Scioto Township (part 8 of 14)

On Elkins Creek, near Oak Ridge Furnace and on the largest northern tributary, Bamett Creek, it has been mined in a small way for years. A section taken in the Wm. Hoover mine, near Oak Ridge Furnace, is as follows:

The upper bench of coal here is reported by Mr. Hoover to have some bone coal in it in places, but generally it is good. Up Bamett Creek, Vhere the bed has also been mined, the lower bench of coal is reported to be 3 feet thick. On Symmes Creek, about one mile north of the mouth of Elkins Creek on the land of Joseph Howard, a small mine has been worked. Mr. Howard reports the coal only 1 foot 6 inches in thickness. About a mile southeast of Arabia, on Long Creek in Mason Township, where the Upper Freeport coal goes under cover, J. C. Neal reports the bed as below:

On Aaron Creek, in Aid Township, south of Tipton Knob, the Upper Freeport coal is again w^ell developed, and some small mines have been worked for a local coal supply. S. D. Griffith reports the coal. on his property as follows:

Mr. Griffith states that the lower coal bench varies from 3 to 4 feet. Near the head of the stream, south of Tipton Knob, it has been opened. No banks were being operated in 1912, but the bed is reported to be from 3 to 4 feet in thickness. Near the head of the stream, east of Tipton Knob, W. M. Herell reports the lower block of the Upper Freeport coal on his property to be 4 feet thick. On Symmes Creek, from Arabia to Waterloo, the coal is thin where seen, and no banks have been opened.

Symmes Township. - Some areas in which the Upper Freeport coal has excellent volume and purity are found in Symmes Township. The best of the field of this coal in southern Ohio is near Waterloo, in Gallia County. The areas in which the member has workable thickness will be discussed. On Johns Creek, east of Sherritts in Symmes Township, the Upper Freeport coal has been worked for years on the property of A. T. Pyles. No banks were being operated when the locality was visited in 1912. Mr. Pyles reports that the coal is in only 1 bench here and will average 3 feet 6 inches in thickness with a maximum of 4 feet 7 inches. The coal is of good quality.

About 1 mile west of Waterloo, on the first small tributary to Johns Creek, the Upper Freeport coal has been opened and worked somewhat for local use. A section taken here is as follows:

Farther west on Johns Creek the blossom of this coal, only a few inches thick, was observed in a number of places, but no banks were found. On Buckeye Fork, the blossom of the coal observed in a number of places indicates that the bed is thin in this locality, which is also the case on North and Slab forks.

The Upper Freeport coal is well developed east of Waterloo in Gallia County, where it has been worked for many years to furnish the local fuel supply for Waterloo and vicinity. A section taken in the mine of John Strait, near the Lawrence County line, is as follows:

On the property of T. H. Neal, on Symmes Creek near the mouth of Buffalo, the Symmes Valley Coal Company drove an entry through the hill in which the next section was measured:

M. V. Thompson reports a pocket of Upper Fteeport coal on CauUey Creek, which shows on the outcrop from 3 feet to 3 feet 6 inches in thickness. At the head of the first southern tributary of BufiFalo Creek, H. W. Steward states that the Upper Freeport coal is about 4 feet thick on the outcrop.

Washington Township. - The Upper Freeport horizon is present near the summits of the main ridges in eastern Washington Township, but it is marked by only a thin stratum of coal, when marked at all. At no place was coal of value found. In the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railway tunnel near Hoadley, the Upper Freeport coal is exposed and it varies from a stain to 12 inches in thickness.

The Upper Freeport coal is invariably thin along its most western exposures, but thickens generally to the east. The most western pocket of any considerable thickness is on the headwaters of the tributary of Storms Creek northwest of Kitts Hill in the northwestern corner of Lawrence Township. Thus the sections indicate that there is a belt in which the coal is somewhat continuous and regular, commencing south in the vicinity of Rock Camp and Kitts Hill, and extending northward across Sharp Creek near Cherryville, Elkins Creek near Oak Ridge Furnace, Aaron Creek east of Tipton Knob, Johns Creek near Sherritts, and striking Symmes Creek in the Waterloo region.

The sections further indicate that there is another belt from the Marion pocket extending northward across the mouth of Long Creek east of Arabia. The deposit on Buffalo and CauUey creeks seems to be a small outlying pocket. Prospecting by the drill in this part of the field should be done north and south along these belts. As the bed generally thickens eastward, and as it is well developed where it goes under cover near Marion, Arabia, and east of Waterloo, it is reasonable to think that at least there are other pockets of good coal imder heavy cover. If the thin and pockety condition of the bed in the western part of the field represents the edge of the coal basin, then the best of the field should be eastward under heavy cover. The prospects at least warrant some testing with the drill.

The hills in the Symmes Creek basin are considerably broken by slips, which throw the coal on the outcrop out of position, and which cause trouble in driving entries. Breaks were noticed in several mines.

The coal in the localities where it is or has been worked is generally sufficiently thick for ease in mining, in fact, the maximum thickness of this bed far exceeds that of any other coal found in the county. Thick- . nesses of from 4 to 6 feet for the entire deposit are quite common.

The sections show that in most of the field the bed is broken into several benches of coal, with clay or shale intervening. These partings increase the cost of mining as they must be removed from the mine or gobbed, and as they also decrease the value of the coal for more or less of these materials are loaded with it. In many of the mines the roof is bad, as it is a clay, or clay shale, or a soft jointed shale, which falls unless well posted. In some of the mines the shale between the coal and sandstone above is thin, and it soon loosens atid falls. Circulating waters descend through the porous sandstone above to the more impervious shale, which loosens from the sandstone. In some localities the Mahoning sandstone forms the roof, and it often extends down to the main bench of coal, or occasionally replaces the entire bed. In some of the mines the upper layers of coal, which are somewhat bony, are left, as they make a much better roof than the soft shale or clay. The floor is clay or clay shales. In some localities this clay is of fair quality and may be used for ceramic products. The floors of the mines are usually irregular, owing to a change in the thickness of the lower coal bench, and also to rolls in the underlying beds. The mining conditions ar^ not ideal on account of the character of the roof materials, of the structure of the bed, which is composed usually of* several benches of coal with partings intervening, of the uncertainty in the thickness of the deposit, and of the variable quality of the coal in the upper benches. The territory should be thoroughly tested with the core drill before any large mining operations are installed. The coal in the lower bench is invariably of excellent quality, while that in the next bench is usually of a much inferior grade,, owing to its bony nature and high ash content. The thin upper benches, where present, are good block coals. The marketable coal is found in the lower and upper benches. Where a plant is mining coal for its own use the fuel from the entire deposit may be utilized successfully. The quality of the coal, and the section from which the sample was taken, is given in the following:^

Sample and section from Cooper's mine, section 24 or 25, Symmes Township Lawrence County. Sample was taken from lower bench only. Good sample. Taken by E. E. Somermeier, in August, 1901.

Sample and section of mine of G. W. Peach, section 23, Symmes Township, Lawrence County. Sample includes both benches. Sampled by E. E. Somermeier, in August, 1901.^

Sample and section of mine of William Sneed, section 26 or 27, Syzomes Township, Lawrence County. One bench only sampled, that being the only part mined. Fjresh face of coal. Sampled by E. E. Somermeier, in August, 1901.'

Sample and section of Haskin's mine section 36, Aid Township, Lawrence County. Sample taken from lower bench only, the upper bench not mined. Sampled by E. E. Somermeier in August, 1901.'

Sample and section of mine of Thomas Bennett, section 35, Aid Township, Lawrence County. Both benches included in the sample. Sampled by E. E. Somermeier, in August, 1901."

Sample and section of mine of Frank Kitts, section 16, Lawrence Lawrence County. Lower bench only sampled, the upper one not worked, by E, E. Somermeier, in August, 1901.*

The average calorific value, 6,523 calories, or 11,741 B. t. u., of the Upper Freeport coal in Lawrence County is somewhat low, thus giving it a rather poor rating if sold on the heat unit basis in competition with the Pocahontas coal of West Virginia. It is only a medium freeburning coal, and has a short flame. The ash, which is about on the average with other Ohio coals, does not clinker, but goes to a light powder. It is a tender fuel and would not ship well, as the lumps break easily in handling. The coal has a good bright luster, and that in the lower benA is usually quite free from pyrite. The average sulphur, 1.59 per cent, is lower than for any other bed in the county. It is a coking coal, but has not been used for this purpose in Ohio, although it is coked in western Pennsylvania, and produces a fair product.

The average sulphur content of the seven samples of the Upper Freeport coal in Lawrence County is 1.59 per cent, of which about one-half is lost during the process of coking. This will put the sulphur within the limit of cokes now used, but it will still be above the standard, which is 1.00 per cent. The average ash is 10.01 per cent, which is high for a coking coal. In the retort oven the yield of coke will be about as followa:

During coking part of the heavy gaseous compounds are broken up with deposition of carbon, the latter amounting to about 1 per cent. The ash and sulphur, both of jvhich can be considerably lowered by proper care in mining and washing, are too high for marketable coke. The average of the three samples from Cooper, Peach and Haskin's mines is as given below:

This sulphur, .93 per cent, is within the limit, but the ash is still high. A mixture of the Upper Freeport coal with Pocahontas would increase the yield considerably, and lower the sulphur and ash content. The analysis of Pocahontas coal averages about as follows:^

Oeologt Of Southern Ohio

The Conemaugh formation, formerly known as the Lower Barren Coal Measures, includes the rocks in the interval from the Upper Freeport to the Pittsburgh coal. These rocks are mainly massive sandstones, highly ferruginous and calcareous shales and clays, and occasional thin limestones and coals. The limestones are variable in composition and uncertain in extent, as they are often replaced bj' other ocks. With the exception of the Wilgus coal, which is quite per- ^tent and of local importance, the beds in Lawrence County are thin and of little value. The western boundary of the Conemaugh formation is marked by the limit of the Upper Freeport coal, which in a general way is the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railway from Ironton to Center Station, thence westward to the western part of Decatur and Elizabeth townships. Along this boundary the Conemaugh rocks cap only the highest hills, but eastward the dip is such that the Mahoning sandstone, which is the lowest member of the Conemaugh, is just above drainage on Ice Creek near Rock Camp, on Dog Fork, and on Symmes Creek from Marion north of the Lawrence-Gallia county line. In the eastern part of the county the Monongahela formation appears and caps the hills and ridges.

