40 GEOLOGICAL RECONNOISSANCE 



mine and ship the ore to the eastern cities, did not find as ready a sale or 

 as high a price for their ore as they anticipated, and seem to have sus- 

 pended operations, for the present, on this account. 



The explanation of this want of success in this their first enterprise on 

 these manganese ores, is probably to be found in the fact, that the 

 larger part, at least, of the ore which they obtained, was of this hard 

 variety, affording rather less than one-third of its weight of oxygen; and, 

 therefore, capable of eliminating only a proportional quantity of chlo- 

 rine, for which purpose it is chiefly valuable in the arts; while they raised 

 little or none of the soft black manganese ore; i. e. bin, or peroxide of 

 manganese, known to mineralogists under the name of " pyrolusite," which 

 is not only much easier to grind to powder, by reason of its greater soft- 

 ness, but contains about 36 per cent of oxygen, and will, therefore, evolve 

 a larger proportion of chlorine from a given weight of the ore. 



It is to be remarked, however, in this connection, that this pyrolusite or 

 binoxide, the most valuable in commerce of the ores of manganese, is fre- 

 quently associated, and even in alternating layers of different thickness, 

 with ores of compact, grey oxide of manganese, similar to that of which 

 there is so great an abundance on Lafferty creek and its vicinity. Hence, 

 either a neglect to make the proper selection for the market of the ores 

 raised, or not mining sufficiently deep to reach the best quality of ore, 

 may be assigned as causes of the present abandonment of the mines.* 



Similar ores of manganese have been found on the south-east quarter of 

 section 25, township 15 north, range 8 west, and west of north of Bates- 

 ville;f besides, at many other localities on the waters of Lafferty creek, in 

 the north-west part of Independence county, so that if the owners of these 

 mineral lands can obtain, by a thorough exploration of the veins, the 

 soft black (pyrolusite) ore of manganese, there is a fair prospect of reach- 

 ing well filled veins, which might return them a handsome profit. 



Associated with the manganese ores of Lafferty creek, is some excellent 

 red oxide of iron. The qualitative chemical examination, shows it to be 

 nearly pure peroxide of iron, with but a very small per centage of foreign 

 matter; the quantiative analysis will, therefore, no doubt, yield between 

 65 and 70 per cent of iron. 



The lands which are most valuable for cultivation, in the north-west 

 part of Independence county, are, first, the bottom lands supporting a 

 growth of walnut, large Spanish-oak, ash, and overcup-oak, with an un- 



* By consulting the chemical report of Dr. Elderhorst, further information on the commerciul value 

 of these manganese ores will be obtained. 



t See Ed. T. Cox's report for a description of the geological position, and external aspect of the 

 manganese ore, which occurs three miles west of north of Batesville. 



