HENDERSON COUNTY. 193 



Ferric oxide 58 . 24 per cent. 



Silica 22 . 10 per cent. 



Alumina 8 . 16 per cent. 



Sulphuric acid Trace. 



Phosphoric acid 1 . 08 per cent. 



Lime : . 29 per cent. 



Loss on ignition 10.11 per cent. 



99.98 per cent. 

 Metallic iron 40 . 77 per cent. 



The uniformity of the elevation of these ridges, together with their simi- 

 larity of structure and general thickness to the ore deposits on the west side 

 of Smith County, as well as those of the adjoining portion of Anderson 

 County, lead to the inference that during the period in which the sand de- 

 posits from which these ore beds were afterwards derived were being laid 

 down, the surface of this part of the sea bottom had a uniform level, sloping 

 gently towards the southeast with a very uniform degree of dip, not much 

 greater, if any, than the fall of the present stream beds, and that the broad 

 bottom lands of the Kickapoo, Flat, and Caddo creeks, as well as the low 

 lying, partially swampy lands along the Neches River, have all been formed 

 by the action of these streams within comparatively modern times. 



No faults, breaks, or dislocation of the strata are observable throughout 

 the whole of this region, and all the beds maintain their uniformity of eleva- 

 tion; and the general southeasterly dip shows these deposits to be compara- 

 tively free from the minor undulations observable in many other places in 

 East Texas. 



The enormous amount of erosive work performed by these streams may be 

 estimated from the fact that Flat Creek, a comparatively small stream, has 

 cut through the ore bearing ridges to a depth of one hundred and fifty feet 

 and formed a series of bottom lands nearly six miles in width, while the 

 nearest ore deposit to the Neches River on the Henderson County side is 

 that on Battle Creek, and is three miles distant. 



The similarity and relative positions of the deposits on either side of Battle 

 Creek show that this creek has divided the northern ore field into two di- 

 visions by cutting for itself a channel near the centre of the field nearly three- 

 quarters of a mile in width, over a mile long, and one hundred and forty feet 

 in depth. 



BUILDING STONE. 



The only building stones found in the county are the soft, friable, yellow 

 and brown indurated glauconitic sands found everywhere throughout East 

 Texas. Deposits of this sandstone occur a few miles north of the town of 

 Athens, and also on the south side of the J. M. Martinez headright, half a 