The Conemaugh formation is characterized by the shales and clays which are highly colored, owing to the impregnation of iron oxides, and which are rich in lime that occurs both in the highly disseminated and nodular forms. The phosphoric acid content is also far above that ordinarily found in clays or shales.

Geologt Op Southern Ohio Brush Creek Limestone

This limestone, when present, is found usually from 80 to 90 feet above the Upper Freeport coal, and from 20 to 30 feet below the Cambridge limestone. In parts of Gallia County, where characteristically developed, there are two beds of this member, which are separated by 15 to 20 feet of shale. As the Brush Creek limestone extends southward into Lawrence County, the separate limestone beds become less distinct, and the whole interval in places is taken by thin layers of flinty limestone interbedded with shales. The member is best represented in Symmes, Aid, Mason, and Lawrence townships, but it is also found in local areas in Decatur, Elizabeth, Perry, and Windsor. Some of the best developed exposures noted will be described in the next few pages.

South of Aaron Creek in Aid Township, the Brush Creek limestone is usually wanting, as it is replaced by a heavy sandstone. In the bed of Ice Creek, near Andis in Lawrence Township, it is represented by about 2 feet of flinty limestone; while tjhin siliceous layers were noted on the outcrop in a few other adjacent localities. On the ridge south of the head of Aaron Creek in Aid Township, a few feet of Brush Creek limestone are found, while on the ridge between Aaron and Johns creeks, the limestone is well developed and persistent. Near Tipton's Knob a section taken is as follows:

East of Tipton Knob in Aid Township, the Brush Creek limestone thins, and on the hills near Symmes Creek, it is wanting or represented by a foot or two of siliceous limestone. West of Tipton Knob, it is well developed on the ridge between Aaron and Johns creeks to their heads, and then in eastern Elizabeth and Decatur townships on the ridge between these streams and Storms and Cannons creeks. East of Arabia in Mason Township on Buck Creek, the deposit is again quite thick. A section was taken along the road that goes from Buck Creek to Pigeon Creek, and it shows the structure of the Brush Creek limestone as follows:

On Johns Creek, on the knob west of Sherritts in Symmes Township, the stone has been quarried for road use. A section taken in the quarry is as follows:

In Symmes Township, on the ridge between Johns and Buffalo creeks north of Sherritts, the Brush Creek limestone is heavy, but it thins eastward towards Symmes Creek, where it is only from 1 to 5 feet in thickness. In the region around Stewart Knob it is also thin or wanting, but on the ridge in Decatur Township, east of the tunnel on the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railway north of Dean, it is again well developed, and the bed at one exposure measured 8 feet in thickness. On the highest knobs on the ridge westward from the tunnel to Poplar Flats, the member is exposed and at the latter place this deposit, the most western noted in Lawrence County, where it caps the highest point, is several feet in thickness.

Near the top of the divide from Slab Fork to Pine Creek in Decatur Township, 6 feet of flinty Brush Cre^k limestone are exposed in the road. It is also found on the ridge at the head of North and Buckeye forks along the Symmes-Decatur township line, where it is several feet in thickness. There are a few feet of Brush Creek limestone on Phillips Knob, but on the ridge north of this, it thins down to a foot or two or is wanting. The member was not seen in any considerable thickness in Symmes Township north of Buffalo Creek.

The Brush Creek limestone is of little importance economically, as it is very siliceous and in many cases practically flint. It is far too impure for metallurgical use oFland dressing and about all the value it has is for building roads in the localities in which it occurs. For this purpose the quality of the limestone is considered much inferior to either the Cambridge or the Ferriferous. Owing to its brittle flinty nature it is lacking in toughness, which is required in materials subjected to abrasive strains. It is used to good advantage in road building for the foundation, where a better grade of stone is added for the facing.

The next members of importance are the Wilgus coal and the Cambridge limestone, which have only a local value, the coal for domestic use and the limestone for road purposes. Both are quite persistent, but usually thin. They are best developed near Wilgus, in Mason Township, near Arabia in Aid, and on the ridge north of Sherritts in Symmes. These beds are found with less volume, or with less areal extent, also in Decatur, Washington, Elizabeth, Lawrence, Perry, Fayette, Windsor, and Union townships. The Wilgus coal lies either directly or only a few feet below the Cambridge limestone, the position of which is about 20 feet above the Brush Creek limestone and about 80 feet below the Ames, although the latter is seldom present in Lawrence County. These members will be hurriedly traced across the countv, and their relations to each other and to various members vnll be shown by sections taken along the line of outcrop.

Fayette Township. - The Wilgus coal is marked in local areas in Fayette TowTiship by a stratum of more or less impure coal, overlaid usually by shale and sandstone, while the Cambridge limestone is found only in isolated areas, and is seldom over 2 feet in thickness. On the ridge north of Salliday Creek, on the property of Samuel Stanley, the Wilgus coal has the following structure :

On the Ohio River hills, near the mouth of Salliday Creek, on the land of J. B. McKee, the Wilgus coal is present, but the .Cambridge limestone is replaced by a thick sandstone. The section secured follows:

Perry Township. - The Wilgus ' coal is quite steady in eastern Perry Township, but it is usually shaly; hence it is of small value. The Cambridge limestone was only occasionally observed, for in most of the area its place is taken by a massive sandstone. On the Ohio River hills, south of Lick Creek, the Wilgus coal has been prospected on the property of William Talbot by a short entry, where the measurements given below were taken :

North of this the blossom of the Wilgus coal was noted at a number of places, but everywhere it was shaly in character. The structure reported is from 1 foot to 1 foot 6 inches of good coal, underlaid by 2 or 3 feet of bony coal. At some exposures from 1 to 2 feet of siliceous Cambridge limestone are found about 10 feet above the coal. South of Rock Camp the limestone was seen on several hills about 120 feet above the horizon of the Upper Freeport coal.

Union Township. - The Cambridge limestone, from 1 to 2 feet in thickness, and the underlying Wilgus coal, from 1 to 3 feet, are found along the Symmes Creek Valley, in the western part of Union Township, They disappear below cover about one mile from the mouth of Symmes Creek, and the coal is mined in a small way at a few places. No sections were obtained.

Lawrence Township. - Both the Wilgus coal and the Cambridge limestone are fairly constant in Lawrence Township, where the coal is mined some for domestic use, and where the limestone is quarried for road building. They extend across practically the whole of the township,

Windsor Township. - The Wilgus coal and Cambridge limestone are present along the Symmes Creek Valley, in the western part of Windsor Township. The limestone has been utilized for road making, while the coal has contributed a small quantity of house fuel. At Millville, in Windsor Township, on the property of William Holschuh, the limestone has been quarried for road use. The coal was not seen, but was reported present by Mr. Holschuh. The ssection is as follows:

Aid Township. - In their extension northward from Lawrence Township into Aid both the Wilgus coal and the Cambridge limestone increase in thickness and in purity. The Cambridge bed furnishes most of the limestone used for road work, while the Wilgus member, near Arabia, reaches its maximum thickness in southern Ohio, and contributes a good part of the local fuel. North of Marion, on the property of Edward Russel, the Wilgus coal has been mined by drifting, and is reported to have the following measurements:

In this locality the Cambridge limestone is stated to vary from 3 to 6 feet in thickness, and the Wilgus member in places to expand to 3 feet. On the land of Charles Russel the coal has also been mined, and is reported to average about 2 feet in thickness. On the ridge south of Sharps Creek the Wilgus coal and Cambridge limestone are reported by William M. Nance to have on the average the following measurements:

On the ridge between Sharps and Elkins creeks both coal and limestone are thin near the heads of the streams, but thicker eastward towards Symmes Creek. On the ridge south of the head of Elkins Creek a section obtained is as follows:

On the knob south of Arabia in Aid Township, the Wilgus coal has been mined for years for local use, and the section taken under heavy cover is as follows:

In Aid Township, on the ridge between Elkins and Aaron creeks, both the limestone and coal were noted on the^ outcrop in a number of places. The limestone is from 2 to 5 feet in thickness, and the coal is reported by J. L. Ferrell to run generally from 20 to 22 inches. About one and one-half miles northwest of Arabia, on the property of A. N. Justice, the coal has been mined in a small way for 45 years. The section taken in a mine is as follows:

The coal has been opened in a number of places near Tipton Knob, inf Aid Township. No banks in operation were seen, but W. M. Herell reports as follows:

West from Tipton Knob the coal thins, and at the head of Johns Creek it is only about 1 foot in thickness, but the limestone, where seen, is from 2 to 3 feet.

