MURPHREE'S VALLEY; INDUSTRIAL MATERIALS. 121 



The clay found along the streams, and in the low lands of 

 this valley, is a different material. It has been washed up 

 from its native beds, sorted and cleaned in nature's sluice 

 ways, all the coarse materials dropped out, and the clay re- 

 deposited in beds of uniform quality. It always contains 

 enough fine sand to work easily, and mould smoothly. In 

 the quantity of sand these beds gradually vary. As they 

 recede from the coal field the sand gradually diminishes till 

 they reach the Sand Valley. They will be found the best in 

 the middle, or Red Mountain Valley. These beds are found 

 on all the streams that cross the valley, except the Locust 

 and Blackburn forks of the Warrior, which have generally 

 brought down too much sand. This clay is abundant, and 

 of fine quality along Whippoomcill Creek* and the streams 

 that form the Calvert Fork of the Warrior, and Mill Creek, 

 and in the future it will doubtless be largely utilized.* 



HALLOYSITE OR PHOLERITE. 



} 



Among the industrial materials which may yet be utilized 



in this valley, is an extensive bed of Halloysite or Porcelain 

 Clay. It lies near the base of the Lower Siliceous formation, 

 a little above, often close to, the Black Shale. It varies in 

 thickness and quality and color. Generally it is about three 

 feet thick, white or nearly white. It would doubtless in 

 many places make a good porcelain clay. Only its out-crop 

 has been seen, which always contains more impurities than 

 the average of the bed. But all porcelain clay requires 

 washing, none of it is sufficiently pure to make good white 

 ware in its natural condition. This bed could, like similar 

 ones, be freed from its impurities by washing, and rendered 

 fit for this purpose. This is the same bed that has for years 

 been worked with satisfactory results near Valley Head in 

 DeKalb County. And the fact that it there affords material 



*Since the foregoing was written, examination has been made of the fine, 

 strong, red bricks manufactured near Rome, Ga , from the clays found along 

 the low lands of the Oostanaula. These clays were found to be of similar 

 origin and composition, seemingly identical, with the brick clays of Mur- 

 phree's Valley. A. M. G. 



