BOOXE COUNTY. 101 



In many places the Cincinnati shales are useless as a building stone, 

 owing to the ease with which they disintegrate and crumble away. 

 But here they seem to answer a i'air purpose for the uses to which they 

 are devoted. At Gen. HURLBUT'S residence, in Belvidere, we were 

 shown some of them which had been in use twenty years, and yet they 

 ned little gnawed into by the tooth of time. For flagging stones 

 they can be obtained of any desired size and shape, and where so used 

 in Belvidere they seem to be answering quite well for this purpose. 



We would not advise the use of stone from the Cincinnati group for 

 solid work, or in structures which are to stand the test of ages. Some 

 of it will season so far as to become enduring ; but occasionally stones 

 will be found, in the most carefully constructed work that can be built, 

 which, after a few years' exposure to the rains and frosts, will begin to 

 crumble and melt into their kindred clay. 



Lime. At the Galena quarry, above referred to, a lime kiln is in suc- 

 -r'ul operation, and a good quality of common quick lime is burned. 

 We believe, however, the city of Belvidere finds it more economical to 

 use lime shipped on the railroad from other places. A good perpetual 

 lime kiln at the Beaver creek quarry would furnish abundance of good 

 lime, and would pay well. 



Mineral*. Xo mineral wealth exists in the county. Bog iron ore in 

 some of the bogs and marshes west of Caproii was noticed in considera- 

 ble abundance. Pieces of float copper are frequently picked up in the 

 gravels of the drift. Traces of lead are sometimes found in the Galena 

 limestone. Springs of chalybeate Avater exist in places. But all these 

 are matters of curiosity and interest, rather than sources of economical 

 value. 



Sands and Clays. From the ordinary clay and sand banks almost 

 everywhere abounding in more or less purity, sand for building pur- 

 poses, and clay for ordinary red brick, may be obtained in great abun- 

 dance. The subsoil over most of the Galena rocks makes a good com- 

 mon brick. 



The bed of potters' clay, before alluded to, deserves more than a 

 passing notice. When ground and mixed with sand, it make a hard, 

 handsome, cream-colored brick, quite as beautiful, and perhaps more 

 enduring, than the far-famed Milwaukee brick. The front of the large 

 new church in Belvidere is built of this material. For this purpose 

 alone this bed "of clay is valuable. And there is no reason why an ar- 

 ticle of common crockery might not be manufactured out of it in unlim- 

 ited quantities. Even a queeusware of fair quality might be made from 

 this deposit. 



AVheu first dug the clay is tough and tenacious. The spade is forced 

 into it with difficulty. The color is between a milk-white and chocolate 



