. - posit on Mr. B. Wofford’s land, about three-quarters of a mile southeast of Athens, is reported as showing the clay to be thirty feet thick and to contain numerous leaf impressions in the lower divisions of the beds. | A deposit of a bright red colored clay occurs on the top of a hill on the south side of the J. B. Attwood headright. This deposit is four feet thick and is covered with a thin ferruginous, gravelly soil, and lies upon a red colored sand. A deposit of dark blue lignitic clay occurs underneath a deposit of lignite on the southwest side of the C. M. Walters headright. This deposit is four feet, and possibly more, in thickness. The clays of the county may be divided into three divisions, viz.: Ist. Clays suitable for building materials, such as the common building bricks, ornamental or front pressed bricks, and terra cotta ware. 2nd. Refractory clays, or clays suitable for the manufacture of furnace and cupola linings, fire bricks, fire backs for grates, etc. 3rd. Pottery clays, or those suitable for the manufacture of ordinary earthenware. 1. BRICK CLAY. Extensive deposits of clay suitable for the manufacture of ordinary red building bricks form the surface deposits in many portions of the county. At the Texas Fire Brick and Tile Company’s yard fine red colored pressed brick, suitable for frontal purposes, have been made from a mixture of the overlying brown sandy clay and the upper or stained part of the company’s fire clay bed. Bricks made from this mixture and repressed by a Raymond press take a fine skin and clear red color. These brick burn very hard and solid. A bright red clay found on the south side of the J. B. Attwood headright is used by Mr. Henry Morrison as a mixture with the upper lying division of — his white clay bed for the manufacture of an ornamental brick. These bricks burn hard and have a strong tendency to glaze. The ornamentation on these bricks burns sharp and clear. Paving tiles and blocks are also made from this mixture and appear to serve this purpose very well. Some portions of the streets of Athens have been paved with these tiles for several years, and as yet do not show any signs of breakage. Ordinary building bricks are made from the brown sandy clay overlying Mr. Morrison’s white clay, but these bricks have a tendency to split in the burning. Ordinary building bricks have been made by several parties around Athens, but with the exception of a few made by Mr. Morrison no continuous work in this class of building materials is carried on. Bricks made from mixtures of these clays when burned hard have a pale brownish gray color, spotted with iron stains, and are extremely hard. / HENDERSON COUNTY. 197 2. REFRACTORY CLAYS. The clays found in beds Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4 are all suitable for the manu- facture of refractory clay goods, such as fire bricks, furnace and cupola lin- ings, fire backs for grates, etc. The clay obtained from Bed No. 4 1s utilized by the Texas Fire Brick and Tile Company to make all the above classes of goods. The furnace linings manufactured by this company are used in the iron furnace at the State Penitentiary Iron Works at Rusk, and are highly commended by the superintendent of that institution. Cupola linings made by the same company are also used in the Kelly Plow Company’s works at Longview with very satisfactory results. Large quantities of fire bricks are also shipped to Dallas, Fort Worth, and other places, with satisfactory results. Bricks made from this clay burn hard and have a chalky white or creamy white color, according to their position in the kiln. When freshly burned these bricks weigh about six pounds, and their power to absorb moisture is about 0.6 per cent of their weight. In the manufacture of these fire clay goods nothing but the clay itself is used. Dried lumps of clay are placed in the kiln and subjected to the same amount of firing as necessary to burn the brick. This material is afterwards withdrawn, ground, and mixed with the raw clay in the proportion of about thirty per cent of this calcined clay or ‘“‘chamotte” to seventy per cent of the raw material. An analysis of this clay dried at 115° C., made in the iaboratory of the Survey, shows this clay to have the following composition: UN a ee oes us eo cies 3 it Pisks etal d bss DOA Dene a eee Roe aaa 68.55 per cent. SPARTA a ote ena PY Ri RTs Ee ot fend eCaNs So Sui gehen 3 ... 26.00 per cent. — Mi MMP OP ota TN IEE Mayr SL EM AUS as erate SUR afer Soi Aish glia 4 es oum 8oe Trace MAEM Nes nd a i Hor csv, soe avers ded ale «ee PSA ey chy BORE ae ER SER Te aes Rea Trace ULEe Ol eee oar ay fe elise ce a tone aa Ths eee en Maier on, PAC) OE pc cueinia e MSE GA. ee kee hae Oke cae eee a Rn Sn Trace. Magnesia...... me ae tha ent aS ott PE et PUM re tastes acaba eta Us 0.11 per cent. SE See HCELUOS SOUPS TUN ese ere wre a 1-ate) Governkou en oka Sf Ube ia diay a le oblate 6.00 per cent. 100.66 Cre CRT EN PORT SE es Ae ee rs 4220. per cent. SPREE IEANALY. 2). Me Mdcesd co syn 2-0 ooo rd ols PPE PE Ae Ss a RR ee 2.18 * 3. POTTERY CLAYS. No thoroughly first class reliable pottery clay has been yet found in the vicinity of Athens. Mr. M. K. Miller has been using a clay cbtained from beds Nos. | and 2 with only partial success. The chief difficulty with these clays is their non-vitrifiable qualities. In burning the ware it is found to . have a tendency to form too open a body in the time necessary to burn, and 198 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. if the time be prolonged the ware shows a decided tendency to crack and break. These clays do not admit of a good glaze, in so far that the Albany slip used does not readily adhere to the ware, but scales off, leaving the open body exposed. In the manufacture of open ware, such as milk jars, pans, churns, etc., or such articles as may not be required to retain liquids for any prolonged period, this clay will serve the purpose very well, and will make a strong, durable article suitable for everyday use. For jugs and other articles re- quired to retain oils, liquors, etc., for a prolonged period the clay is not suit- able without a mixture of a more alkaline or fusible clay. : The following is an analysis of an air-dried specimen of clay from bed No. 1, used by M. K. Miller in his pottery: Silica... 022s eee ee Sa ert st aR es a! eh Par - 69.20 per cent. pW ii leayicl: Woman tires 2 <3 gl eaats 2 smPke eee rcuats aueh a hea ue ee .-». 21.03 per cent: lveju lorem wanes s. Thon Ages. iii aks oko cao chp ots ene ee eee -... | 1.37 pericemme Potash. 4 23424 L Basco a oc Rb a Sg Sia le game era cor or co Trace Sodas. 2s. sh eee aes ee «tas bie peels Mateus Gere caetse eu ceede & kate eaee sath tN 2.30 per cent. 5h 0): ey ee Pa SME ren AA i AIPM Nin iuctys. oe ohn of Be Trace Mapnesia'.... 2). 20m ssh: sole ae sipha a hol sheless et avohsaainte eke ic eee eae mee gee 0.94 per cent. Loss: On‘ ignition; 4ie i... scl eens, Gece eee eaten nee . +. 5.16 per cent 100.00 Sandi eh one ee Ee on aretha ries Gare 8.50 Specific Sravity: salstse a. Fe ce sce Gonos cl roe ee rae eee 2.04 The following analysis is from an air-dried specimen of clay obtained from bed No. 3: SUICA co ete kasd Pacd vege @ eles og SUSE he A ene ate eee eee ee 70.80 ‘AGmMING) 9 soc age eee oe Su) tele Bla via weasel ele Gael Rio Aes. arene: Ue ee 18 56 FOrvic OXIGG:. oso xo. sce na tigcerateny elcia/eie eile ® aise eta nia aNenesohpee Rea eek cee ee ee 1.04 Lime . se sve coubt bone thew Hille p naleee atte, aAaNe lovee Sa latin fete te tees ahatcele aie ett tee tare ett eee Trace. PPOGABHE gcc in sos cveua Se ovate whine Rises omate wn aloe eis eite valiee o eiet cannes ea Trace (10 |, ne are ra meer A Nes Unie a a 5: 35 Mao nesian.ic 5:0). carseat ae Nei iaeteter Oe de Oe RS Neti Sc a bo 1.58 BV aber ANG IOGE: & < sacs eh iseaat tae eres Na arch atesa Sart aeieeateretne ao See ee 2.60 99795 There is every probability that this clay, if properly worked, will be found to make a closer bodied ware and be more suitable for the manufacture of earthenware vessels than any of the other clays found in the vicinity of Athens. No tests have ever been made. 4. MISCELLANEOUS CLAYS. There are several other classes of clays in the vicinity of Athens, all of which are suitable for the manufacture of the ordinary draining tiles, and HENDERSON COUNTY. 199 some may by judicious mixture with other clays be suitable for sewer pipe uses. Owing to the open texture to which ware made of the other clays burn, none have been found upon experimentation to be suitable for the man- ufacture of this class of clay goods. The drain tiling made by the Texas Fire Brick and Tiling Company is of a good quality and will admit of trans- . portation for long distances. The following analyses are from nee dried at 115° C., obtained at the Henry Morrison pit and from a clay bank used by Mr. ieee as a MI1x- ture in the manufacture of ornamental bricks and paving tiles: HENRY MORRISON PIT. SSURST ob Sc ste deidyelS Git = SN AV Eee SRS ie ce DORE a nn 0 eae isn OR Re 72.30 ss JITTER a Se ee eA rn eC IY Loe EES TST Ee SS Sas Py me ee stn OA IERIE car ean st ou ne a 2.47 STCEL SG oe ee he Oe Bec is Gale eos aaa ts ete ee TAN A 4.44 ECU SLI 3 6 2) a OA eRe CRON RUB UO ESTE TERN eR RE) WATE gest CoN eC e Trace JUINE © sb BiB ct beetle o Bia Rear Pe Ieee reine ee aie de gt mer tea (ae em Trace RSME eset sy Po) cai te la ss tole dice evel lte W DLA mae MUN Renova nei eatatenw cient ee 0.50 Loss on ignition not determined..... ........... 5 OETA: eich RMD Cen a nS PLC En BRE 99.04 SILL 2 ctl oe ttclePe SIS tug Be Ae PRS Ai Me Salar a AAs A A ae a 5.85 sae MeN MRPUR NRL r yt Natt on inser die a5 vase Peale Yel Asie, oPa int Nay Weiale. dwar abel w hye’ Sag 2.22 RED CLAY FROM J. B. ATTWOOD SURVEY SLOT. Le ied SRS LEN os IR 2 Se Se re ce re ie RR ee SAE IM ark, Ae te Ce 20 61.90 PEP REMAUIRICD, © ).1 528s rae ie als P)e crvel’s Ww woe MAIN EOUS EAD rep eon Mery wy) Pad ekeierel ene die hoa 23.70 PESTLE EATS LUE EG ey 20 ge ere EO aA AE Ride DY, a a 5.50 See MPM wa ek Ye eos ot PHN 3, fo he, ects Poe a te GIN du tal dj Sa abratig lv cg al stave’ ele 1.27 aac PR RE ee gras eer P Re ire Hg 2h 19 elaays Ou sling Nore naitay" Lo MIA Meoscanclia: @ opd. Yestial a. Trace UTED og gaps acis Sea ee a eA Oe cd ON a ne ee aa Trace Magnesia....... ede tol neers esi eaert pre DG sietetede weath rolls: Ty Pasa tes svat ohemay dats ea EIT Mee eee PEEL LTO eros LM ets ie aoa Pats Wid lel tie) creel Gea whe Saale eh la died w hin of She 6.52 100.00 EIPECINC PTAVIGY 2 oe ee ee ere teen etre tenes sete e eee nes 93 THE CLAY INDUSTRY. There are four establishments for the manufacture of fire bricks, tiles, and pottery in the neighborhood of Athens, viz. Tue Texas Fire Brick anp TILE ee —This is the most extensive clay working plant in Athens, and devotes its whole &ttention to the manu- facture of refractory goods, such as fire bricks, furnace and cupola linings, and grate backs. Drain tiles are also made by this company, and sewer pipes were also made for some time, but owing to the unsuitable quality of the clay for this purpose the manufacture of sewer pipes has been abandoned. The clay used for the manufacture of these bricks after being taken from 200 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS, the pit is stored in a shed, where it is allowed to dry for some time. When required for use it is ground in a dry pan, at the same time being mixed with the necessary amount of “grog” or calcined clay. From the pan the mixture is raised by an elevator to the pug mill, where, after being thor- oughly mixed and worked, it passes down through a funnel to the press. These bricks are made in a Bennett brick machine having a daily capacity of fifteen thousand bricks. After being taken from this press the bricks are repressed by a Raymond hand press and dried under cover, care being taken to allow as little handling as possible after repressing. The fire bricks and linings are burned in a series of four round dome- shaped down-draft kilns, having a capacity of forty thousand bricks each. These kilns are set in the form of a square and united to a single smoke stack which rises from the center of the area between the kilns. In burning the bricks three days are allowed for water smoking and four days for burning off, and the whole burn. is generally completed in seven or eight days. The fuel used is altogether wood, and half a cord is allowed for each one thousand bricks. Large quantities of this clay are dried and ground and shipped to various points, where it is used as a mortar for setting fire bricks, a pur- pose to which it appears to be admirably fitted. The works are run by steam power, and when in full operation employ from twenty-four to thirty men. THe ATHENS Pottery Company. — This is a small pottery recently com- menced (July, 1890) by Mr. M. K. Miller. The clays worked are from a pit on the J. B. Attwood headright, and the articles made are mostly jugs, jars, churns, flower pots, and earthenware dishes. Most of the ware made is glazed with the ‘‘Albanv slip” black glaze, and only a small quantity of salt- glazed ware is made. The machinery used for preparing the clay at this factory is very simple. The clays are placed in a small pug mill operated by ahorse. From this mill it passes into a pit, where it is spaded over and taken into the factory as required. The newly turned ware is dried on an artificial dryer before slipping. The kiln is a round «p-draft kiln and has a capacity of thirty-five hundred gallons. In burning the ware twenty-four to thirty hours are allowed for complet- ing the burn, and the ware is usually removed on the third day after the commencement of the firmg. Longer burning, it is said, causes the ware to “craze,” or air check, 6n being brought into the air, and often causes a consid- erable quantity of the articles to break in the kiln. Six cords of wood are usually required to burn a kiln, or about two cords to every one thousand gallons of ware. ) This pottery employs five men. SouTHERN Porrery, TILE, AND Brick Company.—This company has ceased HENDERSON COUNTY. 201 work, owing to the unsuitable quality of the clay it was using. When in operation the clay used was obtained from the same bed as that of the Texas Fire Brick and Tile Company. The company’s works have a capacity of pro- ducing one thousand gallons of ware daily. Henry Morrison’s BrickyarD.—This brickyard is situated about a mile southeast of Athens, and works a white clay in conjunction with the bright red clay found on the south side of the J. B. Attwood survey. The upper yellow or surface sandy clay is also utilized in the manufacture of ordinary building bricks. The section at this yard gives the following: Pe arownsor yellowish brown clay/or loam.) 3.3. c ong y ys eee) Ge iy, worteet: melacht blue white Gay)... <-86 4,2 aera er rek Men Mater eet ety eer yay ery tie tay lye 12 feet. S 7 VMIRI STE 0S eee en ee a ig Bets NI le eae Nee oS ast Ordinary building bricks, ornamental and frontal bricks, and paving tiles are made at this yard. The bricks are first made in a Penfold machine and afterwards repressed by a Raymond hand press. The ordinary bricks are usually dried on the yard, but the finer articles are dried under cover. The kilns (of which there are two) are oblong-shaped, up-draft, old-fashioned kilns, | with a capacity of ten thousand bricks. ) The paving tiles made at this yard are very hard and durable and of a good size and shape. The yard does not work regularly, and the number of men employed is variable. GLASS SAND. The sections shown in the clay pits belonging to the Texas Fire Brick and Tile Company, at Henry Morrison’s pit, and also at the base of the clay de- posits on B. Wofford’s land, show the existence of a fine white siliceous sand. This sand bed wherever cut through shows a uniform thickness of between five and six feet, and has an areal extent, so far as known, coexten- sive with the fire clay deposits, or nearly two miles in length and over a mile in width. This sand is an angular, even-grained white sand, in every respect suitable for the manufacture of o:dinary glassware, as well as for the manufacture of window glass. It contains a very small proportion of alumina and _practi- cally no iron, and will require very little preparation in the way of washing to fit it for the glassmaker’s use. This sand compares with the New Jersey glass sands in every respect and is much more cheaply obtained. In the New Jersey sand beds the stripping or top dirt, consisting of gravel and sand, is in some places seventeen feet thick.* At Athens the stripping is in a few places as deep as twelve feet, but *Geology of New Jersey, 1868, page 691. 202 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. it consists of a clay which can also be sold at a price even higher than the sand. Large quantities of this sand are shipped to Dallas and Fort Worth, where it is used for mixing with lime to make a fine grade of finishing plaster. LIGNITES. The greater portion of the central and western portion of the county is underlaid by lignitic deposits. These lignites outcrop at various places in the neighborhood of Athens. When first taken from the mines the lignite forms a solid block with a subconchoidal fracture and slightly coal-glossy lustre, but upon exposure to the air for a few days it loses its gloss and be- comes a dead black and in a short time breaks into small cuboidal fragments. The Texas Fire Brick and Tile Company mined and used as a fuel for steam purposes lignite from an outcrop on the southwest corner of the C. M. Walters headright. The following is a section of this opening: l. Gray sand. EL he soe oN te at Bech neia Rewer ed Saray, aks ee ee 6 feet. 2, ) © Clow Gla Ne cies set secn eae ee oe Go mg ce cited ann klipe nae 2 inches. Be Ligne aes Somer busts eee oy) a ce eee eee ta ne x, 20 eet: 4..¢¢ Dank blueielawitst.c. cee taste: NR ee a Beir ts A 4 feet. Totaly sa.4-teea5 | chetehe Phage one © oe egin IM® aoe area ye aces 16 feet 2 inches. In mining this lignite the overlying sand and clay were taken off and thrown into the hole left by the extraction of the coal. The product ob- tained was used as a fuel for some time, and is reported as being a good steam producer when carefully watched, but the utilization of this coal has been abandoned. ANALYSES. The following analyses of these lignites made in the laboratory of the Geo- logical Survey were made from two specimens from the same bed, No. 1 being a freshly mined specimen, and No. 2 from a specimen taken from the Survey Museum, in which it had.been kept in contact with the air fer more than two years: Volatile Fixed Aote Sul- Locality. Moisture. | Matter. Carbon. phur. ; | ee ah 7 ; ’ No. 1, C. M. Walters headrisbt.........<: 6.80 | 50.65 | 37.00 5.55) | W2ae No. 2, C. M. Walters headright®, ......... 5.70 | 57.45 | 29.85 7.00 | 023m | Analyses by J. H. Herndon. * Collected by Dr. R. A. F. Penrose, Jr. Lignite also occurs in a bluff on the north side of the S. Calderon head- right. The following is a section of this bluff: HENDERSON COUNTY. 203 ERO WAH SoG a ee Ss cts eel Sh ea A ORIG i Saar cee A eae 10 feet. b: 2. Thinly laminated sandy clay............. ALA OO te oe gree 14 feet. ao) black sandy. Glave. 1. ese Be BUREN Mean Mi atonal) auc Rem OS . 2 feet. 4A SITTER BAO RR AN och oar pt ig AR te ET aE 10 inches. “LD SNE hes MER ate dealt eg eS Pe ieee ee ltect 10 inches, On the Neches River, about two miles east of this place, lignite occurs in the bluffs of the river, extending southward for nearly a mile. Lignite is also found in wells throughout the southeastern portion of the county at depths ranging from twenty to forty feet. TIMBER. In addition to being on the western boundary of the iron bearing regions, Henderson County appears also to le upon the extreme western edge of the pine growing area of the State. No pines grow in any portion of the county except in the extreme southeastern, where a few scattered trees or small groves are found close to the Anderson County line. The timbered area of Henderson County is probably equal to about two- thirds of the whole extent of the county, or nearly six hundred square miles. The timber consists chiefly of the several varieties of oak—mostly post oak, blackjack oak, water oak, white oak—and hickory. The growth of all these trees is small, and will probably not exceed an average of twenty-five or thirty cords of wood per acre. 204 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. CHAPTER VI. SMITH COUNTY. BY J. H. HERNDON. PRELIMINARY STATEMENT. Dr. R. A. F. Penrose, Jr., in his report on the iron ores of Hastern Texas, has devoted much research and time to studying their origin, modes of deposi- tion, general character, and relations to each other and to the underlying and overlying formations, and has necessarily given the general geology of the Tertiary and later formations. His field of operations embraced the whole of Hastern Texas, including Smith County. This being the case, I have re- stricted my efforts to the thorough mapping out of the iron ores, clays, lig- nites, building stone, etc., paying especial attention to their economic features, leaving the general geology as properly belonging to him. It gives me much pleasure, however, to be able, after thoroughly investigating the same field, to add my endorsement and approval of his theories in regard to the origin of the iron ores of Eastern Texas. GEOGRAPHY AND TOPOGRAPHY. Smith County is in Hastern Texas, Tyler, its county seat, being in latitude thirty-two degrees twenty minutes north, and longitude ninety-five degrees ten minutes west. On the north it is bounded by Wood and Upshur counties, the Sabine River forming the boundary line; on the east side by Gregg and Rusk counties, on the south by Cherokee, and on the west by Henderson and Van Zandt counties, tne Neches River being the boundary line for a great part of the distance. It has an area of nine hundred and fifty-seven square miles, and is well watered by numerous springs and streams and possesses a very elaborate drainage system. Village, Duck, Saline, Harris, and Mann’s creeks drain the northern portion of the county and empty into the Sabine River. The Neches River drains the western portion, while Mud Creek, or the Angelina River as it is known further down, drains the southern and southwestern portion of the county. The general surface of the country presents the usual characteristics of the iron ore regions of the Gulf Tertiary of Texas. It consists of a series of hills and plateaus, with narrow undulating valleys, the whole surface being cut by numerous streams and deep ravines. These divides are for the most part generally narrow, but occasionally broaden into wide and extremely level SMITH COUNTY. 205 plateaus, sometimes several miles in breadth, and are capped by strata of iron ore of varying thickness, to the presence of which the ridges owe their very existence. ; At a former period the whole county represented an old Tertiary sea bot- tom, or base level, and formed one extensive level plateau. The Neches and Sabine rivers have cut through this plain to a depth of two hundred to four hundred feet, the softer strata of which have been eroded and worn away, leaving as elevations those portions which are capped by iron ore or sandstone, thus giving rise to the present configuration of the county. This erosion has been upon a very extensive scale, and is still continuing its work of denuda- tion at a rapid rate. The iron ore ridges are covered by a dense forest growth of oak trees, hickory, pine, walnut, sassafras, mulberry, cottonwood, etc., and have gen- erally an altitude of from three hundred and fifty to seven hundred feet above the sea level, and are from one hundred to two hundred and fifty feet higher than the main drainage grooves of the Sabine and Neches. However, they are often represented by isolated hills one-half to one mile in length by two hundred to three hundred yards in breadth, which are heavily timbered and cut by innumerable tributary small streams and ravines. IRON ORES. s LOCALITIES AND AREAS. The main ore beds of this county lie at a distance of from one to six miles south of the Sabine River, and can be traced in broken areas across the en- tire northern portion of the county. In the southern portion are several small divides, capped with yvood ore, which are a continuation of the iron ore beds of Cherokee County. The bluffs east of the Neches River contain a very fair grade of limonite ore, though it is so broken that it is probably not sufficient in quantity for economic purposes. There are six localities in the county where ore occurs in sufficient quanti- ties to render it commercially valuable, the boundaries of which I traced carefully and have noted on the accompanying map. The first of these is the Garden Valley bed. It begins on the F. B. Rags- dale survey and runs a little west of north through the western lines of the H. Cozzart, Wade, and Wm. McCary surveys, thence crosses near the south- western corner of the R. G. Stewart, touches the J. Williams, thence turns east through the Casey Askew, and extends through the southeastern part of the _ San Antonio and Mexican Gulf Railroad Company survey; from there it turns southeastward, passes through the southwestern corner of the Thos. 206 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. Gardiner and the northern portion of the John P. Potter, touches the north- east corner of D. Brown headright, turns northeast again, passing through the centre of Jas. Bunch survey, thence northwest to the Wm. T. White, taking in the southwest corner of Peter Swanson survey; thence south again through the Bennet McNeely, and skirting the western line of the Hllison tract, and then taking in nearly the whole of the M. T. Hemphill and Sanders surveys; from the Sanders tract it turns northwest again through the McKnight, Caldwell, and Wm. Johnson surveys back to the F. B. Ragsdale, whence it started. The second iron field is the Steen Saline or Lindale bed. It is three miles east of Lindale and five or six miles south of the Sabine River. Its extreme northwestern point is in the. Sam Stevens headright. From this point it runs a little south of east through the southern parts of the Dawson, John McCoy, and B. Jolley surveys, and breaks off in the north- eastern part of the John Steen headright. Farther east, across Saline Creek, it begins again on the B. Yeargan survey, and runs south through the west- ern corner of the C. Secrest, and extends in a southwesterly direction through the Estrada, and continues to about the centre of the Felix Flores league. From here it runs northwest, cutting off the northeast corner of Pedro Del Rio league, from thence through the southwestern portion of the Carmona league, thence north again to the starting point on the Stevens headright. A narrow ridge of ore runs southwest from the Pedro Del Rio league to the Frances Gilkeson headright, west of Swan’s Switch. The third bed is on Price’s survey, still further east of Lindale, and em- braces approximately the Wm. Price, 8. M. Grace, Casey Green, Jas. T. Shepard, and Geo. W. Welsh headrights. Hast of Winona and northwest of Starrville is another quite extensive bed of ore. It begins about a mile east of Winona and runs north along Harris reek, through the Robert Walters survey, to within a mile of the Sabine River; it then turns east and extends nearly to the east line of the E. Newberry survey, then turns south, crossing half of the H. E. Lott survey, runs through the western portion of the I. Croom, touches the southwest corner of the Geo. M. Nichols survey, crosses the fork of Harris Creek, bends west, and begins again in the southeast corner of Eustacha Newberry survey, runs southeast through the corner of the L. W. Hall, takes in the Lagrove sur- vey; thence turns west along the M. Mase, extends through the north corner of the M. Sewel to the southwest corner of the M. B. Clark survey; it then turns north again and skirts the eastern line of the M. B. Clark survey, back again to the starting point on the Eustacha Newberry. Hight miles northeast of Tyler is another smaller outcropping of good ore. It embraces the southern portion of the Isaac Killough, J. M. Hall, and J. C. * SMITH COUNTY. 207 Balger surveys and the western half of the John B. Wright and S. Hopkins, and nearly all of the Thos. Hays, Wm. McAdams, and all of the Geo. B. Chanceller and F. M. Draper headrights. 3 The last locality is that of the Gandy Mountain, between Bullard and Troupe. Gandy Mountain is a narrow ridge about one-half to one mile wide, begin- ning on the E. Gandy and Wm. Bickerstaff surveys and running northwest through the Jordan, John Wagoner, John Chaube, John Vaughn surveys, passing through the corners of Wm. Luce and Manuel Gutierez leagues, and terminating in the Wm. Chancellor headright. The total area of the iron ‘ore beds of Smith County is eighty-one square miles, divided as follows: Square Miles. Pee he GardenVialley Weds}. i842 is iersre Sie tl. ce np flame 3 arora kes SPN AL ANN ee Sits ica 30 Pee TOT ECC Me SAIN G WOU s catia cies wit ats tele. ou sne cn a cok be etivalalel, itilas Mpeeaesiore aa 20 EINES Seta yoyo hon Eee Ga ceo diiahs si fo) die lare se hers Ne creer BL Weteevenec Muy siteN RAYS ict vo” cy 3 3 PPRUINGDA AMO StArVINC WES: citi sue Sa mien wien ee eel eed Meal Gat tad stk Mee 18 fees, Chaneelior bed, eight miles;southeast:of Tyler. 0... 0. es ee ye ee 4 6. Gandy Mountain bed..... seca Uf bey es Melee RMT ee ren TM ee aaa tire ohity = 6 LUD fe DEAE Se OO Ce les 2 ene Sat rer Pe 81 These figures are only intended to represent approximately the area of the iron ore deposits, for the ore beds are cut by innumerable ravines and creeks, and are by no means continuous over the whole area described. OCCURRENCE OF THE ORHS. The iron ore may be seen cropping out in horizontal stratification around the edges and brinks of these hills, and has a thickness varying from six inches to three feet, and is in every instance overlaid hy a thin stratum of angular quartz sandstone, and in some cases with from one to twenty feet of soil, while the ore is underlaid by from ten to thirty of altered greensand, which in turn overlies a series of red sandy clays. In some places the green- sand is wanting. Where this is the case the iron ore is replaced either by a soft yellow sandstone, which hardens on exposure to the atmosphere, or by a dark colored hard ferruginous sandstone. BENCHES. Wherever good ore is seen in Smith County the hills which carry it show the typical bench structure. Mr. Penrose has described in a general way the benches in Smith, Anderson, and Cherokee counties.* He says: “As has been stated by the writer, in a previous report, these benches can be formed in three different ways: *First Annual Report Geological Survey of Texas, 1889, p. 8. 208 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. ‘1. By landslides, which have carried down a portion of the top bed toa lower level, often giving the appearance of a second bed of iron ore, when it is only the edge of the upper one. “2. The alternation of hard and soft strata. The softer beds become eroded, and expose the harder iron ore, sandstone, or hardpan. ‘¢3, By erosion in successive periods of elevation of the country. ‘Tt is probable that each of these causes has formed some of the benches, but they are usually so heavily covered by detritus that it is often very diff- cult to determine which has formed any certain bench. In the iron ore region of Cherokee, Anderson, and Smith counties, however, they are very often, if not most often, due to landslides(2). At first it might appear that ~ the great number of such benches on a hill side, their occasional regularity, and their universal occurrence could not be accounted for by this explanation, but an examination of the form of erosion now going on in the country tends strongly to prove that this cause has operated, at least in a great number of cases. As we go over any of the iron bearing highlands the ore bed is seen to be sunken as we near the brink of the hill, and this is especially true at the heads of ravines where springs gush out. It has already been stated that the iron ore is overlaid by sand and underlaid by a bed of greensand thirty to forty feet thick. Beneath this are interbedded sands and clays, all lying horizontally, or almost so. The springs rise sometimes above the iron ore bed, but more often between it and the breensand, and below the greensand. When the underground waters reach the outcrop of the bed along which they are flowing they appear asa spring, generally highly ferruginous, and giving rise to a small stream. In wet weather the flow from these springs is very strong, and besides carrying out the mineral matter in solution, they also transport in the state of mechanical suspension large quantities of sand from the beds through which the water has flowed before reaching the sur- face. This action gradually makes the sand strata porous and honeycombed, and the result is that it finally reaches such a stage of this condition that it gives way to the pressure of the overlying beds, sinks down, and causes the formation of a bench on the hill side. Of course more sand is carried from the part of the bed near its outcrop than back in the hill, and hence the reason that the benches generally slope toward the drop of the mountain, and also the reason of the downward slope of the ore on the edge of the summit. “There are many facts that tend to prove that such an occurrence as this has gone on. “1. There is generally found a cap of iron ore on the benches as well as on the top of the hill, and of the same nature and the same thickness in both places. Yet where a clean section of the deposit underlying the top ore bed is seen, it is very rare that lower beds are found, and when they do occur SMITH COUNTY. 209 they are thin, discontinuous, and of a physically different ore than the main bed. This would tend to show that the ore bed found on the benches be- longed at the level of and had once been part of the main bed. “2. The greensand underlying the ore bed varies from thirty to forty feet thick, yet when there are several benches on the hill slope, and we measure the vertical thickness of th: greensand from the upper ore bed to the base of the outcrop, it often appears almost a hundred feet thick. This can only be explained by supposing the edge of the hill to have slipped. «The alternation of hard and soft strata doubtless causes the formation of many benches, but this generally occurs in the country north of the Sabine, where almost all the benches are due to it. The soft strata over a harder one are worn away, until the eroding agencies come to the hard floor, which temporarily arrests the denudation, and hence arises a bench. The number of benches that can be explained as sea beaches, or river and lake terraces, is exceedingly doubtful, and the want of contour maps, as well as the con- cealed condition of all the strata, makes it still more difficult to determine the extent to which this cause has operated. No satisfactory work can be done in the matter until good maps are obtainable.” Hight miles southeast of Tyler this structure is well represented. Here the benches are two in number. A section gives: | Pee tomeand Band 2. Bi. ea ee A Sie We A wee eee NL 1 to 10 feet 2 anenlar sandstone... .5° 2.6. 2... dea RRM Aces erss cp aitde sea! Si b's", + to 1 inch. PME ela MINALC, OC! og eh ohne bey tee ue eee sek We 6 to 10 inches. PMRUCEC OM RCEM SAMOS Prstt te ahi tes ta cl ie apa tkarHereleu sek tidate dul ones eis 10 feet. Hemeuneee sani’, Clay sal, DASC EXPOSE: 2 iy et 221 Al Asie dle SMe Ws Noles 50 feet. One mile west of Steen Saline and four miles east of Lindale, the same structure may be seen again. At this locality I counted no less than four benches, which are probably due to landslides. Good ore of the black lami- nated variety was seen in all four benches. In many other places in the county their structure is well illustrated. DESCRIPTION OF THE IRON ORES. The iron ores of Smith County may be classed as brown hematites, other- wise known as limonites. They have as a rule from five to twenty per cent of water, three to thirty-five per cent of silica, from two to twenty per cent of alumina, with small amounts of lime and magnesia. The metallic iron varies from twenty to fifty-six per cent. These ores are high in phosphoric acid, some of them having as high as one per cent, and the average being about four-tenths of one per cent. The sulphur is not so high, as many of the ores have only a trace of it. 210 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. An average of forty-three complete analyses of iron ores from Smith County gives the following results: Miopalli@ iron. 2... 2 Ye eaten Sus dc = Sao ae Ren ee 40.56 per cent. Aljmina...... Pits Pa AEST ae Mea Nels ia Ns kA Me HeLa ony ci 10.13 per'cent? RUMOR Za cektcilere) Vo shania DenlestehS Ata ieba Doe ticaclteree ne Sieot pane I Bie a Wt 22.41 per cent. IhOsphorus 2)... cles see ew cena | (era steelers 6 Vide dace) MON rn .24 per cent. SUT 1 ah Th eerie de 2 oe hs Sp Rites Uy Ie raat gen. sba Aloe th .O7 per cent. Water teh Sp Uae Gare sea ee Be sab ig ote wl oo aot Suh pee 9.97 per cent. From the above figures it will be seen that the-ores are of a very good grade. Several of the ores among those counted in making the above average were conglomerates very high in silica. This of course would raise the general average of silica and lessen that of phosphorus and other constituents. In his report on the iron ores of Hastern Texas Mr. Penrose has divided and discussed .the iron ores under three heads. First, Brown Laminated ores; second, Geode or Nodular ores; and third, Conglomerate ores. For the sake of clearness and convenience, I will follow his classification of the ores. All three varieties of these ores are well represented and pretty widely distributed over the county. | In the southern portion of the county are several very extensive outcrop- pings of the laminated variety, but by far the largest beds of this ore are seen in the northern part of the county. There the ores appear in broken areas, at from one to seven miles south of the Sabine River, throughout the whole northern portion of the county Along the bluffs of the Neches River, in the southwestern portion of the county, there occurs a very fine quality of limonite ore, though it is probably not in sufficient quantities to render it commercially valuable. (See Analysis No. 20 in tables.) l. BROWN LAMINATED ORES. Dr. Penrose describes these ores as follows: * “The ore is a brown hematite of a rich chestnut color, and often of a highly resinous lustre. In structure it varies from acompact massive variety showing no structure, to a highly laminated form, the lamine varying from one-sixteenth of an inch to one quarter of an inch in thickness, frequently separated by hollow spaces, and sometimes containing thin seams of clay. These often give it a buff color and a crumbly nature, and hence the name often applied to it of ‘buff crumbly ore.’ The laminz frequently show a black glossy surface, though the interior is always the characteristic rich chestnut brown color. * * * The ores occur in horizontal beds from one to three feet thick, and average between eighteen inches and two feet in * First Annual Report Geological Survey of Texas, 1889, pages 66 and 67. ' SMITH COUNTY. Diet thickness. It is flat on top, but is bulging and mammillary below, and lies at or near the summits of the highest hills in the region. In fact, it is to this protecting cap of hard material that the hills owe their existence, as it has saved the underlying strata from the effects of erosion, which otherwise would quickly have lowered them to the level of the surrounding rolling country. The iron ore bed is directly underlaid by a deposit of a soft yellow indurated glauconite (greensand) varying from thirty to forty feet thick. This bed is sometimes hardened into a soft rock, easily cut with a saw or an axe, and locally used as a building stone. The interior of the bed, however, where it has not been exposed to the atmosphere, retains the dark green color of the unaltered greensand. It contains considerable iron pyrites and numerous casts of fossils of the Claiborne Epoch, and represents the entire north extension of the Smithville beds of the Colorado River. This in turn is underlaid by a great series of sands and clays, for a description of which see the Timber Belt beds.” This description, which was intended for the whole area of Hastern Texas, fits admirably the ores of Smith County, hence | have given it in full. Locauit1zs.—The first locality at which I examined the laminated ore was on the J. B. Chancellor headright, eight miles southeast of Tyler. Here the ore was seen in large quantities, covering an area of about four square miles. It is of the black and brown laminated variety, the laminz on the surface preserving a resinous lustre, showing iridescent colors, but on breaking open a piece of the ore the rich characteristic chestnut brown color is seen. The ore crops out on the brink of the ridge, and is from six to ten inches in thickness. The ridge itself is covered by a dense growth of blackjack oaks, hickory, etc., and is cut by numerous deep ravines and hollows. At this locality may be seen also the typical bench structure of the iron ore regions, which here are two in number. The ore is overlaid by from one to twenty feet of soil and sand, and has a thin veneering of sandstone from one-half to two inches in thickness on it. It is underlaid by from ten to twenty feet of soft indu- rated greensand, in which a few casts of fossils and calcareous concretions were occasionally seen. The greensand is in turn underlaid by a series of red sandy clays containing thin seams of iron ore and ferruginous pebbles. A section of the various strata gives: Sand and soil.......1. eC) tay HOEIC ELD SU RO OLR ERS CGE RDS ee 1 to 20 feet. LLG cy Aa RES Pe CE cE 4+ to 2 inches. ALTE) 6 to 10 inches. Bey AAA AUNT aE at EMT CA I So 9 15.46 Ge dee See eee 46.66 Carbonic@cida: siete eee 16.20 Carbonic acid . 0... 30.25. cee 36.66 Marniesia ie cel ee reais ie ere mee Ace: Water 2 oe ce ae oe eee 2.40 Silica: Oc Bice ae eisie soe ae yee 65.00 © Silica.) Race ee eee PEP N C8105 Tron andgalumina ..5 102s ee 8.30 Tron and alumina 0 2%.-k see 110 LIME. The limestone from Steen Saline is too siliceous to make good lime, but the Brooks Saline limestone will make lime of an excellent quality. The lime made from this stone possesses hydraulic properties, which is due to the fact that it contains nearly ten per cent of silica. Immense deposits of clay occur in close proximity to the limestone, and it is probable that by mixing these clays with the limestone in proper proportions a good quality of cement could be made from it. The short time allowed me in which to write this report prevented me, much to my regret, from testing the hydraulic properties of this stone. SALINKES. Smith County possesses two salines, both of which were quite widely known during the late war for the excellent quality of salt which was manu- factured at them. One of them is situated in the northeastern and the other in the southwestern part of the county. Steen Saline is five miles east of Lindale, on the Carmona headright, and is situated on Saline Creek, just a little north of the point where it forks. Saline Creek runs through the Sa- line and empties into the Sabine River. The Saline proper is a small prairie, about one-half to three-fourths of a mile wide by from one to two miles in length. The surface of the Saline is covered by incrustations of salt and is composed of black and lead colored clays. Like many other salines, it is associated with limestone, which may be seen cropping on both sides of it. The Saline’ is surrounded on all sides by a chain of low hills which are covered by a dense undergrowth. These hills are from thirty to sixty feet higher than the surface of the Saline. The SMITH COUNTY. 223 limestone described above, under the head of Building Stones, crops out on both sides of the Saline and is overlaid and surrounded by lead colored and yellowish laminated Tertiary clays. Large quantities of an excellent salt were made here during the war, by digging shallow wells and evaporating the brine thus obtained in huge iron kettles and boilers. It is said that employment was given to three thousand Confederate soldiers in making salt at that time, but now the whole place is being rapidly overgrown with underbrush, and only a few of the numerous wells remain to tell the story of past activity. At Grand Saline, in Van Zandt County, about thirty miles northwest of Steen Saline, rock salt has been struck at a depth of nearly two hundred feet. Nearly the same conditions are met with at Grand Saline as obtained here, so it is not improbable that rock salt may underlie Steen Saline, but nothing can be known definitely as to whether rock salt is present until actual experiment is made and a shaft is sunk. Even if rock salt is not found, it has been proven that the supply obtained by evaporating the brine is comparatively inexhaustable. BROOKS SALINE. Brooks Saline is situated on Saline Creek, in the southwestern portion of the county. It is from one-half to three-quarters of a mile wide, and about two and one-half miles in length. Opn all sides it is surrounded by hills, just as is the case at Steen Saline. The surface of the saline consists of blue and black clays. Around its edges, however, a laminated yellowish clay is seen also. On both sides of the saline is seen the yellow fossiliferous* limestone above spoken of, which probably belongs to the Ripley beds of the Upper Cretaceous, and represents an old Cretaceous island in the Tertiary sea. Brooks Saline was worked during the war, but since that period it has not been utilized. Dr. Buckley, in his report, has preserved for us the record of the quality of salt made at these salines. He says: | “Brooks Saline is seventeen miles southwest from Tyler. This saline covers five or six acres of land. It lies in a valley surrounded by hills, in which are pockets of limestone. Seven furnaces were run at this saline during the war, making one hundred sacks of salt daily. It takes three hundred gallons of the water to make one bushel of the salt.’’t * This formation is a Cretaceous inlier and contains fossils of the upper beds of the Upper Cretaceous. These fossils have been determined for me by Prof. Robt. T. Hill, and are as follows: Plicatula, Gryphea vesicularis, Ostrea sp. ind., and Inoceranus sp. ind., and belong to the Marlbrook marls, for which see Arkansas Report, Vol. 2, page 85. Mention has been made of this Cretaceous island by Lawrence C. Johnson (“‘ Report on the Iron Ore Regions of Northern Louisiana and Hastern Texas, 1888”). +First Annual Report of the Shytetoa and Agricultural Survey of Texas. S. B. Buckley, Ph. D., 1874, page 126. 224 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. STEEN SALINE. “The Steen Saline is fourteen miles north of Tyler. It covers about ten acres of land, and is surrounded by high hills, in which limestone is found. . Twenty furnaces were run at this saline during the war, making twelve thousand sacks of salt daily. It takes one hundred and ninety gallons of the water to make a bushel of salt.” * | Thus it is seen that a large quantity and excellent quality-of salt can be manufactured at both of these salines, and it is to be hoped that intelligent capital will at an early date take hold of and develop them to their full capacity. TIMBER. Every part of the county is well wooded. Not only the bottoms along the creeks and rivers, but the uplands and highest divides are covered by a dense forest growth. The forests are composed of the short-leaf pine, hickory, maple, sassafras, walnut, cottonwood, persimmon, mulberry, black jack, pin oaks, post oaks, water oaks, white oaks, sweet gums, elms, etc. In the bot- toms all kinds of creepers are seen, such as rattan and grapevines, which often make the forests a perfect jungle. The woods are utilized for all kinds of domestic purposes. The pine for making lumber; hickory and oaks for fuel; the various kinds of oaks are used for fencing posts, cross-ties, and for rail fences and cotton baskets; while quite recently a chair factory has been started in Tyler which utilizes several kinds of hard woods for making chairs and various small articles of furniture. At the present rate of consumption it will be many years before a scarcity of wood is felt. WATER SUPPLY. Good wells of the purest freestone water can be obtained at any point in the county at a depth varying from ten to one hundred feet, while running streams and mineral springs are met with every few miles. The mineral springs are generally chalybeate in character, though a few springs are met with which are very pure and almost free from mineral matter. *S. B. Buckley, loc. cit. PANOLA COUNTY. ~ 225 CHAPTER VIL. PANOLA COUNTY. BY JOSEPH B. WALKER. INTRODUCTION. The district composed of Panola, Shelby, Nacogdoches, and Rusk counties, ‘lying between north latitude 31° and 32° 30’, and west longitude 93° 40’ and 95° (examined during the summer of 1890) is mainly between the Sabine River on the northeast and Angelina River on the southwest. The whole three thousand four hundred and ninety square miles is included in what is known as the “Timber Belt” of Hast Texas. The most characteristic feature of the topography of this district is the enormous erosion, which has ploughed out extensive valleys, and left the high hills (buttes) and ridges, locally cailed “mountains,” as imposing witnesses of that potent agency. These hills and ridges, covered with forest trees, when viewed from an elevation do indeed present the appearance of mountain ranges. Fig. 15. VIEW FROM BREWER’S MOUNTAIN, NACOGDOCHES COUNTY. a, Mount Enterprise, Rusk County. b, Iron Mountain, formerly Elkin’s Mountain, Rusk County. For a general description of the geography and topography of East Texas, with notes on the literature of the Tertiary formation, the reader is referred to the preliminary report by Dr. R. A. F. Penrose, Jr., in the First Annual Re- port of the Geological Survey of Texas, 1889, and to the introductory chapter of this Report on the Iron Ore Districts of East Texas. Panola County has an area of seven hundred and ninety-nine square miles, lying between north latitude 32° and 32° 30’ and west longitude 94° and 94° 40’. It was created by division from Shelby and Harrison counties in 1846. AcreaGge.—The number of acres is five hundred and eleven thousand three hundred and sixty. The number of acres in field cultivation in 1889-90 was sixty-eight thousand two hundred and fifty-six, or 13.34 per cent. The number of acres in timber is estimated at three hundred and fifty- seven thousand three hundred and eighteen. * 226 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. DRAINAGE. The county is drained by the Sabine River, which runs through the middle portion, from the northwest corner to the southeast corner. Its tributaries on the west are Williams Creek, Martin’s Creek, with its forks, Corbet Creek, Williamson Creek, Twoomy Creek, Dillard’s Creek; Iron Bayou, Hog Creek, with its principal fork, Roberts Creek; Six Mile Creek, or Cypress Bayou, with its north fork, Little Six Mile Greek, and its south fork, Big Six Mile Creek; Murvall’s Bayou, with its principal forks, Nail Creek, Henderson Creek, Brushy Oreek, Indian Creek, Taylor Creek; and McFadden’s Creek. The tributaries of the Sabine on the east are Hight Mile or Cypress Creek, : Caddo Creek, No Bottom or Jackson’s Creek, Little Bottom Creek, Mill Creek, and Socagee Bayou. Near the bed of the Sabine River are several fresh water lakes, known as Hendrick’s, Hill’s, and Clear lakes. They seem to be fed by small springs, but are subject to overflow from the river. Numerous visitors resort to them during the fishing season. SURFACE. The general surface of this county is hilly and undulating. The highest plains, or remnants of the original Tertiary deposition, are in the northwest and southwest portions, where the buttes and ridges, having a trend from a little north of east to a little south of west, have been formed by erosion from the original Tertiary plains. The estimated height of these is from six hun- dred to seven hundred feet above the present sea level. Covered as they are with forest trees, they appear like mountain ranges, and are locally spoken of as the mountainous portion of the county. SOILS. The top soil of the buttes and ridges is very sandy, probably from the leaching action of rain water. The soil on the sides of these elevations par- takes of the nature of the top, mingled with the under stratum of red fer- ruginated and mottled red and gray clay. The soil on the lowlands and alluvial bottoms is composed of a mixture of erosion and transportation of the finer particles of the other two. The best soil for agricultural purposes is therefore the sandy loam of the lowlands and the alluvial bottoms. Next to this in value for field cultivation is the ferruginous sandy clay soil on the rolling uplands, which in favorable seasons produces crops fairly well, but does not stand a long period of dry weather. The first to wear out is the sandy soil on the elevated buttes and ridges. The vast area of forest timber has a beneficial effect in the production of rainfall, furnishing moisture by evaporation to the atmosphere, from which it is condensed by cooler currents PANOLA COUNTY. DG in the upper region. An instance of this was witnessed in Rusk County, on the road between Henderson and Pine Hill, in company with Mr. Moss, of Henderson. Bed oxide of manganese. c Sesquioxide manganese. PANOLA COUNTY. DIS Localities. No. 665. Buff crumbly ore, four miles north of Timpson, Shelby and Panola. No. 666. Laminated iron ore, four miles north of Timpson, Shelby and Panola. No. 667. Geode iron ore, four miles north of Timpson, Shelby and Panola. No. 668. Conglomerate iron ore, five and one-half miles north of Timpson, Panola. No. 675. Geode limonite with ochreous centre, near Mineral Spring Ridge, four miles north of Beckville, Panola. No. 677. Septum iron ore with ochreous centre, near R. W. Kinard’s house, Wesley Gooden headright, Panola. No. 678. Geode limonite, Selman tract, southwest corner W. Gooden headright. No. 679. Geode limonite, near R. W. Kinard’s place, W. Gooden headright. No. 680. Geode limonite, with clay iron stone centre, R. W. Kinard’s place, Wesley Gooden headright. No. 686. Olay iron stone centre of geode, one mile south of Tatum Station, in railway cut, Panola County. CLAYS. There are several beds of clay in this county which are capable of pro- ducing brick, drain tiles, and jug ware. In the manufacture of coarse pot- tery some difficulty has been experienced, caused by cracking of the ware in the kiln, thus involving considerable loss of labor and fuel. The remedies are: 1. To have the forms thoroughly dry before putting them into the kilns. 2. To fire up slowly. 3. To carefully stop all vents after burning, and allow the kiln to cool gradually. If these remedies do not correct the trouble, then the raw clay itself needs attention, and can be made to stand the furnace fire without cracking by mixing a portion of burned and powdered clay with the raw clay before forming on the potter’s lathe, or by mixing several of the clays together in the requisite proportions. This will modify the tension produced by contraction in cooling. The following table gives the composition of several clays selected for analysis: ANALYSES OF CLAYS. No Siliea. Alumina. | Iron. Soda. | Potassa. eee Water. Ber, Aes 5 be 82.80 9.83 Zed ll 3.84 1.62 ABET Ge) te a eee 7h a 29 re 72.00 11.82 3.38 5.56 2.57 Trace. | 5.70 Rte sth oe 57.80 18.94 7.55 Oe, lead Trace. 9.01 IL Rae 79.00 5.54 5.66 5.38 66 Trace. | 4.50 Br eis 5 silo » Sac A0' || 6.45 4.40 | 3.87 AS Omma UTC Os, Hl ces | Race SS Rev ee een reer ine | ano. | 233 | Trace. |. 2... 24 Sp re ia.20, | 6.12 2.51 6.09 Passe heebraces |!) \eal0 *Analyses by J. H. Herndon. c Fusible at white heat. 230 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. Localities. No. 823. White sandy clay, Carthage and Timpson road, two miles south of Carthage. No. 825. Gray sandy clay, above the lignite shale, from Allen Baker farm, M. Payne headright, four miles east of Carthage. No. 826. Plastic ferruginous clay, one mile east of Tatum Station. No. 827. Red and gray mottled clay, under the iron bed, Six Mile Creek. No. 828. Indurated sandy clay, Donnel field, one-half mile southeast of Carthage. No. 829. Lignitic clay shale, lower bed, near Iron Bayou, Lagrone headright. No. 831. Stiff, tenacious, sandy clay soil, light brown color, from lignite series in plowed field R. W. Kinard farm, Daniel Martin headright. LIGNITE. There is a large deposit of lignite in this county, the bed apparently vary- ing in thickness in the different localities. At Grand Bluff it was seen cropping out at the water line of the Sabine River, near the ferry, and in places forms the bed of the river. On the Allison tract, six miles east of Tatum Station, it crops out at the base of a hill on a little stream fed by springs, which flow from the water bearing sand in contact with and overlying the lignite. About four miles south of Carthage, on the M. Payne headright, Baker’s subdivision, were seen specimens from a prospect hole then full of water. The bed was reported to be two feet thick. The best exposure was seen at Mineral Spring Ridge, four miles northwest of Beckville, where a tunnel had been excavated nearly north and south one hundred and fifty feet in the lignite bed. The bed here is four and one-half feet thick. Several car loads of this lignite had been shipped to Longview, where it was burned in grates for domestic purposes. It was also tried in the fire box of a wood burning locomotive on the Texas, Sabine Valley and Northwestern Railway with some success. The two obstacles to its continued use were: Ist. The exhaust steam discharged into the fire box from the cylinders disturbed the arrangement of the coal. 2nd. The cheapness of wood, $1.75 per cord to the road, left no induce- ment to change the construction of the furnaces in the engines. This lignite is typical of the formation in Panola County. A specimen taken from the end of the tunnel shows the following composition in an an- alysis by Mr. L. E. Magnenat: 0.12) gt er os Se 20.80 Wroliiile Mather. ho a. kaa. 6s ae wise aie Ale seer ole eee Re 52.08 Hime ANION a a nk ak ba ks ae cele ee Oe en 22.67 A: ee et dr errr fe 3.99 ROUMAIDAIT sc be pe inieie ie ene bein ee we Sale ee 2 os See) ce See 0.48 PANOLA COUNTY. 231 MINERAL PAINT. ASPHALTUM Brown. — In the west bank of a cut on the Texas, Sabine Valley and Northwestern Railway, one-fourth mile south of Tatum Station, was seen a stratum of black asphaltic clay, about ten inches thick, overlaid by stiff plastic yellow clay, and underlaid by a thin stratum (two inches) of blue clay, under which is a stratum (twelve inches) of yellow sandy clay, and be- neath this lighter lignitic clay. This asphaltic clay when rubbed on the back of the hand, which was perspiring freely, developed a rich chestnut brown color. It could be purified and used as a pigment in fine oil painting. It was tested in a crude way by the roadmaster, Mr. Evans, by mixing with oil and painting a test sample for a black color. After exposure of several months he reported the color permanent. The composition of this clay as analyzed by Mr. J. H. Herndon is: Water, 14.40; volatile matter, 24.35; fixed carbon, 14.80; silica and ash, 46.45. YELLow Ocure.—In several parts of the county, but more especially in the northwestern portion, various sized ovoid geodes of limonite, containing centres of yellow ochre, were observed. The analyses show these to consist of hydrated peroxide of iron, silica, and alumina, as the chief constituents, in variable quantity. Rep Ocure. — In the northwestern part of the county, on the Wesley Gooden headright, a local stratum was observed consisting mainly of limonite about two inches thick, with septa of the same material containing nuclei of both red and yellow ochre, in alternate divisions, as inclusions. One speci- men, analyzed by Mr. L. E. Magnenat, shows a composition of silica, 8.10; sesquioxide of iron, 72.11; alumina, 5.69; red oxide of manganese, 5.00; water, 8.50; phosphoric acid, 0.25: sulphur trioxide, 0.28; lime, a trace. Rep Hematite.—A compact iron sandstone was seen in many places, but in larger quantities near the railway in the vicinity of Tatum Station, Jas. Reel headright. This material, by roasting in a kiln, would be converted from limonite into hematite, which after grinding (and washing if necessary and then drying) would produce a deep red pigment suitable for wagons, machinery, and even house paint. The analysis of this ore by Mr. J. H. Herndon shows its chief ingredients to be, sesquioxide of iron, 29.74; alu- mina, 12.06; and silica, 56.30. In addition to these reds, there are surface red clays so highly charged with sesquioxide of iron that by suitable preparation they could be used for coarse work on fences, barns, tool houses, railway section houses, etc. Such a locality was observed on the hill at Dr. Sterrett’s house, Elijah Morris headright, northeast of Beckville on the Grand Bluff and Harmony Hill road. Wuirr Cuiays. — Some of the white clays would in like manner yield a creamy white color when dried and ground in oil, and would then be suitable for fences, etc. 23z THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. GREENSAND. In crossing a little stream which flows from a chalybeate spring on the Menifee tract, Daniel Martin headright, at the waterline in the bottom of the gulley, about fifteen feet below the surface, was seen a small tongue of rusty color, about six inches thick, which on excavation proved to be greensand, having some dark glauconitic specks through it. A similar deposit was seen on the Alex. Carter place, Wm. McKnight headright. Both these specimens changed color on drying, becoming reddish yellow or orange in hue. A specimen taken for analysis gave: SiliCh yy ieee ne Ateases nus Se eee ae a pean, | BO Sesquioxide of iron ..... ... are rr mere Away SRR Ys 2 Lae eld SEES ATION A ees ca see BS, 8s 3.5 & hots ema omen Laie oped. bar We. foe er 8.8] TR rene sea. kt os eee FE dee ats a be 8 ih 2 See 2.06 MapmeSIa ele = sy). sie me Ss Se Ba sak wreranevele ego ae) Oh mee 2 heigh. “Wie a el les hie etka tee 1.44 POUBSING., bo. Gec eo ee oe os oe oy bloke Bere npr ateleie lin le GA an peel came eae at a rrr 2.48 SOLE a, oa eee ad 1 ead dsosie Ts ARR a Aa heer eee 2 og eee SU PUM Acid «5c dies). secs Sil leis ae ee eee ea Dreads etm 0.89 PHosphoric acid... 55). eeae sip ices ta asta INR ee eee gee oe . eth) Segoe Motal ic 22ers cia 2 peel plea aa Bo oan bhand OObees ae eens Oo ae 99.75 No beds of the later calcareous greensand marls were seen in this county. SILICIFIED WOOD. Fragments of this material were seen in various parts of the county. On Mineral Spring Ridge, four miles north of Beckville, a portion of a large trunk of a tree was taken out of the lignite bed. It was partly silicified and partly lignitized, with incrustations of quartz crystals stained with carbon. Specimens were taken and are now in the State Museum. OIL. On the surface of several small ponds along the line of the Texas, Sabine Valley and Northwestern Railway were seen thin films of reddish brown oil. These were attributed to the lignite bed, which is apparently in close prox- imity. FRESH WATER SILICEOUS LIMESTONE. At several places this limestone was observed. On Six Mile Creek, or Cypress Bayou, M. Payne headright, at the waterline were seen two exposures; | one shaly or laminated, with micaceous sand interstratified; bed about two feet thick. Within fifty yards, on the opposite side of the creek, were large PANOLA COUNTY. Daa pieces of the massive variety, but not in horizontal position. They were also about two feet thick. An examination of the vicinity exhibited some evi- dence of faulting or sliding. The laminated variety contained small blackened leaf impressions and other carbonaceous remains. The massive variety contained larger leaf impressions, which had become ferruginated. The same bed was afterward seen in an exposure on the Thos. F. Hull farm, about three miles west, under water in the same creek, and appeared to be about three feet thick. At Grand Bluff, on the Sabine River, was noticed a ledge of this limestone in the west embankment, giving a distinct exposure of the two varieties i situ. The thickness of the upper laminated stratum is two to two and one- half feet, a parting of sandy clay six feet thick overlying the massive bed, which here has a thickness of three feet. The dip of the strata is west and rounding on the north down to the river bed, indicating disturbance. About five hundred yards below there has been a slide or a fault at the mouth of a little ravine, which has brought a large mass of the upper stratum to a lower level than the massive stratum, furnishing additional evidence of disturbance. On the Menifee tract, southwest corner of Daniel Martin headright, was seen a surface exposure of over two feet of the massive variety. A sample from this locality was submitted to analysis by Mr. J. H. Herndon, who found it composed of lime, 23.06; magnesia, 0.79; sesquioxide of iron, 3.55; alumina, 8.85; silica, 47.00; carbonic acid gas, 17.70; phosphoric acid and sulphuric acid, traces. These beds, if ever deposited in a continuous sheet, have been eroded, so that that they now appear usually as local detached fragments and bowlders, and always waterworn. ' SANDSTONE. Underlying the deposit of iron conglomerate and iron sandstone in this county there are some localities where a thick bed of sand has been partly cemented by ferruginous solution, and where, undercut by local springs, the caving of the sands has exposed considerable bluffs of soft yellow and red sandstone. Such an exposure was seen at the headwaters of a little stream two miles north of Twoomy Creek and one and one-half miles southwest of Mineral Spring Ridge. The bluff here consists of fifteen to twenty feet of sandstone overlaid by about five feet of sandy soil of the plain, which is about seventy-five feet above the bed of the stream. On Daniel Martin headright, northwestern portion of the county, near the line of Rusk County, was seen a similar ledge of soft yellow sandstone bordering a little stream. A similar formation was also seen in the northern part of Sabine County, six and one-half miles south of Patroon Postoffice, Shelby County, on the Ste- phen Matlock tract, in the Wm. Nethery headright. Here the soft ferrugi- 234 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. - nous sandstone has a thickness of twenty feet, just above an extensive line of excavation which is known to the old settlers as the “Old Mexican Silver Mine.” ‘The yellow sandstone is here underlaid by a stiff plastic yellow clay. It was evident from inspection that the excavation had been made at some former time as a roadway for wagons loading the sandstone from the ledge above. Where the stone was carried. or for what purpose it was used, is no longer known. It was perhaps a quarry of the old Mission Fathers. A large white oak tree now standing in the middle of the road way would seem to in- dicate that the work done here was not later than seventy-five years ago. On the summit of a ridge, near the house of Alex. Carter, in the William McKnight headright, northwest corner of Panola County, are two large bowlders of hard iron sandstone—dimensions, about six feet long, five feet wide, and three feet thick. The stones are in remarkably good state of preser- vation. The name “Indian Rock” has been given to them from the tradition that the Indians used the upper surface for the purpose of sharpening whang awls. These were blunt pointed instruments of bone, later of iron, used for making holes in dressed skins for sewing with leather thongs, or whangs as they were called. The grooves left on the stone seem to corroborate the tra- dition. GLASS SAND. In several places in this county can be seen local deposits of white sand that could be made available for the manufacture of window glass, bottles, lamps, and the ordinary kinds of glassware. Such a locality was seen in crossing a little stream two and one-half miles northwest of Beckville, on the Harmony Hill road. Another extensive bank of white sand was observed about one mile above the ferry at Grand Bluff, on the Sabine River. The abundance of fuel and facility of getting soda ash from Galveston at com- paratively low rates would favor such an enterprise, if the plant be located on or near a railway. MAGNETIC SAND. In the soil in nearly every portion of the county was observed a consider- able percentage of magnetic sand and pebbles. The sand is in fine state of division, quite black and lustrous, and differing somewhat in composition from the magnetic pebbles. From dried and powdered soil the sand and pebbles can be easily collected by the magnet. A sample of this sand was taken from a gulley near the railway cut one-half mile north of Carthage. Its origin is yet uncertain, but possibly local. A preliminary analysis bv Mr. J. H. Herndon gave sesquioxide of iron, 50.99; protoxide of iron, 27.76; PANOLA COUNTY. 235 alumina, 13.99, leaving about seven per cent undetermined for want of more material. Some of the tests seemed to indicate titanium in association.* The magnetic pebbles as a rule are not so black, and are associated usually with iron gravel, some of which is non-magnetic. NOTES ON THE STRATIGRAPHY OF PANOLA COUNTY. About four miles southeast of Carthage, on the Allen Baker farm, M. Payne headright, was seen the following section: Fig 16. SECTION FOUR MILES SOUTHEAST OF CARTHAGE. ie sandy soil in cultivated field... oc .s.0 ne eee pate Ne eae Wen 2 feet. 2. Drift in pocket, iron gravel, and magnetic pebbles ...... ....... 4 feet. 3. Ochreous centres of iron geodes broken by cultivation ...... ae. 1 to 6 inches. Pe etane motied red and gray Clay: 5). ..04< kushe iy ee ee ee ee 18 inches to 2 feet. Pekay ctay—plastic, but, slightly sandy . 2... 206.) 060 women ee ce ens 3 feet. 6. Lignitic clay shale, with plant fossils—very friable ........ ae 8 inches. PENI TETE LORI CO reed rte See eS veut fon eI bw sda Oe) Scams oe dem alin ig ears 2 feet. On Six Mile Creek, or Cypress Bayou, at the waterline, were seen: Peeecmmared siliccous limestone, with plant fossils: 66) | eee ee ees 2. feet PE MASSIVE SUICEOIS MMEStOUC,. 2. anc ete foc neocon akon yen e eae se seemeeie, wateleGt: These had been disturbed by faulting and sliding, and the exposure was ‘ small. Observations afterwards made gn the exposure at Grand Bluff fix their stratigraphic position with reference to each other, and their position with reference to the above section to be between Nos. 5 and 6, and belong- ing to the lignitic series. On the road from Wood’s Postoffice to Carthage, near the M. Payne head- right, was noticed deep red and mottled red and gray clay, corresponding to No. 4 of the section, and denoting former presence of the iron bed above, now eroded down to the clay. *The presence of titanium in these sands has since been confirmed. 236 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. About three miles south of Carthage, in the same road, this was verified by finding loose detached fragments of fine-grained iron conglomerate, appar- ently in line with the trend of the ridges. In the same road were seen frag- ments of silicified wood and ferruginated silicified wood. As a rule, the pres- ence of silicified wood in the soil, or sometimes two or three feet under the soil, is a pretty good indication of a lignite bed underneath, at varying depths from eight to forty feet. Descending the ridge, half a mile south by east from Carthage, on the Jarthage and Timpson road, on the George Goodwin headright (trend of ridge east by north and west by south), was noted a bed of ferruginous sandy clay having an exposure in the road bed of one hundred yards and a thickness of twenty feet, containing a broken stratum of limonite geodes which did not exceed ten inches in thickness at any one place. The geodes often have a nucleus of yellow ochre and sometimes of white sand. The geode bed is here underlaid apparently by a few inches of warty stalac- titic clay iron stone. The stratigraphic position of this formation corresponds with No. 3 of the Payne headright section shown in Fig. 16. In the fields on the right and left it is obscured by about two feet of sandy soil in culti- vation. Another section about two miles south of Carthage, in the same road, gives the following: 1. Stratum of grayish white sandy clay, somewhat hard........ ........ io. \Owleet: 2.. Red and gray motiled day =. 0-6: 24> Soe ae ee ee .wc.. 20 feet: 3. Bed of grayish white clay... 2602.22 ok gos. spa ete ee ae ee besarte 4 feet. to surface of the water in a tributary branch of Six Mile Creek, or Cypress Bayou. The upper bed was probably derived from the leaching of the svil by rain water. (See analysis No. 823.) The lower bed of grayish white clay corresponds with No. 5 and the bed of mottled red and gray clay with No. 4 of the Payne headright section. The mottling of the clay has been pro- duced by the infiltration of ferruginous solution into the joints and cracks of the clay. . Some two and one-half miles south of Carthage, in the same road, was noted the following section: 5 Le andy sO)... . . 2siale 2 Se ea teks eae Ste nee ee Bisse tS 2 feet. PREP RCONELAY 4) 5°... v.56 GS Saree 5 | alata ooo gh eget alfa eaten een fos. Popieer: 3. Geodes of limonite filled with red and yellow ochre .......... ...... 10 inches. 4. Fine grained sand largely impregnated with black oxide of manganese (a pocket probably), in parted strata... <2). J027 Deere ee. 3 inches. on Red and grey mottled clay, with alternating thin crusts of Peas iran oxide, to bottom of gulley....... «++. .:: 64... ee eee aes 15 to 20 feet. In the same locality was seen a fragment of a fine-grained sandy conglom- PANOLA COUNTY. DF erate, but no continuous stratum. A few pseudomorphs after iron pyrites, and detached fragments of silicified wood, partly ferruginated, were also seen. In the bed of Six Mile Creek, or Cypress Bayou, some micaceous sandy shale was seen in contact with the lignitic siliceous limestone. The exposure as seen was about three feet thick on the Thos. F. Hull tract. Detached and waterworn specimens, six to eight feet long, five to six feet wide, and about one foot thick, were afterward seen exposed on either side of the Texas, Sabine Valley and Northwestern Railway, two miles north of Beckville. This fresh water limestone has already been referred to its strati- graphic position. The number of fragments and bowlders seen in various localities point to the fact that it was once a stratified deposit of considerable extent, but afterwards eroded, displaced, and waterworn, so that it is now generally found partially preserved in detached masses. On the summit of a ridge about one and seven-eighths miles north of Beckville, on the railway, was seen geode limonite associated with a very considerable quantity of iron gravel. These geodes here have a thickness from eighteen inches to two feet, and vary in composition and value from the ochreous clay iron stone centre, to the more compact concentric shells of limonite, which by fracture and weathering became the origin of the iron gravel in this locality. In the southwest corner of the Wesley Gooden headright, near Riley W. Kinard’s residence, in the road to Beckville, about half a mile south of the ford of a small branch, a tributary of Martin’s Creek, was seen the following section: WMPMEBUISATIASLONG cisc07 cis Ld ate ee) eae i ae PP reN econ toute Ret CC GN 20) 18 inches. Ppecow «vesicular ochteous Saudy IrOM OFe . 6.6.5. skye sina Leds ale d wes 3 feet. ee PLCANICL SAIMLY. INO OLE). 5 5.505 0) cre oo die. sole wd) eRe Ete Reha PORAA eee Raemee 2 feet. 4, A thin stratum of septum iron ore, with red and yellow ochreous inclusions, 2 inches. This arrangement seemed to be a local variation in the deposition of the iron series. | A tendency to the formation of septum ore was afterwards seen 1n several places. The ore on the summit of Mineral Spring Ridge is somewhat of this character. Portions of it were sometimes seen elsewhere as nuclei of geodes. Near this locality, in the southeast corner of the Daniel Martin headright, Selman tract, on the summit of’ a ridge, was noticed the following section: Pee euslomoerate trou Ore, irom sand cementy.).....2 06.00.72 6 ls keke 2 feet 6 inches. 2. Iron sandstone, often adhering to No. 1......... Rictersrners ey Ores 2 feet 6 inches. 3. Geode bed, mingled with iron gravel, covering the northwest side of the eee St NM eS ee so ced wig sn o'n #0 Displaced. Ree ns oo Sess Se ee oe added Obes cd aaganedsers To base of hill. 238 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. The conglomerate and iron sandstone outcrop on the summit occurs in large boulders, some of which would weigh several tons. While they show evidence of former stratification, they are not now as a rule horizontal, but are tumbled one upon another and lying inclined at different angles. This may have been caused by local vibrations of the earth’s surface, or possibly by sub-erosion of the strata and gravitation after the deposition of the iron, or probably the close of the Tertiary period. | In crossing a little stream fed by chalybeate springs, on the Menifee tract, southwest corner of Daniel Martin’s headright, near the water line in the gulley, some fifteen feet below the surface soil, was seen a tongue of rusty colored material about six inches thick, which on excavation proved to be greensand mixed with clay. Specimens which were sent to Austin changed in transitu to a yellow or orange color by oxidation of the protoxide to hy- drated peroxide of iron. A similar exposure was also seen on the Alex. Car- ter tract, in the Wm. McKnight headright. Within half a mile of Riley W. Kinard’s house, on another small stream, was noted in the south bank of the gulley two distinct layers of asphaltic clay, about three inches each, separated by about twelve inches of light col- ored clay. This, with a deposition of chocolate colored micaceous shale in the same neighborhood, has been referred to the lignitic series. On the Menifee tract, in the southwest corner of the Daniel Martin head- right, was seen an outcrop of massive siliceous limestone over two feet in thickness. The stratigraphic position has already been given. Similar ex- posures at various localities have been noted. A test for hydraulic properties was not successful. On the summit and sides of the hill at Dr. Sterrett’s house, Elijah Morris headright, Grand Bluff and Harmony Hill road, was seen a large quantity of iron gravel overlying a deep red clay soil. At Mahon, on the same road, were seen small bowlders of iron conglomerate and iron sandstone. These bowlders also occur in the southeast corner of the Wm. Hamilton headright, three miles from Beckville. On the east bank of the Sabine River, at Pulaski Ferry, was seen the fol- lowing section: a Ssurtace pebble drift... 222 2... 20 Geert sn Joe beeen ele ..o gleet: 2.) aron sandstone. .......... 74. 2 mes a) pela pit ale ohn eee or 2 ae eee 6 inches. Be J AOMBMNE’ SAAN. LS sek Siok dik Sete wee ap a/e Sepp Eualeut ene teen eae ee ae 3 feet. 4. Shaly iron ore on surface of incline....... saa eagle tials ee eae 8 feet. On the ledge below, within twenty feet of the water, the following section was obtained: S.., PAB Th TO Ba Ae no aaa ope, ois. 54,0): 5)0 0.0m) 2 eek ete .... 4 feet. 6. Coarse white pebbles cemented by iron and silica..... Fe by Se meet Mae 1 foot. PANOLA COUNTY. 239 7. Interstratified sand and clay shale. The dark stratum (three inches) of shale looks bituminous, or at least organic.......... Lay RE etn Poe ree ena 5 feet. 8. Cross-bedded gray sand..... SCE C ROE ORs OR ea Rene i Sage 5 feet. 9. Shaly clay, with nodules of clay stone, to water line. At a second bluff, about one and one-half miles up the river, the ledge dips to the southwest, and the section appeared to be: Ba TST oo teed ee ae ORR eA Ge ER RR Ge FSG AVA e nen eee eve ee 8 feet. MMMPED CUE CLI EIUN CIA Ne Wee ret ery ct scare cre eas es ese atreselh steal nipye wake ae Sh ee a chess SPS ethane) py tOMnG MG AMCMIMNC ec ces Waits cel (a eohae, Sosa tha wale asus ass iol) gece 2s 20 feet. Gay ~ [ELEGANT GIG TG es ilo aie eat A eRe ob Penner Eola Ro Al ae 1 inch. pee ase lyst Clenys OM EME MINGLING atic ch i tho ciated Yoke steer: Wis ciel sc teie sale even wera als 25 feet. Going down the ridge road on the east of the Sabine River, several miles from Pulaski Ferry, the following section was noted on Big Rocky Hill and vicinity: ACE SOU, 2 2 siayste40 oasis oveet MEE ie divy Gata at eee WA reat Ryne RGIS ts ie otro tee 2 feet. 2. White and colored drift pebbles ....... NE ity eat nits hades ataab as 2 feet. 3. Pebble conglomerate and adhering iron sandstone........... yh MONS ME sts 2 fet. Red clay, changing to yellow sandy clay, or orange formation............... 20 feet. From the foregoing observations it would seem that the character of the iron deposit depended on local conditions at the time of sedimentation and cementation, and the following working hypothesis may be stated: That the buttes and ridges were once connected and are now but the rem- nants of an elevated Tertiary plain. That this elevated plain was once lacustrine, as shown by the successive depositions of beds of clay and sand, the stratified material of the lignite series, and the stratified iron series. That the quantity of iron in solution probably varied at different times, but the total was nearly the same for the northwest and southwest portions of the county. That the buff crumhly or aluminous bog ore resulted from the iron solu- tion penetrating and cementing the lacustrine deposit of clay in the southwest portion of the county. That the overlying contact of laminated iron ore resulted from a simul- taneous deposition and cementation of iron sediment and clay. That a subsequent drifting of fine sand was in like manner cemented by sedimentation from the iron in solution, forming the iron sandstone. | That afterward the drift sand included small rounded iron pebbles and gravel, which in like manner was cemeted by deposition of the iron in solu- tion, to form the iron conglomerate. That during this time a similar amount of iron was deposited by sedimen- tation’ in the northwestern portion of the county, but the drift sand was largely in excess of the clay, consequently the iron sandstone was largely in- 240 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. creased in thickness, while the buff crumbly was diminished in the same ratio, the conglomerate remaining nearly the same. QUATERNARY.—The orange sand formation is not so noticable in this as in other counties of this district, and will receive further consideration in the description of the formation as seen in its best development. RELATION OF STRATA. From the foregoing sections the following general section is made, to show the relation of strata to each other; it being understood that the entire section is never seen complete in any one locality, and that some of the minor varia- tions in alternating beds of sand and clay are omitted. 1. Sandy soil on the summits of hills and ridges.................. 2 feet. 2. Conglomerate iron ore (cemented iron pebbles and iron gravel), Selman tract, Wesley Gooden headright.......... ...... ... 8 feet. 3. Iron sandstone (siliceous and iron sand) cemented by ferruginous sedimentation. (The 2 inches in the southwest and the 3 feet in ‘the northwest: )..:.: eso siete se ee setae eee eae eee en ates 2 inches to 3 feet. 4. Laminated iron ore (wavy limonite), the first near Grand Bluff, the latter in the southwest............. Mes feis cei e Teese ree Ee 2 to 6 inches. 5. Buff crumbly or bog iron ore. (Traces of the first near Grand Bluff, the latter in. thetsouthwest.)¢ 2-p sea ws eae = coe 2 to 3 feet. The two last mentioned varieties, 4 and 5, usually together in contact when seen in mass, but both are sometimes wanting, and sometimes ° replaced by fossiliferous iron sandstone. 