oe GEOLOGY OF OHIO. 
The ore of which we are now treating is lean. The rock is, in fact, 
a limestone rather than an ore. In Clinton county it is remarkably 
rich in fossils; a number of species new to science have been derived 
from the very outcrop which was worked for ore. Among the fossils 
that it contains, in addition to the coarser and stronger forms, there are 
lace corals in excellent preservation, and crinoidal remains in great 
profusion. Part of the ore bed is in reality a crinoidal limestone. 
These facts are unexplained, but similar facts are found in connection 
with the ore of this formation through its whole extent, from Lake 
Ontario to Alabama. 
In the southern part of Highland county, near Sinking Springs, 
and in the adjacent portions of Adams county, a heavier and more prom- 
ising outcrop of the ore occurs. Reference is made to it in the Report- 
of Progress for 1870, page 268. Natural exposures of the series are 
found here, which contain beds of ore of fair quality, from 1 to 2 feet 
in thickness, but in the absence of exploration, positive conclusions as 
to the steadiness and value of the deposits are not warranted. Such 
facts as can be observed, suggest a doubt as to their persistency. A 
partial analysis of the richer portions of the ore by Professor Wormley 
gave the following results : 
Carbonate of lime.............. PINS ence FARR BD SaN ae Sa 4 aOR ESSE 48.00 
Vie Galllike sino Vases Seale een ciae eee cae een PRR an te La eee ANOLON Tels, ge 30.00 
JEAOS ONOIAG EXICO Wecose s00ded000000007640000000 000000 640050 000000 60505 060000 964009590 00000000 1.28 
No great expectations need be entertained as to this ore in Ohio as 
a source of iron, but there is a possibility that some valuable beds may 
yet be found. 
In the Niagara limestone of Adams county a small amount of iron 
ore exists. It occurs in depressions upon the upper surface of the lime- 
stone, buried in the clays that result from the decomposition of the 
bedded rock. When these clays are removed, masses of a soft limonite, 
resembling bog ore in structure, are found. From a single pocket, 8 or 
10 feet deep, and 12 or 15 feet in diameter, several tons have been 
taken out. The Brush Creek Furnace was built in the valley of the 
same name in the early days of iron manufacture in Ohio, to work these 
newly found deposits. As might be expected from so precarious a 
supply, the furnace was soon stopped for want of ore. There is no 
reason to believe that this source of iron will ever again be brought 
into use. 
