Vanderburgh County, Indiana - Chapter 1, 1889

Chapter 1

state of Indiana, and is bounded on the west by Posey, north by Gibson, east by Warrick. The southern boundary is the Ohio, the " belle riviere" of the early French ad\enturers, the " beautiful river " of our own poets, the "great commercial artery" of our economic writers. Its picturesque beauty and its fleets of busy steamers are e(|ually deserving subjects of admiration. Evansville, the city of the county, and one of the principal cities of the state, lies i8o miles distant from Indianapolis. To be geographically precise, its latitude is 38" 8' north, its longitude 10^ 30' west from Washington.

The altitude of the Ohio at low water at Evansville, is 320 feet above sea level. The elevation of Main street is 50 feet above low water, and consequenth', tlie average altitude of the city above tide water is 370 feet.

Though the northern line of the county is but thirteen miles from that re-entrant curve of the Ohio which approaches the geographical center of the county, the drainaire of its territory is not wholly into the great river. Running from the northern part of Scott and along the northern line of

-Adapted for this volume from the Geoloyic.il Report on Vanderburgh county, by John CoUett, A. M., in " Geological Survey of Indiana, 1875."

township, is a high ridge with a spur of lower land running down through Perry, which di\id'j; the county into two systems, the northwestern being drained through Big creek and its forks into the Wabash river. The eastern and central parts of the county have their water-shed by Bluegrass, Locust and Little creeks through Big Pigeon into the Ohio.

The topography of the county is delightfully \aried. The characteristic features of a river countr\-, the river bottoms, are here from two to six miles wide. Composed of a light, sandy loam, they are very fertile, and produce profitable crops of corn, wheat, potatoes, tobacco, and meadow grass. In the forests upjn this soil we tind black and white walnuts, red, white and burr oaks, red and white elms, white and black gums, Cottonwood, hickory, maple, willow, sycaiTiore, cypress, pecan, etc., with many shrubs and vines. The small brooks flowing across the county, from northeast to south and southwest, of no great capacity, and often nearly dry in summer droughts, run through valleys one to three miles wide. These "bottoms" are le\el, and characteristically argillaceous, or hard and compact, and demand underground drainage for successful tillage long continued. Good crops of hay are grown upon them. The timber here comprises white, burr, water and jack oaks,

Geology

.^aim. e-liii, niaplf and sycamore, with beach, sugar tree, poplar and walnut on sand}- loams. From the creek and river valleys the ascent is sometimes gentle, often bv abrupt bluffs, to the table lands. In the central and northern parts, these attain an elevation of from 150 to 350 feet, and average a height of 225 feet above low water in the Ohio: and being formed as a whole. from fine sands or loam, the soil is compact, and to a degree impervious to air or moisture unless drained or well mixed with vegetable matter. The Hat areas are wet and have characteristic openings, or prairies, but the shghtly une\en surfaces are clothed with a thick growth of timber, in which post-oak, persimmon and sweet gum are characteristic. White, red and Spanish oaks, black gum, maple, white and black hickories are connnon. The rolling uplands are richer on account of an admixture of red calcareous soil, and adds to the forests poplars, sugar trees, black walnut and ash. Roth varieties of upland vield good crops of corn, wheat, oats, and meadow grass. The hills and hi<>h rid<res are exempt from sudden changes of temperature and are admirably adapted to the culture of tender fruits and vines. Consequently the wide-awake agriculturists have extensive and profitable orchards and vinevards, which are sure sources of income. The bluff soil is the American equivalent of the I^oess of the Rhine, which produces the generous wines of France, and with the same care will as richly reward. The climate is in the neutral zone, between uncomfortable warmth } and cold, not subject to the extreme chanjres ! which renders culture hazardous further j north. The tender peach, apricot and grape '\ may be grown to perfection along with the \ sturdier apple and quince. The vineyards j yield wine rich in boucpiet and spirit. The | walnuts and hickory nuts are produced in 1

I profusion, and the pecan mav be easily and prolitably cultivated. Wild grapes, plums, etc., crown the hill tops and cluster in the \alleys, but the luscious persimmon, "God's fruit," is the best and most abundant, and it is believed, by cultivation could be made to ri\-al the date.

