PORTAGE COUNTY. 149 



ter, lies twenty-six feet below Atwater Station, or five hundred and 

 thirty-four feet above Lake Erie. 



About half a mile east tho same coal is struck at a depth of eleven 

 feet, on the farsp of Michael Strong. It here lies ten feet higher than at 

 Hines's, while the surface falls off rapidly towards the east. The thick- 

 ness of the coal is the same as at Hines's. 



In some of the borings made by Mr. Christy, near the Atwater shaft, 

 the coal was found to be cut out by heavy beds of sandstone ; no coal 

 whatever having been reached in borings carried to a depth of two hun- 

 dred feet. It is quite possible, therefore, that in this locality no workable 

 coal exists below Coal No. 4, but it is not certain that the deepest boring 

 has been carried to the level of the Briar Hill seam, as the surface of this 

 portion of the township is at least two hundred feet above the level. 

 From the proximity of the railroad, the Briar Hill coal would have spe- 

 cial value if found under these highlands, and it seems very desirable 

 that a sufficient number of borings should be made to determine its pres- 

 ence or absence. The cost of boring to the depth of two hundred feet 

 need not exceed three hundred dollars for each hole, and experienced and 

 reliable drillers can be found who will contract to do the work at this price. 

 The result of boring at Limaville has already been reported, and this is 

 such as to encourage further effort. At Limaville the upj^er coals are 

 found in their proper positions, and Coal No. 1 at its regular level, far below. 



It ia certain, therefore, that the lower seam does exist in this region — at 

 least in basins of limited area — and we may confidently predict that fore- 

 sight and energy will bring to some fortunate person ample reward by its 

 discovery in this part of Portage county. 



FIRE-CLAY. 



As I have stated on a preceding page, the Atwater coal crops out in the 

 north-east corner of the township. The lower limestone coal is here very 

 thin, but, as usual, is underlain bj' a seam of fire-clay, which is, perhaps, 

 the most valuable in the series. This is apparently the same bed with 

 that worked in Springfield, Summit county, and also that which fur- 

 nishes most of the fire-clay made into pottery and fire-bricks along the 

 Ohio, in Columbiana and Jefferson counties. It also forms the basis of 

 an important manufacture in Portage county, as it supplies the mate- 

 rial for the potteries at Lima and Atwater. It is chiefly derived from 

 John Spire's farm, lot 10, Atwater. The bed is about twelve feet thick, 

 divided into two layers by a parting of black slate. The upper seven 

 feet is not used in the potteries on account of the contained iron. The 

 clay generally immediately underlies the soil, and is worked in open 