Mason Township. - Owing to the fact that the coal lying below the Cambridge limestone has been mined for many years for local consumption, and has excellent volume in the vicinity of Wilgus, this bed was called Wilgus coal by D. D. Condit. Both coal and limestone are found on Long and Buck creeks, and extend well towards their headwaters. In this township the limestone varies from 1 to 6 feet in thickness, while the coal expands from 1 foot to 3 feet 6 inches. The usual measurement of the latter, however, is between 2 and 3 feet.

The limestone attains 5 feet in thickness in this vicinity, but the coal averages about as given above. On Buckeye Creek the thickness of the coal and that of the limestone are practically the same as on Long Creek. Near the mouth of Long Creek, on the property of J. C. Neal, the following section was taken in a new opening:

Both the limestone and coal are well developed on Buck Creek in northern Mason Township, Near the head of the stream,. on the property of John A. Wilson, the section seen and reported is as follows:

The coal has been mined in a number of places on this creek, but no banks are in operation at present, (1912.) Mr. Wilson reports the coal from 3 feet to 3 feet 6 inches, and the limestone about 6 feet in thickness.

Symmes Township. - The Cambridge limestone holds its thickness quite well as it extends northward across Symmes Township into Gallia Coimty, but the Wilgus coal thins rather gradually until it is only about 1 foot in thickness or even less. In the western part of the township, the members are found near the summits of the high ridges at an elevation of about 950 feet, but along the Symmes Creek Valley in the eastern part they are found at an elevation of about 800 feet. The limestone is regularly used for road making, as it is available . over most of the area; while the coal has been mined at only a few places and is not important at present. Near the mouth of Johns Creek in Symmes Township, on the property of A. T. Pyles, the Wilgus coal has been prospected by a drift mine at which the record given below was obtained :

In Symmes Township, west of Symmes Creek and north of Johns Creek, both coal and limestone are quite persistent. On Stewart Knob there is a small area in which the bed has been worked for local use. The section is as follows:

North of Sherritts on the ridge between Johns and Buffalo creeks, the limestone and coal outcrop on the high points. At the mouth of an old mine, on the property of H. W. Stewart, the section measured is as given below:

Elizabeth, Decatur, and Washington Townships. - The Cambridge limestone, with the underlying Wilgus coal, is pres?nt on the high knobs on the main ridges in the northwestern part of Elizabeth Township. The Wilgus coal has weathered, so that it is but little more than dust. The limestone varies from 1 to 2 feet in thickness. Small isolated areas of these members are present along the main ridges in eastern Decatur Township. On Phillips Knob the following s?ction was obtained:

The most northern, exposure in Lawrence County is just west ( f Hoadley in Washington Township, where a section in a small min»* )^ as given below:

The area above drainage in which the Wilgus coal carries a thickness of 2\ to 3^ feet, begins near the head of Long Creek, extends northward past Arabia, then across the ridge between Aaron and Jolir> creeks, and then across the ridge between Johns and Buffalo crecKs north of Sherritts. Its maximum development is fomid in the region around Arabia and Wilgus. On Long and Buck creeks where it passes below drainage, it has good thickness, which it may hold for some distance. The deposit is persistent, but thins gradually westward from the main axis, and also east of this in the Symmes Creek Valley north of Waterloo.

The Wilgus coal has a local value only. It furnishes the principal part of the fuel used at Wilgus, Arabia, and vicinity. The farmers on the ridges between Aaron and Buffalo creeks draw their main supply from this bed. In the future, after the thicker coals have been worked out, the Wilgus coal may be of considerable importance, as the area in which it is 'found is quite large, and as the conditions for mining are favorable, although the deposit is thin.

There are no regular partings in the bed, and it contains but little shale impurities in the main field in Symmes, Aid, and Mason townships. The Cambridge limestone is the roof material throughout the entire fields with the exception of small areas on Long Creek and in the southern part of the county, where shales intervene between the coal and limestone. With this exception there is no "draw slate" with which to contend. Along the outcrop, or imder shallow cover, the -limestone is usually weathered into shelly blocks, separated by mud partings, which form a dangerous roof. Under heavy cover the limestone is very solid and is but little jointed; hence it forms a roof of excellent quality. The floor material is generally a dense, siliceous, calcareous clay, and is solid enough to carry well the weight of the overburden on the mine props, ribs, and pillars without giving, in properly worked mines. The coal is very regular. There are but few small rolls in the floor, so that the mines are easily drained when driven against the dip. The coal is bright and solid and has the appearance of a short fiber cannel coal.

The minerals associated with the Wilgus coal are of small importance. The clay below, where examined, in most cases contains a considerable quantity of impurities in the form of ferrous and calcium carbonate nodules; consequently it is suitable only for low grade ceramic work. The Cambridge limestone above is generally siliceous and thin, but it has good use for road ballast or concrete work. The materials above the limestone are usually soft shales, which form dangerous mine roofs; hence, for safety in mining, part of the stone should be left for this purpose. This can be done, however, only in a part of the field, as the limestone is too thin. The Wilgus coal is an oily, freeburning, long-flamed coal. The ash is low, but clinkers considerably. Earnest Griffith, of the Arabia Milling Company, considers the Wilgus coal for steaming purposes superior to the Upper Freeport, and about equal to the Greasy Ridge or Pomeroy coal. An analysis of the Wilgus coal from a mine near Hoadley, made by Mr. Downs Schaaf, is as follows:

It is also a coking coal, as shown by a test, but the yield is low, and the sulphur largely in the form of organic sulphides is entirely too high. It is rich in gas and tarry compounds. As already stated, the Wilgus coal at present is of value chiefly for a local fuel supply, or for a reserve when the thicker deposits have become exhausted.

The Cambridge limestone is found over a wide area in Lawrence County, extending in a belt about 10 miles wide from the Ohio River to the northern boundary. Its western limit is practically the ridges that form the divide between the Symmes Creek and Pine and Storms creeks basins from the northern boundary of the county to Kitts Hill, then south from this point to Coalgrove. Its eastern boundary is close to Symmes Creek, from near its mouth to as far north as Willowwood, then northward to the heads of Long and Buck creeks and to the Lawrence-Gallia line, which then forms the boundary. The average thickness of* this limestone is between 3 and 4 feet, with a maximum of 6 or 7 feet. It is best developed in the region extending from Marion Township, and from the head of Long Creek, in Aid and Mason townships, northward to Arabia, thence across the ridge between Aaron and Johns creeks to the ridge between Johns and Buffalo creeks, in Symmes Township, north of Sherritts. In this area the limestone usually is from 4 to 6 feet in thickness. The Cambridge limestone in Lawrence County is generally quite siliceous, which restricts it to a few uses; the most important of these are for road ballast and concrete work, for which it is largely used in the Symmes Creek Valley, where the higher grade Ferriferous limestone is less available.

Ames Limestone

The Ames limestone, which lies about 80 feet above the Cambridge, is seldom present in Lawrence County. This member is very fossiliferous, and is a good guide for stratigraphic work. A thin bed of Ames limestone was poted on the McGuirr Hill south of Manker, in Lawrence Township, and another deposit was seen on the property of OIlie Moore, on Buffalo Creek, in Fayette.

Fruit Culture

Southeastern Ohio should become one of the important fruit regions of the United States, as the land is especially adapted for the cultivation of apples. The fruit belt is that in which the country rock belongs to the Conemaugh and to the Monongahela formations, which arc made up largely' of highly calcareous and ferruginous shales having a deep red color, with occasional thin and nodular beds of limestone. In Lawrence County this belt includes the area from the eastern boundary of the county to about the central part, or, in other words, it includes that part of the county made up of the rocks above the Upper Freeport or Waterloo coal. Here the rocks of this interval are largely shales which are especially rich in calcium and magnesium carbonates, iron oxides and phosphates, some thick sandstone beds, and a few thin limestones. The residual soil thus contains most of the mineral foods demanded by the trees to produce a vigorous hardy growth. Clover does well; hence the soil may easily be enriched in the necessary nitrogen compounds at a small expense. The trees on this land are hardy, quite free from disease, and bear abundantly. The apples are of good size, very highly colored, excellently flavored, solid, and firm. They are not as large in size as the western apple, but are as highly colored and far better flavored. The keeping quality is equal to that of any of the western apples.

There are thousands of acres of these red shale lands in eastern Lawrence County, well located, and available for fruit culture. The land on the ridges is generally preferred to that in the valleys, as the frosts are less destructive. On many of these ridges there are large tracts on which fruit may be tended and harvested with ease. One of the most serious objections to fruit raising in this locality at present is a lack of proper marketing facilities, as the country roads are poor and the railroad service is inadequate. Compared to that of western fruit lands, the price of these lands is very low; consequently, for the same capital, the acreage will far exceed that in the west. Further, a more intelligent and cheaper labor may be secured in this locality than is obtaineel in the west, and the fruit is closer to market. Fruit raising in southern Ohio is not an experiment, as some very fine orchards are located in Lawrence and Gallia counties. This industry should be encouraged and extended.

Chapter Iii

The minerals of Pike County liave been but little developed, i^lthough deposits of shale, sandstone, conglomerate, and coal are found, which in the future may lead to the establishment of important industries. The region is too far west to contain notable amounts of ores, which, through the charcoal iron industry, brought about early activity in the wiiming of the minerals of the counties eastward. The most striking geological feature is the massive stratum of Sharon conglomerate marked by the bold cliffs on the points, or by the long line of steep escarpments along the main ridges, or by the abrupt walls of the gorges along the headwaters of the small streams, where the rocks with the varied profusion of plant life yield a wildness both beautiful and impressive.

