MARSHALL AND PUTNAM COUNTIES. 211 



General Remarks. Very few fossils were found in this county. In the 

 ravines about Sparland specimens of Lepidodendron are sometimes 

 picked up ; and I was informed that the associate shales of the coal 

 drifts often contained rather poor specimens of fern leaves. The shales 

 observed by me were too much decayed to afford any thing but traces 

 of these ferns, and a few stems of some kind of coal plants. The sand- 

 stones and limestones examined seemed almost unfossiliferous. More 

 extensive working- of the beds might develop fossiliferous strata. 



It will thus be seen that the general geology of the county is com- 

 paratively devoid of interest. The Sparland coal banks will always 

 excite more or less attention, and will remain sources of a considerable 

 supply of coal. It will mostly remain a local trade in coal, however, 

 unless some heavy company is fortunate in finding a good mine near 

 the railroad.* 



COUNTY lies on both sides of the Illinois river, a short dis- 

 tance below its great bend at La Salle. It is bounded on the north by 

 Bureau and La Salle counties ; on the east, by La Salle county ; 011 the 

 south, by Marshall county, and on the west by Marshall and Bureau 

 counties. It is one of the smallest counties in the State, and contains 

 four irregularly shaped towns, three of which are east of the Illinois 

 river, and one west of 'it. These towns are Granville, Hennepin and 

 Magnolia, on the east, and Snatch wine, on the west side of the river. 

 The county contains in all about two hundred and sixty-six square miles, 



*XOTE. Since the foregoing report was written a boring was made at Sparland to the depth of 182 

 feet below the lower seam ontcropping in the river bluffs. For the following section of this boring I 

 am indebted to Mr. CHAS. SARGENT, of Sparland : 



Section of Boring. 



Ft. In. 

 No. 1 Surface clay ................................................................ .-. ......... 10 



Xo. 2 Sandstone .............................................................................. 2 



Xo. 3 Shale .................................................................................. 40 



Xo. 4 Black slate or shale ................................................................... 3 



Xo. 5 Coal (Xo.4I) ......................................................................... 6 



No. 6 Shale .................................................................................. 10 



Xo. 7 Quartz (Sandstone ?) ................................................................... 6 



Xo. 8 Sandy shale ........................................................................... 91 



Xo. 9 Black slate or shale .................................................................... 2 



Xo. 10 Shale ................................................................................ 6 



Xo. 11 Coal (Xo. 3?) ......................................................................... 2 8 



Xo. 12 Fire clay ............................................................................. 2 6 



170 2 



It is probable that the coal found here at the depth of 165 feet is Xo. 3 of our general section of the 

 Illinois valley coals, though it may be Xo. 2, as the character of the roof, as reported in the boring, 

 would seem to indicate. It is to be regretted that this boring had not been continued to the bottom of 

 the Coal Measures, which could have been reached in about 120 to 150 feet from where the work ter- 

 minated, as it is quite possible that coal Xo. 1 might have been found here as thick, or even thicker, 

 than the one penetrated. This would have settled the question as to the probable amount of coal un- 

 derlaying this portion of the county. A. H. W. 