6. Soft to moderately hard yellow to red sandstone. (In the north- western portion of the county. This corresponds with the po- sition of typical or upper bed of orange sand, sometimes chang- ing to orange loam, and probably was originally greensand, but now altered by oxidation of the protoxide to hydrated peroxide OEMITON tale a caee cee A eS eee alist one eae ped yak 15 feet. Geode limonite, with yellow ochre or orange loam centers, some- times sand centers. (This horizon is included in the orange loam formation, and usually oceurs near the top of the upper bed of orange sand or orange: loamy). ait .69 5. as eee cee 1 to 2 feet. 8. Iron gravel, resulting from the breaking up of geode shells, crum- bling of the buff crumbly iron ore, mixed with iron pebbles from the partial and sometimes entire disintegration of the iron con- gzlomerate. (This has no definite vertical section, being found as float on the sides of the hills and ridges, and in the valleys as drift). 9. Red iron clay. (This has resulted from the ferrugination of the ' entire bed to this deplete ger ..c ism nee iD Nt oie 4 to 5 feet. 10. Mottled red and gray clay. (This has resulted from partial fer- rugination by infiltration into joints and cracks.).........-.+.. 5 to 10 feet. 11. Greensand. (Only two small exposures seen in northwest portion : caf ‘Chis Meoumiby.). 2... 01.0 PERE L210) ne ee edict 6 inches. PANOLA COUNTY. | 241 12. Gray sandy clay and bluish sandy clay. (This is the source of phew pleiterce Clanya)sneret bs tave done erty eyo gic.) 2) Price 4 Tae beast woe 6 to 8 feet. 13. Siliceous laminated limestone. (Frequently micaceous and sandy between the laminz, with carbonized plant remains. Usually found near the water line of streams.)........... ... reer tect: Liss SSE TTOS AGE Sch ec nna tat tesa a Mana es Aer i a aia eae ere a 6 to 10 feet. Pre eompacsiiceous limestone: Lyk. eka te a hee et 2 to 3 feet. 16. Lignitic clay shale. (Usually of brownish color and sometimes containing plamt fossils: cr 4 21h Nera b Verne ele alent 2 feet. B.. Lignitic shale... ots. 4s 2-215 ncbiatetey eteronetelm epee sina er ake) she alent) fms unoae ff Pleasant A Tenth “4 Blankenship AY Barko ! LY. Bardo Ay : = = = get : 2 = WY Ev Skillern Pike ¢ Malthews Heirs v | zon ae G@Williame: //00 Ge. RS Fiz Ge $ re Rthidiern\, Gestion 266 / \ ed 4 ‘ WM Aldert| H, Teutsck Heire ~ 465 Ac tN Christian thee Aso Aore= *. K Racer Wetterma atthe rea GW, Matthews, SS Petréleune Prespecting Company ‘ : Lanes, va” LM Spurgeon ae 208A. (ie ) 4 e+ wi om city Py9\th Posty K PP Company "7 dee AuW Ia SN MO! Maypiete & White. Thos Mooney 131k ae OIL REGIONS o NACOGDOCHES Co FROM MAP BY oe HH.Sawver ana D.C.Mast. Lbyebeth Sacobe MARLON S00 Ac @ prooblcina $ amace m oRY 24a—geol. NACOGDOCHES COUNTY. IME small mixture of other hydrocarbons, which are not yet definitely determined. (Schorlemmer, Phil. Trans., 1871, vol. clxii, part 1, p. 111; Chem. Soc. Jour., 2, viii, 216; Warren, Silliman’s Am. Jour., xi, 89, 216; Pelouze and Cahours, | Compt. Rend., liv, 1241; Ann. Chem. Phys. (4), 1, 5; Ann. Chem. Pharm., cxxlv, 289; cxxvii, 190; cxxix, 87.) The solid members of the series are sometimes found as minerals in regions of brown coal and bituminous shale, and are known under the name of ozo- cerite, hatchettite, mineral tallow, and mineral wax. The tarry product from distillation of such shale, brown coal, and peat has been used as a source of naptha, illuminating oil, lubricating oil, and solid paraffin. vi Some years ago, when visiting the abandoned plant of the Cannel Coal and Oil Company, at Cloverport, Kentucky, the writer saw a large quantity of solid paraffin in the residuum of oil which had been left for a few years in the large cast iron retorts. Schorlemmer (Chem. Soc. Jour., xv, 419, 1862) has shown that the paraffins produced by the distillation of cannel coal are similar to those of other mineral oils. Under direction of Dr. Edgar Everhart, Professor of Chemistry, University of Texas, Mr. P. H. Fitzhugh submitted this oil from Nacogdoches to some tests in the laboratory. (Bulletin No. 4.) The following facts were reported: “The oil has a brownish red.color. The odor is peculiar, but not so offensive as the crude petroleum of Pennsylvania. At ordinary temperature the oil is mobile, but not so much so as ordinary petroleum. Submitted to extreme cold the oil still retains its liquidity, but naturally becomes less mobile. The temperature of the oil was reduced to less than zero (Fahrenheit) without losing its flowing qualities. At no temperature attainable in the laboratory by artificial means could any solid paraffin be separated. The oil does not gum on exposure to the air. It is not adapted to the production of illumi- nating oil; its value consists in its use as a lubricant. About four pounds of oil was subjected to distillation over the naked flame in a retort connected with proper condensers. The temperature was carried up to 680° F. At intervals of 45° each distillate was removed and its weight determined. The results of the distillation were as follows: tn eclow. 0007 sk; me distillate amounted toss ied i) dnjerd 695 Sey eile sare’ 0.04 per cent. Daa to 245 .W. the distillate amounted to... 2) 2.6.5 oe sce cee ests 0.37 per cent. 3. 345° to 390° F. the distillate amounted to............. i ee ele o per, CNL. Pee ti Aad Bethe distillate AMOUMLEd TO... ee. ai. cle dcce nee whch sore! 2.09 per cent. gw Ass 10 480° EF. the distillate amounted to..........03200...-.- /~.. 3.14 per cent. GinAB0 10 525° BY the distillate amounted to..'...) 2. ..-..).2..0-060-- 6.25 per cent. 7. 525° to 615° F. the distillate amounted to. ........... Rye --. %.07 per cent. See Datos AH the distillate amounted tO... veh we cidie cn gh tebe s eos 5.63 per cent. Remaining in the retort .. .... ed ee FR See ee 74.03 per cent. 25—geol. 276 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. ‘““A consideration of the above figures shows in the first place that the crude petroleum of Nacogdoches is practically free from naptha, which dis- tills off below 250° F. Four pounds of this oil carried to a temperature fifty degrees higher yielded only a few drops of a light oil, amounting to 0.04 per cent of the total amount taken. In the Pennsylvania crude petroleum the illuminating oil comes off between 250°%and 500° F., and it on an average amounts to about fifty-five per cent. The Nacogdoches petroleum between the same degrees of temperature yields only a little over seven per cent. Three-fourths of the oil- does not boil until a temperature above the boiling point of mercury is reached. Above 400° F. and even lower the distillate is not pure white, but is somewhat colored. This color deepens on exposure to to the atmosphere. The distillate exhibits a beautiful fluorescence. Attempts were made to render the distillates colorless by refining them with oil of vitriol, etc., as is done with the ordinary petroleum, but the results obtained were not satisfactory. Some of the crude oil was subjected to distillation until but a small residue was left in the retort. This residue had the con- sistency of thick pitch, and was of black color. ‘The density of the petroleum at 62.6° F., is 0.9179, compared with water as unity. The density of Pennsylvania petroleum is usually about 0.794— 0.840. The coefficient of cubical expansion, as determined by Mr. Fitzhugh, is 0.02568. Its weight, its high boiling point, its non-solidification by cold, and its property of not gumming make it a splendid lubricating material. The practical tests that have been applied to it confirm this opinion.” GREENSAND MARLS. In the bed of the road from Nacogdoches to Melrose, about four miles north- west of the latter, is an exposure of five feet of ¢mdurated greensand shell marl, under which is four feet of very friable greensand shell marl. Under this is a shaly marl two feet, with a middle parting of very hard indurated green clay, two inches. Underlying this is a bed of altered greensand marl, three feet. On Aaron’s Hill, just west of the town of Nacogdoches, is an exposure of greensand shell marl twenty feet thick. A lower portion of the same bed is exposed at the crossing of Bayou Lamana, in the same road, on the west side of the town of Nacogdoches. | In the road bed on the hill just south of the brick yard, in the southern limits of the town of Nacogdoches, is an exposure of several feet of green- sand marl with fossil casts. (See Fig. 24.) South of Melrose, in the oil regions along the valley of Bayou Visitador and its tributaries, is a large deposit of oil bearing greensand marl. (See Map of the Oil Regions.) At the falls on the headwaters of Caney Branch, about one mile northeast NACOGDOCHES COUNTY. 277 of the office of the Lubricating Oil Company, is an exposure of twenty-four feet of greensand shell marl, the upper layers of which are oil bearing. (See Fig. 25, under Stratigraphy.) On the Day farm, now the property of the Lubricating Oil Company, is oi: well No. 1, bored to a total depth of two hundred and fifty four feet. The record of this well shows a surface drift of nine feet of red clayey earth, un- der which is a bed in two layers of one hundred and eight feet of greensand marl, of which the upper layer consists of fifty-nine feet of light bluish green- sand shell marl, and under this is the second layer (in contact) of forty-nine feet of dark bluish greensand shell marl. Ata depth of two hundred and nine feet another bed of dark bluish greensand shell marl twenty-nine feet was drilled. About eight miles southwest of Nacogdoches, in the old San Antonio road, is an exposure of calcareous shell rock, indurated by ferruginous infiltration. The bed is about two feet thick and similar to the upper stratum seen at Simpson’s Hill, four miles northwest of Melrose, and was deposited at the same time. . About one-third of a mile east of the office of the Lubricating Oil Company is an exposure of the upper stratum of shell rock overlying the greensand marl and containing small white shells of Cardita, sp. ind., Ostrea selle- forms, etc. About one mile southwest of the town of Cherino, at Fall’s old saw mill on Polesoto Creek, is an exposure of about sixteen and one-half feet of green- sand marl, consisting of altered greensand, ten feet; shell rock, two feet; in- durated green sandy clay, two feet; oil bearing greensand marl, twenty inches, and shell rock, ten inches to water-line of the creek. ANALYSES OF GREENSAND MARLS. @ 2 | 3 P | : No. a EE eF 4 | E 4 Be as BS = re ge | 5 EI ao S 8 EN é PE Se area 5 feet. C. Sandy clay shale to bottom of railway cut....... 10 feet. About two hundred yards north of Fitze Station is a stratum of yellow sand ten feet thick, overlying the long ferruginous geodes described under Iron Ores. This interposition of sand is wanting in most localities, but the general inference from this and other localities where it does exist fixes the horizon of the geodes as underlying the sand, which in some localities has become partly indurated to form the soft sandstone before described as un- - derlying the regular iron sandstone. Going from Nacogdoches to Melrose, within the southern limits of the former place, is an exposure of drift material by the roadside, consisting of soil, ferruginous sandy clay, iron pebbles, clay, and cross-bedded sand. On the opposite hill just beyond the brick yard, across the little stream, is an exposure of greensand marl. NACOGDOCHES COUNTY. 283 Fig. 24. . K. SECTION NEAR BRICK YARD AT NACOGDOCHES. PAPE SAM ERE SOUMs. Fa) ag.) .frjlss hich? arated ve oetbie eitecs ele die SE Et, Aan Une ea 3 feet. A’. Sandy soil with altered PU COMA, Werreeras Ae Nees toys alicia Ry cyal aca cenleal dueluus a 3 feet. ee PHELrUOINOUS SaUGy Clay 3.4. ee Weck Sk we the eee Any ath ot ee es SER RES de al 5 feet. WR OTDCR COU CO ca ml fieymer cut cei Seliicus cin! slacks atte LNG Mt IS We CPt eed ha lousea uct 2 feet. D. Sand. IDs SLENTR S. give pols: 4 oe one hacia a og a nena ees RIP RSPR besten thf’ i ase MRR ea NORE RAEN EASE 1 foot Dette eee yeas cuts, See sR aha er ea ee” ones leh aradia Bela oy 18 in. Aer) Net RPRP DRS ccs acme P Pg Pgh, ty ac ate.) an eos ewes {3h OWN IW Nag Amer 2s sa.nd'ys ayes Ladle ai « 3 feet HewGreonsand marl with: fossiliierous Casts Jt). teleld: nuit s tgs ek a Gee wie 4 feet I. Brickyard. J. Wagon road bed. In the same road, about four miles northwest of Melrose, at Simpson’s Hill, is an exposure of red clay sixty feet; indurated greensand shell marl five feet, containing shells of Scutella subrotunda?, Cardita, sp. ind.?, etc.; very friable greensand shell marl four feet; shaly marl, with a two-inch parting of hard glauconitic clay, two feet; altered greensand shell marl three feet. On the road from Marion to Nacogdoches, eight miles southeast of Nacog- doches, is an exposure of greensand shell marl, probably a continuation of the bed just described. On Aaron’s Hill, just west of the town of Nacogdoches, was observed the following section in the cut made for the public road: | mS HM CC HOC RC LANE Ear One tt etter ony is yn etic estat ee acuare, Wetead (HRS alin, Lagece als oe 2 feet. Ly, GDR EG) Ee hk phe are eke aL ey RPT a a vag 1) SN Hs A 6 feet. Cr Okay SAN 2c ory eet ed: LA AR A Bc YUE TL AUR TAAD ne Ban gs een eae ce 8 feet. WE GRC OU SAIC SCN INT Als. c020 oc) Ap oko TL fate ate 2 be 5.0 dela abot lM RVSIE JT hioleMovel Siehe et a lear 20 feet. MBER ULV LOO GEOIE SOE tare ies oes a aitys; «ps fsh oy-ey ations ane) obta Sfos obs) Saris, Hole Bod nye eel .. 2 feet. F. Greensand shell marl to bed of creek. About one-fourth of a mile north of the office of the Lubricating Oil Com- pany was seen a stratum of greensand marl in the bed of a small stream. When the marl was chopped with a hachet the red-brown oil exuded and floated off on the surface of the water. On the hillsides adjacent are rem- nants of the iron sandstone material. 284 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. A. Sandy soil. BS Hard. groensandt 4. 20 AGI. >. es seh Meh INNS kT oy ALR a OT ES ANY (er ed | 14.32 jc) ae eee Ween eer SIN, cece Note o! peal (nme ievs| eae ce 46.55 be ee ee abel 4 TIE TNL Ma i EYOGS USL O9 Ni. wos 45.65 Ce tt 22036 fs Sel a Ns webs SrOssie 062) Woe25ik. ae 45.17 bo eae eee | #23.84]. SOU IP LBa) WA GL eee 40.63 oe, a eee VOU Be ieee verre a er SHOOT te O84 Se Tail ian 48.3] an Bea Or SG.» xis s Ne ok be S.038] P .062| 14.25] 99.23] 45.17 2 ae 69 00 ALG MO Lees DLO N TEED 1) Settee S.027| P .284| 13.71] 99.64] 48.31 a 63.84) 18.90 5276)... 0... 0.18) 0.20 | 0.09 | 11.03] 100.00] 44.68 1108*...... 66.05} -10.65|| 10.36)... 5 0.25) 0.11 | 0.49 | 12.10} 100.00] 46.23 Analyses * by J. H. Herndon; + by L. E. Magnenat. @ MnO, 0.42. b MnO, 0.17. c Insoluble, 33,50. d Silica and insoluble. From No. 7 to E, inclusive, collected by Dr. R. A. F. Penrose. 26—geol. 292 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. Localities. No. 7%. Limonite. No. 25. Brown massive iron ore, five miles west of Jacksonville. No. 28. Fossiliferous iron ore, four miles north of Jacksonville. No. Brown hematite. No Poor ore, five miles south of Troupe. No. Raw ore, penitentiary ore bed; analysis made for John Birkinbine, 1885. Raw ore, penitentiary ore bed; analysis made for John Birkinbine, 1885. 30 31 A No. B. Raw ore, penitentiary ore bed; analysis made for John Birkinbine, 1885. C D. Raw ore, penitentiary ore bed; analysis made for John Birkinbine, 1885. KE. Raw ore, penitentiary ore bed; analysis made for John Birkinbine, 1885. No. F. Co., St. Louis. No. G. Black laminated ore. Analysis by Regis Chauvenet & Co., St. Louis. No. 1107. Wavy laminated ore, one mile north by west of State furnace, Cherokee Solid brown hematite, penitentiary ore bed. Analysis by Regis Chauvenet & County. No. 1108. Compact buff crumbly iron ore, one mile north by west of State turnace, Cherokee County. THE IRON INDUSTRY AT RUSK AND VICINITY. Through the courtesy of Captain E. L. Gregg, of Rusk, who was secretary of the committee appointed to find suitable locations for the State Peniten- tiaries, the writer obtained the following particulars, the original report having been filed in the State archives, and lost in the fire which destroyed the old Capitol building. The committee appointed by Governor Richard Coke in 1875 consisted of W. W. Lang, of Marlin, chairman; Thomas Dwyer, Ed. Burleson, of San An- tonio; B. W. Brown of Longview, and EH. L. Gregg, of Rusk, secretary. The object was to locate two penitentiaries—one northeast of the Trinity River, in Kast Texas, for the manufacture of iron; the other in West Texas, for the manufacture of woolen goods. In making the examination for the location of the eastern penitentiary the committee traveled through Grayson, Marion, Gilmer, Titus, Smith, and Cher- okee counties. At the suggestion of Governor Coke an expert, Mr. G. A. Kelley, was appointed by the committee, who accompanied them, except in Grayson County. After careful examination of the iron fields the committee recommended Rusk as the best location for the eastern penitentiary, on account of the quan- tity and quality of the iron ore. Before the completion of the report and the consummation of the contract with the builders of the prison two vacancies occurred in the committee, one caused by the election of the chairman, W. W. Lang, as a member of the Constitutional Convention in 1876, the other by the death of Thomas Dwyer, of San Antonio. These vacancies were filled by the appointment of Judge CHEROKEE COUNTY. 293 J. M. Hurt, now of the Court of Appeals, and Judge D. HE. Thomas, of Austin, who assisted in the completion of the report and the contract with the build- ers of the prison cells at Rusk. ‘This committee also recommended the location of the western penitentiary at San Marcos, for the manufacture of woolen goods, but no contract was carried into effect, on account of the failure of the Legislature to make an appropriation for that purpose. The official report of this committee was made to the Governor, delivered to the Secretary of State, and destroyed, as before stated, by fire in the ak Capitol building. Through the courtesy of Major Thomas J. Goree, Superintendent of Peni- tentiaries, the following particulars were obtained by the writer: The principal object in establishing the penitentiary at Rusk was the de- velopment of the iron industry in Hast Texas. The cell building was built with that object in view, but fearing that the manufacture of iron (without railway facilities) would be unsuccessful, the first Board of Directors, consist- ing of Governor O. M. Roberts, Treasurer Lubbock, and Attorney-General McCormick, directed that the walls be pore around the cell building and brick workshop. Under the law reorganizing the Ronitentinty in 1879, a State Board of Directors was created, consisting of the Governor, State Treasurer, and Su- perintendent of Penitentiaries. By direction of that board Major Thomas J. Goree, Superintendent, made an examination of the iron ores with the view of manufacturing iron as first contemplated. His report was favorable, and resulted in a contract for the construction of the State furnace, which was named ‘the Old Alcalde” in honor of Governor O. M. Roberts. H. C. Darley, of St. Louis, became the contractor, and the work was done under the immediate supervision of his agent, Mr. R. A. Barrett, by convict labor. While in course of construction, in 1883, this Penitentiary, with a num- ber of convicts, was leased to Comer & Fairis, who took charge of the same January 1, 1884, the furnace being finished about that time. Under their management the “Old Alcalde” furnace went into blast in February, and ran a few weeks under the direction of Mr. Veach, of Alabama, as superin- tendent, making seven to ten tons of pig iron per day. On the representa- tion to the State Board that the cause of their ill success was a faulty con- struction of the bosh—that iron could not be made to the full capacity of the furnace with such a steep bosh—the contractors got permission to take out the bosh and put in the old style flat bosh, which being in place the furnace went into blast again, making the highest yield in any one day fif- teen tons of pig iron. In September some of the tuyeres were burned out, the contractors claim- 294 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. ing that the water supply was insufficient to run with; and finally, one month later, to save themselves from loss, they surrendered their contract. Soon after this, in the early part of 1885, the Board secured the services of an expert, Mr. John Birkinbine, of Philadelphia, to examine thoroughly the furnace plant and stack for an opinion as to whether the stack was of faulty construction or whether the fault was in the operation of it. After making a thorough examination, he approved the lines of the furnace con- struction, and recommended that the flat bosh be removed and replaced by such an one as had been originally constructed. ‘Mr. R. A. Barrett, who had superintended the original construction, was employed to make the change and to operate the furnace. He had charge of it from 1885 to January 1, 1891, running it very successfully, making from twenty-five to thirty-nine tons per day when in full blast. Since the establishment of the plant the State Board have acquired, at various times and of sundry persons, by purchase 8773.4, acres timber lands in Cherokee County and 2951,°, acres timber lands in Angelina County for coaling purposes; also 2860,6, acres ore and other lands near the prison, and the mining privilege on 8004, acres ore lands; the right of way on the prison spur railway, one and one-fourth miles; the right of way for ore bed road, one and one-half miles; tramway from furnace to ore bed, one mile; the right of way for water pipe line, about half a mile; and other facilities for manufac- turing purposes. : The facts pertaining to the addition of the water pipe foundry and archi- tectural castings have been enumerated in this volume, and need not be re- peated here. | The writer is indebted to Mr. R. A. Barrett, late superintendent of prison industries at Rusk, for courtesies received. The following particulars of furnace operations were partly in answer to interrogatories and partly from personal observation. “The Old Alcalde” hot blast furnace and pipe foundry, under control of | the State Board of Penitentiaries, was designed and built (1884) for twenty- five tons daily capacity. The lines of the furnace are as follows: Height of stack, sixty-seven feet; internal diameter at top, six feet six inches; bosh, nine feet six inches; cruci- ble, four feet ten inches; height of mantel, thirteen feet six inches; height of tuyeres, five feet six inches. The average charge or burden of the furnace is thirty bushels of charcoal, thirteen hundred pounds of raw ore, two hundred and fifty pounds of lime- stone. The average blast is thirty-eight hundred to four thousand cubic feet of hot air per minute. | CHEROKEE COUNTY. | 295 The heated gases arising from the ore, limestone, and imperfect combustion of the charcoal are utilized by conducting them from the top of the furnace through the ‘‘down-take” or iron pipe to the gas oven, where the occasional _addition of a stick or two of cord wood serves to keep the gases ignited, thus communicating the heat to a multiple section of pipes, through which the air is driven from the blowing engine to the tuyeres. A portion of the gases from the “down-take” is conveyed by a branch pipe to the boilers, where it is similarly used for heating, to make steam for the engine. The blowing engine is of the Weimer type, manufactured by the Weimer Machine Works Company, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania. GRADES OF PIG IRON. This furnace usually produces two grades of hot blast pig iron, known in commerce as No.-1 foundry pig. iron and No. 2 foundry pig iron. Other grades of warm blast pig iron are made to order for the manufacture of car wheels, known in commerce as No. 4 car wheel iron (best), and a cheaper grade, No. 1 car wheeliron. To produce the warm blast iron, the tempera- ture of the air blast is reduced to between 350° and 400°, but this reduction in blast temperature causes a reduction in the daily output of the furnace, and to that extent increases the cost of the product. The following table exhibits the daily average product of pig iron for the months in blast, from the time the State Board resumed control of the fur- nace, to December, 1890. AVERAGE DAILY PRODUCT IN TONS. Year. Jan. | Feb. | Mar. | April. | May. | June.| July. | Aug. | Sept. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec. et ee | a Bos Leppert Mae Gel Rosas alm pee |) Tu iIclrs) p 254 RGB ito la a os 28 | ey aT one| female |[opesevesal ice ope tulicwog et 2 234) | 2a 244 | 24k... dnc i Las See gota | 28 | 264 | 242 | ere este oan a oaw a ee beers oe | 20s 1 29° | 29d: l194 | FO ef DEN Giiss Well Oe a Oly ee a ee iva Seal [2B | 2aa |. 2. | 20 20 234 | 26 224 | 222 | 23 ee ee pee Hed | 20 | 238 | 244 254 | 944 | 992 | 932 | 254 | 274 24,000 tons of 2240 pounds each, or 53,760,000 pounds. ANALYSIS OF THE PIG IRON. Made by Chouteau, Harrison & Valle Iron Company, St. Louis, October 21, 1886. ase MEE ah eR gos uso od nie 68 eK diele ots tints ones 8 nih yes aera aa 0.477 ee rene eis Ls diss pula Ay Aaa e ideas bewetdeedevesecs 2.250 rea a Rage Ee eet Mes es er seals) ciel ghY MG wes did bo eo se bee ees 0.005 296 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. ' ANALYSES OF LIMESTONE. (Used as flux) from Coryell County. Chemists: Regis Chauvenet & Bro., St. Louis. Sample Sample No. 1. No. 2. OTINCR orn aacis's cue eer is) bbs ehoaeue\ade 4 eaves ane ee re [ye Ore 0.10 Oxide of iromn....3 <2. ont oe ae ee eee gil Abbe Sie oe ee Trace. 0.28 Carbonate of lime:..5..255 ..-. ss: oe abana ee) oe ee | 99.75 99.60 etste | SeeSe ANALYSES OF FURNACE SLAG. From “The Old Alcalde Furnace.” Chemists: Regis Chauvenet & Bro., St. Louis. Bt A® Cx - ' Sept. 5, 1888. | Sept. 22, 1890. | Oct. 12, 1886. Silica. . AAA SUR TLS Ree Eee EES ee ete: Se asi 42 46 41.90 AlMmMing ss. < i kee este ee, Se ee Sa ees dey PRS, ah ros 22.90 25 . 94. 202 Dimes s-2 ods a) aa ee a ee ee APT a SOMoD 30.64 30031 Ma priOstay,.. sad babes. &. 5 vartha ‘ers! oysrn be to, PAS tupac pe eee ere 72 0.87 0.70 Metallic. ironies): hope fee Gas ee ie ee ee 1.14” cS SPs | 100.24 99-91 Sew is) t‘* The greater part of the iron is in the form of metallic granules, caught in the slag, and is therefore returned as iron rather than sesquioxide.”’ *** The absence of iron is a remarkable feature in the above, and shows good work.’’ COST OF MATERIALS. Iron Ore.—The cost of mining with convict labor and transporting the raw ore to the furnace on tramway cars, including the crushing necessary to make it ready for the furnace, is estimated at fifty cents per ton. The ore was at one time roasted. The water having been evaporated, and some of the sulphur volatilized, there was some improvement in the working of the fur- nace and in the quality of the pig iron, but this has not been enough to justify the extra expense of roasting. Some of the ore would be improved by wash- ing, and this would have been tried but for the scarcity of water. Livestone. — The limestone is obtained near Leon Junction, formerly Pecan Grove Postoffice, in Coryell County, and is transported some two hun- dred miles by railway to the furnace. The average cost of rough stone, de- livered at the furnace, is $2.70 per ton, to which is added the cost of crush- ing, ten cents per ton. CuarcoaL. — As the distance to the coaling ground is increased by the cutting of timber on the lands nearer to the furnace, the cost of transportion becomes greater. The estimated average cost of charcoal delivered at the furnace during the year 1890 is seven cents per bushel. CHEROKEE COUNTY. 297 THE TASSIE BELLE FURNACE. The Cherokee Land and Iron Company was organized in 1888 by Mr. A. B. Blevins, promoter, under the laws of the State of Texas, as a joint stock company, with an authorized capital of $1,000,000 in shares of $1 each. The officers were: H.H. Wibirt, of New York City, president and treasurer; R. L. Coleman, of St. Louis, first vice-president; J. C. Reiff, of New York City, second vice-president; Henry T. Kent, of St. Louis, secretary and gen- eral attorney; John C. Meyers, of St. Louis, assistant secretary; A. B. Blevins, of New Birmingham, Cherokee County, manager for Texas; John Birkinbine, C. HE. and M. E., of Philadelphia, designer of furnace; Nathan I’. Barrett, of New York City, landscape engineer; Chas. E. Jacques, of New York City, architect; T. Howard Barnes, of New Birmingham, civil engineer. The cap- ital was raised principally in New York. Location.—The property of the company is within Cherokee County, and consists of ore and timber lands, town lots, and buildings, including the fur- nace, in the town of New Birmingham, which is laid out about two miles south of the town of Rusk (the county seat), on the line of the St. Louis, Arkansas and Texas Railway. DESIGN OF THE FuRNAcE.—The furnace was built after designs made by Mr. John Birkinbine, iron expert and engineer, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is of the hot blast type, with a working capacity of fifty tons per day, although its full capacity has not yet been reached. The furnace is equipped with two down-takes—one leading part of the heated gases from the top of the furnace to the boiler furnace, for generating steam; the other conducting the remainder of the heated gases from the top of the furnace stack, through an intervening dust cylinder, to the gas oven, where the gases are kept ignited to heat the multiple section of air pipes for the production of a hot air blast. The form of oven is known as ‘ Weimer’s new patent pipe oven.” The blow- ing engine is of the Weimer type, made by Weimer Machine Works Com- pany, Lebanon, Pennsylvania. The pumping engines are of the Knowles pattern; the small one is used for feeding the boilers, the large one for gen- eral purposes and for extinguishing fire in case of accident. REORGANIZATION.—The company has recently been reorganized and the capital increased to $3,000,000. Mr. R. L. Coleman, first vice-president, pro- moted to president; Mr. A. S. Mahoney, of New York city, made treasurer and chemist; Mr. David Carson, of St. Louis, made superintendent of the furnace. The lands now owned and controlled for ore and timber amount to about twenty thousand acres. The company has expended on lands and buildings, up to date, about $450,000. Lines oF THE Furnace.—Through the courtesy of Mr. David Carson, su- perintendent of the furnace, the writer was permitted to examine the work- 298 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. ing drawing of the furnace, from which the following notes were made: Base of hearth, eleven feet; inside diameter of crucible, six feet six inches; bosh. eleven feet; six tuyeres, height above hearth, six feet; hearth to bosh, fifteen feet three inches; inside stack, from bosh to “down-takes,” thirty-one feet ten inches; diameter of the two down-takes, thirty inches; inside diameter of stack at top, eight feet eight inches; outside stack, from hearth to top, sixty- three feet six inches; height of mantel, eighteen feet. Propuct.—To Mr. R. L. Coleman, president, the writer is indebted for samples of the product (No. 1 and No. 2 foundry pig iron) for the State mu- seum, and the following particulars: The furnace was put in blast Novem- ber 8, 1890, and went out of blast January 10, 1891, for alteration of boiler furnace. The product for the time in blast was a little over two thousand tons of two thousand two hundred and forty pounds each, or about four mil- lion four hundred and eighty thousand pounds. THE STAR AND CRESCENT FURNACH. This furnace is located between Rusk and New Birmingham, on the St. Louis, Arkansas and Texas railway, just outside the southeastern limits of Rusk. ORGANIZATION. —T his company was organized in November, 1890, as a joint stock company, with a capital of $500,000. The stock 1s partly owned by local stockholders, but most of it is held by capitalists in New Orleans. The officers are as follows: Mr. A. Britton, of New Orleans, president; Mr. E. C. Dickinson, of Rusk, vice-president; Mr. E. 8. Maunsell, of New Orleans, sec- retary and treasurer; Mr. R. A. Barrett, of Rusk, formerly superintendent of prison industries at the State penitentiary at Rusk, general manager. Property.—The property owned and controlled by this company at present consists of about fifteen thousand acres of timber land, and about three thou- sand acres of ore land. FURNACE UNDER Construction. — The ground was broken for the founda- tion of this hot blast furnace in the early part of January, 1891. Through the courtesy of Mr. R. A. Barrett, general manager, the writer was permitted to examine the working drawing of the stack, from which notes were made of the principal lines. It will be built from these drawings, designed and prepared by Mr. Barrett himself. Height of stack inside, sixty-five feet; bosh, eleven feet in diameter; crucible, six feet in diameter; diameter inside stack at top, eight feet six inches; six tuyeres, four and one-half inches in diameter; height of tuyeres, six feet. The capacity of the furnace is estimated at fifty tons per day. A new fea- ture in construction is suggested by experience in the life of boshes. This furnace wiil contain a circular ‘“‘ water brick” constructed of hollow casting, CHEROKEE COUNTY. 299 which will be laid with the bosh brick. A circulation of water through the casting will prevent the too rapid destruction of the fire brick lining, which is exposed to the intense heat of the fuel under blast. Biowine Enerne.—The blowing engine will be of the Weimer type, made by the Weimer Machine Works Company, Lebanon, Pennsylvania. Steam cylinder, thirty inches in diameter; blowing cylinder, seventy-two inches in diameter; stroke of both, forty-eight inches. Stream Borters. — The boiler house will contain three batteries of two boilers each; diameter, fifty-four inches; length, thirty feet. Hach boiler will have two eighteen-inch flues. Buiipines.—The ore stock house and the coal stock house will be built of wood. Every other building on the place will be of brick and iron. Propucts. — Besides the production of foundry and car wheel iron, this company will probably add as rapidly as possible a water and gas pipe foundry, a machine shop, a rolling mill, and a nail factory. _ AppirronaL Transportation. — This company has faith in the idea that, with these added industries, this region must soon of necessity have another railway, and that the building of this road will solve the fuel question. GENERAL SUGGESTIONS. Economy In THE Use or Iron Ores.—As a matter of public or State economy the best results in the production of pig iron would be obtained by shipping a portion of the hard refractory iron ores of Central Texas to the furnaces of Hast Texas, and mixing them with the soft aluminous ores of that region, which would result in a mutual benefit to the working qualities of both ores and a mutual benefit to both sections of the State. The hard igneous ores of Central and West Texas are located in districts which are as yet without a known fuel supply, and must therefore remain useless until fuel can be obtained or until a market can be found for the ore. The smelting of these ores alone is attended with considerable disadvantage. Furnace experts claim that the refractory magnetites and red hematites injure the fire brick lining of the boshes, from their weight and hardness in passing downwards. On the other hand, the hydrated ores (limonites) of Hast Texas contain such a large percentage of alumina that they, when used alone, tend to clog the furnace by crumbling and impeding the blast or draft through the mass of ore. The mixture of the igneous and aqueous ores would therefore greatly aid the working qualities of both ores. While the quality of the iron as now manufactured in Hast Texas is excellent for pipe, architectural work, and by reducing the temperature of the blast for car wheels, it would, by the proper admixture of the ores, be greatly improved for general castings, such as ma- chinery, etc. 300 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS, Such a policy steadily pursued would extend the time of usefulness of the furnaces now established and to be established in Kast Texas; for while the ore deposits are sufficient for a good many years to come (dependent upon the number of furnaces), they are nevertheless superficial, and therefore can not be considered inexhaustible. The igneous ores, on the contrary, are true fissure veins of great depth, and are therefore capable of. contributing a large quota of ore to enable the furnaces of Hast Texas to continue their operations much longer. Such a policy would also be of great benefit to Central, and in the future, West Texas, because it would open up a ready market for a large natural product which is now valueless except for speculation. The limestone for flux now used at the furnaces is transported from Leon Junction, some two hundred miles, at low rates of freight. To carry the iron ores from Central Texas to the existing furnaces in East Texas would require the building or extension of a railway from the town of Lampasas to the town of Llano. From the town of Llano tram roads could be built to the largest outcrops of the iron ore, a little northwest of the town. At Lampasas connection would be made with the “Cotton Belt System,” or St. Louis, Ar- kansas and Texas Railway, which at present transports the limestone used in the furnaces from Leon Junction. The distance for this iron ore would only be eighty-six miles further. The railway would have freight traffic both ways, transporting the iron ore in one direction and lumber from the saw mills in the other direction. Uses ror Furnace Sitac.—The furnace slag, which at present is a waste product, could be utilized for the manufacture of two commercial articles, with ‘very little additional expense: Ist. Paving blocks for sidewalks. This would require suitable cast iron molds with pressure plungers for giving shape to the material; an annealing oven for gradually cooling the blocks. This could be heated by part of the furnace gases from the down-takes. An endless chain, with platform links, would be necessary for rapidly delivering the blocks into the annealing oven. Such blocks, being unaffected by atmos- pheric changes and being of harder material, would resist wear longer than clay paving blocks. 2nd. Polishing powder. The fine white porous slag produced when the slag runs out over wet surfaces, if pulverized and sifted, being of similar consistency, would make a good substitute for powdered pumice stone as a polishing powder. THE RECENT EARTHQUAKH. Under the direction of the State Geologist, the writer made some investi- gations to determine the facts of a reported recent earthquake at Rusk. After careful investigation the conclusions reached are as follows: The time of re- ported occurrence was midnight, when few observers were awake. It was CHEROKEE COUNTY. 301 also during the prevalence of a storm, hence there was much diversity of opinion expressed by citizens. An examination of the strata in the vicinity revealed slight faulting due to previous earthquakes, but no faulting was ob- served that was of recent origin. The following paragraph was seen by the writer in the Houston Post, copied from the Cherokee Herald: “Rusk TREATED TO Two GEenuINE HartTHquakeE Visrations. Rusk, Texas, January 8. — Last night at 12 o'clock this town and immediate vicinity ex- perienced two well defined shocks of an earthquake. Hach paroxysm was accompanied by a detonation loud and long, as of thunder rolling from south to north. Several chimneys were leveled with the earth, and sleepers in vari- ous portions of the town were awakened. J. W. McCord, in charge of the county jail, a very strong structure, declares that for fully one minute he ap- prehended a collapse of the building, and Theo. Miller says the Acme Hotel was shaken to its foundation. There was no wind, though there was a slight rain falling and some electrical force prevailing, but not of sufficient strength to produce the shocks. A few parties here who were through the Charleston, South Carolina, shocks of 1887, pronounced the phenomenon last night a gen- uine earthquake.” The chimney which fell was visited. The material was old and the mortar had been partly washed out by atmospheric agencies in the past; it may, however, have fallen during the reported vibration of the earth. The county jail exhibits no external cracks such as might be produced by severe earth- quake vibrations. No cracks were observed in the outer wall of the Acme Hotel, but in the room occupied by the writer there are cracks where the front wall joins the partition walls that may have been produced by the vi- brations described. The Austin Statesman of January 9th contained the following Associated Press dispatch: ‘‘HARTHQUAKE IN OxIo.—Toledo, O., January 9.—Just at noon a shock of earthquake was felt here that shook houses, rattled windows, and frightened horses. The shock came apparently from the south, and a slight rumble ac- companied it. The shock was about the same in its effects at all points within a radius of forty miles from here.” In the Galveston News of January 16 appeared the following foreign dis- patch: “AteleRrs, January 15.—Reports from interior points show that an earth- quake was felt throughout an extended region. The shocks were severe at Gourza, near Cherchell. Part of the buildings of the village were demolished and many persons buried in the ruins.” Allowing for the time necessary for the news to get from the interior to 302 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. Algiers, the earthquake mentioned must have occurred about the same time as those above described, from which it may be inferred that the centre of disturbance was in the eastern hemisphere, and the vibrations observed in the western hemisphere were simply due to reaction. CONCLUDING REMARKS. The writer desires to express his thanks to public spirited citizens of Rusk and New Birmingham for courtesies during his short stay in their midst. Among others, he met Mr. A. Jackson, who at a Democratic convention held at Jacksonville, in 1856 (which was addressed by Rusk, Wigfall, and others), introduced a resolution, framed by Mr. M. H. Bonner, calling for legislative action to organize a State Geological Survey. To Mr. Jackson and Mr. Bonner therefore belongs the credit of probably the first public action looking to the establishment of a State survey. The writer is indebted to Mr. N. F. Drake, Assistant Geologist, for his aid in preparing the map of the oil regions of Nacogdoches, and the various figures accompanying this report, for the photo-engraver. ANDERSON COUNTY. 303 CHAPTER XIL ANDERSON COUNTY. E. T. DUMBLE. GEOGRAPHY AND TOPOGRAPHY. Anderson County comprises the country lying between the Trinity and Neches rivers, bounded by Henderson County on the north and Houston County on the south, an area of one thousand and eighty-eight square miles. Of the two rivers the Trinity is the larger, and its drainage system cuts more deeply into the former plateau than that of the Neches, although the tributaries of the latter stream stretch fully half way across the county in places. This causes the drainage divide to lie near the centre of the county, which it crosses in an almost north and south direction; but the general eleva- tion of the eastern half is somewhat greater (probably fifty to one hundred feet) than that of the west. The county for the most part is generally rolling, but when the ridges of iron-capped hills are reached they take on all the ap- pearance of mountains, although in fact seldom over one hundred feet in height above the surrounding level. This variety of contour is largely due to the combined erosion of the two rivers and their drainage systems, which . has sculptured a topography of diversified character from the ancient table land that formerly occupied this region in common with much the greater part of Eastern Texas and portions of Arkansas and Louisiana. Of this table land a few remnants still remain, forming a rude semicircle of iron- capped hills, which has for its diameter the Neches River. Here, as elsewhere in this region, it is only the highest points on which the iron ore deposits are found, and to its protection their present eminence is due. To the south of Palestine the country becomes lower and the hills more scattering. To the east this plateau breaks into small hills, extending to the Neches River; and on the west it gradually disappears in the same way in the water- shed of the Trinity. This iron region thus forms the divide between the Neches and Trinity, just as in Cherokee County the Selman range forms the divide between the waters of the Angelina and the Neches. In this range, as in Cherokee, springs give rise to many creeks, which flow down the steep slopes of the plateau, come together in the lowlands, and finally discharge into the muddy waters of the main rivers. From the divide a number of streams flow through the county, either southeasterly to the Neches or southwesterly into the Trinity. Among the principal tributaries of the Neches are Caddo, Brushy, Walnut, Hurricane, 304 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS, Still’s, and Jones’ creeks, while on the Trinity side are Wild Cat, Catfish, Springer, Lata, Keechi, Tour or Saline, Camp, Parker’s, and Box creeks. From this it will be seen that the county is well watered, and the usual accompaniment of iron ores of this region, abundant springs, are also numer- ous; consequently there is no scarcity of water anywhere in the county. Well water is secured in almost any portion of the county at depths varying from twelve to forty feet. In 1888 there was less than fifteen per cent of the total area of the county under cultivation, the leading products being cotton, corn, oats, peas, sweet potatoes, fruit, ete. There are some prairie lands in the northern and western parts of the county, aggregating in all perhaps one-fifth of its total area. The remainder of the county is well timbered with short leaf pine, oak, hickory, etc., the pine greatly predominating in the eastern part of the county. These prairies doubtless represent the southern extensions of the Basal Clays of the Tertiary and the Ponderosa Marls of the Cretaceous, both of which occur in that region. STRATIGRAPHY. The rock formations of Anderson County comprise representatives of at least three systems: The Cretaceous, Tertiary, and Quaternary. The details of the entire stratigraphy of each system have not yet been worked out, but the following broader characters have been determined: System. (Period.) Division. Beds. ~ | — — Sn QUATERNARY The sands and sandstones capping r the iron ore hills. The iron ores. TERTIARY. TIMBER BELT BEDS. The greensands and aceompanying beds of clays and sands. 5 SALINE LIMESTONE. J ae tJ] J] J {) T hh UPPER CRETACEOUS | 1 PONDEROSA MARLS. CRETACEOUS. The representatives of this system in Anderson County are confined to the Ponderosa clays and the overlying or included masses of limestone designated as the ‘‘glauconitic” beds. In some places it would appear that the lime- stone occurs as masses in the clays themselves, while at others their extent seems to prove them the remnants of an overlying deposit of limestone. One of the latter is the deposit which surrounds the Saline, six miles west of Palestine. This limestone, as first stated by Dr. Penrose, is found in a ring of hills reaching sixty feet or more above the level of the Saline, not contin- uously, but outcropping in many places on the north, west, and east sides. ANDERSON COUNTY. 305 A few low outcrops were also seen on the south side. In appearance it greatly resembles the Austin chalk, except that it contains specks of green- sand. On subsequent examination I found just below the top a glaucon- itic seam with numerous shells, among them an oyster,* of distinctively pe- culiar form. The outcrops are cut irregularly by seams of calcite. These seams vary in width from one-half inch to twelve inches, and many of the fragments which lie scattered over the hillside so closely resemble silicified or agatized wood that it is readily mistaken for it. Some of the calcite is fibrous, the crystals running at right angles to the crevice. In other in- stances there is no such regularity of arrangement, but one set of crystals is attached to the next at various angles. The Saline itself is a flat irregular depression, longest from north to south, being possibly a mile in length, but not more than one-half mile in width. During the winter months it contains some water, but in the summer it is dry. and there are small patches scattered here and there on which an in- crustation of salt appears. The soil of the Saline has the same appearance as that of the “‘black waxy” or Ponderosa clays soil. The timber appears to be encroaching on it gradually. The drainage from the surrounding hills builds delta-like formations further and further outward, and the trees push out to the edges of these. | About six miles north of this the Ponderosa clays were observed. They are in the northward extension of the valley in which the Saline occurs. Here the soil has its characteristic black waxy appearance, and the exposed clays their yellow color. They contained yellow calcareous nodules and many fine specimens of Hxogyra ponderosa, Roemer, accompanied by Gryphea vescularis, Lamark. The highest beds were found to contain a decided intermixture of limestone in small fragments, below which was an arenaceous bed containing fragments of a small thin-shelled oyster of which no specimens could be secured sufficiently perfect for identification. The clays themselves are yellow on exposed surfaces, showing lamination in places. Where they are dug into they are of a slaty blue color. The in- cluded limestone nodules and bowlders are septarious and semi-crystalline, and often contain fossils. In one place an almost vertical dyke of limestone, some five or six inches in thickness, was observed cutting the clays, and quan- tities of calcite similar to that occurring in the drift at the Saline were found in the drift at this place also. In addition to this a few fragments of clay ironstone were found. To the north this is overlaid directly by the lignites and clays of the Timber Belt beds in such manner as would suggest the ex- istence of this Cretaceous inlier as an elevated land area at the time of their deposition. * Ostrea salinensis, Dumble, sp. n. 306 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. TERTIARY. With the exception of the ores the highest bed of the Tertiary which is exposed here is the bed of the greensand immediately underlying the iron ore beds. This varies in thickness from ten to forty feet, and ‘“‘is composed of glauconitic grains with more or less green clay, the latter often occurring in the form of interbedded seams or lenticular patches. This bed is usually rusted upon the surface from the combined decomposition of the glauconite and iron pyrites which it contains, but the interior preserves its green color. It contains many fossils of the Claiborne forms, generally as casts, but some- times well preserved Oblong and kidney-shaped calcareous nodules, varying in size from one-half inch to three inches in diameter, are sometimes found, but are somewhat rare.” This bed forms the divide between the Trinity and Neches rivers, and occupies some of the highest points in the northern part of the county. Immediately underlying this bed there is a series consisting of interbedded and interlaminated sands ahd clays, often cross-bedded, stained by decomposed iron pyrites, and containing numerous small beds of lignite. ‘These sands are frequently indurated by a ferruginous or siliceous cement into beds of sandstone varying very much in hardness, color, and thickness. Such beds vary from one to twenty feet in thickness and are of very limited extent. They generally cap knolls and hills, and forms a pro- tecting cover which saves the underlying strata from erosion.” At the base of these sands are found purplish and chocolate colored sands, stratified horizontally, and containing specks of mica and gray sandy clays with fragments of lignite. Crystals of selenite are found in many parts of them. These beds are exposed by erosion of the upper greensands and by various wells that have been dug or bored on the east and south, and cor- respond in their general features very closely with the beds of the same hori- zon described in other localities of this Hast Texas region. One peculiarity worthy of note in the greensand marl is the occurrence of lines of the material in indurated concentric nodules. These are present in many places, and an analysis shows a much larger percentage of ferric oxide in them than in the massive material in which they occur, and they are seem- ingly continuations of the processes by which some of the iron ores have been formed. The following special sections will serve to illustrate more fully the general stratigraphy of the Tertiary. Tue O11, We ts Section.—Ten miles east of Palestine, in the neighborhood of Still’s Creek, several borings were made for oil in 1887. The road from Palestine to the wells shows, first the greensand bed underlaid by the white, red, and other lignitic sands and clays. Below these were found purplish and chocolate colored sands, stratified horizontally, and containing mica. These wo ANDERSON COUNTY. 307 are partly indurated by bituminous matter on the surface, which is present, however, in too small quantity to burn. The deepest well gives a section of three hundred and ten feet. OIL WELL SECTION. J. L. MAYO. De MSGEL SS yd Sf Sie OP So RR Ie Se 2 a ee ae 15 feet. Perce SMO TONETSOMENOMAL Coe. te) tare.tnoeie Cee sient leis wales antic see eae Was 3 feet. EE MGRO IAC COOLCEISTORES 20 cia. f7 oe eke le te de Rie aera dig eds wl Hlale Siste's AE 6 feet. Pe PMUPEMALS Strata Omsand ane clay ss). ) lets Se. ee clone aleialhl date Wine 34 teet. 5. Sand impregnated with oil .......... We Rr eR Ae Libs RA acs, oper hice cl dha leet 14 feet. 8. LLY ieee ce Reet ace Ara ee SY vegan evs Uae ako ape 6 feet. ie eeardstone:. 25: hs. Dee NOE Tih Oe BPE ine Oa! BE ae eaae eae tae See 1 foot. PREM TE CE eg winnie eee oe ac Riles Gare AG ene hte etre Minha Ses ase rere S 8 feet. PE MBABICMEIE MERE Barer Pee Ne Stee es ac GHOSE Sr chare) oat hahah Mites. Halla shaw Ue we 1 foot. 10. Alternating sand and joint clay.......... .... odo cl coche ana Sb 27 feet. EKA ANG ANG NYALCT« 5/5 o/s eicocls eater bic. 0c dle Una b eA de Aes Sobel oe 6 feet. con. ELT E. US TEEC MSC) aR eh Re Nr acc ee a RP se eae ea nee loonteet: 13. Sand, loose and firm, blue color.......... SPN EL Nad Ol Ae grein is ane Lape» 30: feet: PPE MMEOAIOSLORE fare. ene en Lois Cae lei es alba 'w kw a oo 3 ne De be Bia DS Res er RA FO aa RR ge a Pa 310 feet. Tue E:xwart Wexts Section.—These wells are one mile southeast of Elk- hart and thirteen miles south of Palestine. The surrounding country is very flat, and is fully one hundred feet below the railroad level at Palestine. Be- tween the two localities were seen the greensand bed with its underlying sands and clays. Six miles from Palestine the descent begins, and beyond that the hills are rare, and seldom rise high enough to be capped with the yellow indurated greensand. The following section is made from the sur- rounding exposures and the wells at that place. ELKHART WELLS SEOCTION.* 1. Brown and black clays, plastic, containing iron pebbles, silicified wood, and ee ANE OSPR IIOCUUIC 2 tee tote aa eee aye ave yee dee sat cutee al spac | 0 Vere 8 wre 10 feet. 2. Gray and yellow-brown plastic clays in thin lamine.... ................ 5 feet. pureata brow altered greensand, fossil CAStS. .)6 26). epei a gh opste wie tials eee es bale 1 foot. 4. Gray laminated plastic clay............. = Seats LOINC bt I ea aaa 3 feet. 5. Greensand, hard for eight to ten inches and full of shells, interbedded with aie UES IOLA nM ae a oa yaa Paes) ony va lds, Vea alye le 2A Wie ate eeareca 8 4 feet De EES? CLES ee Rene agi eg A Sed anes atte RE et SMa SIMPMTMUDEROONCNAV Aa tis iis esa 2 vif cleo te eal SG Adlai alee a blele es 8 feet. 8. Gray and light chocolate laminated sand, scales of hardpan, gypsum crystals, coating of sulphur sometimes appearing between laminze and often in the RMA IOP Tea Ne etaci/3y «oe hala sep ors wiat se Bs wiighe ele did-ce ews ses 10 feet. EAMG CUASAINO LITIO 09.552 ov dss linls ced heel es sep ENTS Care 4 6 8 baw ce ee 5 feet 10. Dark gray stratified clay with fine mica............ .... Pap rsks ents. 6) dye 10 feet. *As stated in the introduction, much of the matter here given is taken from the report and notes of Dr. R. A. F. Penrose, Jr, 27 — geol. 308 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. 1ioyeGray sand, fe in texture, with much pyrites@emyehine ss. pee ... 5 feet. ieee Black clayey sand... ..i:6cfss)b., veld css eee ee eee or) ae or 12 feet. 13. Gray sandy clay, w ith broken fragments of lignite sometimes making up one- half the mass: . ccc. 6 2 i eaape a ahop ub 4 8 Biaileng ts CO SREAME te CMR eh: che aaa eta eee 10 feet. Total 2... ccc gin Sees othe te 0 ces sey she 2 Oe i OaMeaene eres et ane ae a 83 feet. These two sections, in connection with the various similar sections of the adjoining counties, give an idea of the rock materials of the region. The Elkhart section represents a part of the upper portion of the Oil Wells sec- tion, No. 8 of the Elkhart section being possibly the No. 3 of the Oil Wells section. The amount of dip is very small. In places it appears to be as much as three to five degrees, but this is only local and usually due to sub-erosion. No accurate determination can be made until more detailed work is carried on, lines of levels run, and the various separated beds mapped and correlated. QUATERNARY. The extent of the Quaternary modifications of the underlying materials and the deposits directly referable to that period have not yet received suffi- cient study to enable us to do more than indicate their existence and desig- nate some of the members. A part of the iron ores are possibly of this period, while the overlying quartzitic and quartzose sandstone and gray, yel- low, or buff colored sands, together with some of the mottled sands or sandy clays and gravel, certainly belong to it. THE IRON ORES. The deposits of iron ore in Anderson County, like those of the entire dis- trict, are found capping the highest hills, or, in the case of some of the con- — glomerate ores, along the water courses, either at their present level or more often at that of some time prior to the erosion of its present channel. As has already been stated, these deposits are found cresting a rude semicircle of hills having for its diameter the Neches River, and are in fact the western extension of the deposits of Cherokee County. ‘Going north from Palestine the main iron bearing range is met at about three miles from the town, and extends in a great plateau, often broken up ‘Into separate flat-topped hills, from here northerly towards Beaver, Brushy Creek, Kickapoo, and the Henderson County line. “The ore found here is continuous over large areas and maintains a very steady thickness of from one to three feet. To the south of Palestine the same ore is found, but here the bed is generally thinner and less continuous, and the ore bearing hills more scattered.” Therefore, the iron range in the great highland region to the north of Palestine comprises most of the ore of — ANDERSON COUNTY. 309 the county. What adds still more to its value is its nearness to the pure white limestone in the Saline. This is excellently adapted for a flux in smelt- ing iron ore, and on that account of the greatest practical importance. The ores are of the brown laminated, concretionary, and conglomerate varieties found elsewhere in the district, the former greatly predominating. The stratigraphic position of the ores has been described so often as to need no repetition here, where they present no features differing from those of Cherokee and other counties The analyses will show that the ores of this county are of excellent quality, some of them being adapted even for the manufacture of steel, on account of the’small amounts of sulphur and phos- phorus contained in them and their high percentage of metallic iron. IRON ORE AREAS. Just northwest of Palestine the first of the great range of iron bearing hills begins. Its longer axis extends nearly northwest, and it has a length of five miles by a width of about two miles. an area of nearly ten square miles. Its boundary begins in.the northern part of the J. Snively survey, runs north through the western part of the S. G. Wells, crossing into the Wm. Kimbro near the northwest corner of the Wells tract. Following a general north- west course through the Kimbro tract it crosses the southwest portion of the S. Hopkins and G. W. Ford surveys into the M. Salisar tract. Its extreme northern limit is near the centre of the tract, where it turns south to near the southern boundary of the survey, and then sharply east to the corner of the Geo. Hanks, at which point it again crosses into the Kimbro tract. From here it follows an irregular line, crossing the J. P. Burnet, G. W. Gatewood, and Jno. Shirley tracts, back into the J. Snively and to the place of begin- ning. The ore is of the laminated variety with some concretionary ore in places.* Just east of this a much smaller area of similar ore is found, beginning in the northeast corner of the W. Kimbro, crossing the Peter Hinds and David Faris surveys into the southwest corner of the H. Hunksetract. This deposit has a length of about two miles and is not more than one-half mile in width. The ore is similar to that just described (laminated) and has an average thick- ness of more than two feet. The third area of high grade ore lies to the north of the two just described and is more extensive than either. On its eastern side the headwaters of the Mount Prairie Creek have cut deeply into it, giving it a very irregular outline. Its southeast corner is about the southwest corner of the Jno. McCrabb sur- vey, and the line bounding it passes northward through the western part of that tract into the J. B. McNealy, of which the deposit covers probably about * Analyses 4 and 5, Laminated Ores. 310 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. one-third (the western) part. The line is very irregular here, and crosses into the Elizabeth Grace league, of which it covers an area of about one square mile in the southwestern corner. The line then passes north and — northwest through the J. Hendry, F. D. Hanks, and P. O. Lumpkins tracts to its most northern point, on the Jno. Chase survey. From here it passes south through the Lumpkin tract and the eastern edge of the Geo. Andring league to its southeast corner, where it turns east through the Levi Hopkins, Danl. Parker, Jno. Wright, and 8. A. Mays tracts to place of beginning. Its area is nearly fifteen square miles. Tl:e ore is similar to that of the other localities mentioned. MASSIVE TRON ORE FROM ANDERSON COUNTY, TEXAS. Specimen collected by E. T. Dumble north of Palestine. Analysis by L. E. Magnenat. Perricioxide:.. sonya kta poaoya weasels S koe clas ei aberape lems. codedleloos Weare cate sta 62a ns 69 50 llega ee, ta eis Eee TTT mere er a i error Ge hak AO han ok aoc 11.35 p00 10) 501: See er er Ser me St Emenee FR IAM aes sigs Cot G8 yon 8.00 Phosphoric aids ose) ose cig'e wiles 2 tipim ai stlanae etaevera io) olfels ge anc chet umtaue hen .55 Loss, by Iemiiton oj. se siane edhe lene eRe aie oaks ous oaths wie oe a cleelns gate tel eae tenet ee 10.50 Lime and magnegia... ose. sp ecg lee cog anee sala se ies oie tg Tarde ples oe ae eee ae eee Traces. 4 io). | Gene eI ean are eee er EIA HR Opin t Auten, ake cin hits oc 3 99.90 Metallic irons... < sid. ws.) <6 ns shis 2 al emghel B0e gue 2 ounce etn al eves torent neat La een 48.65 Lying to the northeast of this are found two areas forming divides on the waters of Walnut Creek. One of these is on the James Hall survey, the other on the Adolph D Latlin. The two together may aggregate one square mile.* | Six miles east we find another series of hills in the neighborhood of Kick- apoo. The largest of these has probably an area of three to three and one- half square miles, lying principally in the Jose Peneda grant, but covering also the southern portion of the Jose Chireno. | South of Kickapoo, on the W. F. Pool survey, is a large hill capped with laminated ore. Northeast of that town are two others on the Goss survey and one on the Timmons, and three miles east another hill is found, also on the Goss survey. Just north of Nechesville are two small hills containing excellent ore. (Analysis 3, Laminated Ores.) With the exception of a few areas too small to be of economic value these are all the localities at which high grade ores exist north of the railway. South of the railway two areas of similar ore are mapped. These are, however, not very extensive. One of them is on the W. 5S. DceDonald tract, the other on the H. Anglin. There is, however, good ore on the high divide between Still’s and lonie creeks. It has a length of thirteen miles and an average width of a mile *Analysis 1, Laminated Ores, ANDERSON GOUNTY. SLi and a half, giving an area of say nineteen square miles. The ore on this is of a good quality, but it is not as thick nor as continuous as the beds north of the railroad. The boundary of this bed, beginning in the western part of W. Frost league, passes in a direction northeast by east through the northern portions of the P. Martin, R. Erwin, and Geo. Clewis surveys, crosses the Fien Roberts, G. Killion, W. C. Carter, W. Foreman, and 8. Yarborough tracts to the T. Pate survey, where it has its eastern point. From here it returns to the place of beginning by a line passing west through the Yarborough league, the Webb and Bennett surveys, and thence southwest through the W. H. Huddlestone, Neville, Killion, Webb, Thos. Hill, J. E. Palmer, Jno. Swear- ingen, J. W. Humy, T. H. Hamilton, J. H. Gillespie, and Wm. Frost surveys. (Analyses Nos. 3 and 4, Siliceous and Conglomerate Ores; 2 and 6, Laminated Ores.) . In addition to the areas described there are several others which, on ac- count of the thinness and siliceous*character of the ore, are not of as great economic importance. One of the largest of these areas is of rectangular shape and lies between the greater high grade ore areas at the head of Mount Prairie Creek and those of Walnut Creek, and forming the divide between these creeks. It embraces parts of four surveys, the Elizabeth Grace, James Hall, J. B. McNealy, and John Little. Two other similar areas occur be- tween the first two high grade areas described and the third, lying east and west of Beaver Postoffice respectively. On the Stephen Crist survey, south of Palestine, there is another area of this siliceous ore, covering more than a square mile; and just south of Ione Creek are two other hills capped with similar ore. The most westerly of these covers parts of the Wm. R. Wilson, A. Killough, J. Gibson, C. Grigsby, and Jose M. Mora surveys, and the other, beginning in the southeastern por- tion of the Mora survey, covers parts of the Kennedy, Jno. Blair, C. Adams, R. Walker, B. H. Adams, and W. W. Pharr tracts. It is hardly probable that these ores, if they can be called such, will be utilized at present. (An- alyses 1, 2, and 5, Siliceous and Conglomerate Ores.) ANALYSES OF LAMINATED IRON ORES FROM ANDERSON COUNTY. | \ é | if SM eine ah eZ S = S is S) ° é = ; 5 : @ as Bd BIS 2. D = = (= S Ac| 3 on ry GH os Di 4 | 5 = Ay QD =) a a hore os 60. | 1336 | S740.) Trace; Trace, | 4.12 1)..2.. 13.70 | 99.38 | 48.16 Bs 2%\ G4,32 Bao ela Low er aCOn th: den) +a Trace. | Trace. | 14.10 | 100.30 | 45.02 Steve} OL. b4 9.64 Syphon WE race). bk a's: ACC lets tes 14.69 | 100.33 | 47.49 Ato.) 39255, | 11.40 |+18,27 | Trace. | Trace. 1.00 Trace. 9.60 99.80 | 41.67 5f¢....| 68.54 | 10.95 Bt WETACO mI 55.6.6 ¢ 1.25 |Trace. | 10.25 99.75 | 47.97 Gf....| 68.86 | 12.75 eve PPYaces | 3))-. 31. .10 | Trace. | 10.70 | 100.05 | 48.20 *Analyses by J. H. Herndon, tAnalyses by L. E. Magnenat. Bl 24 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. Localities. No. 1. Fosterville. No. 2. Hight miles southeast of Palestine. No. 3. One-half mile north of Nechesville. No. 4. North of Palestine. ° No. 5. North of Palestine. ‘ No. 6. South of Palestine. : ANALYSES OF SILICEOUS AND CONGLOMERATE ORES FROM ANDERSON COUNTY. - | a Fs r= © a <= fs iS g av Bd aS P| Ss B < S st ay B a eB = Lt eens] OO. 20 PB ORe Om las, (ola MicACe. (ae Trace. | Trace.| 4.50 )\— 990 9Se\pr eee : 2 * 60.05: | “24.48 |e cess sete mele cc repoce tell suche Guar gelet oo ave cc] ee eee 42.04 3 + 62.42 | 17.00 (lation I AbieeVeeh hace i.e Trace. | Trace. |.13.10| 100.30 43.69 At i) GOL IT, aS ODE eliten03 45 .29 | Traces|.. a... 6.60} 100.49 42.11 5+....| 37.00 | 54.00 | 2.80 | Trace. | Trace.| Trace.| Trace.| 6.10] 99.90 25.90 *Analysis by J. H. Herndon. tAnalyses by L. E. Magnenat. . Localities. No. 1. South of Palestine. No. 2. Five miles south of Palestine. No. 3. South of Palestine. No. 4. South of Palestine. No. 5. South of Palestine. LIME. The scarcity of limestone existing in the counties of Eastern Texas tends greatly to the enhancement of the value of deposits of even limited extent, and the siliceous character of those of Tertiary age still further limits the supply really suitable for lime. For these reasons, the limestone which has been mentioned in the description of the Saline in Anderson County has an — exceptional value. It is of yellowish white color and is cut by numerous seams of pure calcspar or carbonate of ime. Although no analysis has been made of it as yet, it is certainly suited to the manufacture of lime of good quality, and as a flux for the rich iron ores of the region, so soon as smelters are erected for their utilization. It is probable, if we may judge from the extent of the outcrop of this stratum, that there is a considerable body of it; enough for the supply of the immediate vicinity for many years. GREENSAND MARLS. The greensand marls, as has been shown in the general section, are usually from thirty to forty feet in thickness, underlying the iron ores and overlying the gray clays and white sands. In many places, however, the bed has not its average thickness, owing to the great amount of erosion which has taken ANDERSON COUNTY. ake place. Thus, east of Palestine, on the road between that city and the oil wells, it is in places not more than one foot in thickness. It is found here, as at many other places in the county, as the yellow indurated variety, which is used in places for building stone. South of Palestine the greensand marls are of similar character, although the undecomposed material, with many shells, is found in the Elkhart section below the upper indurated variety. North of Palestine the same greensands occur for a distance of three miles, while on the west unaltered greensands with calcareous shells are found. The soils resulting from the decomposition of these greensand marls, where they form the surface of the ground, are of red or brownish red or mulatto color, and are the most productive of all the soils of the region except those of the river bottoms. The value of the greensands as fertilizers for the more sandy soils of the region has been stated. Even the yellow or altered greensands contain some- times as much as four per cent of potash and ten per cent of lime, both of which are valuable ingredients for the sandy soils; the first supplying avail- able plant food, while the lime acts upon the other mineral matters and pre- pares them for the use of the plant. ; The special adaptability of the soil and climate of Anderson County for the raising of fruits, melons, and vegetables has been most fully proven by actual experiment. To this success the greensand soils have contributed largely, and the great extent of this formation over the county, which renders it easy of access to almost every section, and its perfect applicability as a fertilizer for the sandy fruit soils, renders the future of agriculture and fruit raising in this county one of the most magnificent possibilities. All tuat is required to develop this great field is the intelligent use of the materials provided so lavishly by nature. BUILDING STONKS. The building stones of this county are confined to the indurated altered greensand marls and other sandstones. These were fully described under the title of Building Stone in the First Annual Report of this Survey. ‘‘The greensand bed varies from thirty to forty feet thick, but it is only in parts of it that the hardening process has gone on to.a sufficient extent to make it available for building purposes. These indurated places vary from one to ten feet thick. It is of a chalky or waxy consistency, dense and compact in structure, and easily shaped into the desired form. On the ease with which it can be cut, and also a certain toughness which it preserves in spite of its softness, depends its universal use wherever it can be found. It is locally known as ‘yellow rock,” ‘yellow 314 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF BAST TEXAS, sandstone,” or ‘“‘gumstone.” Sometimes the greensand has become hardened without losing its green color, and in such cases we have a green rock of very similar nature to the yellow one just described. Such a material is found in Doyle’s Gap and on the slope of the Mount Selman iron range in Cherokee County. The glauconite in this green rock is generally mixed with a large amount of clay of the same color, and in some places the clay almost entirely replaces that mineral. This presence of clay probably accounts for the hard- ening of the bed, asit has acted as a cement in indurating the glauconite. Sometimes also finely disseminated carbonate of lime is the cementing ma- terial in such rock. | “The other sandstones are more limited in extent and only locally valuable, being due to the action of ferruginous solutions on the loose sands which covered the beds of ore and lie along the hillsides.” THE OIL SANDS. ‘Ten miles east of Palestine is seen a series of black and chocolate colored sands, lying horizontally and containing specks of mica. “They are impreg- nated with bituminous matter, sometimes in the form of stiff sticky asphalt and at others as mineral oil. In this neighborhood six wells were bored for oil by a Palestine syndicate in 1887, but little or no oil was found. The fol- lowing two sections of borings from data collected by Mr. J. L. Mayo, con- tractor, show the associations of the oil bearing strata: ae (¢)! rr en ee roe mney Ory CAR Bis ret atthe wens Sa hi 6 15 feet. 2.0 “Rusty satid (Some-ON) >. sar. sie cisnrahee ocr cao alten crohns ee ee ene ee 3 feet. 3. Chocolate colored hardemed: sand’ ....° cr. anes nee ne een 6 feet. 4, Alternate strata of sand and clay............... SD, Phe Bis olantaale a eeeeenmere 34 feet. 5. Sand impregnated with oil........ Uj of lag ha SEMA 2 sate else aabeh ha taneek basi ut eae eee 14 feet. fe Clnvaanad: BANC ..”.. s/siso.0 = eect eee ak eeeeernneet es sy nid aid yo Boh ee eee 43 feet. ipo oluekeand and water-.w...s sn 0 eee eee ee sw bss opioid qtenanee eR Ree 6 feet. Bp le Mp mitic Clay. . 2.04. cet ch syn Sues oe ess 20 te 0 020 0.006 Water and ormamey condehtias a cc. bea 6's er | 2.201 4.109 9.929 100.547 HOUSTON COUNTY. aLe ANALYSES OF GRAY SANDY SOILS (UPLAND). oad County. ea ouby- ee seer le Macoluble silica Gaus sfc cc sy) vee oe bac FS cit 93.051 94.350 93.458 Soluble silica ..... 2.60: eae eater rhe iy el ato ane e 3.364 0.525 1.820 earn Ee hos ooh nace) os eis ene oe, <)'sg vs cod ashe, Sig Sew § 0.114 0.111 0.148 Sim I Pe hed ses Sl Aha ci Niel «cies aie hirer e's ei 'ely 60% 3 0.074 0.105 0.080 TUS es he Ge, TOC eae ert MIR ee ne ne 0031) = 0,076 0.090 MPMSDEGINC isl gee tr De tices, OS 'e tac Paaare, O's 5h a) wah eh ala ays ayer dep 4 eo oes 0.061 0.061 0.031 EOupeT OMICS MANGANESE 20. Ls cc oats overs Soe evel seas Oe 0.040 0.121 PSPUAE MIT ONES Pardee Mee ans hss oe «co eg eas, See aM es ww eae 0.611 2.050 2a _LTuveontnmes afd Bai a ee 0.908 | 0.303 0.779 PaO SMMOrieuraciy ane «ook a4 esi sbi oo ers 4 BE eeatar noe aN ee 0.169 0.237 0.295 DHlphure acide. 6.45... TT et Ee hai 0.012 0.031 0.105 VE SGN TEES TOS C0) 027 6 Cs Ra er 0.611 2.035 0.911 SOR slag 99.926 100.175 Taking Professor H. W. Hilgard’s determinations as to the amounts of potash, phosphoric acid, and lime which are necessary to secure fertility and lasting qualities to a soil, we find that in these soils (second table of analyses) the percentage of potash is quite low, being barely above the lowest limit needed in fertile soils. The lime, which if present in sufficient quantity ‘would in some measure make up for the deficiency in potash, is present in such small amounts as to be insufficient to even render available for plant food the phosphoric acid which exists in the soil. | This ingredient (phosphoric acid) is, however, in rather larger quantity than usual, and to its presence and amount is largely due the fertility and durability that the soils do possess. _ But these are not the only soils which do not contain these essential in- | gredients in such quantities as will secure the durability so desired. This will be readily seen by an examination of the red sandy and clayey soils. This soil, which was taken as characteristic of this class by Dr. Loughridge, is described by him as ‘‘a dark loamy soil near Palestine, Anderson County, subsoil eight to twelve inches.”* (First table of analyses.) Both the soil and subsoil are deficient in the amounts of potash they con- tain, although they have fair percentages of phosphoric acid and lime. Not sufficient, however, to make up for the small amount of potash. The mulatto soils are more nearly the ideal in composition, although they vary considerably, as will be seen by the analyses given below, which were made at the Survey labratory at the Agricultural and Mechanical College by Mr. P. S. Tilson. | q *Page 25 Cotton Production U. S. [Notr.—Heading of analyses of page 322 should be ‘‘ Red sandy and clayey.” 28—geol. 324 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. ANALYSES OF MULATTO SOILS. Soul. a Moisture and volatile-matter...... . 2. «oo: Sei eteeeae e eee ee 6.10 10.39 Olle GUC wee ta. cl. cies bois ewe ba thin dhe Sepa Oe eke Cae 0.23 0.25 Pras@lalle esta Fes FS ods ww ere cnmeensal wwe SSRN ae ce (i 59.14 OXIdC OR ITOME EO bw ei Sb Ses sk a ee eee W553) 25.73 JAVA ANNA ees eye She oe ease leo G0 5 eo: wtp! weld Gv ns Wie NRT ROR NE eee 2-18 3.14 Phosphoric Acid. 2.20.2 cc. acs nike a ane Bice pee ee Cte 0.23 0.44 TANIA sek ee hin) va cau 0. 0. ms a!im: iba: Gola RSG Ee Seen ee 0.28 0.16 DUC SIR ees eae ban 0 a a bonne fouls een See cee Ae ee ere 0.22 0.30 SSUIlPMITEC PACIG Se. cess ba ss ah Aces Jeter Sy Us Seale alll aioche: > oor Renee 1.54 0.31 CO ITIO TIM esis cs cic. sia. n 2's dues velienotelle een ne Pe ee ean hearts ep PM : 0.10 0.11 Ota sees shi ie ek Kielce os tela oe Solara SRE ee ee 0.103 0.23 S1O/C EAR, See oe rns ere we Te kaka lng go 30'3 0.39 0.46 These soils were selected by Dr. Penrose as typical of the mulatto soils of Hast Texas. Their fertility as virgin soils is largely due to the, percentage of phosphoric acid they contain. The percentage of potash is very fair. This class of soils is probably the best of the county, outside those of the river bottoms, and as they are the result of the decomposition of the under- lying beds of greensand marls will prove very lasting as well as fertile. Deep plowing is the best thing that can be done to increase their fertility or renew it in case of its decrease. These soils, however, are not the prevailing ones of the county, and it is therefore most important that means be found to increase the fertility of the two other classes described, and to add to their durability. Our analyses show us that the phosphoric acid, one of the most needful ele- ments, is present in sufficient quantity in all these soils; that it is lime and potash in which they are deficient. If, therefore, these elements can be sup- plied in proper quantity at a reasonable outlay, we will be able to correct the inequalities and secure a soil fully up to the ideal, which will be both fertile and durable. Such a source of supply exists throughout the northern portion of the county in the deposits of greensand marls which are found exposed in the various creek valleys and on the hillsides. It is not all equally valuable. Parts of it have been more altered than others, and the potash, if present originally in large quantity, has been removed by solution. Other portions contain few shells and are low in the percentage of lime. There are localities, however, where in the unaltered greensand marls we find as much as four, five, and even six per cent of potash, and up to ten and twelve per cent of lime. The following analyses, by Mr. L. E. Magnenat, of greensands from Houston County only represent two localities, and were not selected on ac- count of their probable value, but for their proximity to the place at which it was desired to use them. HOUSTON COUNTY. 325 ANALYSES. No. 556. | No. 1058. SURG bg Bogen cotton Rabon ESRI e BSS Cent a I PS Pt Rn he ey de ae eh 13.47 42.10 SEEIG OXIGe: ANG ALUMINA, 6205 ses) cok Levels are lg Scie wie “ele td NRE ey San Ce ee 35.40 37.02 UG LAVN CG eae Raye oes aed eee whiseecs ashay shearers BFE Sr uty EON CSIC ALC EEE eee 19.93 5.80 WV ENSTINSSTOMS OATES lea ccc Aiea oh oe a gs re eR VE eS, San Aur US en kd Mar ae 3.78 0.86 WaRbOMIGrACIG. oo ohcc dee soe ch wee wei RIAL Mc ee ahi Se ate iG gt re me 13 SO alee ae EAMASMOMELACIO alee lek cava clslain cas ceils sy «Stein, os nyoteuetere’e seus) isles ars 0.51 0.32 SHER MUNIC IACI Mlragate nc Soo oo «Grates ee urea. of Seyabinle aera es wy Ors Ie rien. TESST on, ok So a ety oe Pipe eae Doo ree I a aR cle Oe age 2.14 ST eS See ER at. |e aaa TH LARGE, Coat DE RS eee OP OT SO ea SAS teen tae LSURTUAIOT DES Say Ces gyal nee aie ones Sa are en a 9.40 11.80 100.12 100.04 The first of these, owing to the amount of lime it contains, is well adapted for use on the sandy soils wherever it can be hauled at the rate of three or four trips per day. At a greater distance it would hardly be profitable to haul it. The use of this greensand on the gray sandy and the red sandy or clayey soils must be attended with the greatest benefit. The amount of lime con- tained in it will not only act as a fertilizer itself, by making up for the defi- ciency of potash, but will help to render available the abundance of phos- phoric acid present in these soils. While the percentage of potash in the marls analyzed is not large, other localities will probably furnish beds richer in this important constituent. : The manner of applying this marl and its action on the soil has been ex- plained both by circular and in the first part of the present Report, and it is therefore hardly necessary to repeat it here. Too much stress can hardly be laid upon the availability of this marl for the purpose desired. It is true that it is not equal in some respects to the famous greensand marls of New Jersey, but on the other hand the soils for which it is wanted are different also, and it does contain just those elements of fertility that are lacking in these soils. Taking into consideration the widespread deposits of the greensands, which secures their existence within hauling distance of almost all the localities re- quiring them, their perfect adaptability for increasing and renewing the fer- tility of the soils most needing them, and finally the fact that the entire cost necessary is that of digging and hauling and applying them, it would seem that there must be an immediate effort on the part of the Hast. Texas farmers to reap the benefits that will so surely follow upon their use. BUILDING STONHES. The indurated greensands and some of the later Quaternary sandstones yield excellent building material in this county. Some of it is of good color, and it has been successfully used in many buildings in and around Crockett. ‘THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. 7 MINERAL WELLS. i Like all other sections covered by the strata of the iron ores and _ formations, Houston County has its share of mineral springs and 3 Some of these have already secured some reputation as medicinal waters, and it is probable that when they are properly studied and reported on they will become more fully appreciated even than they now are. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. Ay ak <4 A) P ZA, il a 5 mye Ny a es am > RO 7 SECOND ANNUAL REPORT, 1890. PLATE IV. ‘an —.