212 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. 



the same character of ore was again met with. The ridge at this place is 

 known locally as "Gandy Mountain," and is covered by good ore — lying for 

 the most part directly on the surface throughout its whole extent. Gandy 

 Mountain is about one hundred feet higher than the surrounding country, 

 and is from one-half to one mile in width and about three or four miles in 

 length. 



It begins on the Wm. Chancellor head right on the north and terminates 

 abruptly on the Gandy and Bickerstaff headrights at its southern extremity. 



The ore is of a rich chestnut-brown color of the laminated variety, and is 

 seen lying directly on the surface of the mountain. It is underlaid by ten to 

 twenty feet of greensand, which is in turn underlaid by red sandy clays. 



In the northern part of the county, directly west of Swan's Switch, is a 

 narrow isolated hill, one-quarter to one-half a mile in width by one mile in 

 length, which is covered by a black massive iron ore, the laminae in it being 

 hardly perceptible. This ore is known locally as "black incinerated ore," and 

 yields on analysis fifty-two per cent of metallic iron. This is the largest per 

 cent of iron yielded by any ore in the county, but the value of this ore, I am 

 sorry to say, is considerably lessened by the large per cent of phosphorus 

 which it contains. (See No. ] 5, table of analyses.) 



On the Carmona league, five miles east of Lindale and one mile west of 

 Steen Saline, were seen large quantities of ore of the laminated variety, which 

 varies in color from black to light brown. The laminae of the ore is filled 

 with a reddish clay, which accounts for the large amount of alumina found 

 in it. 



The ore at this locality covers an area of twenty square miles, and all 

 phases and characters of the laminated variety may be seen. The bed of ore 

 is discontinuous and much broken up. Large quantities of the ore as seen 

 upon the surface often present a fantastical appearance. Bowlders of it may 

 be seen varying from one foot to four feet in diameter, covered with protu- 

 berances which form clusters, the bowlders being sometimes flat on top, 

 bulging or mammillary below, or perfectly round, though they have for the 

 most part an oblong shape, presenting very much the appearance of a bunch 

 of grapes. For this reason I have designated it as "botryoidal ore," though 

 it is known locally as "buff crumbly ore" because the laminae are filled with 

 clay, and upon weathering or when struck with a hammer they are easily 

 crumbled or shattered to pieces. The buff crumbly ores are very siliceous 

 and are high in alumina. 



North of Garden Valley buff crumbly ore of the same character as that 

 described above covers an area of thirty square miles. In fact it is met with 

 in patches and discontinuous beds south of the Sabine along the whole 

 northern portion of the county. 



