218 GEOLOGY OF OHIO. 
has been so eroded that it is left only in patches of varying size, sepa- 
rated by the valleys. These patches of coal, containing from ten to one 
hundred acres of the coal, will all prove valuable ultimately if properly 
cared for; but if the present method of penny-wise mining be continued 
by farmers, many of the smaller patches will be worthless before ten years. 
Workings should not be deserted without good cause, nor should cham- 
bering be began near the mouth of the entry. In many hills several 
deserted banks may be seen not one hundred feet apart. In these the 
timbers have rotted, the hill-side has fallen in, and now, instead of com- 
pact rock, the material is a shattered débris, which effectually prevents 
access to the coal within. The method now employed of obtaining the 
greatest quantity of coal in the shortest space of time, and with the least 
possible expenditure of money, is sure to prove ruinous. 
Iron.—The ore horizons of Coals Nos. 7, 7a, and 7b, though by no means 
fully explored, give sufficient evidence of good ore to encourage careful 
examination in North, Monroe, Washington, and Freeport townships. 
The Jead tradition is strong in several localities, and one enthusiastic 
individual residing not far from Freeport expended a good deal of time 
and some money in exploration, but without success. No lead, silver, 
zinc, tin, copper, or gold will ever be found in economical quantities among 
rocks of the Coal Measures. Where lead has been found, it belonged to - 
the stores accumulated by the Indians, and is no evidence of lead deposits 
in the vicinity, for lead never occurs in the metallic condition. 
Building Materials—In the eastern section of the county, stone for build- 
ing purposes is not plenty, though one or two of the higher sandstones 
are employed. Farm-houses are built of wood, and in the villages brick 
is used. In the western townships, the sandstone over Coal No. 7 affords 
an unlimited supply. This rock is too soft to be used under foot, but 
certainly makes a handsome material for walls. Lime of good quality 
for ordinary work is obtained from the limestones under and over Coal 
No. 8, but none of it is white enough for in-door work. The upper layers 
of the limestone over Coal No. 8 will furnish a hydraulic lime. Clay, of 
good quality for ordinary bricks, is found nearly every where in the sub- 
soil, though in some of the eastern townships there is sufficient Limestone 
to render it worthless. No good fire-clays were seen. 
