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  Taff 
  — 
  Albertite-like 
  Asphalt 
  in 
  the 
  Choctaio 
  Nation. 
  

  

  On 
  returning 
  to 
  the 
  field 
  in 
  1898, 
  a 
  second 
  inspection 
  of 
  the 
  

   three 
  localities 
  of 
  the 
  mineral 
  was 
  made. 
  It 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  

   Mr. 
  Geo. 
  D. 
  Moulton 
  had 
  leased 
  the 
  lands 
  including 
  the 
  pros- 
  

   pects 
  in 
  Impson 
  V^alley. 
  The 
  mine 
  near 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  T. 
  1 
  

   S., 
  E.. 
  15 
  E., 
  was 
  being 
  operated. 
  Entries 
  were 
  made 
  along 
  

   the 
  strike 
  for 
  100 
  feet 
  to 
  both 
  the 
  foot 
  and 
  hanging 
  walls. 
  

   The 
  mineral 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  vein, 
  cutting 
  folded 
  green 
  

   clay 
  shale 
  and 
  striking 
  nearly 
  north 
  and 
  south 
  and 
  approxi- 
  

   mately 
  parallel 
  with 
  the 
  general 
  trend 
  of 
  the 
  rocks. 
  The 
  vein 
  

   dips 
  about 
  YO 
  degrees 
  east. 
  The 
  shale 
  at 
  both 
  foot 
  and 
  hang- 
  

   ing 
  walls 
  has 
  been 
  crushed 
  so 
  that 
  its 
  structure 
  is 
  destroyed 
  

   and 
  slickensided 
  surfaces 
  extensively 
  developed. 
  Two 
  sets 
  of 
  

   joint 
  planes 
  bearing 
  respectively 
  northeast 
  and 
  northwest 
  inter- 
  

   sect 
  the 
  vein. 
  The 
  vein 
  material, 
  also, 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  joints 
  is 
  

   striated, 
  showing 
  that 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  movement 
  along 
  such 
  

   faces 
  since 
  the 
  solidification 
  of 
  the 
  mass. 
  

  

  The 
  development 
  of 
  sj'Stems 
  of 
  joints 
  in 
  the 
  vein 
  intersecting 
  

   approximately 
  at 
  45 
  degrees 
  to 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  wall 
  would 
  indi- 
  

   cate 
  crushing 
  pressure 
  perpendicular 
  to 
  such 
  faces 
  while 
  the 
  

   mineral 
  was 
  in 
  a 
  solid 
  or 
  semi-solid 
  state. 
  The 
  whole 
  of 
  

   the 
  vein 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  excavations 
  had 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  it 
  

   to 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  about 
  30 
  feet 
  showed 
  indications 
  of 
  apparent 
  

   crushing. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Moulton, 
  the 
  owner 
  and 
  operator 
  of 
  the 
  mine, 
  reports 
  

   that 
  at 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  about 
  35 
  feet 
  the 
  vein 
  for 
  12 
  feet 
  inward 
  

   from 
  the 
  foot 
  wall 
  has 
  changed 
  in 
  structure. 
  The 
  specimens 
  

   submitted 
  by 
  him, 
  though 
  small, 
  show 
  a 
  compact 
  mass 
  with 
  a 
  

   smooth 
  conchoidal 
  fracture 
  in 
  contrast 
  to 
  the 
  friable 
  product 
  

   with 
  hackly 
  surface 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  vein 
  and 
  in 
  

   the 
  entire 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  vein 
  to 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  30 
  feet. 
  

  

  Samples 
  were 
  collected 
  from 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  working 
  30 
  feet 
  

   beneath 
  the 
  surface 
  and 
  submitted 
  to 
  Dr. 
  Wm. 
  C. 
  Day 
  for 
  

   complete 
  analysis. 
  I 
  quote 
  the 
  essential 
  part 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Day's 
  

   report 
  of 
  the 
  analysis. 
  Duplicate 
  tests 
  were 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  

   determination 
  of 
  specific 
  gravity, 
  of 
  solubility, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   chemical 
  analysis. 
  

  

  '"'•Meport 
  on 
  the 
  hydrocarhonaceous 
  material 
  supplied 
  hy 
  Mr. 
  Joseph 
  

   A. 
  Taff 
  of 
  the 
  IT. 
  IS. 
  Geological 
  Survey. 
  

  

  The 
  material 
  is 
  extremely 
  brittle, 
  pulverizing 
  almost 
  at 
  a 
  

   touch 
  ; 
  it 
  takes 
  fire 
  readily. 
  It 
  shows 
  no 
  sign 
  of 
  conchoidal 
  

   fracture. 
  Heated 
  in 
  a 
  tube 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  melt 
  but 
  softens 
  and 
  

   gradually 
  cokes 
  progressively 
  without 
  becoming 
  liquid 
  at 
  any 
  

   one 
  time. 
  

  

  Distillation 
  of 
  the 
  asphalt 
  from 
  a 
  retort 
  showed 
  that 
  it 
  does 
  

   not 
  entirely 
  melt 
  at 
  any 
  one 
  time 
  but 
  softens 
  and 
  decomposes 
  

  

  