222, GEOLOGY OF OHIO. 
living two miles north of the first church, has a well that supplies gas 
by which his house is lighted. The above cases are cited from a large 
number noticed in the progress of the Survey, for the purpose of calling 
attention to the fact that in many parts of the county combustible gases 
are escaping from the ground, and that these are capable of being util- 
ized for both lighting and heating. It is now well known that at sev- 
eral points along the shore of Lake Erie wells have been bored for the 
purpose of obtaining supplies of gas, and that a large number of such 
efforts have been successful. The pecuniary value of such a flow of gas, 
if it could be made to do the heating, lighting, and cooking of a family, 
would be very great, while the convenience, cleanliness, and comfort of 
its use would make it an almost priceless luxury. 
Peat and Marl.—No peat is now produced in Lorain county, but it exists 
in considerable abundance in several localities. In Brighton and Camden 
are extensive marshes, which were doubtless once lakes, but which are 
now filled with peat. In the Great Bear Swamp, in Camden, a pole may 
be thrust down twenty feet through peat. In Brighton, on land owned 
by Mr. Driver, is one of these lakes, but partially grown up, and which 
shows a water surface of about four acres. This lake is said to be 100 feet 
deep. It is surrounded by a broad margin of peat, and was evidently 
once much larger than now. Whether the peat of Lorain county can © 
yet be successfully substituted for coal and wood as a fuel, is an unsolved 
problem; but there is little doubt that, where remote from railroads, when 
the supply of wood shall have been exhausted, these peat bogs will be 
utilized and be shown to have great value. It is worth remembering 
that the remains of the elephant and mastodon are usually found in peat 
bogs similar to those referred to. In any excavations hereafter made, for 
drainage or other purposes, in these marshes, this fact should be borne in 
mind. 
Shell marl has been found in various parts of the county, but as yet 
has been scarcely applied to the use for which it has considerable value— 
the fertilization of farming land. The peat beds referred to above, and 
which have taken the place of water in little lakes, are frequently un- 
derlain by shell marl. All such deposits can be conveniently explored 
by a screw or pod augur, with a handle ten feet in length. 
Iron Ore.—Patches of bog ore are found in many parts of the county, 
but as they probably have no economic value, they do not require par- 
ticular notice. A blast furnace was built in 1861 in the village of 
Charleston, and is now owned by Mr. 8. O. Edison, of Cleveland. For- 
merly some bog ore and “beach ore” (the latter washed out of the shales) 
