74 GEOLOGY OP ILLINOIS. 



as does that also that outcrops farther south at Grand Chain. In the 

 bluffs of the Little Wabash, near the north line of the county, there is 

 from thirty to forty feet of sandstone, nearly all of which might be used 

 for building purposes, and the upper beds are in even layers of moderate 

 thickness, that could be cheaply quarried. 



Goal. — No coal seam thick enough to be worked advantageously was 

 found outcropping in the county, and the only resource of this county 

 in that direction is in the main coals of the lower measures. These 

 coals may be found here, in my opinion, at a depth of two to four hun- 

 dred feet in any part of the county. At Carmi, and along the Wabash 

 south of Grayville, coal No. 7 ought to be found not more than one hun- 

 dred and fifty feet below the river level, and if that should be found too 

 thin to be worked to advantage, about a hundred feet more would reach 

 No. 5, one of the most persistent seams that we have iu the Illinois 

 coal basin. Situated as Carmi is at the junction of two important 

 railroads, the citizens could well afford to make a test experiment with 

 the drill, iu order to determine whether they have coal beneath the 

 surface at a reasonable depth and of sufficient thickness to justify the 

 sinking of a shaft. This is a matter of public interest, and so far as 

 the test experiment is concerned, the expense should be shared by the 

 property holders of the town, and when this point is settled private 

 enterprise will do the rest. 



Brick materials. — Sand and clay suitable for brick making may be 

 found iu every neighborhood, and on the uplands on nearly every farm. 

 Sand for mortar and cement is also abundant at some localities, as 

 between Carmi and Phillipstown, where a bed of clean yellow sand is 

 found replacing the loess. 



Soil and Agriculture. — The soil of this county includes three quite 

 distinct varieties, to-wit: The low alluvial bottoms skirting the main 

 water courses, and subject to annual overflow ; the higher alluvial lands 

 south east of Carmi, between the Little Wabash and the chain of ponds 

 already referred to as indicating an ancient river channel, which are 

 mostly above high water; and the rolling uplands forming the northern 

 and western portions of the county. There is a small prairie on this 

 second or higher bottom between Carmi and Phillipstown, about five 

 miles iu length by two in breadth, and also two small prairies on the 

 northern border of the county and partially within its limits, but the 

 remainder of its surface was originally covered with a heavy growth of 

 timber. On the low bottoms between the Fox river and the Wabash, 

 cane-brakes are frequently met with, the canes usually ranging from 

 three to six feet iu hight. This is the most northerly point that we have 

 observed this shrub growing in Illinois. The soil on the low river 

 bottoms is exceedingly productive, and especially adapted to the growth" 