The surface of the county affords man\- instructive texts to the geologist, for the application of his theories to account for the ' present configuration. By a vast accumulation of obser\ati(jns in all parts of the world, and the tornudation of theories based upon them, he is able to recount an interesting story of the past of this region, and much of j the geologist's narrative is not "caviare to the general,"' nor i^econdite. There are plain records in the valleys and bluffs of phenoniena concerning which all men who have thought upon the subject are prett\- well agreed. The briefest statement of the geology of the county would mention as the oldest strata which has been brought to general notice, the coal measures, later the limestones deposited in the bed of an ancient ocean which overspread the region after the coal was in the first statres of formation, and more recent than all this, overlying it and the cause of many b;iautiful features of landscape, the Meroiu sandstone. Without treating of the formation of coal, of which much has been W]"itten, and which is \-er\- likel}' identical in different localities, nor of the limestone, let us consider more at length the Merom sandstone, and then the later phenomena which caused the presjnt configuration of the country.

The Merom sandstone is well developed in Vanderburgh and adjoining counties, capping the tops of the highest hills in the northeastern and forming the surface rock in all the uneroded parts of the central and western regions. In deep, niu^row gorges, witii precipitous and overhanging sides, it gives a ro- mantic boldness to the scenery, and also affords good exposures for its stud\'. In Section 17, Scott township, this niassi\e sandstone overhangs the brook which flows by the base, and the softer rock has disappeared below, leaving a rock house which was once a favorite resort of the Indians. The rock is always ferriferous, containing small partings and veins of iron, which being harder than the sandv matrix, fret the sides and o\erhanging arches of the gorges with an irregular tracerx' of network in relief. In this count\' the stone is regular in sequence, uninterruptedlv covering the coal measures. But in the relation of proximit\- to the coals, it is regular onlv in irregularitv. Sometimes all the coal seams are below it, elsewhere all tlie older rocks down to the Ingleside coal have been cut away by ancient floods, and then the sandstone lies directly upon that coal, and sometimes includes in its lower layers, rounded pellets and pebbles of coal, which reveal the extensive action of the water which preceded the deposition of the sandstone. There is therefore good ground for the belief that it is the record of a geological era far subseqvient to the carboniferous. Fossils are rare or entirelx' absent, being confined to specimens of Acrogens, a lower order of plant life. The Merom sandstone is near the surface of Bab\'town hill, nearlv 200 feet above low water in the river, and from this eminence that the rock has preserved, a splendid view is enjoyed of the teeming citv and the riser dotted with the steamers carrying the commerce of the \allev states. West of Germantown, the massive part of the rock is well exposed, and it is 20 to 40 feet thick, composed of sharp sand, small veins of hematite iron, and a few trunks and stems of plants. The sand is so slightlv coherent that it may be removed with a shovel, the iron is easily removed, and the product is remarkably good for plastering and building. Southwest of there, across the count\- line, the rock is on the other hand admirabh' adapted to (juarrying, and along Big creek, good stone is obtained. In the j deeply covered, and the only outcrop noted is in Section 23, Armstrong township. On the George Graff farm a shaft was once put down through this solid rock in search of silver ore, but of course, with no success. Subsequent to the period when this sandstone was laid down - it would be idle to attempt to measure the time which elapsed - vast glaciers overspread the country, mainly to the north of this latitude. These left no deep beds of drift, with boulders showing the grinding action of ice and water, in this county, but their record i.s nevertheless plain. We refer now to the sets of ancient \alle\s wliich tra\erse the countv, from 100 to 150 feet above the ri\'er, having a course from north 18" to 24° west. These are not continuous now, but are often cut across or partially silted up b\- a second, more recent set of valleys, running from northeast to southward. In either sets of vallev thoroughfares, after a rain,ma\- be seen in the ditches the fine white quartzose and black sand or magnetite, from the Laurentian rocks of Canada. The hardest material of the glacial drift reached here onlv in the form of powder, but is easih' recognized, and seems to point unmistakably to a glacial origin of these vallevs, the primar\- having been made at the beginning of the era, before the Wabash vallev had been excavated bv the great flood of ice water. The secondaries probably date to the time when the water, which sought sluice-way in the summer months, by the White and Patoka vallevs, after excavating the great basin of South Patoka, overflowed to the west and south, cutting awav softer rock and leasing the harder knobs and hills which now beautify tht- landscape. The Lake regions were then, it is believed from well investigated phenomena, eight hundred or nine hundred feet higher than now, and the summer melting of ice caused more violent action of the water than would now appear possible. Thus were cut the valleys of Pigeon and Black creeks, and the like, so much wider than could be accounted for b}- the action of these small water courses. Not only wider are they than the creeks can account for, but it is a remarkable fact that these creeks flow in beds considerablv abo\'e the former bed of the water which cut the valleys.