—5 Beene Care fear P aa) = Scale: 1 Inch=10 miles IRON ORE DEPOSITS OF EAST TEXAS. CARBONIFEROUS CHPHALOPODS. BY A Ugalde. JalNe evan, [327] \¥ CARBONIFEROUS CEPHALOPODS. BY ALPHEUS HYATT. The following descriptions, accompanied by figures in outline, were taken from a collection forwarded by Mr. EK. T. Dumble, State Geologist of Texas, and other fossils which were in my possession as loans from the National Museum and various persons referred to in the text. These forms being ex- tremely limited in their chronological distribution, and therefore very helpful in distinguishing the age of the rocks in which they are found, it was thought best to have them all published in one treatise. This proceeding aiso enabled the author to make more satisfactory comparisons, and as these comprise a larger number of species than has yet been got together in a single publica- tion it will be more satisfactory to working geologists. NAUTILOIDEA. TEMNOCHEILUS CONCHIFEROUS, N. 8. Loc. Texas. Coll. Geol. Survey of Texas. Figs. 23, 24, natural size. This is a small species having an exceedingly thick shell. The sides are decidedly convex and ornamented with short, thick, heavy-looking, fold-like pile, which are prolongations of the thick, heavy, but not very prominent nodes on the edges of the abdomen. The shell is so thick that in some casts of the interior, as in the figure given above, these nodes are not visible, and in others they are only slightly indicated. The surface appears to have been smooth with the except- ion of these nodes and pilz, but this could not be ob- served satisfactorily. The increase by growth in the transverse diameters is exceedingly rapid, whereas the vertical diameters increase slowly by growth. ‘The abdomen is much depressed, almost flattened along Figs. 23, 24. the centre, becoming strongly convex only near the outer edges or sides. The sides, as in all the species of this genus, converge very rapidly towards the umbilici. [329] B00 - GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ‘TEXAS. The living chamber expands very rapidly and continuously outwards to the aperture in its transverse diameters, and varies from somewhat more than one- fourth to somewhat less than half of a volution in length. The aperture has a very shallow broad ventral, and lateral sinuses. The impressed zone on the dorsum is well marked, but the involution covers only the central part of the abdomen, leaving the whole area of the sides and the edges of the abdo-. men exposed. The sutures have broad and very short ventral and lateral lobes, and cor- responding saddles at the angles of junction of the abdomen and sides; dorsal sutures were not observed. The sipnuncle is of medium size and somewhat above the centre. The figure is approximately natural size. TEMNOCHEILUS HORBESIANUS. Nautilus Forbesianus. McChesney, Trans. Chicago Acad., I, Pl. 3, Fig. 4a—b. Loc. Texas. Coll. Geol. Surv. of Texas. The fossil No. 289a has exactly the form in section of the whorl, the large nodes, and sutures of this well known Carboniferous species. Its other affines are also Carboniferous. It resembles the Nautilus Acanthicus, Marie Tzwetaev,* from the Upper Carboniferous in Russia, but from this it differs in the su- tures, which are less sinuous on the sides, more closely arranged, and it is supposed that they do not have an annular lobe, which is a minute acute or V-shaped dorsal lobe in the centre of the larger dorsal lobe, although this fact was not ascertained. The sutures also resemble those of Nautilus Coxanus, Meek and Worthen,+ but the nodes are larger and less numerous, the ventral (outer side) is broader in proportion and also not so evenly and prominently convex. It differs from Temnochedlus latus, and Winslowi, Meek and Worthen, + in having a whorl less depressed in proportion to its breadth—that is, the abdomino-dorsal diameter is longer in proportion to the broadest transverse diameter of the whorl in adults, and the nodes are less prominent. Other- wise it approximates so closely to Temnocheilus latus of the Carboniferous of the Illinois Survey, and also of the Belgian Survey, that it might be readily mistaken for the young of that species. | TEMNOCHEILUS LATUS, Meek and Worthen. Loc. near Oswego, Kansas. Coll. National Museum. This is a much compressed and distorted fossil in shaly limestone, having a *Cephalopods de la Section Superieure du Calcaire Carbonifere de la Russie Centrale, Mem. de la Comite Geologique, V, No.-3, 1888, Pl. 1, Fig. 1-2. +Geol. Survey of Illinois, V.. | ‘ CARBONIFEROUS CEPHALOPODS. 5551 | line of huge tubercles and an aspect similar to that of Temnocheilus latus or Winslowt. This in common with a number of others here described from this locality were collected and presented by Dr. W. 5. Newlon. Fig. 26. Fig. 25. TEMNOCHEILUS DEPRESSUS, N. S. Near Oswego, Kansas. Coll. National Museum. Figs. 25, 26, natural size. The young of this fossil was not visible, the whole umbilical area being concealed on both sides by matrix. The sides are very narrow, convex, and very abruptly convergent to the umbilici. Their junctions with the abdomen aoL GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. are subangular, with a row of obscure elongated nodes, which are more marked on the shell than on the cast, and better marked on one side than on the other. The shell has fine strie of growth almost straight or only slightly concave on the sides and bending backwards on the abdomen to form broad and apparently deep sinuses. ‘These sinuses are, however, much broader in proportion and not as deep apparently as those in the strie on the abdomen of Tem. crassus. | | The sutures are only slightly concave on the sides and have very broad and extremely slight lobes on the abdomen. They are numerous, and the inter- spaces of the air chambers quite narrow. The tubercles are more obscure than in other species on the cast and also less prominent on the shell; the air chambers are also narrower than usual in species of similar proportions. It is similar to 7! conchiferus in the slight character of the nodes and transverse section of whorl, but the increase by growth is less, in YZ! conchiferus the nodes extend internally across the longitudinal axis of the whorl, whereas in this species they extend parallel with that axis, and the shell is thicker in conchiferus. It is closely similar to Temnocheilus coronatus as figured by De Koninck* in his Calcaire Carbonifere; but our species has an abdomen somewhat more de- pressed and very much broader in proportion to the abdominal and dorsal diam- eter at the same age, and the nodes are less prominent. It is similar to Tem. latus and Winslow? in the transverse section of the whorls and umbilici, but the nodes are more numerous.and much smaller. It differs from Tem. Forbe- stanus in having a much broader whorl at the same age and much deeper and more funnel-like umbilici, the nodes are not so heavy and are closer together, but the sutures are similar in both. No living chamber was observed. Po- sition of siphuncle is unknown. Fig. 26 is in part restored. * Ann. du Mus. d’Hist. Nat. de Belgique, II, Pl. 24, Fig. 2. CARBONIFEROUS CEPHALOPODS. aod TEMNOCHEILUS CRASSUS, N. S. \ Loc. near Oswego, Kansas. Carboniferous. Coll. National Museum. Figs. 27-29. Magnified one-third. This species is represented only by a fragment, but the characteristics are so peculiar that there is apparently little doubt of its being the representative of a distinct form. | The sides are convex and do not converge towards the umbilici so abruptly as in most forms of this genus. They are covered by numerous well defined straight pile, terminating in small nodes at the edges of the abdomen. The abdomen is convex, with a narrow slightly depressed zone along the centre. The shell is ornamented by prominent strize of growth, and at regular inter- vals one of these is more prominent than the neighboring striations, showing frequent short arrests of growth. ‘These striz are straight upon the sides, but upon the abdomen bend suddenly posteriorly, forming wide sinuses of great depth; doubtless the aperture was similar. The sutures are almost straight on the sides and have a very broad and slight ventral lobe. Si- phuncle unknown. | ; This shell is very similar to Nautilus falcatus, L. de C. Sowerby,* in so far as they both have ribs. The Coalbrookdale specimen, however. has no tubercles, or at least none are given, and the sides of the whorl are figured as concave. Naut. Nikitint, Tawetaev,t is also very similar, but the ribs are less numerous and the sutures quite different. Nzkitunc has saddles and lobes as in Taino- ceras. Living chambers were not observed. Position of siphuncle is un- known. Figs. 27 and 28 show the fragment, and Fig. 29 is therefore in part a restoration. * Prestwich, Geol. Coalbrookdale, Trans. Geol. Soc. London, V, Pl. 40. ¢ Op. cit., Pl. 1, Fig. 5. 334 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. WY mt ZAM a «Ups, 7, = Sy Y sl : * oe Y METACOCERAS CAVATIFORMIS, N. 8S. Near Kansas City, Mo. Coll. A. Hyatt and Dr. J. S. N eed . Figs. 30-33, natural size. The flat sides in M. cavatiformis incline outwards very slightly, the umbil- ical shoulders are rounded, and the abdomen narrower than the dorsum. There is a row of elongated nodes along either edge of the abdomen and the central zone of the abdomen is depressed. There are slight swellings or crests on either side of the central depressed zone along the abdomen of the casts examined, but these did not have tubercles. The whorls differ markedly from other species of this genus, and in fact CARBONIFEROUS CEPHALOPODS. 300 it resembles 7’ cavatum closely in general aspect. It differs from this, how- ever, in the proportionally narrower abdomen, and the umbilical shoulders are also narrower and more abrupt. The great differences are of course in the absence of abdominal tuvercles and in the sutures, the peculiar broad ab- dominal saddles of 7’ cavatum being absent. There is a shallow abdominal lobe on the impressed zone of the dorsum. The involution does not extend beyond the lateral lines of nodes. The living chamber is probably not much over one-fourth of a volution in length, judging from the length of that in the original specimen in my collection, which has the chamber complete ‘on the venter. The siphuncle is situated above the centre. There is also a specimen in Prof. Newberry’s collection at Columbia College, New York, from Kansas City, Missouri, with an entire living chamber which is even slightly shorter than one-fourth of a volution in length. The young as shown above in the figure of a specimen (Figs. 30, 31) from Dr. Newberry’s collection. reported to have come from Miami County, Illinois, is of an entirely different appearance from the later stages, with an almost round whorl, sutures nearly straight or with only a slight abdominal saddle, shell smooth and umbilical perforation large, showing that they were true cyrtoceratites throughout the first whorl, which was not completed until the shell had reached a considerable size. The amount of involution of the younger whorls by the living chamber is exaggerated in the side view of this specimen (Fig. 31), and is better indicated in the front view of the same. The resem- blance of the young whorl in outline to that of the genus Temnocheilus can be readily seen in the last figure in which the front view of the first part of the second whorl is shown. On this second whorl a single row of tubercles appears on either side, and these complete the resemblance to Temnocheilus. 336 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. <1 Cy oe LD, Z Wp aa a ae METACOCERAS DUBIUM, DN. Ss. Loc. Kansas. Coll. R. Hay. Figs. 34, 35, natural size. There are no lines of abdomi- nal tubercles, only low, broad, longitudinal swellings on either side of the depressed central zone of the abdomen, and the nodes on the sides are large and promi- nent, aS in other species of this genus. The sides, however, are narrow and slightly concave, and account of the suddenness with which they incline to the umbilicus at internally a ridge is formed on the dorsal shoulders, and inside of this there are two broad, smooth, only ( € Je SB . SSS SESS SSS : SSS - SS == SSS SS Fig. 42. CARBONIFEROUS CEPHALOPODS. 341 the sides are less conspicuous upon this cast. The sutures have about the same general contour as in the nearest ally just mentioned, but the lateral lobes are broader and shallower and the saddles at the umbilical shoulders are not so prominent. The young do not seem to have the pile so plainly shown in the umbilicus of Metac. cavatiformis, but the cast may de- ceive the observer in this respect. Fig. 41 represents a section of the adolescent whorl with- out tubercles. Fig. 41. TAINOCERAS CAVATUM, DN. 8. Loc. Texas. | Geol. Surv. of Texas. Wig. 42-44, natural size. The cast of this shell has distinctly marked lines of nodes, two on each side and two on the abdomen (outer side). The umbilical shoulders of the whorls are very broad but slightly convex and divergent. The umbilici are consequently deep and broadly coniform. The sides are flat, narrow, and not as broad as the umbilical shoulders of the whorl. The abdomen is very much broader than the dorsum and consists of three longitudinal divisions, a smooth zone on either side lying between the outer lateral and the proxi- mate abdominal row of nodes. These two internodal zones are only very slightly convex, have no ribs, and the median zone lying between them is also free of ribs and decidedly concave. No shell was seen. The sutures are moderately closely set. The living chamnber, of which the larger part is pre- served, was probably, judging from markings on the cast, not less than half a volution in length. The increase by growth in the lateral transverse diam- eters is much more rapid than in the dorso-ventral diameters of the whorl, and the last whorl therefore grows broader quite rapidly. Siphuncle was not seen. The smaller specimen of the two under examination is also a cast, but it shows the umbilicus quite plainly. This is deep, and the narrow, flattened sides of the later stages arise on the latter part of the second or the first quarter of the third volution.* The second volution has a very broad abdo- men and convex sides dipping steeply towards the funnel-shaped umbilici as in Temnocheilus. Whether the sides had one row of tubercles along the crests at the junctions of the abdomen and sides before these began to spread out to form the flattened sides of the latter stages could not be determined—none were present on the cast. (Fig. 44.) But it is probable that the other row *Number of volutions are estimated; the beginning of the first volution is destroyed in the fossil. 342 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. appeared before the inner lateral row during the Temnocheilus-like stage. The side view (Fig. 44) has the lower part or outer whorl much too broad, and the umbilicus consequently too narrow, but the depth is better shown than in the other figure (Fig. 43), where it is a restoration. The notable fact is the late stage at which the Temnocheilus form still characterizes the whorl and the rapidity with which the sides become flattened and assume the Taino- ceran outline. This species differs from Tainoceras quadrangulum, McChesney, in having a stouter whorl in all its diameters and in the sutures, especially on the abdo- men (outer side). ‘The abdominal lobe is as broad as the outer side in quad- rangulum, whereas in this species it occupies only the longitudinal concave zone between the two rows of abdominal tubercles. It is more closely allied to Nautilus tuberculaius, Sow., as figured by Trautschold,* from the Upper Carboniferous of Russia, but the shell has whorls broader in proportion to the abdomino-dorsal diameter, and the nodes of the outer lateral ridges are closer together and larger. Nautilus tuberculatus as figured by Sowerby ap- parently differs in the same characteristics, but the figure is poorly executed, and I have no English specimens of this species for comparison. This species might be supposed to be a close ally of Solenoceros (Nawutzlus) Canaliculatus as figured in the Kentucky Geological Survey,+ but the sutures and all characteristics differ essentially in the adult stage, although the young are quite similar. The Nautilus decoratus of the Kentucky Survey{ may also be the young* of an allied species of this genus, but is evidently not very closely allied, since the abdominal depression is not very well marked in the drawing. DOMATOCERAS, N. G. The species representing this genus is more closely allied to forms of Cen- troceras than to those of any other genus, but these so far as known have very peculiar and distinct characteristics. Although resembling this species in the external parts of the transverse section of the whorls and in the sutures, they differ in many ways. This is a true Nautilian form, the impressed zone being a marked characteristic affecting the dorsal outlines of the sutures in this species, whereas the typical Centroceran forms are gyroceran, having the impressed zone present only in the advanced stages of growth of some forms. The nealogic stages in Centroceras remain similar to the adults of Temnocheilus for a prolonged period, and the tubercles remain prominent, even on the casts throughout the later nealogic (adolescent) and earlier ephe- *Kalkbruche von Miatschkowo, p. 28, Pl. 3. +Maps and Illus. of Vols. II and III, 1857, Pl. x, Fig. 3 and Fig. 3a. tIbid, Pl. ix, Fig. 4. eds \ TN = ES NOS Su ‘) Hy a ING - ae \\ i) y | \ \\ YPW ‘ x | a Lt ol | Y ZL pypypy CARBONIFEROUS CEPHALOPODS. 343 bolic (adult) stages. No tubercles were observed in Domatoceras wmbihcatum, although it was sufficiently well preserved to have shown them had they existed. They might have been present in the earlier nealogic stages which were not visible. In Centroceras the young whorl throughout the later nealogic stages is tetragonal, but the sides are divergent, the abdomen being broader than the dorsum. In this species during the same stages the sides are nearly parallel or only slightly convergent, and the abdomen nearly equal to or somewhat narrower than the dorsum. | Centroceras (Temnocheilus) Scottense (sp. Worthen*) is a good example of the genus Centroceras, having all the characteristic markings and form of that genus. DoMATOCERAS UMBILICATUM, N. S. Loc. Oswego, Kansas. Lower Coal Measures. Coll. Nat. Museum, by Dr. Newlon. Figs. 45-47, enlarged one-third. Tig. 47, natural size of living chamber at first septum. This species reaches a considerable size, the specimen here described being about 217 mm. in diameter. The living chamber is incomplete, and is a trifle over one-fourth of a volution in length. The narrowing of the abdomen with increase of age is very marked on the living chamber in this specimen. It measures 192 mm. in length along the abdomen, 73 mm. in the abdomino-dorsal diameter at the last septum, and avout 52 mm. in the transverse diameter at the umbilical shoulders, and 34 mm. near the venter. Thesides of the whorls are flattened and converge outwardly, so that the abdomen is considerably less in breadth than the dorsum in the large full grown stage. There is a shallow impressed zone upon the dorsum, which occupies about one-third of its width and is due to the slight rotundity of the abdomen and the small amount of involution in ’ the coiling of the whorls. ‘The umbilical shoulders stand out abrupt and broad, giving a depth to the wide umbilicus which is a marked characteristic. The sutures have shallow ventral lateral lobes. The saddles at the umbilical shoulders are broad and extend inwards to the edges of the impressed zone, and then the sutures bend toward the apex, forming a shallow dorsal lobe. There are no annular lobes in the centre of the dorsal sutures. The siphon is above the centre and is apparently nummuloidal. At the diameter of 95 mm. the whorl has the following measurements: Abdomino-dorsal diameter, 4] mm.; transverse through the umbilical shoulders, 32 mm.; and breadth of the abdomen was 25 mm. Domatoceras (Nautilus) complanatum, sp. Sow. Min. Conc., Pl. 261, from *Geol. Sury. Ill, VIII, Pl. 27, Fig. 3. 344 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. Isle of Man, from Carboniferous, is another form of this genus having a very slight form of involution, with a compressed whorl and sub-acute ab- domen. ‘The involution is very slight in this species, exposing all the inter- nal whorls, but in the transverse section of the outer whorl and in the sutures it is unquestionably related to the species described above. The living cham- ber is over one half of a volution in length, but it is not certain from the drawing that it is completed. The species differs from (Dvscites) Highlandense, Meek and Worthen,* in being much larger, in having stouter whorls. The sutures are, however, evidently very similar. Highlandense is described as having a narrow periphery, whereas this shell when about the same size as. the specimen figured in the Llinois survey has an abdomen almost as broad as the dorsum and very much _broader proportionately than in its own adult whorl. It differs from (Naut.) planovolve, Shumard,t in size and in having whorls with more rapid growth, and probably a wider and deeper umbilicus than in that species. Fig. 41. It differs from the nearest Kuropean congener, Kon. infundibulum, as figured by De Koninck,{ in having a narrower abdomen and a more compressed form of whorl in the adolescent and adult stages; also in the sutures, which have a more marked abdominal lobe. It differs from Kon. (Nautilus) podolskense, Marie Tzwetaev,|| in the young. This is similar to the adult in the propor- tions of the parts, but in &. podolskense the young whorl has an abdomen broader than the dorsum. The adult of this species also has a broader abdo- men than the adult of our shell. The species evidently stands just between the genus represented by such species as Kon. ingens, implicatum, described by De Koninck, and K. podolskense, all of which have stout whorls with broad abdomens, and whorls similar to those of the young of K. wmbilicatum, and * Geol. Illinois, VI, p. 531, Pl. 33, Fig. 2. + Trans. St. Louis Acad., I, p. 190. t Cale. Carb., Pl. 24. || Ceph. du Cale. Carb. de la Russie Centrale, Pl. 3. CARBONIFEROUS CEPHALOPODS. 345 those species of the same genus having more contracted abdomens, like mos- quensis (sp. Tzwetaev), planotergatum as figured by De Koninck, and Aigh- landense (sp. M. and W). The last whorl was considerably altered by compression on one side, and the drawings of the section and front view (Figs. 46, 47) are in a measuze restorations. ; ASYMPTOCERAS. The Cryptoceras Springert, White and St. John,* is the type of Meek’s genus Solenocheilus described in the Invertebrate Paleontology,+ and we quote from this volume the following: ‘The group for which Prof. Worthen and the writer [Meek] used the name Solenocheilus is almost entirely the same for which d’Orbigny proposed the name Cryptoceras in 1850; but d’Orbigny’s name can not stand, because Barrande had used it for a genus of Cephalo- poda in 1846. It is true that Barrande subsequently changed the name of his genus to Ascoceras, because Latreille had in 1804 used Cryptoceras for a genus of insects. If this was a sufficient reason, however, for changing Bar- rande’s name, Latreille’s Cryptoceras would be equally in the way of d’Or- bigny’s Cryptoceras; and if not, then Dr. Barrande’s genus would have to retain his original name, which would render d’Orbigny’s name equally un- tenable.” t *Trans. Chic. Acad., I, p. 124. +U: S. Geol. Sur. Terr., IX, p. 491. ¢The genus Cryptoceras was first described by d’Orbigny in his Prod. Stratigraphique (Vol. I, p. 114), Nawt. dorsalis, Phill. (Geol. Yorks., Vol. II, Pl. 17, Fig. 17, Pl. 18, Fig. 1-2) having been cited as the type. The name of the genus had, however, already been quoted on. page 58 of the same volume, and Nauwt. subtuberculatus, Sandb., mentioned below as a member of the genus. This species would, therefore, according to a very strict interpreta- tion of the laws of priority, have to be considered the type. D’Orbigny, however, evidently meant his description on page 114, and the species there mentioned should be accepted, and considered the first mention on page 58 as a quotation. I followed the first course in my Genera of Fossil Cephalopods (Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. His., XXII, 1883, p. 283, and note, p. 297), reducing Cryptoceras consequently to a synonym of Temnocheilus. 1 brought together under this name, having Zem. coronatus, McCoy (Syn. Carb. Foss. Ireland, Pl. 4, Fig. 15) as the type, all the Nautiloids having ventral and dorsal lobes in their sutures, the siphon close to the venter, tuberculated shells, etc. There were, however, in reality, two groups of species included under this name in the essay alluded to, Asymptoceras in part and Temnocheilus as a whole. Temnocheilus should be limited to those species having discoidal whorls and open umbilici, in which the increase of the whorl by growth was slow along the abdomino-dorsal diameter and much more rapid along the lateral or transverse diameter, especially near the angular junction of the sides and abdomen, the venter being consequently much broader than the dorsum, and the sides necessarily divergent, the umbilici deep. These also have large blunt tubercles along the angular junc- 346 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. In the Genera of Cephalopods I used the name of Ryckholt’s Asymp- toceras* for this same group, of which the type was Naut. cyclostomus, Phill. If Meek’s reasoning holds good it seems to us that both the name Crypto- ceras and Solenocheilus should be dropped in favor of Asymptoceras. The whorls increase very rapidly in all their diameters, and the living chambers ~ are corellatively short. The sides and venter are usually gibbous; the dorsum has either no impressed zone or only a very narrow zone of depression, show- ing how recent was the derivation of this group from the parent gyroceran forms. The siphon is so near the venter that it interrupts the suture in most species. So far as I have been able to see, however, it is to be noted that the edges of the suture do not bend backwards to form a siphonal lobe similar to that of an Ammonoid. The siphon may become central in some adults, as in Asympt. crasswenter. The elliptical form of the young whorl, the large um- bilical perforation, the simple, fine, smooth longitudinal ridges of the whorl in the young, and the presence of abrupt umbilical shoulders, indicate deri- vation from the open whorled form, Aipoceras. The sutures have broad ventral, lateral, and dorsal inflections or lobes, and small annular lobes. The European species so far as now known to me are Asympt. dorsale, sp. Phill., crassiventer, sp. De Kon., normale, sp. De Kon., latiseptatum, sp. De Kon., cyclostomum, sp. Phill. and all of them are from the Carboniferous. Asympt. Springeri, sp. White and St. John, capax, sp. Meek and Worthen, ~ and the following, are all that are known to me in this country, all three being also Carboniferous, Coal Measures. ASYMPTOCERAS NEWLONI, Ni. 8s. Loc., Oswego, Kansas, Coal Measures. Coll. Nat. Mus., Dr. Newlon. Figs. 48, 49, natural size. The species in hand is a fragment very similar to As. (Cryptoceras) capaa, Meek and Worthen.+ ‘There are three air chambers incompletely preserved in the cast. The last two sutures are 17 mm. apart on the venter. The in- crease in size is very rapid, being as much as 46 mm. in the greatest transverse diameter to 68 mm., a difference of 22 mm. in a distance of only 51 mm., as tions of the sides and abdomen, and the sutures have broad ventral, lateral, and dorsal lobes. The Devonian forms of Temnocheilus, so far as known, have no annular lobe in the centre of the dorsal suture, but this is present in some Carboniferous species like Tem. latus, De- Kon. (Cale. Carb., Pl. 24, Fig. 2). The siphon, also, is near.the venter in Devonian forms, but shifts nearer to the centre in some Carboniferous species, like Zem. latus. This organ, however, does not approach the periphery near enough to interrupt the line of suture on the venter in any species. *Notice sur le Asympt. et Vestin, 1852. + Geol. Ill, VI, p. 532, Pl. 33, Fig. 1. ie ae “yn \v ie oo, ihe EONS i} \\ i : == \ Ae eee. \N a See oe —N\ os | H NS oe eo ee aS SS \ \ . AEM, > Ly MM ey Mia Zip / 1 Wy Yj \ »)) | He 7 sb x } Fig. 48. S $ a) ‘ CARBONIFEROUS CEPHALOPODS. 347 measured along the centre of the venter, and only 35 mm. as measured along the side of the whorl. These measurements show a more rapid increase than in the whorl of Asympt. capax. The sutures are not only wider apart than in that species, but the form of the whorl also differs. In the figure of As. capax the greatest diameter of the living chamber is above or external to the umbilical shoulder, whereas in this species it is at the umbilical shoulder. The sides converge outwards from these shoulders and are not gibbous as in capax, and in the living chamber, which is evidently very nearly complete on one side, the whorl becomes flatter or more depressed on the abdomen than in capaz, and the flaring of the aperture at the umbilical shoulders carries the lateral angles out with great rapidity. The diameter through the widest part of the whorl at the last suture is 68 mm., at a point about half way between this and the aperture about 82 mm., through the wings theinselves not less than 120 mm., and perhaps a little more in perfect specimens. The sutures have a distinct but very shallow broad lobe on the venter, which is irregularly interrupted by the siphon, and there are also shallow lateral lobes. In some specimens the sutures are very likely continuous, as they are in the figure of capax. If the side view of the sutures in the figure of capaz is correct, these differ decidedly from those of this species. This shell differs from Asym. Springert in having less angular umbilical shoulders, - a more depressed abdomen, and more convergent sides. In fact, Springers and capax resemble each other more than either of them resemble this spe- cies.* Thescomparative length of living chamber can not be given, since the inner whorls were not visible. PuHacocerRAs DUMBLI, 0. Ss. Texas. Coll. Geol. Surv. of Texas. Fort Riley, Kansas. Coll. R. Hay. Figs. 50, 51, natural size. The extraordinarily large size of. this shell, its involute form, its com- pressed whorls, and the attenuated character of the outer part of the whorls in proportion to their transverse diameters, combined with the comparatively smooth and ribless shell, makes this species interesting. The umbilici are very narrow and small, the involution being almost com- plete. The increase of the vertical diameters by growth is extremely rapid, whereas the transverse diameters have increased very slowly, leaving whorls very much compressed or axe-shaped. The broadest transverse diameters *The species has been dedicated to Dr. W.S. Newlon, of Oswego, who found and sent the specimen, with some others described in this paper, to the National Museum. 30—geol. 348 , GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. are near the umbilici, and from this part the whorl is slightly concave on both sides towards the periphery or abdomen. This although very narrow is flattened or slightly convex, even in the largest specimens. The living chamber in one specimen was about one-half of a volution in length. The lines of growth* indicate that the aperture probably had very broad lateral saddles and a single deep, narrow median abdominal lobe. The sutures are near each other or slightly crowded in aspect. They have a narrow abdominal saddle, deep, broad lateral lobes, comparatively narrow lateral saddles near the umbilici, and a pair of shallow lateral lobes internally on the shoulders of the whorls. The shell is thin and it is marked by fine lines of growth. The siphuncle is probably situated near the abdomen, but was not clearly seen. A specimen sent me by Mr. Hay from Fort Riley is the most perfect speci- men of this remarkable species that I have yet seen. It has analmost entire living chamber about one-half of a volution in length, the sutures show well, and it is not as much compressed as specimens from Texas. All the speci- mens are reported as coming from Carboniferous, as do all species of the genus so far found. The sutures may have a slight lobe on the hollow of the narrow abdomen, where compression has affected them; where they are unaffected by compres- sion they are absolutely straight or very faintly concave. In Mr. Hay’s cast the outer part of the living chamber presents the abdomen as slightly convex, and leads one to think that the slight hollowness of the abdomen often present in younger whorls is due to compression. In fact the whorl is broken along a line parallel with and near to the edge of the abdomen and is concaye from compression on the right hand (morphologically left) side until near the end of the living chamber. Here, where the abdomen presents a very flat con- vex surface, both sides of the whorl are unbroken and have the normal pro- portions. Figure 28 is therefore in part a restoration. This is the largest and finest species of the involute shells of this group yet found in the Carboniferous. The principal differences between it and Nawtv- lus Roullerz, the adult of which was described and figured by Trautschold + under the name of Oxystomus,{ and the young by Marie Tzwetaev,]|| consist in its size. The principal difference between the Huropean and American is, * The lines of growth in the drawing have the first lateral saddles or inflections too prom- inent and the second pair not prominent enough, the lobe between being too deep. + Kalbruche von Miatschkowo, p. 28, Pl. 3, Fig. 7. ¢{The name Rouilleri was given to this as the type in De Koninck’s Calcaire Carbonifere, p. 124, in his description of Nautilus Oxystomus, which last was afterwards taken by the writer as the type of his genus Phacoceras in Genera of Fossil Cephalopods. (Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., XXII, 1883, p. 292.) || Op. cit., p. 53, Pl. 6, Figs. 33-34. CARBONIFEROUS CEPHALOPODS. 349 that the former retains throughout life—that is to say, on all parts of its larg- est whorl, which is much larger than that of the European species—the pecu- liar but flattened abdomen which is found only in the young of Phacoceras Rowillert. This character is of genetic importance, and, together with the longitudinal ridges and form of the young in this species, and in P. oxysto- mum, show that these acute involute shells were derived by descent from more discoidal shells like those of the genus Discitoceras. This also serves the purpose of explaining the occurrence in the Carboniferous of their appa- rently anachronic forms and structural characteristics. The aspect of the adults and the sutures in this genus are like Triassic species such as Grypoceras (Nautilus) galeatus, Mojsisovics, and at first they appear to have occurred be- fore their proper geologic period. When, however, their young are studied, it is plain that their shells at early stages have the ordinary characteristics of normai members of the Carboniferous faunas, and that the peculiarities of later stages were evolved from purely Carboniferous forms. Their mimicry of Triassic shells in later stages must therefore be regarded simply as good examples of parallel progressive complications arising independently in differ- ent genetic series during different periods of time. In Rouzlleri the flattened aspect of the crest of the abdomen is retained much longer in the course of the growth than in Phacoceras oxystomum. The American species, with its truncated abdomen existing in the adult, is therefore the most immature form of the group yet discovered, and although it is as yet impossible to come to any conclusion, this fact at present points to the fauna of this coun- try as the place of origin or aldainic fauna of this series. Rouzllert is prob- ably genetically connected with P. Dumbli, or ‘some equivalent species, and P. oxystomum is similarly connected with P. Rowiller’. In both of these, however, it is superseded in the subsequent stages of shell growth by an acute abdomen. 350 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. HPHIPPIOCERAS. This genus has been sufficiently described in Genera of Fossil Cephalopods.* H}PHIPPIOCERAS DIVISUM. Nautilus divisus, White and St. John, Descrip. Fossils, etc., Trans. Chicago Acad. Sciences, I, p. 124. Loc. Kansas, near Oswego. Coll. Nat. Mus. from Dr. Newlon. Texas, in Coll. Geol. Survey, and from Kansas City, Mo., in Coll. Dr. New- bery, N. Y. Lower Coal Measures. Fig. 52-54, one-third of the natural size. The fragment in hand is so much larger than any other specimen of this genus yet found that its size alone-is characteristic. The length of the in- complete living chamber is 195 mm. measured along the centre of the abdo- men; the breadth of the same at the larger end is about 200 mm. through the umbilical shoulders, and at the smaller end through the second septum about 118 mm. About two air chambers are left upon this fragment and a part of a third. The whorl is kidney shaped in transverse section when looked at from the surface of the septa. The abdomino-dorsal diameter on the side Fig. 54. through the umbilical shoulder is 59 mm., while the same diameter taken through the centre of the whorl is only 48 mm., the transverse diameter be- ing, as noted above, 118 mm. N otwithstanding the large size of the living chamber the form is quite as flattened as it is in the specimen of Ephip. bilobatum figured by DeKoninck in his Calcaire Carbonifere,+ and there is also a similar depressed area, or broad shallow zone, running longitudinally along the venter. It is probable that no other species of nautiloid increases laterally more rapidly by growth than this‘one. The transverse measure- ments as given above are so large and the aspect from behind is such as to lead people to speak of these fossils as petrified skulls. The dorsal impression *Op. cit., p. 290. tAnn. du Mus. Roy. de Belgique, II, Pl. 9, Fig. 1. CARBONIFEROUS CEPHALOPODS. 351 or dorsal zone is only 35 mm. in diameter, showing that the next internal whorl must have been very small compared to the outer one. The sutures have the typical form, with narrow, angular ventral saddles. The septa are divided by a median ridge internally, as in other forms of this genus. The principal differences between this species and its nearest congener, Ephip. bilobatum of Europe, les in the extraordinarily rapid increase of the lateral diameters of the whorls by growth and the enormous breadth of the last whorl. The lateral lobes are not so long, and the saddles at the umbili- cal shoulders not so deep in the specimen described, but this may be more a matter of age. Fragments of the shell still remain on the cast of the living chamber, and these are smooth. The Nautilus clitellarius, as figured by De Verneuil*, is a small shell with open umbilici not at all similar to the fossil described above or to the true Epiph. bilobatum or clitellarcum and we propose to call this Hphippioceras Ver- nuit. The Naut. clitellarius, Trautschold, also from Russia,+ is a fragment, and may be the same, since although a fragment and considerably larger the sutures are similar to those of'the last named. Nautilus divisus, as described and figured by White and St. John, is a closer ally than the Russian species, but their figure differs in not having the depressed zone along the abdomen, and the abdomen is apparently not so broad and depressed. The sutures are similar, having similar shallow lobes and not very prominent ventral saddles. The drawing is, however, in perspective, and the appearance of the sutures may be deceptive. While awaiting more evidence it has been thought best to adopt the name given by White and St. John for the Kansas and Texas fossils. Epiph. (Nautilus) clitellarius, as first figured by J. de C. Sowerby,{ is very like the adult of the Kansas fossil, if the drawing is accurate. This shell had, however, probably reached its maximum, or was nearly full grown; and if it were projected to the size often attained by the Kansas form would perhaps have a much broader and larger whorl. - Accurate com- parisons of good examples of these shells are needed before it can be posi- tively decided that clitellarwus, J. de C. Sowerby, bzlobatus, Sow., and this form are not identical. The cast of a little shell figured by Fischer de Waldheim,| under the name of Goniatites ovoideus is similar to biblobatum, Sow , as figured by De Koninck, but the figure, unless it is inaccurate, is not like what the young of #. dwisum must have been. Cyrtoceras Fahrenkohli, figured by the same author on the same plate, may be identical with this, as claimed by De * Russia and the Ural Mts. Pal., Pl. 25. + Nouv. Mem. de la Soc. Imp. de Nat. de Moscow, XIII, 1874, Pl. 30, Fig. 4. ¢ Bull. Soc. Nat. de Moscow, 1848, Part III, p. 132, Pl. 5, Fig. 3. || Prestwich, Geol. Coalbrookdale, Trans. Geol. Soc. London, 2d ser., V, p. 492, Pl. 34, Fig. 5. 352 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. Koninck, but there can be no certainty in the comparison of figures, which are mere sketches. The latter is, however, less involute than the former, and this suggests comparison with De Verneuil’s clitellarius. Comparative length of living chamber can not be given because of the ab- sence of the inner whorls. There are two specimens of Hphippioceras in Prof. Newberry’s collection at Columbia College, New York, coming from near Kansas City, Missouri, which may be the young of this species. One of them exhibits a living chamber, complete above on the abdomen, which is over one-fourth of a volution in length. : The specimens of Ephip. (Naut.) ferratum from Kentucky, in Coll. Museum Comp. Zool. at Cambridge show that this shell has a rounded very gibbous sided whorl with the central parts of abdomen also rounded, as in Fig. 2a on Pl. X of the Atlas of volumes II and III of Report Geological Survey of Kentucky. The increase in the transverse diameter is slower in this species than in LE. divisum at any age. A fragment in Coll. Geological Survey of Texas belongs to a specimen of this species and exhibits the same very prominent abdominal saddles in the sutures ana rounded abdomen. The size of this is intermediate between the two above described and the large one from Kansas. Ephipproceras (Nautilus) Montgomeryensis,* (sp. Worthen) differs from this species and all others, if accurately figured, in the tongue-like outlines of the neutral saddles. The umbilical shoulders are also peculiar. ENDOLOBUS. This genus has been sufficiently described in Genera of Fossil Cephalo- pods. + | , The species described has not at the latest stage of growth in the single specimen observed yet acquired the ventral saddles found in other species. The slight ventral lobes are retained apparently even in adults. Figure 33 is taken from the young whorl after the removal of the living chamber. Tig. 34 shows a section of all the whorls observed in the same specimen, with an outline of the internal part of the suture, exhibiting the annular cone in section. | Endolobus (Solenocheilus) Indianense, if correctly figured, has the siphuncle nearer the abdomen than is usual in this genus, and the whorl in section has a very peculiar helmet-like shape, owing to the depression of the sides and the consequent narrowing of the abdomen. *Geol. Surv. IL, VIII, Pl. 26-27. + Op. cit., p. 288. —— . 2 < ~ ee CARBONIFEROUS GEPHALOPODS. 353 ENDOLOBUS GIBBOSUS, 0. S. Loc. Colorado River, San Saba County, near Bend: Texas. Coll. Nat. Museum. Figs. 55, 56, natural size. This is a good sized, smooth shelled, nautilian form, the largest specimen not less than 130 mm. in diameter. The shell has broad, depressed whorls, Fig. 56. narrow and very deep umbilici. The outer whorls in adults cover in about one-half of the next inner whorl. The line of involution is separated from 354 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. the abrupt and prominent umbilical shoulders by narrow uncovered zones. The young have whorls with transverse diameter more than twice as broad as the abdomino-dorsal, at least in the nealogic stages. At diameter of 37 mm. the whorl is as 13 mm. in abdomino-dorsal diameter to 27 mm. in trans- verse. The umbilical shoulder stands out from the side of the next inner whorl fully 8 mm. at this same diameter. In consequence of the large and subangular umbilical shoulders and the excessive rate of increase in the trans- verse diameter a whorl is produced which resembles that of Asymptoceras in general aspect. It can be at once distinguished, however, by the position of the siphuncle and the invariable continuity of the ventral suture. The living chamber is considerably longer than one would expect in such a broad shell. It is, though incomplete, considerably over one-fourth of a volution in one specimen and in another somewhat longer. It is when com- plete probably in the neighborhood of one-half of a volution in length. The aperture was not clearly seen, but in the largest specimen there is what seems to be wing-like saddles on the sides as continuations of the prominent umbilical shoulders. These increase the resemblance of the terminal or liv- ing chamber portion df the whorl to Asymptoceras. The sutures are widely separated, being 9 mm. apart at diameter of 27 mm. This extreme width of the air chambers is not maintained in full grown specimens, but the sutures are approximate only in outgrown speci- mens. ‘The sutures have very shallow ventral and lateral lobes with -corre- spondingly slight saddles at the junction of the sides and abdomen (and probably at the umbilical shoulders), but these are mere inflections, the out- lines being almost straight. The sutures at the umbilical shoulders and inside of these were not seen except in section of the dorsal area. The impressed zone on the dorsal area is deep, and in a section which strikes ob- liquely across the septa a distinct annular cone and small annular lobe are exposed. This cone was well developed in the nealogic stage before the whole shell had reached the diameter of 27 mm. GONIATITINAE. GASTRIOCERAS. The species of this genus have very broad depressed whorls with open and very deep umbilici, but the outlines of the sutures are the tests of affinity, the form of the whorl being the more variable quantity among shell-covered cephalopoda. As I have frequently pointed out, two shells may closely re- semble each other in form and in external characters and yet belong to dis- tinct groups, genera, families, or sub-orders; and it is even possible to make "LG “OMT At txt rhh VAAdE ve OF. pln oad ee 9 4, i CORBONIFEROUS CEPHALOPODS. 35D mistakes between casts of Nautiloids and Ammonoids, if the sutures and the young are entirely hidden. The species described below illustrates the constancy of the sutures and the variability of the form. I wish also to call attention here to a characteristic not before noted in the genus Paralegoceras. The second lateral lobes or divisions of the great magnoscellarian saddles occupy the umbilical shoulders in Gastrioceras, whereas in Paralegoceras these same lobes are situated on the sides of the whorls. This distinction was noted in Gastrioceras in the description of this genus,* but not in Paralegoceras. The latter also has shallower umbilici and more rounded umbilical shoulders than in Gastrioceras, the third pair of saddles appearing also partly on the sides. We are now able to cite another species as belonging to this interesting genus. Paralegoceras (Gastrioceras) Russiense of Marie Tzwetaev has a form very like Gast. compressum as figured by the authoress,* but the outlines of the sutures and umbilical shoulders show that we are here dealing with a form of Paralegoceras. This is less compressed than Paral. Iowense, Meek and Worthen, and shows closer affinity with Gastrioceras in the form of the whorl. vas VV A GASTRIOCERAS COMPRESSUM, 0. S. Fig. 59. Loc. Colorado River. San Saba County, near Bend. Texas. Coll. National Museum. Fig. 57-59, natural size. The form of the whorl! is helmet-shaped and at the diameter of 109 mm. in a cast the greatest transverse diameter was 42 mm.; the distance in a straight line from umbilical shoulder to centre of abdomen 38-39 mm.; the abdomino- ~ dorsal diameter 23 mm. ‘The increase by growth in both diameters is slow and the umbilici consequently shallow. The involution covers more than two- thirds of next internal whorl at the diameter of 109 mm. and in another specimen at diameter of 68 mm. it is just two-thirds. The still younger whorls are numerous and visible from the sides at the centres of the umbilici, and doubtless the amount of involution is correspondingly less. Constrictions appear in the smaller specimen measured and in the younger stages of another flattened example. *Foss. Ceph., Proc. Bost. Nat. Hist., XXII, p. 327. *Ceph. du Cale. Carb. de la Russie Centrale, Pl. VI, pp. 30-32. BDO GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. The ventral lobe is divided by a large bottle-shaped siphonal saddle divided by a siphonal lobe at the extremity; the lateral branches of the ventral lobes are very long and acutely pointed, as are also the first lateral lobes which are of the same length as these branches of the ventral. The first lateral saddles are hastate and acutely pointed and second lateral saddles are. as is usual in this genus, sub-hastate. The inner outlines of these last are con- cave near the points, then suddenly convex internally where the lobe of the umbilical shoulder begins. These last mentioned lobes are also acutely pointed but much more abbreviated than the other two pairs. The shell is strongly striated, but it is not pilated or otherwise marked, except when con- strictions occur. Je DEO Jes iL ON THE GHOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. BY Wo CUMIN S: REPORT GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. BY PROF. W. F. CUMMINS. INTRODUCTION. The following report is a statement of the work done in the field by myself and assistants during the past two years. In order to make a full report upon the different subjects it will be found necessary to repeat some things that have been given in previous reports, but this will only be done where it is important to a full understanding of the matter, and where it is necessary to have all the facts presented together. In Part I, I have given a detailed statement of the general geology, stratig- raphy, and paleontology of the district. Part II is devoted to a review of the economic geology and agriculture. Part III contains a brief description of the several counties in which coal seams No. 1 and No. 7 occur. This is given for the purpose of directing especial attention to the localities where the workable beds of coal may be found. le jee len lal STRATIGRAPHIC GEOLOGY. The following table will show the formations in this portion of Texas, as I have observed them, as compared with the table taken from Dana’s Manual of Geology, which will give a definite idea of what I intend to represent by the various divisions and subdivisions: ° DANA. TEXAS. Beeent).. /5..... Ag OFT otac LER AE Ee LO hc TOON a We eer ee eee eae Recent. RCA Ite ae yes oe te es ADs Vol stein ¢ vith die eRe ose 620) of oerenl wdace ws Tertiary. “UU AATTS ee ote PS Be RR ne etna i wri nat ae a Hee dig AeA ras 2 Ra Rees Cretaceous. SN Ee PR i EP Oe, Nn it EIN LIN do aaj i eG Goo chore yee ? LALIS 2.22 le ley EN ei ore area en ee Triassic. RMA ash 5 Fie 2) de a, oe. c a RON Eee ORS ily Dies DH ee a es RE a a Permian. CAL DOMMCLOUS Foie sc 6 o0.d.0 5.0 ANS SEER rice Oe OPC EU be ae Carboniferous. Sea OAR AE red ee DENA Pa Ni Adin «ciel sg sicx Fa vlace sas ? ae NE Fe Ee aes (Pics Fd a fal ook ies 6 Sait sisi tiwre’eieies wawaas anne Sree led BR deletes bop vmove cid b we nb ejice oes Silurian. 360. GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. The above table gives the geological formations of the northwestern part. of the State as I now understand it. I have confined my work largely to the Permian and Carboniferous formations, giving only such attention to the other members of the section as was necessary to determine the relation of the Permian and Carboniferous formations to the overlying and underlying series, and to enable me to determine with accuracy the extent of these two formations in this part of the State. On Plate VI, 1 have given a columnar section of the strata (higher than the Devonian) in northwestern Texas, with the provisional divisions which I have made of them. SILURIAN. The Silurian lies along the southwestern border of the Carboniferous, the boundaries of which will be given in another place in this Report. It also occurs on both sides of the Wichita Mountains in the Indian Territory. This formation will be reported upon by Prof. Theo. B: Comstock, and needs no further notice from me in this connection. | DEVONIAN. The Devonian is entirely wanting along all the lines of contact between the Carboniferous and the older rocks, so far as I have been able to determine. I have not seen this formation anywhere in the State, yet it may exist. SUB-CARBONIFEROUS. In 1879 Mr. Chas. D. Ashburner made a report to some capitalists, which by permission was read before the American Institute of Mining Engineers, at the Philadelphia meeting in February, 1881, and afterwards published in in their proceedings, entitled “‘ Brazos Coal Field, Texas.” This paper was a report made after personal examinations in Young and Stephens counties by himself. He makes the thickness of the true Coal Measures in Texas three hundred feet, and below that he says he found a limestone one hundred anc fifty feet thick that belonged to the Sub-Carboniferous, and made it the equi- valent of the Chester Group. He gives as his reason for so believing that he found a conglomerdte above the limestone that belonged to the Millstone Grit or the base of the Coal Measures. As there is more than one thousand feet of the Coal Measures below the bed of conglomerate mentioned, and below the limestone which he calls Sub-Carboniferous, there is no possible chance for these limestones being Sub-Carboniferous. In 1885; in his report on the Mineral Resources of the United States, pub- lished in 1886, Washington, he reiterates his former assertions in reference STRATIGRAPHY. 36] PLATE VI. LEER TARY Double Mountain a ea << = Lil QO. MEASURES Strawn COAL .. COM Mill Sap VERTICAL SECTION OF THE STRATA IN NORTHWEST TEXAS. 362 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. to the Sub-Carboniferous in the vicinity of Fort Belknap and Crystal Falls, in Young and Stevens counties. He says: ‘The Brazos Coal Field is the southwestern limit of the Missourian or fourth bituminous coal basin of the United States. The Coal Measures of Stephens and Young counties belong to the Carboniferous age. The coal strata proper are eighty-five feet thick, and are included between an upper sandstone and conglomerate representative of the Millstone Grit, or Pottsville conglomerate No. 12 of the Pennsylvania Series, and a lower gray limestone, representative of the mountain limestone or Chester and St. Louis limestone of the Mississippi Valley.” That Mr. Ashburner was mistaken in supposing the conglomerate to be the equivalent of the Millstone Grit of the Pittsburg beds and the limestone below it, belonging to the Chester Group, is very readily seen by reference to the general section made from the northeastern part of the Coal Measures to the southeastern part thereof, or from the highest beds to the lowest, passing through Belknap. | As he finds the Coal Measures in the western edge of Parker County, which is at least one thousand feet below his Chester limestone stratigraphic- ally, and free from any serious faulting, it is useless to give very serious at- tention to his suggestions about the Sub-Carboniferous being in Young and Stevens counties. The characteristic fossils of the Coal Measures are very abundant and will be given in another place in this Report; and the most of them were found below the limestone thought by Mr. Ashburner to be Sub Carboniferous. The following fossils were found at one locality near Graham, and the stratum from which they were taken is below the limestone thought to be Sub-Carboniferous by Mr. Ashburner: Allorisma subcuneata, Meek and H. Spiriferina kentuckensis, Shumard. Bellerophon percarinatus, Conrad. Zaphrentis spinulifera, Hall. B. carbonartus, Cox. Productus longispinus, Sowerby. Huomphalus rugosus, Hall. Hemiphrontes crassus, Meek and Hayden. Lophophyilum proliferum, McChesney. Nucula ventricosa, Hall. Pinna peracuta, Shumard. Rhynchonella uta?, Marcou. Pleurotomaria spherulata, Conrad. Sporifer lineatus, Martin. P. tabulata, Hall. Myalina subquadrata, Shumard. Productus cora, d’Orbigny. Cheetetes milleporaceus, Haines. P. costatus, Sowerby. Orthoceras rushensis, McChesney. P. nebrascensis, Owen. . Conocardium obliquum, Meek and W. Schizodus wheelert, Swallow. Aviculopecten occidentalis, Shumard. Spirifer cameratus, Morton. Mr. Ralph S. Tarr, after studying that portion of the district lying along the Colorado River, came to the conclusion that there existed a considerable SUB-CARBONIFEROUS. 363 thickness of Sub-Carboniferous between the Coal Measures and the Silurian in the counties of Lampasas, San Saba, and McCulloch. He says:* “The older Paleozoic rocks of Llano and Mason counties were the chief land areas from which the sediments composing the Carboniferous strata were de- rived. Resting unconformably upon these rocks is a limestone, which is also unconformable with the true Carboniferous. These beds appear as a narrow strip, separating the Carboniferous from the Silurian, and consist almost en- tirely of crystalline limestone with beds of shale. The beds of the Lower Carboniferous series were formed mostly in rather deep water off the shore of an old Silurian land area, and the beds of the sea shore may yet be seen in the form of shales, and rarely conglomerates, in the bays and on the headlands of the old shore line, which may be plainly traced. The dip of the beds is somewhat variable, but the average is gentle, from one to two degrees north- west. In one place the dip is twenty degrees in the same direction. There are small anticlinals and synclinals much more numerous than in the Upper Carboniferous, where they are very rare. Unless carefully mapped and studied over a considerable area, this formation might be overlooked and classed as a portion of the Upper Carboniferous. The fossils resemble those found in the true Carboniferous, though upon closer study some will un- doubtedly be found to be quite different. One specimen of Goniatites has been pronounced by Prof. Alpheus Hyatt to be a distinctive Lower Carbon- iferous form. “The deceptive resemblance of fossils would at first lead to a decision that these beds are a part of the Upper Carboniferous, and this deception is in- creased when an actual contact occurs between the strata of the two forma- tions. At two places east of San Saba the limestone seems to dip conforma- bly beneath the sandstones. In both these places the dip of the strata of each series is the same. It is only when we see the section as a whole that the true relation of the two series is discovered. ‘The San Saba River, from just above its mouth nearly to the mouth of Richland Creek, is the dividing line between the Upper and Lower Carboniferous, and this line of division is con- tinued westward up the valley of Richland Creek. On the north side of this line is the true Upper Carboniferous, consisting at this place of a great thick- ness of sandstone. South of this line is the Lower Carboniferous, composed in this region entirely of limestone and limy shales. As a person crosses the region for the first time there are three possible explanations of such a rela- tion of beds. The first is that the limestones and sandstones are interstratified ; but this is quickly disproved, since in the sandstone areas there are no lime- stones, and in the limestone regions no sandstones. This and abundant other * Preliminary Report on the Coal Fields of the Uolorado River, RalphS. Tarr. First Annual Report of the Geological Survey of Texas, Austin, 1890, p. 201, et seq. 364 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. field evidence proves that the limestone is beneath the sandstone; and then the problem is narrowed down to two possible solutions—the two series are either conformable or unconformable. There are two proofs that they are not conformable. The dip of the limestone averages at least two hundred feet to the mile, and with such a dip any bed of limestone, as for instance the bed on the Colorado below Red Bluff, would soon dip under the sandstone if followed a few miles to the west, and the overlying sandstone would cover it and extend to the Silurian. But such is not the case. The belt of limestone extends continuously for nearly thirty miles. In this series there are many different beds of limestone and shale, one above the other, each one of which strikes up to the sandstone and there stops. ‘““We have therefore an upper sandstone formation, composed of various © beds, striking southwest and overlapping a great thickness of limestone. There is therefore no explanation, to my mind, but unconformability; a fact which necessarily proves a different age from that of the overlying coal measures. That they are Lower Carboniferous rather than Devonian is shown by the close resemblance of the fossils of the lower beds to those of the Upper Car- boniferous. The field evidences thus seem to prove that these beds are not a part of the true coal bearing series, but belong to an older formation—the Lower Carboniferous. The Lower Carboniferous extends from near Lam- pasas to some distance west of Brady, with an average width of not more than ten miles, and is the formation on which the towns of San Saba and Brady are situated.” His reference of these deposits of shales, lhmestones, and rarely conglomer- ates, to the Sub-Carboniferous, is based upon: 1. Unconformability with underlying Coal Measures strata. 2. Paleontology. My investigations, made both before and after those recorded by Mr. Tarr, do not seem to me to warrant the reference of these beds to any period earlier than the Coal Measures themselves. That there is non-conformity between the limestone and the sandstone beds in places there is not the slightest doubt, and the non-conformity is probably even greater than Mr. Tarr states it to be. He only claims difference of de- gree of dip, while in fact there is also difference in direction. I think that it will be readily apparent that given the old Silurian shore line which Mr. Tarr describes, with its headlands and bays, having a general trend east and west, the dip and strike of the strata at its foot would naturally be governed more or less by the contours of its eroded surface and the shore. That this is the case is evidenced by the carefully prepared maps of the area made by Mr. Tarr, now in the possession of the Survey. These show in sev- eral places the strata in question dipping away—northeast, north, northwest— SUB-CARBONIFEROUS. 365 from the Silurian headlands, and this corresponds fully with my observations. The point I desire to make is that the strike of this series of strata is not southwest but more nearly east and west, corresponding to the old shore line, and that the beds of limestone and shales which extend from the eastern edge of San Saba County to the town of Brady are no more than ten miles wide, and instead of being a series of beds of limestones and shales there is but one bed of shale; and one can start from Bend, in the southeast corner of San Saba County, and travel on the same black shales to the town of Brady. From the base of the sandstones to the Texas marbles, which is below the blue limestone in question, at no place has the strata a thickness of five hun- dred feet, and instead of the limestones “striking up against the sandstone and there ending,” they simply pass beneath the sandstone. An examination of the completed sections of the Carboniferous of Texas shows that this unconformability is no greater than exists in other portions of the system. That there exists slight unconformity between the upper and lower mem- bers of the same period is not to be wondered at when we take into consid- eration the fact that there was a general subsidence of the whole strata during the entire time, and which was at times more rapid than at others. There would be times when the general submergence would stand still for awhile until the limestone seas would fill up by the silt brought down from the lands surrounding. The seas would become more shallow until the waters would no more deposit limestone material, but the heavier clays, and they in turn would be followed by sandstones deposited along the sea coasts. There were doubtless also oscillations in the strata during these times—emergence as well as submergence. Where there is a continuity of sedimentation there has been no unconformability observed, and while it is a fact that the higher we get in the geological series in Northwest Texas the less is the dip of the strata, it is also a fact that at the place of contact between the different divisions there is no unconformity observable. . That there is a lapse of time between the deposition of the limestone and shales found in the San Saba County and the overlying sandstone is a fact that is easily understood by any one who has examined the Coal Measures in Texas. Below the same sandstones where they occur in the northern part of the Carboniferous formation, along the Brazos River, are several beds of lime- stone that are undoubtedly Coal Measures, but which are different from the limestones characterized by Mr. Tarr as Sub-Carboniferous, and which are so connected by sedimentation that there is certainly no break in the forma- tion in that region; and besides, the limestones contain the well known char- acteristic fossils of the true Carboniferous series, as may be seen by the list of fossils given of that locality in another place. 366 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. Just how much time there was between the deposition of the limestones and the sandstones we do not know. But we do know that there are hundreds of feet of strata below the sandstone along the Brazos (which is the equivalent of the sandstones in San Saba County) and the limestones found in this dis- trict. A diamond drill taking out a two inch core has been put down one thousand feet, beginning at Coal Seam No. 1, at Thurber. The entire dis- tance has been through blue slate, thin beds of gray sandstone, and blue lime- stone, all of which evidently belong to the Coal Measures, and that belong in the series between the Richland sandstone of Mr. Tarr and the blue shales of the Bend Beds. | A comparison of the Colorado and Brazos sections, as illustrated on Plate VII, shows that the unconformity at this place is caused by the absence of the entire Millsap series, including Coal Seam No. 1, from its rightful position between the shales and limestones of the Bend series and the Strawn (Rich- land) sandstone. No list of fossils is given by Mr. Tarr as the basis of his reference of the Bend series to the Sub-Carboniferous The following is a list of those taken by myself and assistants from these beds: LIST OF FOSSILS FOUND IN THE BEND DIVISION. VERTEBRATES. Edestus minor, Newberry. INVERTEBRATES. Hadrophyllum aplatus, sp. nov.,Cum- Myalina subquadrata, Shumard. mins. Synocladia biserralis, Swallow. Cheetetes radiens, Bellerophon carbonarius, Cox. Spirifer cameratus, Morton. Productus senireticulatus, Martin. Pleurotomaria turbiniformis, Meek and P. punctatus, Morton. Worthen. Nuculana bellistriata, Stevens. Bellerophon crassus, Meek and W. Chonetes mesoloba, Norwood and Prat- Spiriferina kentuckensis, Shumard. ten. Productus nebrascensis, Owen. Productus costatus, Sowerby. Platyceras nebrascensis, Meek. Zaphrentis gibsoni, White. Huomphalus rugosus, Hall. Nunstroceras parallelum?, Hyatt. These fossils seem to me to fully warrant the retention of the Bend series in the Coal Measures. Professor George G. Shumard, Assistant State Geologist, in a report writ- ten in 1855 and 1856, but not published until 1886, says he found the Sub- Carboniferous in Texas. Hesays: ‘On the San Saba River, at a point about CARBONIFEROUS. 367 midway between Fort Mason and Fort McKavett, the rocks of the group are seen cropping out extensively from beneath thick strata of the Cretaceous Period. At this locality the thickness of their exposed edges was estimated by myself at about two thousand five hundred feet;” but in his Journal, pub- lished in the same book, he says of the same locality, ‘‘ We came to an ex- tensive outcrop of hard, granular limestone, belonging to the Upper Division of the Carboniferous system, which is here to be seen emerging from beneath the Cretaceous strata.” * It will be seen from. the above that he calls it Sub-Carboniferous in one place, and puts it in the Upper Division in another; and as the fossils he gives as coming from the beds are similar to a collection made near Brady by myself from the Upper Division of the Carboniferous, I conclude his reference to the Sub-Carboniferous was a mistake, and therefore need not be further noticed. It has been thought that the limestones of Palo Pinto and other counties belonged to the Sub-Carboniferous, because of its great extent and thickness, under the mistaken notion that the Coal Measures did not anywhere contain such extensive beds of limestone. The same mistake was made in the early explorations of lowa. Dr. C. A. White, in speaking of this matter, says:+ ‘We find the formation in lowa to be as fully characterized by limestones as any of formations of the Sub- Carboniferous group are.” From all the evidence I have been able to secure in the course of my work in this district | am forced to the conclusion that up to the present no Sub-Carboniferous rocks have been discovered. CARBONIFEROUS. By the term Carboniferous | intend in this report to designate the Coal Measures as the name was first applied by the miners in England to the coal bearing strata of that country, and to say when speaking of the Coal Meas- ures, that it occupies the same relative position in the geological horizon as that applied to the locality where the name was first used, and as is given generally in the text-books. I have not attempted to subdivide the strata into Upper Coal Measures, Middle Coal Measures, and Millstone Grit, as has been done in other States, nor to correlate the Texas divisions with other localities, for the lack of time to study the fossils of the measures, but have adopted provisional divisions of the formation, and hope to be able at a future time to correlate the strata * A Partial Report on the Geology of Western Texas, Dr. Geo. G. Shumard, Austin, 1886. + Geology of Iowa, 1870. 368 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. with like beds in other localities. The provisional subdivisions are shown in Plate VI, page 361, in this Report. The Carboniferous area of Texas is an irregular belt of country stretching from Red River on the north southward to and below the Colorado, a distance of over two hundred miles, and having an average breadth of not more than seventy-five miles, with its longer axis approximately in the line of the strike of the formation. The Carboniferous formation in Texas is overlaid on the eastward by the Trinity Sands along the entire eastern border. A line representing the east- ern contact between the two formations would begin at a point on Red River near the northeastern corner of Montague County. Thence passing through Wise County, between Decatur and Bridgeport. Thence to a point on the line of the Texas and Pacific Railway three miles east of Millsap. Thence crossing the west branch of the Houston and Texas Central Railway at Car- bon. Thence near the northwest corner of Comanche County. Thence by a line almost parallel with the west line of Comanche and Hamilton counties, but a few miles west of them, passing near Nix Postoffice, in Lampasas County, and reaching the Silurian a few miles south of that place. The Carboniferous is bounded on the south by the Silurian. A line be- tween these two formations on the south would begin at a point a few miles south of the town of Nix. ‘l'hence crossing the Colorado River a few miles south of Bend, and crossing Cherokee Creek a few miles above its mouth, and passing two miles south of the town of San Saba, and crossing the San Saba River near the mouth of Brady’s Creek. Thence up that creek to its source. ‘Thence westward to Kickapoo Creek in Concho County. At this place the Carboniferous formation is overlaid on the westward by the Permian. The line between these two formations on the west would begin at a point on Kickapoo Creek, in Concho County, about where the main road from Brady to San Angelo crosses that creek. Thence down Kickapoo Creek to its mouth. Thence passing a few miles east of the town of Ballinger. Thence to Buffalo Gap. Thence crossing the Texas and Pacific Railway between Abilene and Elmsdale. Thence down Dead Man’s Creek east of Fort Phan- tom Hill to the Clear Fork. Thence down that stream to a point opposite the town of Throckmorton. Thence by a line passing west of that town to a point on the Brazos River near the mouth of Spring Creek. . Thence passing near the southeast corner of Archer County, Buffalo Springs, and to Red River near the mouth of Belknap Creek. The northern boundary in Texas is Red River. In giving these boundaries it is not intended to say that a straight line drawn between any two given points would represent the exact contact between the two formations, for such would not be the case. In places along the eastern boundaries the Carbon- CARBONIFEROUS. 369 iferous would be east of such a line, while at other places the Cretaceous would be west of it. At the point where the Brazos River crosses that line it has cut down into the strata until the Carboniferous can be traced in the valley of the river as far southeastward as the line of Hood County. Again there is an extension of the Cretaceous strata forming a high ridge, between near Carbon and the southwest corner of Comanche County, extending to the westward almost to the Permian border at Elmsdale; and then again the Car- boniferous is found along the Lampasas River from its source to the town of Lampasas. This strip of Carboniferous is confined entirely to the valley of the river. Again there is a small strip of Carboniferous near Marble Falls, and in Honey Creek Cove in Llano County. Along the southern line the Cretaceous comes down on the north almost to the west line of San Saba County and extends along parallel with that line and finally crosses it near the head of Brady Creek. The Brady Mountains are Cretaceous and are cut through by erosion, showing the Carboniferous only in one place, at Cow Gap, on the road between Brady City and Coleman. The following is a list of the counties which are in whole or in part Car- boniferous: Montague, Wise, Jack, Parker, Palo Pinto, Young, Throckmor- ton, Stephens, Eastland, Erath, Callahan, Coleman, Brown, San Saba, Lam- pasas, McCulloch, Concho, Runnels, Taylor, and Shackelford. The Carboniferous formation in Texas belongs to the Western Interior Coal Producing Field, composed of Missouri and the States adjoining on the north, west, and south, and reaching through, with some interruptions, into Texas. (Dana’s Manual of Geology, p. 309.) It is directly connected with the Carboniferous beds of the Indian Territory. The area in Texas is subdivided into two fields by the overlying Cretaceous rocks which extend entirely across the formation just south of the Texas and Pacific Railway. We have called the northern division of these beds the “Northern or Brazos Coal Field,” and those on the south the ‘Central or Colorado Coal Field.” The upper strata of the two fields are the same, but there is a great lapse of time between the lower sandstones in the Central Coal Field and the lime- stone immediately below them, as seen at the junction of these two beds in the vicinity of Lynch Creek and elsewhere along the line of contact between the two. The thickness of the formation in Northern Texas is about three thousand seven hundred and forty feet, by actual measurement on a line run from the upper part of the measures at the northeast corner of Throckmorton County, to the west line of Hood County. The thickness of the beds in the Central Coal Field is about six thousand and nineteen feet, on a line run from the head of Pecan Bayou to the town of San Saba. Detailed sections along these lines are given beyond. 370 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS.: The formation includes all kinds of sedimentary rocks, with shales, clays, and seams of coal. There is no regular order in which these various beds occur. In the northern part of the formation in the State there are no lime- stones. In the southern part of the northern field there are first limestones, then sandstones, then beds of limestones, and at the base heavy beds of blue clay and limestones. In the central district there are first limestones, and then heavy beds of clay and sandstones, and at the base beds of blue limestones. There is no evidence whatever that the border formations on the south- ward of the present Carboniferous were ever overlaid by the Cretaceous Measures. All the evidence is directly to the contrary. It is evident that the present Silurian fields constituted the dry land during the whole of the Carboniferous Hra. There was, in all proability, at the southern part of the Coal Fields in Texas an island in the Carboniferous sea, the extent of which it is now impossible to determine, for the reason that all the country south of the older rocks are covered by those of a later period than the Carboniferous. There is no reason to suppose that the eastern shore line of the Carbonif- erous sea was anywhere in the region of the present eastern border of the Carboniferous formation in Texas. The great interior of the continent, from the Appalachian region to the western borders of Kansas and Nebraska, was slowly emerging from the waters during the era of the Coal Measures. At that time the Coal Fields were probably one vast forest, with here and there lakes of fresh water, and the deep water was farther to the southward than has ever been discovered. Although the era was one of comparative quiet, with very slow emergence and submergence of the continental area, yet at the close of the Carboniferous period there had been formed a shore line extending from the northeastern part of the continent to the older formations in Llano County, cutting off a large area in which there was an interior sea in which the strata of the Per- mian and Triassic were afterward deposited. That barrier was probably formed not only by the deposition of material from the waters, as was the case over the entire region, but was probably assisted by a fold making an anticlinal and giving a northwestward dip to the Carboniferous strata that it has retained until now. It is probable that the Cretaceous sea, that came on at a later date, did not cover up the entire area of the Carboniferous and Permian, but was rather in deep seas off the shores of these land areas. The erosion of the Cretaceous over large areas since that time has obscured the evidences of the extent of the Cretaceous seas, but I am inclined to think the Cretaceous seas extended in a narrow belt across the southern border of the Carboniferous, but doubt if the sea extended as far north as the Wichita River. CARBONIFEROUS. 371 It has been thought that the Cretaceous formation at one time covered the entire area from the New Mexico country to Kansas, and the whole of the northwestern part of Texas and the Indian Territory, the same as the Creta- ceous now covers the middle part of Texas, but I do not think the facts jus- tify such a conclusion. There is certainly no evidence of the fact in the re- gion of the Wichita Mountains. - If the Cretaceous formation had been formed around the Wichita Mountains and afterwards destroyed by erosion, there would have been some portions of it left to show that fact. There are no remnants of the Cretaceous anywhere in Texas north of the Wichita River to the Canadian River, and beyond in the Indian Territory. Professor Jules Marcou found the Cretaceous north of the Wichita Mount- ains, and again at the foot of the Llano Estacado, about two hundred miles west of that place, and there it was very thin. I expected to have found the Staked Plains at the head of the Salt Fork of the Brazos Cretaceous, but the Tertiary rests directly upon the Triassic, and no evidence whatever that the Cretaceous ever existed there. _ The condition for forming heavy beds of coal appears to have been want- ing, and only thin seams will be found in the Texan strata. All the coal seams of economic value will be found above the blue clay and limestones of the Bend series, and above the blue clay and hard limestones found south of the Brazos River, near Millsap, which are below Coal Seam No. 1, of the general section, and which I call the Millsap division in this Report. THE SECTIONS. The sections Nos. 1, 2, and 3, on Plate X VI, were made from actual lines run by instrumental measurement across the formation at different places. Section No. 1 was made across the Permian, beginning at the Clear Fork of the Brazos River, near the western edge of Shackelford County, and end- ing at the top of the Staked Plains, near Dockum, in Dickens County. This section is intended also to show the relation of the Triassic and Tertiary Beds with the Permian, and also shows a part of the underlying Albany Beds of the Carboniferous. The description of the divisions of the Permian have been given at another place in the report on the Permian. ‘ SECTION NO. 1. (PLATE XVI.) Clear Fork of Brazos River, the beginning of the section. California Creek. Paint Creek. Salt Fork of Brazos, east of Kiowa Peak. aes 5 iy GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. e. Salt Fork of Brazos, near mouth of Salt Croton Creek. f. Salt Croton Creek. g. Dove Creek. h. Salt Croton Creek. Big Duck Creek. He Ly Upper part of the Albany Beds of the Carboniferous. to 2. Clear Fork Beds of the Permian. to 3. Double Mountain Beds of the Permian. j. Red Mud Creek. H. Haskell. D. Dockum. K. Kiowa Peak. ly 1 c ~~ Triassic. wo Ww b to 4. Triassic. c= Tertiary. The local sections going to make up this general section are also given in the general report on the Permian. | The provisional subdivision of the Carboniferous as given on Plate VII is made up of the several beds as I found them in the Northern and Central areas of the Carboniferous formation in the State, and are as follows, begin- ning at the base: 1. Bend Division. 2. Millsap Divison. 3. Strawn Division. 4. Canyon Division. 5. Cisco Division. 6. Albany Division. The following is a brief description of these various divisions: Brenp Diviston.—This division is found only in the Central Field, and lies along the edge of the Silurian, dipping away from it in almost every direction. It is composed of hard blue limestones and blue and black shales. This di- vision is very readily distinguished from the overlying sandstones of the Strawn division. It is that part of the strata which was referred by Mr. Tarr in the First Annual Report to the Sub-Carboniferous, and has been already noticed at some length in this Report, so that no further description of the ~ contacts between it and the other strata need be made at this place. Muisap Divisron.—This division is found only in the Northern area, being entirely missing in the Central area. It embraces all the strata in the North- ern area below Coal Seam No. 1. It is mostly composed of blue and black clays, with an occasional sandstone and limestone, and an occasional bed of sandy shale. The limestones are generally very hard and break with sharp edges. This is the material used for macadam on the streets of Dallas. The strata of this division are well developed in the vicinity of Millsap, on orthern Field Tg ep) bd oc = a 4 Ly a CoAL CARBONIFEROUS. ea AUD By Vee 322. —geol. aTe GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. the line of the Texas and Pacific Railway, in the western part of Parker County. It was also found in a deep well at Thurber to be at least one thousand feet thick. The drill used there brought up a two-inch core which gave a very good idea of the section passed through, which was principally bluish clay, or as the miners call it slate, with a few seams of sandstone and limestone. Near the base of the section, at the Brazos River, in Parker County, there is a bed of limestone with many /usulina. All the strata below the Coal Seam No. 1 in the Northern area are placed in this division. The gas and salt water at Gordon and Thurber are found in this division. Strawn Drvision.