Chapter V. 

 The Iron Ore, Limestone, and Coal of Perry county. 



Iron ore occurs on three distinct horizons in Perry county, 

 exclusive of several which have never yet yielded it in pay- 

 ing quantity. These will be described in their geological 

 order from below upwards. 



1. The Clinton fossil ore beds. 



The first or lowest and oldest of these horizons is that of 

 the Millerstown beds. This ore occurs above the middle of 

 the Clinton group, and is both from its quality and its lo- 

 cality the most valuable ore in the county. The only draw- 

 back is the thinness of the bed which necessitates the re- 

 moval of some of the rock in order to obtain room for work- 

 ing. The outcrop near Millerstown is close to the river, 

 canal, and railway, so that the means of transport are as 

 convenient as possible. 



The lowest of these Millerstown beds is what is called the 

 block ore. This is in reality the lowest layer of the iron 

 sandstone. The iron sandstone is thin in the north of the 

 county, and for the most part contains little iron, but to- 

 ward the base it becomes richer, and at last yields a bed 

 softer than the sandstone, but harder than the other ores 

 of the district, which breaks out in roughly cubical blocks, 

 whence it derives its name. 



With it there occurs a red sandstone bed, forming a com- 

 plete mass of flattened pebbles of red shale in a sandstone 

 matrix. This ore bed is not now taken out. 



Above this hard fossil block ore bed lies the Iron sand- 

 stone, here about ten feet thick. Then follow about 200 

 feet or more of green shales not well exposed at Millerstown. 



On these lies the second bed of fossil ore about a foot or 

 rather more in thickness, caj^ped by the thin upper iron 

 sandstone. 



(93 F2.) 



