The Smoky Hill and Republican union. [volume] (Junction City, Kan.) 1861-1864, 1862-09-20

near the rivers brink. This is the general
aspect of the surface, with but few excep.
tions throughout the whole extent of the
river, although the western portion presents
several excellent and wide bottoms still
they are not as universal as upon the eastern
side. The formation till you come into tho
neighborhood Of Pipe and Salt creeks is
alluvial, no rocks showing themselves
Near those creeks the rock is coarse and
hard sandstone and conglomerate, filled
with henatite or brorn iron ore, and these
continue for ten or fifteen miles above Pipe
creek. The sandstone makes good build
ing rock, but I hardly think there is enough
of the iron to be put to practical use.
Near the Cheyenne Springs, about sixty
miles above the mouth, the character of the
rock changes, and limestone predominates.
This limestone belongs to the formation
called Ooltic or Juressic, and is filed with
fossil Oyster shells and Grypheans "a shell
similar to the oyster). A bituminous shale
abounds and extends for miles and miles up
the valley. When this rock is exposed to the
action of water the bitumen exudes to the
exterior of the stone, and giving it . strong
resemblance to coal, and probably this fact
has deceived many of those who have re.
ported such large seams of coal in this
valley. Some specimens which are pecul-
iarly rich in bitumen will burn with smart
crackle. We found places where it ha6
been dug for, for what purpose I know not.
There is also an abundance of slate stone
here and all along the sides Of the river
bank and sides of the bluff for about fifty
miles. iSteatte or ISoapstone of q fine
character also exists. This may become
valuable some day as 6re-stone for furna-
ces or stoves. It receives an excellent
polish, and can very easily be worked up
into ornamental articles, which, when var
nished, would be very handsome. There is
. bright yellow clay here also, and some of
q dark color, nearly black. These are the
common rocks till one comes to the Forks,
which unite about 100 or l05 miles above
the mouth.
A few miles above the Forks the bluffs
commence to be more abrupt. On the
South Fork the old red sandstone is found,
"a rich field for geologists). 1t abounds in
fossil shells of various kinds, chiefly the
amn,onites, or snake stones, as they are
commonly called. 1t would not be inter.
esting to most of your readers to euumerate
the other varieties. The limestone assumes
chalky character aud is of good quality
for all the purposes for which limestone is
used. Calcite chrystals and hornblende are
very plentiful. The slate becomes talcose,
or such as is used for whetstones. Pure
tale exists and gypsum (or sulphate of
lime) in profusion. The chalky constitu
ent of the limestone constantly increases as
you 90 northwestward till it becomes pure
chalk, aud the white-capped hills extend as
far as the eye can reach.
All the rocks accompanying coal, it will
be seen, are found in this valley, and though
it was not our good fortune to discover any,
still some future explorer may possibly do
so.
It is to be regretted that our party was
so weak In numbers as not to allow of its
being divided, and that the time of most of
its members was so limited as not to permit
US to proceed further up the river, or to
leave the main stream and examine the
tributaries and ravines among the bluffs.
We could examine but very few of them,
and those at but short distance away from
the river; still, many thanks are due to
each and every member of the party for the
assiduous manner in which they searched
every nook and corner of all the localities
Of minerals within their reach. Had We
been able to extend our researches to q !
broader field, our labors might have been
crowned with better success, as, if coal
exists at all in that region, it will most
probably be found in some bank or ravine,
at some little distance away from the river.
The soil in most Of the valley is . rich |
loan, thong b in some few places it is sandy
and clayey in others. The bottom lies in |
benches Of three and even four attitudes, in |
several places.
Ihe banks OF the river and all of it's |
are we'll lined with timber. It
exeels in this respect all the other streams
that I have seen in this part of Kansas. |
The Walnut, Oak, Cedar, Elm, Willow and |
Hackberry abound, and of course Cotton
wood too.
There are numerous springs all along the
valley, some Of them giving forth pure and
clear water, others are very salt and others
while some have . decided sul.
phurous taste.
We had nleasank wosth.. al IL. &C.,