120 Kansas Academy of Science. 



WELLS. 



The drinking water of all the region back from the main 

 streams is furnished by comparatively shallow wells. The wells 

 in the Sumas valley and in the vicinity of Lynden and Everson are 

 drive-wells, as previously stated, the water being found in gravel 

 and sand. The wells in the vicinity of Mountain View are dug in 

 subglacial till that is so hard that it has to be blasted. This clay 

 is non-porous and the wells dug in it are mere cisterns, the eaves of 

 the houses or barns usually furnishing the water. 



MINERALS. 



Sand. — G-lacial sand covers all the highlands from Blaine to the 

 portage. It is a light brown, usually very fine sand. Some of it 

 is good for plastering purposes, but most of it is too fine. A great 

 deal of it would make good molding sand, and would also be good 

 in city paving and in macadamizing roads. The soil of the region 

 over which this sand is spread is very poor. 



The ash-gray sand of the delta formation is coarse, and is, conse- 

 quently, good plastering sand. Large areas of it are found between 

 Custer and Ferndale. It is of great depth in these localities, and, 

 as the railway crosses them, it could be easily shipped. 



Gravel. — Extensive gravel areas occur at several places, the 

 locations and approximate areas of which are marked on the map, 

 but not their outline in detail. Some of the gravel deposits are 

 glacial in origin ; others, estuary and beach deposits ; and those 

 west, and in the vicinity of Lake Judson, worked over or replied 

 glacial material. A great part of the gravel was found in low sec- 

 tions ; but the gravel in Canada and that just east of Blaine is on 

 high land. On the whole the gravel is a coarse variety in which 

 are embedded many cobbles and boulders. It is now being used ex- 

 tensively for macadamizing roads; and, as the supply is inexhausti- 

 ble, there is no reason why this region should not have first-class 

 roads in a few years. 



Garnets. — Garnets are found on both beaches of the Lummi 

 peninsula. They are obtained from the schists, principally from 

 the mica schists. These schists on weathering and crumbling to 

 dust on the highlands leave the harder garnets to be carried to the 

 shore line by the streams. Here they are found in the beach sand. 

 Garnets are also found at several places in the glacial deposits. 



Gold. — The black sand of the Lummi Bay beach carries gold; 

 but there is so much verdigris in the water and sand that it is diffi- 