—This division is so named because of the fine and ex- tensive presentation of the strata in the vicinity of that town. It occurs in both the Northern and Southern areas. In the section made across the North- ern area it is shown in the vicinity of Mineral Wells, and in the Central sec- tion it is shown from south of Brownwood to the San Saba River. In the Northern area it rests conformably upon the Millsap division and its base is Coal Seam No. 1. In the Central area its lower portion is missing, as is also the Millsap division, and the middle part of the Strawn division rests uncon- formably upon the Bend division. This division is composed of shales and sandstones and some conglomerates. Coal Seam No. 1 is at the base of the division. It is intended to include in this division all the strata in the North- ern area above Coal Seam No. 1 and the heavy beds of limestone of the di- vision above. In the Central area it is intended to include in this division all the strata above the Bend division to the heavy beds of limestone near Brownwood. Canyon Dtvision.—This division occurs in both the Northern and Central divisions of the Central Carboniferous area. It is so named from the promi- nence with which some of the strata are seen at Canyon, in the western part of Palo Pinto County, along the the line of the Texas and Pacific Railway. This division is composed very largely of massive limestones, and may be seen at Rock Creek, in the western edge of Jack County; at and near Palo Pinto and Canyon Creek, in Palo Pinto County, in the Northern area, and on Jim Ned Creek, in the Southern area. The beds of limestones are not quite as thick in the Central area as they are in the Northern, but the thickness of the division is nearly the same in both. In this division occur most of the large springs to be found in the Carboniferous formation in Texas. This division is characterized by the heavy beds of limestone found in it, and is easily re- cognized by this fact, the limestones in the other divisions being much thin- ner bedded. Cisco Diviston.—This division is well exposed at Cisco, on the line’of the Texas and Pacific Railway, and to it I have given the provisional name of that town. It is composed mostly of conglomerates, sandstones, and lime- CARBONIFEROUS. 375 stones, as well as clays and sandy shales. In it occurs Coal Seam No. 7. This is the most extensive and continuous division in the entire series. It begins at the most northern extension of the Northern area and continues to the most southern extremity of the Central area. There is only one small area where it is covered by the overlying Cretaceous, and that is a few miles south of the line of the Texas and Pacific Railway, opposite to the town of Putnam, in Callahan County. This division usually extends to the western border of the ‘“‘ Upper Cross Timbers,” and in the Central area it extends be- yond their western border. The conglomerates in this division very much resemble the conglomerates found in the Strawn division, and were supposed by Mr. Ashburner to be the same beds, and were by him put in the Sub-Car- boniferous and made equivalent with the millstone grit. The sandstones are much the same as those in the Strawn division but are harder. This division can best be determined by its stratigraphic position—below it is always found the heavy beds of limestone of the Canyon division. | ALBANY Diviston.—This is the upper division of the Carboniferous series in Texas. It is named Albany division for the reason that in the vicinity of Albany, in Shackelford County. the strata are well developed. The strata of this division are largely composed of limestone and shales, there being very little sandstone except at the base of the division. The division does not oc- cur in the area north of the Brazos River, but is continuous as far south as the southern extremity of the Southern area, It is overlaid along the entire western border by the Clear Fork Beds of the Permian. This division is all west of the western boundary of the “‘Upper Cross Timbers.” FROG IBY: oss wie cesepi Sis Siac Sat eine es ee tate ne ee nt eee 4 feet. Sra. TAMeOshone: ..\7ipe..d is xeaee Gtk adele naires eke oe oe etek, eae oe cee teed 1 foot 6 inches. 2. Blue'clay with seloniiM.. +... ..0)s.2-aes A225) pee bec ietane 4 feet. A 6c) rn ee Seemed a aor ay ering 6 Ae 9 inches. Motels 2%. 36s saaeeeee sete eee tee c eee wn te eee esse ene eesene 68 feet 3 inches. SECTION NO. 21, CISCO DIVISION. At the falls of Salt Creek, one-half mile west of Graham. 1. eGonmlomerate.. 6c... . 0a sso eau welac seep c seen hee nha One Meee eee 2,. Sandstone (the Falls)... 2 chicas etka see seit Grete © epee See a. Blueielay swith calamites ....0 i... 2G esse as iegie eos oo ': ue eee BS” SAMUSUORET ce os keke oie one snd 6am @oS45 05% « nahh aa et een B. DaMMestome AMO rts 6. eon 5 5 ns a cicre: aavennpans achelarbiale etry jets Dee 6. Yellowishtand blue clay.......... ..2.6s%5%e0oRe coon 6 eee ene % Conclomorate sie en as enn se ce oe see EE eee ee eer Motel: 25s 05) 5GG eg eieiite is lays ioe ca co be a 6 4 4 elare ope ele ee een In the clay of No. 6 of the above section I found the fossils given 4 feet. ' 3 feet. 50 feet. 3 feet. 2 feet. 30 feet. 15 feet. 107 feet. on page 362 of this Report as being below the limestone called Sub-Carboniferous by Mr. Ashburner. CARBONIFEROUS, 379 SECTION NO. 22, CISCO DIVISION. On Weatherford road, ten miles east of Graham. em etleyn Chim Se a6 44a Saie eo has Sts 1 AWAEA coed Mes Saale dehedes anes 8 feet. Sh STEELE ae I tg a8 20 eg om ee a ICON IEICE OL ARI 2 feet. aeereruc Glay. fOSSilferOus, 2.66 424. 6s 88s ve eee Bi facets leePaiayeceles)a.'s «ip: evel ee: 6 10 feet. PE Melo wmahmMestOne. [OSSINfeTOUS) 1h 25's cs 8st sales ck slate ey etd ache wialass Siale od ae 2 feet. F. VIELLOTSGLEN Sar GRE Sie eneie testis oie ese GUIS Sts Leena aI le a 30 feet. Se SAMUS GONCOMNASREY Gr cnn fee ad ae ca mes hs iste we Grae acaree | wise piste Aa pase 20 feet. fe Jigllariciy al tee: ees eee te ea eee rae Sah alee aha eng 30 feet. E. INEL GT GTS cece CRA Chee Sn) Blea UeeRtn ne Cee A ie RPP a me ean Oeteet: PR SiR Pe cae yay Ws © fo 8's sapye Severe aue- os aaa et Rane, Siac ere eae ciety eile dei Lae sleet: In No. 3 of the above section the following fossils were found: Bellerophon crassus, Meek and Worthen; 5. carbonarius, Cox; 6. nodocarinatus, Hall; Chonetes granulifera; Huomphalus rugosus, Hall; E. pentagulatus?; Loxonema rugosa, Worthen; Lophophylium proliferum, McChesney; Macrocheilus primo- genius, Conrad; Macrocheilus, sp.ind.; Nuculana bellistriata, Stevens; Orthoceras rushensis, McChesney; Orthis pecost, Marcou; Pleurotomaria tabulata, Hall; Pro- ductus semireticulatus, McChesney; Spirifer cameratus, Morton; Zaphrentis spin- ulifera, Hall. SECTION NO. 23, CANYON DIVISION. Two miles north of Finis, in Jack County, beginning at Rock Creek. Le LUTPGS PS De) ee eal er Ou Ale seme Pet bi ts Pe ee er 40 feet. em ONO WHT EIA «15 oid od lee a) oso « Herts Panes Sweet retany vusyeh cise: ics Gaver s or Sheesh 15 feet. PUES MESGOTE cd 2 igh eho ocak Sl ae eters Ske. 6, yO e EN Ary Sanh aU Rc eave ee 2 20 feet. FEMURS CRN lege gael ste cols [ote io ae) tos oie aloha Wat at cacy as) 4a arnt uel ore shies di ast de alal @ 28 feet. PERRET CAMCORSATIOSLOME Le ey ao vel ais lays Vala nai atael a lao Glee el onei tat su)ylevere sieve vere 8 feet. Te, SGA RO 0 3 es ae ee SCE Biehs SRA SPAN ONA ES RN CRN a 30 feet. i mesione........ . nie Ea oe gE SPM ean Sreeanteth i Bere eno marge pis lucia 3 10 feet. See Ee ANG Yellow Clay se, 2 25 cial ese wh diahe gle «6 biateree OMT eA tate Paes vats ekaday-o ta," 30 feet. PERE IG RICE EE SAROSLONC] Oy ame Iai he Me Ae ee le ete a ges ly 4 feet. Pie oriare sandstones, bit-Weddeds . v6 eee cae LU ee ne Ni bi eee. Ms eu'a?, O» Leet: Ee Wellow and blue clay ..2...225: Me ome te Aare APN at ara tase ta tne hia 8 A anh oattarepeula 40 feet. Py bantestone? thin-pedded.2. o.256 a2 i ethne oh oat ee aN Pea Shear SAN ot Oak 25 feet. Les | SAULGSITS Ee NcA™ Lie le Erciies ece R OIE te ake ere ACR ra 18 feet. MLC BS Wig CAN tet ht ea yh ae Bea rh So aea leo tle ht Soe) Gad @ Syel aow oe Maes aot 1eCk. CL SESLO SIT Ge 8 eB ae ee Be ce CE Ze Le 30 feet. LS. AI PAN TGS AUCUN YS Dye OI merit lege eet et ee ee ae Pe EVAL ae a Se 20 feet SEL te ech 6 EAS cen Oe Oe ROne Ee Ns er fr ge PCO a or 340 feet. The following fossils were taken from the massive limestone No. 1 of the above section: Athyris subtilita, Hall; Productus longispinus, Sowerby; P. semreticulatus, Martin; P. cora, D’Orbigny; Spirifer cameratus, Morton. 380 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. SECTION NO, 24, CANYON DIVISION. ‘On the Weatherford and Graham road, at Little (or Hast) Keechi Creek. fA OWA STOMG 6.5 a, 0 jaseig 20 teraseisb. scum. 4 nd. 41o, MSS pe een, St eee 4 feet. 25 Wellow clay, fossiliferous. ..4 . 2c: «ss bemiee ciieleeiee 2 Sleek ee ee 25 feet Br WDAOSTONO..°. oe ae 5 oie eee ew noe ew oo bm ieeies noe eatery leech = 9 at ee 2 feet. 4. Yellow Clay, with clay ironstone>......./..-.: 15... bane ee ee 30 feet. 5). ISAMAStone, MASSIVE... 52.2 sees ek wees ele eae 5 55 45 2 See Creme eee 8 feet. 6. , Bluish clay, ironstone concretions....0......-0.2. «2+ cgqu ee eee oe eee 10 feet. Totaly -s382 ots ae ee ee ee picleiw Gods Slade Stave cd Poccral Shy Mal nahi = te ane 79 feet. The following is a list of the fossils taken at this place: Athyris subtilita, Hall; Lellerophon carbonarvus, Cox; B. percarinatus, Con- rad; Chonetes, sp. ind.; Conularia crusiula, White; Dziscona convexa, Shumard; Lophophyllum proliferum, McChesney; Productus cora, D’Orbigny; P. costatus, Sowerby; P. nebrascensis, Owen; P. symmeiricus, McChesney; P. longispinus, Sowerby; Pleurotomarva spherulata, Conrad; Spirifer lineatus, Martin; S. came- ratus, Morton; erebrutula bovidens, Morton. . At this place I found traversing No. 2 of above section what appeared to be a dyke, but upon closer inspection proved to be a seam of fossiliferous limestone. The seam is about two inches thick, and has a course of north 60° west. We sunk a pit by the side of the seam, and found it to be almost vertical, and the clay undisturbed on both sides of it. It is broken in pieces which are very uniform in size. The material is very compact and is not stalactitic, yet it does not resemble any other limestone in the vicinity. I was unable to account for the position of this hmestone. ‘The seam runs in about the same direction of the fracture in the surrounding strata. SECTION NO. 25, STRAWN DIVISION. Made at Mountain Springs, five miles east of the last section. 1, Yellow and bluish clay......... nA aU Or ee, ay bes. ee ae eee 40 feet. 2.0 mellow limestone xs sce dnleaealslawer sie pi.0s © che en elcidn ttle ae eee ene 2 feet. Se MOM CIA... «- «20.0. eee slere tessa death ale o)etetaveeerae we serekeustetal- tA Ante le ars 22 feet. as pammenstone, water bearine’ c-..5 0). cece ale sem epee ong ciemerad eae bth ohh Coke ean 6 feet. eR Eo 2 CL ee MRE SO ar ai5 4 ela ans : 6.2 spay ayace Rid ous eee ee 30 feet. G, . Zamestone, cherty..... ...c.nkeces oem esp we i: the ce telus iia. ape 2A este ge 3 feet. Tt Sache a hay nw 's ines oe inte = 6 oo 5: otab © oles alata, 5 eee ee eee 103 feet. The cherty limestone in the above section is the same as was found in the bed of East Keechi Creek and at the base of the preceding section. The massive water bearing limestone is the same bed as is found at Palo Pinto and at Canyon. Siw peng eos CARBONIFEROUS. 381 SECTION NO. 26, STRAWN DIVISION. Mineral Wells. 1. Blue clay, fossiliferous. ...... .. SUMO LOR tee GK stat sae alate Meee tice ams. 80 feet. me Pohaly Sandstone: . 52k ss). <2 aT PP Pe eae nes Ben See Pata ae OM Oa 25 feet. SEE VNENS NRO FP Peart Ee re ea, ee far cea ctere: Sie eyo a Ble ow andigee ea 1 foot 6 inches. 4, Be Hite ery N ee St la MN ON alte he, .. 4A feet. FE WM SHOMET a teens Gieipa bee deayw te! ado ha, x Lat Oa GP age A eA a 3 6 feet. 6.) Conglomerates 2. .j.0') 2. ..'."- REA oR Ree ota EN cn ont weny Ser east ytd af a 8s is 4 feet. POG: ake y BA TCT ot Sols Ree ge Te UR LA RENTAL hohe an 160 feet 6 inches. The fossils collected at this place have been given on another page of this Report. SECTION NO. 27, MILLSAP DIVISION. At Powell’s Ferry, on the Brazos River. PRS Soe Me UNE NUTIS LY OLGA S tars cyess Woe te aie sate «is: stators) ss ain m ska autos oa Apc ole bee eye eee ate ee at Bee »o.-, \LO deat: ee J DUNOGUORG Pe SE ett o lore «ae ive avon oe Ghats eR eee bk ee eee 2 feet. 4.» Yello wis pela ys 2 fee sin 5 me 0's & 0s os ois ee lee apy be - dl feet BS TaAMORUONG Ce pees ee a sos 6 oon 0% ws 5 ole oe ere 2 feet. B. . Yellow clays Socphicgic as b= nis + <)s)0)+ sie Sele See) Ae eee 20 feet. 1.” Eamesione Geese =: tek Ee Bons tts is eee 3 feet. S)": damestanme |... Seamer os oS els also oe Sec eee ee 2 feet. QO: Simestane 6 Ae eed ce! wis Lhe ee 1 foot 6 inches. Tela cob cis dk Kak are eee ewes Bete bends ceo eee eee 64 feet 6 inches. CARBONIFEROUS. 383 In No. 1 of the above section there are Bellerophon, Pinna, Allorisma, and Nautilus?. From between the upper beds of limestones of this section there issues a bold, running spring, that flows into Rough Creek. SECTION NO. 31, ALBANY DIVISION. About one-half mile southeast of the previous section. The top of this section is about twenty feet below the base of the preceding section. Begin- ning at the top: 1. Limestone, with thin seams of clay..... Re titet chal PMsLerhohe tte ge tokatla e's ays 4 feet. DEMS Hie ee TOS EOR Cierny Nc cue ep eee Nar cheterel =) oketatere wt crete oleisy Pals id es aye 6 2 feet. me HOMIE CLOT Oxia eta acl or aralets ace tc To eurele avec sel sie jel ois ic ajar © eicuatey et és 1 foot 6 inches. Ae PCOC ISIN MIMICSEOME! ahs Sei eagle o eines syatege: sc eushe cueteain ete ara it OT ea eee 8 inches. SP Cu CLINGS COM Opie) cay eet Sales Ue) Afalay tao beep aj a¥e/ SMe VSNEIS whole taka Sue «86 1 foot 6 inches. Sp LMU Nets Suet ts ai Sey cuer scum speheese. 4 Sets dee Salen Se eats seine’ olesee e808 2 feet. PITS LONG sapere ee na cy i Baked Sia) 5! cetera test eteteiehapale: oie ap yenaeere Ts Suslta's 1 foot 6 inches. 3, LUSUIN GIS C113 es cone Snee aeR kota re Pa eae cee a shes Maoh cntiate PUEDE Log ee emt 6 inches. 2, TRPRE RSS ye Reece icy ieee Ran TA eT 2 feet LUV) QUT TTS G1 eae ee eae eae AES Mae Aree Ua intieheb avon svalavard uy atts 6 inches. nae AGT eS ode Bes oS ICS Bena RE Se eae ee tO OO ree 6 feet remit: Worm IMC SUM Cae ah os So nehc ce cs eat systdpesie ek dus DS otele oie wiita ae adhere 8 inches. mae Molnume LAY eee ar triste) os artivecta wa ds as starety sudo 2 pel tat A feet. PMC ileiny MC SLONG, an etacia eee at sls cise = Siebel siete esl @ ais esas 6 1 foot. Poe MeHow= NimMeStOMe: 1.65.5 a ded el o's cic Che enna are Lad ee Ws Ata, 20 feet. 16. Striped limestone......)...... fSpem cra ies SB PRN eRe raitar CEL RECS ee ia Rea 6 inches. ire Mel lorwsbr, Clay. 3 dels fe 20 = aie .h ope nla es a ey e8 Malar ny Wake eat Pes eae 10 feet. 18; ‘limestone (building material)............:--. MPA na, th re Htead Seat OO ts TEL, Oc BS BEES BE Go CLUB CIR R REGO RCRA CRE RA aa 59 feet 4 inches. Some of the limestones in this section would make excellent building ma- terial when there shall be a demand for it. The formation here very much resembles that just west of the town of Baird, and is probably the same. It is the beds I have elsewhere called “Albany Beds,” and is the same as seen at the head of North Hubbard Creek, in Shackelford County, northwest of Albany. The coral Syringapora multattenuata is very abundant, occurring in large masses in the clay and limestones. There were also Synocladia, Macro- cheilus, Aviculopecten, and Myalina. SECTION NO. 32, ALBANY DIVISION. In McCoy’s pasture, on the south side of Pecan Bayou, and below the forks of the bayoy. The top of this section is eighty feet below the base of the previous section. 384 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. - eT, Tame SOMO 1 iSirs so ochatd Steele tlc cca a eieteeanche oes len out tren ee ‘ 1 foot. Pen 0 Ee ee ere Omni rerre en are A rl SO KR ee Oc oo A 20 feet. SB) PAIMeStOBS. £.: . s-. ac 6 kn de ara aicee ce Coit eee See Ae ee 1 foot 6 inches. AGT Fale as oie 0 a 0 0:0-58 © ipa: war's in woo) © leave fete MOR Ueenala ete 6c eae ana 10 feet. i DE AG UMOSTONGs cs i «so ced itr Bae habe OER ee gh, ee 1 foot 2 inches. CIA en's Sioa aia pipeline scan teams 4 Srila Dreuehays Ana cera secon eee ene 15 feet. deporliMestone ..... . 5. Br A ee ee er PUR ei ooo ow 1 foot 4 inches. Bre NAY. «a anki x: etan's « lorero: aye ale a pclae tate ete ase mi ev ehers teere ais rete teres eee 20 feet. Oi LAIMOSTOME 56 fondo sere tern eo ds veranda Ghat Aun er oie ede ee Oe 1 foot 6 inches. MOE POLE is aces cre § elese b.Gie es ye oheieils = enn als w eke | gy ele eine gece ee 10 feet. 1s Limestone <./ oes. s hea e eee ee ene Jue hea bee: tae Lc nee sik eee 8 inches. Potaos ace 8 ak ache aed eee a eee ee ol ee 82 feet 2 inches.. “SECTION NO. 33, ALBANY DIVISION. Polecat Hill, at Station No. 112 on our line: 1. “Red/and- blue clay. 22.245 520% ae ome hem et ee ee eee eee 20 feet. Df OANOStONO soc so wee nsek an ae er errr Rew est ee et. PIE Ao 6 inches. 3. -Blueiclay.. sas civkia sats ixG cates hes cea See cece eee 12 feet. 4. OF allow Timestone:.., hs wns oe hw eein en ce BE ee ee Ce ee 2 feet. By: «Mellow clay coir: eee tise eee Eee hs Dubie fe fol ete etal ls Made tee etre ts 10 feet. 6.° Wellowtimestones ..2s civ haces ote Oe ee eee aL 1 foot 6 inches. Total ws! sie id seks 2 ae ek ta ee ee 46 feet. At this section is the first sandstone we have found on this line. It is here in a thin bed, and is probably not persistent. It very much resembles the bed of sandstone found at Baird, and on North Hubbard Creek, near the town of Albany. SECTION NO. 34, ALBANY DIVISION. At one-half mile south of the previous section. LP TUIMERTONG: <0. oie 0’ p\clew's alls see eau ere eee eee eae EEN ete E - 1 foot, BEN BLOW CLAY ...5-< sa s's.9.5,eed baie Sete nie erate Maree cies oie eee Sine ee vakds woot: o. amestone, shaly .....0:.ce<09 Rieck eG sae wnie.s byelt cue wd ateneleneS Bene ee 2 feet. BE NTA Ea sE <5 ain a'ss 0 a\e am 0 n.6 > wimip BiB Risto Blake Reohots es es AR Re ae 4 feet. Bs) EATWPGIYTIG 2s pS a isl is os saa ln Ge bled a bobs bo Ieee s obtas bid Stet slo ey wel bbw Beet dea 8 feet. BIT Loe Sie, bine a eee eee 8 feet. 3; Yellow olay... oder cesses ac de sg es ss dees See ‘1 foot 6 inches. 4.» Tamestone «. .. .25 ces cies 0 os ce Skee eae ws see 3 feet. 5. Limestone, shaly, same as No. 3 in Section 34............. ar eet 2 feet. Stal oo hn cae be Cee eee i oe hel DEAS | a hore ee & ete erate aoe 54 feet 6 inches. CARBONIFEROUS. 385 Between Stations Nos. 119 and 120 is a bed of limestone, with thin seams of clay, thirty feet thick, containing a great number of Allorisma subquadrata, and weathering into round, biscuity masses when exposed to the weather. SECTION No. 36, ALBANY DIVISION. On Pecan Bayou, one and a half miles southeast of the previous section. Pm Sealy lM CS COME ec a. wc stersiw.s spe ise ecb o's acait pele aves cid seaate ee Sag es 6 feet. CRIS CIEE mis dee Sloicic, Sess hep ans See ea ee) Tatil es biG wed e ao Lope | eS feet: Ee Neweclaimesroneny i. O56 tac hie crated GN Sea rei ed 1 foot 6 inches. PTERISESCOMED cee SE hy faves ace neh Sue aee Wek BGdeEA SN os Sieh ee Te toot Imehes, Smee Dehra alt CONNEC EBs aus 5, a ahs! sy they evanayler-as'e ei oiesov ela aver eeete: stiesiean'ons gues 20 feet. mandate Sandstone. ane lush’ Clay, 9. 5) sce «sje aye le bonteseelanai's) ele 3 .- 15 feet 6 inches. LIT UDI CALLA RE OORT i gamelan oe Re 52 feet 3 inches. SECTION NO. 37, ALBANY DIVISION. One mile southeast of previous section. Pe ALISO 1M GMM SEATS <)o.2 5 <\e'e tafe erate cst ais 6 eleuiGieue aisle! la © Glen bere eaes 2 feet. em RNC LAY eer PRE aye niet eie cs fe a Sidlk de atetes 9a +k Recs re eehena Natit Ne A feet. Sop SEEDS ACES hots Ales ences calc eae RT CURIE rt AO aes eg a 8 inches. LC RUBE ea 1 ao. oreK, wiel PRs nica wei uee Sade we wi, Wee Ze tects EP EMMESLONG 5205 66s 0rats ic e.siv'e’ oiee ss CaS PB Coie airs CPN este Renee eae 1 foot 6 inches. SAAN ar Ne Sere ot eh 2) Sak chetapafS2ahd ahs Galea a oehadelakey wale alae vais ae hens 40 feet: [. (SETS G me, Be pee i ae oie ey ee eer See ene 6 inches, be HLED ee 2scUEE Ree ee eo a Pale . 20 feet. 9. himestone®...... 2.2. MS SRA st Aa ee ge hee oe RAY fy steed ah ohikas 2 feet. VEL SE SG ah BAe, & ae ee fae ne ene de a 82-feect 8 inches. SECTION NO. 38, CISCO DIVISION. On Pecan Bayou, one-half mile east of the county line between Callahan and Coleman counties. EC NOW CLAY 2 fre Fy ac a), stars xe ose iaveCnpsieh- les RE Rat Aer ee ieee): 210), 1e0b: Te PAD INCSEOUG): oo 4, ss aye) 5 ove no 4 a eee SE PESO RE gel Ee 2 feet. WaMMPRPVIC CLAVE At rats iain. < 6 afd 4a os eis aes BEE Sort Oy TA Lea BE retsinetenneysint Scr 20 feet. A PEICSLONC) oo cbas? ota Shei e eis Maral ctelensnenotenatale tea) s uvsde th ie isle ee grate ..- 1 foot 6 inches. PC MIN CEMA Gt aie ous cle ate) eae he Sek Lee te ie Shoah s eau ans 4 feet. Pe aeP MRICS OTe erty et a W /cha,; Uh fod ae ate StL ated atcws.-«. sc dieke acald Ate eee L008: EPRI ay rr ee, ae 2d NS SR sce gy ps i tA dich.b ots ode a sw 9 4 feet. i. DE ActAr A 777 ee te 2 feet. Ram em PMA A cers tates t's 2s, WASPS ae iris Ei 'asele'e. te Gucce Wea a ues 59 feet 6 inches. At this place are the first /usulina I have collected on this line. 386 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. SECTION NO. 39, CISCO DIVISION. One mile southeast of previous section and near the southwest corner of the McClung Johnson survey. ME MESO CIA, - n's o:5 in wine Sale tgaie me eres Ge & hee ne SR Te 20 feet. Dee SOAMOSTONE. os, s.iaiclse teresa 2 k vec qeuses eo) ola emt Rees tat ei 2 feet. PACED IIS CLAY 3:5 ihe she wlteid 6 Leucine ateed Bes, aM ee ee lone ie ae a 15 feet. Ape SAGOStONO', £055 's 4 s-acniaw ele «08 Wess Lule oe ee eR ee ee 1 foot 6 inches. Bee ello WClaiyars acacia orem eeeer Ce earns sop ges ahah ape eee 30 feet. 6, Greenish sandstone: .. o.\hvel ass kaleq eee ee 6 inches. w Wellow' Clays 22 os 3.20.52 Gossee sce oes oe 15 feet. 8, Yellow limestones wi: kos choen se tet 2 ee ee eee 2 fect. Oe ‘Yellow lays cob esas cs Bem eae oe ee ate eee 20 feet. 10; . “Nellow limestowe > os: «tac cts oae ate see ee ee eee 2 feet. Mba os 0505 ai cane P aaa cia Fehrs ce oi ee ee Ee ee 108 feet At this place the following fossils occur: Schizodus wheeier’, Swallow; Productus semereticulatus, Martin; Pinna peracuta, Shumard; Hemipronetes crassus, King. SECTION NO, 40, CISCO DIVISION. On the Mark Izard survey, near the public school house. L.> Black Slate nes vs nes das ee pes Ho ee oe eee 4 feet. 2. LAMORDOM y's eae cists wie cope iting ie SO eae ne ee 8 inches. 3. Blue whale. 4565 vee we ces tet ke et Oe ee eee 2 feet. a.” SAMORTOND:. fsa. Genie ae Scueeas Waese Eee ee cE oe eee eee 1 foot. Di- WANOSHONG \.ccu\e narsin eo Pm a khcle-< Raaleis oe oer oT ee ee 2 feet. GLAS 2 6. 3.5.0 a Sa Mantels Ae ae SUR eLN els eataag ae arcea 4 feet. Totals... Joyo p eh GRR pee ae ee eee eee 13 feet 8 inches. About one mile east of this section, near the northeast corner of the George Kubanks survey, in a well that was being dug on Mr. Gould’s place, the most of the way for thirty feet is through a shaly limestone and blue clay that has a great many Aviculopecten imbedded in it. One-half mile southeast of that is a hill showing the yellow limestone at the top that was first seen in Section 39 and elsewhere along the bank of the bayou; below that was the sandstone seen at the school house, as mentioned in the previous section. © On the top of the hill mentioned, and resting directly upon the yellow lime- stone, is a bed of conglomerate. I have not seen it elsewhere, and it is prob- ably local. SECTION NO, 41, CISCO DIVISION. On bayou, three miles east of previous section, near the town of Burkett, Beginning at the top. CARBONIFEROUS. 387 are MerOw Cleiy tS. S Ane, wane yea Weber y fatale « go OE Bee ere 20 feet. SEP PRELC SEO Cerin serte comet ete A APN aod yA dan, laid Mecstidat dys. nial ia-ehajisch ve 6’ ob» 2 feet. S MEGULON GLEN Teyana are gen aici cite cloaca Fergie an ea ara Oa grea 25 feet. PREBLE SUOMO seerrdehcic ter. tolces al pokreh als wiles wanes 8 oats ol Meee Seto kiers 1 foot 3 inches. HMC HO Olae cr ki clk EVR eRe. oe, Ss or es SJE NR Oe Oe eee 8 feet. 6. Limestone...... itet 2, ROR Selma Crake A SMMC, fea eRe eect an Ge? ee 1 foot 6 inches. mm et Owe Clay votes «bce. 5 ausienit snes eae Sig hea @ arate sla) 0) Sle een vee LO} feet. Sc SERIEO NOTES Bhs Gry Bette eros Been tenis aS Pe a 4 feet. ANG EN EADS OR Rae eo ee PCS en erent an ee wah ha! 71 feet 9 inches. At this place we reached the first bed of coarse-grained massive yellow sandstone. SECTION NO. 42, CISCO DIVISION. At county line between Brown and Coleman counties and on the White league. PN is LAY rst rote Necro oP oh ar1o) ec Farts) 6) bw 3s fe oe e0e Vallodd oats lawte ENA « hove! olieyate rel Olsteets 2. Sandstone, massive............ SAE ee es Ra Wee ihe Uc Gee, Wena Were 2 Yale weuaus 4 feet. 2. PeTVGS TINS, MOTOS Oe ile Lin ol hrinhg Mec eee ten ACRE Ln ae ao East an Rae an 1 foot. ze SOC TIDE IPS EM a Re A lg eect ine eng ye eee ee AP 2 feet. Hiipew eter ia eo AG Mane ese wie Beeps s RS SS gp OE clic ane Me 17 feet. SECTION NO. 43, CISCO DIVISION. At three miles east of previous section and on the Victoria County school land. Le WUGIUGN iG Ee eRe 2 a ne cr gS a rar Ape ee ave 20 feet: PRPS OIU CR IMNOS TOME Fst Neate oo Sees nt caret & seek Gene witce a aie e wcateel bene a)ale ¢ .:. 4 feet. pmemcllow.=Clay. eine. 3.2)2)050 82 Nao) See ee hace eee A Wo otal a tit a © Nb .. 6 feet. 4. Limestone, massive....... “te ERC Lane GUE 8 ATEN Ren Ee Oi REN DARPA PO OR 3 feet. UTE rere Cheah BE ci EB Bao WO ic mle re URI ONCE TE aera ake AE AI ee ner ee oo. LeCG. This section very much resembles the strata on Sandy Creek, in Hastland County, three miles northwest of Cisco, and | judge it to be at the same geo- logical horizon. SECTION NO. 44, CISCO DIVISION. At Mrs. Smith’s, on the Jesse Williams survey. PP) biaek vituminous shale... 5.2... 263.% bo Lectin PRO ONE, ESE OUR Nae 10. feet. MMAR er asa ee gO Rghy 6 a's TAA OD i Beaded 8 a CORDELL en ee hae 4 inches. CRE LD ee P hoes eee RNA inet tera gh pis. 6 ples we ee WE 4b 8 8 feet. 4. Sandstone, ripple marked, thin bedded..... seh he Oe ig BU aan ea 4 feet. Te LEGO CAGS 8 oe ee ee eae Rye aiiiater cle, srs 30 feet. 6. Greenish sandstone...... etek A SNE nn ao eiate tele io/Seei a" oye» 0° she 8 inches EO UDIVECLAV Cae SNe sido aie ods vu 2 2s aw Me EP NG choy oa -e 6 40 feet. | DUEL GSA eS NA 00 AAD) Bio one ae oe 8 feet. em a AY So lol es)" ha gid atone Yc oka cad ec ceeccewes 101 feet, 388 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. The coal seam in the above section is probably No. 7 of the general section, but being exposed in only one place, and that at the top of a small anticlinal, I was unable to determine. There are in places a small seam of coal above Seam No. 7, and it may be that this is that thin seam. SECTION NO. 45, CISCO DIVISION. Two miles west of Bird’s store, and near the mouth of Paint Creek. Le Niellow: clay a.:.-e02 5.4 Be de het eee gi Teh © bande chalid @iaaigneeenen ea ae ean 18 feet. 2. Sandstone, cross-bedded, ripple marked... ...)... 22 .). asshiss Rete qeeeeenee ene 3 feet. 3. REG Clay... ccc dpe deem vais, & Seidl sole iUengiene Vike an stG Meee ee 20 feet. A> AGWIMNOSTOME 5 %.20, Fein Gin ud s.2 ie Kemet kageme it aera Opin: JARS eee 2 feet. Total cas 5 oe sp oa-s.e wie oe bw Sale ele niet oon a 9 nye ee geeue oe ema oe 43 feet SECTION NO. 46, CISCO DIVISION. At mouth of Paint Creek. 1. Sandstone, ripple marked.. ... ........ en er ia: oemateak ciara Se eet vos sy Soules 2. Wellow Clays 05k o's nccsta wihies min ata sa a Renae Beads bl enen ae ee 20 feet. BS; Conglomerates. + saws scs> eas acs tte a eee eee ene 2 Sat aay pepe 4 feet. jie) a rr ee ee Care een Pen en Ohya 4 ot 28 feet SECTION NO. 47, CISCO DIVISION. Beginning one mile east of the mouth of Paint Creek, at the top. l.’ .Lamestone; shaly, with icoral:,.5..5 a scoters siesta ae tere eee 3 feet. 2. tGley.. 2s swe ie erase te ahs AWMMSstONe: . 2... ss Seas oo Mele ob oe eee toe 6 pees eee oreo 1 foot 6 inches. pee CLOT on) cec2 oleh stato, cos wate Seo Aer a 6 feet. 14. TAM GREONS ein a aces 5 ene hiss So's are eye ed ane aU a 1 foot 8 inches. OMA retreats eps o sisis ats a Daze oe hele yeaa ene 128 feet 5 inches. In No. 1 of the above section I found a coral, abundant and very large, that I I have seen at only one other place—on Mukewater Creek, near the town of Trickham. Thisis at about the same geological horizon, and I take it to be the same beds. The coral very much resembles Campophyllum? Some of the specimens are two inches in diameter and eight inches long. CARBONIFEROUS. 389 SECTION NO. 48, CANYON DIVISION. At the crossing of Pecan Bayou, and on the Wm. Eldridge survey. PEAS HUET CAINE SUOMCN vem aye ary cia bea kicture basis whaler cystaieicidustsicyelets selei‘ei ois ekelala «eile o 6: 6 feet. VNU Chyna Lelie rs eyecare eve Suen heNCHs Ve Palco tricone oidnalion « fotene ode renerele! cele diptaecelens ere eee 10 feet. SUPIRENTO S GUMTI CERI a COVES coho vetieyiiie Art secicha carte cise bee tehe teenie ic elles © tetgVeiG eyelet fare eevee a'r oe 2 feet. ET 2 Ba OUR Viera oho oa a NOH cs of cae, e seiteds inlheesaslovie- sie a\ch osellere lane ieigveahatole rs ohehunelaleg leo ae wis 8 feet. GMC SEOMEN COMB DODILLUUNE? cB USULUIO :.* soos ie teuslaye sities tein ta lente esiei'e levee ole) ele: o'eheve 3 feet. SBN itll ene er ray ee Pre a) aA hice hice aw (arrears Mat corte Mihm cow Ware yeh a dio /8 Ge Ubee laste ae 29 feet. SECTION NO. 49, CANYON DIVISION. On the right of the road, opposite the twelfth mile post from Brownwood. hes LE SLIDSI IEW RY NARS GRRE Gr es ci, Sekai AE ASSESSOR HE WA eo ea OREM 20 feet. Pep UMBESEONO.. cs oa sso fs SNE i cet cate hoe relat aD Mere R Sea OM 10 inches. SM MRUINIO LEAVE avs f2 haa ciate sche ete pci hie tf SS niatele ea woe verel es 20 feet. PRESAMASIOHOT Cee 2 5s ha cn Bie pee Brine eae Pera etal 6 feet. b=. Viellow clay... —.. eS Oe Dernd uae We Rade Mert LeNS cata areas 10 feet. Sem EERO ip ates Se ys yen ete leyic sy tis, x ens, (Ces Ae AMT ELA wlepolatere s 1 foot 6 inches. eCUOMA CLAY ich wees ss 5 Ser er AN ARG a rt starstyle fds 5 sane, Lovdeet: erotic lmestone with fOssils ... 26. 6. cae he ee SEs Net een tee bs LUE) © SSSR S Gd accel ey OST ED Se Rota Rn ES ke 90 ern Pg 15 feet 4 inches. At this place I collected the following fossils: Athyris subtelita, Hall; Pro- ductus prattenanus, Norwood; P. nebrascensis, Owen; Pleurotomaria spherulata, Conrad; P. tabulata, Hall; Productus semireticulatus, Martin; Sporifer camera- tus, Morton; Orthoceras rushensis, McChesney; Macrocheilus ventricosus, Hall; Fusulina cylindrica, Fischer; Campophyllum? sp. SECTION NO. 50, CANYON DIVISION. At Jim Ned Creek. DAMME SCONE: cia + bao ET Ne tae erie oy TN eee Sarahare: bee Watley hehe t avatar | unas'e 8 feet. Pe SAME DUM er en TE Aare er Ae NCTA get h o erayayshor a tie alec alnie ean 08 12 feet. ASE EE Pe mL Can ee sel Wella itn Peta wake wath sl lar cia aS cahialce i weal yee 8, 8 2 feet. Sem RLes aug AITO NUL CLAYS, cero Mee ean atanty doc aray tie So eeenle ells’ foie: syfatien'ae 1s 0) 6) Ss Biever scot 15 feet. De \LoTDE SS UIE E do) 2h es SU Spa le cnet EMI a ae tiac Ae leat aR gS oe 3 feet. mA MAC See ae ne rye ees ete ART tated oe Os Aislts 4 ateye dueta «eed aye es 1 foot. ace ee a eae aslo AR Be PAA Ae Gd sca aroial Soa eh ged Sle MIR 8 ele dina’ woe 41 feet. The limestones at this place are the same as are found on Rock Creek, in the western edge of Jack County, and numbered Section 23, 33—geol, 390 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. SECTION No, 51, CANYON DIVISION. Hight miles north of Brownwood. ie ellow clay... .0 sees e "lap os oS gum be eels ae ORIEL re ee ee 10 feet. 3 PP SATIGStOUR oss ae ee Sen ee bok owls o oe oe eee eee 10 inches. Bae WRMOW ClAY 2 oc ka nS oe oc ots as Nelae ss sate eS Cee es 20 feet. Ber MAMOSTONOG . o2.°s. 06 35.00 0 au peter pana wel © eo ree ean ee 2 feet. BD; Tnmestone « .. 0s... os o's co Sn 6 chide ce a Ae eee Cae ee 3 feet. 6, Mellow and blue clay... 20. ca ns oe ai eee Oe ee 10 feet. ‘elute limestone .....:. - cs ec wo” + ews ale woe centers oie Oe ee 10 inches. Total: .csicheg = «less oleae @ oiaeth oe Ot Ree Lee 46 feet 8 inches. SECTION NO. 52, STRAWN DIVISION. At Willis Creek, two miles south of Brownwood. Beginning at top. 1. Dimestone i. 3 ad 6 a'o5)i5i0 Biale sea a clale > ona so ee eee 25 feet. Do QUAY ss vo ass amine nin ola: h bist osm! at satin ta ele ely eipt allel isla cuelee eee once epee 15 feet. 85 PLAMOESTONE 4c ee eee wi” navi 8 gigape Rl arated sels le ae ee 1 foot. CSC et Or eA Se Se nr ARAN Ennis ts Mere eh ees 6 Total’. eos dass! a biclacn swbeleesatelien 2% See Re pou e PE ne eee 41 feet. SECTION NO. 53, STRAWN DIVISION. At and south of Colorado river, on West Brownwood and San Saba road. Beginning at the top. 1! GReANOStONE ss fc siechs gin alam phe bear ate Feet «Salle stil sie dt pe evecare 8 feet. 2. Shaly sandstone. voices ais sekwse easier se Ge n't > ssc ole aah Oe eee ee 35 feet. B. Bandy. GAY 5 asics vice e enw ee bid see woe ethers niles a noe cea: cane 35 feet. 4, Shaly sandstone, v.00 04 easieeis.e «nce isin aie’ d eye's mis oa mene ak olen tate 12 feet.. - p..veendy clay . osc. a acieg emis Ou aloes sine Gane alelages au one ee 25 feet. G.. (Shaly sandstone: «<<. hese saci nce ey een ee eee eee eee 18 feet. Te BN y CLAY... osaies swine Aialin wie Se ae elas ego aiecpie ahora ae era 10 feet. &. «whaly sandstone, ... 2+ asa bs oes vec elae we ao ssanneer bene, aan ee 45 feet. MAN GMUONG oss a cis «nn uis ce tee le ea ears qitis Ais e's sei els Be udlghaate ee Oana 5 feet. | iO; -onaly pandstone. . «6.033% sae Seca dae aed een eae tee cee aie etree 5 feet. AY. DAMAISHONG 0. asin ciane sinensis dels se pies oe ee pe eer 10 feet. TOWRA IA Os fos sn kp aiela s dorae went was oe 1 aaa a pimple ei ae ele Oe 2S. Gandatone 22.2... ce dene ee neon eae aces Semele ene eee 25 feet. TA... Sep Clay a. inher a nee nies 0s 0:5 nn eo sm hie paiouece ms) bine ee een 15 feet. 4 io). On errr ae a ee 328 feet. SECTION NO. 54, STRAWN DIVISION. Five to six miles south of Colorado River, on Houston and Texas Central Railway 89 and H. B. Williams 371 surveys, San Saba County. CARBONIFEROUS. 391 last | SSCUNG.S (RETINAS A PERE ik aiein id! Os RD agi re ee etna Del Ioi ciicia 15 feet. SMM OVONCL as Cea perenne cay eee east Ik Ea eile wiley Wa Sie dt ellalande ic oot iiisetiecd’s ew «« 60 feet. ME SLO LOMO Ree Cherie ete DS cy cuthocarstdl dite le oMevdl ele cet atae iow he Bi inte bev a elds @'s 5 feet. #, Sandy clay ..... +. raat otert a zator'ene, of sf shiate SOON CEO, HOG DE DEH Do he ORO a OER 50 feet. Sy QeMISONTOLE OS 6. RNAI Gene ER en esa ae ree ee 2 feet. CG. SSNS ACIENT Sig a ea en Bre SIE nC Sent RU UWE kn Aan ae 40 feet. Te SIGS ETT CSET 8 7 RA ee 7 feet. So STIG HY? (GlE ye GAR A Meee ane nee eR ee Oaphnia ert ene topslion we tev alcsis'ac ey 5 ia.< 35 feet. De SACS COTO Pectenemen oP ra teal ichoapels, ahetst elem even erate ele. Bd Bis Ad avet aleve oS a abovare 11 feet. LD CRF cB OOF, ce RS Oe Patra DACRE eh en 15 feet. WORM SATO S COME Ma peice 45) a, Suni Stale 8 seed oe Roane MT n ee LUN ERAS ahs hie lcgce.tees te oe 3 feet. en” STG hg) a el eR eee ee re ete eaeeaie wean eve. wi's 20 feet. ESE a coin OS DEB Colo 0 Raia ERENT RIO oF PERL ter at lc nate Paeii a E O ee 263 feet. SECTION NO. 55, STRAWN DIVISION. Hight or ten miles northwest of San Saba. Beginning at the top. MP SANE SIL eye) ey a ale (al che crcl ao he eisot-olaliatisb ele laud el 4 Wor co's) een Wella sete e'a) aud) alae lene 5 feet. Pom AMIENS CLA eta Shcre etelisfctsiel. 1s cr sie yeie: se wicler e's Saree EPS No Mec e IH On ere eel austen tic| eNO ly 25 feet. 22. BS 2010 5) 0) 0c ea eee oe ee 0OdG) conde esOB es ba sdece Heo tons Gann 4 feet. fe Clty somewhat SAnGy 2... sae bate aed BAS Ses Sih ana, eels Saleen ata, oe 95 feet. MRI PERNUS LONG: (2 2 lye 5 ee teustec wc Metab teL eet eP steed eaten et ot al cean sizer ahs RNead ese byioy > se 6 feet. PMO EEN Syren ss ss AAs ee Bk BINA eben ro heb uote its Nee nay comer ae clale te ala vea et ane yicuens T feet EAMES LONG a WLU Clay, AED OS ote sh) serv hn lererar es + ot evel elo ey es Otis tails Waleaiaaione eee 15 feet. Ss RE EULOWAG ANA g deck eB bag URINE BI Crag a eres ei Secor eS ee 20 feet. SPILL DZ AMIE Cmte EL Sh volts hails 250 Sewelerels cos oe iso oheliliotaelaverey avs what Be Vea seaNy va syaiear eae 15 feet. MOST INEL VEC AWILR IS 1 EAS: Us sxe xce. op ae es ed airs av lay SyeNC ellen satan Wale) bi atl hae ehwe ade 100 feet. Le SEIS eI R dy a eae BIOS Geir he eee a enn Pek Pee og ae ee eee 2 feet. Mie RMS AMISL YUVA e AA enn Se En A 8 pci ue isttceen st abel Aa saya 5 S3at oY oft Gah clash cai oly cy luo oy. x aes 2 feet. S..’ Blue slay. 2.0 ec oe ee a ees ec as nn 6 tein ww ls em A feet. B, |) Lamieatomen sys ile aoe als 0 isin new hl ste ale ae ee ee 1 foot. PERMIAN. 403 The beds of limestone in the above section belong to the Clear Fork Beds, while the red clay is at this place at the top of the Wichita Beds. SECTION NO. 29, WICHITA BEDS. Two miles east of previous section. # Hee clay with nodular concretions with fogsils,,.......,.0s¢s061s)scee-.0- 30 feet. Bene HONOTEON PS OMCIALES. 225.6056 5 6: 8 oh ec Ste oe So a alte oe Speer Rai they sais vases veS" a! 1 foot. SPE PETNC Le eter Peete terete 8 oi cee! Sioumbeler ate lateatle) eeesyace a craw aiid inicio drekaw ve pale 4 feet. PEO PE LOMIGLALG (ILOM OLE) 25 ve) d:ciais outa eae an Smee are eee ea sleds sl atana eal eu elel alo 2 feet. LADUT bas © sie oie ort ta Eat Ai ORIEL re ce tn ect A EU AUR ras a a 37 feet. This is one of the localities given in Dr. C. A. White’s description of the fossils of the Permian. (Amer. Nat., Feb., 1889). SECTION NO. 30. One mile west of Corn Hill. Le, LESAN ara el, ee tice olew oo ac hon Mon Shea 30 feet. PRIME NOU OCU- SAM USLOM Gs. MG Ac. cserd oo Se oo Sled ousiare «he ele we alegre eels, be Gipletae ais. a 4 feet. Sa ee eek ee ee Lee Wn itt co ouhud abet 34 feet. SECTION NO. 31. Corn Hill, or Tit Mountain. em mee Liye rote ei oes Set. yl oo tik ote ROTI pS nye oie (3a, eT bi bra a oh suka’ 6 feet. 2. Conglomerate, fossiliferous............ SE Ee ENS eae g eine PT SS BAdy oN 8 feet. Z| AES, CEE Ret bs Ge 0 oR SE ne A a re Grim ar a 30 feet. Me RPE CHACON STS LONE ar gele oc. oie nt sv et ns eee crete se coated She te uo mela ead anna gh ek seal 60 A feet. EEOe Mee tea AO Mero wtcatel a yel ey Sin jcc cv eal Pelee relict Aaiel SateLeta foace! ai ten berm atie 48 feet. At this place I got several specimens of vertebrate fossils which were de- scribed by Prof. E. D. Cope, and are embraced in the list of vertebrate fossils from the Permian, given elsewhere in this Report. SECTION NO. 32. Hills about twelve miles west of Wichita Falls. SO Riek as APRA ae oa es 2) oa oN suey) A eeu ai sds Oh cw. ohare el ojo lal ay ciibess oi «, © aye 20 feet. SAE OTALE 5 COSSIMMELOUS Loree 2 a. «120d ch apa ae a/ovale < d:+/e, 1 ofo didi s\slele/e wee c's 6 1 foot. COC LAM WV NL EY MEO TIOOINES 51.5. 9 vce; «dence 4 (ais) 2 tus ep oi'e, eee 4a) le sion did, 8 ei arajee aes 20 feet. MSOC MBLC OCU) tary iss) 5 sessile es acie x «a DEG alcie tclecaieke eeneees 4 feet. LUE Lente fC Catt top Mec aes ore) Cot nO NORMA CENCE Ie DOP UR TORT AE Na 45 feet. It must be remembered that the conglomerate mentioned in these sections is the peculiar Permian conglomerate—composed of small round pieces of iron ore and clay cemented together by iron, 404. GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. 1B vs SECTION NO. ato. Two miles west of Wichita Falls. ” Bed clay, with nodular iron Ore .).:)shioiy.5 tee 4. ke iol > epee eee 30 feet. pandstone, thin bedded... 0. 0506s.) ce wiers Sle eee! selene aletel oof ea 4 feet. AOU seo sis x a susie wthelOnel te elise tame al oie Pevete a voremaeNs ule evidiehes eect enOE Deva 34 feet. Another general section was made across the Permian strata, beginning at the contact between the Carboniferous Beds and the Permian near the line between Haskell and Shackelford counties, or the divide between the Clear Fork of the Brazos and California Creek. The contact here is between the Clear Fork division of the Permian and the Albany division of the Carbon- iferous. ? The exact line of contact between the two formations at this place can not be definitely determined, as the strata are entirely covered by drift. In the rocks at the Clear Fork there were found only fossils of the Coal Measures, while at California Creek the fossils of the Permian are abundant. The texture of the rocks was observed to have changed, as well as the colors of the clays. The dip of the strata is very nearly the same. Section No. 10, made about one mile northwest of the northeast corner of Swenson’s pasture, and the northeast corner of a survey for the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado Railway Company. Beginning at the top. EL heh I a Blinishy Chay so 55: shasese Balers, oate's lire tetoc en a winialatn Dae aeteliegetsiny ae) nee 4 feet. Gray: Limestone’. 2). )c'shes <0 a Awe edeln oe niwiaes 2 eee ile fener ee 1 foot. Bluish clay, with Syringopora . 2... <1. deaictas © ores a oeve selleiece eeene ue 4 feet. Thin seam sandstone ...........-....seeeeeeeee Ais ciumsiater eerie 2 inches. Reddish. clay; << o:cs.5.aic.c m ayslets ms ee chs simone eens ip ciae aS, Are wiaaitasteatane 6 feet. Fossiliferous limestone..........-...-.-0- ween eee eee e etree eens 2 feet. Total. ...:<.0:g.t' Silactactepte ty aParly iia’s ied ada alnie he lag ee aa enone oie ieee 17 feet 2 inches. SECTION NO. 11. The following section was made one mile east of California Creek, and to the east of our line: er Ss oe — S LOND IG 2) ae ae PRE ENN gory a 3 le ialias'e'p ashing o ghee 8a ae ree 3 feet. Tamestone, much fractured). :...).. a0... 1 sess s olele se eets cele eon 1 foot. POE CIS awed nahin 08 nas node clen BXla eee 6.5 Bee 3 feet. mandstone, cross-bedded.. .. 2+... 2: ie aicees led ate 4 din’ oe fo eee 6 inches. Whitewnd retl.clay. 10.0. fesse sae ons Geen pe eel ae 20 feet. Gray limestone... 4. ise. e sod eed see dhe) OOo eee 2 feet. Ba ea = a a Soya a ae sw ssc a's acne eee 5 s,s laya alls (a alan ae Dark fossiliferous limestone FROG CUB oe aie tyeie oars esis doe aise ain seg le bio legs) ee ae PERMIAN. ; 405 SECTION NO. 12. Made west of California Creek, near our line. Pepe Me Claes icine Sct: Sane a eee 6 feet. PE MeTUCO NG ANiS crane a oa wists wus lade Sa oo}! ® Eee A Ne cP RU uae chet 6 GRABS staat ee 8 feet. Epes NOSUOME ats. ectei e ehiiejcte a) ce 6 siete e nah agente COE Les A SAL ai toes 1 foot. 6. Thin bedded limestone, Plewrophorus............+++06- ABU AML 3 feet. to) MMeStONe ss aeies.sls os! « Ec eewe RR ees ero shan, Bete By 2 ee gee een 1 foot 6 inches. SE BEN Oe) DML OE SS) 0) 01 cas ee ea Aarau TSN Bai aeeher A: 2 feet. Pola. oasis oes sol re So REE REA ieee eecet) ee 620) feet'6 inches: Above the last section and to the west of it there is a broad, level plateau extending three miles to the breaks on Paint Creek. On this plateau the prairie dogs have brought up from their holes clay of a deep red color, and as soon as the bluffs on Paint Creek are reached it is seen that there is a com- plete change in the character of the strata. Hast of California Creek the rocks were all limestones and the clays were all blue. On the west side of the creek the rocks are all sandstones and the clays deep red. The sandstones are thin-bedded and many of them cross-bedded, and the bedding dips at various angles and in different directions. In this thin- bedded sandstone are a great many tracks of insects. | At this locality are two beds of the conglomerate that is peculiar to the Permian, which is found at different localities and positions in the strata. In the conglomerate and red clays of this place a number of vertebrate fos- sils were found, and it is in this section that the second bed of copper clay occurs. The following section was made at this place: | SECTION NO. 13: 1. Dark red clay, with vertebrates, bottom not seen................ 10 feet. Pm A PUSITIGE ALG cheers 2 Puc cheeass ob pee we nie ee eoa a wk eae By st hee jes en Ate 6 inches. ROLY see etic Pet eile seni (em, 4 Rare Ne ss 5, SP SeeN hay Pati esa ews 4 feet. 4. Thin bedded sandstone, with insect tracks...............-2-00> 10 inches. MPR CE ENE Jot et ee ns Vile swe Ss ih od 1k Dee Sapa on ee 4 feet. @) Hue clay, withcopper concretionse 20.62.02. i ee ae A feet. i. wsalidstone, coneretionary.c. 2.4.6.2 ists oe oe A hd ee ae oe 10 inches. Bares Cay, Wisk) Clay ‘CONCKCHONS),.2. 66.15 ee ks. ot oka aes cede § 8 feet. ee Wipebedded waridsione, 0.55. 5.08 54522 week ce hs keen potions 8 inches. re eOee- Nemec, SANGStONe.. 22:3 sake ear ee 2 eee des bat ce hae 10 inches. 11. Conglomerate, with remains of vertebrates....... ..... ..-. Bales 6 inches. ON Ne fect inl, ce Ste a REP ec i Mag iS es 0+ « ollerrcnnyo cue 10 feet. 3. Blue -clay, with thin seam of copper: . 225.6, 5). ..c.. cstes > cmtee se See eee 4 feet. 4. White cross-bedded saidstone, with worm borings... .............-eeeeee 12 feet. 5. Conglomerate, in thin seams at top, and slanting back to top of hill......... 20 feet. Mota ots one big ie mG a a winlatw. Sa inal saree ere stedetshege ete a hg Oe ene ee 86 feet. At this place we have the beginning of the great gypsum fields that extend to near the foot of the Staked Plains. The waters are all impregnated with salts and are not palatable. | The following section was made at the copper mine about one mile south of Kiowa Peak: SECTION NO. 15. 1. Gypsum and sandstone, thin bedded ....... eee Fy ns 10 feet. Be VOC CLA 7 ve sa a ect otal tose tokens 1 ie shies acs'cs we eiuetalns oneal ie a eee 20 feet. a. blue clay, with Copper-.mck seas soe eee ESHER See tay it San Bot 4 feet. 4. White thin-bedded sandstone: :. <...5.5 (co 4 raeeiecic oe ee eee 3 feet. Motel 6 c:5..0s05 0 Sua baie a eee Cine ay ote Dhalacoaeresee - 81 feet. The base of this section is about two hundred feet above the top of the previous section. The entire distance is a succession of sandstones and gyp- sum, with only one thin bed of impure limestone. The copper clay mentioned in the above section is the upper copper bear- ing bed in the Permian in the State, and is found in several places north of this locality. The bed at the smelter west of Benjamin, in Knox Uounty, is at the same geological horizon, as is also the bed of copper on Raggedy Creek, in Hardeman County. The country west of Kiowa Peak is very rough, the hills high, and the gulches very deep. The following section was made at Kiowa Peak: » PERMIAN, 407 SECTION NO. 16. Pape GaN POS ENTE AIDC 1d Votes scr Wai yale eval} aie) cs ce astolaie 8 sls 1 Slots 'o(0%9/d whole (oldie oe oie i Pe AL 60 feet. 2. IN@ohGle yale & enh teal SS SAI er gan Pt Da ee ne 20 feet. eee Gu VPSUM ete ote te Sete cays 3.6 MOEN Marcela aie toate tet Sa a ata Se she Sache toheere 20 feet. de, LNEOIGIEV A. cis Dp Rate Dae src btcl Oe, Pater Rane eat ae de RAS ROD PO ed eA ee 35 feet. EME Crys SEAM ee yal tae rT ope edt edd e lard otah st Sort calf aisha sla gba ole 15 feet. 6. Gypsum, alabaster.... ....... ave aipeialepectenar sie ele operat ars Miayel oiaterSjald t.a.rel's saya a) ac 4 feet. NOTES yolet foc Wig BACH e's Gp een COPIA am ERE cue CI EP a er te ee a a 154 feet. The peak is a remnant of: the higher tablelands left standing out from the main uplands. It can be seen for a long distance from every direction. SECTION No. 17. Made four miles west of Kiowa Peak. 1. Seams of gypsum and greenish gypseous clays..............00. eee eee eee 60 feet. PMU CID fot. 6, «ores a5) Risse! cians S)ais)ie nis 'se 0 ous se PME ERG Sahel ties PERSIA RAAT AGN al ah lee 15 feet. Sse ADT L CS SGOT ers See trae Peto a ooh Non his cea bh O14 UR fot cries od elias vais ORD ahaa, alee lavedd Guels 30 feet. EEE CR ees rs ee oe cet opegerat yokes fel oa) | 0) feo, Sie by 6 ab sain Mhacal alae oh a's is ce Givens a's 30 feet. Paty AUN Stage esac eee es a hc tiiadtaane i ails ya bine cs eke oy cam. wid ay) be ey 55 feet. Beem PEMESH CLAY. 6c .5 0606 hi i 276s 0 8 SVAN So sar oray Siohiel Laas eh uiuopennaereie miele sie: siege sieve 15 feet. PEDIMEALONE IN“ SEVOFAN IAVCTS . cj; ate ci os. ie haya eve eis elev 'y 6 ou Sie ai oe tea ay et ace 8 feet. TOUT ec tic Gee. 8 OR ADO Oo NG OO RE RHEE CRE PSC rca Meo UPR rao 213 feet. SECTION NO. 18. Made at the “Z” ranch, about eight miles west of Kiowa Peak, on the Salt Fork of the Brazos River. Pee EMULE: Clady ALTO, CY OSU 30.5: 6 orn gn! tue to's! ooszs' eo a ae she bg 88 DIS Cae suSich os 3 feet. em Re CLD Votes eos 2 Ne oda aya ahag cid Sin olfh'e iin) els wireul 6, Las sa Ub nic bial gla 2 feet. cree ePUTESIT ry PSUIEN MAT ors, oon. Shaves 22. ne o5cd 4 ele ss eisunie oes 6% Sie Hees tats 1 foot 6 inches. eerie Ach, DNS Clay, IW SOAMISs ftn ic0s)a > cic wie so ale setae Bee Soe owen Secs 4 feet. EMME NE. VP SUM es oy sie) ss eyaicioie «ole sleraid cbt attrale oils «id Se hated ss ews 4 feet. ROMP EDIRC LC EY gee steed shi a eto ie, Shea) ie a ta op Meee os «boa as Aiakelios “a whiieldl eve 2 feet. i Exmestouc, i thin layers, fossiliferous.. 2.6 <2). 6 o/s of later elo betel c elas! 6 feet. PERE UIE MANE heis cs rena at avsy Pate cil ata's od) Sd HAS 8 eho oLi{h chaie eid shale asis\esbite 4 30 feet. ENC CLAYer oi ris ay eietaie ee ey eae aise s Sea POOLE Dea UR OTS Ea bore oan 4 feet. Meme P MCR LOMC Ie AV CUS. ey east js soi btals «ole ad Alice spaivie auelded.e ot ao.e av 3 feet. Potable Aces a: aries ARRAS yates ole state tats Cee tt dd OH ays) aye ehadd dices 59 feet 6 inches. The country is quite broken along the river, but broad plateaus extend from the breaks both north and south. The hills and valleys along the river are covered with a thick growth of cedar timber. The gypsum beds are cut into by deep canyons, and springs are to be found in all the gulches. The water is all impregnated with gypsum. 408 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. About one mile above the confluence of the Salt Croton Creek with the Salt Fork of the Brazos are the falls of Croton Creek. The water has a fall of about six feet. At the time of our visit there was as much water in Cro- ton Creek as there was in the Salt Fork of the Brazos, and it is said to run about the same amount the entire year. The following section was made at the falls: SECTION NO. 19. Ble Clays: ois oe wale d she ieie,o wie os 600 4/a%e wus ater eile: wo aepeel etree eee pe cae 4 feet. Limestone in layers, fossiliferous...... .s2... 22 dew ope ol cee oe eee eon 8 feet. Massive white gypsum............ oe eee sha bible Se ee SoealS a) helene 30 feet. Mota s...3.0% bic wh snc os eo eseore. pi atsle wlohe aie ete eles mise Cnet Ok eee 42 feet. The fossils recognized were two species of Ammonite, Orthoceras, and Pleuro- phorus. The upper part of No. 2 of the above section was almost entirely composed of Ammonites? Three miles above this place is Salt Flat, a place where the water at times spreads out over a broad flat, which on evaporation leaves a heavy incrusta- tion of salt. The water comes from a spring that breaks up through a spotted clay. The flat embraces about two hundred acres in area. SECTION NO. 20. Made at Salt Flat. 1; Spotted red clays. wet. .c5 sels diswvisig aes tees bald ahaa wehbe oe eee 3 feet. 2, WDite MAESIVOS PY PRU «6 oe snc nemo clam a ortie ole else siete us pots a riny aes pier ees 10 feet. See ROM CIBY? sc 2 fo cin mia ra oils atetepe eee oetes tela chore tee ibie tle terete oMiete enenee ee 30 feet. ALS MSTA 5-5 x +0 to) o 10% aiwse sp Rveitie lesa Bom moana ei ae et atta tence es se mene Pee 1 foot. Ween CIRW:: (cc-ccuet en. ues Saclay Pe SEU SR te a ee ae eae ee wees eh 30 feet. Bee POSULD 5c ove, ae sale dua bo a)n abe le mip youn ale ajo tn obec ues aanetar ee 6 feet. MERE CLAY 125 aie avin ls ath @Ae O:8's See anaes eee eee ED a lbeiae toad ote eke .... 20 feet. Ba MAMMMOSTOUG 0c. se so 0'e 60h oo see Babes iene hy Clot aes oe 1 foot. UOT os lelaioin is 2 «feiss ain « sam Sim wm eis nose ty & gh hie diane htedeyels Tene eve ee 111 feet. All the lateral streams flowing into Croton Creek for several miles are very salty. The hills are high and are composed of gypsiferous red sandy clays, and disintegrate rapidly. From Dove Creek to the top of the hill one mile north there is a difference of two hundred and sixty feet by barometric measurement, PERMIAN. 409 SECTION NO. 21. Made near the mouth of Dove Creek, three miles above Salt Flat. IPE Cas PUSAN PG crc Otv cs cu cya tee eters Matas wha) Svaeder [leh elartecniohetsl aps /aciereioie Dellovalaie nog) 3 wie 10 feet. Pree ECOG Sea PVEL YE: C1 AY ge) 5) ke acho: stole. orsiet'a ein: 4) scsi t) ©) suetiin: aye ide olka A date eMeitstsy ofeBatol's."s. 2, 6 uf oca\ cle 20 feet. SOMME ARERLG SUOII OS ene recor 221 cde shales ca. o "ec oF atateis: otatel a: eictel seis al/e:isfalet eve 6) 8) Givsiecs aveps ve Ween levee 1 foot. Pam EC UG SEN Cl ie CLAVE fa feve tic 28 J Vjarcecnlor cot iohatrlaval o/@ ana eel ere alas LS OG OOO none Ae 30 feet. 5, Gare uTIn gs Aaya oe anti ey ae eens ee 8 feet. 6. Red and white spotted sandstone, water-bearing .....,....... 2c cece eee eeee 20 feet. Sens a NSS LUT NN ae ch RUSE cuecleuietctiavan s o's) ste rare¥a se eieveieiers: eJsies efesel mola ie alere-e Weajareus aie: oe 3 feet. dL ee ee ee i Be tee ee ole let nie praneeotae Pca Peyees (at Pee Staite cleratens ae eizES ELS Mya shee 92 feet. The hills on the south side of Dove Creek are high and are composed of red sandy clays that disintegrate very rapidly, so that it was impossible to get a complete section. SECTION NO. 22. Made on South Croton Creek, five miles southwest of section No. 21. Mee ersanigy Clay, Wath WiHTbEISPOUS) | . Ge | s:e1e0/eyeie eee) s spe che'p''* anya sie 4:ore oveid od «08 40 feet. Pee MEARSEVE (Sy PSU... 6.a2 « sedepers Se ee ayes s eid Ope te SN Ot Oy Og Gre DER icy EL SPEND CREE 3 feet. aCe SANCAY CLAY wo oicn esc 2 wes eamite epuler ney, hangs che releha lay ertieitigl tai ahc les wicds te euale 10 feet. se (ne SEINE Ca REIL ANS a ARE mice ne cee ne nae Ps aR ae Dg 4 feet. SRE AUR REIOLES CHE Vint cl cto) rare ose cies ale) SPR ERS asl oerehel Gauss a ataior oie es a farepe/bS ce dares 10 feet. JTS. herent, Gach liege) Cit ae a ae 6h on ates Bers Sera Meets elves acetal a lensieedh 67 feet. SECTION NO. 23. Made on South Croton Creek, two miles southwest of the locality of Sec- tion 22. Jui A) 2 ee Poets tore easel Steals: see's Meare NEEM Lategt te eMatita te elaele, Velev els aratelo 20 feet. 2. Gypsum...... Pe Fe CPD) Ox oP OORT cert YC ROR PRC NE REE EE a gt IN 1 foot: eR ATELY CLIN oie t sore ete cye tee pienerale oie ote eee y ue vals + bar fil) fe ele ie A Gao alee alate oles 30 feet. PE ay WSSREMLLE yet as ste oe Solana piel sav} 24s) 4hui'e aie eee alets) oe Met at si ee RS HOA Shake eid wiiaie 3 feet. TES GANG NAGLES GG EE ON Bia SRI ah St NG ac Mn EG Rone RAL oir ei a 40 feet So. USS TUDE rk ey a aha IR So tA oR RC a en Peas! helene 4 feet. PPE EOLA CIV so Creo ole earths ailoiepejoitne cGsielsialats'efa,) ale a2 7sltl «ale e-cla ave 25 feet. ROMA aera) ors Pres asd Biel 8 orale he PERMA AERA eve) eels 3) sic ey sysi wh elieloiek's. 5 123 feet. The country from the top of this section slopes gradually to the west to Duck Creek, and is covered with drift. From Duck Creek to the Salt Fork of the Brazos is a high rolling prairie, with an occasional small ravine or creek. The country is covered with drift sand and pebbles from the disin- tegrated strata at the foot of the Staked Plains. 410 | GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS, SECTION NO. 24. Made at a bluff on Salt Fork, on section 8, block 1, Houston and Texas Central Railway surveys. Wedwed: Sandy Clay... sce cn oot fee nic «'e wlele ein) lid alaite: Sak eee 10 feet. A, Mottled sandstone: ...3,.. 024). 2:0 ses < < cteloe os Ga ltoleeie sie ieuens ee ene 6 feet. 5. Red clay, with seams of mottled sandstone.......... ... won 86 hegevaet aaa letele 20 feet. 6. Mottled sandstone.2i52, 2k) et cteke cee sen eee es sca of! “alaplate to an etna ysl 4 feet. is "Red clay and mottled sandstone... .. 2... ". 2%. Sess «ne one een eee eee 5 feet. 8; White gypsum... 2.5. fence Fs) aisiee's chee a cis are ol etree 3 feet. 9, Red clay. 27 nn aie ieie ok Bs aieteie peleiave Sse sade ye i ae eee 10 feet. 10: Gypsum, alabaster... 2)... ..sa-sis ees, oe tie erg ai ne oe eer eee eee 1 foot. LY + Red clay... .cocud tin siete “iw divsaie bid ale oe ore otel ese ees ence asian 4 feet. OLA sliccste win ia teyeinrsystetes siete raisor tebe Pay 275 olor sei Jend.e) Mele ae eas a 70 feet. The strata at all places heretofore have been very regular, with a slight dip to the nortwest, but at the above section and everywhere else to the foot of the Plains the strata are very much distorted. The beds of gypsum very often present a crumpled appearance, the folds not being more than one or two inches across: The dips or foldings do not appear to be in any particular direction. The general dip of the formation is still toward the northwest. SECTION NO. 25. Made in a gulch north of Section No. 24. lL... Mottled sandsténe.. ci .00) aie cis ta cP oe ine © oe eee 3 feet. 2, Mottled sandstone and clay... iiec ic. © os cee cdels bene et ee eras eee 4 feet. 3: AG YPSUMN <5 is '<) nina k be Els cate p hele ele ipe cle cla & Sie ene ene eee slo ial Medal ena, 2 feet. Ay -ihed ‘sandy ‘ClAY.... stop nuerieehe LE ee Ts Ooh mic 55 10 feet. bites) Ca VPOSUIND 5 5.5. 5 ache sissies aleiinta’lg/a-oimun' hal elm hein a hi Be tap alcala taal ale Gun ene ee totes ee 1 foot. Rie Lomled Clays... caste san 250s. sep een eee ee pe PERMIAN. 41] In No. 5 of the above section the seams of the fibrous gypsum form a per- fect network, traversing the bed of clay in every direction, ranging in thick- ness from that of a knife blade to ten inches. The massive gypsum of No. 4 in the above section is composed of round concretions an inch in diameter, and has the appearance of pudding stone. The matrix is white and the concretions are of various colors. This form of gypsum I have seen at several places along the foot of the Plains. SECTION No. 27. Made on Big Red Mud Creek west of the Colorado and Dockum road. Le BEE GL ie Se coe Of hs oan MnIe ie Choe cen ean een ei So Nee cc eee 20 feet. eet SAR OASUOM wares o coral thee ere ote axel wcfaviers i rma Ay SPU Mate diac oy 4 feet. Red shale with seams of fibrous gypsum traversing in every direction........ 20 feet. AC Wick OMY Sh AWM, Or chlor Mc ae cys al rahe May pen SNM ape AUN ial Beata Male abd 5 44 feet. A hill near the mouth of Little Mud Creek is capped with Triassic con- glomerate. Near Section No. 27 is another hill with pieces of conglomerate on the top. From this point to Dockum, fifteen miles, the strata are made up of Permian and Triassic. The Permian was much eroded in places before the deposition of the Triassic. These sections give almost a complete succession of the strata from the contact between the Albany division of the Coal Measures Series and the Clear Fork division of the Permian to the overlying Triassic. The sections of the Wichita division are given in another place. DETERMINATION OF THE AGE OF THE STRATA. That there has been difficulty in proving positively the existence of the Permian in the United States, any one at all familiar with the geological his- tory of the country knows very well. This has resulted very largely from the fact of the scarcity of fossils in the beds thought to be Permian, and from the further fact that those who have attempted to determine the question have undertaken to do so by trying to find fossils in the American Permian simi- lar to those found in the Permian in Hurope, and because the fossils found in the American beds were not identical with those of Europe, the age of the strata has been in dispute. In reference to the occurrence of fossils in these beds there has been but one expression, and that is that they were very rare. The conditions necessary for their preservation did not exist except at rare in- tervals during the entire time of the deposition of the strata. That the life of that period was abundant there is no doubt, for where the conditions were favorable to their preservation they are very abundant. At one place in Texas I found at least twenty species in an area of five square yards in a bed eighteen inches thick. 412 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. In regard to the difficulty of identifying the Permian formation in the United States Prof. Endlich, in his report on the geology of the Wind River Range, in 1877, says: ‘The determination of the strata has been made with great difficulty, owing to the lack of characteristic fossils in the formation. At that locality the beds of Permian are composed of yellow and red sand- stones and shales, with some dolomite, resting directly upon the hard blue lime- stone of the Carboniferous, and are overlaid by the Red Beds of the Mesozoic Group. The formation is conformable with both the Carboniferous below and the Mesozoic above. The inclination is nearly east and west, and in many places has both anticlinal and synchlinal folds. There is great uniformity of thickness and lithological character.” In a section made by St. John of the Pierris Mountain he gives two fos- sils, Lingula and Pleurophorus, which he says are similar to the Plewrophorus found in the lower Missouri regions, and probably identifies that horizon with the one further to the east. Capt. C. E. Dutton, in a report on the Physical Geology of the Grand Canyon District, in 1882, page 64, says: “After the Carboniferous, came the Permian Age, in which were laid down from eight hundred to fifteen hun- dred feet of sandy shales. The stratification was wonderfully even and everywhere horizontal. The Permian beds are often ripple marked, and betray many evidences that they accumulated in shallow waters.” He also says that the same state of affairs continued through the Trias, which lies immediately upon the Permian. Again, on page 9, he speaks of the Permian lying immediately below a band of pale sandstone of very coarse texture, often becoming a conglomerate. This is the same conglomerate that Major J. W. Powell calls the Shinarump, and which Mr. C. D. Walcott places as the divisional line between the Permian and Triassic. I have already adopted this horizon as the line between the Permian and Trias in this part of Texas. In studying the fossils of the Permian of Texas I have not attempted to correlate them with the fossils found in the Permian in Europe, nor do I think it necessary to have them so in order that the beds in Texas should be placed in that division. It is a well known fact that some fossils that are characteristic of a division in Hurope are not found in the same division in America, but are found in other divisions, and become characteristic of the formation where found. Take for instance the Fuszlina cylindrica, Fischer, which in Europe is found nowhere except in the Sub-Carboniferous, while in America it is not found in any place except in the Coal Measures, and the attempt to correlate strata in America with that of Europe by the fossils alone has led to some grave mistakes. PERMIAN. 413 PALEONTOLOGY. | The value of the paleontological evidences of the age of a formation, when rightly interpreted, is acknowledged by every one to be of the highest import- ance. The life history of the globe is one, and the development from the lowest to the highest orders went on from age to age. The forms that were characteristic of one system gradually became extinct, and other forms came in and took their places. The older forms gradually became extinct and the newer as gradually came in. Some of the forms were much longer lived than - others, and would pass through an entire system, and sometimes even longer, while others would be restricted to a single series. The old Paleozoic forms that had come of from the deep past were gradually giving place in the Per- mian to the Mesozoic forms that were to be so abundant as the time went by. The Permian was a period of transition. So greatly blended are the two forms—the old and the new—that it is still an open question as to whether it should be placed with the Paleozoic or with the Mesozoic groups. At places the older forms predominate, and when that is the case it is contended that it ought to be placed with the Paleozoic group. At other places the newer forms are more numerously represented, and then it is contended that the series should be placed with the Mesozoic. ‘Dr. White, who described the invertebrate fossils taken from the Wichita Beds and lower part of the Clear Fork Beds, found the older forms largely predominating, and did not hesitate to refer the Permian to the Paleozoic group. He says, however, that if two of the fossils found therein had been submitted to any paleontologist he would not have been warranted in refer- ring them to an earlier period than the Trias, if he had followed the usually accepted standard of reference; and that without these two fossils the others might with equal propriety have been referred to the Coal Measures. The very fact that the two types occur in the same strata is the reason I insist on calling the beds Permian; and whether it shall be referred to the Paleozoic or the Mesozoic is a matter that will not be discussed in these pages. Some writers have evaded the issue by calling certain strata Permo-Carboniferous. If one would make special selections from the fossils of the Permian in Texas he could with equal propriety refer the strata from which they were taken to either the Coal Measures, Permian, or Triassic; but when they are taken together there can be no other conclusion reached than that the strata be- long to the Permian. They can not be referred to the Carboniferous, because they contain not only the Carboniferous fauna, but also the forms found in the Triassic. They can not be referred to the Triassic, because they contain forms that belong to the Coal Measures, as well as forms that are characteristic of the Permian. Therefore the only reasonable reference is to the Permian as the transition period between the two others. 414 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. Dr. Newberry stated before the International Congress of Geologists at at Berlin that no Permian had been found in the United States, and gave as a reason for so stating that the fossils found in the so-called Permian Beds were all types of the Coal Measures. That was before the Texan field had been explored to any extent. He could not now repeat the assertion, for there are fossils in the Texas strata that could not with any propriety be said to be- long to the Coal Measures. By reference to the list of fossils described by Dr. White, given in another place, it will be seen that out of the thirty- one species described fully one-half are common characteristic Coal Measure , species, but the other half can not with any degree of propriety be referred to that series. Since Dr. White’s article was written I have collected fossils at different places at the same geologic horizon, and have found other forms both of the Coal Measures and Permian. At Ben Ficklin, in'Tom Green County, at the extreme southern edge of the Clear Fork Beds, I found in the same stratum Productus, Murchisonia, Aviculopecten, and Medlicottca. Heretofore I had not found a single specimen of Productus in the Permian Beds. Prof. E. D. Cope has described the vertebrate fossils from the Permian Beds of Texas, a list of which appears in another place in this Report. This list embraces upward of fifty species collected from the same beds as those from which the invertebrates were taken that were described by Dr. White, some of them a little higher in the series. By reference to this list it will be seen at a glance that the beds could not be referred to anything else than the Permian. Of this reference Prof. Cope says: “The Texan genera of this group, so far as yet known, are about equally related to the Ural and South African types. The age of the former deposit is the Permian, which includes, according to Murchison, the Todtliegende and Zechstein of Thuringia. The age of the South African Beds is uncertain, but is suspected by some authors to be Triassic, and by Owen to be Paleozoic. In discussing the age of the clepsydrops shales of Illinois, which had been referred to the Coal Measures by all previous investigators, I left the question open as to whether they should be referred to the Permian or Triassic forma- tions.* The evidence now adduced is sufficient to assign the formation, as represented in Illinois and Texas, to the Permian. Beside the saurian genera above mentioned, the existence of the ichthyic genera Janassa, Ctenodus, and Diplodus in both localities renders this course necessary.” The following is a list of the fossils described by Dr. White, American Naturalist, February, 1889, pp. 109, 128: *Proceedings Philadelphia Academy, 1875, p. 405. PERMIAN. 415 PERMIAN FOSSILS. al ae EP ep 20 EO | Sn e) c) AS PME GeOUaRRUCESHOOLONETISTS:, TM Setar SapVelershtiaictet Zeiaiolexctavolsie/sne | vila e)'sie\cleareci|/aie'e « [ime s x Dee EE CUCIOILES CUNUNUUNS?, TB eines oc ac Neal )s) ei sei) ED ed eat tierer el otha opoustienaen te ails cuore te tek. x S2y) Medhcotita cones. 8.6. ck sos 6 OMe Ba INGA fad a RA NORA Ge EN x Pe OMAVACCHESMOCICOUD My Sie creicinte lac 8 ttle le alenchay aie es wis). sgn de miele ep a> isl laanele|e woe Be SO GLOCCKOS srushensis, MeCNESNGY! <6)q/c'.) sarshsls dee a's wesere eel ee Gis el|h oe Were ct X 6. Nauitlus winsiow:, Meek-and Worthen... 0.0.5.2 cece cee Seer leaielones me 1. WN. occidentalis, Swallow ..:.. Sy Bg Cha as diene ANG ee aN aR MOSES OS Pu COR fee Ne x See ae IRE ered regret e Sea ga oe ake SevaWal AN SE ah eM nde ea Pale ap eMNafAlR MES PAs. 3 4 oe WN. Gecko, & Ses MNCS EO Ps OEE (LEH OTE oho IRI oe taba DRE A RUSTON ares ERE Karlee HE «WN: CT AS ree EPCs SPS A Si PRIN ee MLSS) Sielielillay aa) o> Bb. Bette Se rere eer, Bia ge kis setae fel s AINE Ge oars Mente tout [etareyer Bh Aye,| op < 21. Sedgwickia topekaensis, SEIMAT AUS ess SALA ae Sk GS eh tied Se au Bh PRR INGXA lhe 22. Pleurophorus oh hs CR LOno AC OSE EEE EST VERE RS DERE Pa ng! (ean x Pepeene, IEA PILOUES OCCTACTILALESS, GOINILZ «5 6 «o/c nia alee. syetns wresevbie os Sc 'eleye.s ose lee « x 24. Yoldia subscitula, Meek and Hayder ...............-.0-. SeLerh ese elhelatets Gy /ificbane 25. Myalina permiana, Swallow Fetecpntucuste ates yore ipa SORT aes ae Mead aS i > AN igo. 44) ab. PMP NOMADIC TOTO CELINE UATICL MELA te 5 0! choi ccctev of chaleicicat wae Sole oA cade dela kia| eid oe Xe tal oeol ass 2h. Ae. perattenuata, MerandizR 6152 es TOL MME vais car eit Ren Peart Bes bakear | exe PE OTA MIONG Gs GrOUnUG Zi iy. aia.2) ah cys)She sa ead a bh giak bio wai awd oes ceed horas XS teres PA TICIOPCCLEN OCCLACIUUIS, SUUMATO. |<. 2/5 <4 sels o's i + Puls ee els oN dally oo of ee RM EL Xe 30. Syringapora 2 eee FCA AE NAES BERD ELS BACAR Oe his ts (ho Roath Oe ot PES 31. Spirorbis Ce SOM PA Rees ase) ALOR i De eV Te one elosh'O) oo Saks Be oiflete toe! [at wath x eNO TINIZETE, TEDL OSCENSIS, NxCMULZ A.) . alo tae). oo he syeleie ee nm Bele aoe downs cces alla ue ef wea x SUMMARY. Mollusca. ep AIO OU eA hn an hee aleaeva tis cust Sate Ml) Malai cietalt eylte a srs WA eRatet si oN as or a 11 species. Sp ARRON tee eh ans FAA ease Pte si ecchnc sod ils) Aahataiate) Sataraies whee ekg lid's A .... 9 Species. Conchifera ....... ae HOST Ec SO Oe Re cinerea SAD ONG Ed RS ee 8 OS ee AE ORE 9 species. Articulata SSS cope ot LAI eel eI Re RODEO CO CRC OE Cn 1 species. Crustacea .......- EAE AAR MCR a Cie) Pere oeee ER S| oneres het nays avatens a's 6 o ctsly with e's 1 species. Radiata Mee Ae a Nd ahd ad aah nol ae Mae NAP Valid or BON dy ws gle ohare Sle, & 55) 0) «S00: oe 1 species. LIE ee oo EE ES EE MDOT, CAREC ADE OE OIL cO AA, © SNe Sn er 32 species. The following check list of the vertebrate fossils taken from the Wichita and the lower part of the Clear Fork Beds of the Permiam in Texas was kindly furnished me by Prof. H. D. Cope for publication in this Report, giv- 416 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. ing the publications in which they were described by him. Many of these fossils were collected by myself before the Texas Survey was organized: PISCES. Selachia. Janassa, Munster. J. ordiana, Cope. Crenacantuus, A gass. C. amblyxiphios, Cope, MSS. , Dipymopvs, Cope; Proc. Acad. Phila., 1883, p. 108; Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc, 1884, p, 572. D. texensis, Cope; D.? compressus, Cope; 1. ¢. D. platypternus, Cope; 1. c. Dipnoi. 2 Crenopus, Agass. C. pertprion, Cope; Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc., 1878, p. 527. C. porrectus, Cope; 1. c. C. dialophus, Cope; Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc., 1878, p. 528. GnaTHoRHIzA, Cope; Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc., 1883, p. 629. G. serrata, Cope; 1. c. Crratopus, Agass. C. favosus, Cope; Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc., 1884, p. 28. Teleostomata. EKctTostEoRACHIS, Cope; Pal. Bull. No. 32, 1880, p. 19. EH. nitidus, Cope; 1. ¢. Ff. ciceronius, Cope; Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc., 1883, p. 628. BENEDENIA, Traquain. B. palmaris, Cope, MSS. BATRACHIA. Ganocephala. TRIMERORCHACHIS, Cope; Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc., 1878, p. 524; 1880, p. 54. T. insignis, Cope; |. c., p. 524. T. bilobatus, Cope; |. c., 1883, p. 629. PRhachitom. ZaTRACHYS, Cope; Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc., 1878, p. 523, et infra. Z. serratus, Cope; 1. c. et infra. PERMIAN. A417 Hryops, Cope; |. c., 1877, p. 188. * HE. megacephalus, Cope; 1. c. Rhachitomus valens, Cope; |. c., 1878, p. 526. E. erytholiticus, Cope; 1. ¢., 1878, p. 515 (Hpicordylus); Trans. Amer. Phil. See, 1886, Pl. 1, Fig: 1. E. ferricolus, Cope; 1. ¢., 1878, p. 521 (Parioxys). AcHELomA, Cope; Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc., 1882, p. 455. A. cumminst, Cope; I. c., 456. | ANISODEXIS, Cope; |. c, 1882, p. 459. A. wmbricarius, Cope; 1. c. yy Microsaurt. DreLocauLus, Cope; Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc., 1877, p. 187; 1882, p. 541. D. magmcornis, Cope; |. c., 1882, p. 453. } Embolomert. Cricorus, Cope; Proc. Acad. Sci., Phila., 1876, p. 405; Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc., 1884, p. 29. C. crassidiscus, Cope; Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc., 1884, p. 29. C. heteroclitus, Cope; 1. c., 1878, p. 522; Amer. Naturalist, 1884, p. 39. C. hypantricus, Cope; Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc., 1884, p. 30; Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc., 1886, p. 253, Pl. I, Figs. 2 and 6. REPTILIA. : Theromorpha. Clepsydropide. Ciepsyprops, Cope; Proc. Acad. Phil., 1876, p. 404. C. natalis, Cope; Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc., 1878, p. 509. C. macrospondylus, Cope; 1. c., 1884, p. 35. C. leptocephalus, Cope; |. c., 1884, p. 30. Dimetropon, Cope; Proc. Ane Phil. Soc., 1878, p. 512, en 1830) p42; et infra. D. gigas, Cope; |. c., 1878, p. 513; L c., 1880, p. 44. D. inciswwus, Cope; |. ¢. D. rectiformis, Cope; 1. ¢., p. 514. D. semiradicatus, Cope; Bull. U. 8. Geol. Survey Terr., 1580-8 il Naosavgvs, Cope; Amer. Naturalist, 1886, p. 545, et infra. NV. cruciger, Cope (Dimetrodon cruciger); Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc., 1880, p. 44; Amer. Naturalist, 1878, p. 830. N. claviger, Cope; Amer. Naturalist, 1886, p. 545, et infra. 418 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. N. microdus, Cope; |. c., 1886, p. 545. Hdaphosaurus microdus, Cope; Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc., 1884, p. 37. : THEROPLEURA, Cope; Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc., 1878, p. 519; 1880, p. 40. T. retroversa, Cope; 1. c. T. uniformis, Cope; |. c., 1878, p. 519; 1880, p. 40. T. triangulata, Cope; 1. c., 1878, p. 520. T. obtusidens, Cope; |. c., 1880, p. 41. Empotopnorvs, Cope; 1. c., 1878, p. 518. Ef. fritillus, Cope; 1. ¢., Texas. | E.. dollovianus, Cope; Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc., 1884, p. 43, Pl. L, Figs. 4-5, Texas. EpaPrHosaurus, Cope; Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc., 1882, p. 448. EH. pogonias, Cope; |. c., 449, Texas. Pariotichide. ParioticHus, Cope; Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc., 1878, p. 508. P. brachyops, Cope; 1. c. P. megalops, Cope; 1. c., 1883, p. 630. Kerocynopon, Cope; |. c., p. 509. ff. aguti, Cope; |. c., 1882, p. 451. FE. ordinatus, Cope; 1. c. EH. incisivus, Cope; infra. Panty.us, Cope; Bull. U. S. Geol. Sur. Terr., 1881 (80). P. cordatus, Cope; 1. c. Bolosauride. Botosaurus, Cope; Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc., 1878, p. 506. B. striatus, Cope; 1. c. Cuitonyx, Cope; l. c., 1883, p. 631. C. rapidens, Cope; 1. ¢. Incertecedis. MeErTARMOSAURUS, Cope; Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc., 1878, p. 516. M. fossastus, 1. c¢. Diadectide, Cope. Pal. Bull. No. 32, 1880, p. 8. Drapvectss, Cope; Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc., 1878, p. 505. D. sideropelicus, Cope; 1. c. Epepias, Cope; Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc. PERMIAN. 419 Emrerpocies, Cope; Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc., 1878, p. 516; 1880, p. 634 (pre occupied). FE. phaseolinus, Cope; Pal. Bull. No. 32, 1880, p. 9. Ff. alatus, Cope; 1. ¢. E. latibuccatus, Cope; |. c. EF. molaris, Cope; Pal. Bull. No. 32, 1880, p. 10. F. fissus, Cope; Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc., 1880, p. 634. Hexopectss, Cope; Pal. Bull. No. 32, p. 11. H. paridens, Cope; |. c. H. isaacr, Cope; |. c., p. 12. Synopsis of the Specves. Pisces. — Gen. Species. SELENGIDITIEE PET toe coc! Come ere eRe Ren Re: Seen Veer ae eine fee tee Pane 3 4 JO1) SOOT a nes Peete gre mere Ve past rula oh 204 saat eaeee tial Vay Sheik 3 5 Pelee stomata ged asus we oye, oye tenistat 1 04 «. ci-che opt alaqiodhonhmare wie shece 2 3 Batrachia.— Germacepiia late: t er eeceys) cesar Sedinhbtny ae sa bbwejara dg a teiei y lalal ats 1 2 aR RbOMI 4 Ao bs bates sse/evade tg oh b6 6 Ba as Leica psisve taps ates RU miarenee 4 6 LGR GNIS EOPSURLG Un iW ars Bato aM nnn a Dente ea PP, ae 1 1 LENTGNG | SITNETOI: Devel ie sc op aemh ON gre mar nee Tt De go ett canT Oe ae ae 1 ve Reptilia.— PRS omticnepy lice a safle a ore ln reek ite NA isd Bec vaber dl th c3s 15 34 SOU cocth ccc ROR RS Ee ERG BE OOS an aE 30 57 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PERMIAN AND CARBONIFEROUS. The highest beds of the Coal Measures have an abundant and varied in- vertebrate fauna. The fossils are well preserved and there is no doubt about the horizon to which they belong. They are Productus semireticulatus, Martin; Myalina subquadratu, Shumard; Bellerophon crassus, Meek and Worthen; Pinna peracuta, Shumard; Syringapora multattenuata, — ; Macrocheilus ventro- cosus, Hall; Aviculopecten carbonareous, Shumard; Hemipronites crassus, Meek and Worthen; Schizodus wheelert, Swallow; Allorisma subcuneata, Meek and Worthen, etc. Immediately above these beds come the beds of the Clear Fork Division of the Permian with an entirely different character of fossils. When we take into consideration that the Wichita Beds in point of time come between these two series, and that the Wichita Beds are two thousand feet thick, it will be understood at once that there need be no hesitancy in pronouncing the two beds different, and no matter of wonder that the fauna of one should be so different from that of the other. 420 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. In the northern part of the State, where the Wichita Beds rest upon the Cisco Beds of the Coal Measures, there is as great a difference in the fauna as there is at the other locality. The Cisco Beds are principally sandstones and yellow clays with a characteristic Coal Measure fauna. Immediately upon these beds come the bluish sandstones and red clay beds of the Permian with its fauna. It must be remembered here also there is no continuous sedimenta- tion, for the Albany Division of the Coal Measures comes between these beds in time, and these Albany Beds are about eleven hundred feet thick. The stratigraphic evidences that these two formations are different is very strong in Texas. If we take the Wichita Division of the Permian, which are entirely composed of sandstones and red clay beds, and place them where they rightly belong in point of time, upon the Albany Division of the Coal | Measures, which are composed almost entirely of limestones and yellowish clay beds, the contrast between them will be much more apparent than it now appears, with the Clear Fork Division, whose bases are limestones and bluish clay beds, resting directly upon the limestone and clay beds of the Albany Division. So far in this Report I have been considering the question whether the beds I have called Permian are capable of being separated distinctly and definitely from those of the Coal Measures, and I think that it has been shown that such can very readily be done in Texas, both on stratigraphic and paleon- tologic grounds, and I think that it is entirely safe to say that the beds do not belong to the Coal Measures series. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PERMIAN AND TRIASSIC. The next question to be considered is as to how much of the Red Beds in Texas ought to be included in the Permian series. In other words, where ought the line between the Permian and Triassic be placed. I have placed all the strata, as I say in another place, between the Albany Division and the Dockum Beds in the Permian. The Albany Division is the highest part of the Coal Measures in Texas, as I understand it, and the Dockum Beds are the iowest T'riassic, as the facts indicate to me. Dr. White saw only the Wichita and lower part of the Clear Fork Beds, and from my description of the country thought that my Upper or Double Mountain Beds might be Triassic, but says: ‘Along the western boundary of the Texas Permian, as it has been indi- cated in a previous paragraph, a series of strata about two hundred and fifty feet in maximum thickness, now generally known as the ‘gypsum bearing beds’ and thought by many to be of Triassic age, rests conformably upon the Permian. In general aspect, in a prevailing reddish color, and in general lithological character, except in the prevalence of gypsum in many of the lay- GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF W. F, Cummins, Geologist for Central Te GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. SECOND ANNUAL REPORT, 1890. PLATE XVI SECTION 1 eS SECT = SSS eS ———— iferous Massive 1a Gypsum Legend — ou id e Sa dstone Clonglom W. F, Cummins, Geologist for Central Texas, x ; Moy eo EN gt) Gey 4 dat ny sphtyiny 2: PERMIAN. 