IRON. 161 



OIL. 



Oil has been found in several places in the country over which I have re- 

 cently traveled. The most notable place is at Trickham, in Coleman County. 

 A well on the premises of Mr. L. L. Shields in that town was put down to 

 the depth of 220 feet. At a depth of 100 feet salt water was reached, which 

 flows from the top of the well. With the water is brought up oil, which col- 

 lects on the top of the water. This oil has never been analyzed, and has not 

 been collected in any considerable quantity. It has been used for lubricating 

 purposes. It is found in the lower part of the Carboniferous. Mr. J. H. 

 Finks, of Waco, is now drilling another hole only fifty feet away from the 

 first, for the purpose of testing the quantity of oil to be obtained. 



The same oil-producing stratum was penetrated and oil obtained at Brown- 

 wood. The shales producing this oil are found at the surface near Lampasas, 

 McAnnelly's Bend, near San Saba, and westward to near the town of Brady. 

 Whether the oil will be found in quantities sufficient to be of economical 

 value, is not yet determined. This determination will have to be arrived at 

 by penetrating the oil-bearing stratum at different localities, and possibly at a 

 more remote point from the line of outcrop. 



Oil has been found in several places, in small quantities, oozing from the 

 ground, but never in sufficient quantity or under circumstances that warrant 

 particular mention. 



IRON. 



I have only seen two places during the expedition where there is any prob- 

 ability that iron ore can be obtained in sufficient quantity to be of economical 

 value. The first place is on Cherokee Creek, two miles northeast of the town 

 of Cherokee, on the lands of Mr. J. T. White. The ore is in the Silurian 

 limestone, and is a brown hematite in stalactitic form. Considerable ore is 

 scattered over the surface of the hill, and I traced the deposit for several hun- 

 dred feet. A small amount of money judiciously expended in prospecting 

 would determine the quantity of ore to be obtained in that locality. 



The other place is on the San Saba River, a mile below the mouth of Brady 

 Creek, in San Saba County. At that place there is a fissure in the massive 

 limestone partly filled with iron ore. This fissure is from 18 to 30 inches 

 wide. I traced it in a northeastern direction about half a mile. This ore is 

 brown hematite, and the only question is as to the quantity. The ore seems 

 to be continuous for some distance, and the vein is easily traced by the scat- 

 tered ore on the surface, 



