484 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NEW YORK MEETING 



Number 18 is the Barren Hill terra-cotta works, where these plastic clays have 

 been used for nearly 50 years. 



These are all the openings that had been made in the clay as late as August, 

 1898, although there is little doubt that many of the wells in this vicinity have 

 been sunk into it. The area of the clays is probably not much larger than that 

 outlined by the pits shown on the plat. Inquiry and a hasty *examination failed 

 to discover any similar deposits of red and variegated plastic clay in Pennsylvania 

 except the deposit at Turkey Hill, a few miles southwest from Trenton, in the 

 extreme eastern part of Pennsylvania, and 25 or 30 miles from Oonshohocken, at 

 which point red and variegated clays were mined several years ago and shipped 

 to the Trenton potteries. The mines have not been operated for several years, as 

 they are two far from the railroad to compete with the New Jersey clays. 



The Oonshohocken clays resemble the plastic clays of New Jersey, Long Island, 

 and Marthas Vineyard. The similarity in appearance is sufficient to suggest that 

 they may have been formed at the same time, at least under similar if not the 

 same conditions and from materials having probably the same source. 



To the best of my knowledge, no fossils have been found in these clays except 

 the lignite, consisting of fragments of branches, which are fairly well preserved, 

 but which i-apidly crumble on exposure, and until further paleontologic evidence 

 is found any correlation of these clays with deposits elsewhere will no doubt be 

 attended with uncertainty. 



The clays have been used in the terra-cotta works at Barren hill and Spring mill 

 for making sewer pipe; they have been shipped to Reading and Royersford for 

 making firebrick and stove linings. They have been used at Norristown for fur- 

 nace lining, and to some extent for making glass pots. They are quite plastic and 

 highly refractory, and the wonder is that thej' have not been used more extensively- 

 The reason for their limited usage may be that they are little known outside of the 

 immediate localitj', and they are too remote from the railroad to compete success- 

 fully with the New Jersey clays.* 



The next paper was : 



REMARKABLE LANDSLIP IN PORTNEUF COUNTY, QUEBEC 

 BY GEORGE M. DAWSON 



Contents 



Page 



Locality aud consequences of the landslip -ts-l 



Examination made 4)^5 



Character of the country 485 



Mode and extent of the movement 485 



Amount of material involved 487 



Explanation of the catastrophe 487 



Protection from similar disasters 489 



Similar occurranees in the same region 489 



liOCALITY AND CONSEQUENCES OF THE LANDSLIP 



On May 7, 1898, a landslip occurred on the Riviere Blanche, a tributary of the 

 Sainte Anne de la Perade, parish of Saint Thuribe, Portneuf county, Quebec. Th e 



* More extended field observations carried on since the above was in type throw considerable 

 light on the origin of these clays. The results will be incorporated in reports by the writer on the 

 clays of eastern Pennsylvania in the annual reports of Pennsylvania State College. 