421 ers and somewhat greater prevalence of clayey material, these overlying beds resemble the Permian strata upon which they rest. With only one known exception, these gypsum bearing beds have furnished no fossils. The excep- tion referred to is the discovery by Mr. Cummins, in Hardeman County, in an upper stratum of these beds, of a thin magnesian layer containing numer- ous casts of a species of Pleurophorus. This being a characteristic genus among Permian molluscan faunas, and a prevailing form in the Permian strata beneath the gypsum bearing beds, the question is suggested whether the latter ought not to be regarded as constituting an upper portion of the Permian. If these beds are not separable from the Permian, it seems to be doubtful whether the Trias has any representation in Texas.” Since that article by Dr. White was written, I have collected from numer- ous places in the beds referred to a great many characteristic fossils of the Permian, and am therefore confident Dr. White would give up his reference of the upper part of the strata to the Triassic. Prof. Jules Marcou passed north of the Wichita Mountains on his trip across the continent in 1853, and probably saw only the Double Mountain Beds of the Permian; and while he did not find any fossils, he gave it as his opinion that that part of the strata was Permian. Where he refers to strata as Trias, in contradistinction to Permian, I have no doubt that it was the same as that to which I have given the provisional name of Dockum Beds, which are Triassic. I doubt if the Wichita Division occurs north of the Wichita Mountains. I am also of the opinion that only a part of the Clear Fork Division occurs west and north of the mountains, leaving only the Double Mountains Division exposed. I have gone as far north with my ex- aminations of the strata as the Canadian River north of Mobeetie, and thence down that river to a point opposite the lower end of the Wichita Range, and have seen only the Double Mountain Beds. The older beds of the Permian may have been exposed farther northward in Kansas, but I am of the opinion that southwestern Kansas has only the uppermost beds, which Mr. Hay has synchronized with the strata near the mouth of the North Fork of Red River. This I judge from Mr. Hay’s description of the strata. He gives it the pro- visional name of Jura-Trias “until paleontological evidence shall set it aside.” The following summary is given by Mr. Hay as his reasons for so naming the strata, and which I quote here for the purpose of showing that the reasons given must give place to the paleontological evidences found in the Texan strata, and not for the purpose of controverting its application to the Kansas strata. He says: ‘Several of the features described above suggest that the formation repre- sents the Jura-Trias. These may be summarized as follows: 35—geol, 422 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. ‘““(a) The formation is lithologically quite distinct from the subjacent Carboniferous strata. ““(b) The pevailing color of the formation is a dark red, brown, and some- times a brighter red, like the Triassic generally is in Kurope and America. ‘“(c) The lithified layers alternate with beds of clay and clay shale, as do the stony layers in the Triassic of the Atlantic slope and in much of the Jura- Trias of the west. ‘“(d) A massive layer of gypsum and numerous seams of selenite and satin spar appear in the formation, in which respects it corresponds with de- posits further southwest, which have been referred to the Jurassic or Triassic on both petrographic and paleontologic grounds. ‘“(e) There are frequent shore marks, ripple marks, and rain drops, in which the formation simulates the Triassic of the Atlantic slope and many other regions. ‘“(f) There is a marked absence of fossils, a characteristic of the Triassic generally. ‘“(g) The formation is continuous to Red River, and appears to be strati- graphically connected with similar rocks beyond, which have already been referred to the Jurassic or Triassic on various grounds. “(h) The surface of the formation was deeply eroded before the deposits of the Dakota or other Cretaceous formations were laid down. ‘In brief, the lithological characters, in so far as they may be regarded as criteria in the correlations of formations, and the stratigraphy alike, suggest that the red rocks of Southern Kansas represent the group of strata elsewhere found between the base of the Cretaceous and the summit of the Carbonifer- ous; and although the evidence is not sufficient finally to demonstrate the age of the rocks, it is sufficient to warrant the provisional application to them of the name Triassic.” The following comments may be made upon this summary in its applica- tion to the Texas strata: (a) It is certainly different from the underlying Carboniferous, as has been shown elsewhere in the Report. (b) The mere color of a rock would not distinguish between the Triassic and the Permian. _ (c) The lithified layers alternate with beds of clay and clay shale in the lower Red Beds of the Permian in Texas, and would go as far to prove these upper beds Permian as would conclusions drawn from Triassic rocks in another part of the United States prove these Triassic. (d) The occurrence of massive gypsum and seams of selenite does not prove anything, for the reason that they may occur in any of the strata since the PERMIAN. 423 Carboniferous. In Arkansas the gypsum occurs in the Trinity Sands or Lower Cretaceous.* (e) “There are frequent shore marks, ripple marks and rain drops” in other formations than that of the Triassic. \ (f) This is no reason to refer strata to a distinct horizon because in other places certain strata have no fossils. But such is not the case in Texas, because fossils have been found in all the strata I have called Permian to within a short distance of the top, and will no doubt be found there upon proper in- vestigation. (g) The Jurassic and Triassic of Texas are not the same as the gypsum beds of Texas. The Triassic lies entirely west of the gypsums in Texas, and is so understood by Marcou and White, if Dr. White concedes the fact that the Pleurophorus and other Permian fossils determine the question, which he has already done. The Red Beds now referred to are those that occur in connection with the heavy beds of gypsum in Texas, and not the Red Beds of the Triassic that I have called Dockum Beds. (h) The surface of the Upper Permian was deeply eroded before the Tri- assic was laid down in Texas, and so were the Triassic beds deeply eroded be- fore the Blanco Canyon beds were laid down; so the question of erosion does not definitely show the strata to be either the one or the other. The entire beds of the Texas Permian are conformable, having a small dip to the northwest, while the Dockum Beds (Triassic) dip to the southeast. To summarize the reasons for saying all the strata from the Wichita divi- sion to the Dockum Beds are Permian, the following may be stated as true: (a) There is a continuous sedimentation from the bottom to the top. (d) The conglomerate of the Dockum Beds has been placed by Hayden elsewhere as the line between the Permian and the Triassic. (b) The occurrence of Permian fossils in the strata from the bottom to near the top of the Wichita, Clear Fork, and Double Mountain Beds. (c) The Albany Beds are characterized by a distinctively Coal Measure fauna. (e) The Dockum Beds contain fossils of distinctively Triassic age, as deter- mined by Prof. Cope. There will be no difficulty in understanding why the Red Beds of Texas have been referred to the Triassic, if it will be kept in mind that there are Triassic beds in Texas that very much resemble in general appearance the Permian beds below them, although they would not be confounded with the Permian where the two are seen together. Dr. Newberry thus describes the beds which he correctly calls the Triassic:+ * Arkansas Report, Vol. 2, p. 119. +Monograph, U. 8S, Survey, Vol. XIV, p. 13, 494 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. “The Triassic strata underlying the Indian Territory, Northern Texas, New Mexico, etc., are peculiarly barren of fossils. They are generally reddish’ sandstones, conglomerates, and shales below, with a series of highly colored indurated marls or fine grained calcareous sandstones above, frequently charged with salt and sometimes including extensive sheets of gypsum, etc.” This description is an excellent one of the Dockum Beds (Triassic) in Texas, but is not applicable to the Permian beds below. There is not a single bed of conglomerate in the entire strata, as that name is generally used. The conglomerate bed that I have mentioned in the Wichita division is a pecu- liar stratum composed of rounded masses of clay ironstone cemented together by iron. In Texas I have placed the base of the Triassic just where Dr. Newberry has put it in the description above. TRIASSIC. In the First Annual Report, 1889, under the head of Dockum Beds, I men- tioned the occurrence of a formation composed of beds of clay, sandstones, and conglomerates situated immediately above the Red Beds of the Permian and below the beds of the Tertiary, which constitute the Plateau of the Llano Hscatado at this place. These beds occur probably along the entire base of the plains on the eastern side from Big Springs to the Canadian River. The great amount of petrified wood in the conglomerate is one of its chief charac- teristics. Prof. Jules Marcou, in 1853, found the Triassic along the Cana- dian River, and thus describes it along his route: ‘In this group of Triassic rocks numerous remains of petrified wood, even whole trees, are often met with. On the western declivity of the Sierra Madre, between Zuni and the Rio Colorado Chiquito, there is really a petrified forest of trees thirty and forty feet long, divided in fragments from six to ten feet long, with a diameter of three to four feet, some being still upright, en- closed in the sandstone’ These beds and remains of petrified wood belong nearly all to the family of the Conifers and some to that of the ferns with arborescent stems and to the Calamodendron.”* The formation was seen by Dr. Shumard at the head of the North Fork of Red River, in 1852, during Marcy’s expedition. Captain Marcy saw it at the head of Prairie Dog Town River, and in his report of the expedition gives a glowing description of it. Although Marcy put it with the marly clays group of the Cretaceous, yet it is easily recognized by his description as the same beds as are seen at Dockum. . The formation is found on the west side of the plains, and is described by both Marcou and Shumard; yet it lacks the peculiar feature in that part of *Geology of North America, Zurich, 1858. TRIASSIC. ADD the State of the fossil wood so abundant east of the plains. and should evi- dently be placed at a different horizon. The beds that I designated under the provisional name of Dockum Beds are so similar to the Shinarump Beds, as described in ‘Geology of the High Plateaus,” by Powell, that I here give an extract from that report, page 147: ‘Within these shales there often appears a singular conglomerate. It con- sists of fragments of silicified wood embedded in a matrix of sand and gravel. Sometimes trunks of trees of considerable size thoroughly silicified are found, to which the Piute Indians have given the name ‘Shinarump,’ meaning the weapons of Shinav, the Wolf God.” Again, Mr. C. E. Dutton says: ‘Whenever we encounter a cliff which discloses the upper Permian Beds we find at the summit of the escarpment a band of pale brown sandstone of very coarse texture, often becoming a con- glomerate. Its thickness is usually from forty to seventy-five feet.”* _ This conglomerate was found in that region resting upon strata known to be Permian, but there was no break in the deposit and the exact line of de- marcation between the Permian below and the Triassic above had never been determined. Such, however, is not the case with the beds in this locality. The dip of the Permian is to the northwest, while these beds dip to the south- east, in the same direction as that of the Cretaceous further to the southward. The thickness of these beds in the vicinity of Dockum is about one hun- dred and fifty feet. Of this about ten feet is made up of this peculiar con- glomerate. At places, however, this conglomerate is over fifty feet thick. The following section was made about three miles north of Dockum. Be- ginning at the bottom: PAPER LO VBI Se ese rete eo betters nie ede ie Farol e 2 are lahat eae els Bie BME Cie eins, ecu Rea 20 feet. eam ANE SCOME = CLOSSWOCUC Us: ote c joey a conch syst ney ¥ tep Sa aheleieh wie seo vaie%ee wn see es 10 feet. Bin) | GPETECA OTTER SPE UN cee ee cad cee nc eee eee ON et ee oP en 20 feet. Me Eee EEA NULL CLAY: 2) ope catale, aa ceoiay oi orien ivi s, ce alee @ montek os WSC be Shige a cle kee - 30 feet. LCE oe TAS Se CERO GG OO CO BILE Meee oor dO PEE an OR see ee tea ar 80 feet. In the red and blue clay (No. 4) of the above section I found the fossil re- mains of a part of a large saurian (Belodon?), and in the same clay found the cast of a unio which I have called Unio dockumensis. The sandstones and conglomerate are very persistent in character through- out this entire district. In places there is alarge amount of mica in the sand- stones in scales one-sixteenth of an inch square. The following section was made at the falls of White River, in Blanco Canyon, about twelve miles below Mount Blanco. Beginning at the bottom: * United States Geological Report, Vol. III, 1880. 426 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. Deer BRR AMACIAY ioe sche s. ereces Gow ites ea a 'ele Oe id a asain aipelaie oh Melanesia ae . & feet. Sandstone and conglomerate, cross-bedded............00. cece rece ccceces 20 feet. Wiellomyish sandstone. +... \cie4: ciee sole « eeiste awe, Mise c tiers ener 6 feet. MA Rene sn oro wie on vials « e/aleiinne lees oudtenletnotel © kala lenat sleteeeniel icheaetenee eee 30 feet. White River pours over these beds at this place with a fall of twenty-two feet in one hundred feet distance. The amount of water flowing over these falls is about 13,000,000 gallons per day at time of low water. The top of the plains at a distance of two miles to the westward is two hundred and sixty feet above the bottom of the section at the falls. The following section was made six miles below the falls. Beginning at the bottom: 1, Red clay, with thin white seams...55. ... oo secse cc ise cere 40 feet. 2. Cross-bedded coarse micaceous sandstone, yellowish ........... stat oyorceenene 20 feet. S, - [ron ore Conglomerate % 04s sare carne so) mete Bie es toc eine ee ene 1 foot. A... Soft, friable sanGstone . 65. gcicinssedien, os Ne eile oe wees ees aren ene eee 30 feet. be Conglomerate 5.0.65 sci sie ww ain se pies Ser se ee bieshaaintene 30 feet. Jit) Pea ann ee ry see rn oem obtadaeookor oucak coo c 121 feet. The conglomerate of the above section is composed of water worn siliceous pebbles, and disintegrates very rapidly, leaving large beds of gravel at the base of the precipices. In the conglomerate are impressions of the limbs and trunks of trees, but at only one place in this vicinity did I find the fossil wood preserved. The beds of sandstone and conglomerate dip to the southeast, at nearly the same rate as the fall of the river below the falls. None of the sandstone or conglomerate are found above the falls, and at the falls are the first siliceous pebbles to be found in descending the canyon. Above the falls there is an entirely different formation, which I have called the Blanco Canyon Beds, and which are described in another part of this Report. The following sec- tion, made about six miles northeast of Dockum, will show the relation of the Dockum and Blanco Canyon Beds. Beginning at the bottom: Ae Sasa ONA ONTO CLAY 5 5 s'in c's ses pinta ote wee ne auctetae tae : ps epe pene oe Rea 20 feet. RPA AUSMOVELO . a4 pa dni ss a0 ona sae sw cia eee hee aie ee Pe ac ... 12 feet. Be BUBROSTANG. -—Crods-bedded.. os. ic. des sasa lanig paises a as dh asarederatate 10 feet. a.- Gomplomoernte 2 ccc ne oan 5 sa nic sine «oie nie we a walioles 2 eke eee 6 feet. B.. Med ely oe oe Sia wince se bm oan ol le oo 0s a tvhie le on tea 30 feet. 6. Conglomerate, containing Unio dockwmensis........000 sscccvesccessees 1 foot. M. SIRPAREOND | o.cists alae cette atone. svoleus sae neem 00 adc ee ap Sheek ee eee 8 feet. S. -Cross-bedded sandstone... 3.2 on. sis so soins 2 ep ieee eee eee 36 feet. ¥.: Reddish sandy clay 7 Sis coe. cos cae 0 ds ones 2 oe eS 180 feet. 10. Reddish clay......... Lekeitie «kite aihuaple.s «0% 5003p eee 10 feet. ii. Hardened clay, top of Stalked. Plains .......< ......6<.05 a. 0ph ies ee ee eee 10 feet. TRIASSIC. 427 No. 8 of the above section is the top of the Triassic, while that of Nos. 9, 10, and 11 belong to the Blanco Canyon Beds. In No. 6 I found a number of unios that appear to be of the same species as the Unio dockumensis, yet these are in a higher stratum than where I ob. tained the other specimens. The shells are covered with calcareous matter, and it was difficult to see the markings on the outside of them. The following section at the head of Hades Creek, a prong of North Cro- ton Creek, and about three miles east of the above section. This section will show the connection between the underlying Permian beds and the Triassic: i Gypsum, with small_round crystals; “Splum: pudding... 2.6.0.3 0. 6. eae 3 feet. Bee AROW CLAY aj scave calc. \Go0 onevs) <1: OER BERR och Pa Crs GOTO DRC COCR Ee tee an 10 feet. NAS VOM WINELC,. Gavi [) SUNN... 0c,'ch.yava)ete) c) oh'sieee ode Mt cus) « cyehe fos elo Melce 60) sey Sie siase alles Giese’ 2 feet. 4. Red clay, with seams of fibrous gypsum Gavoaine: it in every direction ..... 55 feet. SEMPER ETM SATVOLS COME grrcgerd acy oral: Shey oh Oso cia favours: 3 ff ho tesal ont heb aseieeacel YAS Lore Sulla, Sooo a 2 feet. E ESEGMCUS IS Col aie 8 Baie al aide son opens Pasir kegs ae ho ing 0 ea ae Re a ee 60 feet. 7. Sandstone and Ee ener Wa Dilek OSSI yy OOO ASS ten dias niaced eke. 's tacos, eetare ...+ 20 feet. isis ied eee ee pe regs icra weet ate etsbs pects aT te crla' cro Sarees Svager Sidi wi Wea bs dire ola wins 8 152 feet. The fossil wood in No. 7 of the above section is very abundant and some of the pieces very large. One tree at this place is about two feet in diame- ter and sixty feet long. Pure fresh water is found everywhere in the sandstone and conglomerate, but as soon as the strata below are reached the water is highly impregnated with gypsum. The erosion of the red clay has been very great, both of the Permian and Triassic, before the deposition of the conglomerate of the last section. The red clay that is found elsewhere below the conglomerate has been entirely carried away. The following section made near the Headquarter Ranch of the Hspuela Cattle Company will show this bed of Triassic clay and its relation to the conglomerate. Beginning at the bottom: PCAC ltyee WALI LUIe Wy MILO SEAMS tai 3) coy Gay. si sysio.aka cic! 8 feet. 3. Conglomerate, with petrified wood ..... Jj bho sagt ee eetereeeee eG il CUES BL SSaie Nadas 3 feet. 4.~Sandstone in thin layers... 2. 0. ds x,c in cerieivyems ois Boe ae ee en eee 10 feet. TORALIA <2 & Seb Seereece ee eteeoiattaeiae sho Bee wlelayn cba lele lle erle GAO 51 feet. A few miles west of the mouth of the Blanco Canyon I found some pieces of trees that had been changed into lignite imbedded in the sandstone of the conglomerate. The impression among people who have seen these trees was that they were probably the outliers to a bed of coal, but such is not the case. There is no probability that anything more than a few isolated pieces of lig- nite will be found there, and that, too, of very poor quality. It is more than probable that this formation has a very extensive outcrop along the base of the Staked Plains, between the Plains proper and the Per- mian. The conglomerate and sandstone are found in Potter County at the falls of Palo Duro Creek, a few miles east of Amarillo. The fossil wood from this formation lies scattered all over the Permian. I have seen it along the Big Wichita, Pease, Red, and the Canadian rivers in great abundance. It is doubtless the source of all the gravel found scattered along these rivers from their sources to their mouths. From the time the Red Beds of the West were first discovered until now there has been a great deal of confusion in regard to them. The absence of fossils, or very nearly so, rendered it impossible to determine the true hori- zon of the Red Beds by the paleontology. And when fossils were found the localities were so very remote from each other that the beds could not be cor- related with any degree of certainty. At one place and by one man they would be put in the marly clay of the Cretaceous. Another person at another place would put the beds in the Tri- assic, and in that would be included the Permian. Another at still a differ- ent locality would put them in the Triassic, denying that there was any Per- mian in the United States. Others would call the beds at still another local- ity Jura-Trias; and so the confusion went on. Hach party would bring for- ward the few fossils found by him to support his theory and discredit the reference of others, and where fossils were entirely wanting that fact has been given as proof that the strata belonged to a particular series. Another reason for the confusion was in trying to refer all the Red Beds TRIASSIC. 429 of the West to the same horizon; and as they were in beds of continuous sedi- mentation, or apparently so, and were conformable in deposition, it was hard to give the dividing line between any of the beds. The fact is, no doubt, that the Red Beds of the west when properly under- stood will be found to consist of beds belonging to all the subdivisions from the Coal Measures to the Cretaceous. In Texas the beds are very easily iden- tified on stratigraphical and paleontological grounds. The Permian is very easily distinguished from the Carboniferous below, as between the contact of the beds there is a great hiatus in time, and when the whole contact is under consideration, is very different in sedimentation or stratigraphy. The Per- mian is well represented by both vertebrate and invertebrate fossils. The Triassic has also an abundant and characteristic fauna and flora, and between the Permian and Triassic in Texas there must have elapsed a considerable period. The upper part of the Permian was deposited in a shallow sea, where waters were highly charged with sulphate of lime and chloride of so- dium; while the Triassic beds were deposited in a shallow fresh water sea, where a great deal of fresh water poured in from the mountains, containing a great many pebbles and much timber. The Permian has a continuous sedimenta- tion of sandy clays, sandstones, and gypsum with no conglomerates, and with a regular dip to the northwest at a small angle; while the Triassic is entirely free from salts of any kind, and in the bottom part is largely composed of conglomerates and fragments of petrified wood, and dips towards the south- east at as small an angle, or in the opposite direction from that of the Per- mian. So there is no trouble in determining the line between the Permian and Triassic. _ Only the upper part of the Permian is found north and west of the Wich- ita Mountains and along the Canadian River, and in that there are fewer fossils than elsewhere in the Permian strata, so that any one visiting that part of the formation might not find fossils sufficient to determine the horizon definitely or satisfactorily, and the mistake might very easily be made of calling all of the beds Triassic; while to the south and southwestward of the Wichita range no such mistake need to be made, because the fossils are numerous and dis- tinctive. Sufficient data has not been obtained to determine the exact horizon to which the Triassic beds on the eastern side of the Staked Plains should be referred in the series, but I do not think they will be found to be the lowest part of that division in the northwest. It is very evident, however, that there was not a continuous sedimentation between the Permian and Triassic. ASO. - GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. DIP OF THE TRIASSIC, PERMIAN, AND CARBONIFEROUS STRATA. The following summary of the dip of the strata, estimated by actual meas- Ss urements along long lines, will give an idea of the inclination of the strata at different localities. There are places where the dip will be greater than that given, and there will be places also where it will be less. It will be observed that the dip of the strata becomes less as we go northwestward, or on the di- rection of the dip. The dip is given as a general average of the various divisions mentioned elsewhere in this Report: TRIASSIC. Dockum Beds. The approximate dip is southeast twenty-five to thirty feet to the mile. PERMIAN. Double Mountain Division. The approximate dip is a little west of northwest, and averages about thirty feet to the mile. The upper part of the division is much folded, and the dip in amount or direction is not uniform. Clear Fork Division. The approximate and average dip is northwest forty feet to the mile. Wichita Division. The approximate and average dip is northwest thirty-five feet per mile. CARBONIFEROUS. Albany Division. In the Northern Field the approximate and average dip is northwest forty feet to the mile. In the Central Field the approximate and average dip is a little west of northwest thirty feet to the mile. Canyon Division. In the Northern Field the approximate and average dip is northwest sev- enty-five feet to the mile. In the Central Field the approximate and average dip is north 50° west fifty feet to the mile. | Strawn Division. In the Northern Field the approximate and average dip is north 30° west ninety feet to the mile. TERTIARY. 431 In the Central Field the approximate and average dip is northwest seventy feet per mile. Millsap Division. This division only occurs in the Northern Field. The approximate and average dip is northwest eighty feet per mile. Bend Division. This division occurs only in the Central Field. A general average was not made, but the following measurements were made at the localities given: At five miles west of Lampasas Springs the dip is north 214° east one hundred and five feet per mile. At Lampasas, north 30° east one hundred and five feet per mile. At Bend, north 23° west one hundred and fifty-eight feet per mile. At Cherokee Creek, north 844° east one hundred and fifty-eight feet per mile. These last estimates were made on short distances, and are very much in excess of what the strata would show on an entire section across the field. TERTIARY. BLANCO CANYON BEDS. Above the Triassic formation, and resting conformably upon conglomerate, are the beds I have designated the Blanco Canyon Beds, which are possibly the equivalent of the ‘‘Green River” Beds of Hayden. They constitute the upper beds of the Staked Plains, and are so well pre- sented at Blanco Canyon that 1 have given this name provisionally to these beds. They are composed of sands and clays. The clays and sands are indurated in places until they are assolidasstone. Their thickness at this place is about two hundred feet, with a gentle dip to the southeast. The following section was made of a hill at the foot of the Plains four miles north of the town of Dockum. Beginning at the bottom: Pe PU RINE AAU CUES, 215 esos 22 to ed Ae ea a She hie Sialdie oes eel ee ba ware ss 150 feet. Zo nNNRbILES Clty (CHAM) 2). ons sieve aibie ove LAST OP OR aN sie ae iNet el ota COD ier eae A feet. Se AELCTC LN GLE Sa iol cities seas 50 /aad Sicks APA Del aN secele Ha ae a wid LAN a ha ie dw bs 3- feet. AMMAN eon CO LEAT) 505, 3)-95 255 ss wiocs a ee edness ct ahs, Sob dAdo lel sce 4 Hi slaves 3 feet. 5. White sandy clay ......+...+ LB HOG O00 b DOd CIOS ONO OOOO RE at Caer OTE On 6 feet. LOB oe ce ce ot el CAR APEROE LCE’ COC CEET CEC Hie Eee ee 166 feet. ”? This section rests directly upon those beds I have called “Triassic.” From the point where this section was made the Plains stretch away to an unknown oe SE ee eee 432 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. distance to the westward without break or change for hundreds of miles, ex- cept here and there where some stream has cut its way through, forming a deep, narrow chasm a mile or less in width, with perpendicular walls on both sides, often to the depth of the entire formation. In No. 6 of this formation I found the fossil remains of a small turtle about six inches across and fragments of a large mammal. I made the following section about one mile south of Mount Blanco. Be- ginning at the bottom: Te RedGish Cla yssces scsi 40+ ofnesm alimie vile oun ole eelere cele Gre > fel te enetOn ee ees 30 feet. De WROGSClAY 05 Fs aio's. s 5) ease spaces ava al ofits ateteue eee eats ern eine nem ce cides aetoee 2 feet a.) andy greenish’ clay... ier «oes ene aioe eran a lGinlie-0 Sier « ond) aan ere 30 feet. 7 aes 610: a, rn Aree PA ian Air erik nme EAL Cs oe 8 feet. Bb: S PACKRATIC scatesecs!saieie Hea Avoca) anaes ERP ote gh Ad oat ee Ske eee _... 20 feet. 6 x Ghallict: 40-5 ck: Coste cee eee Ae ieee: paclolddlaaale cadet) 6 ee eee i. White sandy clay, ...c00 2 «nies a cme Peaelsintog ete ECE Pea ath eee Bm nS 30 feet. 8. White-calcareonus sandstone. | oo. des se ce Soe ee es 1 ia ee basta oe Oe eee 4 feet. 9. Stalactitic limestone... 5.60% 02. Si asienwes (2 tan aye ete < ol Steere ee 4 feet. 10. Sandstone: .ii.sceice scoe keenest cn pee ep G eee 2 ae eee 3 feet 11. Limestone,shard . 2... 24.0) be ke act ile emeale cease ie ee 2 feet 12. Boils ets AG ee aed ee ots Be en ee ee eee bates kuene eS 8 feet. Totiall sais. dosecsss:s 6asinth intoud pilese feet = uel as Mapeleleiale Ne poyel sa ates Set meade eee 145 feet. The reddish clay (No. 1) of the above section looks very much like it had been deposited in a fresh water lake. In the packsand (No. 5) of the section are remains of large mammals. I found the tooth of a fossil horse. There is not much uniformity in any of the beds at this place except that of the reddish clay and the stalactitic limestone, which everywhere form the base and top of the Plains. The following section was made one-fourth of a mile northwest of H. C. Smith’s house and one mile north of Mount Blanco: 1.. Red clay (same as No. 1 of previous section), ....:...+-%<.andnaesoe te 130 feet. 2, Stalactitic limestone... ... cs cance os» ooo acc oce eae Aeon 10 feet. 3. Limestone...... Soe pte on ee 'e.win eis Gamma ea ein es Guns eye eee ee 2 feet. TOGA asin 5 wae: oteis sin. oye o eseu olor bu cle nls ign ble ole fea SIGNA eee ele eee 142 feet. North of this there is no chalk along the canyon, but the stalactitic lime- stone lies directly upon the heavy beds of red clay. At the base of this formation there is a bed of sand that furnishes an abundance of water. About four miles above Mount Blanco there are two large springs that come up from this sand and give a large amount of water at all times. Wherever wells have been put down to this sand on the plains an abundant supply of good water has been obtained. Along the canyon below Mount Blanco at various places large springs are found. A fine flow comes from a spring on Crawfish Creek, about one mile south of Mount Blanco. In the vicinity of TERTIARY. 433 the falls, ten miles below Mount Blanco, there are numerous springs. Nearly all the gulches that come into the main canyon from the westward have run- ning streams in them of clear, pure water. There is water enough in the canyon to irrigate large amounts of land if it was utilized in that way. At places below the falls the water comes from the conglomerate found every where below the sands of the Blanco Canyon Beds, but I think it is only where there are fissures in the sandstone and conglomerate that such is the case. Along the foot of the plains in the vicinity of Dockum there are sev- eral springs of pure, clear water. I shall not attempt to determine the exact geological horizon of these beds for the present, as sufficient data has not been obtained to enable me to do so with certainty. LLANO ESTACADO. It has been supposed that the Staked Plains were of the same forma- tion from one side to the other, and from the northern extremity at the Cana- dian River to the Pecos. When one attempts, however. to correlate the various reports that have been made from time to time, he will see at once that either the observers were not competent to determine the question, which is not so, or that the formation must be very different at different localities. Marcou saw the Llano Estacado on the north, and the upper beds of the Plains he unhesitatingly pronounced Jurassic. Several parties have seen it at Big Springs, and have called it Cretaceous. I have seen it in Tom Green County, and am certain that it is Cretaceous there. I have also seen it at Dockum, and am sure it is Tertiary. I have had fossils from Palo Duro Canyon, and it is Tertiary there. I have traveled westward along the line of the Texas and Pacific Railway from Big Springs, and am sure it is Tertiary after getting upon the Plains west of Big Springs as far west as Dead Man’s Cut, where I think it is Cretaceous, the rocks there being almost entirely composed of a small Gryphea which has generally been referred to the species _prtchert, yet 1t may be Jurassic. At the top of the Plains at Quito, the first station east of the Pecos River, the strata are Triassic. Along the Pecos River, southeastward as far as Devil’s River, Shumard calls the upper part of the Plains Creteceous; but it must be remembered that he put in the Marly Clays of the Cretaceous the whole of the Red Beds of both the Permian and Triassic, and it is only where he gives the fossils that are found in the strata that one can be certain that his reference to the Cretaceous was correct. A line of levels from the highest point on the Plains along the Texas and Pacific Railway shows a regular dip to the eastward of about eight and three-fourths feet to the mile in that direction, between Duro and Big Springs. Big Springs, 434 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. however, is at the base of the Cretaceous, and Duro is at the highest point of outcrop of the Cretaceous rocks. The distance between these two points on a straight line is about eighty miles north 64° east. From Duro to the western edge of the Plains at Quito, a distance of about fifty miles south 70° west, the dip of the surface is about ten feet to the mile; and to the Pecos River, a distance of about sixty-five miles, the dip of the surface is about the same, and the line is in the same direction. The highest point of the Staked Plains along the line of the Texas and Pacific Railway is at Duro, which is thirty-two hundred feet above sea level. Big Springs is twenty-four hundred feet, and the Pecos River is twenty-five hundred and eighty-five feet above sea level. | At Duro the dip of the surface is across the upper part of the Cretaceous, at Quito it is on the Triassic, and at the Pecos it is on the Red Beds that have not yet been determined. From the Pecos River westward along the line of the railroad the surface of the country rises very rapidly in a distance of seventy miles, or from the Pecos River to Boracho, the elevation being ? twenty-three hundred feet, or thirty-three feet to the mile. At Boracho the formation is Cretaceous, which dips to the southeast. It has been thought that the artesian water at Pecos City was in the Cretaceous and had its source to the westward along the base of the mountains, and that the same bed of water bearing sands would be found under the Staked Plains, but it will be seen at a glance that such could not be the case. If a line be drawn from the base of the Cretaceous at Big Springs to Duro, and that line protracted across the Pecos, it will reach the base of the Cretaceous in the vicinity of Boracho, but Pecos City would be over fourteen hundred feet below that line; or if a line be drawn with the line of the dip of the country from Boracho to the Pecos River, and that line protracted eastward, it will pass beneath the Cretaceous beds on the eastward. And then it is known that there is no Cretaceous strata from Quito to the Pecos Valley, but the Triassic comes in; » so any water that might be in the Cretaceous formation west of the Pecos would not be found west of the Staked Plains, because the Pecos River has cut entirely through the Cretaceous strata. More recently I have thought that the artesian water at Pecos City was confined probably to the valley of the Pecos, and was probably found in the deposits of a more recent age than the Cretaceous. The following is a section of a well in Pecos City, given to me by Mr. Cox, who drilled the well in his own yard: 1 0 ete RI Me Rosie ee St 1 foot. 2. | White elay eo... 25 soe. ea das be he ba le gn ee 20 feet. Bi sQuiekwema ys fans. ce ec ce ki eas bails ao cake eee eee eee 2 feet. 4. Soli emetene ti ee ea ok ee aces, ohare a ade ee ee Ce eee . 50 feet. 5. Ga wallow. Playa co 5 wooo ia se seen Pee or ee 20 feet. TERTIARY. | 435 SR paaK as BEC ent ce nen nea els) «Be aieiiel oss Sie ayehais 6 inches. COPPER ORE. 453 This same bed of copper is found on the Big Wichita River north of Sey- mour in the vicinity of Table Top Mountain. see sewer 20 feet. 6, . Mottled ‘sandstone, .. essc oa. wale Says e op dials leg Bey Ghee ened Re See ee 4 feet. 1. Red. elay. and mottled ‘sandstonme:: <2: fc cc: fsa er a eee eee 5 feet. 8. Massive white gypsum....... 2 "se Sain ih. eee a 0 Bled hel pga ene late aes tan ee 3 feet. 9; Red Clay. sic. cise 5 ao. 0 acnie = celn ainuaiaietw Siamincuieleso tire anetalints aie on ate Ieee 10 feet. 10." Gypsum, alabaster . ... < oes. 's sisise maison pis ete Sova auslelateaniate ohana peeks eee nena 1 foot. AUS? PROM slay, 35 5 Gicke iis ts 2.0.0 oie = bees eee a's aie » algtasate oot ene reee 4 feet. MOG sia oe aise aie ee oe Seca wo ce evatbpliere ite ws hile of elec) Bees alte EA ae Ree Cae 70 feet. The following section was made three miles northwest of the smelter, in Knox County: Ma TRG CNA bile Sse in Sed wic ne one's wlan lae’ wAiancdletaiale gels Gree eels eo eee 20 feet. Qe Wibite Hamdstone.. 1.55... os 2s sos bs oa cbeiee Dea oe eee vous dOaeet 3.) Rediclas: ayith py psu, . oc. 2. 2s nee oemeAes i bia ingilia ope Whayee eae eee weeete, oO feat: 4... Massive bluish pypsum.... . ... 0. 60). om aise me = 6:4 aie Re, ee eee eee 2 feet. GB. Rd ayn oe iss 5 ain ean 6 5550s iow wen 0) inom oie ayes os Biatdiage eee 20 feet. 6. Massive white gypsum........ 1. Bred Glave oe eee a ine os vic oe wine 3 ace om ae ae een S. Massive py pain nn coc ww ee oa o's 5s 5 ie wo wollen ee 9. Red clay, with seams of gypsum RQ. Ditmmesbone ise sn crete islinite bs oo lata oe solic ins cn 9.0 min vine» 19 ns) oe ee BUILDING STONES. 459 ECONOMIC USES OF GYPSUM. Gypsum is used for making plaster of Paris, which is used for making casts, making models, and for giving a hard finish to inside walls. It is also used as a fertilizer for the improvement of soils. There was used in the United States in 1886, the latest date of which I have the information, over one hundred and two thousand tons of land plas. ter, and ninety-eight thousand tons of calcined gypsum, or plaster of Paris, worth in the aggregate over one million dollars. The most of this came from foreign countries, and from beds that are much inferior to the gypsum of this district. There are only two railroads that now penetrate this gypsum district from the south and east. That of the Texas and Pacific Railway reaches the beds in the vicinity of Sweetwater, in Nolan County, where there are fine beds of gypsum. The Fort Worth and Denver Railway reaches the gypsum in the vicinity of Quanah. At either of these places there is enough of the material to supply any demand that could be made upon it for ages to come. Just what effect gypsum has upon soils by being strewn upon them has not been fully determined, but that it produces a decidedly salutary effect upon vegetation is not to be questioned. Prof. Lupton says: ‘As a fertilizer it furnishes lime and sulphur to the plants, and is thought to have the power of absorbing ammonia from the air and supplying it to the plant.” To this important property Liebig ascribes much of its wonderful effect upon young grasses and wheat. ‘It has no caustic properties like quick-lime and guano, and therefore seeds are not injured by being placed in immediate contact with it. The vigorous, healthy start which it gives to the young plant is very desirable for both corn and cotton, sinee weak, sickly plants are almost sure to suffer from insects or perish from other causes. This is one of the cheapest of fertilizers, and should be used by farmers or planters who desire an increase of production by a moderate outlay of money.” The fertility of the river bottoms and valleys of Texas are in a measure due to the fact that these rivers have their sources in these gypsum beds. BUILDING STONES. In determining the quality of a building stone there are several things to be taken into consideration, three of which are of paramount importance. These are durability, texture, and color. The more satisfactory these things are in one stone the more desirable it is as a building material. A stone that is granular will decompose more easily than the crystalline rocks, yet if the grains composing a stone, as the sandstones, are cemented together by a material that is inclined to harden on exposure it may be very 460 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. durable. In selecting building stones or a place to open a quarry much in- formation may be obtained by visiting the locality and seeing what effect the weather has had upon the stones exposed to the action of the atmospheric influences. The rocks that are thus exposed have been subject to these influ- ences for thousands of years, and will show what may be expected of the stones when quarried and put into buildings. If the bed of stone is entirely hid from observation by the material of its own destruction it will prove to be a stone that will suffer greatly on exposure, but if it stands out in bold escarp- ment while the other parts of the strata are decomposed, it shows that it has a strong power to resist the atmospheric influences. It must be remembered, however, that the most obdurate material will show some effects of weather- ing; even the hardest granites have been decomposed by the relentless hand of time. The color of a stone to be desirable must be uniform and permanent after weathering. Very few stones, if any, will retain the same color as when first quarried, and it is very desirable that there should be no nodules of pyrites that will cause streaks across entire walls below where such a nodule may occur. It is always desirable that a stone that is to be used in a large building should be subjected to all the tests that have been adopted for determining these matters, such as the chemical constituents of the stone, its crushing ca- pacity, its power to resist the action of carbonic acid, its ability to absorb moisture, as well as the facility with which it can be dressed under the ham- mer of the workman. For testing the crushing weight of a stone cubes should be prepared two inches square, in duplicate, so that its resistance both in the direction of the bedding and in a line across the bedding may be tested. Many stones are much more durable and will stand much more pressure if put into a wall in the same way they were bedded in the quarry than if set up on edge. No tests of the stone in this part of the State have been made by the Sur- vey except some very brief and simple tests to determine some of the quali- ties of some of the limestones, and they were not made with a view of deter- mining their value as building material. CARBONIFEROUS BUILDING STONE. In the Carboniferous formation in Texas, from the bottom to the top of the series, there are beds of excellent building stones, both of sandstones and limestones. Mention is made in the description of the several counties, else- where in this Report, of a numoer of places where these stones have been brought into use. BUILDING STONES. 461 LIMESTONES. In the Albany Beds, which occur at the top of the series everywhere in Texas south of the Brazos River, are the best limestones for building pur- poses in the formation. These limestones are generally blue when first taken out of the quarry, but after long exposure to the atmosphere change their color to a whitish-gray or buff, according to the different beds used and the different localities from whence they are taken. These beds furnish the building stones of Coleman, where several of the buildings have been con- structed of this material. It lies in beds from a few inches to two feet thick, and is very even-bedded, is easily quarried, and receives an excellent finish under the workman’s hammer. The uniformity of texture throughout an en- tire bed makes it a very desirable building stone. Baird, in Callahan County, is another locality where this building stone has been used extensively, and has given general satisfaction. It has been used both for finished and rough work, and has proven equally satisfactory for each. At Aibany, in Shackelford County, there have been several beds opened and used extensively in that town for buildings. It lies in beds generally about eighteen inches thick, and gives slabs as large as the quarryman de- sires to handle. The best quality there is bluish on first being taken from the quarries, but changes to a lighter color on being exposed to the action of the atmospheric influences. The mention of these localities is sufficient to call attention to these beds, which are just as good at other localities occupy- ing the same geological horizon, a mere mention of the beds being all that can be done at the present. There are limestones in other divisions of the Carboniferous strata besides those of the Albany Beds that make good building material and have been extensively used. Mention of the quarry at Jacksboro is made in another part of this Report. The beds in the vicinity of Crystal Falls are excellent, but have not been used very largely, for the reason that there has been no local demand for them. The limestones in the vicinity of Palo Pinto are good and very abundant, and have been used with satisfaction in that town. The hard blue limestones along the line of the Texas and Pacific Railway in the vicinity of the Brazos, in the south side of Palo Pinto County, are be- ing used as macadam on the streets in the City of Dallas. These stones are very hard, and when broken and compacted with sand and gravel make very desirable material for street improvement. The limestones in the vicinity of Brownwood would make excellent building material, and have been used to some extent in that place. The limestones of the carboniferous would propably have been used more 462 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. extensively than they have but for the fact that at almost every locality where they occur, and where there is a demand for building material, there are also beds of sandstones that work much more easily than do the limestones, and as a consequence have been used in preference to them; and not from any inferiority in the material for durability or color, but because the thin texture rendered them more difficult to put into the desired shapes. SANDSTONES. The sandstones of the Carboniferous are abundant, and are found in all the beds of the formation. They have been used more extensively than any other stones in this part of the State. For their great uniformity of texture and color, and for their known durability, they are very desirable for build- ing purposes. ‘They are easily quarried and admit of a good finish. The fa- cility with which they can be dressed is another quality that has added to their value. It would be a matter of impossibility to even mention the beds where good quarries of this stone could be opened, and the quality of the different beds is almost the same. As a matter of course some of the beds will be different in quality from that of others, and there will be changes in the quality of the | sandstone in the same bed, but by proper selection good stone may be found in all of them. The following localities are some of the places where the sandstones of the Carboniferous have been used: The quarries that have been worked most are in the southern part of Palo Pinto County, along the line of the Texas and Pacific Railway, near the Brazos River. Stone taken from this place was used in constructing the United States government building and the Grand Windsor Hotel in the city of Dallas. Stone from the same quarry was used in the construction of the large Joe Brown grocery house as well as others in the city of Fort Worth. The stone is there in unlimited quanti- ties, and is within easy reach of the railroad. This stone was thoroughly tested by the United States architect before it was allowed to be used in the building at Dallas, and determined to be a very superior stone for building, as has been mentioned elsewhere. The court house in the town of Mon- tague is built of sandstone from a quarry a few miles west of that town. At Bowie, in the same county, some of the business houses are built of the same material. At Mineral Wells some of the business houses are built of sandstone found in the vicinity. At Ranger, along the line of the Texas and Pacific Railway, is a stone that has been used extensively not only for building houses but for construction of piers for the railway bridges. At Eastland is a bed of stone that furnishes a good building material, BUILDING STONES. 463 Some of the houses at Cisco are built from sandstone found in the vicinity. Just north of the town of San Saba a few miles is a bed of sandstone that has furnished good building material for various purposes in that town. From Brownwood to San Saba are many beds of sandstones that will make first-class building material when there shall be a demand for it. The time has not yet arrived in the history of this part of the State when men build large and commodious houses out of the most durable material, but have devoted all their capital to investments that will yield a revenue, and have been content to live in houses built of lumber or inferior material. The time will come, however, when the average citizen will make improvements as though he had come to stay a while, and then the immense quarries of building stones found so abundantly in all this part of the country will be brought into use. RED SANDSTONE. About one mile southwest of Quito, a station on the Texas and Pacific Railway, twelve miles east of Pecos City, a quarry has been recently opened of red sandstone, which is probably one of the finest building stones in the State of that kind of material. The proprietors have secured the necessary transportation rates over the Texas and Pacific Railway. It is their intention to ship large quantities of stone to the eastern part of the State. It is not definitely determined what geological formation is at that locality, but it is not later than the Triassic, and very probably belongs to that series. The stone lies in thick beds of even structure and uniform color and in un- limited quantities. It admits of a fine finish and retains its color well on ex- posure to the weather. The quarry is the most extensive in the State, and it is the intention of the owners to increase their working force as the demands for the stone increases. PERMIAN BUILDING STONES. There are three kinds of building stones in the northwestern part of the State—the dolomite, calcite, and sandstones. LIMESTONES. The dolomitic limestones are found principally in the Clear Fork Beds of the Permian. The calcite or common limestone is found in beds throughout the entire Carboniferous strata. The dolomitic limestone is very durable as building material, for the reason that from its very composition it will stand the atmospheric influences better than the other stones. Rain water carries a good deal of carbonic 464 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. acid, and as carbonate of lime has a much greater affinity for that acid than does the carbonate of magnesia, it will not be so easily affected by the weather. These limestones lie in beds varying in thickness from an inch to three feet. The beds are generally separated by thin beds of clay, making it very easy to get out the stone in the quarry. The beds are generally very regular in thickness, and the rocks may be taken up and put into a wall in the same manner in which they were bedded, rendering no dressing necessary except the exposed edges that show in the wall. The color is quite uniform through- out a layer for long distances, and such is the texture that in weathering the color will still be uniform. The localities where this stone occurs are so nu- merous that it would be an impossible thing to mention all of them. It be- gins a few miles south of San Angelo, at the old town of Ben Ficklin, and extends continuously to the north line of Baylor County, a distance of one hundred and fifty miles, and in some places is several miles wide. Wherever this stone has been used it has given the best satisfaction. A quarry has been opened at the old town of Ben Ficklin, and the stone used very extensively in the city of San Angelo in the construction of some of the largest public and private buildings. It was also used for building the piers for the bridges across the Concho River in that county. The houses at Fort Concho are built of this limestone, and have been erected for thirty years, yet they show no effect from weathering except that they are a little whiter than when they were first built. | The beds of limestones are in several layers and are easily quarried. The thickness of the beds vary from six inches to three feet. At Ballinger a quarry has been opened at the top of the hill on the south side of the river, and one north in the north edge of the town; they are both of the same stratum of limestone. This limestone has been used extensively in the town of Ballinger for building purposes. The court house is built from material from this quarry, as are also the piers for the railroad bridge across the Colorado River west of the town of Ballinger, and across Elm Creek east of the town. The limestone at the top of the hill where the quarry has been opened is in a regular bed three feet thick. It has two lines of fracture, one due north and the other north 45° east, with the magnetic variation at 94° east. The hill is eighty feet high, and a section made at this place shows the entire hill composed of alternating beds of limestone and clay. On the north side of town a quarry has been opened on the same bed which will give equally as good stone. The convenience of these quarries to railway transportation ought to make them very desirable. At the old town of Reynolds, five miles north of Ballinger, a quarry was BUILDING STONES. 465 opened, and when that town was the county seat of Reynolds County the principal building material was of the limestone from this place. It has very much the same appearance as the stone at Ballinger, and is probably a part of the same bed. At the town of Seymour, in Baylor County, a quarry has been opened that has furnished the principal building material for that town for several years. The stone was so easily quarried and wrought that it was cheaper to build of stone than to haul lumber from the railway; and then a stone house was so much more desirable. Now that they have a railway to the town all the principal buildings are still made of this material. The principal quarry is in the bluff of the river one-half mile west of the town. The following section made at the quarry will give an idea of the manner of occurrence of the limestone and clay beds at this place. Beginning at the top: Le LTTINGSS TRUSTS cone ey ear oe Rar ey cc 10 inches. PME RUM Tso teehee 20 io, Saco ie easel ake latices wane o's 2 inches. S| LAL SS NCTE ies Serie gy ede date A ee ag ne 10 inches. ap .ELTS GIy hee ERs Cte Se See era CR nee ea eee er ae 10 feet. de LUDDESIRCUED SARIS ah chee ke pen att eae ea i a ao tine Nan 10 inches. SP CMPSTC CLAM arene hee Tan No oe faked tons os 5 date Be ak G Se age Seti ahe as 20 feet. PURINE ROI CMe IAT, os 7 TE Cac css As aos 6 eG ayerel sels epwre bie eee es BO 8 inches. Mr CONV heroes an stoves cle «love's o. seen e ties eels oS tears e ies © 20 feet. 2. LATTE SIFCIES. tees Ricci Ean R RPE A at ne ar 1 foot. PENNE CLAVE tyrcom ase. Svc chai et ee woe Aa AEN OE a a owete vhs 8 feet. EMEC SONG 1M Ventintt aoda co ciate ctl ofs ib uhh) OY 1s Sbte Gale eSle leh « ois Iitoot: LOLs 2 ese, SRR ae te Ocoee at Sd SEADOO, BAS Se Oe es 63 feet 4 inches. The clay bed between No. 1 and No. 2 of the above section is wanting in places, and the two beds of limestone are compacted into one bed making a stratum twenty inches thick, and is the best stone found in this quarry. The stone can be taken out in any sized pieces desired. It breaks with a smooth, even surface that requires very little dressing. The court house, jail, and nearly all the other buildings in the town are built of this material. I merely mention these localities to show the extent of the beds, not that they are better at these localities than at hundreds of other places along the. line of the outcrop indicated. SANDSTONE. This class of stone is very abundant throughout all the beds of the Per- mian, but more so in the Wichita and Clear Fork Beds Its color is generally a gray or pale blue that changes to a brown on ex- posure by the oxidization of the small amount of iron they contain. Some 466 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. of the beds are red and some are red and white spotted and some have a mottled appearance. The beds about three miles southwest of San Angelo are a bluish gray. They are very homogenous throughout both in color and structure. These stones are in regular layers from six inches to four feet thick, are easily quar- ried, and are soft and easy to work when first taken out, but harden on ex- posure. There are several buildings in the city of San Angelo made of this stone. It is used in building chimneys, and stands the heat of an ordinary fire well. | At Buffalo Gap a red sandstone quarry has been opened by Mr. Haynes, and the material was used in the construction of the college building at that place. It is an excellent building material, retaining its color admirably, and becoming very hard on exposure to the atmosphere. The bed is not very extensive, but it is in sufficient quantity to supply any demand that may be made for it. On the southeast of the town of Buffalo Gap about one mile and a half a quarry of bluish, fine-grained, thin-bedded sandstone has been opened that furnishes a good building stone. The stone ought to be laid in a structure in the same position that it occupies in the quarry, otherwise it is lable to scale in weathering, but if placed in the wall in the same position as it has in the quarry it will weather very slowly. At Cedar Mountain, about six miles east of the town of Benjamin, in Knox County, a quarry has been opened of gray sandstone, which occurs there in heavy beds. The stone is easily quarried and dressed and becomes very hard on exposure. It changes color very little on weathering. The county jail in Benjamin is built of stone from this quarry. All these places mentioned are in the Clear Fork Beds of ae Permian, and are mentioned to give an idea of the extent of the sandstone in that part of the State. In the Wichita Beds of the Permian there are no limestones suitable for building purposes, but there is a great abundance of sandstones everywhere. A few places only can be mentioned in this Report where these stones have been used. At the town of Archer this stone is abundant, yet it has been used only to a limited extent, but where used has given entire satisfaction. Its color at that place is a bluish gray, rather soft when first taken from the quarry, but becomes hard on exposure, and stands the weather excellently. | At Wichita Falls there has been quite an amount of sandstone used for various purposes. The piers for the bridge for the wagon road across the Big Wichita River are built of this stone. The stone can be selected from quarries in this vicinity that will be of the same color throughout, but the BUILDING MATERIAL. 467 most of it is inclined to be variegated. Some of the beds are light yellow and some of them are reddish. Several quarries have been opened near Henrietta that have proven to be good. The stone is even-bedded and uniform in color, is very easily quar- ried and works well under the hammer, does not color on exposure to the weather, is free from nodules of pyrites, and is a very desirable building stone. The court house, jail, and many other buildings in the town of Henrietta are constructed of this material. At a great many other places there are beds of fine sandstone that can be used where there is a demand for such material. BUILDING MATERIAL. CLAYS. The clays in this part of the State may be divided into two classes; first, that which occupies its original position in the formation and has been broken down on exposure to the atmosphere; second, the residual clays, more or less mixed with other material, which has been deposited in its present posi- tion by the action of the water during the time of the erosion, and more lately by the rivers and creeks. The most of the bricks manufactured at present in this district are from this residual clay. That this clay should vary very much in different localities is to be expected from the very mode of its occurrence. It differs in value as a brick making material, owing to composition, texture, and different degrees of fusibility. That there should be failures sometimes in making good bricks is not to be wondered at; but the failure can generally be traced to the want of skill in the manufacturer rather than to the composition of the clays. Different clays require different handling, from the mixing to the final burning. Pure clay will not make brick by itself, nor will clay and sand, even of proper proportions, unless there is some materia! to act as flux when they are burnt in the kiln. | Pure clay must furnish the largest part of the material for brick making and give body to the brick; yet by itself it would crack and crumble in dry- ing, would shrink and melt and warp in burning, and be too hard to be broken by a stroke of the trowel, which is often necessary in building. Sand prevents the brick from cracking when drying and shrinking when burning. Lime, magnesia, and the metallic oxides, acting upon the other material, cause sufficient fusion in burning to cement the whole in a compact mass. The most of the clays in this district contain a sufficient amount of peroxide of iron to color the bricks a beautiful red. 468 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. A great deal depends upon the mixing of these elements in proper propor tion, and where that is not already done the material for this proper admix- ture is nearly always convenient. Chemical tests of the clays will determine very nearly what element would be lacking and how it could be supplied at any given locality. In selecting clays for making bricks there are a few things to be consid- ered. The material should be such as to give sufficient hardness to enable it to withstand heavy pressure and to stand the weather. It should be such that the brick will be of uniform size, to secure uniformity in the settling of the building, and to add to its beauty. It should have some material that would cause the whole mass to agglutinate and form a compact mass. When these matters are properly looked into and provided for there is no reason why good bricks may not be made at almost any locality in this part of the State. FIRE CLAY. This term has been used in this Report to designate a peculiar clay under- lying the beds of coal. ,Fire clay for making the quality of brick known as “fire brick,” which have a due admixture of clay and silica with the silica in excess, with no material that will act as flux when burning or when exposed to great heat thereafter, have been found in other coal fields and called fire clay, and in calling the clay ‘fire clay” in this district I have simply called it so from its position and not from its chemical properties. POTTER’S CLAY. The clays of the Coal Measures are excellent clays for making pottery, but have not been utilized for that purpose at any locality so far as I know. MARBLE. At several localities my attention has been called to beds of limestone that were supposed to be marble, but in no place has there marble been found. Hard limestones capable of receiving a high polish occur in places, but it is doubtful if any of them will be of any economic value. Two miles and a half east of Graham, east of Salt Creek, is a bed of this marble. On first examination it appears to be sandstone on the outside, caused by the harder grains of the stone having resisted the weathering, giv- ing the outer surface the weathered appearance of sandstone. This bed is very compact and has been slightly metamorphosed, yet not enough to de- stroy the forms of the fossils, but sufficiently to make it very solid. It takes an excellent polish, and could be used for articles of furniture that would not require much handling. AGRICULTURE. 469 GRINDSTONES. It would seem that the people of Texas ought to be able to make the grind- stones they use, instead of importing them from a foreign country, as is very largely done. The same kind of sandstones are to be found in our Coal Meas. ures as are found at other places where large quantities are produced. There was imported into the United States in 1886, the latest date at which I have a statement, $45,713 worth of stones. Most of these came from Eng- land and Nova Scotia. The stones are manufactured there by hand with chisel and hammer, and then shipped to this country and sold at a less price than the stones can be made here. The value of grindstones manufactured in the United States in 1886 was $250,000. A large part of the product is manufactured by machinery. The sandstones of the Carboniferous in Texas would make a very good article if properly selected. There are only two places where any attempt has been made to develop this kind of an industry, and that was on Grindstone Creek, in the western part of Parker County, and at the stone quarry on the line of the Texas and Pacific Railway, near the Brazos River, in Palo Pinto County. The locality on Grindstone.Creek has been known almost ever since the settlement of the country. The old settlers utilized the stones for the pur- pose of grindstones before any could be brought from a distance. Only a few at a time have been made at this place on any occasion. At the other place a few years ago a great number were made and met with a ready sale, but the enterprise has been entirely abandoned. AGRICULTURE. Thirty years ago the broad prairies of the “black waxy” lands in the middle part of the State were thought to be too much subject to drouth to be suita- ble for cultivation, except for wheat. Now they are the finest in the State. Ten years ago, when the Texas and Pacific crossed the Brazos on its west- ward march to the Rio Grande, it entered a country almost entirely devoted to stockraising, with only here and there a small farm, and the general expres- sion and belief was that it would always be so. Before the Colorado was reached even the stockman was not found, and the Staked Plains were thought to be a barren sandy desert over which even the wild game did not roam. Ten years ago all the Panhandle was unoccupied except by stock- men. Now prosperous towns have sprung up along the lines of the railroads, and farms are being opened up at arapid rate. On the Staked Plains, where there was thought to be no water, and where whole parties of emigrants on their way to California and thousands of cattle being driven across the Plains perished for lack of water, it has been demonstrated that everywhere at a 38—geol, 470 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS, depth of from thirty to one hundred and fifty feet abundance of water can be obtained by digging. These lands, instead of being, as the geographers taught, a desert, are covered with a luxuriant growth of nutritious grasses, and the soils are as good as any to be found in the State. Steadily the settlement of the country has gone on, and the large cattle ranches that once occupied the entire country are giving place to the agricul- turist. Thirty years ago the half of Nebraska was thought to be only fit for graz- ing purposes, but now it is the center of one of the most fertile corn produc- ing countries in the world. Colorado was once thought to be the same; so was California; yet the value of their farm products is more than the output of their mines in a single year. These results have been obtained by utilizing the rainfall by deep plowing and subsoiling, and thereby forming a reservoir for the surplus water which formerly ran off and was wasted. Last winter, at the foot of the Plains in Dickens County, we purchased oats at a ranch at the same figures we had to pay for them in Wichita County. They had been raised on a farm of three hundred and twenty acres sown en- tirely in oats and barley. The oats had averaged oyer forty bushels to the acre. ‘ In Baylor County it has been demonstrated that good crops of cotton can be made that will class with that raised on the “black waxy” lands of Dallas and Collin counties. | Wichita County is claimed to be the banner county of the State for small grain; and these counties are but samples of what may be done in any of the counties of the northwest. Practical tests have proven that the Panhandle of Texas is destined to become a fine agricultural district. In determining the agricultural possibilities of a country there are two things of importance to be considered; first, the quality of the soil; second, the rainfall or the possibility of irrigation. In discussing the question of rainfall, the time at which the greatest pre- cipitation comes and the mean temperature of the country will be taken into consideration. If these be favorable, it is then for the farmer to adapt his crops and manner of cultivation to the peculiarity of these things, that he may secure the best results. In studying the capacity of the soils in the Northwest for agricultural pur- poses, I have thought best to give a brief statement of the chemical ingredi- ents necessary to the composition of fertile soils, and then to see how nearly . the soils of the Northwest will be found to correspond with this ideal soil. | The soils get their chemical qualities from the rocks from which they have their origin. The first thing, therefore, to be considered is the origin of these soils. » AGRICULTURE. A471 SOILS. The origin of all soils is from the decomposition of the rocks, clays, shales, and other material going to make up the crust of the earth. When any part of the earth’s crust is exposed to the influence of the rain and dew, the cold of winter and the heat of summer, no matter how compact that material may be, it gradually decomposes and the particles wash down and make the soils of the valley below. | Then again the lichens, although in many instances they are of microscopic size, fasten themselves upon the rocks and there secrete an acid which grad- _ ually decomposes the rocks, and the particles go to make up the soils. The clays and other soft materials are more easily broken up and washed down _ by the rains, and they too enter into the composition of the soils. Again, growing upon this newly made soil will be plants which in turn will die, and the material of which they are composed will combine with the rock material and form a soil somewhat different from that of purely mineral origin. The difference in the soil is often observed in the color of the two; the last, or that on top, is usually darker than that below, caused by the large amount of vegetable matter contained therein. e _ The material from which most soils are derived ee Poon subjected to this - disintegration several times since it was first deposited as rock material. The sandy soils are mostly made up from the sandstones of the different forma- tions, which were in turn derived from the granites and other igneous rocks and deposited along the shores of the former oceans. The calcareous soils have their origin from the limestones, and the limestones were deposited in the bed of the old ocean, the material coming from the worn-out shells of the by- gone times. A perpetual round of disintegration, mixing, and redeposition has been going on since the beginning, our soils being the work of all the ages. In the classification of the soils some writers have distinguished them as sedimentary soils, being those which are in the immediate vicinity of the rocks from which they were formed, and the transported soils, being those which have been’ brought from a distance. This classification will be well enough if the fact be kept in mind that nearly all the stratified rock material has itself been brought from another locality by the very same forces that are now transporting and depositing the other class of soils. There is no rock that has not at one time been soil. There are fifteen principal chemical properties composing all soils, aside from many other elements that occur only in small quantities or not at all. These are: 1, hydrogen; 2, carbon; 3, oxygen; 4, nitrogen; 5, silicon; 6, chlorine; 7, phosphorus; 8, sulphur; 9, aluminum; 10, manganese; 11, potassium ; 12, calcium; 13, sodium; 14, magnesium; 15, iron. Besides these AT? GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. elements soils often contain other ingredients which are, when in excess, quite deleterious to plant life. These elements are contained in the primitive or granitic and metamorphic rocks, with little or no admixture of the elements or combinations caused by the admixture of the acids with the basic elements. As there are no primi- tive or metamorphic rocks in that part of the State to which this Report re- lates it will be unnecessary to discuss the question of the mode of occurrence and the combination of these elements in the primitive rocks. The soils of this part of the State are derived from the sandstones, limestones, and clay and shale beds found in the district. These stones and beds were originally formed by the disintegration of the material of the primitive rocks. The materials of the limestone were brought down by the rivers into the sea, and were finally deposited with the com- minuted shells of the ocean in the deep, quiet ocean in beds as they are now formed. ‘These limestones are composed principally of calcium, carbon, and magnesium, with iron, silica, clay, bitumen, and other substances as impurities. The sandstones were deposited along the sea beach, and are composed prin- cipally of silica, being nothing more than fragments of quartz. This material is bound together by clay or lime, and sometimes by iron. The clay beds were formed in the shallow seas and along the estuaries and mouths of rivers, and are principally aluminum silicate and carbonate of lime. Soils are largely indebted to vegetable life for their fertility and for their ability to receive heat and moisture and to transmit it to the growing crops. This vegetable material after it has reached a certain state of decay is called humus. © This material has no fixed chemical constituents, owing to the effect produced and the combination formed with other substances in the process of decay. Many soils owe their dark color to this material. It renders a soil more susceptible to heat and moisture. It also causes the undissolved particles of rock material remaining in the soil to disintegrate and give up their unused material to form a part of the soil. All soils of whatever kind and for whatever agricultural purposes they are used must be piaced in proper condition to sustain the intended plant The plant is dependent upon the soil for a place in which to grow and mature. It must have food, air, heat, and moisture; and if either of these are lacking the plant withers away before maturity, even if it germinates or begins to grow. The first important thing in regard to the soil is that it shall be of sufficient depth to support the plant in its upright position while growing. If there be no depth of earth the roots can not penetrate deep enough to hold the plant in position. The rootsof a plant are not only for taking up nourishment from the soil, but also for the purpose of bracing and supporting the plant in * AGRICULTURE. _ 473 its proper position while growing. If a soil be so shallow or so hard that the roots can not penetrate to a sufficient depth, the plant would be uprooted by the first winds that spring up. Or if the soil is so loose that the roots are easily drawn out, the same results will follow. Soils may be improved in these particulars by cultivation, which will be noticed more fully in another place. The next important quality of soil to be noticed is its capacity to absorb and retain moisture. This is probably of more importance in Northwestern Texas agriculture than any other quality, and one that ought to have more than ordinary consideration. In the growing plant water constitutes a large part of its substance. The organic material on which the plant feeds is held in solution in the water, and is taken up and conveyed by absorption to the various parts of the plant and there assimilated. There are also materials not necessary to the plant life held in solution, which if retained in the plant would prove deleterious to its growth. A certain amount of water is thrown off by the plant, and with that water is excreted the unnecessary organic matter. A great deal more water is exhaled by the growing plant than is returned to the soil by rains and dew during the period of growth. The plant will therefore be dependent upon the water stored up from previous rains for its supply of moisture. That soil which absorbs the greatest amount of water will not, however, al- ways be most productive, for there are several other things to be taken into consideration. Some soils absorb moisture very readily in large amounts, but are not productive because from their physical properties they permit the water to pass beyond the reach of the roots of the plants or they steadily give off their moisture in the form of vapor. The ability of a soil to retain moisture against these influences is determined by the size of the material going to make up the soil. | The power to absorb moisture by the various ingredients making up the soil are as follows: Siliceous sand, 0; sandy clay, 28; carbonate of magnesia, 90; gypsum, 1; loamy clay, 34; humus, 110; calcareous sand, 3; pure clay, 48; slaty marl, 35; common soil, 23; carbonate of lime, 35. The addition of vegetable material will always increase the capacity of a soil to receive moisture. The power to receive and retain moisture by a soil is almost in the same ratio. Another important factor of good soil is its power to receive and transmit heat. The color and texture of a soil have much to do with its power to ab- sorb heat. The dark lands absorb heat much more rapidly than those of a lighter color. Sandy soils absorb much more heat than clayey soils. Yet clayey soils give off their heat much more rapidly than sandy soils. A proper analysis of the soils of the State will enable those who desire such informa- 474 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. tion and will act upon it to adapt their crops to the soil and plant only such crops as can get most readily their food supply from it. By repeated chemical analyses of plants it has been found that the follow- ing elements are essential to plant life, and if a soil be lacking in any one of them, or the plant so situated that it can not absorb the missing ingredient from the atmosphere, it is impossible for plant life to exist. These elements are: 1, carbon; 2, hydrogen; 3, oxygen; 4, nitrogen; 5, phosphorus; 6, sul- phur; 7, chlorine; 8, iron; 9, magnesium; 10, calcium; 11, potassium. The sources of these elements as appropriated by the vegetables are as fol. lows: | Carson.—At least one-half in weight of dried plants is composed of car- bon. The plant gets this material from the atmosphere. The plant is cap- able of absorbing some carbon from the soil from its roots, but not enough to sustain itself. The open leaves take up the carbonic acid from the atmos. phere, and if exposed to the light assimilates the carbon, while the oxygen goes back to the air. Hyprogen.—This material exists abundantly in nature. About one-tenth of dried vegetable matter consists of this element. The plant. receives this material in the form of water. The water is taken up by both the roots and leaves, but principally by the roots. This element all comes from the atmos- phere, but large amounts of it fall upon the earth in the form of rain and is absorbed by the soil and stored up for the future use of the plant. Oxyarn.—As has already been noticed, this element is in combination with carbonic acid and water, and the plant receives it in combination with them through both roots and leaves. Nirrogen.—This material exists abundantly in the atmosphere, the atmos- phere being composed of oxygen 23.04 parts and nitrogen 76.96 parts, omit-. ting carbonic acid and water. But it is doubtful if a plant has the power of assimilating nitrogen from the atmosphere unless in combination with other elements. Large amounts of nitrogen are evolved by decaying vegetable and animal substances, which is taken up by the atmosphere and returned to the earth in rains. Puospuorus.—This element is entirely taken from the soils, where it oc- curs as phosphate of lime, or alkalies. It comes from the decomposition of phosphatic rocks, and is taken up by the roots of the plants. SuLtpHur.—This element is taken up by the plants in combination with sulphuric acid and lime, potash, soda, and other sulphates. Nearly all the soils of Northwestern Texas are supplied with this material in the form of sul- phate of lime or gypsum. CuLoRINE.—This element is also taken from the soils, where it occurs in the al a AGRICULTURE. A475 form of chloride of sodium, or common salt. This material is abundantly supplied to the soil by the decomposition of the red clays of the Permian in Northwestern Texas. Iron.—This element exists in the soils and is taken up by the roots in small quantities in combination with various kinds of acids. Livz.—This element exists in the soils and is in combination with some one of the acids. It generally occurs as carbonate or sulphate of lime—that is, as the material derived from the decomposition of common limestone—or as gypsum. | | Potassium.—This element exists in nearly all the soils in combination with other salts and acids—more often with common salt or Glauber salt. When there is a superabundance of this material in a soil it is known as “alkali land.” Maenesium.—This element is found in the soils, and is derived from the decomposition of magnesian limestone, where it exists as carbonate of mag- nesia. It also occurs as a sulphate of magnesia or Epsom salts. These organic elements are largely contained in the soil and held in solu- tion in the moisture, ready to be taken up by the plant when demanded. If the soils are loose and deep a large amount of this plant food may be stored up for future use; or if the water flows through the soil too readily the-salts of various kinds held in solution may be carried off or beyond the reach of the roots of the plant, which can only extend a few feet at most; hence the best soils will be found to be those of moderate depth with a clay subsoil tha is almost or quite impervious to water. ANALYSES OF SOILS. By an analysis of a soil its chemical properties can be determined and its _adaptation to certain crops be ascertained with a tolerable degree of certainty. To analyze the soil of every tract of land in the State would be an endless undertaking, and one that is altogether unnecessary. Large districts of country derive their soils from the same source, and a chemical analysis of soils from different tracts of land in the same district will be sufficient. There are but few classes of lands in this part of the State, each one of which will have its peculiar characteristics and chemical properties. An ideal soil would contain all the ingredients that are necessary to the life of a plant, some plants requiring more than others of the different ma- terials. The fertilizing of soils by the use of various manures is simply giv- ing to the soils that of which they are found to be lacking in chemical analy- sis. An ideal soil would contain the following ingredients:* * Hillgard. 476 GEOLOGY OF 1,’ Potassium ‘Oxide sh. 0. eee sce ee ou wile ov tins ee wc etalete s Chechens tenn Dp), MOGMUIM-OXIME Ns fb i eas ole ode bes cos ete ble witse lenea ROTO EE te ean eee 3... Calenimioxide, or lime. 22. o)..0.6% |. sacra iaisnerote o etre eS Crete, ce eee ee ee 0.10 Bs esuicon- Oxide (Sand) '>. . ./5%. sss emme erent Pret Re Rew ee ee} | 64.80 9. Sulphuric’acid (anhydride). ...,... 5.2 4 2. sim eas cee eee 0.20 10. Phosphoric acid............ 1 bab Opals: ede 0.45 ee arvoOnic eld = ies es vie) ta lai [eed ohne aie Sele Dyas ole Gees eRe eer eee sme, AsOO U2. CHYOVIMC oie. 5 oide'e sie ojeiw ws ne ote. vie tle ois aie oe els eieie/ elem cline Oe eee 0.20 13. Organic matter... . 0. 