210 THE MINERAL RESOURCES OE CECIL COUNTY 



Wilson's Beach and: about half a mile below the upper end of Maul- 

 den Mountain. At this point there is a bed of blue potter's clay 

 averaging 8 feet in thickness which outcrops at the water-level. Clay 

 from this bank has been used to some extent by R. Remey and Son, 

 of Philadelphia, in the manufacture of stoneware. The best stone- 

 ware clay from the Elk Neck region, however, occurs on the prop- 

 erty of Mr. Charles Simpress at a point about half-way between 

 Hance Point and Roach Point. Just south of the termination of a 

 private road the clay is exposed, showing an upper and a lower bed. 

 The lower bed, with an average thickness of 8 feet, consists of a 

 sandy clay containing mica scales. This slakes rather rapidly to a 

 mass of moderate plasticity and an average tensile strength of 40 

 pounds per square inch on the addition of 30 per cent of water. The 

 clay, however, has a rather low shrinkage in burning a good refrac- 

 toriness and a creamy-white color after burning, which would sug- 

 gest that it might be a desirable ingredient for some pottery mix- 

 tures. The upper bed is 4 feet in thickness and is composed of a 

 buff fire-clay which burns white at low temperatures and light buff at 

 higher temperatures. Material from these beds has been shipped to 

 R. Remey and Son, of Philadelphia. 



No stoneware clays have been developed in the southern or north- 

 ern areas, and it is quite possible that these districts are lacking in 

 deposits which can be worked with profit. 



EIRE-CLAYS. 



Cecil county has numerous deposits of clay of sufficient refractori- 

 ness to be classed as fire-clay, and these have been recognized and 

 utilized for some time, especially at Northeast for the manufacture 

 of stove-linings, front-brick, and other refractory goods. Most of 

 the material which has been used as fire-clay has been found in the 

 area lying adjacent to the Baltimore and Ohio and Philadelphia, 

 Wilmington and Baltimore railroads. 



One of the clays used in making stove-linings at the factory of 

 Wm. L. Cowden at Northeast is taken from the clay deposit on the 

 property of Mr. Charles Simpress, situated one-half mile south of 