Pike County, dissected by the Scioto River, is bounded on the north by Ross, on the east by Jackson, on the south by Scioto and Adams, and on the west by Highland. According to the latest government estimate the area is 470 square miles.

In this report only that part of Pike County east of the Scioto River will be considered. The region is a part of the old Appalachian Plateau, the outline of which may be observed by standing on one of the high hills, and by followiug with the eye the elevations of the high ridges, and of the hills which thus approximately mark the original plane. This plateau was first traversed by a system of rivers flowing northward, which, cutting deep into the rock strata, produced the general outlines of the present relief. During the glacial epoch a reversal of the drainage took place, which gave rise to the present system of drainage and caused many of the old waterways to be modified or even abandoned. The present streams have been active in cutting new beds or deepening the old ones, and in extending their headwaters farther into the highlands. The resultant of the forces acting is shown by the highly dissected character of the region, which, excepting the valleys of the Scioto, and the preglacial California rivers, and remnants of the valley of the old Portsmouth River, is made up of steep hills with narrow valleys. In Pike County the width of the California Valley is from IJ to 2 miles, that of the Scioto from 2 to 3| miles, and the fragments of the Portsmouth Valley from 1 to 2 miles. The summits of the main ridges just east of the Scioto often rise to an altitude of more than 1,100 feet, while the flood plains of the small streams below are about 600 feet above tide. Along the eastern boundary of the county, the elevation of the crests of the main ridges is about 1,000 feet, and that of the valley plains nearly 700 feet. Thus the slope of the Appalachian Plateau is eastward; hence, measuring from the level of the small streams, the ridges near the Scioto rise approximately 200 feet higher than those along the eastern border of the county.

The relief of the region is also influenced by the character of the rock strata. The formations above drainage in that part of Pike County east of the Scioto River are Cuyahoga, Logau,, and lower Pottaville. The Cuyahoga formation is made up of sandy shales with thin and medium bedded sandstone interstratified, but the former constitute the main mass of the deposits. The next formation in ascending order, the Logan, which in the main is also composed of sandy shales, contains in some localities thick strata of argillaceous sandstones. Above this comes the Pottsville formation, the basal member of which is the Sharon conglomerate, represented in a part of the territory by massive deposits of pebbles and sands. The difference in the topography of the territory, where the hills are composed of Cuyahoga and Logan strata, from that where the hills also contain thick deposits of Sharon conglomerate, is striking. In the former region the features forcibly pronounced are the narrow, sharp ridges, the steep but gradual slope of the hills, and the V-shaped valleys of the small streams, while in the latter the features characteristic are the broad ridges on which are found many good upland farrcs, the abrupt declivity of the hills with many high precipices, and the constricted U-shaped valleys of the small streams. The nature of the outcropping rocks thus influences, to a marked degree the character of the surface, for the relief in Seal, Scioto, and western Jackson, Beaver, and Union townships, where the strata exposed are Cuyahoga and Logan shales and sandstones, is noticeably different from that in Marion, and eastern Jackson and Beaver townships, where massive deposits of Sharon conglomerate are exposed.

A study of the relief shows that the Sharon conglomerate, although its texture is open and the particles poorly cemented, is more resistant to weathering agencies than the shales and sandstones of the Cuyahoga and Logan formations, but when the abrasive action of streams is considered the effects are reversed. The differential effects of weathering are shown in traveling the ridges, for here if the rocks exposed are Logan shales and sandstones, they are very narrow, often scarcely wide enough for a wagon road, but if the Sharon conglomerate comes in, they widen to a marked degree thus producing easily tillable land. Many good upland farms are found on the ridges just above the outcrop of the Sharon conglomerate, while but few occur where the prevailing rocks are Cuyahoga and Logan.

The difiference in the cutting power of streams acting on the thick stratum of Sharon conglomerate or on the shales and sandstones below, is shown by observation of the valley walls and the stream gradients. Streams acting on the conglomerate secim to drop through the deposit, the declivity is abrupt and the valley walls very steep or precipitous, but those acting on the shales and sandstones, have regularly changing gradients and more constantly sloping walls.

The resultant of the forces of weathering and stream action on the different classes of rocks is especially well illustrated by the relief in Jackson Township. Here in the western part, east of the Scioto River, the rocks are shales and sandstones of the Cuyahoga and Logan formations, and the features are narrow ridges with steep but constant slopes, and regularly changing stream gradients. In the eastern part, the Sharon conglomerate comes in with force, often measuring 150 feet in thickness, and the features noticeable are wide ridges with the outcropping conglomerate marked by lines of rugged cliffs and steep escarpments and the abrupt descent of the stream through this member.

The Ohio River receives through the Scioto and the Little Scioto rivers the waters from the entire area. The Little Scioto drains eastern Beaver, eastern and southern Marion and southern Union townships. The Scioto, with the aid of a number of small tributaries, drains the remainder of the area. A few small runs flowing directly to the Scioto drain southern Scioto Township. Beaver Creek drains northern Scioto, northern Union, northwestern Marion, western Beaver and all of Seal, excepting a narrow strip along the Scioto and a small territory in the northern part drained by Marcus Run and Straight Creek. The Scioto, with its small tributaries, the most important of which are Straight Creek, Cars, Mutton, and Hickson runs, drains directly all of Jackson Township w4th the exception of a few sections in the eastern part, which are drained by western tributaries of Pigeon Creek, whose waters finally reach the Scioto through Little Salt and Salt creeks.

Beaver Creek, which follows throughout most of its coiu^se the old Teays River Valley, is the largest stream entirely within the area. Its course is tortuous and the stream under normal conditions sluggish. The numerous small streams rising in the hilly lands are eroding streams, active in both deepening and widening their valleys. Diu-ing rainy seasons their currents are swift, and they transport heavy loads of broken stones, gravel, and sediments. The work of the Scioto is mainly that of removing glacial debris from its valley.

The railroads crossing the county follow the main drainage lines. The county and township roads are usually located in the valleys, although in the eastern part some follow the principal ridges.

of the old Kanawha drainage system, and by one of its important tributaries, the Portsmouth River, the general descriptions of which have been given in the discussion of the drainage features of Lawrence and Scioto counties. The Teays River, the course of which is well defined by the broad valley that it eroded through the hilly country, entered Pike County near Stockdale. From here, making a great bend, it flowed across the corner of Marion Township into Scioto Township, Jackson Count}^ thence northward to Glade, and thence westward, entering Pike County in the northern part of Marion Township. From this point it flowed on westward to Waverly, thence turning abruptly, flowed northeastward to Richmondale, Ross County. Its course has also been traced from Richmondale northward past Londonderry and thence northwestward to Chillicothe, where the old bed is buried with glacial drift.

The old valley is especially well defined from the Scioto River near Waverly to the eastern boundary near Beaver, as its valley floor, bordered b}^ hills rising from 200 to 300 feet above, is from 1 to 2 miles in width. Judging from the elevation and nature of the deposits northward from Waverly, the upland plain, l>dng between the flood plains of the Scioto and the hills to the west, is evidently a fragment of the old valley, the most of which was obliterated by the present stream. For a complete discussion of the subject, the reader is referred to the work of Tight, ** Drainage modification in southeastern Ohio and adjacent parts of West Virginia and Kentucky,"* and also that of Leverett, ^'Glacial formatims and drainage features of the Erie and Ohio basins."^

The largest tributary uniting with the Teays River, in Pike County, was the Portsmouth, which is defined by Tight as follows: "It is therefore evident that at Waverly this old Kanawha drainage received a large tributary from the south, which included the waters of Salt Creek and Kinniconick Creek of Lewis County, Ky., with the minor tributaries, and that the old direction of this drainage was along the reversed Ohio to Portsmouth, and, from Portsmouth along the reversed Scioto to Waverly."'

All the consolidated rocks appearing at the surface in Pike County, east of the Scioto River, belong to the Devonian, Mississippian, and Pennsylvanian systems, while the unconsolidated clays, sands, and gravels found on the floors of both the present and preglacial streams, belong to the Quaternary. The Devonian system in this area is represented only by the Ohio formation, which is not exposed in its full thickness at any point. This formation, which is made up largely of shales, has not yet been divided into members. The rocks of the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian systems are subdivided into formations and members. The six formations of the Mississippian series, Bedford, Berea, Sunbury, Cuyahoga, Logan, and Maxville, are present in eastern Pike County, but the Maxville is represented only by scattered fragments of cherty limestone. Of the four formations of the Pennsylvanian system, Pottsville, Allegheny, Conemaugh, and Monongahela, only the lower one, the Pottsville, is present. The Mississippian strata consist, in the main, of shales and sandstones, but they also contain conglomerates, fragments of limestone, and nodular ores. The Pennsylvanian rocks are conglomerates, sandstones, shales, clays, coals, limestones, and iron ores. The total thickness of Mjississippian rocks is between 600 and 700 feet, while that of the Pennsylvanian is about 300 feet. At present the latter are of chief interest as they carry coal of workable thickness. In this report the Quaternary rocks are first described, then the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian rocks, which are treated in more detail, are considered in ascending order, beginning with the oldest.

