PORTAGE COUNTY. 149 
ter, lies twenty-six feet below Atwater Station, or five hundred and 
thirty-four feet above Lake Erie. 
About half a mile east the: same coal is struck at a depth of eleven 
feet, on the farm of Michael Strong. It here lies ten feet higher than at 
Hines’s, while the surface falls off rapidly towards the east. The thick- 
ness of the coal is the same as at Hines’s. 
In some of the borings made by Mr. Christy, near the Atwater shaft, 
the coal was found to be cut out by heavy beds of sandstone; no coal 
whatever having been reached in borings carried to a depth of two hun- 
dred feet. It is quite possible, therefore, that in this locality no workable 
coal exists below Coal No. 4, but it is not certain that the deepest boring 
has been carried to the level of the Briar Hill seam, as the surface of this 
. portion of the township is at least two hundred feet above the level. 
From the proximity of the railroad, the Briar Hill coal would have spe- 
cial value if found under these highlands, and it seems very desirable 
that a sufficient number of borings should be made to determine its pres- 
ence or absence The cost of boring to the depth of two hundred feet 
need not exceed three hundred dollars for each hole, and experienced and 
reliable drillers can be found who will contract to do the work at this price. 
The result of boring at Limaville has already been reported, and this is 
such as to encourage further effort. At Limaville the upper coals are 
found in their proper positions, and Coal No. Lat its regular level, far below. 
It is certain, therefore, that the lower seam does exist in this region—at 
least in basins of limited area—aud we may confidently predict that fore- 
sight and energy will bring to some fortunate person ample reward by its 
discovery in this part of Portage county. 
FIRE-CLAY. 
As I have stated on a preceding page, the Atwater coal crops out in the 
north-east corner of the township. The lower limestone coal is here very 
thin, but, as usual, is underlain by a seam of fire-clay, which is, perhaps, 
the most valuable in the series. This is apparently the same bed with 
that worked in Springfield, Summit county, and also that which fur- 
nishes most of the fire-clay made into pottery and fire-bricks along the 
Ohio, in Columbiana and Jefferson counties. , It also forms the basis of 
an important manufacture in Portage county, as it supplies the mate- 
rial. for the potteries at Lima and Atwater. It is chiefly derived from 
John Spire’s faria, lot 10, Atwater. The bed is about twelve feet thick, 
divided into two layers by a parting of black slate. The upper seven 
feet is not used in the potteries on account of the contained iron. The 
clay generally immediately underlies the soil, and is worked in open 
