52 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



non shaies, and Luther places the entire thickness of Salina shales 

 at 333 feet. The overlying Bertie waterlime has a thickness of 



53 feet at the Buffalo Cement Go's quarry, while the Cobleskill 

 above varies from 7 to 9 feet near Buffalo to 12 feet at Falkirk 

 near Akron. 



Although gypsum beds of good quality no doubt occur below the 

 Bertie waterlime, no definite information can be obtained of such 

 deposits with the exception of the important ones at Akron and 

 tho'Se encountered in the wells of the Buffalo Cement Co. at 

 Buffalo. 



Many gas wells drilled in Buffalo and to the eastward along the 

 escarpment report varying amounts of '' gypseous shales," '' gray 

 and white gypsimi," etc., but careful examination of such records 

 fails to lead to any definite knowledge. They were all drilled by 

 churn drills in search of gas not gypsum, and little dependence 

 can be placed on the data relating to the latter, either as to its 

 quality, thickness or its depth from the surface. 



The occurrence of gypsum at Buft'alo was well established by 

 the yv^ork of the Buffalo Cement Co. described by Ashburner.^ 



The Buffalo Cement Co. drilled a series of wells near the Main 

 street crossing of the belt line in search for gas. Well no. i was 

 drilled to a depth oi 490 feet 6 inches with a diamond drill. Well 

 no. 2 was drilled 6 feet from well no. i with a 59/3 jump drill to a 

 depth of 1305 feet. The core of well no. i is in the possession O'f 

 the Buffalo Academy of Natural Sciences. The record of no. 2 as 

 given by Ashburner is as follows : 



DEPTH MATERIAL 



Feet 



1-25 Shale and cement rock in thin streaks 



2^-30 Tolerably pure cement rock 



30-43 Shale and cement rock in thin streaks 



43-47 Pure white gypsum 



47-49 Shale 



49-61 White gypsum 



61-62 Shale 



62-66 White gypsum 



66-73 Shale and gypsum, mottled 



73-131 Drab colored shale with several layers of white gypsum, 

 measuring 18 feet in all 



i3i~33 Dark colored limestone 



i33~37 Shale and limestone 



137-40 Dark colored compact shale 



140-720 Gypsum and shale, mottled and in streaks 



720-25 Limestone 



725-60 Soft red shale 



760-85 White solid quartzose sandstone, very hard 



785-1305 Soft red shale 



Ashburner, C. A. Petroleum and Natural Gas in New York. Am. Inst. 

 Min. Eng. Trans. 1888. 16:924-27. 



