﻿S. 
  Powers 
  — 
  The 
  Butler 
  Salt 
  Dome. 
  127 
  

  

  Art. 
  VIII7 
  — 
  The 
  Butler 
  Salt 
  Dome, 
  Freestone 
  County, 
  

   Texas; 
  by 
  Sidney 
  Powees. 
  

  

  Contents. 
  

   Introduction. 
  

   Location. 
  

   Topography. 
  

  

  Springs. 
  

  

  Mounds. 
  

   Surface 
  geology. 
  

   Structure. 
  

   Origin 
  of 
  the 
  dome. 
  

  

  Introduction. 
  

  

  The 
  Butler, 
  or 
  West 
  Point 
  salt 
  dome, 
  has 
  remained 
  in 
  

   obscurity 
  among 
  descriptions 
  of 
  Gulf 
  Coast 
  salt 
  domes 
  

   owing, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  distance 
  from 
  a 
  railroad 
  

   has 
  prevented 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  salt 
  there 
  in 
  commer- 
  

   cial 
  quantities. 
  With 
  the 
  drilling 
  of 
  the 
  Keechi 
  dome 
  

   in 
  Anderson 
  County 
  leases 
  were 
  taken 
  on 
  the 
  Butler 
  

   dome, 
  but 
  when 
  the 
  six 
  tests 
  of 
  the 
  Producers 
  Oil 
  Co. 
  

   (The 
  Texas 
  Co.) 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  dome 
  

   proved 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  commercial 
  quantities 
  of 
  oil 
  in 
  that 
  

   very 
  small 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  dome, 
  drilling 
  for 
  oil 
  in 
  salt 
  

   domes 
  of 
  the 
  interior 
  ceased. 
  Six 
  wells 
  have 
  been 
  drilled 
  

   in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  Butler 
  dome, 
  one 
  at 
  the 
  Llewellyn 
  

   (Daniel) 
  gin, 
  two 
  on 
  the 
  southwest 
  and 
  three 
  on 
  the 
  

   northeast 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  dome, 
  all 
  about 
  10 
  years 
  ago. 
  The 
  

   first 
  well 
  found 
  salt 
  at 
  400 
  feet, 
  according 
  to 
  one 
  report, 
  

   the 
  other 
  wells 
  artesian 
  fresh 
  water. 
  The 
  exact 
  depths 
  

   of 
  these 
  wells 
  are 
  not 
  known. 
  The 
  well 
  at 
  the 
  gin 
  is 
  

   supposed 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  about 
  700 
  feet 
  deep 
  ; 
  those 
  to 
  the 
  

   southwest, 
  on 
  the 
  Cornwall 
  farm, 
  are 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  

   depth 
  ; 
  one 
  of 
  those 
  to 
  the 
  northeast 
  on 
  the 
  Duncan 
  farm 
  

   is 
  1000 
  feet 
  deep, 
  another 
  1465 
  feet 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  the 
  

   third 
  is 
  unknown. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  Cornwall 
  wells 
  is 
  reported 
  

   to 
  have 
  had 
  a 
  show 
  of 
  gas. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  C. 
  Wythe 
  Cook 
  and 
  Dr. 
  L. 
  W. 
  Stephenson, 
  of 
  the 
  

   United 
  States 
  Geological 
  Survey, 
  have 
  kindly 
  examined 
  

   fossils 
  collected 
  by 
  the 
  writer 
  at 
  the 
  localities 
  indicated 
  

   on 
  the 
  map 
  (^.g. 
  1) 
  and 
  pronounced 
  them 
  to 
  be 
  lower 
  

   Eocene, 
  either 
  Midway 
  or 
  Wilcox, 
  at 
  two 
  localities, 
  

   Upper 
  Cretaceous 
  at 
  a 
  third. 
  The 
  fossils 
  which 
  occur 
  

   in 
  the 
  higher 
  and 
  outer 
  f 
  ossilif 
  erous 
  bed 
  are 
  a 
  very 
  

   abundant 
  coral 
  of 
  small 
  size, 
  Balanophyllia 
  sp., 
  uniden- 
  

  

  