290 GEOLOGY OF THE THIRD DISTRICT. 



level than at the north, appearing as though the drainage or excavation of at least a large part 

 waa the effect of a flow north, and not in the present direction. 



The county presents but a few of the rocks of the district, the lowest of which are those 

 of the upper part of the Hamilton group, which project from Onondaga county. These are 

 found only in the north part of the town of Truxton, extending east from Tinker's falls. The 

 TuUy limestone being a continuous mass through that section of the district, it will be found in 

 all places where the space between the Genesee slate and the Hamilton group is uncovered, 

 but was not seen in the county. 



The Genesee slate is exposed to a considerable extent in the side-hills in the towns of Pre- 

 ble and Truxton, and in parts of Homer ; these hills extend through those towns, being the 

 north prolongation of the southern overlying masses, some of which terminate in Cortland, 

 and others in the east and west valleys of Onondaga county. The termination of some of 

 the hills is quite abrupt, and when viewed from the broad level valleys north from which 

 they rise, are highly picturesque. The Indian tradition of coal existing in this rock near 

 Preble comers, before noticed, has no foundation in fact. 



The Portage and Ithaca groups form the greater part of the surface rocks of the county. 

 They are but thin at the north, increasing in thickness going south. They cover the whole 

 of the towns of Cortland and Solon, the greater part of Homer and Scott, and the terrace 

 between Truxton and Solon. They extend south along on both sides of the Onondaga river, 

 diminishing in breadth south, and also along the Otselic river in Willet and Cincinnatus. 



Numerous quarries are opened in these groups, for building stone and flagging. The color 

 is more generally oUve, than at Ithaca, where but a small part of the mass comparatively is 

 of that color. 



On the east branch of the Onondaga, about a mile or more above Port Watson, and to the 

 east of Homer, are the quarries of Miller and of Derby. To the south of the same villages, are 

 those of Stephens, of Rose, and of Belts. This latter shows, in the ascending order, grey 

 sandstone with no regular lines of division or layers ; above this also sandstone, thin, and 

 somewhat regular in its divisions, capped with argillaceous layers, rather broken ; the whole 

 above twenty feet in thickness, and opened along a hne of four or five rods. The quarries are 

 above a mile from Port Watson. 



Bellows quarry, from which nearly all the flagstones used in Homer are obtained, is on 

 the hill-sides to the east, and between Cortland and Homer. The lower part of the quarry 

 consists of flags from one to six inches in thickness ; not so smooth or straight as those of 

 Sherburne, but waved like the slight movements which water produces upon a sandy bottom. 

 The flags, etc. contain fucoids large and small, some of which anostomose, and all are smooth. 

 Above these layers, there is a line of concretions about a foot or more in diameter, with 

 shale. On the top of these are slaty, broken up and partly decomposed layers of shale and 

 sandstone, forming the refuse of the quarry. Some of the lower layers of sandstone contain 

 vegetable impressions, and show small accumulations of coal, owing to the alteration which 

 the material of the plants have undergone. 