Pleistocene Series

The heavy deposits of clays and sands found on the floor of the Teays Valley, which extends from the Scioto River eastward past Beaver to Glade, Jackson County, and thencen southward to Stockdale, and also those deposits found on the floor of the fragment of the Portsmouth Valley, in Scioto and Seal townships, were laid down during Pleistocene time. The sands in the main are fine-grained and argillaceous. The clays vary in texture from a rather open or porous body to ona very dense and impervious; in color, from a light gray to a dark brown; and in composition, from those containing notable amounts of silica, iron oxides, and lime, to those in which these components are quite low. When seen in cross section these clays have a jointed structure, which in most cases is well defined. The clays, which are found along the margins of the valley, and on elevated points and divides, and which were deposited during the slack-water period, are characterized by their high degree of stratification. The thickness of the deposits on these old valley floors varies from 30 to 60 or more feet.

The clays of the Pleistocene series have some value for the manufacture of ceramic products, although they are but little used in Pike County. They are well suited for the making of red brick and drain tile especially. The winning of the clay from the deposits is accomplished at a low cost, as it only involves stripping off the soil and digging by plow or mattock. Plastic muds are formed by simply working the clay with water in a pug mill, but this process is hastened by preliminary grinding of the lumps by a roll crusher. The muds thus formed flow through the dies of the brick or tile machine with but little defects, especially if the clays used are somewhat siliceous. If the clays used are highly plastic, such as those produced during the slack-water period, laminations, which cause loss of ware during drying and burning, are produced. The ware checks with rapid drying, but, with a reasonable amount of care in regulating the temperature and air currents, it dries safely, and has good toughness, withstanding easily the handling in setting. The ware bums to a good dense body at a low temperature, but the total shrinkage, both drying and burning, is relatively high, usually averaging from \\ to 1^ inches per foot. With tile some ware is lost on account of warpage. In color the ware ranges from a light red to a dark brownish red. The only plant in Pike County working these clays at present is the Beaver Tile and Brick Company, the following description of which was furnished by the general manager, John A. Stout:

The plant, located one mile west of Beaver, was built by Theobald Bros, in 1911, but has since been rearranged and enlarged. The clays used are the silt deposits in the old

- BsmeB Stmd & Gravel Company's plant near Wakefield, Pike County. Glacial drift gravel from the flood plains of the Scioto River is mioed, sized, and washed for the general market.

river valley; the stratum worked at present has an average thickness of about 10 feet. The power is furnished by an Atlas 60-H. P. boiler and engine. The clays are first crushed by a roll disintegrator, then worked into a soft iDudl)y a common type pug mill. The mud is shaped into ware by a No. 281 auger machine, made by American Clay Machinery Co. This ware is handled on 60 triple-deck steel cars with transfer cars. The drying is done by exhaust steam from the engine or live steam from the boiler. The ware is burned in three 25-foot downdraft kilns and the fuel used is No. 1 or Jackson Shaft coal. The capacity of the plant is 15 M. brick or 10 M. 4-inch tile. The plant Has a yard-level switch from the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railway, over which a l&rgiQ part of the ware is shipped. Standard tile from 3-inch to 12-inch, with shapes for connections, and common building brick are kept in stock. The firm also operates one Bucke3re traction stream ditcher, size 11} inches by 4i feet, and controls by lease 40 acres of Jackson Shaft coal land from which at present the main supply of fuel is drawn.

Along the Scioto Valley, gravels and sands deposited in Pleistocene time ai^e worked for local use. Formerly this gravel was used quite extensively for railroad ballast and road facing, but at present the gravel has been supplanted largely by limestone. These gravels and sands are excellent materials for concrete and mortar work, as they are usually quite free from silt and coal particles. At present at no point in the county are these materials regularly mined and marketed.

Along the flood plains of the small streams the deposits consist of interbedded gravels and alluvium, which, due to the variable nature of the deposition, have no practical value. Along the Scioto the deposits in the main consist of glacial gravel and sand, with a surface coating of alluvium. Where this material has been worked over by the streams, and thus differentially separated, beds of clean sand or gravel are found, which are used locally to a small extent. The sand is used for mortar work, and the gravel for concrete and road facing.

Devonian System Ohio Formation

The Ohio formation, commonly known as the Ohio' shales, is the only division of Devonian rocks appearing at the surface in the eastern half of Pike County. Its outcrop, found at the base of the hills, extends along the Scioto River from near Wakefield north to near the mouth of Marcus Run, in Seal Township. The formation is nowhere in this vicinity exposed in its entire thickness, only a thin section of the upper part being above drainage level. Owing to the deep covering along the valley these rocks are seldom exposed for observation, except in the beds of the small streams as they enter the flood plains of the Scioto River. The rocks of the Ohio formation in this locality are black shales, containing about 10 per cent carbonaceous matter, to which the coloration is primarily due. The stratification planes are closely spaced, thus allowing the shale to be split into thin sheets. These shales are rather hard and tough; hence they are more weather resistant than the average shales. The Ohio shales are not well fitted for ceramic uses, as their working qualities are poor, and as the concretionary and carbonaceous matter contained cause serious trouble during the burning of the product. When the supply of oil and gas, which nature has stored in the rocks below, is exhausted, the shales may be utilized for the production of these valuable fuels now so largely used. When these shales are subjected to destructive distillation they yield both oil and gas, as the carbonaceous matter is broken down into such compounds. At present the shales of the Ohio formation have but little practical value, but in the future they may be useful in contributing to the needs of mankind.

The rocks laid down during the early part of Mississippian time are shales with thin to medium bedded layers of argillaceous sandstones. They indicate deposition in quiet waters, which at times at least were shoaly, as the sandstones are usually highly ripple marked. The rocks above these are siliceou^s shales and shaly sandstones, while those laid down during the latter part of the epoch are shales, sandstones, and a limestone. The sandstones, containing differentiated layers of coarse and fine materials, and showing some cross bedding and ripple marks, suggest deposition by currents both in open waters and along old sea beaches. The limestone, deposited in quiet waters, was later nearly completely removed for only scattered fragments of the deposit now remain. Mississippian time was one of general subsidence, although slight elevations occurred as shown by a few small disconformities.

The rocks exposed at the base of the hills east of the Scioto belong to the Mississippian system. The rocks exposed on the crests of the highest points in Scioto and in Seal townships, with the exception of two knobs in the eastern part of Seal, are Mississippian. In western Union, Beaver, and Jackson townships the highest hills and ridges are capped by Pennsylvanian strata. The dip of the strata south of east, measured by using the AUensville conglomerate as the basis, is 39 feet to the mile. The Mississippian rocks extend eastward entirely across the county and go below drainage in the western part of Jackson County. Along the eastern boimdary of the county the elevation of the upper surface of the Mississippian is from 800 to 900 feet, generally about 850 feet or from 100 to 200 feet above drainage. The Mississippian system, as already stated, is divided into six formations, which will now be considered in ascending order. As these rocks are being investigated by another member of the Survey, J. E. Hyde, they will be treated only in a general way.

Bedford Formation

part of Seal Township. It is made up of shales in which some thin to medium bedded layers of sandstones are interstratified. Lithologically these shales differ greatly from those of the underlying Ohio formation, but they are somewhat similar to those of the Cuyahoga division of rocks, which is found higher in the geological column. The sandstones resemble those of the overlying Berea and Cuyahoga formations, but they are thinner bedded, finer grained, more argillaceous and more widely spaced.

In the main these shales are rather soft, and on weathering, they crumble to fine powders. In some localities layers near the upper part of the formation are clay-like in character. Good plasticity is always developed in these shales by weathering or by working with water. They are somewhat less siliceous than the shales of the Portsmouth member of the Cuyahoga formation. The color of the main body of the deposit is light gray or bluish gray, while that of the clay-like layers is usually mottled with iron oxide pigments.

Berea Formation

In eastern Pikfe County, the Berea formation is above drainage along the Scioto Valley, from the southern line to near the mouth of Cars Run in Jackson Township. It is made 'up of sandstone beds with which thin layers of shales are interstratified. The sandstone layers vary in thickness from 1 inch or even less to as much as 7 feet, but most of them measure between 6 inches and 2 feet. The beds are regularly jointed by planes which cross at approximately right angles. A few layers have a concretionary structure, often very pronounced. These sandstones are highly ripple marked, and the lq,yers of siliceous shales also show the same features. The stone is composed of quartz sand with a small amount of argillaceous matter and iron compounds for the bonding components. Most of the beds are quite weather resistant, but a few layers crumble when exposed to severe conditions. Only a few observations were made regarding the thickness of the formation, which varies considerably from place to place, but these views indicate that the thickness is from 20 to 40 feet. In eastern Pike County, the Berea sandstones have been worked for shipment in only one locality, which is at Piketon. A description of the quarry follows:^

A quarry in the Berea sandstone was opened many years ago on a hill at Piketon. It was operated on a small scale, but was abandoned perhaps 25 years ago. Following is a section in this quarry:

The layers in this quarry, except the top 6 feet, are quite regular, and nearly always separated by from 1 to 4 inches of shales. The rock is not much broken nor is the concretionary structure prominent. The stone had a large market on the Norfolk & Western Railway, which used it for bridges.

Sunbury Formation

The area of the Sunbury formation in eastern Pike County is confined to a narrow belt extending along the Scioto River, and the lower courses of its small tributaries, from the southern boundary of the county to the central part of Jackson Township. The formation is made up of shales, which in many respects resemble the shales of the Ohio formation. Owing to the presence of carbonaceous matter they are dark colored, varying from coffee brown to nearly black. These shales are hard, bony, and fissile. They are also quite weather resistant, but when reduced by the elements they flake off in thin sheets instead of crumbling to powders. These shales are often highly charged with small nodules of pyrite, yet they seldom contain concretions of other materials. The thickness of the formation, where measured, is from 15 to 30 feet, but these figures may not represent the extremes. The average thickness observed is about 20 feet.

