MURPHREE'S VALLEY/, MANGANESE ORES. 119 



unusual thickness, the manganese cannot be over 50 feet 

 from the shale. It is clearly in the proper manganese hori- 

 zon, and probably a small expenditure of labor here would 

 show up a good bed of the ore. 



South of this, in Spradling's Cove, several samples of very 

 good ore were seen, but owing to the faulting here, but little 

 of the proper manganese horizon is exposed and that too, 

 generally covered with silt. Experience having shown that 

 it might be hopefully looked for in a N. W. direction, search 

 was made for it in the Sand Valley in Sects. 20, 17, &c., of 

 T. 14, R. 1 W. This portion of the valley is mucksilted up, 

 and out-crops of strata are covered. No ore was found, but 

 at several places exposed beds of blue and purple, crumbly 

 clays, were strongly suggestive of its existence. These 

 colored clays had not been seen elsewhere, they are in the 

 proper horizon, and their coloring matter seemed to be 

 manganese. 



From the foregoing description the following conclusions 

 may be drawn : 



1. That the great bulk of the manganese ores of this 

 valley will be found in the Sand Valley, and on the N. W. 

 side of Red Mountain. The horizon of these ores is there, 

 more or less exposed, the whole length of the valley, while 

 on the S. E. side of the valley this stratum is in detached 

 and broken fragments. 



2. That the out- crops of the manganese beds or deposits 

 are mostly on the N. W. side of Red Mountain, and are 

 hence generally concealed by the descending debris. Or 

 they are wholly covered up beneath the floor of the valley. 



3. That the discoveries of these deposits have been in 

 the main accidental, and cover but a very small portion of 

 the ground where these ores are presumed to exist. And 

 hence, that probably much the larger portion of them re- 

 main still undiscovered. 



