CHAPTER LIV. 



REPORT ON THE GEOLOGY OP BELMONT COUNTY (SOUTH 



HALF). 



Only the south half of this county is included in the Second Geologi- 

 cal District, the Central Ohio Railroad constituting the northern bound- 

 ary line. The townships specially reported upon are Warren, Goshen, 

 Smith, Richland in part, Pultney, Mead, York, Washington, Wayne, 

 and Somerton. Several townships north of the railroad were visited for 

 the purposes of comparison and verification of the order of stratification 

 further south. In the prosecution of the work of the survey in this re- 

 gion I have been greatly aided by Mr. Nathan Bundy, of Barnesville. 

 To an extensive knowledge of the surface features of the county, ob- 

 tained in the practice of bis profession as a surveyor and civil engineer, 

 he has added during the progress of the geological survey much careful 

 study of the geology, in the stratigraphical order and distribution of the 

 seams of coal, limestones, etc. Extremely careful and cautious in gather- 

 ing his facts, and never confused in his generalizations, his assistance, 

 so generously given, has proved invaluable. 



The surface of the southern part of Belmont county is generally hilly. 

 The soil is unusually rich and productive, and the fertilizing effect of 

 the limestones is seen in large and rewarding crops from upland and 

 valley. In some of the western townships the limestones found further 

 east are replaced by sandstones and shales, and there are, consequently, 

 areas where the soil is less productive. Fruit of all kinds may be easily 

 grown, especially upon the higher lands. The agricultural features of 

 the county have been so fully and ably set forth by Hon. Isaac Welsh, 

 in a prize essay published by the State Board of Agriculture in 1868, 

 that I refer all interested in the subject to it. 



Belmont county is drained, for the most part, by streams flowing di- 

 rectly into the Ohio River, viz., Captina, McMahon, and Wheeling 

 creeks. The north-west corner of the county is drained by Stillwater 

 Creek, which flows to the north-west, and empties into the Tuscarawas 

 River, in Tuscarawas county. A very limited area in the western part 

 of the county has its drainage westward by Leatherwood Creek to Wills 

 Creek, thence to the Muskingum River. The divide, or water-shed, be- 



