192 GEOLOGICAL REPORT. [1322, 323, 324 



stratum be struck at the proper depth, the water will rise to the surface at a 

 depth 020 feet below the present, or at a total depth of 1400 to 1500 leet. 



.322. The wells attempted, both at Canton, and at his residence, 

 by Rev. J. R. Larabuth, of Madison, have already been mentioned; 

 and from all appearance their failure has been owing- purely to 

 mechanical difficulties and accidents in boring, which the persons 

 in charge did not know how to deal with. 



Three wells were attempted, successive!}^, at Mr. Lambuth's residence, S. 2, 

 T. 7, R. 2 E., two of which failed in consequence of caving, the last by the 

 breaking of the auger. In all the phenomena were the same, as represented in 

 the following record, in accordance with Mr. Lambuth's recollection : 



Record of wells bored % Hev. J. 11. Lambuth, at his residence. 



1. Surface materials, and bluish and yellowish clay marls (202, fif.) 40 feet 



2. Blue clay marl, poor in shells - - - - 40 " 



3. Blue sandy shell marl, with well preserved shells - 6 to 10 " 



4. Dark colored, mostly bluish, laminated clays, interstratificd 



with layers of sand ----- 185 to 190 " 



5. Hard, gray sandstone .._•.-. 1 inch 



6. Yellow, water-bearing sand - - - - 10 to 15 feet 



[Here water rose to within 75 feet of the surface.] 



7. Dark-colored, sandy clay, with crystals of gypsum - - 80 to 85 " 



8. Hard, gray sandstone ----- 1 inch 



9. Lignite, interstratified with layers of clay ; above it, a stream 



of water rising to within 45 feet of the surface (as far as 



penetrated) __.... 40 f ec t 



Whole depth reached, about - - - 415 fect 



Strata Nos. 1. 2 and 3 correspond, no doubt, to those of the McNutt Hills 

 (f204, Sec. 29, Nos. 4, 5, 6 and 7,) and Nos. 2 and 3, with Nos. 1 and 2 of the 

 Jackson well. A comparison of the lower strata, however, shows no strict cor- 

 respondence, save in the general nature of the materials. It is observable also, 

 that in Mr. Lambuth's well, the rise of the water is much more rapid, sinco a 

 difference of only 100 feet in depth caused the water to rise 30 feet higher. This 

 difference is probably caused by the different nature of the surface at the foun- 

 tain head. 



323. In another well bored by Mr. Lambuth, at Canton, the phenomena were 

 almost precisely the same, down to the first ledge of rock, on penetrating which, 

 water rose to within 25 feet of the surface. Beneath the ledge, however, quick- 

 sands kept filling in so fast that it became necessary to tube, in doing which the 

 tubo was so twisted and crushed as to render the task hopeless. 



It is not a little singular, that at a point ten miles further north, and near the 

 edge of the formation generally dipping S. or S. W., the latter should be found 

 of the same thickness and character — at a point which, according to the railroad 

 levelings, must be between 80 and 100 feet higher than the town of Canton ; 

 while again, at Jackson, we find them at about the same absolute level as at 

 Lambuth's, but rapidly dipping southward thence (T200). 



324. I know of no attempt at boring in this formation, between Jackson 

 and N. Smith county. Here, the boring of a well was attempted under the 

 auspices of Mr. A. P. Duke, of Montrose, on S. 34, T. 4, R. 10 E. 



No record having been kept, the data, as recollected by Mr. Duke, were some- 

 what indefinite, yet sufficient for all practical purposes. Mr. D. states that at 

 the place mentioned, on a hillside, the clay marl (" prairie ") was struck at twelve 

 feet, and continued with occasional changes from hard to soft and rice versa, to 

 about 100 feet Then the material grew harder, yet so that it could be slowly 



