30 _ NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



The first geologist assigned to the third geological district of 

 the State was T. A. Conrad. The district included the area of 

 the Oneida conglomerate. Conrad describes the members of 

 the Sihiric under the general heading, " Sandstone series or 

 second division." The lowest member described is the " gray 

 sandstone and shales of Salmon river " ^ (=:Oswego sandstone). 

 Under this chapter Conrad states [p. i68] : " Near Clinton, in 

 Oneida county, there is a silicious conglomerate, dipping at an 

 angle of io° to s. w., which is either a portion of this formation 

 or of the next above it, but time has not yet been given to the 

 investigation of its true relative position." Above the shales of 

 the Salmon river, Conrad places the red or variegated sandstone 

 of the Niagara river. The latter is the " saliferous rock " of 

 Eaton as described from western New York, to which the term 

 Medina is now applied. Under the " Mineral character," etc., 

 of the red sandstone, Conrad states [p. 172] : "At the falls of 

 Oswego the red sandstone is abundant, of a coarse texture, and 

 does not appear to be much used at present. Lines of cleavage 

 oblique to the plane of stratification, are here very obvious. 

 The upper layers consist of a coarse conglomerate or pudding 

 stone. The sandstone near the top of the series alternates with 

 red shale, both containing Fucoides alleghaniensis, the 

 shale seeming to be a mass of them cemented by argillaceous and 

 ferruginous earths." [p. 173] 



The work of Conrad as geologist of the third district termi- 

 nated with his appointment as first State ■ Paleontologist and 

 Vanuxem was assigned to his place as geologist of the new 

 third district. 



In the annual report for 1838 the Oneida conglomerate is 

 described by Vanuxem as follows [p. 267] : 



Millstone grit of Professor Eaton. — -Immediately on the green 

 shale [Lorraine], without any connection other than support, 

 reposes this quartz conglomerate, a rock of some interest, being 

 the first one met with made up of rolled stones or pebbles. They 

 are of vitreous quartz. This rock extends throughout Herkimer 

 and Oneida, with a thickness of 30 or more feet. . . The 

 lower part of the conglomerate is almost invariably highly 

 charged with sulphuret of iron or pyrites, the part containing it 

 usually from 5 to 6 inches in thickness. . . Resting on the 

 millstone grit, a series of shales and sandstones are discovered, 

 extremely diversified in composition, color, thickness, contents 

 or associates, meriting the name protean mass [=Clinton]. This 

 is the saliferous rock of Professor Eaton, including the gray 

 band. . . [p. 273] The northern edge of the millstone grit 



iQeol. N. Y. 3d Dist. Assembly Doc. 1837. Ed. 2. No. i6t, p. 159. 166. 



