ELISHA MITCHELL SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY. 89 



divide between the waters of Old Field and Silas creeks, 

 where considerable work was at one time done for the old 

 forges. 



The main opening exposes a bed of magnetite consisting 

 of two parts, the npper one being visible only in the upper 

 end of the cut just below the surface-soil, where it measures 

 about 4^^ inches in thickness of friable crystalline magne- 

 tite, comparatively clean, below which is a bed of argil- 

 laceous schist and clay, of a deep vermilion color, con- 

 taining fine shot ore disseminated through it, probablv 

 forming a more decomposable part of the same bed. Un- 

 fortunately the cut had not been extended far enough in 

 this direction to determine its true thickness. The lower 

 bed is seen some 30 feet below here, at the bottom of the 

 cut, near its mouth. It is partially filled in here, but I 

 have from good authority that its thickness is 6 feet, about 

 3 feet of which was visible at the time of my visit. It is a 

 hard ore, and the gangue is entirely hornblendic, while in 

 the upper bed it is micaceous. The dip is about 50° S. 

 E. , and the strike X. 40° E. Several analyses of the lower 

 bed show: 



I. n. III. 



Silica 12.31 .-- 



Metallic iron 56.05 56.00 50.77 



Sulphur ._ - 0.05 0.076 



Phosphorus 0.071 0.013 0.016 



Titauic acid-- trace. 



I. by McCreath. 

 II. by C. B. White. 

 III. from L'. S. loth Census Report. 



Not over 100 feet south-west from here another old 

 opening exposes the same bed 25 feet lower. 



In a south-westerly direction the ore has been traced to 

 Silas Creek, but no openings of importance have been 

 made. 



Some 2 miles S. W. from Poison branch bank a bed 

 8 