0%. a2 20 cm 0 wie oye tls 01% cis ate ce niePeco eis eae er 1.40 100.00 SOILS OF THE PERMIAN. To apply the principles to the soils of the district embraced in the Permian territory a brief description of the different classes of soils found therein will be necessary. “There are three principal kinds of soils in this district, classed by their derivation rather than by their chemical properties. The first are those de- rived from the immediate underlying strata, and have only such foreign in- gredients as have come from the decomposition of the vegetation growing upon them from year to year. Soils of the first class are purely local and do not extend over very wide areas in any one locality. They vary in composition and color according to locality. Where they are derived from the massive friable sandstones and clays they are quite sandy and have a deep red color. In such localities the color and composition have been very little changed by vegetable deposits. In the limestone belts, where the origin of the soil is due to the decomposition of the limestones and the accompanying bluish clay beds, the soils are dark, and in places are quite black. ‘They have a good deal of vegetable material in their composition, and owe their dark color largely to this fact. All of this class of soils are more or less sandy. These I will call residual. They are found along the north side of the Concho River, below San Angelo; in Tay- lor County, near Abilene; in parts of Baylor and Wichita counties, as well as all the counties in the Permian district. This class of soils is as good as any to be had in the district. All of them can be improved by deep plowing, the deep plowing enabling the soils to receive and retain the rain that may fall and store it up for future use of the plants. These soils have been given practical tests, and have in every in- stance given satisfaction where the tests have been fairly made. No more prosperous farmers can be found in the State than those who are cultivating AGRICULTURE. 477 this kind of land, and if the lands do not stand the drought as well as some other lands in the district, it is because they have not been broken deep enough at the beginning. In that case the remedy will be subsoiling in the fall. The second class are those having in their composition such material as has been brought from other localities; they were deposited during the time of the great erosion, and have derived very little if any of their material from the strata upon which they rest. These soils I will call soils of transportation. The second class of soils are by far the most abundant in the region under consideration. They are very homogeneous in composition and color, yet in places they have been changed in both respects by their immediate contact with the underlying strata. In considering the composition of this class of soils it will be necessary to remember that several hundred feet of material has been eroded and carried away or redeposited. During this period of erosion the water probably spread out in broad sheets. These waters were heavily laden with the mate- rials gathered up on their way, the material being precipitated to the bottom on any decrease in the rapidity of the flow of the waters. Afterwards the rivers and creeks cut through these deposits in various di- rections into their present drainage basins and left the deposits as they now are, in broad, level, high plateaus. The overlying strata destroyed by this great erosion were several hundred feet of the Lower Cretaceous formation, composed of sand beds and limestones, and several hundred feet of the Per- mian strata, composed of sandstones, limestones, clay beds, and gypsum. Still further northward the beds that have been called Blanco Canyon Beds, com- posed of sands and white clays, were involved in the erosion. The material derived from all these beds was mixed into a homogeneous mass and deposited, making the broad, level plateaus. The soils of these plateaus will therefore be composed of the white clays and sands of the Blanco Canyon Beds, the clays, sands, and limestones of the Cretaceous, and the sands, clavs, and gyp- sum of the Permian. It will be seen from a glance at the composition of these soils that they are derived from such a variety of sources that they are likely to contain the ma. terials necessary to the composition of first-class soils. Experimental tests, which after all are the best sources of information, have proven that they will produce abundant crops of wheat, oats, and corn. In Baylor and Wichita counties, where this soil largely prevails, the average crop of wheat was over twenty-nine bushels peracre. I mention these two counties because they are the only localities where I have personally examined the matter of crops, and they are the fair representatives of that part of the State in the way of soils. The thickness of this class of soils ranges from a few inches to many feet, 478 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. owing to the undulating and uneven surface of the underlying strata at the time of their deposition. The surface is often so level that the difference in height will not vary over five feet in a mile. It might be supposed from this state- ment that the soils would be unfit for cultivation for want of drainage, but such is not the case. There is so much sand in the soil that the water is soon taken up and none left on the surface, and therefore no surface drainage is — necessary. Water is always found in wells at the base of these soils, and by capillary attraction they are always kept moist. This class of soil makes the Lipan Flat, in Tom Green County; the broad plateau between Sweetwater and Colorado City; the Big Flat, between Has- kell and the Brazos River; the broad level prairie west of Seymour; the country in the vicinity of Vernon, and all soils of a similar character. In composition they are as near the ideal standard as any in the State. “The third class of soils might very well be classed as a variety of the sec- ond class, as the most of their material has been brought from a different lo- cality from that where they are found. They were, however, deposited by different agencies, and are somewhat different in composition. They are found along the present courses of the rivers and creeks, and might with propriety be called bottom lands. “There is ordinarily more timber on them than on either of the others. Where these lands have been put into cultivation their fertility has proven equal to any in the district. They do not usually lie in as large bodies as do the second class of lands mentioned in this Report.” ; Where the farmer desires to make a selection of land for the purposes of agriculture, and has not the time to have the soil analyzed and can not iden- tify it with either of the soils mentioned herein, if he will observe the char- acter of growth upon the land it will very readily indicate to him the fertility thereof. On broad plateaus, mentioned as the second class of soils, it will very often be the case that very little is to be seen except grass, and that the short, curly mesquite that would to him probably not indicate a soil of much fertilty. In that case iet him look for a place in that region where the turf has been destroyed—the side of a road or a gulley, or some other place—and examine the weeds that have sprung up there, and they will very readily in- dicate the kind of stalks that will be produced in the cultivated plants. A soil that will grow big weeds will make good grain or cotton if the weeds are kept down. The amount of ammonia contained in a soil is readily indicated by the growth of a plant. If a plant is inclined to go to stalk there is sure to be enough ammonia in the soil for all practical purposes. Clay and humus are the great absorbants of ammonia, and in none of the soils of the North and West is there any likelihood of there being a deficiency of that material. AGRICULTURE. 479 RAINFALL. In considering the agricultural possibilities of Northwestern Texas it is highly important to give particular attention to the question of rainfall. The soil may be all that could be desired in a country and the rainfall be so small that it would be utterly impossible to raise any of the ordinary crops. I have therefore availed myself of all possible resources to get information on this subject. A few years ago the United States government collected all the data possi- ble upon this subject and published the results. It is thought that twenty inches of rainfall per year is necessary to the pro- duction of ordinary crops. That crops could be raised with less than twenty inches of water if the rain comes at the times most needed and within the time of the growing crops. The western boundary of the twenty-inch rainfall in Texas was placed by the United States Government Report at about the one hundred and first meridian, or a line commencing at the mouth of Devil’s River and crossing the Texas and Pacific Railway at Big Springs, and thence along the foot of the Staked Plains, and crossing the State line at the mouth of Paladora Creek, in Hansford County. This line would only be approximately correct, and I am sure it is in no place far enough west. As this Report is not intended to cover any part of the district west of that line, I have only collated such facts as relate to that portion of the State covered by the Carboniferous and Per- mian formations as is given in another part of this Report. The following tables have been prepared from the data collected from va- rious sources. Table II shows the mean amount of rainfall for the time given, the small figures in the upper part of the spaces showing the time for which the observations were made. It will be observed that at only two sta- tions does the mean precipitation of rainfall go below twenty inches per an- num, the amount thought necessary for successful agricultural purposes; and these stations are only for two years, a length of time too short to get a cor- rect average. 480 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TABLE II. TEXAS. (Taken from Spaight’s map, December 1, 1882.) : ; le ee © a3 a bee | eee Pict Stations. EI 2 & é g E Z s 3 S 2 Registration, Au Soll a trodes 415.1 Osea 1, 1877} 3 Coleman City../1 221.48 1.34 1.88|3,26/3.36/4.48|2.35(4.94/2 1\1.14la.67. em dy 187 oq ony | Sept. T1882 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 1A i, 18 Concho .. ee. 1.27/0.60/0.79/1.67|2.87|2.6513.92/4.30/4.6511.53/1.09|1.29]/ M05 07 Sept. 7, 1882 20113 as 2 | 2 |Feb. 1, 1880| 2 Fort Elliott. . ./0.27/0.3210.31 0.6915.74/2.0513.68] 1.25|1.86l1.55/0.2610.24(°°" 16.47 Sept. 1, 1882 5 5 5 | 5 o|J 1 1877), Fort Griffin, . .|1.25/1.10/0.53 2.0813. 18/4.38)3.03|1.25|2.73|2.8612.261.82[ ome wy 18" log’ 5g May 1, 1882 |) Bul a al 1 1877} 4 Fort McKavett. eal goldcol ala tilt oie tle teh ocoor Cae Moot) | Sept. 1, 1882 3 3 oo 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 Zale 1, 1880 Graham ...... 1.29 2.53/1.17 2.28|2.85|2.0315.24/5.16|2.94|2.40/1.21/2.31/° 25-11 Oct. “s 1882 3 3 3 4 4 4 5) 3 2 2 3 3 A ers 1879 1 Henrietta... .{1.63 1.14/1.81 2.86]2.63/3.26|2.24/3.9811.51/1.38|1.2210.87/ "Po 18 "loo 73 J Sept. 1, 1882 ee ee eee eee ee ore iy 4, 1872 Jacksboro 0.86 1.86|1.03,1.7713,50/4.10|4.88|2. 24/2.73/2.61(1.83/1.25/ > 26.20 | : Sept. 1 1882 | | | etna | TABLE III. Rainfall at Baird, Texas. 4 Year. Jan. | Feb. Mar. | Apr. | May. aoe July. Aug. sept. _| Oct Nov. | Dec. | Total. 1882 ..| 2.26] 3.38] .59| .39/ 5 33/ 2.54] 6.38] 8.03| .73/ 1.93] 2.67| .69/34.92 1883 ..| ....} 2.261 1.99, .61| 2.71] 3.96] 1.94] .21| 1.63] 3.72] 2.04] 1.50/22.37 1884 ..| .78| 1.44 .50| .63| 7.02| 4.95] 1.24) .24|-3.95] 2.96] 2.40] 3.28/29.69 1885 ..| 2.31): .60| .77| 2.52] 7.00] .50| 1.521 1,13] .87| “c4nle ee 1.33118 .89 1886 ...| .05| .63| 1.22| 1.08] .40]..... ‘61| 1 97| 2.10) .1€) 145i eee 9.64 1887 ..| .48] .54/... .| 2.83] 2.98] 3.16] 2.09] .65| 2.54| 4.28] 1.00] .74/21.29 1888 ..| 52] 2.82] 1.22) 4.12] 3.70| 1.68]. .. | 3.13] 1.00] 1.30] 4.25] 2.79|/26.53 1889 ..| 2.93] 2.15] 1.04| 2.35] 2.84] 8.761 1.61|..... 6.21] 1.35] 2.46|..... 31.80 1890 ...; .25| .75). 10.84, 2.02] 50, .77| 4.49) 3.71] 3.36) 3.07|..... 28.72 TABLE IV. United States Signal Station at Abilene. Year. Jan Feb. Mar. | April. | May. | June.| July. | Aug. | Sept. Oct. Nov Dec 1886. -11| .61] 2.47/ 1.67) .33/ 3.38] 1.48] 2.03) 4.17] 2.241 .65] .98 oy Seo -06| 1.21] .03] 2.45| 3.95| 3.26/'2.71| 1.10| 2.64] 4.771 .8%7]..... eee ee 76) 2.40| 1.16) 5.16 3.63) 2.77| .46) 4.08) .05) 2.00] 4.80) 1.58 1886 fc. ox: 2.74] 2.62/ 1.07 .71| 2.93] 6.36] 1.80] .21/ 3.03; 1.22] .54| (29 — 1998.,, .c8 33| 1.81] .14| 9.80 2.69] .65| 2.10] 2.11 5.19 97|... aha : AGRICULTURE. TABLE V. 481 United States Signal Station, Silver Falls, Blanco Canyon, Crosby County. Year. Jan. Feb. | Mar. | April.| May. | June. | July. | Aug. | Sept. | Oct. Nov Dec La si cee EARS ee ne ear ear ene er ee Be ocOo toawk, Osos, sav44)) 203). 5... Loo) 25. an oe SON recs: ISO ae ano Sl le OOle Anan eloOmae LO Sddile 230 ase fs.5 «| .05) 1.59 Sea SOy” Wes 2) | cis ee) |isrcve = 4,29| .27) 1.88] 4.68) «. 81 LoS A ares P 1.25 Se eas PEI We SD) Motion ele. d 9) ates. S29 Olam lee Tees 5. Los ) ieee User vO) =< 40} 4.34) 2.75] 3.84 (OS) TCO Se ree rs er nee aera a One-halfinch of snow. 6 Five and one-half inches of snow. c¢ Five inches of snow. TABLE VI. Rainfall at Marienfeld. Year. | Jan. Feb. | Mar. | April. | May. | June.| July. | Aug. | Sept. | Oct. Nov Dec > 2 ee ee eileeara ays 1.71} .70) 4.89) .85) 1.61) 8.22) 1.50) 1.50 1884 -60) £:20) .20) .71) 3.46) 5.20) .55) .63) 2.23) 1.95) 1.38] 2.25 bh ig ae Bios 00) 1-60) 208) Ness MOL6S\9 S410) Sool" S65 F gale. alee ie TABLE VII. Rainfall at Fort Elliot, Wheeler County. Year. Jan. | Feb. | Mar. | Apr. | May. | June.| July.| Aug. | Sept. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec. | Total. LL ee 0.05| 0.41) 0.16} 4.48] 4.50) 2.11} 1.70] 0.54] 2.40] 0.10] 0.35] 16.79 2 Sain 0.47| 0.76|.....| 1.26] 5.27} 0.10| 3.28] 0.49] 3.18] 0.60] 0.42] 0.26] 16.16 Reet ss 3 0.33| 0.16} 0.53] 0.66] 7.48] 1.54) 5.65) 1.55) 3.18] 2.32} 0.96) 0.40) 24.76 1 A ee) ee 0.33} 0.04] 0.82] 4.56] 1.66] 2.87) 6.56) 4.97) 5.32} 0.04] 0.84] 33.91 Lt Se 0.61| 0.27} 0.32] 1.08] 6.29] 6.82) 1.29} 5.60] 0.84] 5.54] 2.14] 3.05] 33.91 2: Le. es 0.65| 0.87] 1.86) 4.67] 7.23] 9.82) 3.62) 4.94) 0.65] 0.60) 0.25) 2.11] 37.07 1886. | 0.62| 1.44| 1.49} 2.44] 0.23) 3.45} 1.50! 4.57) 0.60) 5.04; 0.18) 0.09) 21.67 fer...) 0.01 0.06| 0:10) 6.06) 7.01) 2.39 oe cllPewleusist | sekene's Stes a liar setae INCREASE OF WATER SUPPLY. The question is often asked, and is generally supposed to be true: ‘‘ Does not the settlement of a country and the building of railroads and telegraph lines produce an increase in the rainfall?” The general impression from ob- servation is that there is a perceptible increase in the rainfall in the western part of the State since the settlements began, but the records kept at the va- rious stations by the United States Signal Service proves the contrary. Ta- ble No. VIII shows the annual rainfall at Fort Concho for twenty-one years, and no perceptible change in the annual rainfall is observable: AS2 > GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. TABLE NO. VIII. Fort Concho, Texas. Year. Rainfall. Year. "Rainfall. Year. ‘Rainfall. USGRPM IT Ste ce ae 28.12 * 1816 cee eee 11.66 _ 1883.5... 20.01 LOGOMM Hts. Pos: 20°35 . (S87 oh 2 eee eee 16.58 1984.0 35.24 TSO ioe ae 87:26" TSTs ee eee 16.29. 1885: 245 eee 21.06 ae eee 16:37 |. A879 eee ee 13.20 | 1886.5. eee 10.55 VS a ga ie 112059 1S808ee eee 33.99. 1881... ee 15.08 HB eae cr atone oe 17590... WSs pee 13,76. 1888. so eeee 22.08 1S) 0 aan ree ela TA 80. F1BB2= eee eee 96.80 1889). ae *9 97 Ue eee rte 14.70 * Through May. The time of year at which there is the greatest amount of precipitation has an important bearing on the question of agriculture. If there are rainy seasons in which the rains come and the balance of the year is dry, if this rainy season is at the time of year when the crops can be planted and matured, a much smaller amount of rainfall will be sufficient. In parts of California sixty per cent of the rainfall comes in the winter months, while in Texas nineteen per cent comes in spring and thirty-six per comes in summer, as will be seen by reference to Table No. II. In California the rainfall does not benefit agriculture to any great extent, while in Texas excellent crops are raised upon proper cultivation. CULTIVATION. It is not my purpose to write at length upon the subject of the cultivation of crops, but simply to call attention to things that if heeded will assist in making farming in the northwest what every one desires it to be—a success. One of the most important things is the subject of tillage and the time when the land should be broken up for the following crop. Universal ex- perience has been that the farmer who breaks his land in the fall is the most successful in raising a crop every year. The reason for that is that he does not have to wait in the spring, if there happens to be a drought just about the time that he wants to plant his crop, for a rain to soften the ground so that he can plow it, but he is ready to plant it when the time comes, rain or no rain, and thus secures an early crop before the dry, hot months come. Another reason in favor of fall plowing is that it returns to the earth vege- table material which is so important to good plant growth, and a material in which some of our soils are very much in need. I know of no reason against fall plowing except the lack of time by-the farmer to do that kind of work. The most important question in relation to tillage is that of depth. In some countries a question of subsoiling very often arises that need not \ ©) 2 a vx 1 AGRICULTURE. 483 be considered here, and that is whether or not the subsoil shall be brought to the top. This question could only arise where the subsoil was a tenacious _ clay and was not rich in plant food. Anywhere in the northwest that ques- tion need not be considered, for any of the soils would be benefited by the admixture with them of the underlying subsoil. There are several reasons that can be given in favor of deep tillage: 1. It furnishes an additional amount of soil from which the roots of the plant may derive the nourishment necessary. Below the depth of a few inches that has been broken up by the ordinary cultivation and which con- stitutes the soil, the subsoil is very often so compact that the rootlets can not penetrate it, and only the amount of plant food in the soil is available, but if more plant food is brought within the reach of the roots by subsoiling great advantage will necessarily result. 2. It permits the water to percolate through the soil to a greater depth and deposit the gases obtained from the atmosphere by it so essential to plant life. Carbonic acid as well as some others are taken from the atmosphere by rains, and are carried by water into the soil and there deposited or held for future use. 3. It loosens the subsoils so that the heat and air may permeate through it and elaborate the elements needed by the plants. Where the subsoil is so hard and compact that the air and heat can not pass through it the elements that would otherwise be available for the growing plant had just as well not exist. The material when reached by the atmosphere is put in such condi- tion either by combination or disintegration that it becomes possible for the plant to assimilate these elements. 4. The excess of water that falls upon the ground runs off and carries with it many of the fertile qualities of the soil. If there is a deeper amount of loose earth made by deep plowing, that surplus water goes into the ground and de- posits the fertile qualities into the soil. In a word, deep plowing makes a store- house where the elements needed for plant life may be kept for future use, instead of being carried off by excessive rainfall. 5. By deep plowing the excess of moisture is taken up and the surface dries much quicker in spring time, and plowing can be done much earlier in the season. Deep plowing provides a storage for the rains that fall, so that there may be moisture in the ground within reach of the roots of the plant during drouths. In all the northwest the average rainfall is sufficient to make good crops if the largest part of the water did not run off into the creeks and rivers. All soils will take up and hold a large amount of water that can be utilized by the roots of the plants if the soil is only deep enough. And then deep plowing will so loosen up the soil that the water may be raised by capillary attraction to within the reach of the rootlets of the plant. This is 484 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. by far the most important reason why deep plowing should be practiced in the northwest. The soils are good and the seasons are all that could be de- sired in temperature, if there was only sufficient moisture. So anything that will go to improve that matter will materially add to the agricultural devel- opment of the country. The question may be asked, how deep should the soil be broken? In most of the lands I would answer, the deeper the better. If it is possible, let two furrows be run in the same place. A furrow should be made with the com- mon plow eight or ten inches deep, and that followed by the subsoil plow to a depth of twelve or fourteen inches. Whether the subsoil should be thrown up to the surface depends upon the character of the soil and the subsoil and the crops to be cultivated upon it. For the purpose of furnishing a storage for the surplus water, which is the most important for this country, either way would prove equally beneficial. A few experiments of this kind would satisfy the farmers that it would be better to have a small farm well tilled than a large one that has to depend upon the shallow tillage for moisture during a short drouth. FRUITS. The wild fruits of the northwestern part of the State are restricted to a few kinds only. , The plum, currant, wild haw, grapes, dewberries, blackber- ries, and algireta are the principal kinds. Piums.—There are several kinds of wild plums found in the northwest, some of them in the greatest abundance. Along the rivers, especially the Brazos, Big Wichita, Pease, and Red River the wild Chickasaw is very abund- ant; along the sand beaches and sand dunes the thickets grow in the greatest profusion. These plums are of a very fine quality, and large amounts are gathered every year by the citizens and preserved in various ways. They seem to be of two kinds, differing apparently only in color, and both varieties often growing in the same thicket. Currants.—Currants grow along the upper branches of the rivers and along the foot of the Staked Plains. They are quite abundant in places and are of excellent flavor. Witp Haw.—There are several kinds of red haw growing along the creeks and rivers in the northwest. Although the berries are small, yet in the absence of other kinds of fruit they are very palatable, and a great many of them are gathered and used. Black haws are abundant, and are relished by everybody who takes the time to gather them. Grapes.— Wild grapes grow abundantly in places. A kind known as the sand beach grows along the rivers and creeks in the northwest very abund- antly. The vines are short and very seldom need any support other than >. : = = n 4] : AGRICULTURE, 485 their own stems. I donot know that any attempt has been made to cultivate them, but they are certainly worth the trial. They are of good size and ex- cellent flavor, and if they could be cultivated and protected from the stock it seems to me that in that way a profitable industry could be developed. The land on which the vines now grow is generally a deep sandy soil that could easily be cultivated, and if necessary to protect the vine from frost in the winter, as is necessary with the Mission grape at Hl Paso, the soil could easily be used for that purpose. There is also in places a small grape with a climbing vine. It is known as the “fox grape,” and is very similar to the little “winter grape” of some of the Northern States. The mustang grape grows abundantly in places, though not so prolific as in the middle part of the State. Brrries.—Dewberries are found growing wild everywhere, and are very abundant in places. In some localities the wild blackberries grow, but they are confined entirely to the sandy country of the Carboniferous. The most abundant berry is the algireta, which grows along the ade of the Cretaceous and over the southern part of the Carboniferous. The berry resembles the cranberry of the North, in color, but is entirely different. The berries grow upon a low scrubby bush with leaves sharply pointed with thorns, very much like the wild peach leaves. The berries are gathered by spreading a sheet or some such thing under the bush and then beating them off with a stick. The berries are then dried in the sun and kept for winter use. It is only occasionally that that there is an abundant crop of these ber- ries, as they bloom in winter and early spring and the late frosts kill the young fruit. As far as fruit raising has been attempted in Northwestern ese it has proven in every way satisfactory. Like all other countries, a great many fruit trees have died from neglect or want of proper care after planting. Sometimes the tree has been planted in a soil that was so close that the roots could not penetrate it, and the hole in which the tree was planted was so small that only a small amount of moisture could be stored up, and so when the dry time has come the tree died from lack of moisture. Where proper care has been exercised in planting and cultivating, no trouble has been experi- enced in getting the trees to grow. All trees planted have a vigorous growth and make plenty of wood, sometimes too much for good fruit producing. The principal kinds of fruit raised are apples, peaches, pears, plums, apri- cots, and grapes. It is generally thought that the summers are too long and dry for good apples, yet some early varieties have done very well. The trees grow well enough, but very often the fruit when matured is of an inferior quality, being B9—geol. 486 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. dry and hard; yet if attention is given to selecting the proper varieties, a good fruit can be raised. Pracurs.— There is no country that can produce a better variety of peaches than the northwestern part of the State. The varieties that thrive best are those that mature early, or at least before the dry summer comes on. The cultivation should be thorough and the trees should be trimmed very low, so that the winds will not injure them. If possible the orchard should be in such a locality that they will be somewhat protected from the winds. Yet I have seen very fine orchards where there was not the slightest protection. The fruit that matures early finds a good market in the North, and at good prices. Canning establishments have been put up in various localities that purchase all the fruit brought to them. _ Piums.— The several varieties that are planted all prosper. They are in their native country, and fruit well. The fruit is liable to be injured by the curculio, unless care is taken to prevent them, and when once they get posses- sion of an orchard it takes years of constant watchfulness to get clear of them. Prars.— Pears have been raised very successfuily, but the trees are sub- ject to blight, and the fruit raisers have not given much attention to this kind of product. Graprs.— Those who have tried raising grapes in this part of the State » have been very successful, and there is no reason why it should not always be the case if the proper location is selected. The greatest trouble has been that the vine has produced too much wood, and the result has been that the fruit rotted before its maturity from being shaded too much. This trouble can no doubt be remedied by the proper attention and cultivation. I have not given the subject enough attention to make any practical sug- gestions. FISH. All our streams and lakes have fish in them to a greater or less extent. Nearly all of them are excellent for food. No particular study of the fishes of the State has ever been made, and what is known is the result of accident more than anything else. In making our expeditions over the State collect- ing data for our Geological Report it has been our custom to take along fish- ing tackle in the way of hooks and lines, seine and trammel net, for the pur- pose of supplying ourselves with an occasional mess of fish. When reaching a stream at noon it was the habit of some of the party to take hook and rod and, with a grasshopper for bait, proceed to catch a mess for the party, if the fish would bite; or if we remained for a day or two in a place, some of the men would take a turn at seining, catching only enough to supply the camp for a mess or two. Sometimes at night the “gill net” would be AGRICULTURE. 487 stretched across a stream and left there until morning, when it would be taken up, and most generally a lot of several kinds of fish would be found entangled in it. The kinds of fish usually taken with the hook were perch, catfish, and bass. Those taken with a seine were suckers, buffalo, and gaspergoo. The gill net caught them all alike. Of perch there were several kinds, and they were found in all the streams. The goggle-eye, yellow perch, black bass, wide-mouth, barred, short-ears, long- ears, and red-eye are some of the species I have seen. There are two kinds of suckers and two kinds of buffalo. Of the catfish there are four kinds, channel cats, yellow cats, mud cats, and shovel-billed cats. There are in the rivers a few eels, but they are rare. There are several kinds of gar fishes. They are seldom used for food ex- cept when they are very small. We found excellent fishing for cats in the Colorado River, some of the fish in that stream reaching the weight of eighty pounds. The best size for use are those weighing from three to six pounds. The San Saba River and its tributaries are full of bass, catfish, perch, and suckers. The Brady was the finest stream found on our trip for perch. We also took there a great many channel cats and some striped bass. The Concho rivers are clear streams and have abundance of yellow cats, perch, suckers, and bass. The Salt Fork of the Brazos River is not so good for fish, yet we found some catfish there. The streams that run into the Salt Fork of the Brazos River are generally clear and have a great many fish. The Clear Fork of the Brazos is a good stream for fish. Pecan Bayou, from head to mouth, is a good stream for perch, black bass, suckers, and catfish. We have always been enabled to supply ourselves with plenty of fish when we had the time and the inclination to catch them. FISH CULTURE. This industry has never received the attention in the northern part of the State that its merits demand. It has always been thought that there was not water enough in that part of the State to warrant the experiment. An- other reason is the want of a market convenient. Another excuse pleaded by the people for their neglect of the matter is a want of knowledge on the subject of fish culture. It has been asserted on good authority that more pounds of good food could be produced in a given time from one acre of a well stocked pond than A88 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. can be made in beef and pork from ten acres, and with much less labor. The first thing to be determined is the kind of fish to raise. tne Several of our native fishes will bear domestication well. None of our fishes are migratory, and would stay in artificial ponds very well unless they are flooded, at which time the fish would run off and could probably not get back. In the clear pools that are made from springs several of our native fishes would do excellently, and it is not advisable to try to raise more than one kind of fish in the same pond. The suckers are a fish that bear domestica- tion well and are easily kept, and the flesh is of good quality, but they are not desirable on account of the great number of small bones they have. The catfish do well and only need a small amount of running water; or where the pool is fed by a running stream, the striped bass would do finely. They are the best of all our native fishes, but they multiply very slowly. Al- though a bass at a single spawning will produce one thousand young, and will guard her nest with the utmost care for a period of six weeks, yet after that time she has no regard for her own young and will devour a great many of them. It is probably better after all to raise the German carp, as they are vegeta- reous and will live and prosper in almost any kind of water. They can live in a small quantity of water. They havé been known to live and do well in a pond so low that their dorsal fins remained out of the water; but this ought not to be allowed by those attempting to make a success of fish culture. This fish prefers a warm temperature and a muddy bottom. They are vegetareous, and the ponds should be supplied with aquatic plants. They will also eat the refuse from the kitchen. I asked a gentleman what a carp would eat, and his reply was, “Anything that a pig will eat.” They grow to - the size of eight or ten inches in length in a year if well fed, and they con- tinue their growth until three or four years old and attain a weight of eight or ten pounds. The pond for carp may be supplied from surface drainage. The pond will be better if it has broad, shallow margins where water grasses and weeds grow. There are a great many tanks built for supplying stock water that would make good pools fcr carp raising. Care should be taken that the water does not all dry out and the fish be destroyed. This could be remedied by having a deep hole sunk in the middle of the tank that would be inaccessible to the stock and into which the fish could retreat when all other parts of the pond are dry. It is better if one can have a windmill to supply water from a well where there is danger of the water being exhausted during drouths. The carp become very gentle and can be taught to come near the margin ARCH ZOLOGY. 489 of the pool to get their food at the ringing of a bell. They should be fed regularly. The best time is just at the rising of the sun, but any other time will answer, but it should be done about the same time every day. Mr. D. Richardson, of Baird, has a small tank built expressly for carp rais- ing, and speaks in the very highest terms of his success. He has been sup- plying his neighbors with young carp, and wherever they have taken care of them they have been successful. One of the principal objections brought against the carp is that it has an earthy flavor; it tastes like the mud, This is largely due to the want of care in dressing. The following instructions should be followed in cleaning a fish: ‘Take off the scales by scraping and scrape the skin thoroughly so as to remove the mucus matter. After removing the entrails the cavity should be thoroughly cleaned of all fatty matter, and the white, bladder-colored skin with which it is more or less coated taken out. When thus cleaned place the fish in a moderately strong brine for six to twelve hours. When taken from the salt water if it be intended to fry the fish it should be cut into suitable sized pieces, wiped dry, salted, and rolled in corn meal, and then placed in a pan of hot boiling lard and cooked until thoroughly done.” The State has done very little towards protecting the fish in her territory, and the laws passed have been ‘‘dead letters” on the statute books. The practice of killing fish in the streams with dynamite is reprehensible in the highest degree, for it not only kills those of suitable size for food, but de- stroys the smallest minnow that may be in reach of the explosive. ARCH AOLOGY. Very little time has been given by me to this subject, either in the way of making observations or collecting specimens, and the work done and the specimens collected were more a matter of accident than otherwise. That the field will ‘be very interesting and will be rich in specimens there is every reason to suppose. It is thought by those who have given this matter some atten- tion that the mound builders of the East probably had a line of travel between their settlements along the Mississippi and other eastern rivers, to South America, passing somewhere through Texas, and that probably they had numerous settlements along the way. Before anything like definite conclu- sions can be reached and expressed on the archeology of the State some systematic work will have to be done. The country everywhere gives evidence of its once being the home of the more recent tribes. Flint instruments are found scattered about the country everywhere. Along the rivers and creeks and near the permanent water holes and springs the ruins of ancient villagesare found. These villages often cover as much as one-half milesquare. About such villages these flint instru- 490 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. ments are abundant, such as arrow and spear points, knives, awls, axes, etc. There are also vessels made of sandstone or other kinds of hard stones found at these villages. At places the ruins of these old villages are covered up en- tirely by soil to a considerable depth and can only be seen in the gulleys that have been washed through them of recent date. Scattered over the country, always near the water, are single mounds which seem to have been circular buildings. These mounds are from ten to thirty feet in diameter, and seem to have been built of small stones and mud—at least the stones are all small now, and all have the appearance of having been burnt. Some of these mounds are three or four feet high, and where they have been pretty well preserved have a circular depression at the top. Whether this depression shows the entrance to the building to have been at the top, or whether it is the natural position the material of a falling wall would assume, is yet to be determined. The uses to which the houses, if houses they were, were put can only be a matter of conjecture, and why the stones composing them should all appear as if they had been burnt. The stones used in their construction were from the immediate vicinity in which they are located. Sometimes they are limestones and sometimes they are sandstones, and at other times they are of both. The siliceous pebbles which are often abundant in the vicinity of these mounds do not seem ever to have been used in their construction. The mounds seem to have been constructed on the surface of the ground without any excavation. Nor is there any evi- dence of walls, but the material presents the same general appearance through- out. In places I have seen these mounds where creeks had washed away part of them leaving a good section exposed. No evidences have been found in them that they were used for other purposes than that to which an ordi- nary wigwam would be put. At the villages there is always to be found one or more of these large mounds and a number of smaller ones. The material from which the flint implements are made is found in the nodules of flint which occur in the Cretaceous and Carboniferous rocks of this part of the State. At only one place did I find any metal instrument, and that a single copper arrow point. In the northern part of the State I have found no pottery of any kind, and no carving on stone, or pipes of any kind. In several places I have found caches of flints. The holes were circular and about eighteen inches deep, and the flints packed into them as closely as pos- sible. The flints were all in partially completed condition, some more and some less, but none complete. They were probably put into those places to be taken up at some future time, but from some cause that time never came. I do not remember to have seen anywhere east of the Pecos River any ARCH ZOLOGY. 491 water or corn holes cut in the rocks, but in the western part of the State they are very numerous. These holes are of various sizes and depths; some of them are fifteen inches deep and not more than eight inches: across the top. They are cut in rocks of all kinds, from soft sandstone to hard por- phyry. They are almost always in pairs. They are generally near some watering place, yet I have seen them where there was no water in miles and miles of them. I have found them covered with a flat rock, as if to keep the animals out of them, and such holes were in a place where they would catch the water that might fall upon the rocks. These were evidently intended to furnish a small amount of water, probably to their runners that were sent from one town or settlement to another. West of the Pecos there is a great deal of pottery to be found in broken fragments. It is probable that the Pueblo Indians had once a large city in the vicinity of the Hueco Mountains, twenty-five miles northeast of El Paso. In the caves made by the falling down of large pieces of granitic rocks I have seen many pictographs. They are the representations of animals of va- rious kinds, and men in various positions. One is the representation of a huge serpent at least thirty feet long. The only place I have seen obsidian arrow points is along the Pecos River. There are none found east of the Staked Plains. It is probable that there was no communication between the tribes who inhabited the different sections. The absence of pottery of any kind would indicate that the Pueblo Indians never inhabited or visited the country east of the Plains. The contributions that Texas could make to the study of ethnology would no doubt be interesting, if not important; but the collections will have to be made in a systematic manner before they will be of much importance or value to the science. 492 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. PART IIlf. DESCRIPTION OF COUNTIES. YOUNG COUNTY. Young County has long been known as a place where the best coal could be found in the northern part of the State. The Belknap Beds were worked by the United States soldiers as early as 1852, when the troops were stationed . at old Fort Belknap. Dr. George G. Shumard, geologist with aoe R. B. Marcy, in his report, “Exploration of the Red River of Louisiana, 1852,” says: ‘Recently a number of seams of bituminous coal, varying in thickness from two to four feet, as well as the characteristic fossil forms of the Carboniferous era, have been discovered.” Since that time every geological expedition which has passed through this county has had something to say of these beds. The seam found in the vicinity of Fort Belknap is Seam No. 7 of the gen- eral section. I have made a personal inspection of every outcrop of which I could hear and every one that I could find by tracing the seam through the county, and give below a description of the various localities as I have ob- served them. Coal Seam No. 7 crosses the east line of the county just east of Flat Top Mountain, passes along by Coal Bank Branch, the mouth of Coal Creek, Bel- knap, and goes out of the county on the south line near Fish Creek. Coal has been mined in a small way to supply the local demand for several years at several of these localities, but not enough has been done at any one place to fully develop and show what the quality of the coal really is. The following section was made at Flat Top Mountain, in the northeastern part of the county, about eight miles northeast of the town of Graham. Be- ginning at the bottom: OD, Petar CIR A onasiss % Gin sane eon «. Sd» SRA Ge DR ee eee 4 feet B. Moa cee ee rad acs else 5s cie'e's &4n ao whe dit be kee eee eee 8 inches. abo HATO MARINA SAO aon ie Cie ene din o's «wo. 01 oes parce eae een 3 feet. Bm SURO ow ceo cle Secs a wie ale oi.0sais “o bos ow 0 Da.6,k RE ee Pee 2 inches. BS ORM aaa echt: wine'eldls cca) (ese g- + nse od nn ats Dee 1 foot 8 inches. Bs ate ae eee tiene aire wie aie ws bua csc oes oes Oe eee 3 feet. T: (Sandy Clay ye oie wise oes 6 os «See eS ses dae Jae eee 40 feet. 8... Samdstomec2 55. ee eee acta 2 ceed de see 4 feet. 9. Conglomerate with CUUIRUIES ain ok Scene x, fos oo eee eee 3 feet. Total. 2... 20s sneens ewan aceseenaseons lacie ote sie o al Onin ee 59 feet 6 inches. ‘ « ag i. a YOUNG COUNTY. 493 About one-half mile southeast of Flat Top a shaft has been put down to the coal, which has been reported to be forty-eight inches thick. The shaft was filled with water at the time of my visit so that I could not make a per- sonal examination as to the thickness of the seam, but I suspect that in esti- mating the thickness of the seam they put in the Carbonaceous shale that is over the eight-inch seam at the Flat Top section. About five miles west of Flat Top Mountain, on Coal Bank Branch and on Colony Survey No. 604, there is another outcrop of the coal. It outcrops along the north side of the hill for at least one-half mile. At this place coal has been mined at times for several years to supply local demands. Shallow pits are dug down to the coal by each man who goes after a few loads of coal, and what he wants for his present purposes is taken out, and the same thing is repeated when he, or some one else, at some other time desires another supply. Where they sink the pits it is not more than four or five feet down to the coal, and with such thin covering the coal is not as free from atmos- pheric influences as it is desirable to have in order to be of good quality. The following section was made at that place. Beginning at the top: Pee Sah OW ISLE” LIER EONE! 4 ole coertiy.o * esi sie 2's; svelei sis 6b.) 5, 9 45 exes o> 10 feet. Pe ens tele oat Soc ale sal ests 6.4 8a Li'si'sin who Misr ental By ener 1 foot. ioe COLOR 28 Foi We tse Ss Pe PETS ered CT NAT Lae ahs Maree 4s 8 inches. ge SLE oe SGk pS ee a eee Ce re er are 4 inches. a ped Dae Neat ar et Sie Fav csliiea ats alos, Sante arcu ata ia, coe aie sete eee is ee ae ee ee eee 9 inches. 6.1, -eDIS SIBtO won ce ae i eee eee nga'h lara @ etneanete eee 1 feet. Tis > MOOD Ai cote gis ose lash s.0 oO ors b Gale ehe Eee Be eee eee 7 inches. 3. . Hlate sb ids enone sas coke oem Reet eee) PREECE Eee 14 inches. oa BGA ct. he yee ee paves ‘Sele lal nauginn Sete pliote late ataxene lene Ciaee els Pas enema Reon 2 feet 11 inches. 10.7 “Soapstone 6. iwi nteiaee Se rr art a a wiwsewa. lileteer 1D. \SanmG stone 7.5 0: < 0a welie'nwei siete Heels baie Pama TG stead cee eee 1 foot. 1D. CRS BLO sy isiere piesa aie adevas anadhes aise ol here a ee ee or ee ce ee . 2 feet. NS AGORL hea El WevcksrecoueP en aa BA me Ss leas os Asi pie teleleciteds eieeeie 2 inches. 1A. TBIBGG. sin te ojos anol hee oon oie eee Me cin whale Uaahede) toletodere awoken 3 feet. 5 MBs AORN eo ca's a's wale Bla, te ncctatetotel ithe elpic te elatalnae aie = tLe ere eae 3 inches. THs SOAPStONGS s,s ss! ste's ceorelerata stare yale ela = Setar nee te eee 6 feet. 17. Sandstone)... 2: .. cet snc oo teas oe eee ..ee- 5 feet. WS. ROADSLONE . . scccksce o "ae cetan es eee odo: ate gh ohn bean te chane O: 5 feet. . a9. - Tamestone (magnoesian) =; 25-63 > (2 ae ee ss eee ere eee 5 feet 6 inches. PIR SOMDSUOTIO 2.5 cs. s:6.6'0 asso’: o inine dae ie Ane eee a sam apeyhacats tom 1 foot 1 inch. 21. Hard blue limestone.......... SPE ry eA ic 8 inches. Pee SORPRUONG |. 5's: 5 "s,s ohh i s's G5 ate Se ae ee.eee Nas bots ee ee eee 1 foot. rated Fg edly: staat fs bo aisevs a abe aie. . - occas 4,042 ds'se vce ses ceases 3 feet. 2. Hine grained sandstone and clay, even-bedded............s+-eeeees 1 foot 6 inches. PEARS ALAOHO. AIG, CLAY r: 2 atte after aa elas d oe os sie 8 oe ate hae ds 3 feet. Peas Wath SANASLONE MOMUIGSs..vecuuc.c.s cs cee css ecseceeecees's 1 foot 6 inches. WO wAb reser ta! Ml’. AEE crete cain bic Ric tice lh a eee eae 1 foot SmEASIB CLAY, VILE SCLOIILC 2: 1.2 0a iota oul wdujfivle dick abe epe ohid ala wiele 6 feet. 496 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. I traced the seam of coal by its outcrops from hill to hill up Whisky Creek for one mile, to the new road crossing. The bottom bed of coal passes out of sight beneath the overlying strata near the old road crossing, and the bed of sandstone above that bed becomes the bed of the creek for some dis- tance and finally passes out of sight at the new crossing. The dip of the strata here is forty feet to the mile, north 60° west. At the new road crossing on Whisky Creek the following section was made. Beginning at the bottom: le OANESTONC airianiceaeeds ose ae Leh ee Ae St ee ee 8 inches. 7, BOWE OR ARE ae on SI Om OA MIRE Oo ees asso ck Ado Asa goons 6 feet. Bie BOOB eke tenia Le Re es oye Riese 6 A 1 foot 6 inches. As Wollow shaly sandstone 2% ....2c..8 io. cee eee eee ee nena 4 feet. 5; Sandstone; thin-bedded'r....... 22% «1s gis: 5 2 ys ple ue enraehe sure etre 2 feet. 6. Yellow clay, with clay ironstone... 2. Goce ee oe ee nee 8 feet otal is sas so.) des tebe isch ¢ tao Wia eye fi oboe tote eee thar the ee ok een ere oe 22 feet 2 inches. The following fossils were found in thestrata at the mouth of Whisky Creek: Productus punctatus, P. nebrascensis, Spirifer cameratus, Myalina subquadrata, Nuculana sp., Henestella, Aviculopecten occidentalis, Nuculana bellistriata, Syno- cladia, Zaphrentis, and a Bryozoan. One-half mile below the mouth of Whisky Creek, and on the same side of the Brazos River, I made the following section. Beginning at the bottom: 1” Blue clay, with selenite. - vs oc on als nese ny sae oe eee 6 feet. Bis OB as ox SNe iar'o%s fa te wi 0 dete) Rens ow Ne eae matte as 6k Ae eee 1 foot 8 inches. 3.0 LAM OSTONE. yo) 2555 a7 eiorn OE > mseien ats. oe ere te ete eS = ne = Tea ee 2 feet. 4. Shaly sandstone and clay ............ ee ee Ae Prey eae Fi 6 feet. b.* Sandstone, ripple-marked i ,4.5:. <<: t = = =~ <= = 5 ~- SS > a ——_ % © wy Way ys i Coal Wy iyi \ " 7 \iy RO ANT hs RSs i] “11/7 4 wis U “vy \ |! / Lp ie 4 ify ‘ys < oS Miimpnes’ Tune tl 4 ey 4 h My ra ae 7a / Ms fe Scale of Milas NORTHERN PART OF STEPHENS COUNTY. ZU Ss ai fly} aN Pi fp | Bn o uy Cpe (\\ ( ! Nt "yi | ik i] “AW “aga! rgQi | yl Iya ag Patty (Wy a. ti wy. a Muh ew YOUNG COUNTY. _ 501 same sandstone was found in this at the top as was seen in the Russell shaft. The coal, of which we took samples from a heap at the mouth of the mine, presented the same general appearance as that of the coal from the other openings in the vicinity. An analysis of the coal is given in another part of this Report. Plate VII shows the various localities mentioned in the vicinity of Carbon- dale. JONES MINE. - About one-half mile southeast of Carbondale, on the J. C. Jones survey, is the Jones mine. An opening has been made on the coal seam for more than one hundred feet. The tunnel was partly filled with water from surface drainage at the time of my visit so that I could not enter it. The top part of the coal is eighteen inches thick, then four inches of slate, and then two feet of coal. The roof is a heavy bedded yellowish sandstone with uneven structure. The coal is thicker here than at any place I have seen in the vicinity, and it is the only place where the heavy-bedded sand- stone lies directly upon the coal. From some cause the clay and shaly sand- stone that is ordinarily above this coal seam and the massive sandstone have been destroyed and the sandstone has formed upon the coal bed. This state of things continues for some distance, for on Huffstuttle Creek, about two miles west of Carbondale, the coal outcrops again, and it is there again overlaid by the massive sandstone. About one-half mile east of Carbondale and about the same distance north of the Jones mine coal has been taken out of a shallow pit in the bed of a branch. The pit was filled up at the time of my visit so that I could not see the coal nor any of the surrounding strata, and can not therefore say whether it is the same or a different seam from that at the Jones mine, but take it to be the same. About two miles and a half south of Carbondale there is an outcrop of the coal ina branch. The seam is divided by one foot of impure limestone. The bottom part of the seam is twenty-two inches thick and the upper part twelve inches thick. From some cause the parting in the seam, which at all other places where I have seen it is slate, has here changed into an impure limestone. Above the coal is a shaly sandstone and on top of that is a con- glomerate. The same seam is seen just a small distance east of this place, and there the parting between the beds is slate. About three feet of coal is shown at the last place mentioned. About a mile northeastward from the last mentioned place, on the eastern side of a hill, the coal outcrops below a bed of limestone, very much the same as at the mouth of Whisky Creek on the Brazos above Belknap, Between the bed of limestone and the coal seam 40 —geol. 902 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. is a thick bed of shales with hard sandstone concretions covered with crys- tals of selenite. This is evidently the same seam and bed of coal traced from the mouth of Sandy Creek, Stephens County, to Flat Top Mountain in the eastern edge of Young County. In the limestones and shales are a great many Myalina subquadrata. To the eastward of this place the coal outcrops near the top of the hills in several places. Two miles northeast of Carbondale and about one mile south of the Gilfoil shaft the coal outcrops in the banks of a branch, showing the same shaly sandstone usually found above the seam of coal in this vicinity. TOPOGRAPHY AND DRAINAGE. The dip of the formation being to the northwest gives several lines of es- carpment in the county running from northeast to southwest. These escarp- ments are of various heights, according to the thickness of the soft material underlying the several beds of harder material. In places these escarpments have been cut across by the rivers and creeks, and the result has been isolated hills of various sizes and shapes, some of them rising to the height of two hundred to five hundred feet above the surrounding country. The highest points in the county are the Belknap Mountains, situated east of Fort Bel- knap on the Graham road. Flat Top Mountain is near the northeast corner of the county, and being in the prairie can be seen for many miles from every direction. The valleys and much of the uplands are level and are well adapted to agricultural purposes. Some of these lands are remarkably fertile. GEOLOGY. This county is situated entirely within the Coal Measures. Mr. Chas. A. Ashburner reported that the Sub-Carboniferous formation was found in this county, but after a very careful examination of the county I am sure that the only formation found here is that of the Upper Coal Measures. Certainly there is no Sub-Carboniferous. It may be that the northwestern part of the county will be found to be Permian upon a more detailed examination than I had time to make. The strata comprise sandstones, limestones, clay beds, and conglomerates, in beds of various thickness. The conglomerates are composed of rounded water-worn siliceous pebbles, and often pass into coarse grained sandstones. The limestones have various colors and degrees of hardness. The clay beds are often very thick and are red, blue, yellow, and variegated. YOUNG COUNTY. 508 SOILS. The soils of the county are of three distinct varieties, according to their sources. The river valleys are a red sandy loam, and are formed from the different strata along their course. They are very fertile and have been en- riched by passing through the great gypsum beds along the upper Brazos. These valleys are probably the best lands in the county. | Another class is the black sandy soils found along the creeks. They are derived from the strata found along the several courses of the streams. The limestones, the sandstones, the clay beds have all contributed to their com- position. These soils produce abundant crops of grain and cotton. Another class of soils owe their origin to the immediate underlying strata of the several localities. In some places where the soil is derived from the disintegration of the limestones and the blue shales it is inclined to be black in color, and is in larger bodies than any of the other kinds. Again, the land is principally derived from the sandstone or conglomerate, and is more or less sandy. This kind of land is generally overgrown with timber and brush. It is none the less productive, and will probably produce more kinds of grain than the prairie lands, taken one year with another. TIMBER. This county may properly be called a timbered county. It is at the western boundary of the “‘Upper Cross Timbers.” There are, however, some large prairies in the northern part of the county, but all are within easy reach of the timber. The timber is mostly post oak and blackjack on the uplands, with elm, hackberry, cottonwood. burr oak, and water oak along the creeks and rivers, while mesquit is abundant along the margins of the large prairies, and sometimes covering whole districts of country. WATER. Water for domestic purposes is found abundantly almost everywhere in shallow wells. There are places, however, where the clay beds are very thick, and where it is almost impossible to get water at any depth. The clay beds make excellent places for open tanks, and with a little work in making them there can always be an abundance of water stored for all purposes. There are not many springs in the county, and there is not much probability that artesian water of good quality can be found by deep boring. If water should be found that would flow from a deep well, it is more than probable that it would be highly impregnated with salts of various kinds. 504. GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. BUILDING MATERIAL. Sanpstone.—The beds of sandstone found in various localities will make an excellent building material. It is uniform in color throughout the various beds, and is easily quarried and dressed and hardens on exposure. It is prin- cipally a light brown, and changes very little in color on exposure to atmos. pheric influences. Wherever this stone has been used it has always given satisfaction. Limestone.—There are some places where the limestone would make good building material, but the stone would have to be selected with care. A great deal of the limestone in this county is shaly and unfit for building ma- terial. There is a fine bed of limestone near the crossing of the Jim Anderson Creek, on the road between Fort Belknap and Graham, and at other places in the county. There is one place, two miles above the town of Graham, where the limestone is as compact as marble and takes a fine polish. This place is on the lands of Col. Gus. Graham. Criay.—Clay for bricks is abundant in any part of the county. Almost any of the clays in the county would make excellent bricks if mixed with a due proportion of sand, which is found abundantly everywhere. Material for making a most excellent quality of pressed brick can be found in some of these clay beds, and that will color a nice red on burning. Lime.—Lime can be burned from many of the limestones in this county; and while some of the lime would not be white, owing to the presence of iron and clay in the limestone, yet it would all be of excellent quality. Some care will have to be taken in selecting the limestone from which to burn the lime. IRON ORE. There are places in the county where iron ore is quite abundant. It oc- curs in various forms, but whether in sufficient quantity to be of any com- mercial value remains to be determined. About seven miles east of the town of Graham, on the Weatherford road, I found a bed of ore which is the largest deposit I have seen in the county, yet it is probable that there are many more equally as good. A sample taken from this place gave the following result by analysis: SULIGA Swans kieran skis Cause ec ba tele 2 Sew ceve om ease hehe eee 44.50 Oxide Of ipom yoo ye Sd fa on oa ae ewan ow beeen 46.66 Alwmina . eo 2.56) eelitel ae Gas eae eink e 2), SER ea 4 44 Lame sn soc net Dike SER Rae a oo wd ieleie 6 dunce le Be Or 80 YOUNG COUNTY. 505 It will be seen by this analysis that there is too much silica to render this a good iron producing ore. PAINT. Materials for making mineral paint of various colors are abundant in the county. SALT. At the town of Graham several years ago salt was manufactured in consid- erable quantities. Salt Creek gets its name from the fact that during dry periods the salt is found along the creek near the town encrusted upon the rocks and gravel in the bed of the stream. The salt was made principally by evaporating the water obtained from shallow wells. At a later period a deeper well was put down and an inexhaustible supply of water found giving about twenty-two to twenty-five per cent of salt. The following is a section of the well. Beginning at the top: , Re eAUNS RSMO) STM Py fetes oi aie) GSES PO oho wea eaters ssa gol? Sic SHER “Diao ci'ee atlas 16 feet. eee METAR CLAYS Pai he so/'au foley s ok6 Si5, ate Siabwlieingejaece bye. 3 + Pied Nee heard 3 feet. SUM AMEN ROVE ce ae a SB od Ghee ceed mkt rete, syed GueislggelaMie 4 sak sveieng OLLCCL: EO NEON OMMOT A ROE Sc. t ors = fe arbie se: ayehc ss sh ace a0 AS yo. HL Spo Nye plese eis tiene 8 gn, we 16 feet. PPO RETAEEN EDIOECE CLAY me SNe 2 Ng Lio c\S lo Hh 6s ie guard oye) sao pelo whales « ot)’ 8ifeet: G1 cllow and blnish sandstone s. 6 <..15 4:00 6 0 aires 2 os Ns Siete at a avsiaieys 10 feet. Pera yenow- sandstone 2). Mss ee ee ae sa Hoad ee ee 5 feet. PAE CREA Oe oat Bate eed clk Sadie «plelaa Ae aie Llsitd Aetegie fos 1 foot. See OaeHe) PEMOWwiTSOlt SANGStONG) 227. Flo diet othe le 2 Wu tle dcdidiaie dl Sweets A feet. Pr Pail OAT ZOSE COUPLOMETALC ¢ iy.) -).hy2. 04 oles « «'e) of e0e oy Fie eee MS ed 13 feet. i, ire clay, bluish... 9252.5 2+ igs Pipe ey Aue GT Nayar es ais a Aa 42 feet. eran ER REE BEESON CDN Fool ol oie) oho cat at) Mie olla few Sidley Yuvan y dors viniai ele wie Ca a's 5 feet. 13. Brown sandstone, porous, producing gas. ..:........lecascuusees 5 feet. ETL ANG SEIS fhe cla! Enh. ee a IME A AN ee Neh ob aca ele bls gate ie de 9 feet. Pen lepiLowt Cian, merys lard J) 1. Can itees eta he} ATV de ln BA OSes 8 feet. eee EAELORCIECI (CLAN, Ys Ray's Dawley S10E Pepe are oo oho sissies false, in oi Yie mace a 148 feet. 17. Fire clay, with thin stratum of shale ....... Bre shh tat all Aer atena: shale 70 feet. hee Diem place, Raid, ADOUNGING INCAS Hoo ches 2. caida vee eee wles es 8 feet 6 inches. MMPS SENN ous > rs) oho n\.c, eo oa open tite dctA 42 REE Deseo ays hw: 90% nl bow le whe’ oid 0 10 feet. Ze IAIN 225 54) 9 om, 0 es 2 Chole a hae es MO ae at sieve sikelele 8 2a > 1 foot 6 inches. EAB od te hole o's sit to0e ob dg ty ee ad PB US O.e 6 AOD EAL NA CRTC 391 feet. The main Brazos River runs diagonally through the county from north- west to southeast. The Clear Fork of the Brazos comes in from the south- west and forms a junction with the main fork a few miles south of the town of Graham. . These rivers, with their numerous lateral streams, give abundant supplies of water. 506 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. MONTAGUE COUNTY. TOPOGRAPHY AND DRAINAGE. This county is comparatively level, yet there are some rough lands. Along the western line of the county there are isolated hills or buttes, left there by the erosion that left bare the Carboniferous and Permian formations to the westward. Queen’s Peak and Brushy Knob are noted examples. The drain- age is into the West Fork of the Trinity River on the south, and into Red River on the west and north. Denton Creek runs through the center of the county from west to east and finally empties into the Elm Fork of the Trin- ity River. The high Cretaceous escarpment, facing to the westward, extends along the entire east line of the county. Along Red River the hills are generally pre- cipitous, having cut broad, deep channels having been cut through the Cre- taceous and Carboniferous strata. GEOLOGY. The western part only of Montague County belongs to the Carboniferous formation. It is the Cisco division of the Coal Measures, and is overlaid on the west by the Wichita Beds of the Permian, and by the Trinity Sands of the Cretaceous on the east. A large part of the county is covered, to a small depth, by the disintegrated material of the Trinity Sands, so that this county may justly be called a sandy county. Very few fossils have been found in the Carboniferous Measures in the county, and the determination of the strata has been made principally on lithological and stratigraphic grounds. A small collection of the fossil flora was made at the Stephens coal mine, a few miles west of Bowie, in the south- western part of the county, but have not yet been determined. The Carboniferous strata have been exposed along the valley of Red River by the deep erosion of its channel, to near the northeastern corner of the county. SOIL. The soil of Montague County is derived principally from the underlying strata. Along the Red River the soil is made from the material through which that stream passes in the country above. There are no better lands than these valleys in the State, as is shown by the abundant crops of grain and cotton that are raised on them every year. The greater part of the county, however, derives its soil from the disinte- gration of the Trinity Sands of the Cretaceous, and that of the sandstones and clay beds of the Cisco division of the Coal Measures. MONTAGUE COUNTY. 507 These soils are generally light sandy, yet in places there is more or less clay _ subsoil, and while these produce fine crops of corn and cotton, they are pre- eminently suitable for fruit raising. This part of the Upper Cross Timbers is destined to become one of the greatest fruit raising districts in the State, and being in direct communication with Colorado over the Fort Worth and Denver Railway, ready market can be found for all the early fruit that can be raised. There is no place in the State where peaches grow to better advantage or to greater perfection, and they can be put on the market in the North months before the earliest fruits mature there. TIMBER. This county is almost entirely within the Upper Cross Timbers. It is en- tirely so except along its western border. The timber is post oak and black- jack, with elm and hickory along the strgams and cottonwood on Red River. Although this timber is rather scrubby and seldom grows very high or large, yet it supplies all necessary demands for domestic purposes and makes good ties for railroad building. It also makes good fence posts and is used exten- sively for such purposes on the adjoining prairies. WATER. The water supply in this county is mostly confined to shallow wells, which can be had at any locality at from ten to thirty feet in depth. There is always an abundance of water in the Trinity Sands and in the sandstones of the Car- boniferous. No attempt, so far as I am informed, has been made to sink deep wells, as no occasion has been found for a greater supply of water than is found in the shallow wells. Some of the streams in the county supply water for stock purposes part of the year, and some of them all of the time. Many large open tanks have been built, and there need be no scarcity of water for any purpose by taking the necessary trouble to secure it. There are men in all countries who will haul water from a neighbor’s well or tank, or creek or river, for years, when three or four days work would give them a good well or tank of their own, and so it isin this county. The water is generally found in sand or sandstone, and is comparatively free from impurities. BUILDING MATERIAL. The sandstone along the western part of this county makes an excellent building stone. It is easily quarried and dressed and hardens on exposure. It is a light brown in color and makes a very neat structure. The court house é 508 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. in the town ‘of Montague is built of this stone, from a quarry a few miles west of the town. There are also some houses in the town of Bowie that are built of this stone, but from a different locality. ' The sandstones of the Trinity Sands are never, so far as I know, sufficiently , compact to make good building material. The sands are generally in the form of “‘packsand.” While they are considerably indurated in places, they are never regularly bedded in hardness, and disintegrate rapidly on exposure to the weather. | Clay for making a good article of brick can be had in many places, and such material has been used in the towns for building purposes. Lime for making mortar can be made from the Cretaceous limestone along the eastern border of the county, and sand is abundant everywhere. There are no limestones for making lime in the western part of the county in the Carboniferous strata. COAL. STEPHENS’ COAL MINE. The only place in this county where any attempt has been made to develop the coal is the Stephens mine, four miles southwest of the town of Bowie, on the Josepha Diaz survey and vicinity. A tunnel four hundred feet long was driven into the side of a hill on the coal seam. four shafts have been put down to the coal to the north of the tunnel, the farthest about one and a half miles from the tunnel. The dip of the coal seam is to the northwest. The seam of coal was reached in the last shaft at a depth of one hundred and. fifty feet. Water was encountered in all the shafts above the coal, but none was found in the tunnel. It is found in the sandstone overlying the clay above the coal. No difference was observed in the thickness of the coal seam in any of the shafts, but the quality of the coal was much better in the last shaft, which has recently been put down, than in the others, and it is the farthest north. The following is a section made at the mouth of the tunnel. Beginning at the top: a. RGN Eee ais wis evs ogee nein. ¢ile idee bole eee 6 feet. Bie) PRM epoch aye cen Per ine ais nuniose mice + nue oh creas peas See tae Ee 20 feet Be) ODMBCISUOMO OU ae Re ee eb ines we re nn wah nts Oe UE ee 15 feet a bate ret eee eae Gn no Sk we ae ren ob eles eee ee 3 feet Bo Daal vss. ci ie ce RRR ak ead. oS wa aa ce ee ke On Ree 2 feet. GB. late .ic. 2 oe SO AE a ntaieldie 5 ole bb Oe a bee elete eer 6 inches. Te, Goak.s as sede dk Bebe ee 2 yeu. yoclale, 6B olpiteneayae de eee ee 1 foot 4 inches. Si Wire ala eS cee ene ae coset i hk he ae aid aaa 10 inches. Totals 3 s:cis svi dss aye seep Ree Se, ee Pe Be .. 48 feet 2 inches. JACK COUNTY. 509 The property has recently changed hands and the present owners intend to fully develop their property. This is Coal Seam No. 7 of the general section. COPPER. A small deposit of copper has been found in the northern part of the county, but no attempt has been made to developit. It 1s probably a part of the Permian copper that is found in the Wichita Beds at other localities. GALEN A. I have seen small pieces of galena that were taken from the wells in the western portion of the county, but it has not been found in sufficient quantity to be of economic value. This county is not free from the usual tradition of rich Spanish mines. . There is an-old fort in “Spanish Fort Bend” on Red River that, tradition says, was built for the purpose of protecting the miners while at their work, but, like all such traditions. no mines have ever been found. JACK COUNTY. DRAINAGE AND TOPOGRAPHY. This county is quite rough along the West Fork of the Trinity River, which runs through the northern part of the county from west to east. In fact, the county is hilly throughout its entire extent, with broad, open, level plateaus be- tween the hills and ridges. The drainage is all into the Trinity River except at the southwest corner, where Keechi Creek, a tributary of the Brazos River, has its source. These creeks and rivers have cut down into the strata, mak- ing deep and wide valleys, and the hills are protected on top by thick beds of sandstones, conglomerates, and limestones, which give to the country a much more rough and broken appearance than it really has. Between these hills are many broad valleys or plateaus, some of them even miles in extent, that furnish fine locations for extensive farms. GEOLOGY. Jack County belongs entirely to the Coal Measures. The strata are com- posed of sandstones, limestones, clays, conglomerates, and fire clay, as well as two coal seams. Coal Seam No. 7 runs through the northern part of this county from north- east to southwest, passing near the town of Gertrude, and is the only seam that is of any commercial value. No part of the Albany Beds extends into 510 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. this county. The entire strata above the coal seam in this county are sand- stones and clays, and are overlaid along the north line of the county by the Wichita Beds of the Permian. SOIL: The soil of Jack County is made up entirely from the underlying strata, and varies in character according to the various localities. It is all more or less sandy, but in places it is quite black and sticky, like the black waxy lands of Northern Texas. At other places the land is black sandy with a clay subsoil, while at others the soil is light sandy with clay subsoil. All of these soils are fertile, and with proper cultivation produce excellent crops of grain and cotton. There is no county where small farmer could come nearer getting just the size piece of land and character of soil he might desire, and still be sepa- rated from other farms, than in this county. The broad valleys along the West Fork of the Trinity River are fertile, but are subject to overflow. The uplands are considered more desirable. TIMBER. This is another county that is within the ‘‘ Upper Cross Timbers,” and has an abundance of timber for all purposes— post oak and blackjack on the hills, with pecan, elm, hackberry, and wild china in the bottoms, and ash and overcup oak along the river. There are no very large prairies in the county, and all are within easy reach of the timber. Persons coming from Eastern Texas or the other States to this county and seeing this timber would think it could not be used for any purpose except fuel, but it can be split into posts or rails almost as easily as cedar. The post oak timber is very durable for posts or railroad ties, for which purposes it is used very extensively. WATER. Waiter is sufficient along the river and creeks, and in most places can be had in wells of shallow depth. There are some fine springs in the county, where the massive limestone prevails. At other places they have had to re- sort to building open tanks for stock water and cisterns for domestic pur- poses. No deep wells have been put down to test the possibility of obtaining artesian water, and it is not probable that a supply of good water could be obtained in that way. If wells should be put down and flowing water se- cured, it is more than probable that it would be highly impregnated with salts, as nearly all the deep water is in the Carboniferous formation in Texas, JACK COUNTY. 5 I | BUILDING MATERIAL. There are many places in this county where the sandstone will make good building material when there shall be a good demand for it. At only a few places has any attempt been made éo use the sandstone, and that only for building chimneys. This stone is similar to that found in other counties in the Carboniferous formation. There are also fine beds of blue limestone in this county which makes ex- cellent building material. There is a quarry of this stone near the town of Jacksboro which is exceptionally fine. The court house in the town of Jacks- boro is built of this material, and there is not a nicer building of its size in the State. The beds are very even and are in layers that are very suitable for building purposes, so that an entire house might be put up out of a uni- form thickness of rock without having to cut them down. ‘They are so even bedded that no dressing is required on the top or bottom, and they break very evenly, so that very little dressing is required on the sides. Clay for brick making is very easily obtained at many places, and no infe- rior material for this purpose need be used for want of better at any place. The limestones make good quick lime, and are generally burned for that purpose in open furnaces. Sand for making mortar can be found in almost any locality. COAL. Coal Seam No. 7 extends across the northwestern corner of the county and has many outcrops along the West Fork of the Trinity River. Prospecting has been done at several places, and when there shall be facilities for trans- portation there will be good coal mines opened in this county. The following is a description of some of the localities where I have seen the seam outcropping in this county: One mile north of the mouth of Lodge Creek there is an outcrop of coal in the side of a hill on the east side of a creek on a survey in the name of McDonald. At that place I made the following section. Beginning at the top: USN CEA DC a5 or 2 io 3s She RR Rede A oes ay 'e 0p wie # wiles # ora 20 feet. tee OG CE nS NS ee erie ee rae eee an Bea R 5 4 feet. a ETipee BEIEe TONGIAN CLAY”. sc 5 hoe er Mn s,s eee eee bees 50 feet aa SCL) sates A Le EE BBR Sie ode eh oh ri tas Diy OS re 6 inches. Pa OMae pip tu, MIATA COLONIES. ra leds a delle k sd Behl al eh s 2 feet MAE Se e255 58 0 (2) Lies, | sp cMUS ESE APA AT Gay Scat d ehaalajel eee s,s 1 foot LTS bee OC Oe ir in? a a 2 feet > 2 ’ > Lae 7) (ae . 7 a ee 5d, ow, . ae ye yd “\igit's wri, Pa ey a ER VET Ea te TN Cae aa ; i Ytiey Re E ; 512 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. The farthest point east in Jack County at which I saw the coal outcrop was — near the residence of Mr. W. N. Cooper, on the northeast quarter of section No. 2, made for the Texas and Pacific Railway, file 2379. The following section was made at that place. Beginning at the bottom: s ee BMC Clan ey! sie cas hie te oes techs 3% sayeth > as He eee Bas 2 i pice LER Oa ha dual .... 10 feet, 2., Woaland shale oo... 6... cece © eeniegs bb Mele oe Be le ene Pe 2 feet. Be in WY ANIME SUR OHO AM oon awn ees pl axaaeln ire teen ible. aujsee, Ghia 3 qyage shea aan ate eae 8 feet. AL NS CIB ee ei ais de eee oh Gey ee ere rr Aen Heh ao ee fhecot 3c 7 feet. 5. Rough sandstone ....... sige Web oe cae 6 Gacbie s ba 2 Se ahs Rac Na 6 feet. MOA a ere sate «eye er errr a rt eon ee ath y Sec see 33 feet. About one-half mile west of Cooper’s house, in a ravine near the road, there is another outcrop of this seam of coal. At this place a tunnel has been driven into the side of the hill about twenty feet. The coal at this place is too thin to be of any economic value. About three-fourths of a mile west of Cooper’s, at a point on the hill near the Henrietta and Jacksboro road, this same seam of coal is found outcrop- ping again. About one-half mile southwest of the last named place there is another outcrop of this same seam. At all of these places the coal is too thin to be of any value. It is perfectly useless to expect to get better coal or a better seam by following the seam under the hill. A better place would be one-half mile northwest of there, where the seam passes under a ridge of high hills. Another outcrop is near the west line of the R. O. W. McManus survey, just north of the residence of Mr. F. M. Sloan. At this place the coal may be traced by its outcrop for some distance in a northwestern direction. It is too thin to be of any economic value. About one mile west of Sloan’s house is another outcrop of the same seam. This seam may be traced by its outcrop for a mile northwestward from this last named place. The dip of the seam*at all these places is to the north- westward and towards a range of high hills. If it shall be found that the coal becomes thicker as the seam is traced away from the outcrop in the di- rection of the dip, then there will be sufficient covering to prevent atmos- pheric influences from injuring the coal before it is taken out; and it is pos- sible that the coal may thicken up in that direction, yet I have seen noth- ing that would lead me to definitely determine that it would. A shaft or two would determine this matter very certainly. A diamond drill that would bring up a core would give a very good idea of the matter if it was run by reliable parties, or by parties who were competent to determine what coal was when they saw it, and were reliable enough to make a report of the facts as they were found. JACK COUNTY. 513 BRANNON MINE Is situated about two miles southeast of the mouth of Lodge Creek and on the south side of the West Fork of the Trinity River. A tunnel had been driven into the hill on the coal seam at this place, but it had fallen in so badly at the time of my visit that I did not venture into it. The tunnel is driven into the hill from the north side. The seam was thicker here than at any place I have seen it in this vicinity. The seam could be worked to advantage at this place when means of transportation can be secured. The hills rise to at least two hundred feet above the seam and ex- tend back for more than a mile, giving a considerable area of coal before the outcrop would be reached on the east. _ At another place, about one-half mile northwest of the Brannon mine, the coal again outcrops in the side of a hill. This place has never been pros- pected for coal, but it is probable that it would be as good a locality for a mine as at the other place. The outcrop is on the southeast side of the hill, and the dip being to the northwest it would soon have sufficient cover to pro- tect the seam from atmospheric influences. The hills rise to the height of one hundred and fifty feet. On the south side of the West Fork of the Trinity River, about one mile from the Brannon mine, on the south side of a hill, in a gulch, the coal seam is again exposed. At this place it is only about one foot thick, but will evi- dently increase to more than this farther under the hill, away from where it has been exposed to the weather. This place is near the Jacksboro and Hen- rietta road that crosses the West Fork of the Trinity River at the mouth of Lodge Creek. , The seam of coal could be found on the sides of any of the hills along here by digging through the debris that has washed down from the hill above and now hides the outcrop. On the Jacksboro and Antelope road, about two miles southwest from the last described place, there is a seam of coal outcrop- ping in the south side of a hill and on the north side of the road. No pros- pecting has been done at this place, yet it is probable that it would be as good a locality for coal as any in the vicinity. There is sufficient covering above the seam to protect it from the influence of the weather, and the hills are on the north side of the outcrop. One-half mile southwest from this last locality, at the base of a hill, a seam of coal outcrops that appears to be a different seam from that at the place just described. It is about one foot thick at the outcrop. At the place of outcrop it has been greatly exposed to the influence of the weather, and no prospecting having been done on it, it was impossible to know just what it was. Tne surroundings would indicate that it was the same seam as that at the Brannon mine. Tr 514 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. 3 & - ‘ JACKSON MINE. At this place a tunnel has been driven into the hill from the east side for about seventy five feet. The coal seam is about twenty-five to twenty-seven inches thick, and appears to be of an excellent quality. Above the coal the hill rises to the height of one hundred feet. Near the top of the hill is a thin seam. of coal, only three inches thick. The Jackson mine will no doubt be worked when there shall be transportation for the coal. The roofing is good, and the hills are high in the direction of the dip. The following sec- tion was made at this place. Beginning at the top: 1;° Conglomerate. 2.0 s 2 lee ahi ee ae a ee ee ee 20 feet. 2. Sandstone, irregular bedded ......... sala. a ARBs Riek aches hte eae 10 feet. 3, ‘Sandstone and Clayeiss 5}. 2's 2.52040 fa Pag he erase sponge tomes eae 50 feet. 4, Shaly sandstone, in layers of one to two inches................-0- 5 feet. D. “Blue clay Bnd’ slates 5. viavets gus anes ce ucsecrs oe p aene mani tara eo ae eee 57 feet. Ge MOA 5's ais sin p wteisys nd sy. ore'e ordi olw aw cee ee Wate is vig eee OE eerie 2 feet 3 inches. Tee: , MiPe Clays webs oan spo eA nits « sgenbie Bbvece aetere it oe opensuse ee ae 1 foot. TOG iat 0! Fieve #24) 90 0s pce se bia e Stoel ig te ots mipi hts aimee eee eae eee 145 feet 3 inches. ANTELOPE. In and about Antelope, in the northwest corner of Jack County, coal is found in all the wells at a depth of from fifty to sixty feet. The coal is re- ported to be from eight to eighteen inches thick. About three miles southwest of Antelope, on the south side of the West Fork of Trinity River, I made the following section. Beginning at the bot- tom: Ll White ‘sandstone:.” oa. Se. nes Wine eae sb ate wipe a pe oe ee mere ee 4 feet. 2.90 Five clay shun ete SELL A Ae ae eee ee 1 foot 6 inches. 3. Bituminous shale, with thin seams of coal...... ... Es cng Cegary Eee 1 foot 2 inches. 4. . Bluish clay, with clay ironstone. ... «53.0. \< ss 5. Dagh Gee ae 8 feet. 5. Brown sandstone, .. ...