178 
CONTRIBUTIONS    TO    ECONOMIC    GEOLOGY,  1905. 
The  hard  ore  from  the  Alabama  Consolidated  mines  is  still  of  very  high  grade  for  this 
district. 
The  Northern  Alabama  Mining  Company  has  several  surface  cuts  and  one  slope  located 
on  Moragne  Mountain.  The  ore  here  varies  from  34  to  40  inches  in  thickness,  without 
parting,  and  dips  at  an  angle  of  23°  to  26°.  At  some  points  soft  ore  has  been  found  as  far 
down  as  300  feet,  measured  on  the  slope,  equivalent  to  a  vertical  depth  of  75  feet  below 
the  ground  surface.     The  larger  part  of  the  ore  now  shipped  is,  however,  hard  ore. 
The  following  analyses  of  hard  and  soft  ores  from  the  Moragne  Mountain  mines  of  the 
Northern  Alabama  Mining  Company  are  by  chemists  of  the  Woodstock  Iron  Company : 
Analyses  of  ores  from 
at  Moragne  Mountain,  Alabama . 
Silica  (Si02) 
Alumina  (A1203). 
Metallic  iron  (Fe) 
Lime  (CaO) 
Soft  ores. 
10.74 
2.00 
51.02 
n.d. 
7.10 
n.  d. 
52.  50 
n.d. 
8.40 
n.d. 
51.90 
n.d. 
8.76 
n.d. 
52.75 
n.d. 
Hard  ores. 
9.26 
n.d. 
43.88 
17.86 
8.40 
n.d. 
38. 05 
27.00" 
Red  ore  has  been  exposed  by  a  prospecting  pit  on  the  Rhea  place,  about  2  miles  west  of 
Attalla.  The  ore  at  the  outcrop  is  27  inches  thick,  but  much  of  it  seems  to  be  very  sandy. 
The  ore  bed  at  this  point  strikes  N.  10°  E.  and  dips  80°-88°  W. 
Gadsden  (Shinbone  Ridge). — Several  small  mines  were  formerly  worked  at  Gadsden,  but 
the  workings  now  in  operation  are  located  respectively  2  and  3  miles  northeast  of  the 
town,  on  the  southeast  flank  of  Shinbone  Ridge.  The  mine  nearer  town  shows  an  ore  bed 
3J  to  4  feet  thick,  on  which  workings  have  been  carried  down  about  200  feet.  The  farther 
mine  (Etowah  No.  2)  shows  an  ore  bed  2\  to  Z\  feet  thick,  dipping  80°  NE.  and  striking 
N.  42°  E.  This  slope  is  now  down  about  200  feet.  Both  mines  ship  their  product  to  the 
furnace  of  the  Alabama  Consolidated  Coal  and  Iron  Company  at  Gadsden. 
Southeast  of  Gadsden  red  ores  have  been  worked  in  earlier  days  on  the  ridges  north  and 
south  of  Rock  Springs  station.  The  beds  here  are  usually  14  to  18  inches  thick,  though 
one  opening  is  said  to  have  shown  a  3-foot  ore  seam.  The  ore  lies  above  the  heavy  sand- 
stone which  caps  these  ridges. 
Gaylesville  (Dirtseller  Ridge). — Extensive  work  is  being  carried  on  by  the  Southern  Steel 
Company  along  the  southeast  flank  of  Dirtseller  or  Tuckers  Ridge  about  2  miles  north  of 
Gaylesville.     Working  slopes  and  prospect  pits  have  developed  the  ore  for  a  distance  of  2. 
miles  or  so  along  the  strike  and  give  an  excellent  opportunity  for  its  examination. 
The  northernmost  slope — the  Skeen  slope — is  at  present  the  principal  working.  This 
slope  is  driven  in  the  direction  S.  40°  E.  and  is  run  in  on  the  dip  of  the  ore,  which  is  here  20°. 
The  section  exposed  was  as  follows : 
Section  in  Skeen  slope,  near  Gaylesville,  Ala. 
Good  solid  ore 
Mixed  (shaly)  ore. 
Inches. 
. . . .  20 
....       7 
At  the  southernmost  series  of  openings  the  dip  is  still  20°  SE.,  but  the  ore  bed  is  split  by  a 
heavy  shale  parting  into  two  seams.     Sections  measured  here  are  as  follows: 
Sections  at  southernmost  openings  near  Gaylesville,  Ala. 
1. 
2. 
Ore 
Inches. 
4 
8 
19 
Inches. 
4 
10 
18 
Shale 
Ore 
