138 Iron Ores. 



From the regular dip of all the strata of this region^ the breadth 

 of the surface deposits of iron ores, is limited, to what it prob- 

 ably would have been, had the strata pursued a horizontal direc- 

 tion. Persons unacquainted with this fact, have, wliile searching 

 for ore beds, met wnth much difficulty and disappointment. Hav- 

 ing seen the ore dug at a certain elevation in the hills near a partic- 

 vilar furnace, they have been led to look for it at the same elevation, 

 in a spot several miles distant, and being unable to find it, after a 

 very diligent search, have concluded there was none ; when, had 

 th^y examined at the spot indicated by the angle of inclination or 

 dip, they w^ould have been more successful; so true is it that "knowl- 

 edge is powxr." The extent of the iron deposits easterly, is un- 

 known as yet ; the ores, having been sought for only on the surface, 

 or where they crop out on the sides of hills. Should shafts be sunk 

 for them, as is the case in England and many other places, they will 

 probably be found many miles up the Ohio, and at very great depths. 

 The .diggings for ores, have been principally confined to such parts 

 of the deposits as appear near the surface, and can be approached 

 by removing a few feet of the superincumbent rocks and earth. 

 Not many, if any drifts, have been pushed to considerable distances 

 under tlie hills, wdiere it is probable the ores will be found of a richer 

 quality than near the surface. In the eastern parts of Adams county, 

 a few miles below the Scioto river, are very considerable beds of iron 

 . ores, that have been in use for several years, and are to all appearance, 

 a continuation of the same deposits, found above the Scioto. Indeed, 

 the whole eastern portion of the county is a mineral region, abounding 

 in vast beds of aluminous slate, large hills being composed of this ma- 

 terial. Imbedded in the slate are thousands of globular groups of crys- 

 tals of iron pyrites, from the diameter of an inch to three or four feet. 

 As the slate decomposes, these balls tumble out and roll to the foot 

 of the hill ; they are generally oblate or flattened at the poles. On 

 thew^est side of this deposit, considerable beds of sulphuret of zinc 

 are found, several specimens from this place, being in my possession. 

 The iron ores are also impregnated with, or contain had in small 

 quantities ; a number of pounds of this metal, in a very pure state, 

 having been found in the crevices of the furnace hearths, w^hen taken 

 up for repairs, where, from its superior gravity, it had fallen during 

 the smelting process* A few miles further south, in Kentucky, gale- 

 na is found in considerable quantities, in limestone. On the geolo- 

 gical map, the iron deposits are traced between the mouth of Big 



