CV1 REPORTS OF GEOLOGISTS. 



CHEMICAL DEPARTMENT. 



REPORT OF MR J. H. HERNDON. 



Austin, Texas, December 14, 1890. 

 Hon. E. T. Durable, State Geologist: 



Dear Sir — I have the honor of herewith laying before you a brief report 

 of the character and amount of work done in the Chemical Laboratory of this 

 Survey during the period embraced between January 1 and De2ember 13, 

 1890. During this time six hundred and fifteen analyses have been made by 

 Mr. Magnenat and myself. These analyses have been made especially with 

 a view to show the economic value of the various ores and mineral resources 

 of Texas. From the results obtained in the laboratory and repcrted to you 

 it will be seen that no State in the Union is more blessed in mineral resources 

 than Texas, and when once intelligent home and foreign capital begin to 

 develop these resources, our State will make a gigantic stride towards progress 

 and civilization which will give her the first place in the Union in wealth, power, 

 and population. 



The tables of analyses which I have given below only show the most im- 

 portant work done, of which a record has been kept. A large amount of 

 work has deen done in the laboratory, such as testing of minerals, qualitative 

 work, special assays, and the like, of which no record has been kept by me. 



In the table under the head of assays sometimes as many as four or five 

 different determinations have been made, so I have reported all analyses of 

 zinc, lead, copper, antimony, and bismuth ores along with the assays, as in 

 these ores silver and gold is always called for. In this short Report I can not 

 discuss our ores at length, and can only hint at their possibilities. 



The East Texas iron ores will make a fine grade of iron, and I have the as- 

 assurance of prominent railway men who have tested them, that car wheels made 

 from the iron are longer lived and wear better than those manufactured in any 

 other State. These ores mixed with the requisite amount of magnetic ores 

 of Central Texas will make a fine grade of steel. In the Central Mineral Re- 

 gion we have a fine grade of Bessemer ores unsurpassed by any in the world. 



In Edwards County is found a pure white kaolin that will make the finest 

 grade of porcelain ware, and in Eastern Texas clays are very abundant that 

 can be utilized for manufacturing coarse pottery of every description, and a 

 few that will make good fire brick. Our gold and silver ores assaying from 

 one to eleven hundred ounces of silver and from one to ten ounces of gold 

 to the ton. The manganese ores of Mason and Llano counties are very fine. 