When these mighty glaciers passed away, receding to the north on account of some vast change in the continental conditions, a great lake covered a large area of the interior of the continent, including southwestern Indiana, and regions adjoining south and west. Its high water line is now seven hundred or eight hundred feet above the level of the ocean. The deposits of this era are called loess or lacustral, and consist of reddish yellow loam, sandy, below that gray and buff siliceous loam, and at the bottom, in valleys which were filled up in this era, black quicksand, muck with much vegetable matter. This deposit varies in depth from fifteen to one hundred and fifteen feet. In that era, the extreme cold of the ice age was succeeded by the other extreme, and tropical trees and plants, and animals of South American t3'pe, flourished in this region. In the muck deposit, or just above it in a flinty gravel, have been found in this and adjoining counties the bones of monstrous tropical animals, the Megalonyx and other great sloths, the Mammoth, or Elephas Americanus, and the great beaver Casteroides Ohioensis. In sinking the Avondale shaft at Evansville, a bed of animal and vegetable remains was encountered, containing an immense quantitv of fresh-water shells. When these were studied b}- naturalists and compared with existing types, it was found that some were wholly extinct and others were to be found now onl}' in the southern states. " These shells, wholly extinct, or barely existing as survivors from our ancient sub-tropic climate, reveal in their story a hitherto unknown chapter of past events, indicating a change of climate nearly equivalent to io° of latitude, and which, according to Mr. Hopkins" paper before the British Scientific Association, must have taken place within from twenty thousand to sevent}' thousand years." From the lime when this tropical life prevailed here, the climate changed gradually to colder, .and vegetation and fauna changed with it. Still, the change has not been so vast that we have not relics to-day of those distant times. In such sheltered spots as seem to be the last lagoons of the ancient sea, and there are such in Union township particularly, the cj'press lingers, and the cane, as well as in the other division of life, the paroquet, cotton-mouth and grass snakes, and red-mouthed salamander. The persimmon, pecan, smooth honey-locust, catalpa and thorn)^ sumac, are also relics of a period whose main features have long since disappeared.

The " tooth of time," since the age above spoken of, has been confined in its work to the formation of the alluvial flats b^- the continual eating away of older deposits. So have been formed the river bottoms, composed of sand, gravel and smooth stones, clay and much vegetable matter, comprising sticks and trunks of trees found buried even more than one hundred feet below the present level of the river beds, and flu\ iatile sand-bars and gravel-beds as high as one hundred to two hundred feet above the high water line.

Gexeral Features

ihf rocks and other ik'posits of \ anderburgh arranged in the order of their sequence in age, beginning with the more recent and the superior :

