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the Bip: Sioux. In this section tlie soil is clayey; and wherever there 

 is a sufficiency of rain, or streams can be found to irrigate the land, it 

 will he productive. The great drawback to its fertility is a want of 

 timely rains. A portion of this formation, from the Big Bend to the 

 Shyenne, is composed of black shale, and contains much saline matter, 

 which renders the water in places unhealthy, and adds to the sterility 

 •of the soil along the bluffs of the streams, where saline springs are 

 common. In this section, too, there are no valuable minerals or 

 good building stone, except that furnished by the boulders. 



The tJiird section, or lignite teiiiary, extends north and west to the 

 British line. The want of rain, which is felt in this area even more 

 than in the one to the south of it, renders it nearly barren. Every- 

 where, through this formation, beds of lignite are to be found, some- 

 times of a thickness of six and seven feet. The burnt appearance of 

 earth, along the banks of the streams, shows that in former times 

 these beds have been on fire over large areas_, and in places are entirely 

 burned out, and those on Powder river are said to be on fire at this 

 time. There is every reason to believe that in places this lignite will 

 be found of quality good enough for fuel. In this section the boul- 

 ders furnish the only good building stone. 



In nearly all parts of Nebraska good clay for making brick can be 

 found. 



The carboniferous formation is developed in a small part of the 

 southeastern portion of the prairie of Nebraska, and I will quote from 

 the report of Dr. Hayden in relation to the coal of this section : "The 

 town of De Soto is the highest point known on the Missouri where 

 these limestones are exposed Ascending the valley of the Platte 

 river we find them quite well developed as far as the mouth of the 

 Elk Horn, where they pass beneath the bed of the river, and the sand- 

 stone No. 1 occupies the country, 



" Several small seams of coal have been found in these limestones at 

 Bellevue and other localities, and in the valley of the Platte. About 

 ten miles above its mouth I noticed a bed of very dark carbonaceous 

 shale, two feet in thickness, cropping out near the water's edge. This 

 was considered by the inhabitants as a sufficient proof of the existence 

 of a workable bed of coal in the vicinity. The evidence now points 

 to the conclusion that though these limestones belong to the true 

 coal measures, they hold a position above tl e workable beds of coal, 

 and that it is not probable a valuable seam of coal will be found north 

 of the southern line of Nebraska. A bed of coal, of inferior quality, 

 has been wrought near Leavenwortli City, Kansas Territory, but it 

 holds a lower geological position than the limestones of the southern 

 portion of Nebraska, the dip of the strata being toward the north- 

 east." As our examinations were always somewhat hurried, there is 

 room to expect that workable beds of coal may yet be found here, but 

 at present we know of no facts against the opinion given by Dr 

 Hayden. 



The seam of very inferior lignite found in the neighborhood of Sioux 



City in the cretaceous rocks may possibly, in some places, furnish fuel 



of value, but where seen by us as exposed it gives but little promise. 



In this case, as well as the coal seams in the Platte, mentioned above, 



5 H 



