504 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. 



BUILDING MATERIAL. 



Sandstone. — The beds of sandstone found in various localities will make 

 an excellent building material. It is uniform in color throughout the various 

 beds, and is easily quarried and dressed and hardens on exposure. It is prin- 

 cipally a light brown, and changes very little in color on exposure to atmos 

 pheric influences. Wherever this stone has been used it has always given 

 satisfaction. 



Limestone. — There are some places where the limestone would make good 

 building material, but the stone would have to be selected with care. A 

 great deal of the limestone in this county is shaly and unfit for building ma- 

 terial. 



There is a fine bed of limestone near the crossing of the Jim Anderson 

 Creek, on the road between Fort Belknap and Graham, and at other places 

 in the county. There is one place, two miles above the town of Graham, 

 where the limestone is as compact as marble and takes a fine polish. This 

 place is on the lands of Col. Gus. Graham. 



Clay. — Clay for bricks is abundant in any part of the county. Almost any 

 of the clays in the county would make excellent bricks if mixed with a due 

 proportion of sand, which is found abundantly everywhere. Material for 

 making a most excellent quality of pressed brick can be found in some of 

 these clay beds, and that will color a nice red on burning. 



Lime. — Lime can be burned from many of the limestones in this county; 

 and while some of the lime would not be white, owing to the presence of 

 iron and clay in the limestone, yet it would all be of excellent quality. Some 

 care will have to be taken in selecting the limestone from which to burn the 

 lime. 



IRON ORE. 



There are places in the county where iron ore is quite abundant. It oc- 

 curs in various forms, but whether in sufficient quantity to be of any com- 

 mercial value remains to be determined. 



About seven miles east of the town of Graham, on the Weatherford road, 

 I found a bed of ore which is the largest deposit I have seen in the county, 

 yet it is probable that there are many more equally as good. A sample taken 

 from this place gave the following result by analysis: 



Silica 44.50. 



Oxide of iron 46.66. 



Alumina 4 44. 



Lime 80. 



Manganese , Trace. 



