188 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. 



benches, alternating in number according to the relative position of the hills 

 and streams. Round Mountain, so called from its shape — an isolated flat- 

 topped hill on the northwestern corner of the A. K. Jones headright — shows 

 only one bench close up to the summit of the hill; and Pilot Hill or Buffalo 



© 



-•• \&y^f;<iiAF?^iy -Buff crumbly iron ore op 



.. ■ - , \"?-'7 — ^^"rrr^v. ^ 



Fig. 13. 



DIAGRAM SHOWING BENCHES BETWEEN PILOT HILL AND CADDO BAYOU. 



Ridge, on the Alfred Benge headright, shows no less than four within the 

 distance from Caddo Bayou to the summit. The intermediate hills, such as 

 Pine Hill or Cooper Mountain, on the W. H. Watts headright, show four 

 benches, while the hill on the Luke Gauntt headright, behind Mr. James 

 Gauntt's house, shows only two. 



The streams flowing through the ravines all have the V-shaped bottoms 

 common to water-cut channels. 



The deposits within the region and constituting the ridges are compara- 

 tively uniform in their positions, the ore deposit being found at a level of one 

 hundred and forty feet, and where the elevation of the ridge does not exceed 

 this height the ore covers the surface in the form of a flat cap, broken into 

 large bowlders, frequently measuring from six to ten feet in length and four 

 to six feet in width, and having a thickness equal to the whole depth of the 

 ore deposit. Such points of the ridges as reach the higher elevations of one 

 hundred and fifty and one hundred and sixty feet are covered with a light 

 gray and yellow colored sand. 



The benches found along the sides of these ridges are altogether due to 

 the action of the streams flowing at their bases and to atmospheric agencies. 

 • The beds underlying the iron ore deposits are of a yellowish colored sand, 

 with a sandy clay lying close to the base. A section of the country at J. 

 Gauntt's house gives the following: 



1 . Gray sand 1 to 15 feet. 



2. Bed of buff crumbly iron ore 4 feet. 



3. Yellowish colored iron-stained sand 120 feet. 



4. Sandy clay 20 feet. 



5. Gray sandy clay 2 feet. 



6. Lignite (known to be over) 2 feet. 



These yellow sands (No. 3) are easily eroded, and by their destruction the 

 iron ore deposit is left unsupported. Blocks of ore are thus detached, fall or 



