Luther — Geology of the Salt District. 



219 



As the sediments above the Encrinal limestone decrease in thickness 

 toward the west they become finer and lighter colored and much more 

 calcareous. West of Seneca lake, limestones from an inch to a foot thick, that 

 are sometimes persistent for many miles, are common in this horizon, and one 

 or two of them are of such a character as to require careful observation to 

 distinguish them from the Encrinal limestone. 



The Retsof Salt shaft was begun on one of these layers 133 feet above 

 the Encrinal limestone, to which it bore a very strong resemblance. 



About 100 feet of the light blue fossiliferous layers at the top of the 

 group are exceptionally well exposed along Little Beard's creek near the 

 village of Moscow, Livingston county, and for this reason the beds of this 

 horizon were early termed the Moscow shales. 



The horizon of the mouths of the following shafts and salt wells is in the 

 Hamilton shales : 



In the Oatka valley : 



The Lehigh shaft. 



The well at the crossing of the Delaware, Lackawanna <fc 



Western and Buffalo, Rochester <fe Pittsburg railroads. 

 The wells of the Pavilion Salt Company. 



In the Genesee valley : 



The two shafts of the Retsof mine. 

 The Greigsville shaft. 

 The York well at York. 



The Livingston Salt Company's well at Piffard. 

 The Genesee Salt Company's well at Piffard. 

 The Phoenix Salt Company's well at Cuylerville. 

 The Lakeville well at Lakeville. 



The Ontario Gas and Improvement Company's wells at West Blooniiield 

 and at Vincent ( Mutton ville) were also begun in this group. 



In the eastern part of the district the Cayuga Lake Salt Company's 

 wells at Ludlowville are begun in the upper shales. 



The forty wells of the Solvay Process Company, at Tully, all have their 

 beginning in the middle of the group and the test well at Morrisville was 

 commenced in Hamilton shales 340 feet above the bottom of the formation. 



