Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1858-04-01


discovery of Iron Ore near this place, Gen
IRWIN has furnished us with the following
interesting details, which also contain ma
ny geological facts of value to the general
reader.
For the Gazette.
THE ORISKANY HILLS.
A traveller westward over the Pennsylvania
Central Railroad, in passing out of the Water
Gap Of the Juniata, near Lewistown, is at
traeted by range of heights which traverse
centrally the.valley lying between Shade and
Jacks mountain. The highest of these par
alIel ridges is distinguished by a crest Of
sandstone having at a short distance the ex-
act appearance of vertical wall, unbroken
for several miles. These hills are never seen
in Europe, this sand rock being whslly absent
there. it is the Oriskany Rock thus described
by j. P Lesley ESQ.,, in his admirable Man
ual of Ceal and its Topography: There
runs through these wide valleys a subordinate
range of hills, the outcrop more or less dis
tinguished of a peculiar, but subordinate sand
rock, called the 0riskany Sandstone No. VII,
full of fossils, which when once seen can new
er be mistaken. Its typographical exhibitions
are extraordinary. The Pulpit Rocks of the
Juniata are fragments of its horizontal layers.
The rock is remarkable in many ways. 1t
may be said never to vary its character
always a hard, rugged, cellular, iron stained
ebert. Ii is the point or plane of origination
for a total change Of life, one of the most
striking of the phenomena OF geology. A
new creation begins here. Ii underles a
black slate deposit acltich as the earliest kHO,en
attempt at making coal. In this last point Of
view it is of peculiar significance" In the
Fourth Annual Report of the Geological Sur
vey of Pennsylvania by Henry ID. Rogers,
State Geologist, Formation from Lewist1wn
to Maryland is minutely described, Up. SO, 80,
&c) and peculiarity is several times noted,
that the 0riskany "includes narrow zone of
the dark states Of Formation s, lying along
the trough IN its summit" This district of
was assigned by Professor Rog-
crs to DIR. Andrew Henderson, now Surgeon
in the U. 5. Navy, and his explorations are
marked with all that accuracy, that force of
analysis, that powerful reach of investigation
which distinguishes genius when combined
with labor. Among other interesting facts
which drew his attention was this one, that
all the Iron Ore workings among these hills
Of ,rere in tie same part Of tie slate Of s
held IN Tie embrace If the sand rock quote
from same Report, page "a:
'Kr0lt Ore IN Formation 8.-The discovery
of the true nature and exact position of the
iron ore connected with this formation fur
nishes an interesting Illustration of the util
ty of geological researches Systematically
prosecuted. The ore having been previously
dug at the outcrop only at remote and scat
tered points, no general clue tn its position
applicable in practice had been detected, nor
was it probable that any could be, until the
order of super position had been minutely
and meth Ideally studied. No sooner was
this done, however, than we perceived that
ali the outcrops of the ore, accidentally dis
covered in the formation, belonged TO enc
solid ertenstce band. regularly interstratified
in the loace,' part of these states, accompanied
by such well marked features in the adj lining
rocks as to render the tracing Of its course
With proper skill and knowledge a matter Of
ease and certainty. From the descriptions
given above (he is referring back to p. IS, so
Of the SererGl belts of Formation in the long
aud wide valley Of Lewtsto'cH, some idea can
be had Of the truly prodigious body Of this
ore which yet remains undevel0ped."
This was published in 1910 aud since this
time the disc very Of the very valuable ore
banks, the McGirk and Snyder, belonging 10
Etting, Graft & Co., the Watson Bank the
Bank, &C., prove the correctness Of
the statement, for in each Of these the orc is
found in separate but exactly similar belts OF
g. and In the same position In each belt. In
examining the ground close to Lewist0wn
with the view of discovering the orc clese at
hand-so as to save in that ruinous item,
transportation-I was struck with the bold
of the 0riskany in the second
ridge north of the town, and the preservation
Of the included slate of which rises near to
the summit Of the sand rock. The cross
section of the strata made by the side-cutting
of the new turnpike leading to Bcllefonte,
gave me fine opportunity to study the entire
Limestone g. Oriskany 7, and
the Olive States, Cement Layers and Buff
colored Sandstone of 8, lying in the Synclinal
Basin. Repeated and careful examinations
failed to detect even n trace of the Iron Ore
along the road, although on the opposite side
of kishacoquillas creek the bog ore, so char
acteristic of the carbonate of iron, showed
itself in Col Banks meadow, and his bank
and that of Mr.. George Sigler were in the
same line with the land Of Mr.. r. Shaw,
which | was examining, and apparently ex
acly similar in formation. Leaving the
Creek, had a small proving shaft sunk about
80 feet from the sand rock, but passing
through the calcareouS or cement layers, we
struck highly ca,Jonaceous shole, the de
ceptive shale which has led so many persons
to ruin in pursuit of coal, which readily ig-
mites and burns with a red heat until its
per centage of carbon, about 80, is consumed.
We were evidently jcloto the Ore" it lies
usually closely contiguous to the calcareous
or cement layers Of the formation, ocerlying
them only few feet, Rogers Report, 1910,
- OK Ahandon1n0 this shaft determined
to run the line of the strike Of the Rock from
the mines on the opposite side of the gap in
the Ridge trusting that as the Ore was 9trat-
fled, closely resembling in this respecta coal
seam, this line would detect its outcrop on
the Shaw side Of the Creek. This line was
carefully run by Capt. Franks, an admirable
Ct;u;l Enninnar and John AYaaks ESQ