MURPHREE'S VALLEY; MANGANESE ORES. 115 



bed, only a little ochery clay intervening. It comes almost 

 to the surface one to two feet of soil and clay only above it. 

 No rock roof to give protection, it is therefore surprising to- 

 find the ore so good, and so little decomposed. This ore is 

 judged to carry from 60 to 75 per cent, of dioxide of manga- 

 nese. It is all pyrolusite. At least no samples of any 

 other variety were seen. This is known as the DaWs bed. 



The discovery of this deposit was made in a field which 

 had long been cultivated. At length the plows interfered 

 with the top of the bed, and revealed its existence. Its 

 position is about three-fourths of the distance down, from 

 the top to the base of the mountain ; and slopes N. W. down 

 towards SAND VALLEY. It cannot be more than 75 feet be- 

 neath the LaGrange Sandstone, and probably 100 feet above 

 the great out-crop of mangauiferous material, which shows 

 so prominently on the top of Red Mountain. Diligent, and 

 close search was made, to find an intermediate bed, or 

 deposit, but without avail There is a strong probability of 

 the existence of one, or rpore, in this space; but strata, or 

 beds cropping outwards, on the face of a cherty slope, are in. 

 a very unfavorable position to be seen. 



This deposit of manganese ore has only been slightly 

 opened, on or near, its upper out crop. No effort has been 

 made to trace its outline, or show its contents at a lower 

 level. Indeed it may be said, that no really intelligent 

 search for manganese ores, has yet been made. The fact 

 that they do not exist in regular strata, or continuous beds* 

 that they have not a definite geological level, has confused 

 and perplexed prospectors. Then they show very little sign 

 of out-crop their decomposition products, are scarcely dis- 

 tinguishable from the ever present oxides of iron. The drill,, 

 and auger will have to be mainly relied on to find the de- 

 posit, and much unprofitable labor will necessarily be ex- 

 pended. Yet from what is already seen, it is evident that 

 this region contains large quantities of good ore, and that 

 much of it lies so near the surface as to be very available. 



In section 28, adjoining on the south, the great body of 

 manganiferous matter was again seen, on the top of the 



