28 Geology of the Musl-cingum Valley. 



city and hardness, so much so, that twelve hours operation, with 

 an augur, weighing with the poles, more than half a ton, and making 

 sixty strokes in a minute, penetrated only three inches ; with these 

 constant and repeated blows, the augur, or drill was not perceptibly 

 diminished or worn away ; proving from the effects, as well as by in- 

 spection of the detritus that the rock contains little if any siliceous 

 ingredient. If not mixed with other matter thrown down from the 

 rocks above, the sludge, or borings would be nearly as white as 

 chalk ; they are now almost white, and from chemical tests appear 

 to be composed of carbonate of lime, a little salt and protoxide of 

 iron. About six feet below the upper surface of this rock, the me- 

 tallic pump, or sucker, used to bring up the sludge, was frequently 

 arrested, both in its descent and ascent, as if forcibly held by some 

 invisible power ; and that so strongly, that the workmen were obliged 

 to hook on the poles, in place of the rope commonly used for this 

 service lest their efforts should break it. There w^as sufficient room 

 for the pump without touching or rubbing much against the sides of 

 the well, usually about four inches in diameter. The long continu- 

 ed and forcible blows of the steel augur no doubt excited great mag- 

 netic action, both in the hard ferruginous rock, found in the upper 

 part of the stratum and in the iron connected with the rods. Mr. 

 Disbrow in one of his experiments in boring to form Artesian wells, 

 speaks of the drill being so highly charged with magnetic power as 

 to sustain a heavy jacknife. I should ascribe the retention of the 

 pump, rather to the magnetic power excited by the operation of 

 boring, than to any inherent magnetism in the rock. The rock is 

 entirely calcareous, and sometimes contains fine particles of salt, mix- 

 ed with the borings. The most remarkable character of this rock is 

 its singular density. 



From the inclination of the strata, the lower salt wells produce a 

 stronger brine than those higher up the Muskingum. Fifty gallons 

 of water yield to the manufacturer fifty pounds of salt of a very fine 

 quality. By an analysis of the water, made at Cincinnati, by a prac- 

 tical Chemist, four ounces of the water yielded the following re- 

 sults. 



Muriate of soda, . . . 260 grains. 



Muriate of magnesia, ... 20 gr. 

 Muriate of lime. Say, . . 15 gr. 



There was also a faint trace of Iodine and some carbonate of Iron. 

 From this analysis it appears that the water contains about fifteen 



