SALT. 1 95 



and in the construction of the railroads which pass over these beds this stone 

 has been used in the building of piers for the bridges. The ease with which 

 the rock can be quarried, and the fact that it needs so little dressing, make 

 it very desirable building material. 



There are also some very good sandstones in the Clear Fork Beds; some of 

 them have been used at San Angelo, Benjamin, and other places. There is 

 no lack of good building stone anywhere in the entire Permian district within 

 a short distance of any given locality. 



A great many of the limestones will make good quick-lime, and sand is 

 abundant everywhere, so that no trouble need be had in getting good mortar. 



Clays for making good brick are also abundant everywhere, and many of the 

 towns are principally built of brick made in their immediate vicinity. The 

 bricks are of a bright red color, and are of good quality when properly burned. 



TIMBER. 



The timber is mostly confined to the valleys of the creeks and rivers, except 

 the mesquite and cedar. There is plenty of wood for domestic purposes, and 

 the cedar and mesquite furnish large quantities of fence posts. The fencing 

 is generally done with wire, and the posts are ordinarily taken from the land 

 fenced or in its immediate vicinity. Timber will increase rapidly when the 

 fires that have heretofore prevented its growth are kept out. It is not until 

 the Staked Plains are reached that wood becomes scarce. 



SALT. 



The wide distribution of common salt throughout the upper beds of the 

 Permian has already been referred to. That it occurs in quantities sufficient 

 to be of economical value has been practically demonstrated at several locali- 

 ties; also that there are many other places where salt can be manufactured 

 very cheaply. It is quite certain this will be done when there shall be cheap 

 transportation from that section. 



The salt occurs in massive beds of rock salt and as impregnations in the 

 clays and waters. At Colorado City, at a depth of about 500 feet, a bed of 

 rock salt more than 100 feet thick was found. It is probable that these beds 

 do not extend over a large scope of country in such thick seams, but that 

 they do occur in several localities is quite probable. At Colorado City they 

 are manufacturing salt quite extensively from water pumped from deep wells. 

 There are numerous salt springs throughout the entire Upper Permian. All 

 the rivers and creeks are impregnated with salt. 



A noted place for procuring salt deposited by solar evaporation is Salt Flat, 

 in the northern part of Stonewall County, and on Salt Croton Creek, a few 



