60 



GEOLOGY OF LA SALLL COUNTY. 



deposit in the ditch on the north side of railway — C, 

 R. I. & P. — tracks between Ottawa and Marseilles. 



Among- the great spring's of the county we should 

 name one on the south side of the Illinois, a half mile 

 west of the Horseshoe canon, or one and one-half miles 

 east of Starved Rock. Here a larg-e volume of clear, cold 

 water gfushes up through a fissure in the St. Peters, 

 while three feet from it water coming* out of the 

 St. Peters is quite salt. This spring- is known to 

 many who camp out near the canons. It is covered by 

 the river when it is half flood. 



Very fine and copious spring's are found in the first 

 ravine south of Deer Park, where the St. Peters 

 appears in the bottom and sides of the ravine and 

 forms two ridg-es across it, in each of which the rock is 

 cracked along- the crest, and out of these cracks fine 

 springes flow. One of these springs is now utili/.ed for 

 furnishing- water to the Park hotel. 



In 1892, in the northeast part of Deer Park Town- 

 ship, Township 33 north, Rang-e 2 east. Section 35, 

 northeast quarter of northeast quarter, in boring- in 

 the bottom of an old well, the water in which had 

 failed, at a depth of seventy-three feet, a stratum of a 

 black, soft, tenacious substance six or eight inches 

 thick was passed through. It had much the appear- 

 ance in color and texture of the material for asphalt 

 paving. Thrown into the fire it gave off considerable 

 carburetted hydrogen gas and left a white residuum, 

 which seemed to be a fine clay. We have heard it 

 stated that a similar substance occurs in the banks of 

 some of the ravines along Covell creek. 



Extent of Coal Seams. — Some may ask where 

 shall we look for coal, and deem what has been already 

 said as too indefinite. We will, therefore, give a more 

 precise statement of the boundaries of the several 