< -.5% s/s side eines baie, a)sine doit ae ene ee eee Ru MNCGGIAb Clay. ot obi ci aeisaeueea Ualese & 9 we Smeg, See: Re eR aes 10 feet. Te Sandstone,’ . 2... .< 0c Se ort fd ante ean np dee Sate Eee eee 2 feet. Total, fo suena, o\c So aenhash Bieta eee ee eee lee pein eee eee ee 29 feet 8 inches. At this place in the clay ironstone we found a great many impressions of coal plants. At Antelope is the farthest place in the northwest where coal has been found in digging wells. It is only a few miles in that direction to the line of contact between the Coal Measures and the Permian. JACK COUNTY. 515 GERTRUDE Near the town of Gertrude, at the forks of Cameron Creek, there are several outcrops of the coal seam, all of them showing about the same thick- ness of coal as at the former places described. In fact it is possible to trace the seam by its outcrop from hill to hill for several miles. The dip of the seam is about northwest, and the range of hills runs with the strike of the strata, thereby exposing the coal all along their southeastern sides. Just be- low the coal seam a bed of limestone occurs at this place. In the limestone I found the following fossils: Spirifer cumeratus, Productus punctatus, Athyris subtilita, Fusulina cylindrica, Terebratula, Hennestella, and stems of EHncrinites. About four miles from Gertrude, on the Graham road, near the corner of Loving’s pasture, I made the following section. Beginning at the bottom: PO Oe SO a Nac ww mele Lamia Boyt « Nat toi, ete teet, 2, | TRTE LEG ee cess eee aes eee Raa SAE Su ichog Soke ip ste oth Uaheoe a ol 1 foot. SRN ecteane ao (5) a eu eh os 6 ia 00 rth Nas Perdas ite ty Veneer ici s 55 feet. 4. Coal and bituminous shale.................4- ad caPayaneris at Aveto ce 10 feet. ie WSLS OLE SN ee Ae Soot TA Pa ee dc at ne 12 feet. RMS RELCEICNIICN So) Bete 4c GIES ois ake, oe et cic when tad at aed ANS SIG oie SOE 4 feet EDR ats ctl ia ct clots: Eta eicl 6 Phe ie euaj since cArase apase: see la: Rs ave 8 feet SMO MRNA oes 2 52 cho ods ret 2 reas he eats hia eae CR teh eae te 4 inches. AMARONE. «2 2c As feast win tee 22 Ce EA oe gr eee TBS age eee 4 feet. MOEN ea a atta Veen RL, owe Aege A endle! edo ain, erate es Fo A Gi) OS Ns Si 20 feet. ey SEE SUT TS San fe ath SR a IG ie Rc er me aa Silos ear ean 6 feet. LUPE SEs a 2 ES ee PUR te US a 124 feet 4 inches. Along the line of outcrop as I have described, it is possible to find the same seam of coal at almost any place at the same geological height. The seam will be higher on the hills east of any of the outcrops I have mentioned, and lower on the hills west of the outcrops, as the dip of the stratum is to the northwest. If coal should be found outcropping other than I have indi- cated it would not be Seam No. 7, and as I think this to be the only seam that is thick enough to be of any economic value in this county, it would be useless to spend much money or time in prospecting on any other seam. If another seam should be found that would give some promise of being thick enough to work, a few feet of work would determine the matter. It is use- less to follow a thin seam under a hill supposing it will thicken. Just as soon as a tunnel is driven on a seam far enough to get away from the atmos- pheric influences all the facts about the seam in that vicinity can be seen. At some time when there shall be means of transportation there will be opened and developed in this part of the county good and paying coal mines. For the present nothing can be done for want of transportation. Tat) a df a 7 Ae | Me ae 2 es Le eee oe 8 % ww oo a ed ae "Vue Nai Be IS Re Ne ee are te AS Pe NAT Sh itera OE GE yy ae eb! nh a a ge a4 , fi ‘ ’ ‘ ’ “ a fers ? 516 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. WISE COUNTY. TOPOGRAPHY AND DRAINAGE. Only the western part of the county is included in this description, that being the only part belonging to the Carboniferous formation. This part of the county is somewhat broken, especially along the creeks ,and rivers. A line of high hills extends along the entire Trinity River on both sides and is cut through by the lateral streams, often making isolated buttes of considerable size and height. The plateaus on the tops of the hills and back from the rivers are level and many fine farms are on these plateaus. The valleys along the river and creeks are broad and generally above over- flow. The West Fork of the Trinity River runs through the county from north- east to southwest in a very tortuous channel. Several lateral steams of con- siderable size run into the river from both sides, notably that of Sandy Fork on the north, which has its source in Montague County and runs almost south to its confluence with the West Fork, a few miles east of Bridgeport. The drainage of this part of the county is all into the West Fork of the Trinity River. GEOLOGY. Only the western part of this county is in the Carboniferous formation. The eastern half belongs to the Cretaceous. Leaving Decatur going west one descends at once the steep hills of the Cretaceous limestones and for a few miles travels over the beds of the Trinity Sands. The first section that could be referred to the Carboniferous was at Dry Creek, eight miles west of the town of Decatur. Coal Seam No. 1 passes below the Cretaceous in this county. The geology is about the same as that in the vicinity of Millsap, yet some of the beds of clay have become much thinner. The limestones just west of Bridgeport are the same that are found west of the Coal Seam No. 1 at Strawn. SOIL. The soil of this county is derived principally from the underlying strata. The valleys along the rivers are generally broad and may be classed as black sandy, in places having only a small percentage of sand. These soils are very fertile and are fine cotton and corn lands. Some of the lands in the lime- stone belt are black clayey soil and make good crops of grain and cotton. The largest percentage of soil in the western part of this county are the sandy lands with clayey subsoils, which have been derived from the strata immedi- ately below them. Some of the soils of this kind are very light, deep sandy, WISE COUNTY. 517 while others are a dark chocolate, with the subsoil only a short distance from the surface. These sandy lands are partly made from the detritus from the Trinity Sands, which are found along the entire eastern part of the county. TIMBER. The western part of this county is in the ‘‘Upper Cross Timbers.” The timber is about the same as found in all the counties belonging to this strip of country. Along the Trinity River and some of the lateral streams some of the timbers, such as pecan, overcup and water oak, grow to a large size. The timber on the uplands is short and scrubby, but in sufficient quantity to supply the demand for domestic purposes. There is only one thing about this timber that is a matter of surprise to persons acquainted only with scrubby timber in other States, that is the ease with which it can be split. There it is invariably tough and hard to split, but here the most knotty, snarly tree to be found can be split almost like cedar. The timber is large enough to make props for coal mining purposes, and for railroad ties, as well as fence posts. WATER. Water can be found everywhere in shallow wells. Stock water is fur- nished by the river and creeks. Only at a few places in the county has it been found necessary to build tanks for watering stock. No deep wells have been put down to test the possibility of flowing water, as the surface water has always proven sufficient for all purposes. It is doubt- ful if flowing water could be obtained here, as the eastern part of the county (the Trinity Sands) is the source or bed in which the artesian water is ob- tained at localities eastward from this county. _ A few good springs have been found in different parts of the county. The general reliance for water is on shallow wells, in which abundance of water has always been found. BUILDING MATERIAL. The Carboniferous sandstones to be found along the western part of the county are of the same character as the Carboniferous sandstones found in other parts of the State. Good quarries could be opened in the vicinity of Bridgeport, but there has been no demand for such material outside of a few persons in the neighborhood for building chimneys—and for that purpose the outside stones that had been weathered out were used—and no quarry has been opened. There are in the western edge of the county heavy beds of limestone that 41—geol. 518 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. could be used for building purposes, but so far no use has been made of them. The limestone from which the court house and other buildings in Decatur are erected is the Cretaceous limestone found in that immediate vi- cinity in great abundance. Clays for brick making are abundant, and are often found properly mixed for making a good quality of bricks. COAL. Coal Seam No. 1 is found in the vicinity of Bridgeport on both sides of the river. This is the farthest place northward of the outcrop of this seam. It here passes beneath the Trinity Sands of the Cretaceous. Considerable prospecting has been done at this place, and an opening has been made on the coal at one place for several hundred feet. Numerous shafts have been put down to the coal in the vicinity, and many holes have been put down by a diamond drill. All these methods have proven the existence of a large body of coal. The coal seam in the opening, where a good deal of coal has been taken out, is twenty-four inches thick. The coal taken out of the mine has been hauled in wagons to Decatur and sold to supply the local demand. It is reported that the coal seam thickens to the northwest. I could not make any personal examination as to the correctness of the report, as the shafts had either fallen or were partly filled with water at the time of my visit. The coal is as good in quality as any found in the State, as the analysis given in another place will show. Recently arrangements have been made to build a railroad from Decatur to the mines, and when that is done this will be a good property. The roof- ing is good, and the mining can be as easily done as at any other thin seam of coal. The mine is entirely free from water and gas. There is plenty of timber in the vicinity for all the props needed, and all that is needed to make this as good a locality for coal mining as any in the State, is transportation facilities to get the coal to market. | Just north of the mine, and about twenty-five feet above the coal, the fol- lowing fossils occur: Aviculopecten occidentalis, Pleurotomaria spherulata, P. tabulata, P. turbini- formis, Productus semireticulatus, Chonetes mesoloba, Conularia crustula, Cam- pophyllum torquium, Michelina placenta?, and others that are undetermined. About one-half mile southwest of the bridge across the river at Bridgeport the coal outcrops in the head of a ravine. The seam at the outcrop is thir- teen inches thick. The dip of the strata is to the northwest. This is evi- dently the same seam as that on the north side as the river east of Bridge- port. Again, about one-half mile west of this last described place is another outcrop of the same seam. | PARKER COUNTY. 519 Five or six miles southwest of Bridgeport, and on the west side of Boon’s Creek, the coal outcrops at the foot of the hill, and is overlaid by tbe Trinity Sands of the Cretaceous. OTHER MINERALS. Gold, silver, copper, and platinum have been reported from the vicinity of Decatur, but the most delicate tests of the laboratory have failed to detect anything except a trace of copper and a small amount of nickel. There are small pieces of meteoric iron found in the Trinity Sands at this locality, and in that is found a small percentage of copper, but no gold, silver, platinum, or other rare and precious metals have been discovered by the members of the Survey, nor have they been found in the material sent for examination to the laboratory by others. PARKER COUNTY. COAL. Only a narrow strip of the western edge of Parker County belongs to the Carboniferous formation. The hills three or four miles east of Millsap are Cretaceous, and only that part of the county west of those hills is Carbonif- erous. Coal Seam No. 1 outcrops in a number of places on Rock Creek, three tiles and more from Millsap northwestward. The following is a description of some of the outcrops and shafts seen in this vicinity. Plate VIII shows the various localities mentioned: CARSON & LEWIS MINE. This mine is situated on the northwest quarter of section 359, made for the Texas and Pacific Railway, and on the east side of Dry Creek. The shaft is partly filled with water and the timbers are rotting and falling in so as to make it dangerous, if not impossible, to enter the mine. The mine was worked by sinking an inclined shaft to the coal. The seam in the mine is from eighteen to twenty-six inches thick, is of fair quality, having but a small percentage of sulphur. The coal mined here was hauled in wagons to Weatherford and used in the Carson & Lewis Steam Flouring Mills for driving their engine, and for domestic purposes in that town. About two hundred yards west of the mine, in the bank of Dry Creek, is a bluff showing ten feet of soil, with a bed of sandstone, and below the sand- stone a bed of shaly sandstone and bluish clay ten feet thick. This is en- tirely above the Coal Seam, and I did not get a section in the vicinity show- ing the Coal Seam. x] 520 »Weitxell's Nh AN WU U4, Viih\\S is i or MD a oa pe "4 ! Browns Mine SS\0"5 fi,” GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. PLATE VIIL. = 777, iN 9) whe > zz, YN 2 we, ony’ NS i AS SS” % Mh } yf a ¢ y/e /, YY I a iy, AA UP) 4" } i 4 aa fe Ni AM trig eae Bors Hole No.1 f G 7, “7 CE, GE € e . Bore Hole . f .. mh Mi ft We Ws eZ 4 } NHN AZ AMIN, \ “ SS s BETWEEN WEATHERFORD AND MILLSAP. ant Ng t ae wy Hi a Wa KS nN ) 2 NI s vy ‘i NS » i % PALO PINTO COUNTY. 52] In a bed of clay above the mouta of the shaft the following fossils occur: Nuculana bellistriata, Stevens; Pleurotomaria spherulata, Conrad; Spirifer pla- noconvexus, Shumard; Chonetes mesoloba, Norwood and Pratten; Myalina sub- quadrata, Shumard; Spirifer lineatus, Martin; Productus prattenanus, Norwood. LAKE MINE. This mine is situated on the southwest quarter of the same section as that of the Carson & Lewis mine. At this place the openings were made on the seam in two directions. The outcrop is in a hollow and the openings were made in the hills on both sides of this hollow. The Coal Seam is from eigh- teen to twenty-six inches thick. The coal taken out was hauled in wagons to Millsap and sold to the Texas and Pacific Railway Company for use in their locomotives. The work has been abandoned for the reason that it would not pay to transport coal four miles by wagons, and this was the only means of transportation and the railway company the only buyers. The following fossils were found in the clay above the coal: Bellerophon crassus, Meek and Wortlien; B. carbonarius, Cox; Productus costatus, Sow- erby; Discina convexa, Shumard; Spirifer cameratus, Morton. | About one mile southwest of the Lake mine a shaft has been driven into the hill on the coal a distance of three hundred feet, but it was found that the seam had been too much exposed to atmospheric influences to pay to de- velop, so the work was abandoned. . In another place, about one-half mile west of the last place mentioned, is what is known as the Brown mine. At this place a shaft and tunnel were put down to the coal and some coal taken out, but the work there has also been abandoned. About one mile northwest of the Lake mine a Mr. Helms put down a shaft to the coal, which he found at a depth of forty feet. Quite a number of holes have been put down to the coal in this vicinity with satisfactory results. Plate No. VIII will show the relative positions of these several shafts and their relation to the railway that has recently been built from Weatherford to Mineral Wells. EAL PINTOrCOUNTY. TOPOGRAPHY AND DRAINAGE. This county is traversed from northwest to southeast by the Brazos River. There are several lateral streams of large size running into the county from both sides, notably Palo Pinto Creek on the south and Keechi Creek on the north, as well as many others of smaller size. The Brazos River is very crooked and the hills on either side very precipitous. This county is ATs GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. the roughest in the northern part of the State. The thick beds of limestone and underlying clays dipping to the northwest cause high escarpments facing to the southeast. | In places in the county there are broad, level plateaus, called in this part of the State “valleys,” that furnish good localities for large and fertile farms. The valleys along the rivers and lateral streams are broad, and are generally covered with timber, and upon them are some of the largest and best farms of the county. GEOLOGY. This county is entirely within the Coal Measures series. It has been stated that this county belonged to the Chester group of the Sub-Carboniferous. The reasons given for so stating were based upon stratigraphic reasons alone. It was supposed that the conglomerate beds found on the tops of some of the highest hills along the Brazos River and elsewhere were the equivalent of the Millstone Grit of the Pennsylvania Coal Measures, and which is the bottom of the Coal Measures in that State; and then finding heavy beds of limestone lying below the conglomerate, the conclusion was reached that these lime- stones were Sub-Carboniferous. After a pretty thorough examination of these conglomerates I am satisfied that they are not the equivalent of the Millstone Grit, and that the limestones are not Sub-Carboniferous. The fol- lowing fossils were found in the vicinity of Mineral Wells, in the north- eastern part of this county, which show conclusively that the formation belongs to the Coal Measures: Anthyris subtilita, Hall; Bellerophon carbonarius, Cox; B. nodocarinatus, Hall; B. crassus, Meek and Worthen; Chonetes granulifera, Owen; Chonetes mesoloba, Norwood and Pratten; Conularia crustula, White; Duscina nitida, Phillips; Euomphalus rugosus, Hall; Lingula wumbonata, Cox; Loxonema rugosa, Worthen; Lophophyllum proliferum, McChesney; Michelona placenta?, White; dMachrochet- lus ventricosa, Meek and Worthen; Myalina subquadrata, Swallow; Nuculana obesa, White; Nuculana bellistriata, Stevens; Nucula ventricosa, Hall; Ortho- ceras rushensis, McChesney; Productus cora, D’Orbigny; P. costatus, Sowerby; P. longispinus, Sowerby; P. semireteculatus, Martin; Pleurotomaria spherulata, Conrad; P. tabulata, Hall; P. broadheadi, White; P. brazosensis, Shumard; P. turbineformis, Meek and Worthen; Retzia mormont, Marcou; Rhynconella uta, Marcou; Spirifer cameratus, Morton; S. planoconvecus, Shumard; Spuirifer lineatus, Martin; S. rockymontanus, Marcou; Spiriferina kentuckensis, Shumard ; Synocladia biseralis, Swallow: Terebratula bovidens, Morten; and others not yet determined. I traced the formation beyond the eastern boundary of the county, and to where the Carboniferous strata was overlaid by the Cretaceous, and at the PALO PINTO COUNTY. 523 very base of the Carboniferous found a limestone that was almost entirely made up of Fusulina cylindrica, which has never been reported in the Sub- Carboniferous formation in North America. i SOIL. The soils of Palo Pinto County are derived principally from the immediate underlying and surrounding strata. The only exceptions to this are the broad valleys along the Brazos River. The Brazos River soils are derived from the country through which this river passes, from the foot of the Staked Plains to their present locality. They are a red sandy loam, and are very fertile. They generally lie above overflow. Some of the best crops in the country are made on these lands. They are better for corn and cotton than for the small grains. Another class of soil is the black sandy land found along the creek bottoms. This soil is derived from the strata passed through by the several creeks on their way to the river. They are generally overgrown with timber and brushwood. The other kind of soil is that derived from the strata immediately underlying the localities. These soils vary in color and compo- sition, according to the material from which they are derived. Some of them are black, some reddish, some light sandy. Some of them have a large per cent of lime, while others are made principally of clay. These soils are in bodies varying from a few acres to several hundreds of acres in extent. The county will never be as completely enclosed with farms as some of the counties to the westward, but there is enough good land in all parts of the county to form good settlements. Some of the lands are too broken to be good for agricultural purposes, but all the lands are covered with a fine growth of nu- tritious grasses. Stock raising is carried on quite extensively in the county. The grass is mostly mesquite. The protection for stock in winter is all that could be desired. TIMBER. This county is almost in the center of the “‘ Upper Cross Timbers.” There are no large prairies in the county. Everywhere timber is abundant. The principal kinds are post oak, blackjack, elm, hackberry, pecan, red oak, and cottonwood. Mesquite is also abundant. There are large cedar brakes along the Brazos River, where large amounts of timber have been obtained for rail- road construction and fencing. More timber has been taken out of this county for fencing purposes on the great prairies of the west than from any other county in the State, and still there are thousands of acres of the very finest timber for this purpose awaiting a demand for its use. At the present there is but one railroad that reaches this timber, and that at its southern ex- tremity. The posts are loaded on the cars at about twelve cents apiece, by the carload, ‘This is about the rate paid for the best quality of posts, 524 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. WATER. This is the best watered county in this part of the State. The river and larger creeks always have an abundance of water in them for stock purposes. There are also many fine springs in the county. These springs come from the massive limestone. Several of these springs are in the vicinity of the town of Palo Pinto. Water can be found in shallow wells at almost any place. The water is very cold and quite free from salts. Where running water can not be had and where the clay is so thick that water can not be easily obtained by sinking shallow wells, open tanks can be mae that will supply all demands. Artesian water has been found at several places in the county, but it is always highly impregnated with common salt.. Two of these wells are in the vicinity of Gordon, in the southern part of the county. It is probable that flowing water could be obtained at many places in the county, but it would all be more or less impregnated with saits of various kinds. Mineral water has been found at several places in the county. Mineral Welis has become quite a health resort, and the waters are very beneficial to all who use them for such diseases as result from derangement of the digest- ive organs. Want of comfortable hotels has heretofore prevented this place from becoming one of the finest health resorts in the State, but now that a railway has reached the town it is probable that some one will make the neces- sary arrangements to accommodate all who may desire to visit the town. The following is an analysis of the water from Mineral Wells: ANALYSIS OF WATER FROM MINERAL WELLS. Analysis by State Geological Survey. Grains per Gal.| Parts per 23lcubicin. | 100,000 Chiloride.of sodium. ..... «55 5) pos cuwleabire eae DE Eee ce See ee 20.084 34.44 Bulphate Of soda... 62. 12k oes ae ate ae pte ete bee. Shy Ae 256.599 440.00 Cerponate Of SOda.... 0c... cs seb the + poe beh pene eee 29.064 49.84 GCarhonate of lime... 7.2.0.0 cil). Oi Sack Oe ee ee eee 15.657 26.85 Carbonate of magnesia ..... * wk egg aun ele b OBR mete ee ee eee 6.186 10.61 AMEN POW |! a ss cs. on ca ea amet lee ee Oe oe een .874 1.50 I Med RE. 5 athe ows of 2a odo ohe te okie fae a's eigen whe ee ee 1.195 2.05 Total solid. contents per gallon ....':..'\ 2b nee Pee el eee 329.659 565.29 Toi mesidue diy Gyanporation’. ... ss. “0 +s syodereu eee ee 328.965 564.09 Gas cubic inches per gallon: Carbonic Acid Gas.:.. 0.2... .0-<-> +s see 4.625 BUILDING MATERIAL. The sandstones of the Carboniferous are excellent for building.’ This stone is found abundantly in a great many places in the county. Only a few quar- ries have been opened, but in almost every neighborhood good quarries might be opened if there was any demand for the stone. PALO PINTO COUNTY. 525 On the line of the Texas and Pacific Railway at the crossing of the Brazos River one or two quarries have been opened and the stone shipped to Dallas and Fort Worth and used for buildings. The Grand Windsor Hotel in Dal- las is built of stone from this quarry. On Grindstone Creek, near the southeastern line of this county, the stone has been quarried and manufactured into grindstones of excellent quality. The railway from Weatherford to Mineral Wells crosses some excellent beds of this stone and will no doubt be the means of opening new quarries. A quarry of sandstone has been opened one mile southeast of the Texas and Pacific mine that promises good results. The bed of sandstone is eight feet thick, of even texture and color, and is in unlimited quantities. It will take about one-fourth of a mile additional railroad to be built to reacn the quarry. The only question as to the practicability of this stone is the ques- tion of transportation at such rates as will warrant proper investment. The old switch that was formerly used by the Gordon mine is now being used for the transportation of sandstone quarried in the hills between the old mine and the main line of the Texas and Pacific Railway. The limestones make good building material, but are not so easily dressed as the sandstone. Some of them are very compact, and would retain their color for a long while. The hard blue limestone in the southern part of the county, in the vi- cinity of Santo, has been quite extensively used in Dallas for paving. This stone wears out very slowly, and makes an excellent hard pavement. Good clay for making brick can be had at many places. Recently a large establishment has been put up near the mouth of Rock Creek, a few miles west of the town of Millsap, for the purpose of making pressed brick from the beds of clay found so abundantly in that locality. Lime can be made from many of the limestones, and sand is everywhere abundant for making mortar. NATURAL GAS. In several places in this county natural gas has been found in sinking deep wells for water or prospecting for coal, but no effort has been made to test the quantity of gas at any given locality nor the extent of territory in which it can be found. In sinking a deep well at the town of Gordon, at the depth of three hundred and seventy-one feet a flow of salt water was found, and with it a small but continuous flow of gas. A beer keg turned over the well with a gas pipe and burner inserted in it collects enough gas to keep a con- stant light burning. Beyond that there has been no attempt to utilize the gas in any way. 526 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. One-half mile east of Gordon another well was put down, and at the depth of three hundred and sixty feet a flow of salt water was found, and with it a flow of gas, but no effort has been made to utilize the gas in any way. At Thurber a deep well was put down, and at the depth of four hundred and eighty feet a flow of salt water was reached, and with it gas, but in what quantities has not been tested. About five miles southwest of Strawn a deep hole was put down with a diamond drill, and a flow of water and gas was reached. Five miles north of the town of Palo Pinto, at Dalton’s, a very remarkable flow of gas was found at a depth of three hundred and eighty-four feet from the surface. The gas rushed from the well with a noise like a locomotive blowing off steam and that could be heard for miles around. The gas was accidentally lighted, when there was an explosion like thunder, and the flame shot up to the height of forty feet or more. After five or six hours of con- stant working to shut off the gas, the flame, which had endangered the family residence, was extinguished and the hole filled up with cement and gravel. Since that time nothing has been done to develop the gas or examine the ex- tent of the supply. The owner of the well, to whom I talked, said he was ‘hunting for water and not fire.” The principal reason for the delay in the utilization of these gas fields is the fact that there is at present no demand for that kind of fuel nearer than Fort Worth or Dallas, at least eighty miles away, and it has been thought too far to pipe the gas to these cities with their present demand for such ma- terial. COAL. Coal Seam No. 1 outcrops in this county for a considerable distance, begin- ning about five miles east of Mineral Wells and running southwestwardly, passing out of the county near the town of Thurber. The following is a description of the various places where I have seen the coal seam on the line of outcrop in this county, and the few places along the borders of other counties that are not described in this Report: TEXAS AND PACIFIC MINE. This mine is the same as was reported on in the Preliminary Report under the name of Johnson mine. See Report of Progress, page 48. Since that time the property has changed hands and has been given another name as above. It is situated near the north line of Erath County, at the town of Thurber, about four miles southwest from the town of Gordon. The mine is on the Pedro Herrara survey of 2253 acres. The company own several thousand acres adjacent to this property. | | The seam of coal worked at this place is No. 1, has a thickness of twenty- ve PALO PINTO COUNTY. gy til PLATE IX. GROUND PLAN OF A LONG-WALL WORKING. 528 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. eight to thirty inches, and is very uniform in thickness throughout the entire -property. This seam of coal has a thin parting of slate in the centre of about one-fourth of an inch. The method of working the mine is what is known as the « long-wall ad- vancing ” system. By this system all the coal is taken out in a circle around the shaft, after having left one hundred feet square of solid coal around the shaft on which the hoisting machinery is placed, and through which also the main entries are driven after all the coal is taken out, and “gob,” the dirt taken out from under the coal, is put back in the vacancy left by taking out the coal, and the roof is allowed to settle down all around. To prevent the roof from settling down against the face of the coal, it is supported by tem- porary props, which are afterwards taken out or left, as may be conveni- ent. Plate No. LX will give an idea of tue workings of the long-wall system. This plate shows the one hundred feet of solid coal left around the main shaft, with the main entrances running in four directions, with the broken- down walls behind the miners; the open space between the “gob” and work- ing face of the coal. Plate No. X shows a vertical section of the same. The props used in this mine are made of wood, and are about thirty inches long. On the top of the props is placed a cap a foot wide and eighteen inches long, to prevent the props from sinking too rapidly into the descending roof. The timber for these props and caps is gotten from the timber in the immedi- ate vicinity of the mine. There are three openings on the property, known as shafts No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3. No. | was the first one put down, and is fifty feet deep, and is the farthest one to the east. No. 2 is thirty-nine hundred and sixty feet north 41° west from No. 1, and No. 3 is forty-two hundred and thirty-nine feet southwest from No. 2. Plate No. XI shows the various places mentioned. The coal is brought to the bottom of the shaft from the face of the coal in’ mine cars drawn by mules. The mules are fed and watered and stabled in the mine. The coal is hoisted out of the mine in cars and dumped directly into the railroad cars for transportation, passing over a screen at the tipple. Men are placed on each car as it is loaded to throw out any slate or other matter not desired that may have been negligently left mixed with the coal by the miner, and in this way the grade of coal put on the market is kept comparatively clean. No attempt has been made to utilize the waste from the mine, except an occasional sale of a single carload to be used by some sta- tionary engine. The average output of this mine is about seven hundred tons per day. The entire output is taken by the Texas and Pacific Railway Company and used on the western division of their road. The reports of its use by the locomo- tives shows it to be satisfactory. PALO PINTO COUNTY. ‘X WLVId 530 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. The working of the mines is as easily performed as in any thin seam of. coal, The roofing is good, and only a few accidents have occurred, and these generally resulted from the negligence of the miners themselves or from the ignorance of some green hand who would not listen to the caution of the more experienced. The mine is dry throughout, and no gas has been found, and there is not much probability that any will be encountered. The mine is ventilated by fans run by machinery at the top of the shaft, and the miners say they have good air. The seam of coal has avery uniform thickness. It has been found to pinch out in places and leave the coal resting immediately upon a bed of indurated sand, making the mining somewhat difficult, but this has only been found in a limited area in mine No. 1, and that on the eastern side next to the outcrop. , The miners take out from two to two and a half tons per day, for which © they are paid one dollar and twenty-five cents per ton. The method adopted of paying the miners for the coal is to pay once every month the whole amount due them either for driving the entries or other contract work for the amount of coal taken out. The mine owners have adopted the plan of advancing on the month’s work before pay day by giving to.the miners a book of tickets worth five dollars, good at the company’s store for anything the miner may need in the way of supplies. The tickets are not good if detached from the book by the miner, and thus preventing him from using the tickets except for the purpose of buying necessary supplies. The miner is not required to purchase from the company his supplies further than to the amount for which he has taken tickets. The houses are owned by the company, and are rented to the miners at reasonable figures. An attempt was made to get water for the mines by sinking a deep well, but after going to the depth of eleven hundred feet only salt water has been reached, which flows in a nice stream from the top of the well. Water for the use of the mines is brought in on the railroad from near Strawn in water cars, and from thence is delivered to the miners by water wagons. It is intended by the proprietors to increase the output of the mine to at least double its present production, which can be very easily done. There has been a spur built out to this mine from the main line of the Texas and Pacific Railway, beginning at a point about midway between Gor- don and Strawn, and is about one and a half miles long. PALO PINTO COUNTY. 531 PLATE XI. TNO Silla ae il 4 oS i Wh Wy) i nena ied oS Uy \\tH ANe,- \ if SMG: ACTRGY = “i Gy iG \ i aS \\ “We y, AA VU TE Ze cS = f \ Sat Ny ff 7 4'7 Vy CEE =~ \ f \ iy Myf, SE LL ys 4 Z 7 NO. dys \s : HU TLS, MEY HH SS sith N \ yA . = R a, wy e ss ,, 2 LHL Whe ; t ‘ e ® SN - = ° \s yee — NANT Me ’ =e : ANY uh =. 3 ww Yi iy, == - tN it ry CY ~ V4 Z SS = 5 vy ZY XN Zo 4 OZ w = r Ss DS ee 9, OSS = CA \ . RRS a Va H : RNS ™\ Lee SS 4° IVS ry ayy \ NN 5 WN NS DNewcastle Mine A =. oe . a" ~ WS : = =\ : SS "rn : == it, SOS A SS <= \N NY : haze cS = 1, WE = Mitts abla’ ry = M, é = xy Mid ow > 3 Te ; SS Mas ud Mi: Aft, br Ny a “uf Mf, M We x. Mi IN, day / / ; 4 yy) <7} le 4 Scale of Miles, ae Coal Outcrop THURBER, IN ERATH COUNTY. 552 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. - FINCASTLE MINE. a This mine is situated about one and a half miles southeast of the Texas and Pacific mine and is on the same seam of coal. | They have several thousand acres of land surrounding the mine under which the coal seam extends. For some reason the mine was not running at the time of my last visit, but the suspension was only temporary; yet it pre- vented me from getting the facts as fully as I wished in regard to their op- erations. The railway switch that was built out to the Texas and Pacific mine has been extended to this place, so that their means of transportation is as good as from the other mine. The general surroundings of this mine are about the same as those of the Texas and Pacific. Their shaft, of which they have but one, was put down nearer the eastern edge of outcrop, and the coal has veen colored a little by the oxidation of the iron, but is of as good quality as the other mine. A shaft put down far enough to the westward from their present working will furnish coal free from the stain of the iron above mentioned. The property has recently changed hands, and the present owners propose to develop their property to its fullest capacity. GORDON MINE. About three miles northeast of the town of Gordon is the locality of the old Gordon mine, where a few years ago was a thriving town and hundreds of miners, with an output of coal of more than six hundred tons per day; but the mine has been abandoned and the houses all or nearly all moved away. Various causes contributed to this result. The principal reason was for want of proper management on the part of the owners of the property. The mine was developed by driving three different openings into the hill on the coal seam, one of which passed entirely through the hill, coming out on the eastern side. The other two tunnels were in another hill across the hollow from the one first mentioned. The coal is found outcropping for several miles to the northeastward along the sides of the hills. It is very evident that the place where the old mines were located was not well selected. The coal was too near the outcrop, and had all been injured by atmospheric influences to a greater or less degree. 24 This ‘is the same seam of coal as is being now so successfully mined at Thurber. The seam of coal can be traced along the hills southward for a mile and a half to the line of the Texas ana Pacific Railway, and from thence “ eastward along the hills on the north side of the railroad for twoorthree ‘ miles, where it finally lies at the very tops of the hills. ee iu, Z C74 Zar 2 eS YER. F Cae ee -) == Es SS > : io ZS NN 2 oe Pa Ny: le Wh ES = > UG TG Aj’ ly: = z= fy = =e Be = RSS ee oN ie a aS —_ re ‘9 ‘ yy! + [ih ae Wie eae ih ! jy Yi \ itil rad v higys HY ‘y Yio iy lil mgd Ri Mi wf fy YW VIM) 42 —geol. yy PALO PINTO COUNTY. PLATE XII. y) \y ~ yy ff if \ AN Ss ‘ \ =~) i .) \ or GORDON, PALO PINTO COUNTY. Tunnell 939 bos” GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. About oae mile west of the Gordon mine, on the west side of Palo Pinto — Creek » shaft was put down, reaching the coal at forty feet. At this place the coal lias good roofing, and is free from atmospheric influences, and would be au excellent place to open a mine. This is known as the Swank mine. At several other places in the vicinity of Swank’s the coal seam has been — reached in sinking wells for water at various depths. One mile north of Gordon coal was found in a well at a depth of sixty-nine feet. I traced the outcrop of the coal from hill to hill for several miles to the southwestward from the old Gordon mine. The seam is just above the town of Gordon, at the south edge of the tank; it can be traced from there around the hills to the eastward, and up Barton Creek on the west side, and passing through a gap in the hills to Brooks Hollow, and thence up that hol- low to its head at a point one mile east of the Fincastle mine. Then it may be seen on the southeastern side of the hiils about one and a half miles from there, and traced from hill to hill by the outcrop to the Bridge Farmer place on Rush Creek, eight or nine miles south of Strawn, where it is in the bed of the creek, and soon passes under the higher beds of the formation, which are in turn overlaid by the Cretaceous. A railroad has been surveyed from the Texas and Pacific mine to a point on the Houston and Texas Central Railway in the vicinity of Dublin. A road built along that line would pass over available coal land for a distance of ten miles. STEPHENS COUNTY. TOPOGRAPHY AND DRAINAGE. This county is hilly, with broad valleys along the river and creeks. Broad, level plateaus are often found on the top and between the hills. There are many small areas of level land scattered among the hills that will make good homes for small farmers. ‘The Clear Fork of the Brazos River runs through the county from west to east, and several large streams run into the river from the south side. Hubbard Creek is the largest which flows from the southwest, and Gonzales comes in from the south. Sandy Creek runs into Hubbard from the south a few miles from its mouth. This county can be said to be well watered by creeks and river, as these creeks always have an abundance of water in them for stock purposes. GEOLOGY. The formation in this county belongs entirely to the Coal Measures. Sev- eral years ago Mr. Charles Ashburner visited the county for the purpose of examining the coal beds, and in a paper read before the American Institute STEPHENS COUNTY. O95) of Mining Engineers placed the coal seams at the bottom of the Coal Meas- ures just above the Millstone Grit, and the limestone beds below that he placed in the Chester Group of the Sub-Carboniferous. He based his con- clusions upon the supposition that the conglomerate found here was the Millstone Grit, and therefore any limestone found below it would necessarily belong to the Sub-Carboniferous. He found what he supposed to be the same conglomerate in the eastern edge of Palo Pinto County and called it Millstone Grit, when in fact there is more than fifteen hundred feet of strata between the two beds of conglomerate, and neither one of them is the equivalent of the Millstone Grit. He gives a bed of limestone—which he calls the Chester— as being two hundred and fifty feet thick, when in fact there is no such bed to be found anywhere in this part of the State. All the limestone beds in the county put together would not make one hundred feet. The Coal Meas- ure fossils are abundant and well preserved, and I see no reason to think that these limestones belong to the Sub-Carboniferous, but instead I find them to be in the Upper Coal Measures. The following fossils were taken from a section just above Coal Seam No. 7, five miles southwest of Crystal Falls: Chonetes granulifera, Owen; Fenestella, ; Hemipronites crassus, Meek and Hayden; Productus longispinus, Sowerby; P. semoreticulatus, Martin; P. prattenanus, Norwood; P. punctatus?, Martin; Spirifer cameratus, Morton; Pinna peracuta?, Shumard; fusulina cylindrica, Fischer; Zaphrentis spinulifera, White. The fossils taken at Graham, a list of which is given elsewhere in this Re- port, were all taken from strata below the limestone which was placed by Mr. Ashburner in the Sub-Carboniferous. That list, as well as the list taken from Mineral Wells, which is still below the horizon at Graham, shows the strata to be true Coal Measures, and high up in the measures at that. SOIL. What has been said of the soils of Young County may be repeated of the soils here. The soils along the river are somewhat different from those along the main Brazos River in Young County, but with that exception they are about the same. The soil along the Clear Fork of the Brazos in this county is generally black sandy, with places of red sandy loam. These lands are in broad, level valleys, often a mile or more wide. They are the very best lands for farming. The same may be said of the valleys along the larger creeks. The soils on the uplands being made from the underlying strata vary ac- cording to location. Some of them are light sandy, while others are sandy loam. Some of them have too large a percentage of clay to be very good for agricultural purposes, but all are good grass lands. The grass is generally 536 | GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. what is known as “curly mesquite.” While it is a short grass there is none © more nutritious, and is a grass that keeps well through the winter months. It does not stay green during the winter, but retains its nutritive qualities even after being killed by the frost. Unless there is a good deal of rain during the winter to rot it, the grass will be almost as good in the latter part of the winter as at the beginning, and stock cattle do well on it without any other feed. TIMBER. This county is entirely within the ‘Upper Cross Timbers,” and has the same kinds of timber as are generally found within that belt. Along the river and the larger creeks there are many fine groves of pecan trees of large size. The overcup trees are large, and in the creeks and river bottoms are ash, hackberry, and wild china. The county may be said to be well timbered for this part of the State. There are large prairies in different parts of the county, but all within easy reach of the timber. The mesquite timber is fast encroaching upon these prairies, and in a few years, if the fires are kept out, there will be an abundance of this timber everywhere. WATER. Outside of the river and creeks there is a scarcity of water in the county. The clays of the Coal Measures are thick and are impervious, and no water can be found in them. The sandstone beds do not seem to be water bearing. It is only occasionally that water can be had by digging. No deep wells have been put down, and if there had been it is not probable that good water could have been obtained. Resort has been had to open tanks for water sup- ply on the farms. Very often after a tank has been built a well would be put down below the dam, and the water from the tank would filter through the dam and underlying beds, and by this means a very good supply of very good water would be obtained. Generally these tanks are too small, for when the long dry seasons come, which is almost every year, the water gets very low in the tanks and is not good, or dries up altogether and forces the farmer — to drive his stock to water and haul supplies for domestic purposes, sometimes a distance of several miles; and then perhaps have to get his water from a tank or creek that is used by large herds of cattle and is anything else but healthy. to say nothing of its uncleanliness. | | By proper efforts water in abundance can be had by some of these meth- ods in every part of the county, and at small cost. STEPHENS COUNTY. 537 BUILDING MATERIAL. Sandstones are everywhere abundant in this county, and many of them would make good building material. No quarries have been opened except ‘inasmall way. The court house and other buildings in the town of Breck- enridge have been built of this material. The stone is similar to the best sandstone in the Carboniferous formation in the State. The limestones in places are very compact and hard, and would make ex- cellent buildings or piers for bridges. In the vicinity of Crystal Falls it lies in beds of from six to eighteen inches thick, and has been used to build the piers of a bridge across Hubbard Creek near that town. There are many places in the county where this kind of material is abundant. Clays for making brick can be had abundantly almost anywhere that such material is desired for use. There is plenty of fire clay in the vicinity of the ‘coal beds. Some of the limestones will make good quicklime, and sand can be had without much trouble. ; Sand for making mortar or cement can be had at little cost of time or trouble. COAL. Coal has been known to exist in this county for a long while, but it has been so far from lines of transportation that it has only been developed and used ina small way. When the United States soldiers were stationed at Fort Griffin they used to come down to this locality and get the coal for use at the fort, but since their removal and the fort’s abandonment there has been but a small demand for the coal. The following descriptions are of the various outcrops in the county as I have seen them. They are all in Seam No. 7, and are of the same character of coal as that found in the vicinity of Belknap and other places in Young County. The coal seam passes through the northwestern part of the county, entering it at or near Crystal Falls, and thence extending southwestward, leaving the county on its south line, near Sandy Creek. Excellent localities for coal mining can be selected at a number of places in the county. Plate XIII will show the several places mentioned. ‘ JAKE WIZEART MINE. About three-fourths of a mile southwest of the town of Crystal Falls is the Jake Wizeart mine. More work has been done at this place than at any © other opening in this county. fee fT; ‘hy. ye Ay Vets FiO f he hie tee a ae Pe 1 4 wis « NO eae teas RI Dd Cec tie As Le dL , Fal ol Sint Wes R % es ‘< APG) ai aoe! } < eit = 538 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. A tunnel has been driven into the hil] for a distance of four hundred feet , on the seam, and a cross-tunnel one hundred feet long has been made at right angles with the first. At the distance of three hundred feet from the mouth of the tunnel an air shaft has been put down. The following section was made at this locality. Beginning at the top: ic) Shalywandstone 5%... bs eigen ea ake eee Bra ee Serre Bl. 10 feet. PE APOLLO ele fohe 8 ate oats ol eipire Sea vats * v Siejb psig @ ace eysin Gb, Siem scene Ce eeten 4 feet. 3. Coal..........+ Woo o> Ae matt Maed r.95.0 a ploler aes oe EMS ot ho 5 6 inches. A» Shaler). 2.1. « sievsgehestiath Wed Rina neye tere te taaei Gate D abie ch che ue aha hos oe } 4 inches. By P Cog bo. 6s. Sve wes Soe Dee eo wets TS Shee ee a eee 2 feet G.,( WHIT Clay: 54). !s arn se ene Se a aye Whedbee en eee did ae 10 inches. Pootal 7 5 ose elie lars ioe teks elles cas @ ose ae eee len © Ser eee ae ee 17 feet 8 inches. In this mine the four inches of slate between the two seams of coal will have to be taken out of the mine, for the reason that it is highly impreg- nated with sulphuret of iron, and on being broken down and exposed to the atmosphere will cause spontaneous combustion and set the mine on fire. This mine was once on fire for several months, caused by a miner carelessly leaving the material broken down for a couple of days in the mine. The necessity for removing this material from the mine will materially increase the cost of mining. Coal has been taken from this mine for several years to supply a local de- mand in the surrounding towns. BERRY MEADOWS MINE. About one-half mile west of the Wizeart mine, on the land of Berry Mead- ows, an open tunnel or cross-cut has been made in the side of the hill for about fifty feet on the seam of the coal, and coal taken out to some extent to sup- ply the demand at Breckenridge. The seam at this place presents much the same general appearance. It has the same band of pyritiferous shale that was seen at the other locality. The roof is good, and the hill above the seam rises to a sufficient height to give good covering. There has been very little work done here for several years. At another locality, about half a mile still further southwestward from the Berry Meadows mine, another opening was made in the head of a ravine, that shows about the same conditions as at the other two localities. Where the clay below the seam of coal can be seen it has the nodules of hard sand-— stone embedded in it which is characteristic of this bed of clay wherever ex- posed. | In the sides of the hills facing to the south along Hubbard’s Creek in this - vicinity, the seam of coal shows in many places. STEPHENS COUNTY. 539 PLATE, XIiT! = : "py = Le STON Ss j ’ _—= — \\ 3 Wace . > YS FAS 3 2 SS cS wR aw EN : ‘Sr -: a — =< a fier Tg Av wi = PS) S = v*S ea 2 x = wen ‘N —— 2 : = » == = willy ait Ww A N N \ eer) Sw . 30Z04% XG Sl \ A . . Z Zoya e 2 = ° Y ie E ; : Ae Ss WS . fa 2 ‘ Ss: R AS flay Z ESF ze % \ / My ANY * YW, a Zag RS : : = SS l \\! Ups.) sth Ae f wy a 4, 2 Ye “<> s ~a 7 =< : Zum, + ry “ch, 7, Z Be ng: S eee > Zw Ni @ Ze Z4\\ SS Li, Ny, : ei" Xs sn Mine ©” = ° Zee. , S477 CAV 4 PZ Ait a \ Z ATION S ity 7 ) « “ — 8 “or gtNe S A 7 ° = CRYSTAL FALLSEO 29 ‘ f \S mr Ws? =e 2 RY a tg Ss SSN GY Z Z re SS eS aWs S iW.. \S (W- Bi H) N\ \ isle S YWLA FAM eado Ww 3 7M gga ¥ / iY f/ fiat 4 % WA fe Unn, RH W » TW, Ne Z \ um ‘4 7 Dr. A § sf we Ve Seale of Miles. i co Nill,» ~~ Be VICINITY OF CRYSTAL FALLS, STEPHENS COUNTY. 540 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. On the south side of Hubbard’s Creek, about one mile from the Berry Meadows ruine, there is another outcrop of the same seam of coal. SLOAN SHAFT. One mile north of the Jake Wizeart mine, on the north side of the hill fronting on the Clear Fork of the Brazos River, an opening has been made on the coal seam that shows the seam to be about the same as at the other places mentioned in the vicinity. On the north side of the Clear Fork of the Brazos, and about one and a half miles north of Crystal Falls, is the Wasson mine. The coal outcrops in the head of the hollow, and is about at the same level as the Sloan mine. There is over this seam the same shaly limestone as seen at the outcrops and shafts on the south side of the river, and it is evidently the same seam. A tunnel has been driven into the hill at this place directly north one hundred feet, following the coal. The coal at this place is thirty-six inches thick, with: the same seam of shale as seen at the other places. Here it is six inches thick. The bottom layer of coal is twenty inches thick and the upper layer sixteen inches thick. ALBERT SIDNEY JOHNSTON MINE. About six miles west of the town of Crystal Falls, on the Albert Sidney Johnston survey, the coal seam is in the bed of the Clear Fork of the Brazos and is always covered with water. It was at this place that the United States soldiers when stationed at Fort Griffin used to get their coal. They would wade into the river and with levers prize up the blocks of coal and float them to the shore and load them on their wagons. This is the same seam (No. 7) as was seen at Crystal Falls. A few years ago Charles A. Ashburner, of the Pennsylvania Survey, visited this place, and his report of the locality put the bed of coal at this place forty- five feet below the seam at Crystal Falls; but this could not be for the reason that the strata dip to the northwest, and this locality being west of Crystal Falls it would necessarily be at a lower height than at Crystal Falls. I ran in a line of levels between the two places and traced the outcrop from hill to hill as well, and know that it is the same seam. The seam could not be examined with any degree of satisfaction at this place, as it was at least two feet under water. Its thickness has been re- ported as at least four feet, but I do not consider the report as any way re- liable. The seam will have to be worked at this place on the west or north side of the river. There is, however, a high hill on the east side that will furnish very good cover, but the probabilities are that the covering is poor in the valley on the east side of the river in the Johnson Bend. BROWN COUNTY. 544 The available coal area in this vicinity is at least eight miles wide. Five miles southwest of Crystal Falls there is another outcrop of the seam, and again about eight miles southwest, at a place called Coal Mountain, the coal crops out on all sides of the hill, On the eastern side of the mountain the coal is twenty inches thick, with a band of slate four inches above, and then a seam of coal nine inches thick. Considerable prospecting has been done here at one time, and the coal mined was taken to Fort Griffin, but since the removal of the troops from that place the work has been abandoned. Above this seam at the height of ten feet at this place another seam comes in that is ten inches thick, and again about ten feet above that is another seam one foot thick. That the lower seam mentioned at that place is No. 7 and the same as seen at Crystal Falls there is no doubt. The very charac- teristics of the coal and the inter bedded band of slate, as well as the shale containing the hard sandstone concretions and pieces of selenite, would prove it the same. but the seams above are local and have not been seen elsewhere. At a hill about one-fourth of a mile southwest of Coal Mountain there is another outcrop of Seam No. 7, showing the same parting of clay and the same clay containing the hard sandstone concretions. Again, at the mouth of Sandy Creek, in the channel of that creek, the seam again outcrops. At this place all the strata above the coal have been destroyed and the sand and gravel deposited on the top of the coal seam. Again the hard concretions of sandstone are seen in the clay below the coal seam as at the other places. On Sandy Creek, about fourteen miles southwest from Breckenridge and one mile and a half above the old road from Belle Plain to Breckenridge, the coal outcrops in the bed of the creek. The upper stratum above the coal has been destroyed and the gravel has been redeposited on the top of the coal. If it shall be found desirable at any time to open the seam at this place suffi- cient cover will be found by going a short distance westward to where the hills rise to the height of one hundred feet or more above the valley of the creek. BROWN COUNTY. TOPOGRAPHY AND DRAINAGE. This county is traversed from the northwest to the southeast nearly through the centre of the county by Pecan Bayou, a stream of considerable size and having its source near the western line of Callahan County. Jim Ned Creek, a large affluent of Pecan Bayou, comes in from the west side, running into the bayou twelve miles north of the town of Brownwood. Several other streams flow through the county in various directions. The 542 | GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. county is bounded on the south by the Colorado River. The entire drainage is from the northwest to the southeast. . is ‘The topography of the county is varied. The hills along the larger streams are high and often precipitous. There has been great erosion in this part of the State, which has left in places high hillsand bold escarpments. In places the plateaus are broad and level and the creeks and river valleys are broad. The high escarpment of the Cretaceous on the eastern side of the county stands out in bold relief. Here and there in the county are isolated buttes of Cretaceous strata. GEOLOGY. Brown County belongs partly to the Carboniferous and partly to the Cre- taceous formations, the greater part to the Carboniferous. The high hills along the eastern border of the county are Cretaceous, and there is a belt of the Cretaceous between Pecan Bayou and the Colorado River southeast of Brownwood and extending as far west as the upper road from Brownwood to San Saba. The Carboniferous of the county is about the middle portion of the formation in Texas. The limestone at the mouth of Jim Ned Creek is the same bed that occurs at Rock Creek, in Jack County, and the bed south of Brownwood is the same as that found at the mouth of Keechi, in Jack County. Both of these beds of limestone are much thinner in the southern counties than in the counties farther north. The sea was deeper on the north during the Carboniferous times than along the south, and this was to have been suspected from the fact that the sea shore in that time was only a short distance farther to the south in Llano County. The sandstones in the southern part of the county are the same as found above the coal at the Texas and Pacific mine, in Palo Pinto County. SOIL. The soils of Brown County are principally of three kinds, whose character is determined by the strata from which they were derived. The Trinity Sands of the Cretaceous has contributed largely in places to the soil making, and where that is the case they are quite sandy. Yet there are no more fer- tile soils in the county than these. The limestones and clay beds of the Car- boniferous have made other soils, which are black and in places more or less sandy, the sand coming from the disintegration of the Carboniferous sandstones. Another class of soils are those made from material beyond the limit of the county, that have been brought there during the period of erosion or by the floods during overflows in the rivers and larger creeks. The native growths of plants and grasses show that the soil is fertile. The 2 BROWN COUNTY. 543 crops of grain and cotton which have been raised there from year to year show that the soils are productive. Pecan Bayou has many broad valleys that are of superior quality for agri- cultural purposes. TIMBER. Brown County is partly within the belt of the ‘‘ Upper Cross Timbers,” yet there are wide stretches where there is not much timber of the class found farther north. There are fine groves of pecan timber along the creeks and rivers. Hvidently Pecan Bayou took its name from the prevalence of that kind of timber along its entire course. Its groves of pecan timber can not be excelled in the State. There is plenty of timber everywhere for domestic purposes. The pecan nuts gathered in this county almost every year amount in value to many thou- sands of dollars. A few years ago it was the custom of those wanting nuts to go into the forest and gather what was wanted, either for home use or for market, without regard to the ownership of the land; but now all that has been changed, and the owners of the groves either lease the groves for so much per year or have the nuts gathered at so much per bushel. There are trees along the valley of Pecan Bayou that will yield as much as ten bushels of nuts per year. The price of the nuts ranges from two to three dollars per bushel.. WATER. Water for stock purposes is generally abundant in the creeks and rivers, yet it has been necessary in places to construct artificial ponds or tanks for this purpose. Wells can usually be found with little trouble. There are places, however, where the clay beds are very thick, and it is almost impos- sible to get water at a reasonable depth. Deep wells in the vicinity of Brownwood have proven that water can be obtained at a depth of one thousand feet or more that will probably flow at the surface on proper casing, BUILDING MATERIAL. The sandstones of the Carboniferous in this county make excellent build- ing material. In almost every neighborhood in the county a good quarry of this kind of stone may be found. Only a few such quarries have been opened in the county. Some of the buildings in the town of Brownwood are con- structed of this material. The limestones in places are good building material. They are easily quar- 544 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. ried and are of an excellent color. They are not so easily worked as the sandstones, and have not been utilized to any very great extent. The lime- stones make a good article of quicklime when properly burned. Bricks._Good clay for brick making can be had at many localities. The quality of brick made is good. For ordinary purposes they are as good as any in the State. The clays are abundant in the county for making the very best quality of bricks, but are not always mixed with the proper amount of sand; but this defect can be easily remedied, as there is sand in abundance in easy reach of any given locality. Again, other clays are too sandy and make brick that are not sufficiently compact to stand heavy pressure. But mixing a portion of the clay found everywhere in the Carboniferous strata will very readily remedy this defect. OIL. In a well at Brownwood oil has been found that rises on the top of the water and is brought up in the buckets. The aimount is small, probably only a few gallons per day. Recently a company has been organized to prospect for oil in this vicinity and determine the extent of the oil bearing field and the quantity to be ob- tained. COAL. Very little coal has been found in this county, and there is not much pros- pect that workable beds will be found. Coal Seam No. 7 crosses the northwest corner of the county. It crosses Pecan Bayou in the vicinity of Bird’s old store and runs southwestward from there in the direction of Waldrip, in Coleman County. HASTLAND COUNTY. I have only examined that part of Eastland County which lies north of the line of the Texas and Pacific Railway, and will not attempt a description of any of its natural resources in the present Report except that of the coal in the northern part of the county. The only place where any preps has been done in this part of the county is near Cisco. ) The mines at Cisco are on seam No. 7. At one time and another there has been considerable work done on this seam in the vicinity of Cisco. The outcrops are numerous. The seam is twenty inches thick, with a band of slate above it, followed by a seam of coal four inches thick. The band of slate is from four to ten inches thick between the coal seams. At another place where I examined this seam there are nine inches of coal and twenty inches of bituminous shale. +e PLATE XIV. EASTLAND COUNTY. | 545 Ny we SS \ = Ny “e Sys ~ h x = Wy, aa’ ‘See AWN “AUIS Vay RY WS INS VERS \ SNS GENIN NESS WTA : lMnw~rt SS saute iy AN = =I, SO hy CY SF tint Miahily shar 2 ma) a\)) oF tine eh A Lihay iff, EZ Cr ilies (iat ! “ys iio Engen te, Wh, Mid fy! y. Ss RY Vinge iis: iy Gy. : J RS ily, ai a wi X AY ol i \ wi Gg Vig Be . ND = i NY NN Ee if \N Aix Ze wwwx Zs SD 4s 2 et ww tai Zz ZZ 8! WMG my 7 23. \EF =< ry ae. wares e° Dig Zs, SS za @ home eet: Tigges All ALIN < rsh oS ae % e poe Za i } sy 0 cal Oa ky PLL po al ks Mon ir ih my S > we eta = : 3 5 rt _ ngneee LT A 5 a 4 c 8 4 . XY Q i 7 q A) i Wy & AW %, yi : i i, val d Wp, Jn" Mins es BON \S VBE mM ~ ASS ANS A S& = : 7% AS eae ee = SX “S . ews S NS = == = yy > > : = SS 2 BBS Ss é Zz, *= a XS, = ay NS A RAN 7s “ Sy a = Rt we 2 S = = \ = SS = eo = 2 cy “.. ¢ = W\\ \S aR oe =. = SEI ~ = =~ = “+P = = = NX : & = —— = . SN © fy s == = -sS UH) = - Se by, ily \e aG == c —— “GY yey We IN Ns Cry as ° = -= 4 ] J ! ¢ Oy o Cfn, ye. ° SS Yi S Gy SE yy SS A? 3 3 {\ ’ WON. ett TE # Ypy VAY Vy) Spies ° yf H \ u . wn M4 i sS CNT ayy NY Diy wip) * SW \ AY AY yt “Y RAS Z Ae ~~ 4 S219 = ==> WY iJ: Ey ea My, fi) i Wij: 41, “GAG, Y sy, aif == 546 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS, This shale will burn when put on the fire, but loses none of its bulk in burning, and is absolutely worthless as a fuel. There is no probability that this seam can be worked in this particular locality, owing to the thinness of the seam and the further fact that the stratum of bituminous shale will have to be taken out of the mine, for it is so highly impregnated with sulphuret of iron that when the material is exposed to the atmosphere and it begins to slack, the sulphuric acid escaping will set the whole mass on fire. The seam may be thicker at some distant locality, but there is no hope that it will change for the better anywhere near Cisco. Four miles from Cisco, to the north- west, on the line of the Houston and Texas Central Railway, this same seam of coal was found about the level of Sandy Creek. A good deal of work was done at this place several years ago, but the mine has been abandoned on ac- count of the fact that the seam was too thin for successful mining. Attempts have been made to develop this seam in several other places, with like results.” Plate No. XIV will give the relative position of the various localities in this vicinity where the coal has been mined. . It has been reported that coal is found in the vicinity of Carbon, in the southern part of the county. If it is there it will probably be seam No. 1, the same as at Thurber, and might be of commercial importance 1 was un- able to visit that locality when in the county. COLEMAN COUNTY. TOPOGRAPHY AND DRAINAGE. This county is comparatively level, except where it has been crossed by the larger creeks. ‘The hills on the south side of the county are bold escarp- ments, caused by erosion and the fact that the strata dip to the northwest. In the northern part of the county the high hills are mostly confined to the narrow strips along the creeks. The drainage on the south is into the Colorado River, and on the north into Pecan Bayou. The Colorado extends along the entire southern border of the county, making the division line between this county and the counties on the south. Bull Creek, Camp Creek, Home Creek, and Mukewater are large creeks flow- ing into the Colorado River. Jim Ned runs along the northern side of the county. GEOLOGY. Coleman County belongs entirely to the Carboniferous formation, except the high hills known as Santa Anna Mountains, which are two isolated Cre- taceous buttes that have been left at the time of erosion which uncovered the Carboniferous strata in this part of the State. COLEMAN COUNTY. 547 The upper part of the Texas Coal Measures is the only part found in the county. Ascompared with the northern part of the State, there are no strata below Coal Seam No. 7, except a small area in the southwestern part of the county. There are many fossils found in different parts of the county. The follow- ing specimens were found just above the coal on Home Creek: Sporifer cam- eratus, Morton; Productus nebrascensis, Owen; Husulina clyindrica, Fischer; Hemiphronites crassus, Meek and Hayden; Myalina perattenuata, Meek and Hayden. | SOIL. The soils of this county have mostly been made from the underlying strata and are varied in character according to the different strata below. _ There are broad, level plateaus in places that are the detritus left at the time of the erosion that carried away the Cretaceous. These soils constitute some of the best lands for agricultural purposes in the county. The clay and beds of shale are in places very thick, and this has formed broad plains ex- tending back from an escarpment to where another stratum comes in, mak- ing the next line of escarpments. | The creek valleys are very fertile, being generally a black sandy loam, while in other places they are more inclined to be ared sandy loam. All are fertile and about equally productive. TIMBER. Only part of this county can be said to be well timbered. The timber is generally confined to the creeks and rivers, except that of the mesquite, which is abundant everywhere. Post oak timber is plentiful in the southeastern part of the county, and the creeks and branches have enough timber in the prairie part of the county to supply domestic purposes. There is also some post oak timber in the north- eastern part of the county. WATER. There is an abundance of water in every part of the county. The creeks are numerous and most of them have water in them the entire year. This county is famous for its fine stock ranches, and they are so because of the great abundance of water in them. It is true that the grass in this county is of the very best quality—that of the curly mesquite—and is famous for that fact, but it is more so on account of its great abundance of water for stock purposes. Water can be had in shallow wells in every locality, and there are numerous springs in different 548 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. : parts of the county. No deep wells have been put down in the county except — at Trickham, where some prospecting for oil has been done, and in the wells” there only salt water has been found, which flows from the top of these wells. BUILDING MATERIAL. The Carboniferous sandstones are abundant in parts of the county, and a wherever found make good building material. . | | The Carboniferous limestones are found in places, and are good. Theyare of uniform color, and are of such thickness of beds that they need no dressing except on the edges which are to be exposed in the building. The Cretaceous limestone on the top of Santa Anna Mountain has been used extensively in this county. It is easily quarried and takes an excellent finish and is easily dressed by the masons. The supply of this place is prac- tically inexhaustible. This limestone makes good quicklime, as do also many of the Carbonifer- ous limestones in different parts of the county. Clays for bricks are abundant in almost every locality, and where it is not already of the proper composi- : tion the necessary materials are near at hand and the manufacturer may mix the ingredients to his own liking so as to get the best practical results. OIL. At Trickham, in the yard of Hon. L. L. Shields, a well was put down for water. At a depth of one hundred feet a flow of salt water was reached and with it a small quantity of oil, which collects on the top of the water. No analysis of the oil has been made, and it seems to be about the same quality as that found at Brownwood. The geological horizon is probably about the same. The extent of the oil bearing rocks in this locality has never been tested, nor the quantity of oil that might be obtained if desired. NATURAL GAS. In the well (already mentioned) of Hon. L. L. Shields, at Trickham, there is a flow of gas that would probably be abundant if the water was shut off. When the water is drawn out of the well rapidly a great volume of gas rushes out with a roaring sound. About one mile west of this place another well was put down by Mr. Shields, on his place, and at a depth of two hundred and eighty feet a flow of salt water was found, and with it a flow of gas that will burn any time by lighting it with a match. When the water is taken out of the well there is such a — rush of gas that if it is then lighted the flame will extend twenty-five or thirty J COLEMAN COUNTY. _ 549 feet high, and continue so until the water rises in the well and cuts off the gas supply. There is evidently a good deal of gas in this vicinity, and if there was any demand for such material within reach it would be developed very soon. COAL. The coal in Coleman County is found along a line of outcrop running from northeast to southwest. It enters the county near the northeast corner and extends to Waldrip, on the Colorado River. The seam is No. 7, of general section. About six miles west of the town of Trickham, on the Scurlock survey, near Home Creek, some prospecting has been done for coal, but it was not done in a very satisfactory manner, and the result was not encouraging. Iam of the opinion that upon proper investigation a good: bed will be found at that place. The coal outcrops in several places in that vicinity, along Home Creek and the lateral branches. No good coal can be expected east of Home Creek in that vicinity, and for some distance west of the creek the coal would be too near the surface to be free from atmospheric influences. The following section was made at that place. Beginning at the bottom: Ls TE LIDGE TIS 4 oe weap he ie Bt ed eae ae a Aa ar 4 feet. eee MONTIEL CLE: os ow aiy6 eS te eh dias dirmsee vide ce Be BIS Peue ege e 10 feet. ee eS CUNY io ea ae os os PEL Re CER Ne mina aes 8 feet. =~ Eamestone, Massive... 2.25... = Se # Saale GNotaWitus ererentuseiekd eaves S08 4 feet. Le LET o 25S ete pe ae ee Gy es Bs cee Ae ee ee a 8 feet. PERE CEAV CRE te horns onscreen, s Siete dsm lyarare eho Sel 5) ie ee Gee ee ts 2 feet j DRO) ie ES Ee Seana Dee OIS PAS Sec MSNA? Mule Raley. ca eared 2 feet 4 inches. ch pS cae 2 WESC tice eet Bese rae Mea Reg ah 2 at] or one ear ae ig oe oe - 10 inches. Pea ESIBIISEN CLBV Ge xara, ora; 6 corey 446 olan, an rll ceo >, « iT We een TOR ey eee 20 feet. ld (LS CENT AR STI E1011 Nem. Minera Nien: ee Ne a ge ene ane ee a wee 8 feet. RSM Nd a aise | STS shalt UAE os te eh reat a. ds Gash awit .... 67 feet 2 inches. Again, an outcrop is seen a few miles north of the town of Waldrip, on Bull Creek. At this place several shafts have been put down, and the seam outcrops at several places along the creek. The seam in places is almost en- tirely cut through by ‘horsebacks” from below. The seam is not persistent in thickness, but thins and thickens in short distances. I doubt if any place can be selected here that will be capable of very large development. Mr. J. W. Gibson has done quite an amount of prospecting in this vicinity and in the valley of Little Bull Creek. The only shaft open at present is the one about one mile east of the road crossing on Bull Creek, and is west of the principal place of outcrop. The shaft is forty-eight feet deep. The coal is twenty-four inches thick at the bottom, then a parting of slate two inches thick, and then ten inches of coal. 43—geol. * 550 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. In the bank of the creek four hundred feet east of the shaft the coal out- a. crops eight feet above the bed of the stream. There the lower stratum of coal is twenty inches thick and the upper stratum eight inches thick, with two inches of slate between them. Again, about three-fourths of a mile up | ie the creek, about northeast, the coal outcrops on the west side of the hill, — 7 "4 showing about the same condition. There are several outcrops on the east- 9 ern side of the creek, and some prospecting has been done on the seam, but none of the shafts could be entered at the time of my visit. In the vicinity of Gibson shaft, near the mouth of Bull Creek and three miles northeast of the town of Waldrip, I made the following section. Beginning at the top: Le.” UMESTONG 4.05 oss cee otha Bie els oleae Macnee ae eee ee 3 feet. 2.) "Sandstone.,.'2°U 1%... ee 5. cee ees Bee oe eo eee eee 10 feet. Be 1 Clay ci. hbo a eer oe Klotretee bile NMint tet ular ete ie Culga eta pUatane ate aes Sherr 40 feet. a; ( POANAStONG,./. Bcacche eee Peewee ene alot eqware SY eee e Se Ree 3 feet. b., /Shaly limestone. 2: . «fee dad paails sine & hater Reoas ae rene 2 feet 6... Gay J ek ede tae wet oat eR eh bane tlds Bane se eign ee 6 feet TE MOOR soc a's sats ora a Gece cums bro pie re eae eee eee ee 10 inches. By ROMNIO Ss ayare oorrenn si 5s seh gira Inn a Unde Ue haute” alephaliticke al tea: Dita aoe ie een 2 inches, . 9s i Oona ois peek. Us chile 6 a Uc a ale eee ae eee et ee ee ee 2 feet. LO: Bare atbey ye sin ein ho donee to ae tole sme eerie ise nen en eee 2 feet. AZ; andstons, |. t./s.5). a ecto eee eee Te eee 3 feet. Total isis oa s © bke de Ses bee y cet tine ewe ee as 25 eee 72 feet. There has. been some prospecting for coal done on the south side of the river near the town of Waldrip, mention'of which will be given in this con- nection, aS it is not intended to give a detailed description of McCulloch County in this Report. About one-half mile west of Waldrip is the Fink mine. The shaft is eighty-four feet deep. The coal is twenty-eight inches thick, with two partings of slate. The owners of the mine took the trouble — at the time of my visit to clean out the shaft, as the work had been aban- doned for some time, so that I could make a personal inspection of the work- ings. An entry has been driven into the seam in an easterly direction for a distance of fifty feet and the coal taken out for several feet’on each side of the entry. The coal is cf fair quality, but other prospecting will have to be done before the question of the quantity of coal in the vicinity can be de- termined. The trouble about the seam in this part of the State is that it is not persistent in thickness. It sometimes changes very rapidly in short dis- tances. The Williamson shaft is about one mile northeast of Waldrip. A few years ago a company at heavy expense put down this shaft, eight by eight feet, and timbered it from top to bottom with pine lumber two inches thich, hauled a long distance, and when they finally reached the coal, at a depth of one hundred and sixty feet, it was only one foot thick, and the work was abandoned at once. No one should go to such heavy expense in the way COLEMAN COUNTY. 551 of development until sufficient prospecting has been done to definitely deter- mine the thickness and extent of a coal seam in any given locality. Where ° a seam has a tendency to thin out rapidly in a locality—and this fact can gen- erally be determined by an examination of the outcrop—there should be a great number of the cheapest kind of prospect holes put down with the sole object in view of testing the thickness of the seam in that particular locality. The Chaffin mine is about two miles southeast of this shaft. At this place the seam outcrops in a small creek, immediately below a shaly limestone, and is twenty inches thick. At various times in the past coal has been taken out of this place for various purposes. The mining was done by following the seam from the surface a few feet. No prospecting has been done to deter- mine the extent of this thickness in the immediate vicinity. On John Kellett’s farm, about three miles southwest of Waldrip, a drill hole has been put down three hundred and twenty-four feet, near the bank of the river. Out of this hole flows a stream of salt water which by analysis gave thirty pounds of common salt to one hundred gallons, with a trace of iron. With the water comes up a flow of gas sufficient to keep a constant flame burning several feet high. No effort has been made to test the quan- tity of gas in this locality. ANALYSES OF TEXAS COALS. Locality. Water jc teed. |) \oaiahy «\Sulph‘r. fee prascport, Wise County... snc fnn%s 6 cccie s 2.00 | 31.47 | 56.32 8.15 2.06 2. Sheuber shaft, near Bowie, Montague Co....| 2.30 | 34.48 | 61.28 | 0.60 | 1.14 a.) Giltoi shaft, Young County 1.0.0.0 1. c0e ee 1.10 | 35.50 | 43.00 | 15.60 | 4.60 Pee eMMEMOr, SHAG INO; Viol oxen c dee eh. es 0.85 | 31.23 | 56.98 9.30 1.64 eeeceunnwer, ‘Shictit INO: Der 52655 a tc%s «fae eer biels 0.90 | 30.96 | 60.01 6.85 1.28 Se tiener. sitait: NOS... 0. octet ok Vee wee woe + 0.90 | 33.51 | 53.46 | 10.65 | 1.48 i Warp, McCulloch County... ai. .556 66 +s 4.55 | 38.50 | 44.80 | 12.14 | 17.96 Sel Creel, Coleman Contity .o. 4)... os eos ac 10.40 | 35.94 | 49.46 | 4.19 | 1.53 Norre.—The coal of Nos. 3 and 7 in this table of analyses were samples taken from the dump, and were not fair specimens of the coal at these localities. Haz GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. APPENDIX. HADROPHYLLUM, E. & H. EXPLANATION OF PLATE. Fig. 60. Calycular view, natural size. Fig. 60a. Under side of same example. Fig. 600. Side view of same example. Fig. 61. Calcyular view, natural size of a smaller example. Fig. 61a. Under side of same example. Fig. 61b. Side view of same example. H. APLATUS, sp. nov., Cummins. Corallum flattened, discoidal; periphery attenuated; under side nearly flat and marked by concentric wrinkles; upper side convex; fossette deep, reach- - ing from the centre to the periphery; septa prominent, extending from the fossette to the margin, single, numbering from twenty-one to twenty-five. Transverse diameter twenty-six mm. Thickness seven mm. in full grown individuals. i | The bilobed bodies which appear near the edge of the specimens, and which are shown in the drawings, are perhaps parasites. This species differs from H. glans, White, in the number of the rays and the length of the corrallum. Locality. Bend Division of the Carboniferous, which is at the base of the Coal Measures series in Texas. Co ¥ .: > ? * : = yf y eA . ri ¢ SECOND ANNUAL REPORT, igg90. PLATE XVIII. NS GEOLOSICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. K® \DIC. Berle THROCKMORT IL 1s 1g Q + i LL SPOR EWA é E = g . 2 2 8 i | a ny 3 3) Biel Sll.e a = i=) = & n 6 is f a is) Re Q es 2a, ie) te) "fy ic} ay ad ya g == =. Crolnceons—Coal Meaxiire Contact, iyo ap ap alles. jp 98 EHP @ buak ON THE GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES a OF THE CENTRAL MINERAL REGION OF TEXAS CHIEFLY SOUTH OF THE SAN SABA RIVER AND NORTH OF THE | PEDERNALES RIVER, WEST OF BURNET AND EAST OF MENARDVILLE AND JUNCTION CITY. BY THEO. B. COMSTOCK, F. G. 8. A. W684 REPORT ON THE GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE CENTRAL MINERAL REGION OF TEXAS, LYING CHIEFLY SOUTH OF THE SAN SABA RIVER AND NORTH OF THE PEDERNALES RIVER, WEST OF BURNET AND EAST OF MENARDVILLE AND JUNCTION CITY. BY . THEO. B. COMSTOCK, F. G. S. A. SKELETON. PART I.