536 GEOLOGY OF OHIO. 
The middle bench, of three feet five inches, is a hard, bright, pure 
coal, nearly dry burning, containing a moderate amount of ash, and but 
little visible sulphur; the upper bench is rather shaly. This is an un- 
usually good opening of the Blue Limestone coal. The limestone which 
covers it is ordinarily found at its proper horizon in the hills of all the 
coal territory south of the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, and Chicago Railroad, 
and is generally of good quality. In most places the coal is too thin to 
work. 
For twenty to twenty-five feet below this seam, traces of Coal No. 2 
have been frequently observed, and a few inches of coal have been dis- 
closed at this horizon, in boring for No. 1, but I have no where found 
promise of its being of any economic value. 
Goal No. 1 is the most valuable mineral deposit of the county. The 
two mines of the Silver Creek Mining Company had, at the time of my 
visit, an aggregate daily capacity of five hundred and fifty tons. The 
coal ranged from four to five feet in one bench, has little sulphur, a small 
percentage of ash, a large amount of fixed carbon, and is, in all respects, 
a first-class bituminous coal. Considerable territory in the township is 
underlaid by it, and the “ Blue Chippewa coal” has become well known 
in northern Ohio and is rated among the best. The result of five borings 
give an average of four feet three inches of coal. 
The sandstone which overlies this seam extends several miles west of 
Marshallville, and probably to the great valley of erosion, through which 
flows that branch of Chippewa Creek which has its origin in the swampy 
region near Orrville. In this western extension of the coal works, only 
thin coal has yet been found, and, in places, the sand-rock belonging 
above the coal is to be seen resting directly on the Waverly. 
The following section was obtained a little north-west of Marshall- 
ville: 
; FT. 
Coadlisandstonen's s.cicecimtewe hee Noes ete a a oereraee te aroatey ee yaure alee eee ae Uae a ere ae 25 
SandyshalesmboubombeclearhyawWiaverlymere aeeeeemteTnee ecco roe cee eae 50 
The line of division is here not well defined, but the coal sandstone . 
evidently rests directly on the Waverly, there being no coal shale or fire- 
clay in the section. The rock at top is in thick, massive layers, becom- 
ing thinner at the base of the upper twenty-five feet. Below the layers 
are thinner beds of finer materials, with many ripple-marks and without 
fossils, the ravine giving.substantially a full exposure to the bottom, 
where the layers are more evenly bedded and carry a few Waverly fos- 
sils. This western extension of the coal-fields has been partially ex- 
plored by boring, without disclosing workable beds, but it is by no means. 