The beds Nos. 3 to 14 of the above section, including two or three thin seams of rash coal, and two strata of limestone, each of two to eight feet thick, occupy the hill-tops in the northeastern parts, and thence dipping to the southwest are found at or near the level of the streams in that part of the county. These beds are a notable geologic horizon. Besides the advantage of the stone, which is burned for the lime, they form an unmistakable directrix from which to measure down to the probable level of the lower workable coals. The limestones Nos. 5 ;ind II, at their northeastern outcrop, are hard and clinky, and are frequentl}' brought close together or found in contact. Thev are found in such contact in the sides of the bold bluff on the north of the Pigeon valley. In Perry township there are several limekilns, at which the stone has been quarried and burned. On the West Franklin road there is outcrop of flinty limerock, which has been a noted curiosity with geologists who have made this region famous b}' their labors. It seems here that the whole thickness of the limestone had been transformed into clinky hornstone or Hint. Near there are three sinkholes, such as are common in the region of sub-carboniferous limestone, ten to thn^ty feet in diameter, the onl\- sinks seen in our coal measures. A large spring discharges the water collected by them. Near Babytown hill, crinoid stems, and many other fossils, mostly compressed and broken, are found in profusion. This double limestone forms the elevated foundation of the beautiful site of Mechanicsville, which, 150 feet above the cit}', has an unbroken view of the rich broad valley, the i-olling river, and the distant hills of Kentucky. It outcrops in the ra\'ines a little east of there, and the stone is used for curbing and stoning the streets of the city. This stratum rises at the rate of fifteen feet per mile to the northeast, and is a surface rock two miles east of the x'illage. In Section 20, Center township, it shows a face of seven or eight feet, and in cavities beneath its disturbed edges, rattlesnakes and other serpents were accustomed to gather for miles around to hibernate. The limestone caps a bald peak on the McCutcheon farm in the northeast corner of the county, which commands one of the finest outlooks in the state, embracing the hills and knobs round about at a distance of fifteen to twent\' miles. In all adjoining regions, these limestones contain a multitude of fossils in great variety, the assignment of which to the proper geological period has given rise to bitter personal quarrels between eminent scientists. The dispute is as to whether

The coals, Nos. ,^, S, 12, are L;enerall\- alisent and never persistent o\'er considerable areas. Thev are impure, thin, and of no importance.

No. 14 is a soft sandstone fotind in the upper part of Ingleside shaft, in the beds and bluffs of Pigeon creek, and thence northeast along the brooks and creeks. It is somewhat quarried for rough masonrw The yellow and gray sandstone. No. 15, is exposed only in the east and northeast and is well down the Ewmsville shafts. There is an extensive bed in the northeast corner of Knight township, from which excellent stone is taken.

Coal N, No. 19 of the section, is the next stratum of commercial importance, and it is a choice, gassy coal, of excellent quality. This is equal to the best western coal for gas and coking, and though the seam will a\erage but little over two feet, yet its purity and richness in \-olatile matter will justifx mining it. The seam is uniformh- persistent throughout this region, and is locally known as " Little Newburg coal."' The chemical analysis of this coal shows 53 per cent, of fixed carbon, gas 41.5, water 3. ash 2.5. Coke, 55-5- Meat units, S090. Specific gravity, 1.242. Weight of one cubit- foot, 77.62 pounds.

it outcrops, and is remarkable for the wonderful size of the fossil Lophophyllum proliferum and the great profusion of the coral, Chcvteles. The siliceous shale and sandstone. No. 22, is not seen at the surface, but is important along Green river. No. 23 carries a large number of beautiful and well preser\e(l fossils, a list of which W(.)uld be too lengtliN' for space liere.

No. 24 is tin' Ingleside coal AT, or -' Main Newburg," the chief mineral resource of this region. This seam has been pierced at mati\- places, and at almost every station it has shown a thickness of not less than four feet. It is a .strong coking coal, burns to gra\- or red ash, and is an excellent fuel for steam or grate use, and commands a ready market. It drives the wheels of commerce, pulls the mighty railroad trains, and gives energv to the thousand arms and fingers of iron which manufacture, with the strength of a million giants, the wealth of this favored city and county. It underlies two-thirds, if not the whole count\-. Such a mine of wealth will endure for ages, and assures for this county an enviable prosperity and progress. From it can be produced a c(jke of great value.

An analvsis of a specimen from the middle of the Ingleside seam shows: fixed carbon 48.5 per cent., gas 42. water 3.5, ash 6. Coke 54.50. Heat units, 7772. Specific cravitv 1-275. Weight of one cubic foot, 79. 68 pounds.

