464 W. M. Fontaine— Great Conglomerate” on New River. 
in texture. It is easily distinguished also by its massive bed- 
ing and resistance to erosion. As we ascend New River from 
the Falls, this rock ascends in the hills with about the same dip 
and contain several important beds of coal. These strata, 
mainly sandstones, are unlike the massive upper ledge, an 
resemble strongly the rocks of the Lower Coal series. They are 
argillaceous, and contain a considerable amount ‘of oxide of 
iron. This causes them to be comparatively thin-bedded, and 
r : 
narrow limits. No amount of rainfall entering from the sides 
could destroy the perpendicularity of the banks. The massive 
san 
ee of the country, the relief features of which, in the New 
iver region of West Virginia, are carved out of the Lower 