—GENERAL REVIEW OF GEOLOGIC STRUCTURE. Outline of the geologic groups, for use of persons engaged in prospecting and develop- ment. Statement of the classification adopted, with chart showing the various terranes in chronologic order. General statement of the economic products of each main geologic horizon. PART IL—ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. How to use the Report for practical purposes. Plan of this part. METALLIFEROUS DEPOSITS. Precious Metaus. Gold.—Possible sources stated, with results of assays, etc. Silver.—Sources of supply. Districts limited and ores discussed. BAsE METALS. Copper.—Belts defined, with descriptions of localities and cuts showing structure. Zead.—Districts outlined; outcrops illustrated and described. Review of the situation. Guide to prospectors. Table of assays for gold, silver, copper, and lead. Tin.— Full discussion of the present situation, with cuts showing the geologic conditions where tin ore has been found; character of ore and mode of occurrence Uncertainty of discover- ing the mineral in commercially important quantities. Zénc.—Absence from this district. Unsupported claims of discovery of zinc blend in 1890. Manganese.—Areas in which ores outcrop. Belts defined. Discussion of ores and modes of occurrence. Table II of analyses. Jron.—Extent and importance of the ores of the district. Hints regarding the development of the iron fields. Separation of the ores into five classes, individually discussed in detail, with location, description, and full treatment of the six great belts, or axes, including im- portant hints concerning the mining of the ores. Table III, analyses of iron ores. Metal- lurgic review of iron fields. Probable future of the iron industry. BUILDING STONES. Granites.—Seven classes, distribution and economic value. JMarbles.— Three classes, their distribution and uses. Limestones and Dolomites.—Localities and char- acter of material. Sandstones, Slates, Schists, Clays, and materials for Cements, Lime, Mor- tars, etc. REFRACTORY MATERIALS. FICTILE MATERIALS. MATERIALS FOR PAINTS. PART Il.—SUPPLEMENT. Additional notes on stratigraphic geology. — [555] 556 CENTRAL MINERAL REGION OF TEXAS. PoAl Tyrie GENERAL REVIEW OF THE GEOLOGIC STRUCTURE. The area of Pre-Carboniferous rocks comprising the Central Mineral Re- gion, as defined in the Report of this Survey for 1889,* was estimated at less than four thousand square miles. The more complete survey of 1890 has materially extended the boundaries of the tract by the discovery of uncov- ered Silurian and Cambrian strata in extensive fields hitherto supposed to be capped by the Cretaceous. The maps accompanying the present Report in- clude only enough of the territory outlying to give a fair idea of the relations of the Pre-Carboniferous terranes to those of more recent origin. These sheets represent an area of six thousand square miles, of which considerably more than five thousand square miles contain exposures of an earlier date than the Carboniferous. The preliminary classification of the strata of the Central Mineral Region, as announced in the Report of 1889, requires no important modifications after another season’s field study. At least it may be stated that all the posi- tive assertions there made have been confirmed by more extended observa- tions, and none of the provisional announcements have been found erroneous. At the same time, more office work is needed upon the collections before the paleontological evidence of the tripartite character of the Cambrian can be said to be clear, and there are still many problems which can only be solved by work of a much more detailed character than has been possible under existing circumstances. In the present Report the economic results must be given special prominence, for which reason the outline of the stratig- raphy here introduced is prepared with the primary object of affording a kind of key to those whose practical needs preclude the task of selecting from the mass of technical description the particular details which apply to indi- vidual cases. Those who desire a more complete account should consult the First Annual Report of this Survey, pp. 339-391. There are representatives of the Archean, Eparchean, and Paleozoic groups in the Central Mineral Region, which, as we now understand them, are re- garded as the geologic equivalents of the Laurentian, Ontarian, Algonkian, Cambrian, Silurian, and Devonian systems of other parts of the United States. To avoid difficulties which might arise should our provisional correlations B. Comstock, F. G. 8. A. First Annual Report of Geological Survey of Texas. EH, T. Dum- ble, State Geologist, Austin, 1890, p. 239. ARCHEAN GROUP, 557 hereafter prove inapplicable, and also because it is as yet impossible to make wholly satisfactory comparisons with the strata of remote areas, local names have been chosen to designate systems, series, and divisions. In a general way these terms also serve to indicate the strata which are abundant in par- ticular localities; but it must not be inferred that these titles are ordinarily comprehensive enough to include the whole range of any terrane, although it may be so in individual cases. Thus the Fernandian system is named from excellent exposures of the rocks in a portion of the drainage area of San Fer- nando Creek, in Llano county, but this region by no means monopolizes the outcrops of that system, nor do the names Lone Grove, Iron Mountain, Llano, Katemcy, etc., respectively indicate the only localities in which the rocks des- ignated by these cognomens are visible. The same remarks apply with equal force to all the nomenclature adopted for the various rock stages in our region. The Taxonomic Chart* gives a condensed view of the geologic divisions as they have been worked out by the writer, corrected to January 1, 1891. This varies but little from the arrangement given in the First Annual Re- port, Plate III, but it may perhaps be found more convenient for reference, and its introduction into this volume will also facilitate the use of the geo- logic map of our region.+ * The original names Burnetan, Fernandan, Texan, Niagaran have been changed to termi- nate in zan, to conform to the requirements of the International terminology. + At the last moment it was found necessary to omit the coloring of the topographic map (Plate XXIII) which was prepared to illustrate the geology of this district. | is _ 090 seni meue” Se -(onsog) sy001 ouexoiAd pue epuequioy | tt” “NIVINAOJT ‘(opiop Aperyo) sysryos oOTYO pue vo ; ‘UTTIARAOG a ace arta t ‘ONINdY AGTIVA “SYSTYOS OIPIOW ss ‘ ‘So}ZqIIENY) | ‘NVIUVINO ; i SOO SNHOULSNIIOT ‘NIVINAQOP NOUT : x0 : JSTYOS SNOsoBVUOgIeA) | | NVIGNV NUH , Ng . ‘SoTVYs pues sozels oMoTYyH | J ae | "yOOI snoaiedTeO “MOITC | J oe ‘SISITOS puw sepeys Apueg ‘NOSVW “NVIANOOTV a ; ‘soAdNIO TIM SOTOJSpUBS PUB SojIZ}IEN?) ‘ONVT'T P08) ‘NV@HOUVAG : eee ‘spoq ATeYs pus solqivyy ‘AIGAVSMOV" ‘NVIXOUL - ‘OLBIOWIO]SUOD OS1OD ‘SOTOJSPUBS DAISSV]Y “AUOMOIF, | | aa ‘sereys Apues ‘souojspueg ' : Bee: ‘SNOSIBOTBO ‘SoUOJSOUMI] 9}B[OOOYO see Be ‘OUOYSpUBS Pol PUB OUT M | “BUOZSpUDgY WopspoT ‘NVIYENVO =.“ ‘soreyg ‘sho)y wopspog : " . ra ‘ I 574 CENTRAL MINERAL REGION OF TEXAS. a LARGE QUARTZ MASSES. There does not seem to be any good reason for separating the large quartz exposures from those of the succeeding classes, except that the latter are more apt to resemble in appearance the gold bearing veins of other regions. But if ‘the conditions for the deposition of gold were prevalent at the epochs of quartz formation in the one case they were probably no less prominent in the other. Judged from appearances only and from such criteria as miners un~ skilled in geologic study are prone to apply, there is no great difference be- tween many of our Central Region outcrops and such auriferous masses as occur in the Black Hills of Dakota and in parts of Colorado, where they are profitably worked. But there is a wide divergence in the geologic conditions, and this renders very doubtful the probability of developing any paying gold mines in our area in these quartz deposits. Samples have been taken with care from many outcrops, and a number of the assays reported in Table I are of this class of quartz. The principal masses lie in the trend of the Burnetian System. They are most commonly opaque, milk-white, and homogeneous. As shown by the assays none of them are gold bearing. b. QUARTZ (AND OTHER) VEINS. There is a great variety of vein shafts in the Central Mineral Region, but none of them have as yet yielded any traces of gold, excepting those which traverse the copper bearing districts. The Pecan Creek and Babyhead silver tract in Llano County offers a prospect of gold returns possibly sufficient to offset the cost of mining in some instances, leaving what other metals may be obtained to meet expenses of treatment and return the profits. There is not enough gold in the veins to yield any profit by itself, so far as can be judged from the developments heretofore made. The quartz of the veins is sometimes white, like that of the masses alluded to in the preceding section, but more often rusty, cloudy, or even transpar- ent. Assays of these varieties have been made in such numbers as to leave no doubt of the sparcity of gold in the region. Some veins of irregular development and streaks of similar character in different localities have been worked in the belief that gold could be obtained from them, because ‘the veins have splendid walls.” In most cases the “walls” are simply planes of stratification or of jointage in much disturbed schists, and the deposits have invariably failed to yield gold by assay. I have collected freely and with great care from very many such pockets and string- — ers of quartz, pyrite, limonite, and other minerals, not only in every excava- tion that could be found, but in natural exposures all over the region, but none of the samples have returned any gold except as indicated in Table No. I. a PRECIOUS METALS. 575 Probably there will be some hereafter who will be innocently inclined to report gold discoveries in the district, others perhaps not with honest intent, because of the finding of old shafts or the tracing of veins not before sus- pected by the inhabitants of the country. For the benefit of all, I desire to state that I have faithfully and diligently prospected the region, collecting everywhere, and taking samples from even those places which no geologist or mining engineer would admit to be gold bearing by any possibility. All these collections, as well as those of several assistants, aggregating many thou- sand specimens, have been tested in the laboratory by myself or the Survey chemists, or both by them and myself, and if any gold existed in paying quantities anywhere in the district it could not have escaped notice. Table I shows all that has been detected by this rigid scrutiny. Cc. SPECIAL AURIFEROUS(?) DEPOSITS. Diligent search has been made by the writer, in the field, for indications of gold in special situations where processes of infiltration and segregation have presented favorable conditions for deposition, provided that the gold has ever been present within the reach of their action. No results of value have come from this investigation, as will be seen by reference to the tables of analyses appended hereto. The frequent excavations which have been made in search -of this metal in iron ore deposits, sandstones, limestones, and granites, and in other unfavorable situations, have been possible only because of the blighting popular delusion that a knowledge of minerals and mining is unnecessary on the part of those who are employed to direct such work. Table I gives the results of assays made in the Survey Laboratory, includ- ing the ‘list published in the First Annual Report. Besides these a large number of unreported qualitative tests, resulting negatively, have been made by the writer of quartz and other material taken from every part of the re- gion. The investigation has been most thorough, and the conclusions given here may therefore be relied upon as a faithful representation of the real sit- uation. The Central Mineral Region, however, abounds in resources which will give it far more prestige and profit than could ever come from gold mining alone. 2. SILVER. The economic condition of the silver areas has not materially changed since the publication of the First Annual Report (1889), but it may be stated with somewhat more of certainty, perhaps, that the chances are fair for the dis- covery of this metal in moderate quantities in some of the ores. There is no locality in the Central Mineral Region in which an extensive silver mining industry can be established by itself, although there is now a prospect that a ay ’ westward from the ends of this belt the later rocks cover the Burnetian strata - 576 CENTRAL MINERAL REGION OF TEXAS, this metal may eventually be obtained in sufficient amount to give it some im- portance as an adjunct in the output of both copper and lead ores, should | those hereafter be profitably worked. In the Babyhead district the ores are of excellent quality, being largely of the class popularly known as “ gray cop- per,” some of which is here very rich in silver. But the sparse dissemination of the mineral in the quartz in most cases gives uncertain hopes of profit in the mining, although it can not be said that any very comprehensive tests of the ore bodies have heretofore been made. ; The copper ores of both the Babyhead and Pecan Creek districts, perhaps also those of Mason County, sometimes yield silver in notable and paying pro- portions. Probably this occurs as tetrahedrite, freibergite, or some similar mineral of the “gray copper” class, but it 1s usually so completely mingled with malachite, azurite, bornite, chalcopyrite, etc., that it is impossible to de- termine its separate mineral composition. This mode of occurrence is the most promising in the region from the developments already made, for there is evidence in such copper deposits as are now considered that richer and more abundant supplies exist at greater depths. There has been no observa- tion of any proportional agreement in the silver contents of the copper-bear- ing veins. ‘That is to say, increase in percentage of one metal does not imply either increase or decrease of the other. At the same time it is true, as a very general statement, that the silver ores are usually associated with copper ores in these districts. Just why some of the rich copper-carrying minerals are almost barren of silver in some localities, while others of the same character in different situations are occasionally highly argentiferous, is an unsettled question as to details. But the structural features as observed in the field make it evident that the trend of the Burnetian rocks has had much to do with these results. Other later trends have modified the structure in other parts of the copper field, but in the limited area in which the silver ores have been discovered the Burnetian expression is most apparent. This district comprises a narrow tract extending from the valley of the Little Llano Creek in the course north 75° west, via the head of Yoakum Hollow, the ‘Mexican Diggings” on Babyhead Creek, and the principal former workings on Pecan Creek, to near the head of Magill Creek, all in Llano County. Eastward and more deeply than is consistent with the economical working of any possible buried deposits of the kind, and the complications induced by subsequent dis- turbances have added so much uncertainty that no hope can be held out for deep shaft prospecting in those areas. There is, however, a continuation of the same trend in exposures north of the Baldwin Canyon, on Cold Creek, ; and westward nearly to Field Creek, as well as in the country intervening ( fi i | between Magill Creek and Cold Creek. These last named outcrops are south COPPER. SW atk of the great Silurian escarpment which forms the bluffs extending near from Magill Creek to Sponge Mountain. Some smaller isolated areas, uncovered by erosion, occur in San Saba County, at the sources of Deep Creek and Deer Creek. These are all in line with the Babyhead-Pecan-Cold-Field Creek belt. The selected specimens reported as Nos. 79, 80, in Table I, are from Borough’s Prong of the Hast Branch of Deep Creek, where the northwestern corner of the main exposed silver belt was tapped by excavations made late in 1890. B. BASE METALS. Copper, lead, and tin are the only metals of this class occurring in ores of economic importance at any point in the Central Mineral Region (if we ex- clude iron and manganese which fall to be treated by themselves). Zinc, as explained in my former report (1889), is almost wholly absent from this dis- trict, but indications of the presence of tin, possibly in proportions of some importance commercially, have been detected by tests of material collected by this Survey. These last results were not anticipated when that Report was issued. 1. COPPER. Although the outcrops of the cupriferous ores have been a little more ex- plored by prospectors than in 1889, no new facts have been developed. The last report by the writer contains practically all the information to date upon the subject, and recent discoveries, with trifling exceptions, have been made within the bounds set by that announcement. Nothing like systematic min- ing has been yet attempted. Hven the exploratory work has been desultory, and with little or no regard to preconceived plans of operation. Whenever organizations supported by adequate capital shall enter this field, with thor- oughly competent engineering skill in the management, the resuits will be such that at least one may be able to form a sound judgment as to what the business chances are. The mere opening of ‘“‘prospect holes” which enables small specimens of rich ore to be exhibited can never afford a basis for judi- cious investment, however valuable a property may actually be. It is this lack of method in development more than anything else which has held back the region. Those who purchase grazing lands must be content to hold or sell them as such, and not as mineral lands, unless they are willing to share the risks which they expect capitalists to take in proving the validity of their hopes. A very good method, fair to both owner and investor, is to offset capital by land to a limited extent; the investor agreeing to expend a given sum in mining work, according to a stipulated plan, and receiving therefor a definite interest in a small part. of the property, with a fair option to acquire an interest in adjoining territory, conditioned upon actual expenditure of ae + it | —a oe 3 ba cy +. ree & 3 a 225 oe ee 2 * 3 wa . =e 578 CENTRAL MINERAL REGION OF TEXAS. reasonable sums in development. In this way both sides assume some risk, but both are equally protected against heavy losses of money or land. While such a method is desirable in all mining operations in a new country, it is particularly applicable to a region like this, in which there have been no pay- ing mines; and more than all is it necessary for the mining of copper ores, which must be obtained in fairly uniform grade and quantity in order to be profitably worked. | The hydrous copper carbonates (azwrite and malachite) are the results of al- teration of copper sulphides by the action of air and water, and these are therefore not to be expected at very great depth in the workings. The sul- phide ores are often less conspicuous to those unacquainted with their char- acters, but they are liable to become the chief source of copper in this region eventually. Although they may be regarded as more rebellious, there may be an advantage in the fact that they can sometimes be concentrated by washing before reduction, that mode of treatment being practically impossi- ble with the carbonates. The copper fields of the Central Mineral Region are all within the areas exposing rocks of the Burnetian System. Presumably anywhere that these strata can be reached along two or more axes trending north 75° west across the area there will be found evidences of the existence of copper ores. As yet the explorations have commonly revealed only the oxidized and sulphur- eted minerals, but it is not beyond possibility that some deeper source of supply is a deposit of native copper. The chief reason for the suggestion of such a possibility is, however, the analogy in point of age of the Burnetian rocks to those which carry the copper in the Lake Superior Region. While this may not be regarded as convincing evidence, it is strengthened by a very significant structural feature, which was pointed out in my former report on this region in the following words:* “The element of distribution is the north-south trend, and apparently a basic eruptive of Post-Texian age is the exciting cause. * * * But it is not probable that the richest ores lie in this trend at the surface; on the contrary the assays made for this Report give the best record to the most ancient course, north 75° west, the one in which the silver ores chiefly occur.” The carbonates—azurite and malachite—occur in all parts of the copper region, but the sulphides—bornite, chalcopyrite, etc.—are usually associated with the silver ores. It is very significant that the copper districts are almost invariably tracts in which both the Burnetian and the Texian uplifts have marked expression. Exceptions to this rule are in line with pronounced axes | of both trends, although the two disturbances may not be readily traceable at the surface. The Fernandian trend is also commonly manifest in the same *First Annual Report Geological Survey of Texas, 1889, pp. 334, 335. COPPER. 579 regions. Knowledge of these structural features enabled the writer to pre- dict with some confidence, in speaking of the future of a mining shaft in Gil- lespie County, that “there is a possibility that deeper working may strike similar schists to those in the earlier trends in the Babyhead district,” etc.* This has been verified by the discovery in this shaft, early in the year 1890, of copper-stained schists identical with those farther north. Test borings with the diamond drill now in progress under the direction of Mr. G. C. Gage on Pecan Creek, Llano County, show similar complications in the structure. THE NORTHERN OR LLANO-SAN SABA BELT. The cut (Fig. 62} illustrates the general character of the surface conditions as shown in an actual section instrumentally taken from the boundary line between Llano and San Saba counties, southward down the valley of Pecan Creek nearly to Cottonwood Oreek. In this section the Burnetian schists are cut directly on the dip, but the other systems cross the line of section obliquely and can not be drawn so as to represent the real dip. HORIZONTAL SCALE.— eis a a i cue = a Gy YY Le a \ i as a i pe eu . ious c MN Ly i ne } Fig. 62. Section through the Northern Copper Field, along the upper valley of Pecan Creek, Llano County. Taken along line A—B, on map (Plate XX1). The copper ores occur in regular veins filling small crevices in the gneissic rocks and their associates, and these are best developed as mineral bearers in the axis of a main uplift, or at points where later trends cross the belt. Much of the gneissic material is so highly impregnated with malachite (green copper carbonate) as to give it a rich green color which masks the real character of *Loe. cit., p. 331. 580 - CENTRAL MINERAL REGION OF TEXAS. the rock. Dykes or bosses of white quartz mark the axial line of this belt, as well as others in the Burnetian area, but there have been no reports of any occurrence of rare metals in such masses in the copper fields. Much of the quartz is barren, but in some places it forms the matrix for the silver bearing gray copper ores, which are sometimes associated more or less with the cop. per sulphides—chalcupyrite, chalcocite, and occasionally bornite. Thisis the condition in the ‘Mexican Diggings,” near Babyhead Mountain, and in the westward continuation of the belt on Babyhead, Wolf, and Pecan creeks, and in the patches exposed in the upper valley of Cold Creek, all in Llano County. Another small outcrop directly in the course of the same axis has recently been worked with encouraging results by J. M. Boroughs, of Austin, near the head of a branch of Deep Creek, in San Saba County. The rock taken from this locality is thus far gneissic, highly impregnated with malachite and carrying thin seams of gray copper (tetahedrite). This class of ore and its mode of occurrence here described are especially characteristic of the north- ern edge of the uncovered Burnetian area. The belt is less than six miles in width. It includes the whole of the Babyhead district and the Wolf-Pecan Creek district. Eastward and westward from that region it is mostly ob- scured by Cambrian or Silurian deposits. The Boroughs diggings are in the most northern locality known to be exposed. A line drawn through this spot, however, in the direction of the Burnetian axis, passes through several points where gneissic rocks outcrop, and where there are structural evidences of unconformity of deposition in the sedimentary beds. This line crosses Hinton Creek and Deer Creek at places which exhibit peculiar contacts, im- plying that some ancient terrane exerted an influence upon deposition, even as late as Silurian time. The eastward prolongation of the line traverses an area wholly covered by Cambrian and Silurian strata until it reaches the head of Little Llano Creek. Thence it passes along the edge of the Babyhead copper-silver tract, and then crosses another area covered by Cambrian and Silurian rocks. Farther eastward come in the granitic rocks of the Colorado River, near the mouth of Beaver Creek, and those exposed on Beaver Creek and Silver Mine Hollow. These seem to be more intimately connected with later uplifts, but it is at least possible that they may have derived their pres- ent position in part from some weakness along the old Burnetian axis. The copper deposits of other parts of the Central Mineral Region do not belong to the Northern Belt, although they lie in parallel folds. THE MIDDLE OR MASON BELT. South of the Llano-San Saba tract there is an area in which the gneisses and schists of the Burnetian System are well exposed in the eastern half of Mason County, where they are copper bearing in places. As in the north- COPPER. 581 ern belt, it is at points more or less broken by the north-south Texian cross- trend that the ores are mainly apparent. The section (Fig. 63) gives a fair idea of the general situation, although it is impossible to indicate all the compli- cations of structure which are similar to those outlined in the figure, but with less of localization of special features. u ® ° ss ~ “2 = v ny 1309 RS QUARTZ sree ; 4 y Vy! 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SUOlE Sto nenee rrrressygqrg doa ‘suorg sysno1og ar +x&6 44.26 “2 del6 res +06 *68 “4 x88 ; #48 P +98 *98 +408 +x€8 #68 «18 Cet) eooeve ese se ee peer eee es ees “= os Zigeng Cn oe ee ‘oy peyuvyougl Jo 08 6) “£91[800'T ‘ON i ‘panuxyuUuoo—avVaT ANV ‘AdddOO ‘AAATIS ‘ATION UOd SAVSSV ‘I aTavi ——.° TIN. 59D 3.. TIN. Since my last report the question concerning the occurrence of tin in this region has been given much study in the field. and office. I quote from the First Annual Report (page 345) all that was known at that time by myself: The same might be said of tin as of zinc, were it not for claims which have been made of the discovery of the former in two or three separate localities. On this account, and he- cause of the receipt of a very fine crystal of cassiterite (tin oxide) from a gentleman who did not seem to know its nature, and who stated that it came from the stream ‘ wash” near the point where he gave it to me, I have taken much pains to search for tin ore. Failing to get reactions for this metal in any of the minerals of my own or my assistants’ collections, Mr. Huppertz was specially charged with the examination of the locality referred to above and of the adjoining region, in the hope that more of the same material might be found. But the quest has been fruitless. The area is an extension of the Barringer tract, and one not un- likely to yield tin minerals, if they exist at all in the Central Mineral Region. Great care has also been exercised to detect tin in the rare minerals of the immediate Bar- ringer district. To this date (May 1, 1890) no evidences of the presence of the metal in any combination have been seen by me anywhere, although I have examined critically more than eight thousand specimens collected from various parts of my district. There are areas in Blanco and Gillespie counties which I have not worked over except in the most cursory manner. Of these it is impossible to speak authoritatively at present, but such collections of the Survey as have come under my inspection certainly contain no tin. On the map of Llano County, published in 1875 by A. R. Roessler, cassi- terite is indicated as occurring near the southeastern corner. This is the only record known to me of the discovery of tin ore in the Central Mineral Region prior to my announcement in the foregoing words in 1889. Dr. Hdgar Everhardt, of the University of Texas, and Prof. von Streeruwitz, of this Survey, have heretofore reported mere traces of tin in other ores. Our investigations in spots marked by Mr. Roessler have not confirmed his report as yet, and the geologic conditions there are not exactly similar to those in which the tin ore occurs elsewhere. The nearest point to Roessler’s reported locality at which I have observed the cassiterite is some twenty miles north- ward, in a different belt. Since the publication of the First Annual Report I have discovered this mineral in the Survey collections from the Central Mineral Region in other localities than the one therein doubtfully reported. A study of the areas from which specimens have been taken shows that the conditions are not ex- actly like those which have favored the production of silver and copper ores in our district, and yet there are certain points of similarity which bring these different deposits into somewhat closer relationship. ‘The mineral re- ferred to in the quotation above is undoubtedly tin oxide, but up to a recent date it was the only piece of the mineral which had come under the writer’s eye, notwithstanding the fact that he had then studied above fifteen thousand specimens in the Survey collections from the Central Mineral Region. Al- 596 CENTRAL MINERAL REGION OF TEXAS. most by accident, in looking over earlier collections from the district, a bril- ‘ liant, brittle, black mineral in quartz attracted my attention, and its high spe- cific gravity was at once noticeable. A very little further examination proved it to be cassiterite, yielding copious metallic scales upon reduction on char- coal, with soda and potassium cyanide. The locality was given upon the label as Herman Creek simply.* This stream is comparatively short, heading up near Fly Gap, in Mason County, and flowing nearly south to the Llano River, which it joins about seven miles above Castell. In the hope of determining the exact locus of the outcrop, I visited the re- gion, with Mr. F. S. Ellsworth as assistant, and collected freely over a consid- erable area which had previously been neglected in part, owing to lack of time. The results of the trip, although very interesting, and conclusive as to the occurrence of tin, are not yet wholly satisfactory in a commercial way. But the evidence obtained, taken together with our studies of the stratig- raphy of the region, is sufficient to warrant the belief that the known occur- rences of tin ores are but the indicators of more extended and uniform deposits which may be brought to light by means of the guides which our present information can furnish. No workable deposits have yet been found, and the reports to that effect in the newspapers did not emanate from this Survey The history of the reported discovery of tin in Central Texas is made up of a long series of blunders in determination of minerals which were regarded as cassiterite by ill-informed prospectors who had seen the real article, but who were prone to mistake for it such species as almandite, tourmaline, and special forms of the purer iron ores. The greater portion of the tourmaline of this district is indistinguishable from the cassiterite, as we now obtain it, except*by such tests as the mineralogist applies. And moreover, it is unfor- tunate that the very trend, viz., the oldest Archean or the Burnetian axis, in which the cassiterite occurs, is the one which abounds in black tourmaline. There are several tracts in which the chances for the discovery of tin ore are at least hopeful. In a general way it may be stated that the tin oxide (cassiterite) occurs chiefly in more or less specialized cloudy or banded quartz ; in a belt extending over a small area in western Burnet County, across Llano County, and well into Mason County, a distance east and west of some fifty miles. The breadth of the belt from north to south is irregular, but may be | said to average ten miles or more, although this method of description is very unsatisfactory for a tract so much affected as this has been by subsequent orographic disturbances. Starting with Barringer Hill, upon the west bank of the Colorado River, from the vicinity of which another sample of tin ore has been obtained, and tracing the Burnetian axis by interrupted outcrops *Collected by Chas. Huppertz, 1888. TIN, 597 along a line bearing thence north 75° west to the valley of Herman Creek and beyond, there are many places where all the conditions which exist at the two extremes of the line are present and geologically identical with them. We have not yet discovered cassiterite in all the intervening areas, nor can it yet be determined what influence, if any, may have come from the later upheavals, which have complicated the structure more there than elsewhere. But there is a very apparent similitude in the occurrence of rare metals in all the Burnetian outcrops wherever found. Besides this it is significant that in the later cross-trends, which in wide bands have as it were cut out parts of the Burnetian nucleus, there sometimes are traces of tin in the special minerals which characterize the successive uplifts. The direct relations of this pecu- liarity to the oldest Archean (Burnetian) axis is most pronounced, for it is only where that backbone is prominent that the cross-folds are tin bearing. To illustrate the point more clearly the following observations are adduced: a. The uplift next succeeding the Burnetian is the Fernandian, with a northwest (north 35° west) trend. This cuts out the Burnetian axis in much of Llano County, where the remarkably abundant and pure magnetites and hematites are well displayed. The easternmost folds of the latter system, ad- joining good exposures of the earliest trend, carry magnetic iron ores of a peculiar, tough, coarsely crystalline character, of high specific gravity and brilliant surfaces of fracture, which yield occasional traces of tin and the rarer metals. Wolframite and minerals with smaller proportions of tungsten are associated. b. The Post-Texian uplift, succeeding the Post-Fernandian, has strong expression in a partof Mason County. West of Fly Gap and Herman Creek it is especially prominent. Here there is a development of a remarkable iron ore upon a large scale. This stratum, lying in the normal north-south trend of the Texian System, is a most extraordinary aggregation of Burnetian, Fer- nandian, and Texian mineral components, commingling as it does the rare elements of the first named, the magnetite of the Fernandian, and the pecu- liar quartz rock of the last named period. Narrow bands of the Texian quartzite alternate in the same mass with smooth, glistening layers of the iron ore, which carries considerable titanium and rare elements such as tungsten and niobium. With these are also ribands of a scaly specular hematite sand- stone. c. The great Silurian geanticline, which further modifies the structure and complicates the mineral relations in some areas, was chiefly manifested in the Archean and Algonkian tracts by vein fissures, now filled by quartz which often carries alternate varieties of iron (and perhaps manganese) ores similar in composition to that mentioned under 2, but usually without the rarer in- gredients. 46—geol, © 598 CENTRAL MINERAL REGION OF TEXAS. There is an interesting parallelism or symmetry in the arrangement of the mineral belts within the Burnetian tract, which goes far to prove the original — continuity of the broken axis across the whole tract. So far as my observa- tions go* the cassiterite and the minerals which carry tin in minute quantities are confined to the northern half of the tract, the cassiterite itself being ap- parently within the southern half of this portion. Garnet seems to occur in two belts lying respectively north and south of the distinctive tin field, but there is also a medium garnet tract which corresponds more or less closely with the central belt, or the tin and gadolinite area. Tourmaline is chiefly characteristic of the southern half of the whole tract, and keilhauite appears to cling to its vicinity in a measure. Hpidote is an abundant northern representative; labradorite is scarce and confined to the southern half; voigtite, hitherto unreported, is of the medium belt, in which cassiterite, gadolinite, fergusonite, cyrtolite, allanite, and other rare minerals occur, and idocrase is also tius distributed. In this central band albite, fibrolite, opaque white quartz, and what may be called ‘graphic orthoclase” are striking features. Quartz mounds, some known to contain similar minerals to those at Barringer Hill, are also characteristic of the middle portion. , A feature of the northern third of the region is the occurrence of the ores of copper and of silver (sparingly), which are much less characteristic of the southern tract and of rather local distribution in the median belt. Much of the area in which cassiterite may reasonably be sought is now deeply covered by detritus and no prospecting or exploration has been done as yet. The Burnetian rocks are likewise exposed southward in portions of Blanco and Gillespie counties, where equivalent features are apparent, but the complexity there is such that generalizations as to distribution are much less satisfactory. The percentage of tin in such minerals as contain but traces in the north- ern tract is sufficient to give the red borax bead with copper oxide in the lower reducing flame, and with greater saturation a copious reduction of the sub-oxide. In the solution nitric acid sometimes gives a rather heavy white precipitate, but with soda and cyanide and considerable borax no appreciable reduction of metallic tin is usually possible, excepting in the cassiterite. More than thirty years ago Mr. J. Geo. Durst discovered the remains of two old furnaces about three miles apart, each of considerable size. From one of these, near the head of Willow Creek, in Mason County, a large amount of matte and slag has been taken (so Mr. Durst says) in the belief that silver bearing ores had been smelted there by the Spaniards in early *I have traversed and mapped the whole region in such manner that no important out- crop can have been overlooked. TIN. 599 times. Possibly these furnaces may have given rise to the traditions rife among the people and referred to by Dr. Roemer, to the effect ‘that on the San Saba River silver mines have been worked formerly by the Spaniards,” etc.* At the time of my visit (November 2, 1890) nearly all traces of the fur- nace itself had been removed, but there are still evidences of its former ex- istence in the shape of roughly hewn stones, fragments of ore, slag, and cin- ders. Such pieces of ore as could be reasonably regarded as of the raw ma- terial used in the furnace are chiefly identical with the glistening iron ore which abounds in Shaft Mountain, south of the locality, where Mr. Durst also showed me an old shaft. This excavation was made in a ledge of feldspar carrying the bright iron ore in plates irregularly distributed. Adjoining it are the quartz and sandy hematite layers already referred to. The slag and matte are extremely interesting. The general color of well fused portions is reddish-brown exteriorly, with glassy portions brown to black, the vesicular portions being gray to greenish, and surfaces of fracture greenish-black to jet black and nearly adamantine in lustre. The specific gravity varies from . 3.37 to 5.24, the latter probably a matte or partially fused ore. Some pieces have small globules of metallic tin adhering or imbedded, and nearly all con- tain a very noticeable amount of this metal, which has usually been reported as silver by those who have found it heretofore. The following are the re- sults of a qualitative analysis by the writer: Small fragments were broken from different pieces of the lighter slags to make a rough average, carefully rejecting all lumps which showed metallic globules to the unaided eye. None of the heavier, less fused pieces were taken. The powder of the whole was dark greenish gray. With borax and cupric oxide in the lower reducing flame a decided reaction for tin was ob- served. With boiling dilute hydrochloric acid a partial solution was obtained of a dark brownish yellow color, with the separation of a copious slime of silica and a slight evolution of chlorine, thus showing traces of manganese. Dilute nitric acid gave a partial greenish yellow solution, with barely per- ceptible precipitation of a white powder, indicating the presence of tin. Strong aqua regia, after long boiling, with successive additions, left a black residue, with much silica. Further reactions were obtained in the systematic analysis, as below: Tin, present in very evident traces. Iron, abundant. Manganese, traces. *American Journal of Science (2d Ser.), Vol. II, 1846, p. 364. (Willow Creek flows southward into the Llano River, but the locality in point is near the divide between the waters of the Llano and the San Saba rivers. T. B. C.) 600 CENTRAL MINERAL REGION OF TEXAS. Silica, abundant. Potassium, small amount. Sodium, trace. Tungsten, trace. Titanium, and probably tantalum and niobium, present together in large amounts. In the precipitate containing sulphides and hydroxides of the metals of the third and fourth groups of Fresenius (thrown down after the application of | ammonium chloride, ammonia, and ammonium sulphide), the part insoluble in cold dilute hydrochloric acid was in large proportion. This when dried was a white powder, giving the reaction for titanium in the bead of phosphorus salt. The colors and changes were very pronounced, but the blood-red color pro- duced by the addition of ferrous sulphate, although evident, was much less in- tense than the reactions which might be confounded with those of the metals mentioned after titanium above. The insoluble residue, after fusion with alkali, gave a strong reaction for niobium. Some of the partially fused fragments have minute adhering scales of a rusty mica, usually with grains of quartz associated, a result which was very possibly due to the use of schistose rocks from the vicinity as linings to the furnace, although the glistening iron ore is itself occasionally slightly mica- ceous. The fuel was probably charcoal, as old pits containing relics of this material are still traceable in the neighborhood. The high specific gravity and the imperfectly fused condition of the greater part of the slag, as well as the remaining globules of tin in much of it, would lead to the inference that the smelters had access to some deposit of cassiterite in the region. This may perhaps eventually be discovered, now that the geological conditions for its occurrence have been shown by the writer to exist in a belt crossing near this locality. The prominence of the metals of the shiny titanium ores in the slaggy relics, and the evidences of early mining in the area of their occur- rence in Shaft Mountain, render it almost certain that the furnace was used for the reduction of those minerals in part. The other ingredients suggest - the admixture of feldspathic minerals as an inferior flux, for it is certain that no limestone nor ordinary fluxing ingredient (except perhaps ferric oxide) could have been used in this instance. The shaft referred to was sunk in orthoclase, carrying the ore described under 6, page 597. TIN. 601 er 11, ay 4 3 Me C USeans APE, AIRF TE iv IU SRANS ay EERE | a = ath SR ’ et Veer 5 ae cat L FI ey PA RS AN Wiest Ha U he r Ry M . ; a t On beSsientaey fay sates Mane ON UA ore bayer \ ‘ ) A MY qitbe ney a — - Alo 4% Wie VAG > i Duk Wo © ORS RAK Re BSS Nite . iil aS ae reer S>” Ne, 3 sees SU, in 3 v sill) wall eer NI Y ose aye nt | ae fits Wy, e A Ss raavall i mi Wed ead N 8 FANS t = yO Avie tieae Rane in 2a : | iat Fig. 68. Plan and section along line M—N of map (Plate X XI), showing some of the complications in the structure of the eastern end of the Tin Belt. Figure 68 illustrates some of the complexities of the region south and south- west of Barringer Hill, Llano County, and Figure 69 exhibits the structure in the region around Shaft Mountain, Mason County. The courses of the breaks and faults are correctly drawn and their relative ages properly indi- cated, but the exact details of the underground features can not be vouched for wholly, as the hade of the joints has not been closely studied in many cases. The general aspect of the country and its geology, however, are cor- rectly portrayed in these cuts. Br ~ 2 ~ + * aes +) RN . Wars Ly Ny es RE 8 ely {uh DANN Wren NAAN RRR 400 RUARTZ \ Yp Za IT ||} | IVA hy “tl | | I|I§ HATTA Ty YYZ; Yj LY \ % N WH by Y, a Yp ) AU je aul Tey | ey L; Gye ull —Y Y WY Ny, I Yairi, 1) Lf pe J M Wi Y UW y| fl Boas YY yy, Geel if i iY LY Z\ sate sg ull uIN hh Gy fff A NE yo Se Sal Y yy Yy yf IT) Tear uu; il ATTN Rte Vi Zee Mi Fig. 69. Plan and section along line O-P of map (Plate X XI), showing structure in neighborhood of Shaft Mountain, Mason County, and southward. 602 CENTRAL MINERAL REGION OF TEXAS. The prolongation westward of the Burnetian axis, from Barringer Hill, passes considerably north of the left hand end of the section in Figure 68. As the discoveries of cassiterite seem thus far to belong to one narrow belt trend- ing north 75° west from Barringer Hill, it is probable that the region in which tin ore will eventually be mined, if ever commercially important, will be limited to a belt somewhat narrower than that indicated upon the map (Plate XXII); and as the outcrops are restricted and more or less confused by later deposition and disturbances, it is reasonable to expect that certain situations will yield better than-others along the line. At present the indi- cations are best in eastern Llano County and northwestern Mason County, but I have traced the peculiar glistening titaniferous iron ores through dis- connected outcrops across much of the intervening territory, and there is a fair prospect that diligent search will bring to light new deposits. The axis of the belt passes near Field Creek, Pontotoc, and Fredonia. The best ex- posures of the peculiar ores are closely related to outcrops of Texian rocks, at least geographically, and I think also geologically. A special examination of the whole area of the tin belt in an economic way is essential to a thor- oughly accurate estimation of the resources available. This has not been pos- sible as yet with the means at the disposal of the Survey and the necessity of covering unprecedentedly large areas in each field season. It is to be hoped that a thorough investigation of this important subject may be undertaken at an early day. 4. ZINC. The absence of zinc continues to confront us, as was stated in the First Annual Report (p. 344). The only claim made as yet concerning its occur- rence anywhere within the limits of the maps accompanying this present Re- port has been the sending in of a small crystalline fragment of “ruby” zinc blend (sphalerite) by one who obtained it from another who said it came from near Fredonia. The claim lacks verification, and everything militates against the correctness of it. I have no doubt that it is a mistake. The mineral is very similar to some of the Joplin, Missouri, ores, and nothing like it has been observed by any of our staff in my district at any point, although we have worked extensively over the region from which this is said to come. 5. MANGANESE. The remarks made under this head in Report for 1889 (pp. 345 to 347) need little modification, except to extend them by calling attention to the wide areas over which the deposits there indicated may be sought with con- fidence. The belts are well portrayed on the map of mineral districts (Plate MANGANESE. 603 XXII), and the geologic structure, so far as it can be predicted from present knowledge, is sufficiently illustrated in the hachured map and sections given in Figure 70. i wu ne Mil Wee fa LG NAT SU aS ii Bi in ONS aoa Vc ol i ve WZ Wy Gites Hay ei i Zhe Vy, Ye ap. i i! i %* Pa 4.7, thy ZL ij e ( ll ne lee pean i i i He | q C y ia iA Ge ANG y, a) ) y ' NW yi 4 my) |) i i uy se Wedd IZ ¢ f te i We vill i nn alll ip a ING y Ae NG) ge ry SOs QIN \/ WA Ray We Ae SN ~ a il Nin Hu yy, i | Ape i y uy zs zl le i WG Se “\ ws " ‘ % ‘i a a cf m1 Mi Wy z SN NS Vey ra ANS Pe oN e \ NN ~ A Ae 7, 2 Sed 44 WN ‘ i < oe wt As ‘il il i Ws oo y ih ) ie YY = Og ee ie WZ 1 Lie | a Dy 0 Ny \ Ne R 2 % i Boel Mi | Wee \ WY ae ait i et Wea js i ie i ae ae Aw se hy 4) Al Oy iy a \\ | i o. 9 NNN cal | val | Mi ae es \ \N*' po ee ee Z o PA je R. R.S T were ORI ZONTALSCA cist Fig. 70. Plan and sections along lines Q—-R and S-T of map (Plate XX1), illustrating Geology of re- gion about Spiller Mine and Diggings, on survey 764 (Pluennecke), Mason County. The manganese belts, omitting for the present the manganiferous iron ores, are somewhat definite geological areas whose relations in structure appear to be very close to the iron ores. But acareful study reveals peculiarities which 604 CENTRAL MINERAL REGION OF TEXAS. are so persistent and so distinct from the strictly Fernandian aspect of the principal iron fields that a different mode of origin is plainly indicated. In my Report for 1889, page 307, allusion was made to a series of structural breaks in Silurian strata corresponding in trend to the buried Fernandian axes. This is not the place to discuss such topics in detail, but it may be re- marked that more extended observations have made it appear very probable that the manganese deposits are really secondary aqueous vein formations of Post-Silurian date. They follow the northwest trend frequently, but other ac- cumulations lie in the trend (north 25° east) of the uplift at the close of the Silurian Period. These two vein courses occur together in the same fields, © and almost invariably there is evidence of a later origin than the adjacent rocks whenever the manganese ores are exposed. It should be understood that the bands drawn across the Economic Map are intended to indicate the courses of the outcrops, and not to imply the oc- currence of manganese ores continuously. There will be no use prospecting over the areas in which the Burnetian rocks are at the surface. THE SPILLER BELT. The Spiller mine has been left practically in the same condition reported last year. Such prospecting as has been done in adjacent areas has vindi- cated the statement in my former Report (page 346) to the effect that ‘“ pros- pecting in the locality would be justifiable from the surface indications.” The chief element of uncertainty is the vein-like character of the ore bodies, which are liable to prove irregular and pockety as well as uneven in quality. The showing of the Spiller mine is, however, very encouraging, and there is good reason to look for a continuance of that deposit in a southeastward course. Little can be predicted as yet of the companion course (north 25° east), although what evidence we have is less favorable for continuous veins. In a northwestward direction the chances for outcrops of the ore are not as’ good, but there are some localities where it would not be surprising to dis- cover similar deposits. These are indicated in a general way upon the ac- companying Economic Map (Plate XXII). The mineral is principally psilomelane or a near ally, but there is much variety in composition in different parts of the belts. Some samples approach more closely to pyrolusite, and some even to braunite, while much of it is so irregular a mixture as to be more properly regarded as “wad.” Silica in excess is characteristic of a considerable portion of the product from the northern portion of the belt near the Spiller mine; farther west (Pluennecke survey, No. 764, Mason County) the material can only by courtesy be re- garded as a manganese ore. This last is really a manganiferous iron ore = MANGANESE. 605 carrying only from two to ten per cent of manganese in the Survey samples. Table II gives analyses from these localities. Within the last few months the southeastward prolongation of the Spiller Belt has been prospected, and some promising manganese deposits have been brought to light. It is probable that many more outcrops or easily exposable occurrences of similar material will be discovered by careful scrutiny over intervening areas. At present the best known exposures are near the bound- ary line between Blanco and Gillespie counties, along the drainage basin of North Grape Creek. Excellent surface croppings, apparently of transported material, have been found on the eastern half of survey No. 251 (William Starrock league), Blanco County. In much of the area, however, the later rocks now cover the natural position of the veins too deeply to give any hope of profitable returns from working them, while another large portion of the the tract has been denuded of the whole set of rocks in which the manganese ores were originally entombed. Parallel belts cross the Rutersville College survey, No. 217, Gillespie County, and these have been exposed at various points along the vein courses as indicated upon the map. THE PACKSADDLE BELT. The region referred to in the Report for 1889 (page 346) lying ‘“ between Packsaddle Mountain and the Riley Mountains,” including “that portion of the ' district in which the northwest strike is at the surface,” has been examined more thoroughly since then, and the conditions affecting the occurrence of manganese and its distribution have been more clearly made out. The pro- longation of the belt northwestward in Llano County, through the region of Horse Mountain and its extension southeastward into Blanco County, are well known. In both directions some prospecting work has been done. The results do not materially change the conclusions drawn by the writer last year. The products are not strictly speaking manganese ores, but more prop- erly manganiferous iron ores. Some of them may have a decided commercial value eventually in the manufacture of ferro-manganese, or in the production of manganese steel. From a geologic standpoint—i. e., regarding their mode of origin—they are allied to the true manganese ores more closely than to the original iron ores. In other words, they are secondary products and associated with the limonites. They have the same structural relations and occur under the same conditions as the manganese and manganiferous ores of the Spiller Belt. Peculiar features of both districts are the high silica contents and the low percentages of water, etc. (‘‘loss on ignition”), although the association with the limestones is intimate, and calcite is not infrequent as an accompanying product. This may, perhaps, be explained by reference 606 CENTRAL MINERAL REGION OF TEXAS. to the siliceous nature of the Silurian dolomites which are traversed by the veins, and it is also noticeable that lime and magnesia are much more abun- dant than.in the ores of the iron belts. Barium, which is a component of — most manganese ores, is so far as our analyses go wholly absent from those of the Central Mineral Region. The great difficulty is to decide from what source of supply the manganese minerals have been derived; for it would seem that any process of solution which might have drawn this material from the older iron ores would cer- tainly have brought up the iron as readily, making the secondary product as highly ferruginous as the original deposits. To some extent in certain situa- tions this has been the case, and perhaps we may reasonably conclude that the least ferruginous manganese ores have been formed under special modifi- cations of similar conditions. Somewhat equivalent conditions in segrega- tions may be observed in what appear to be more or less well defined belts of the Cambrian hematites. That is to say, in some of the tracts in which the iron segregations have been excessive the resulting ores have been highly manganiferous, and this usually where there is a manifest distribution along the northwest-southeast course in structural breaks. This feature is espe- cially noticeable near the north end of Smoothing Iron Mountain, and on the James River near the mouth of Salt Creek, as well as in extensions of both these belts, the former across Llano County into San Saba and Blanco coun- ties, the latter into Gillespie County, and to some extent in both directions in Mason County. 607 ANALYSES OF MANGANESE ORES. ‘yuuousey ‘gq “TL ‘aopur9sy “A ‘ce Aq sish[eay 66 °8G ‘Wod ONTeIOW|FS°8 |" "|" * (g0°O [FSO |IS I |gh e leo GiTe"TH|Os'9e|7° [ott ttt (pe) Agung ardsoq19|,0T ‘SE PS {Bost DII[CIOW 8L°P see oe eee Z1°0 “OOBLI, IPO ‘O0CL I], ZEa'G 88° rE 08° FS eeee Sag a Seiwa args (1) Ayunog etdseq[ty 6 OL" LE Wort ompeowOs's | “| 7" **jeowry |eowry |g4°0 08S |ST'F/g8°Eg]00 AZ!" [Tt ttt (pe) Agunog ordsor[rp| 48 "PE" |0B°S 60° S/G9°LG/G9°1Z/gh °F] °° °° AyUNOH ouwPy ‘ssurssip LoueyO|+) "TTOISVD JO YSOM N Loma) re a e 2» ‘9S OF ‘UOII OIT[RIOW "EE°ZG ‘UOdL Ol[[RIO NN Celine RTI, 6 eT Zz ° eee ‘20B.LL “OOBL], CeO a0 5 wae fel jp feta 6) ew) GLP) 06°61 ee ee SOUL uUdAOSs ‘yoo Teal ‘s edie yy IRON +9 ‘TIPISVO JO ISo9A C1 8I ‘UOdL ONTeIOW ogo00eo00 LG'S ein) valcente LL'0 “Q0VL, CLO ipo eostere cece Cones 88°GZ (Oi Pee SOTLUI uUaAos ‘YoorQ Tet ‘s redieyy IRON tg "eg° ), “Bulumnye Yu OplXO d1119,7|90'°S £9°99 Coos Ge OlhGen cco io 5 0 fed “OOVL], €h°0 O40,.0 ye ee ET 00°§ pes someway ers AVUMOD) uoseyy ‘out s0T[Idg} 4 Lif (049 “eBULUINT® TTA Oprxo O19, "201 |, eo) (a de, 0) 0 F0'6Z obo Oo ‘OOBLY, ‘QOBAY, PG C DaMVolhioo 5 01‘ &F oon oS ee Sa SAPO) uOsByL ‘ould Jaqpidg de 0G") "BUIUIN TB UTA Oplxo OLIO,T 8Pil Z1°9E Oo On Bote ch Oe ‘OOBL], ‘QOL, 06°8 eis) 6) en] bien. ve GL°OP'*** Se Neeser ces Se ATO.) uWOsRy, ‘ouLUL Jaqidg +z 00°6 ‘BuTUNTe Lega Oi eplxo O10, On mm Ue €9°9¢ Oil Pee “QOL, ‘O0B1 J, ie 1 Go's O tat oro Geos LF IL Say Oc ep Ab WOSePL ‘oulul loqpidg|+ Be aS se a ay = E is g 2 = . a ‘sy IBUIOY 03 5 % S03 8. S es, : ® B H. a SS R *k4ITBOO'T B ame ash: Seay ee) S z. BE | & g 177) an On o =n ' u : (a>) o® oO (eo) | | | ‘SANO ASANVONVN TT Witavib * 608 CENTRAL MINERAL REGION OF TEXAS. D. IRON. - From the vast extent of the workable fields, the enormous quantity ex- posed in the outcrops, the unsurpassed quality of the product, and the re- fl markably favorable conditions for economical mining, there is nothing equal in importance to the iron ores of our district. Whenever they receive the attention from ironmongers to which their manifest superiority entitles them the industrial development of Central Texas will make strides far in advance of the dreams of her present inhabitants. It seems marvelous that such ex- tensive accumulations of the highest type of raw material, so readily accessi- ble, have hitherto lain unapplied, if not really unrecognized, while material of inferior quality occurring less abundantly has already become an import- ant factor in the commercial development of Texas. There are three reasons for this state of affairs, which it behooves us to remember in all discussions bearing upon the industrial progress of the Central Mineral Region. First of all, railroads have not yet penetrated this field. In this respect Hastern Texas has long held an important advantage. But railroads can al- ways be had where capitalists can be made to realize their justification in dollars and cents. We must therefore seek further for an explanation of the past neglect of these undoubted resources. A full exposition of the facts can do no harm to legitimate interests in the region. We thus discover that, Secondly, there is an insufficient present supply of fuel for the economical reduction of these ores within the area in which they occur. I am aware that contrary opinions have been held by residents of the district and by sev- eral persons who have reported upon individual properties, but my assertion is based upon careful personal observations in every portion of the area, ex- tending over a period of many months of actual field study. The results of such an investigation may, I think, be fairly regarded as more liable to be correct than either the estimates of inexperienced residents or the judgment of outsiders hastily skimming a part of the tract. In all questions relating to metallurgic practice the value of opinions is mainly dependent upon the tech- nical knowledge of the field and of the subject which is possessed by the per- son reporting. This question is a vital one, and it will receive special atten- ” a tion presently. Thirdly, the citizens of different parts of Texas have not yet come to an | understanding with regard to the right relations of their respective areas as 4 commercial nuclei. This is a topic which few can discuss without local bias, | excepting those who view it as a simple economic problem; nor is it really | . advisable that it should be otherwise, looking merely from the standpoint of | an interested individual or a trade centre. Artificial aids, often the result of wholly unforeseen causes, may remove natural obstacles or enable handicapped IRON. 609 localities to outstrip those which are possessed of great natural advantages It would therefore be but folly to attempt here any portrayal of the future of the iron districts except in the most general way. In some of the cities which have cause to anticipate the most good from the development of these fields there has been shown the least tendency to reap the benefits of close trade relations, and the struggling denizens of the mineral region have often had the most encouragement from the enterprise of those most remote and least favorably situated for building up the iron and steel industry. While much of this condition may be due to greater enterprise in certain places, it can not be doubted that it is in a large measure the result of misinformation in other quarters concerning the true situation. Without taking a hand in the contest for commercial supremacy which is sure to ensue, or in any way attempting to define the relative situations of rival communities, one charged with the investigation of the resources may properly present in outline the case as he finds it, hoping thereby to contrib- ute his mite in the laudable endeavor to prevent waste of energy where it can not avail, and to stimulate enterprise in directions marked out by nature for easy conquest. In this spirit I desire to state some facts which are wel) worthy of consideration by all who may contemplate engaging in any busi- ness connected with the mining and smelting of the iron ores of this region. 1. The existence of the ore in such large and easily mined deposits must sooner or later attract the attention of capitalists and lead to the building of railroads. This will enable mine owners to ship ores to points where it can be smelted. Some assert that it will build up a local smelting industry by bringing the fuel supply within reach. But there are many considerations besides these which affect the economy of treatment, and the relations of the smelting centre to the markets which must absorb the product are of prime importance. 2. Comparatively little of the iron and aimost none of the steel produced in the United States is made at points far removed from the great trade centres. The chief reason for this is the necessity for locating at a focus of the trunk arteries of commerce, in order to promptly and economically dis- tribute the products of the mills, which now are usually connected with the furnaces or not far distant from them. It must be borne in mind that we are dealing with business questions of the day, and not of former methods which have been superseded by the multiplication of furnaces and iron work- ing plants. ‘ 3. It is not reasonable to suppose that the national trunk lines will neglect the large trade nuclei already established in Texas in order to enter this new field. All the railroad lines now projected have in view the connecting of this region with other Texas cities rather than the establishment of a rival 610 CENTRAL MINERAL REGION OF TEXAS. distributing point. What effect the settlement of the surrounding country may have upon these existing circumstances can not now be foreseen, but the manifest interest of transportation lines is not in the direction of in-hauling fuel so much as out-hauling ore. " 4. Assuming that Llano or some other point in the iron bearing tract be chosen as the site of smelting furnaces, it would be necessary to find a mar. ket for the product. This must lie within the State of Texas, or in a limited area adjacent thereto. The present iron ores cover a very large area, but their outcrops are re- stricted to very narrow bands persistently crossing the belt in parallel lines. There is an important structural difference between them and the manganese ores, although many observers would overlopk this important feature even in working the deposits superficially. The iron ores which are notsegregations or secondary erosion products follow practically the same course as some of the manganese veins. But the former are component parts of the Fernandian system, folded and denuded in unison with the same; whereas the manganese ores probably fill vein fissures of Post-Silurian date. From the strict paral- lelism of the bands of the two areas, and from observations of the manganese veins where they have been sufficiently eroded, it seems reasonable to infer that they may become more ferruginous at greater depths, and exhibit there the original facies of the true iron ores farther east. We have been unable as yet to give such topics their merited attention, and it is doubtful if circumstances will permit of the necessary investigation of them in the near future. The Economic Map accompanying this Report (Plate XXII) shows the distribution of the ores in detail. A close examina- tion and comparison with known outcrops will make it apparent that the po- sitions of the ore belts are there indicated with precision.* The bands of iron ore cross the roads and creeks and individual surveys exactly as laid down upon the map, and the information given in the Report should be all that is needed for the guidance of prospectors for many years to come. CLASSIFICATION OF IRON ORES. There are several varieties of iron ore in the Central Mineral Region, and these may be classified in various ways, according to their composition, mode *This map is the result of the plottings of very numerous outcrops, and of observations of dips and strikes, first upon the scale of one thousand and forty feet to one inch on con- : venient sheets, accurately reduced to about one mile to the inch and this again to one-half that scale, then to one-fourth, and finally by photography to the published scale. As evi- dence of the thoroughness with which the field and office work has been done, I may point with some pride to the fact that of the large number of prospects of all kinds opened since the notes were taken not one has been authoritatively reported which did not lie directly in that one of the mineral belts defined upon this map to which the ore corresponds. IRON. » 611 of occurrence, origin, and metallurgic uses. It will be convenient here to adopt a scheme based upon commercial relations and modes of occurrence, with reference also to the composition, which has much to do with their eco- nomic utilization. Thus we may separately discuss them under the follow- ing heads, viz.: 1. The Hard (anhydrous) or Belt Ores. The Sandy or Comminuted Ores. The Concretionary or Segregated Ores. The Soft (hydrous) or Vein Ores. . The Titaniferous Ores. This grouping has the slight disadvantage of failing to afford a strictly oT See be scientific arrangement, and yet the geologic affinities are more close to the economic relations than might be at first sight supposed. There is also a cer- tain fitness in making two broader divisions; the first to include 1, 4, and a part of 5, or those low in silica (below six per cent); the second comprising 2, 3, and the remainder of 5, or the siliceous ores. Analyses of all grades are given in Table III. i. HARD OR BELT ORES (ANHYDROUS). The lines running about northwest by southeast through the space marked ‘Tron Ore Belt” upon the Economic Map (Plate XXII) represent the courses of what are probably the axes of foldsin the Fernandian rocks. At any rate along each of the lines, wherever these rocks outcrop, there are evidences of the existence of more or less valuable, usually workable, deposits of the hard ores, magnetite and hematite. There has been so much disturbance of the strata, and such an amount of igneous action in places, that absolute uniform- ity of exposure or of quality can not be expected. There is, on the contrary, enough variety in the product to make the proper location of mines a matter of some importance. Nevertheless there is far less difference in the character of the ore in each individual line than among the different lines. The mag- netites and hematites are occasionally distinctly separated, but in many ex- posures the two run together, either in separate bands in the same bed or commingled in varying proportions. The general situation, with much de- tailed description, was clearly depicted in my Report for 1889. Some of that material, with important additions, is incorporated in what is given below. A. THE MAGNETITES. The original magnetites lie in the northwest Archean or Fernandian trend.* They do not appear in their greatest development in all exposures of these *North 36° west by south 36° east nearly. 612 CENTRAL MINERAL REGION OF TEXAS. rocks, and it might be doubted whether there is actually a continuous bed, or set of beds, forming a definite horizon in the Fernandian System. At first . sight some of the outcrops comport nearly as well with the idea that they are , “lenses” or “bosses” of ore brought into their present positions by local causes. But it has been found that while the large masses may be apparently discontinuous across the region, there is almost always en indicator of con- tinuity in the shape of a line of ferruginous soil or other landmark; and when the undecomposed hard ore again presents a topographic outline of its own it invariably possesses the same character as its representatives in the same band. This statement may be verified by any one who will take the trouble to note the positions of the bright red soil belts which are successively crossed in traveling between Lone Grove and Camp San Saba, on the Burnet and Brady road, or in traversing an equivalent stretch of country by almost any other route. It is also a very interesting fact that the derived, or second- ary, iron deposits of later date in the basal Cambrian strata at least follow roughly the same trend, though in a much less pronounced manner. These facts come out very strongly upon the accompanying Hconomic Map. The area in which the Fernandian beds. prevail as surface rocks may be limited for the present practical purposes by northwest-southeast lines drawn through Lone Grove, Llano County, upon the east, and through Katemcy, Mason County, upon the west. This blocks out a district thirty miles wide and extending perhaps thirty miles in the direction of the strike. Within this field, however, various structural features have prevented in many places the outcropping of the iron bearing system, so that a part of the area is not in a condition to yield ore without removing thick deposits of later origin. Besides it must be understood that only a small fraction of the thickness of these strata is iron ore. Keeping in mind also the folded condition of the rocks, it is evident that the chances for mining will be dependent largely upon the character of tbe erosion, it being premised that the iron stratum is not very near the top of the system to which it belongs. The Iron Mountain Series, which includes magnetites, was described in some detail at page 271, et seg., in the Report for 1889. The horizon of the magnetic ores is near the middle of the Fernandian System and below the middle of the Iron Mountain Series. The iron deposits lie between carbonaceous and calcareous beds which overlie them and quartzose beds beneath. Knowledge of these facts will assist greatly in the search for the ore; for wherever the graphitic schists and marbles appear at surface, as is the case for instance just west of Llano Town, the iron stratum is buried, and wherever the quartzose beds outcrop the hard iron ores must be sought in positions above them. A warning is necessary, however, against confounding the more granular and less meta- IRON. 613 morphosed Texian marbles and graphitic rocks with the similar Fernandian types. A little observation will teach the differences, which can often be determined by the discordant trends, although this is not a safe guide over extended areas. The difficulty may be almost wholly avoided by keeping in mind the fact that the Fernandian graphite is schistose rather than slaty, and that the Fernandian marbles are usually blue, while the Texian System in- cludes those which are white and yellow. The marbles of both systems are crystalline dolomites, not amorphous beds like the ‘“ Burnet marbles” or “lith- ographic stone” of later origin. The magnetites, strictly speaking, are confined to the Fernandian System. Upon the Economic Map the courses and positions of the bands are accu- rately placed, and in a general way the locations are shown where there is any reasonable prospect of discovering workable deposits. It will be noticed that the belts are interrupted in places. This is due to the absence in those spots of the iron bearing series or to its being buried beneath later strata. The former condition prevails in those areas in which other characters are depicted upon the map, and the covered areas are left blank or are traversed by bands of the vein ores which have been derived from the buried exten- | sions of the hard ore bands. Whenever the Fernandian strata are the sur- face terrane the chances for the discovery of good bodies of Bessemer ore are very favorable, provided that search is made in the course of the hard ore bands, as shown on the Economic Map herewith. I have plotted these bands in some cases where they may not exist, in order to show their courses through the interior area, and because there are certain places where it is possible that local patches of Fernandian rocks may have escaped notice in my survey of the region. The analyses made by the chemists of the Survey of my samples, as re- ported in Table III, give a very clear notion of the general run of these ores. Below are given some of the distinguishing features of the separate bands, although there is a close resemblance among them all, as might be inferred from the structure. It should also be premised that the nearly vertical posi- tion of the beds in the Iron Mountain and other bands is not a necessary concomitant; and it may well happen that in some areas the low inclination of the iron stratum may make it profitable to work it over somewhat wider tracts than in those particular fields. An accurate section across the area in any one line must fail to express the situation so that it may be readily un- derstood, and the complication is so great that it is not safe to make strati- graphic generalizations to be used as guides in practical work. For the benefit of prospectors and those engaged in mining exploration, the following hints are reproduced from the writer’s 1889 Report: 47—geol. 614 - CENTRAL MINERAL REGION OF TEXAS. The main facts and the conditions in which the magnetic ores are placed are these: 1. Whenever a set of rocks appear such as are described in Part I of this Report under the head of Iron Mountain Series,* there is liable to be a valuable deposit of magnetite. In prospecting be sure that you have a set of rocks whose general strike is very nearly northwest (magnetic). | 2. If, in the same connection, a large amount of red soil occurs in comparatively narrow strips, there may be a good ore body at no great depth beneath the decomposed portions. Wide belts, especially along valleys of stream, are usually not of this class. Zo test the matter, dig down to bed rock only, and do not waste labor in excavating rocks which you do not know. Pay out money for competent advice and act upon it. If you or your friends or ‘ prac- tical miners” ‘‘ have never seen such rocks before,” experienced engineers can tell you their val- ues accurately by their tests. 3. A body of magnetite ore having been found, it may be followed by the dipping needle or by prospecting in a northwest or southeast direction. But when you strike the red sand- stone or other rock overlying, the beds with the northwest strike will disappear beneath the others. 4. Beds trending nearly north-south resemble these somewhat, but they are of later date and the magnetic ores occur beneath them. You can rarely find the ore bodies by digging in such places unless you have an intimate knowledge of the geology of the country. 5. There are six parallel belts in which it is possible that valuable deposits of magnetite may be discovered.+ THE BABYHEAD BAND. The easternmost outcrops of the hard ores follow a course represented by a line bearing southeastward, passing near Babyhead and Lone Grove post- offices, and coming out southward very near the Wolf Crossing of the Colo- rado River. This belt is well exposed in the Babyhead Mountains, but is buried beneath the Cambrian strata just beyond the north line of Llano County, which is thus practically the northern limit. As exhibited on the Hconomic Map, other buried bands are indicated by the outcrops of derived vein ores further east, but so far as yet determined there are no important exposures of the hard ores anywhere in the courses of these bands, although certain of the hematite pockets in quartz veins afford examples of this class, having closer affinities to the soft vein ores in their mode of occurrence. (See remarks beyond under the head of ‘The Hastern Burnet County Band of Soft Gres.” ) | The typical strike of the Fernandian System can be traced southeastward nearly to the Colorado River, with some breaks where erosion, more recent uplifts, or alluvial deposits have cut out or obscured its path, but no work- able outcrops of the hard ores have attracted attention except those in the vicinity of Babyhead Town. There is every reason to expect good results from prospecting in the tract here outlined, especially in the north half, down *See page 271 of First Annual Report. . +Three was given as the number recognized in 1889, but I have since been able to work | the region more thoroughly. IRON, 3 615 to the crossing of Miller Creek. Northward between Lone Grove and Lock- hart Mountain, and southward from Lone Grove as far as Miller Creek, the carbonaceous and calcareous strata have not been eroded from above the ore beds, and still farther southward the later granitic masses have largely obliter- ated the original structure. These geologic features are not as favorable to eco-' nomic mining as the conditions prevalent north of Lockhart Mountain, because the ore can not always be found at the surface in the former areas. But the exposures in the Babyhead Mountains are partly due to faults, and it is not improbable that limited districts elsewhere in the belt may also present con- ditions suitable for working. j However, it must be remembered that this field is one in which the Bur- netian system is prominent, and a portion of it is covered by Texian strata. This means that denudation or lack of deposition over much of the belt has left no chance for discovery of any of the Fernandian rocks, or of their thin edges only. The magnetite beds themselves are not here so thick nor so prominent as in some other districts. There is some evidence that this is due to subsequent denudation and not to discrepancy in original deposition, for it is a fact that the comminuted ores of later date are more abundant along the path of this and adjoining magnetite bands. Analysis No. 1 re- ported in Table III is of a sample of the Babyhead ore, perhaps somewhat be- low the average product. Specimens of lodestone have been taken from this band near Babyhead by Mr. EK. T. Dumble, State Geologist. The line of out- crop appears upon the Hensley league, survey No. 410, Llano County, but it is there somewhat obscured by the overlying marbles, and it is also in part converted into a hydrated ore (No. 47, Table ITI). THE TWO LLANO BANDS. There is an area about five miles in width between Packsaddle Mountain and the Riley Mountains in which the Fernandian rocks are well exposed wherever they are not cut out by later uplifts. This belt extends northwest- ward to the Cambro-Silurian escarpment a little north of the south line of San Saba County. The rocks are folded here as in the areas upon both sides, and several times the succession of the strata is repeated. In all the exposures the typical Fernandian section is exhibited, and there is usually some indi- cation of the presence of iron ores in situations which correspond to the hori- zon of the Iron Mountain Series. The marbles and graphitic schists cross the Brady road between Pecan Creek and Valley Spring in two places, and ores of value have been detected in a number of places among these outcrops. 616 CENTRAL MINERAL REGION OF TEXAS. Near the mouth of Public Pen Creek, northeast of the Cat Mountains,* be. | tween the two roads from Lone Grove leading to Valley Spring and Llano respectively, I have seen good altered surface indications of the magnetite, and such also appear in Public Pen Creek not far northwestward, and again in the upper valley of Willow Creek. In the same course, southwestward, this band crosses the Llano River near the lower ford at Llano, where it ex- hibits similar features,+ and similar outcrops are repeated near the upper ford one mile above Llano, but in both these cases the marbles prevail, indicating that the hard ores lie beneath. In all the outcrops of these two Llano bands, which are broken at intervals by faults and granitic irruptions, the magnetite seems to lie at a considerable depth below the surface, and its altered products often appear now as hema- tite or limonite. Neither of the bands has been prospected extensively, be- cause the hard ores are not plainly visible at the surface, but there is every reason to believe that they exist beneath at the proper horizon, and that they may be eventually mined with profit. Numerous observations have been made which confirm my judgment that the magnetite horizon is a persistent one in the Fernandian System. THE IRON MOUNTAIN BAND. There are several localities in this course at which the development of the magnetite deposits has been undertaken with some degree of enterprise, and in which very large and valuable masses of this mineral have been exposed. This belt is most persistent and can be traced for many miles. It has been worked in Llano County at Iron Mountain and at points southwest of Llano, while fragments of ore have been collected from the tracts at the southeast- ern base of the Riley Mountains, where the quantity of derived segregations on the surface is also enormous. In all good exposures, or wherever the ore body has been tapped along the course as indicated upon the Economic Map, between the Cambrian escarpment at the northwest and the similar cap at the western edge of the Riley Mountains, the magnetite is invariably found to be abundant and of the very best quality. And the same is true of the exposed * Name given on our maps to the hills locally known as Wolf Mountains, because there is a Wolf Mountain on another Wolf Creek, also tributary to Pecan Creek, which is liable to be confounded with them. For the same reason I have changed the name of the creek here | known as Wolf Creek to Cat Creek on my maps. ‘ + Slight changes in the geographic outlining of the more eastern Llano band are rendered 4 necessary by the plotting of our Survey. In last year’s Report I referred a part of this ~