At present the Sunbury shales have no economic value, but, owing to the cont(»nt of carbonaceous matter, in the future they may be utilized as a sourci* of oil and gas. They have no ceramic value.

The Cuyahoga formation includes the shales and sandstones from the Sunbury black shales below to the Logan shales and sandstones above. The contact of the Cuyahoga and Logan formations is not sharply defined in most of the area. In some localities the line of di- vision is marked by a slight disconfonnity that exists between the shales of the Cuyahoga and a heavy sandstone above, which has been named by Hyde the Byer member of the Logan. In other localities, where the Byer sandstone is poorly developed, the shales and sandstones of the Cuyahoga blend with those of the Logan with no apparent definite break; the interval from fossil horizons and texture changes is then the main reliance in separating the two formations. The thickness of the Cuyahoga formation varies usually between 300 and 340 feet. Primarily the formation is made up of shales, but in the lower half, especially, thin to massive layers of sandstone are found which may lie close together, or may be separated by intervals of many feet. They are correlative with the freestones worked at McDermott, Buena Vista, and Careys Run, in Scioto County.

Along the road on Straight Creek, just below the mouth of Meadow Run, in Section 8, Seal Township, one of the heavy brown stone layers is exposed. The layer varies from 2 to 4 feet in thickness, and the stone has an attractive brownish color.

In Section 2, Jackson Township, on land of Peter Bauer, several layers of the brown stone are exposed, one of which has a thickness ranging from 5 to 6 f^et, where measured. The layer is broken into large blocks, by joint planes, but is quite free from partings along the bedding planes. The stone is medium fine-grained and has good color. It is quite weather resistant, as the stratum stands out in bold relief along the hillside at an elevation of about 70 feet above the flood plain of the Scioto River. The thinner layers exposed below were not measured.

An exposure of the brown stone layers was also seen along the roadside near the Brown School, in Section 1, Jackson Township. A partial section taken at this point follows:

South of this, along the road in Straight Creek, near the central part of Section 10, one of the layers is exposed, and measured as given below:

The upper 8 inches of shelly stone, which has been loosened by weathering, is a part of the layer. Under heavy cover the entire bed is solid. The heavy layer seen on land of Peter Bauer is also exposed in a number of places near the base of the hills facing the Scioto River. It is persistent from his home north to the mouth of Cars Run. In the southwestern comer of Section 4, Jackson Township, on land of M. P.

Foster, the layer ranging in thickness from 3 to 4 feet is found about 60 feet above the Scioto flood plain. The average thickness of the blocks measured was 3 feet 6 inches, and the quality of the stone very good. North of this in an old quarry, from which a small amoimt of stone had been taken for some local use, the layer measured 3 feet 6 inches, and the interval from it to- the Sharon conglomerate, which caps the point, measured 260 feet. (Aneroid). Near the mouth of Cars Run the thickness exposed at one point was only 2 feet 6 inches. On Cars Run, near the Baptist Church, in Section 5, Jackson Township, brown sandstone layers are exposed at a number of points. The thickest layer seen measured from 1 foot 6 inches to 4 feet, averaging about 2 feet 6 inches to 3 feet. In the same section, near the mouth of Jackson Fork, a layer exposed measured from 1 foot 6 inches to 3 feet. Near where the road crosses Cars Run, in the northeastern part of Section 27, the following measurements were made:

Near the mouth of Hay Hollow, in Section 28, a layer exposed along the road measured 2 feet 9 inches in thickness. East of this, on land of John Richenbaugh, the section given below was measured along an old road:

One of the brown sandstone layers, measuring from 3 feet to 3 feet 6 inches, is exposed on the point north of the home of George Anderson, in Section 25, Jackson Township. The stratum, here about 30 feet above the flood plain of the Scioto, is correlative with the heavy layer exposed along the Scioto Valley south of Cars Run. North of this on land of Joseph Acord, layers measuring from 1 to 2 feet in thickness were seen.

Near the mouth of Hickson Run, in Section 17, Jackson Township, on land of Pearl E. Cash, the following measurements were made of the strata exposed along the bank of the stream near the river road.

This series of brown sandstones continues northward to Richmondale in Ross County. Some of the upper layers were also noticed along Little Salt Creek.

The weather resistant character of both the gray and brown sandstone layers at once stamp them as fit material for building purposes. Not all the layers though are sufficiently durable for exposed work, for some are shaly and break up on weathering. Both care and judgment should be exercised in selecting and grading the materials. The medium and massive bedded layers are usually the most durable, although this quality is not a function of thickness, for some layers measuring only a few inches are far more resistant than others measuring from 1 to 3 feet. In some layers the blocks show a faint concretionary structure, and on exposure break along concentric lines into spheroidal masses.

The coloring of both the gray and brown varieties is due mainly to the amount and to the state of the iron component present. This in the gray stone is present in the ferrous or reduced state mainly, while in the brown stone the iron has been oxidized to the ferric state. From surface indications the brown stones change gradually into the gray as the cover thickens. The layers in the brown stone series contain a larger amount of iron minerals than the layers in the gray stone series below, for the latter on weathering give only pale browns and yellows, which are not attractive. This is also shown by the association of the gray and brown stone layers found in some sections where the conditions for weathering were equally favorable to both. The difference between the composition of the material in the gray stone series and that in the brown stone series is shown by the following analyses made by Professor Wormley.'

With a few exceptions both the gray and brown varieties are finegrained, rather dense sandstones with clay and ferruginous minerals for the bonding material. The grains in the brown sandstone are usually somewhat coarser thap in the gray. The bedding planes in both are usually too faint to give pronotmced cleavage along these lines, the blocks breaking about as well in one direction as the other. On exposure, due to loss of water and oxidation changes, the rocks harden, but the fresh material is easily worked. The colors also in the weathered material are more permanent, so for exposed ornamental work this grade of stone should be used.

Both the brown and gray sandstones are well suited for building stone as they are strong and durable. There is a large amount of this material available in Pike County east of the Scioto River, as the outcrop of the strata extends from Scioto County northward to Ross. Along the outcrop and in restricted localities where the cover is shallow, the thicker layers should yield a large amount of high-grade material, suitable for plain and ornamental architectural work or heavy masonry. The deposits are not regularly quarried and marketed, at present, at any place east of the Scioto River.

The Logan formation is sub-divided by J. E. Hyde into three members, Byer, Allensville, and Vinton. They are made up of shales, sandstones, and fine-grained conglomerates. The Logan formation usually ranges in thickness from 100 to 150 feet. A section taken at the head of Buck Hollow, in Section 16, Jackson Township, shows the general character of the members:

Maxville Limestone

In Pike County the Maxville limestone is represented only by scattered fragments of cherty material, found along the contact zone of the Pennsylvania!! and Mississippian rocks, between which a pronounced disconformity exists. If the rocks of the Maxville limestone were laid down here, they were so completely removed by erosion before the deposition of the Pottsville material that only cherty fragments remain. The erosion agencies not only removed the Maxville, if deposited, but also in places cut deep into the Logan. A drop of from 50 to 75 feet in one-fourth mile in the elevation of the upper surface of the Logan is not uncommon, and here the Sharon conglomerate thickens proportionally. Evidently the formations were elevated above the water at the close of the Mississippian period, and were thus subjected to erosion for some considerable duration of time. Since the removal of the limestone is so complete, it hardly seems probable that the deposits had a thickness comparable with that found in eastern Scioto and southern Lawrence counties. The condition here rather suggests thin local deposits, or the cherty material found may have been brought in by currents from deposits to the south in Scioto County, or to the east in Vinton, where remnants of limestone strata yet remain.

rocks. There is a pronounced general difference in the nature and kinds of materials making up the Pottsville strata from those making up the Cuyahoga, Logan, and Maxville below. The Maxville limestone, when normally developed, is thick and quite pure, while the limestones found in the Pottsville are thin and generally siliceous. The sandstones in the Cuyahoga and Logan formations are compact, fine-grained, and, with few exceptions, argillaceous, while in the Pottsville the sandstones are open, friable, coarse-grained, and often highly micaceous. The shales of the former are siliceous, rather coarse-grained, and moderately plastic, while the shales of the latter are finer-grained, more plastic, and aluminous, and many contain notable amounts of carbonaceous matter. Coals and high-grade flint and plastic clays, common in the Pottsville, are not found in the formations below. The massive conglomerate at the base of the Pottsville is scarcely comparable with the thin fine-grained conglomerate of the Logan. In all respects there is a decided change in the character of the Pottsville rocks from those below. The Pottsville opens another chapter in the history of sedimentation.

The thickness of Pottsville rocks in Pike County is about 300 feet, of which about half is conglomerate, while the remainder is clays, shales, sandstones, coals, and iron ores. Only the lower part of the Pottsville is present, as the highest strata exposed are just below the horizon of the Quakertown or Wellston coal. The members present are Sharon conglomerate, Sharon coal, Sharon ore, and Sciotoville clay, which are taken up in ascending order.

Sharon Conglomerate

The Sharon conglomerate, the basal member of the Pottsville formation, normally is a massive conglomerate with coarse quartz pebbles, but in some localities these are wanting and there the member is a coarse-grained sandstone. In fact, the composition of the stratum grades from a sandstone to a loose conglomerate with but little fine material. These changes in the stratum may occur either in a short distance horizontally, or in a few feet vertically.

