116 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. 



mountain. Close search was made down the N. W. slope 

 for the out cropping beds of pure ore, which experience had 

 shown may be always expected to exist, above a large body 

 of this material. None was found till the base of the moun- 

 tain was reached. Here at the lowest exposed level, in a 

 wash, was a bed of good pyrolusite. It was not opened, had 

 probably not been heretofore seen. It was near, or probably 

 at a higher geological level than the Dabbs bed in the section 

 above. 



The line of the out crop of the base bed of manganif- 

 erous chert, was generally seen, and traced on the top of the 

 mountain; and also frequent samples of good ore, seen 

 near its base, from section 28, to the Township line on the 

 south. No openings had been made on either, in this space, 

 yet its existence here was plainly evident. 



In Section 2, T. 12, R. 2 East, was seen the first clear evi- 

 dence of it in this Township. Near the top of Red Moun- 

 tain, in the N. E. of this Section, the base bed or deposit 

 stands out very prominently. It is, about three feet thick, 

 and presents the appearance of a regular stratum. In 

 structure it is chert, cemented with pyrolusite, of light blue 

 color. It resembles, though it is not identical with, the 

 great bed first seen in the Township above. 



No beds or deposits of ore have been found on the slope 

 of the mountain N. W. of this, yet it certainly exists there. 

 At the foot of the mountain in this Section, some year or 

 two ago, a well was dug, and a thick bed, represented to be 

 six feet, of wad was passed through. This was said to be 

 thirty -five feet from the surface. Some samples were still 

 faund among the clay, and other materials taken out. It was 

 evidently decomposed manganese. From some cause it had 

 at this place been subjected to decomposing agencies, and 

 was in a plastic state, and saturated with water. That this 

 condition is only local, is very probable. It is to be re- 

 gretted that enterprise has not heretofore penetrated to this 

 deposit at some other point. When its elements become 

 known, and it is exposed, a good deposit of manganese ore 

 will probably be found in connection with it. 



