>72 The American Geologist. April, 1894 
strongly acid, the straw colored one being intensely so. Free 
sulphuric acid appears to l>c present, hut unfortunately 1 had 
no means of verifying this or ascertaining the quantity. 
Great quantities of hydrogen sulphide are found at all 
times, not only issuing from these wells, but at many other 
places along the sides and even on top of the elevated area. 
This condition appears to have been the determining cause 
for the selection of the place for boring. An additional in- 
centive appears to have been that some fifteen miles to the 
westward lies Sour lake with its oil or tar wells and mineral 
springs, and about sixty miles to the eastward, in Louisiana, 
lie the much talked about Calcasieu sulphur mines, in which 
both oil and sulphur had been reported to be found as far 
back as 1 <s 7 1 . and the prevailing, although erroneous, impres- 
sion that great quantities of petroleum occur almost anywhere 
throughout eastern Texas. 
From these statements the company, aided by a local spec- 
ulator, had deduced the idea that unlimited quantities <d' oil, 
natural gas (CH 4 ) and sulphur were to be found at a depth 
not exceeding 250 or 5500 feet at most. 
The boring was carried on by the Chapman hydraulic 
rotary process, and the specimens of the borings were obtained 
by passing the material through a series of very fine sieves. 
While the section may not be absolutely correct, it is as nearly 
so as this method of boring will admit. The boring after a 
great many difficulties was carried down 400 feet, and the 
company, failing to find the deposits they had been led to ex- 
pect, stopped the work. The section shown from specimens 
obtained by myself while the work was in progress is as 
follows: Feet. 
1. Gray sand with bluish tint in places '-<• 
2. Dark gray sand with particles of lignite 7 
3. Blue clayey sand 13 
i. Blue sand 15 
5. Blue sandy clay or mud with iron pyrites 5 
A strong flow of hydrogen sulphide came from this 
bed after the well had remained open all night. 
0. Fine blue sand and clay with flnely divided iron 
pyrites disseminated through the bed 10 
7. Blue sand with iron pyrites 5 
8. Pine light blue sand with iron pyrites in tine par- 
ticles 25 