As a general rule, the conglomerate is highly cross-bedded; the horizontal planes vary from an inch or two, to several feet apart, while the inclined planes are usually closely spaced. The stratum seldom shows distinct breaks in deposition, except along the border of the field and in a few localities where the Sharon coal, which will be treated later, is present. The pebbles and sand grains are well rounded and polished, although at least 90 per cent of the material is crystallized quartz. In disappearing, it is characteristic for the stratum to end rather abruptly; it seldom thins out gradually as do the members above or below. Deateni Pike County. The largest pebbles n diameter.

- Brereiated bed composed of flint from the Maxvillr liir.calonr. quart* pebbles from the Sharon eonRlomerBle. and iron oxides for the bondinR component found on the contact of the Missisflippisn and Pennsylvaninn syslcms. This bed is quite conspicuous in ihc southeaRlern port of Pike County.

posits 50 or more feet thick in one hill may not be represented in the next. Both the upper and lower surfaces of the coaglomerate are also very irregular, the resultant of which gives great variation in the thickness from place to place. In Pike County the thickness of the Sharon conglomerate varies from a few feet to at least 150 feet, the latter noted in eastern Jackson Township. The conglomerate seems to fill the depressions in the surface of the Logaa, which may represent basins or old channel ways, but appear more like the former.

The origin of the Sharon conglomerate is a subject of interest. The material is largely crystallized quartz, and thus of igneous origin derived from the granitic rocks. Evidently the source was Archean rocks of the Laurentian Highlands or of the old Appalachians, but the northward trend of the conglomerate, the comparative size of the two fields, and the barriers along the granitic axis of the Appalachians, strongly favor their derivation from the great fields of crystalline rocks to the north. When the area of the conglomerate, the thickness of the stratum, often measuring from 100 to 150 feet, and the percentage of quartz present are considered, it means the breaking doWn of a large mass of crystalline rocks to furnish the material necessary to build up such a deposit. The igneous rocks in the average contain about 12 per cent of quartz.^ The crystals in only a small part of this* 12 per cent are as large as the sand grains and pebbles in the conglomerate. Further there was a large loss of coarse material through internal strains, which fractured the crystals into parts, and through the abrasion which was necessary to round the particles to the state of the conglomerate sand grains and pebbles. The volume of the Sharon conglomerate, under any consideration, must be multiplied by a very large factor to obtain the original mass of crystalline rocks from which its material was derived.

The lapse of time represented by the transition of quartz crystals from the igneous rocks to the rounded sand grains and pebbles of the Sharon conglomerate was also relatively great, for the elimination of associated minerals through chemical and physical agencies, could only be accomplished through long continued action. The character of the conglomerate suggests the work of two potent factors, the first of which is that of disintegration or rock decay, and the second that of differential sorting and deposition of the various liberated components, but both more or less active contemporaneously.

When a rock is exposed to atmospheric agencies it undergoes a partial decomposition and becomes gradually disintegrated. Some of its substance is dissolved by percolating waters, themselves of atmospheric origin, and is so carried away; the remaining material, partly hyd^ated and partly unchanged in composition, contains products which are easily separated from one another. The breaking do^Ti of a rock is effected partly by mechanical and partly by chemical means. Mechanical agencies, such as the grinding power of glaciers, the pounding of waves, erosion by streams, the dis- ruptive effects of frost or the action of wind-blown sand, tend to separate the particles of a rock and to furnish fresh surfaces to chemical attack. Unequal expansion, due to alternations of heat and cold, also assists in producing disintegration. Solution, hydration, disintegration, and mechanical sorting are the successive stages of rock decay. ^

The important magmatic minerals, such as feldspars, micas, pyroxenes, amphiboles, olivine, leucite, nephelite, pyrite, apatite, and titanium compounds, are attacked by the various chemical and physical agencies with ultimate disintegration of the original rock. Quartz, which is quite insoluble, and thus but little affected by the ordinary agencies, is left practically unchanged.

By solution, oxidation and hydration, then, a solid rock is converted into an aggregate of loose material, which may remain in places as soil or be removed. by the mechanical agencies of running water. As a rule the ch^nical processes are incomplete; some of the minerals are not entirely altered, and the loose products therefore exhibit many variations. In general terms, the streams separate the disintegrated materials into coarser and finer or lighter and heavier portions. The clay-like substances are generally light and finely divided, and therefore remain longest in suspension. The heavier sands and gravels are not carried so far, and thus a separation is effected. In these coarser portions are found quartz, together with undecomposed portions of various minerals; the lighter silts are less variable in composition.'

The composition of the Sharon conglomerate shows that the disintegration of the magmatic rocks, and the mechanical separation of the altered integrants /rom the more resistant quartz, were quite complete before final deposition. The original materials may have passed through many alternating cycles of chemical action and mechanical separation before the final deposition of the conglomerate. This is favored by the high percentage of quartz, requiring practically complete rock decay, and by the well rounded forms of the particles, requiring long continued or severe abrasion. If the materials in the conglomerate came direct from the parent rocks, we would expect during a time interval of short duration, a mixture of minerals and more angularity of the particles. The Sharon conglomerate thus appears to be the final product of various forces acting slowly but continuously.

What became of the associated materials is the question which next arises, since the quartz in the Sharon conglomerate constitutes only a small fraction of the 'total matter in the original crystalline rocks, from which it was derived. In the disintegration of magmatic rocks by solution, hj^dration, oxidation, and mechanical means, while the quartz is very resistant and but little affected, the associated minerals are altered to a variety of powdery or fragile minerals, or broken up into fine parts; for example, feldspars give kaolinite, micas alter to soft secondary products or break along the cleavage planes into thin plates, and ferro-magnesium minerals give a variety of products usually low- in the scale of hardness. When prolonged these forces thus tend to increase the dilBference between the average sizes of quartz particles and those of the alteration products of the other original integrants.

During transportation the coarse materials continually lag behind the finer products, so, applying this to the disintegration products of magmatic rocks, the quartz would be the lagging component. If the rocks decayed on the land, the fine alteration products would be carried farther by the rains, rivulets, and streams than the coarse unaltered quartz; if the breaking up occurred along the sea shore the finer materials would be carried far out into deep or quiet waters, while the coarse material would be left within the zone of wave action, or along the courses of strong currents. Due to the extreme hardness of quartz it is only slowly reduced by abrasion forces, but many associated minerals are easily ground to rock flour. The finer minerals would be the first to reach the sea, and the first to be carried away by moving oceanic waters. If the breaking up of the rocks occurred far inland, especially where the stream gradients were low, the finer materials would reach the sea far ahead of the coarse quartz. Sluggish streams would not transport the latter. If the beach line remained nearly stationary, and the shore not swept by strong currents, the distribution of the quartz would be local, but the finer materials widely scattered. The sedimentation of this fine material would form shales and shaly sandstones, such as make up the Mississippia o rocks.

The pebbles in the Sharon conglomerate are all highly abraded. In the main they are well rounded, indicating that the abrasion was produced through rolling action of currents, but some are flattened, indicating shore action. The cross-bedding of the stratum, highly pronounced, also indicates current action. Considering all points, the history of the Sharon conglomerate seems to indicate that the decay of the crystalline rocks reached an advanced state on low lying uplands; that the products were slowly transported to the sea, coarse materials lagging far behind the finer products; that the fine materials were distributed to the deep and quiet waters, forming shrle, while the coarse materials were left more localized along the margins; that a general elevation took place, converting much of the floor of the sea to land, and restricting the currents to narrow shallow passages; that the force of these currents was now sufficiently strong to transport the coarse quartz, and thus build up the conglomerate. It represents the final act of a series of agencies, which includes rock decay, transportation, selection of' material, crustal forces, and final deposition.

A few general sections showing the thickness and character of the Sharon conglomerate, and its relation to other members, will be given. The upper part of the Sharon conglomerate, with the Sharon coal, which has been mined for local use, and the Sciotoville clay above.

From the forks of the road on Gravel Hill, in the southeast comer of Section 19, to the ridge west, there is a rise in the upper surface of the conglomerate of about 50 feet in one-fifth mile. The roll or sudden change in the elevation ol the upper surface is similar to that noted at a number of places in Jackson and Scioto counties. Near the head of Andrew Hollow the CQnglomerate measured 60 feet in thickness; the lower part is made up of pebbles, loosely cemented, but the upper part is a coarse-grained sandstone, with only occasional pockets of pebbles.

West of this, on land of Willis Hartley, a conglomerate was also seen above the Sharon coal, which condition was noted in many localities in Pike and Jackson counties. The rocks here measured as follows:

Along the road west of the above, both the coal and the upper surface of the conglomerate rise 18 feet in about 100 feet. The Sharon conglomerate also thins going westward. In the same section, south of Allen Chapel, on land of Samuel Graw, the following rocks were exposed:

The rock above the coal is very similar to the true conglomerate below, in composition and texture, excepting that it contains fewer pebbles. The coal may be said to lie in the Sharon conglomerate. North of Allen Chapel, on land of Joseph Hartley, the Sharon coal is wanting, but the Sciotoville flint cby is foimd along the roadside lying above the conglomerate. A section taken here follows:

The Sharon conglomerate, varying from a coarse-grained sandstone to a very pebbly conglomerate, and from 10 to 70 or more feet in thickness, is quite persistent throughout Marion Township. In the eastern part of the township the upper surface of the conglomerate is found at an elevation of about 880 feet, while in the western part it is about 950 feet. In Union Township the conglomerate is found near the fiiunmits of the high hills and ridges east of Pecks Creek. The high knobs on the main ridges between Owl Creek and Dutch Run, and

Dutch Run and the Beaver Creek Valley, are capped with conglomerate, which varies in thickness from 10 to 60 feet. Where the deposits are thick the lower part is usually very pebbly, while the upper part is practically a coarse-grained sandstone. . The deposits are found above the 1,000 foot contour. The conglomerate was noticed on one hill only in Scioto TowTiship. Pine Knob, in Section 9, is capped with about 30 feet of pebbly conglomerate. The fragments indicate a continuous sheet of conglomerate in this area, which was cut away by erosion, leaving patches on the high places and ridges only.

