106 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXA&. 



Concretionary Iron Ore, from a Field near T. FarrelVs House, on A. Richardson Headright 



Silica 7.10 per cent. 



Ferric oxide *79 .78 per cent. 



Alumina 5 . 42 per cent. 



Sulphuric acid f . 56 per cent. 



Phosphoric acid ^0.51 per cent. 



Lime Trace. 



Loss on ignition 6.70 per cent. 



Total 100.07 



♦Metallic iron, 55.84 per cent. fSulphur, 0.22 per cent. {Phosphorus, 0.22 per cent. 



The portion lying southeast of the railway track is covered with a deposit 

 of ferruginous sandstones and laminated ore of the buff crumbly variety, 

 which ranges in thickness from one to six feet. 



Another deposit of ore occurs at Kellyville, on the south side of the Joseph 

 J. Ward headright. The Kelley, or Loo Ellen, furnace was situated in this 

 field, and for many years the concretionary ore of the district immediately 

 surrounding the furnace formed the chief source of the ore supply. 



In the southwestern part of the county, on the height of land lying be- 

 tween the Big Cypress and the Little Cypress bayous, the northern edge of 

 the iron field lying in Harrison County crosses the county line and extends a 

 short distance into Marion County. This ore belongs mostly to the older 

 conglomerate series of ores. 



TIMBER. 



In all questions relating to the utilization of the iron ores of East Texas 

 the cost of fuel has to be taken into account. As charcoal is at present the 

 only available fuel in the region, all questions relating to the material suit- 

 able for the manufacture of this class of fuel have to be considered. With 

 a comparatively limited supply everything looking to the conservation of the 

 timber resources of the ore-producing counties, together with the most eco- 

 nomical modes of production of charcoal, have a practical bearing upon the 

 production of metallic iron within Marion County and every other county 

 within the bounds of the East Texas ore region. 



Statistics are not available to show to what extent the present timber supply 

 is being utilized for the manufacture of lumber or may be held by saw mills 

 for that purpose.* The main question, however, is not the quantity at pres- 

 ent in such a condition as to be available for charcoal purposes as the ques- 

 tion, how can the sources of this supply be kept at their full capacity and in 

 such a condition as to be available when required ? 



The estimated age at which trees, whether of natural growth or cultiva- 



*Six saw mills are reported as being located in Marion County by the Commissioner of 

 Agriculture in his Annual Report for 1888-89. 



