Report of the State Geologist. 



designated A. K, C, I), K. 1 \ G, beginning at the south. Very careful records 

 of the strata, penetrated in drilling the wells, were kept by Mi'. Hugh Graham, 

 who superintended the work. The records of wells No. 1 and 4 of group 

 "A," No. 1 of group " B," and No. 1 of group "C 11 are especially minute in 

 detail. From them the diagram on page 263 has been compiled. 



The land on which the wells are situated, has an upward slope from the 

 bottom of the valley, becoming steeper very rapidly, and a few rods east of 

 the wells the Hamilton shales crop out all along the hillside. The thickness 

 of the drift passed through varies from eleven feet in two of the w ells nearest 

 the hill, to - 5 ' > feet and 322 feet in two of the most westerly, <>r nearest the 

 middle of the valle) . 



In the fall of 1895, the Solvay Process Co. began the work of sinking ten 

 wells on the opposite side of the valley, about three-fourths of a mile w est of 

 group A." The wells are located in and about the mouth of the Vesper 

 ravine. The record of the first well, completed on the west side, known as 

 "No. 30," is as follows: 



Surface elevation <XH;i.2 feet A. T. 



Top of Corniferous limestone at 675 " 



Salt at 1,174 " 



Measurement by Locke level shows the mouth of this well to be 497 feet 

 below the base of the Tully limestone, as exposed near the road leading from 

 Tully to Vesper, the outcrop being one-quarter of a mile south of the well. 

 Allowing ten feet for dip of strata, would give 483 feet + 675 feet - 1,158 

 feet for the thickness of the Hamilton and Marcellus shales at this point- 

 Salt w as reached 4 ( .»!i feet below the top of the Corniferous limestone. 

 The record of well "No. 32" is: 



Drift 12. feet. 



Corniferous limestone at <>4f) " 7.~> feet thick. 



Oriskany sandstone at 720 " 15 " 



Salt at 1,150 " 90 " 



Depth of well 1,240 " 



Well "No. 33: 



Corniferous limestone at <»f>4 feet. 



Rock salt at 1,1 64 " 



The object sought by the Solvav Process Co. in drilling these forty 

 wells, was a sufficient supply of salt to be used at the company's works 

 at Geddes, in the manufacture of soda-ash. The salt is dissolved out of the 

 bed and conveyed to the works by gravity, advantage having been taken of 



