CEAWFOE1) COUNTY. 29 



-Economical eology . 



Coal. — As we have already stated, on a preceding page, all the strat. 

 ified rocks in this county belong to the upper Coal Measures, extending 

 from coals Nos. 11 to 14, inclusive, and as these seams are usually too 

 thin to be worked in a regular way, no valuable deposit of coal is likely 

 to be found outcropping at the surface in the county. The seam at Mr. 

 Latt's place, north-west of Eobinson, is said to attain a local thickness 

 of three feet, and may be successfully mined where the coal is good. 

 When the demand for coal shall be such as to justify deep mining, 

 the lower coals may be reached at a depth of four to six hundred feet. 

 Their nearest approach to the surface is along the valley of the Wabash 

 river, and the depth would be increased to the westward by the dip of 

 the strata and the elevation of the surface. 



Building Stone. — The best building stone to be found in this county 

 comes from the heavy bed of sandstone above coal No. 12, which out- 

 crops at various places iu the county, aud especially at Mr. Hole's 

 quarries north of Eobinson. At some localities, a fair article of thin 

 bedded micaceous sandstone is fouud between coals 11 aud 12, as at 

 Martin's mill, on Brushy Fork, near the south line of the county. These 

 sandstones afford a cheap and durable material for foundation walls, 

 bridge abutments, etc. The limestone four miles west of Eobinson, 

 that was used iu the foundation walls of the court house, is liable to 

 split when exposed to the action of frost and water, and although 

 seeming hard and solid when freshly quarried, will not withstand 

 exposure as well as the sandstone, if the latter is carefully selected. 

 The limestone at Eeynolds' coal bank, neir Linley's mill, stands expos- 

 ure well, aud will afford a durable building stone. 



Lime. — "We met with no locality in the county where lime was burned, 

 but just north of the county line of Clark county, at Mr. Drake's 

 place, a fair quality of lime is obtained from a limestone apparently the 

 equivalent of that at Eeynolds' coal bank. 



Iron Ore. — The shales associated with coal No. 11 usually contain 

 more or less carbonate of iron, and at the locality below the bridge on 

 Lamotte creek, near Palestine landing, the quantity seemed to be suffi- 

 cient to justify an attempt to utilize it. The shale in the bank of the 

 creek shows a perpendicular face of fifteen to twenty feet, and the 

 bands of ore towards the bottom of the bed would afford from twelve 

 to eighteen inches of good ore in a thickness of about six feet of shale. 

 At the river bank, just below the landing, this shale outcrops again, 