In the northeastern part of Beaver Township the Sharon conglomerate is massively developed, but south of this it thins or is wanting. In the central part of the township it is usually wanting, but where present it is represented by coarse-grained sandstones seldom more than 20 feet in thickness. In the western p*art of the township it is found on a few knobs only in the vicinity of the Rock Spring School, where it measured 45 feet in thickness. The upper surface of the conglomerate here has an elevation of about 1,020 feet. The conglomerate was found in Seal Township only on two hills, which are in Section 20. On one only loose blocks were seen, but on the summit of the other hill there is about 10 feet of the stratum in place. Here it is made up of loosely cemented pebbles, some of which are 2 inches in diameter. The elevation of the deposit is about 1,120 feet above the sea. In eastern Jackson Township the Sharon conglomerate is massively developed, the thickness often reaching from 100 to 150 feet. The elevation of the upper surface, marked by the outcrop of the Sharon coal, is approximately 950 feet. In the northern part the stratum extends westward to the Scioto Valley. Chimney Rocks are composed of conglomerate, the total thickness of which here is about 70 feet, and the elevation of the upper surface of which is about 1,100 feet. The main ridge between Hickson and Mutton rims is made up of massive conglomerate, wliile four high knobs have the sandstone above the horizon of the Sharon coal. Between Mutton Run and Hay Hollow the conglomerate is usually present on all the hills and ridges that extend above the 900 foot contour. The stratum on the high knob in the southwestern part of Section 24 measured 50 feet in thickness. The lower part is composed of coarse pebbles, loosely cemented, but the upper part is more sandy and contains only small pebbles. In Section 25, on L. T. Johnson's farm, the deposit, some 70 feet in thicloiess, shows 20 feet of very coarse material at the base, with 50 feet of sands containing smaller pebbles above. The same condition holds true also for the deposit noted on land of James Hartley, in Section 16. The high places on the main ridge between Hay Hollow and Jackson Run also contain heavy deposits of Sharon conglomerate, which measure from 40 to 90 feet in thjckness, and vary in composition from coarse sandstone to coarse conglomerate. The elevation of the highest part exposed is about 1,020 feet. No conglomerate was noted on the ridges between Jackson Run and Cars Run, although the elevations of soma of the high hills are above those to the north which contain conglomerate. The bed is wanting, because on a few knobs the sandstone above the horizon of the Sharon coal is present. The rocks making up the main ridges are Mississippian shales and sandstones. West of Cars Run no conglomerate was seen on the ridges, excepting on the high hill facing the Scioto in Section 4. This knob, capped with about 15 feet of conglomerate, has an elevation of only 920 feet, while many ridges and hills south, made up entirely of Mississippian rocks, rise from 1,000 to 1,M)0 feet above tide.

The Sharon conglomerate in Pike County has been used for many years for local purposes, but it has never been prepared for the market. The gravel from the conglomerate is the common road facing used in the eastern part of the county, for limestone and other hard rock are wanting. The conglomerate is widely distributed and the gravel easily obtained from the loosely cemented pebbly layers by plowing, picking, or shooting. The material, when composed largely of pebbles requires some time to thoroughly pack, but it then makes a good solid surface. If mixed with sand, or a small amount of clay, it packs more quickly and wearig better. From this material good roads may be made at a low cost. This gravel withstands the wear from heavy traffic better than the glacial gravel from the Scioto River, which is also used locally for road purposes. The gravel from the Sharon conglomerate is used, to a small extent, for concrete work, such as walks, culverts, foundations, and silos. It is quite free from clay, rock flour, or fragile material, but the pebbles and sand grains lack angularity, which gives an interlocking structure. On the whole the material makes a concrete with sufficient strength for all ordinary purposes.

The best economy would be obtained by sizing the material first, then proportioning each size to that amount required to give body and to fill the voids. For concrete work in general, this gravel cannot compete with the more accessible glacial gravel found klong the Scioto River, although the former is of much better quality. The coarse pebbles are suitable for decorative concrete work, as their rounded forms and light colors are attractive. For concrete work the sand from the Sharon conglomerate is also superior to that found along the Scioto River, as the latter contains a much larger amount of fine or silty material and fragile particles, due to the decay of mineral components.

This gravel, crushed and properly sized, would make an excellent sand-blast abrasive, for on account of the hardness of the quartz, and the sharp edges produced by breaking, its cutting power would grade high, and the material would not be easily worn out, but could be used a number of times. The crushing of the gravel would not be extremely difficult, as the pebbles are more or less fractured from expansion changes. Crushed gravel is also used in a small way for a number of minor purposes.

CoDunonly, a part of the Sharon conglomerate, and in some localities, the entire stratum, is made up of sands which contain at most only scattered pebbles or small pockets of gravel irregularly distributed. These sands, containing but little kaolinite, mica, or other aluminous minerals, are generally stained with iron oxides. In some deposits, locally, the latter component is also low, and there the crude sands are of glass sand quality, but they seldom reach the composition of the highest grades, although, if carefully selected and washed, very pure material may be obtained. The impure sands alone are usually somewhat lacking in bonding materials for general molding purposes, l)ut, if mixed with a small amoimt of argillaceous sand, they make good strong forms. The crude sands are well suited for pig beds or open casting work. In Pike Count}', the Sharon conglomerate has not been worked for general shipment, as the deposits are not favorably located with reference to the present railroads. The contemplated extension of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway will make available some of the deposits in Union and Jackson townships. Evidently, due to the variety of materials that may be produced, these deposits will be of some considerable importance in the future and should be considered an asset, especially when favorably situated.

The Sharon and Anthony are the only coals represented in Pike County, and only the former has a thickness sufficient for mining. The area in Pike County forms the western margin of the Jackson field, and the stratum, with but few wants, may be traced, excepting where cut away by erosion agencies, directly to the town of Jackson, where it was first mined. Also from Beaver and Jackson townships the bed may be traced eastward to the Quakertown or Wellston coal field in Jackson County. Its northward extension into Ross County is represented by a few thin or bony deposits, found on the main ridge south of Peters Cave in Jefferson Township. The small field in Marion Township is also correlative with that in Madison Township, Scioto County. The Sharon coal, in Pike County, is of interest for its relation to the Sharon conglomerate, and for the local supply of fuel which it furnishes.

The Sharon coal may be defined in a general way as the first coal stratum above the Sharon conglomerate. Yet this does not always hold true, for, in some localities, a thick conglomerate is found above the coal, while in other localities the conglomerate is wanting below the coal; and, at a few places noted elsewhere, the Sciotoville clay with the Anthony coal above, lies on the conglomerate. The stratum is marked by irregularity of deposition. The upper surface of the Sharon conglomerate is very imeven, and the coal stratum lying close to this floor, is subject to many dips and rolls. It also varies greatly in thickness and composition. A 3 foot bed in a short distance may change to bone coal and carbonaceous shales, thin to a few inches, or be replaced completely. The bed is made up generally of one coal bench only, but this may have one or more bony partings. Normally, the Sharon coal lies from 30 to 40 feet below the Sciotoville clay, but this interval is subject to great variation. In Jackson County, at the abandoned Star Furnace mine, the clay in local areas forms the roof of the coal. The Sharon coal usually lies from 70 to 80 feet below the Quakertown coal, but the latter bed was not observed in Pike County. The structure of the stratum and its relations to other members will now be discussed.

Marion Township. - In Section 28, Marion Township, on land of Josephine McClain, west of the Stockdale-Beaver pike, the Sharon coal was formerly mined for local use. The section obtained is as follows:

The coal here is reported to vary from 1 foot 8 inches to 2 feet 4 inches in thickness. On the northern line of this section, near the home of Earl Brown, the blossom of the Sharon coal was seen in the road. To the west and north the Sharon conglomerate rises fast, the Sharon coal is wanting, and the Sciotoville clay, both flint and "pink eye/' was seen only a few feet above the conglomerate. The roll here in the conglomerate cuts out the coal. The Sharon coal was formerly mined for local use on land of John Swartz on Gravel Hill, Section 29. The coal is reported to have a thickness of from 2 feet to -2 feet 4 inches. A composite sectior taken there follows: formerly mined along the outcrop. The stratum is reported to vary from 1 foot 8 inches to 2 feet 4 inches. The quality of the coal is very good. Along the road in the northeastern part of the same section a heavy blossom of the Sharon coal was seen. The floor of the bed is massive, pebbly Sharon conglomerate and the roof a heavy sandstone. North of this in Section 17, on land of B. F. West, the bed, which has been worked in a small way, is reported to average about 2 feet in thickness. The roof is shale. In Section 16, along the road near the home of Fred Keppler, the blossom of the Sharon coal was seen above the massive conglomerate. In the well at this house, Mr. Keppler reports 2 feet 6 inches of stain. The coal in this region is probably rotten as the cover is shallow. In Section 14, near the home of John Lyons, thick exposures of Sharon conglomerate were seen. Mr. Lyons reports that there is a thick blossom of coal lying just above this, but it has not been prospected.