Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1845-07-24
American Chalk.


A ST. Louis paper announces the discovery of
quantities Of Chalk in Morgan county, Missou-
ri, d, The mouth of The Gra,os river. Thu, ru-
mor excited our surprise, because while our ge-
oiogy has discovered its region OF interest TO ~
nearly as wide, diversified and interesting, as
that of Europe, it had not been able la claim
the possession of any basin or large deposne of
chalk. This circumstance has beeu a stump-
ing block in the way Of cur na'uralisis. Mr.
Nc Ciure, an eminent geologi,t of this country,
recently deceased, undertook by personal ex
animation 10 seule the character and posilIoa
Of The principal American rocks, and constructs
ed geological map of The Union which was
much esteemed. He gave ii as his opinion
there was no chalk TO be found in America.--
This opinion taken up by Professor Ealoni
who, III his treatise on peculiar formations, Oh.
served -" We should delight 10 find a chaa
basin in our secondary district, win all the IN:
leresting contents of The Paris basin described
by Cuvier and Brogniard Blu. roe haze no chalk
in North America"
This impression has. therefore, taken pos.
session of The public mind Ye, we find that
Flint, the accomplished author of the Geogra-
ply and history Of the Mississippi Valley,
work which made its appearance in 1924. as
ser,s the existence of white and red chalk in
the Stale of Missouri.
Dr. Morton. Of Philadelphia, ahou, The san
time, made some valuable contributions to The
science OF American Geology, and, indeed. die
vided The crelaceous strata of the United Siass
into three divisions. Ths upper, uaceable ia,
South Carolina, Florida and Southern AIabam A.,
the medal recognized a, Burlington, New er--
sey, and in North Carolina, the lower, strei CHI
ing from New Jersey in The form Of rresc enr,,
and through The Southern States into Arkansas.
and Missouri. The fossil remains have been
identified in Europe as being similar 10 those
found in the chalk formations Of France aud
England.
At the fourth annual session Of American ps--
ologi.,s aud na,urais,s. held in the CITY OF Al
baDy in 1919, a very valuable paper sesd,
by Mr. Nicoilet on The cre,acous fnrmalioa of
The Missouri river A, that meeting a cre,s--
ceous fossil in fine state Of preservation was
exhibited, which had been found in an exeaya-
lun on Brooklyn Heights sixiy-fre fee; below
the surface. None of these persons seem to
have contemplated the existence of chalk in
such quantities as to become an article of COM
merce or Of domestic economy. DR.. MantelI.
in his beautiful and interesting treatise on the
wonders Of geology, considers the chalk form1-
ion as existing all over the world. He speaks
of having specimens from the United States,
and Of The fact that the organic remains all
similar in their character. We are therefore
prepared to believe that the discovery alluded
to has been made. Missouri Is certainly des-
lined TO become the greatest OF the Valley
States. Her mineral treasures alone are enough
to make her densely populous and Immensely
wealthy. Besides the famous lead mines, she
possesses iron and coal in boundess ex,enrs
manganese, zinc, antimony, cobalt, flint, tssoh.
er suspicious circumstance affecting the chalk
question: ochres Of various colors salt, nitre,
mari, Pl"rlbago, porPhyry. jasper. ehalcedou.
0oA .'oSs Ciu"dOdtS PVtSStdiH Ctdt duu CVIpot Ote
are found in quantities equal TO any future de-
rnand.
So much for the facts in geological point of
view. Bul there are practical considerations
we mus. not pass by with reference to this sub
jec,. Chalk is composed Of about forty -four
parts of carbonic acid and fify-sx OF lime. and
this makes it useful in grea, many ways In
the arts il is valuable auxiliary. Ii,sused IN
polishing metals and glass, constructing mouds
10 cast in, by starch makers and chemists on
which to dry their precipi,a,es. by soda water
manufactures. by painters aud glaziers. and ia.
deed many Other ar,izans.
ln agriculture i, has long been we'll known
and used 10 improve Indifferent. soils. We
need not enlarge on this topic, ss there are
practical directions for It's use iu all The leading
treatise on agriculture True Sun.
Efforts are making al GAINESVILLE, Ohio. 10