226 TRANS. ST. LOUIS ACAD. SCIENCE. 



masses of tar are often found intimately associated with. the 

 gangue of the lead. 



BORINGS. 



These occurrences of Bitumen have given rise in some places 

 to considerable outlay in search of richer deposits, and some deep 

 wells have been sunk. Two wells in Ray county are over Soo ft. 

 deep. The Saunders well, S02 ft., commenced with oil near the 

 surface, but records do not indicate an increase downwards. 

 Over 500 ft. of this boring seems to have been in Coal Measures. 

 The McCausland well, in Lafayette county, was sunk about 

 as deep as the Saunders well. That near Parkerville, Bates 

 county, was bored to a little over 500 ft. Borings at foot of bluffs 

 .at Kansas City report a ilow of bitumen to the surface from a 

 depth of 1 So ft. If so. its fountain-head must be in the same 

 sandstone in which it was found at Saunders well in Ray county. 

 This sandstone is No. 69 of General Sec. of Middle Coal Meas- 

 ures. (Mo. Geo. Rep. 1S72, Part II. p. 82.) 



The above are the main facts that have come under my observa- 

 tion. The origin of the bitumen remains to be solved. I think it 

 most probable that the chief source of these bituminous deposits 

 is in the Coal Measure sandstones, from whence they have escaped 

 and entered the limestones. 



Although, as above stated, Bitumen seems so generally diffused 

 in Southwest Missouri, I do not believe it exists in quantity suffi- 

 cient, at any one place, to prove remunerative. 



Results of Investigations of Indian Mounds. 



By Jas. R. Gage, M.E. 



In March, 1S73, 1 investigated several "'mounds" in Washington 

 and Issaquena counties in the State of Mississippi. Throughout 

 the valley of the Mississippi a very large number of the mounds 

 exist, and are especially numerous in the river counties. I have 

 frequently observed these mounds in Bolivar, Coahoma, Issaque- 

 na, and Washington, but my examinations have been confined to 



