TIOGA COUNTY. 297 



river. North of Factoryville the hills reappear, and continue to a range of east and west 

 valleys, in which are the villages of Vanettensville and Spencer ; there they sink, but rise 

 again on the opposite side, and continue thence unbroken to Cayuga lake. 



On the east side of the county, the north and south valleys are important ones, from their 

 breadth and fertihty, being the finest parts of the county. 



Though the hills rise to a considerable height above the Cayuta, for example, being esti- 

 mated by some to be over five and six hundred feet where highest, no other group than the 

 Chemung was noticed in the county, north of the Susquehannah river ; and but two gi-oups 

 ordy were seen in the entire county, the Chemung group occupying the area just mentioned, 

 and occurring also on the south side of the river, spreading south as the high hills recede 

 from it ; the highest points being covered with the Catskill group, the second one of the county, 

 which extends south into Pennsylvania. 



The rocks on both sides of Cayuta creek abound in the fossils of the group, and a small 

 quantity of limestone is associated with them ; the material being often sandstone in which 

 they are imbedded, and is one of the most durable rocks of the county. 



Nothing of a mineral or a rock character was observed, which requires much other notice ; 

 it being difficult to give precision or interest, where the masses which compose this and some 

 of the other counties are of so mixed and indefinite a character. Among the notes taken by 

 Mr. Car during the two years that he was the assistant of this district, he states that near the 

 mouth of Merick's ravine in the town of Richford, there is a mass of ferruginous shale, con- 

 taining accretions of iron ore. The same also were noticed by him in Pleasant valley, near 

 Spencer, above a series of shales and sandstone. They are, however, so poor in oxide of 

 iron, as to be worth nothing excepting for the fact of their existence. 



The Catskill group is confined altogether to the south line of the county, covering the 

 high point between the Susquehannah river and the State line, being the extension of the 

 broad and long mass in Pennsylvania. It presents nothing of note in the county ; but near 

 the State line, on Appalachian creek in Pennsylvania, a report of the discovery of coal in the 

 group was circulated during the survey. Two diggings were made, not far from each other ; 

 the first, at a lower level, was in light grey sandstone, which contained a few broken vege- 

 table impressions, resembling spear grass, and some of the larger kind also : the accumula- 

 tion of a few of which being in the state of coal, gave rise to the report. The second dig- 

 ging was in a slate rock, which was less promising, containing fewer plants. 



On the east side of the creek, on the land of Mr. Clifford, about three miles distant from 

 the coal digging, there is an important ledge of limestone, being the only one in all the 

 southern section of the country. It is a part of the Comstone mass of the Catskill, which 

 in that part of Pennsylvania contains much more carbonate of lime than the same rock in 

 New-York, where it evidently has thinned out. It appears near the top of the hill, and is 

 from twelve to fifteen feet thick. It makes a strong lime, but is too much colored for white- 

 washing, or to be used for the last coat of plastering ; owing to iron and manganese, which 



Gkol. 3d Di8t. 38 