Nos. 25 and 26, are fire-clays, and will be extensivelv used for terra cotta. Below coal M we find the noted phenomenon of massive limestones in the coal measures. Thev are highlv argillaceous, little more than" clay shale, even the tough blue sandstone leadily yields to air and moisture. No. 30 is the " fern bed," a deposit rich in leaves and stems of the plants of the coal ace. Here are found kidnev ironstones, enclosing plants and fruits.

Coal L, No. 31, is a characteristic Indiana coal. It is a laminated, semi-caking or free burning coal, rich in carbon, and yielding a gray or white ash, with little or no cinder. It is the most persistent coal of the Wabash basin in thickness, regularity and good ([ualities. Here it is found when pierced to be of an average thickness of only two feet, which will hardly justify mining at present. It is admirably suited for rolling mill, locomotive and stove use.

Below Coal L a hard, ferruginous sandstone has been pierced by bores, tills a considerable space, and below it is the limestone superimposing Coal K, sometimes flint}-, but on the Kentucky side carrying the usual fossils.

Coal K, magnificently exhibited in Pike county, is not seen here. In bores along the Ohio river it never de\elops a thickness of two feet, and is generally thinner. Below K are beds of black shale often called coal in the reports of bores, but no thick or workable seams may be expected at this depth. No. 39, a coarse, red sandstone conglomerate, forms the bottom rock or bed of the Coal measures. It is only pierced bv the Crescent City Park bore, llie sub-conglomerate coal A, is onl\' known by report, and its existence here is (juite doubtful. It is certain that the deepest bores report beds of sandstone and limestone which are referred to the Chester beds of the sub-carboniferous period. This closes a connected view of the surface phenomena and rock\- structure of the county.

Near Evansville the surface rocks are the soft blue, buff and gray sandstones passing into argillaceous shales. No 14 of general section. In this bed the Ingleside shaft in the west suburb of Evansville was begun, piercing in its depth the lower rash coal and shales, and N, M and L, in succession. The following is the section in detail:

Section' In Inglesidk Shaft

In the l^lack shale which forms the roof ! of this mine, are tine fossils including Pro- ' ductus, three species, Bellerophon, two species, Aviculopecten, two species, Pleurotomaria, two species, Macrocheilus, two species, and a Goniatite. The coal in the mine and accompan\ing rocks is as follows:

General Features

This coal ranges from three feet eight inches to four feet four inches, and averages nearl}- four feet at this mine. It is remarkably uniform in thickness and persistence. In other regions of the Indiana basin, the coals are not so regular, or the seams narrow and unworkable. One uninterrupted seam is equal in avails to several unreliable coals, and gives more certain returns. When coals become scarce, as in England, the upper seam (N) ma\- and will be worked. The dip of lower coals, L, M, N, from Newburg via Evansville, along the center of the trough which gives direction to the lower Ohio valley, is eighteen feet nine inches a mile, with many irregularities. Dip to south, from northern line of the county, is about twent}' feet per mile, decreasing to eight or ten feet, until it passes the central synclinal, where the dip is reversed, ascending to the south.

In December, 1S68, the boring of a well was begun in what is now called "Artesian Springs Park," in the Fourth ward, and in view of the recent gas-well developments it is interesting to recall that there was a strong flow of burning gas from the upper part of the well. This continued until salt water was struck at less than three hundred feet, and it is now a flowing, artesian well. Tlie section of this well is as follows:

256 9 Clay for bricks is found abundantly throughout the count}', and the tjuality is good. The modified clays of the valley lands, and the under clay of the coals furnish an article suitable for crockery, terra cotta and stone-ware. Iron ores are found throughout the coal measures. Nodular iron of good qualitj' occurs just above and below the horizon of coal N. But it will not pay to work. The largest deposit is at Priest's bluff, where several car loads are exposed at low water. Very minute scales of gold and nuggets of copper are sometimes found, but they are importations of the glacial drift. Sand of an excellent kind is produced by the disintegration of the Merom sandstone. There are no gravel beds like those of Northern Indiana here, but in the bed of the Ohio, and below low water generally, are extensive deposits of ferruginous chert, brought down from further up the river, and this material is one of the best known for metaling pikes and streets. It forms a compact, smooth and slightly elastic surface.