216 Geology of the Trinity Country, Texas. 



land, while in the banks of the Trinity, associated with the iron 

 ore, and overlying the brown coal whole trees and fragments of 

 trees, piled sometimes one upon another, present themselves com- 

 pletely transformed to stone. In some logs a diversified meta- 

 morphosis is observable : one portion of the vegetable structure 

 having been replaced with silex, another with brown oxide of 

 iron, and a third is bitumenized or converted to coal. 



In concert with Dr. F. B. Page, I took considerable pains 

 in the exploration of the Trinity brown coal formation. As no 

 excavations for working have yet been made, the best places for 

 inspecting the formation, are where the Trinity cuts its way 

 through the high lands, or where its banks present themselves 

 in bold high bluffs, as at New Cincinnati, and near the site of the 

 projected town of Osceola. The coal lies in horizontal strata, 

 dipping about one foot in thirty to the northwest. The main 

 stratum at the latter place, just above Bidais creek, is represented 

 by the concurrent statements of W. C. Brookfield, surveyor, Mr. 

 Janies S. Hunter of Huntsville, Texas, Dr. Page, and some other 

 persons whom I consulted, as between six and seven feet in 

 thickness, the lower portion being three or four feet above low 

 water mark. Unfortunately, during my sojourn there, the river 

 was unusually high and turbid for the season of the year ; I 

 could not consequently verify the same by personal observations 

 and measurements. The most considerable coal beds which I 

 had opportunity fully to inspect, were in the Trinity bluffs, 

 southwest side, at New Cincinnati, six miles lower down, and 

 just below the mouth of Salt creek, near six miles above. The 

 workable stratum of brown coal in each of these localities is 

 about five feet thick, and situated some fifteen feet or so above 

 low water mark. In quality it is said to be precisely similar to 

 the coal of the seven feet bed. 



Specimens of average quality which I took from the bed near 

 the mouth of Salt creek, have a specific gravity of 1.326. The pro- 

 portion of carbon or coke, is forty seven parts in one hundred ( yVo • ) 

 The volatile portion consists of bitumen, creosote, pyroligneous 

 acid and water. Upon burning 100 parts of the coal, there re- 

 mains a trifle more than one part by weight of white ashes. The 

 color of this coal'is a dark umber brown, nearly black. Its ligni- 

 form structure is almost always easily discernible. It is readily 

 ignited, burns with a pleasant flame, and with almost the same 



