3. CENTRE TOWNSHIP. F\ 209 



of small white beans. These are screened out and used for 

 rough-casting the plastered houses, while the sand that 

 passes through the screen is used for making mortar, &c. 



At the next exposure, on the land of the Hon. William 

 Grier, the Oriskany sandstone consists of pure white or 

 yellow sand, almost free in some spots from pebbles, in 

 others containing a great many. Though the Oriskany 

 abounds in fossils where the beds are hard, yet they seem 

 to be altogether absent where these beds are soft and 

 sandy. 



It is also worthy of notice that only in this low ridge 

 of Oriskany lying interruptedly along the north foot of 

 Mahanoy ridge does it present this soft friable aspect in 

 Centre township. Nor do all j>arts of this ridge present it 

 equally. At a very few yards' distance to the east it con- 

 sists as usual of a chain of rugged pulpit rocks of consid- 

 erable hardness. Farther west it crops out as a similar 

 rugged chain, but at Mr. Long's ore works the soft sand 

 again appears, and much of it has been excavated in the 

 search for iron. On the northwest of the town, in some 

 spots, soft sandstones occur, easily crumbling down under 

 the hammer, but not capable of being dug out, as at the 

 places just mentioned. 



In the north of the township sand is obtained from a bed 

 several feet deep lying on the very top of the Buffalo hills 

 about midway between Dorran' s and Hentzel' s narrows. It 

 is not easy to account for its formation. It can hardly be 

 the result of water-action. The place of its occurrence is 

 on the low part of the ridge where a foot-path crosses from 

 the Buffalo valley. It has been dug out to the depth of 

 about two feet and apparently extends much deerjer. It is 

 mixed with angular pieces of the Hamilton sandstone but 

 few very small fragments. This sandstone is not subject, 

 like the Oriskany, to be soft in places nor is it liable to rapid 

 disintegration under the action of the atmosphere. The 

 great accumulation of sand on this rock at so high a level in 

 the present configuration of the surface is therefore an ap- 

 apparent anomaly. 

 14 F\ 



