CHAPTER LXIV. 



REPORT ON THE GEOLOGY OF BELMONT COUNTY, NORTH 

 OP THE CENTRAL OHIO RAILROAD. 



BY JNO. J. STKVENSON. 



Belmont county is bounded on the north by Harrison and Jefferson 

 counties, on the east by the Ohio River, on the south by Monroe county, 

 and on the west by Guernsey county. It contains sixteen townships, 

 with a total area of not far from six hundred square miles. 



The surface of that portion of the county which lies north from the 

 Central Ohio Railroad is much diversified, the streams being very num- 

 erous, and some of them quite large. In the west, Stillwater Creek 

 drains Warren, Kirkwood, and Flushing townships, while Wheeling 

 Creek and its many tributaries drain Union, Wheeling, Richland, Cole- 

 rain, and Pease townships. The soil for the most part is excellent, 

 owing to the large proportion of limestone in the rocks whence it is 

 derived, but the steepness of the hills renders extensive farming opera- 

 tions somewhat unsatisfactory. The inhabitants have expended much 

 strength upon wool-raising, which has prjved to be, in the main, quite 

 profitable. In several townships stock-raising has been attended with 

 success. In the western portion of the county tobacco is an important 

 crop, there being shipped from Barnesville alone upwards of two millions 

 of pounds per annum. The steep hills along the Ohio are covered with 

 deep, rich soil, which is admirably adapted to grape culture. 



The county seat is St. Clairsville, a prosperous village of several hun- 

 dred inhabitants. The principal villages are Bellair, Bridgeport, Barnes- 

 ville, and Flushing. The community throughout seems to be pros- 

 perous. Much attention has been bestowed upon the roads, many of 

 which are macadamized. Schools and churches are numerous, and, for 

 the most part, of such a character as to reflect credit upon the taste and 

 intelligence of the people. 



GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE. 



This portion of Belmont county exhibits no satisfactory evidence of 

 glacial action. A few water-worn fragments were obtained on some of 

 the higher hills, but they had been transported for but a short distance, 

 if, indeed, they had been transported at all. In structure they are the 

 same with rocks in the immediate vicinity. Along the river the gravel 



