238 GEOLOGY OF OHIO. 



eral weeks. During later years such freshets have been of rare occur- 

 rence, as, temporarily at least, the climate has become much dryer than 

 previously. At certain seasons of the year there is sufficient water to 

 admit of floating out rafts of timber. In the Muskingum the supply is 

 more regular, and though now, during the greater part of the year, not 

 sufficient for commercial purposes, a comparatively small outlay would 

 render it navigable most of the time, and so afford a cheap outlet for the 

 bulky iron and coal. 



The limestone beds of the Lower Coal Measures lie near the surface 

 over a large portion of the county, and disintegrating readily, render the 

 soil " strong," so that it yields excellent crops of grass and good crops of 

 grain. While the hills are usually sharp and somewhat steep, the val- 

 leys are numerous, broad, and fertile. 



The Central Ohio Railroad and the Pittsburgh, Columbus and St. Louis 

 Railway cross the county and are connected by a branch road running 

 along the Muskingum from Zanesville to Dresden Station. The Ohio 

 Canal passes through the north-western portion of the county. Zanes- 

 ville, the county-seat, is a flourishing city of about twenty thousand in- 

 habitants, and an important manufacturing center. Almost every town- 

 ship contains one or more cheerful and prosperous villages. A reasonable 

 amount of attention is paid to educational matters, and the county con- 

 tains one institution empowered to grant collegiate degrees. 



GENERAL GEOXOGY. 



The consolidated rocks of the county all belong to the Carboniferous 

 age, and, for the most part, to the Coal Measures. The following is an 

 approximate section: 



FT. IN. 



1. Shale 100 



a. Coal 2tol0 



3. Clay 3 



4. Limestone 1-3 



5. Shale 60 



6. Orinoidal limestone 2-4 



7. Shale 1-.35 



8. CoalNo.76 1-2 9 



9. Fire-clay 2 



10. Sandstone 45-75 



11. Shale 3 



12. Coal, "Norwich" 0-2 



13. Fire-clay 9 



14. Limestone 8 



15. Sandstone and shale 100 



16. CoalNo.7 1-6 



