Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1869-03-05
Geological Survey d OHIO.

take the following: =eas
Let us now proceed to ahow the val
{ ne, we should say almost necessity, {
a geological survey. ~ The question {
l whether geological survey ought to b
made is no longer debatable. Ever
State in Europe, and all of our State
I which have been led to consider th
{ subject, have had geological surveys
describing exactly what is, and wha
7 we may expect under the surfaces o
the States. Massachusetts,, New York
Pennsylvania Michigan Kentucky. Hi
nois, Iowa, and, we believe, other State
/ have had geological surveys. Michi
gan has been paid for her survey Al
hundred fold by the disclosure of th,
value and quality of the Saginaw Sal
works. But where is the limit of sal
in Ohio In order that we may under
stand the full value Of a geological
survey of Ohio, we will refer a momen
to what may be termed rather a @q'ec0n
1totSSdnce" than a survey, made in OhiC
in 1858. The principal report wai
made to Governor. Shannon, in 1888
The principal geologist was the late w
4 w. Mather, and his assistants were tbs
| late John Locke. Colonel Forster, Colo
mel Charles Whittlesey, Professor
Kirkland and @! Briggs. They divided
the State between them, and had onlv
survey was arrested. Nevertheless
| that reconnaissance was valuable buI
not tenth part as valuable as a geo.
logical survey may be made. We do
not regard geology as certain science,
/ by any means, but what it obSerUes is
Icertain-Hnd all the facts in regard to
stratihed rocks and mineral deposits
are certain Prof Dana, of the eZpIor-
ing expedition, described the rocks of
California as of the gold bearing kind,
and, in two or three years after, Califor-
MIA was revealed as the greatest gold
StQfa 1Ae
us look a little at the report of 1888, in
regard to some of the most important
points.
L. Of tSdIt.-Few people know that
the salt bearing rocks are found in q
large part of the State of Ohio, and
Ohiois now large producer of salt.
Yet this fact seems not to have been
known to Mr.. Wells, the Commissioned
of Internal Revenue, who treats the
salt works OF Syracuse and Saginaw as
monopolies. There can be no more a
monopoly of salt in this country than
there can be of air and water. Why,
the State of Ohio alone can supply the
whole country with salt. We have
been told, and believe it to be true,
that in the war of 1925, salt was
made in the west part of Hamilton
county, near the Great Miami river.
The work was very soon abandoned
because the water was very weak, It
should be observed that to make salt
with profit, only the strongest water
can be used. Salt water may be found 1
in TuscaraWas county, but, neyerthe-
less, has never been made there. Salt
has been made on the Muskingum for
more than half a century. Forty
years ago, half a million of bushels
were made annually. Little salt is now
made except at Pomeroy. Observe that !
in the report OF 1888, that section of the |
State was not surveyed, and no mem
tion whatever was made of Pomeroy
as locality of salt and now POme-
roy makes two millions of bushels of
salt year. Now a thorough geoIog-
ical survey may disclose many such |
iacts as these. Where is the limit of
salt in Ohio
2. CoaL-Cheap coal is the founda- |
ton of the success and prosperity of |
British manufacturers. But where is |
there more coal and where ought it to |
be cheaper than in the State of Ohio d? |
Ohio has coal enough to supply the |
for a thousand years. |
As yet, we have not economical the /
distribution enough to make il YerY |
cheap, although not much over haffI
the cost in New York and New Eng |
land. 1t is found in thirty counties of |
Ohio, and covers a surface Of 1000 |
square miles. It is found in success
sive strata of 1000 feet in depth, aud I
from one to fifteen feet in thickness.
cropping ont in various places. where it |
is now mined. Some of it is of ex-
quality. Now, at present
we only know where certain strata
crop out, and sometimes, as in that of
'he Briar Hill coal, at points far dis
aut from one another. Now, it is of
1eep interest to a large number of the
people of this State--manufacturer
and the Inhabitants of toWns-that we
should know where the best strata of
GOAL are, and that we should thus be
enabled to make arrangements for
sc07lon2lz11lg the production of coal n.
to future manufactures.
3. Iron.-The iron strata of Ohio !
covers nearly half the coal strata, and
are more extensive
han they have been supposed. Iron is
ound as far west 1--WE except the Bog |
Dre) as Medina county in the north, and
Adams county in the south. Iron was
irst mined in Adams county. Iron
extends through the whole of
9allia county and part OF Meigs, al
hough the eastern furnace there has
1allia county. Now, extend this broad
)elt to the lakes, and you have the ,
ron region of Ohio, of which not a
enth part is developed. We ought to
znow the limits of this iron mine, and
he various qualities of it. Bog iron is !
ound in several counties of the north :
vest. Ii we get cheap coal and cheap :
ron (as we shall) no Eastern State or
Oreign country can com pete with Ohio t
n manufactures.
4. Peot.-This article is found in sew
raj parts of Ohio, and large bed of it
3 in the county of Crawford. As long ,
s we have coal and wood abundant it :
s not likely this peat will be valuable,
'ut ii is well to know we have it. !
8. PetrOLeWnl.-This was not mentioned
n the report of 1888, but it exists in
arge quantities, in the counties of Nor
an, Muskingum and Warrington
In others. E-
6. GypSum.-This has been mined,
re believe, only on Sandusky Bay, but
viii probably be found in other locali- :
les.
z. The finest building stone in the !
United States is found in a large part : !
f Ohio. This Is commonly called the
Waverly Sand Stone," and is the ma
erial of which the stone fronts Of Gin I
innati are made of. Limestone, from I
Marble to the coarse stone Of the hills, G
) found in half the State, of which the {
me quarrieg in Greene ana Montgom-
~ are examples.
We have said enough to show that a c
survey ought to be made, and !
0 be made Immediately, II for no other :
eason than to trace out and define our l
immense mineral deposits. But there
: another reason, which will come 9
ome to every body. Our agriculture IS ! {
,ecLiRi1lg; that is, we have not proper 6
iOnally so large crops of grain. We
re convinced that this Is due in great
Measure to the tCGnt Of proper manage
peHt Of the gTound. In the old wheat
istricts, and in much of the corn land, I
be ground wants fertilizing, with some !
lew ingredients. What are they ? I
What is necessary to our soils Who
.nows but that the gypsum aud peat
,eds may not be used advantageously
n this way? We can not extend the :
limits of this article with Illustrations
,ut we are persuaded that the Legisla-
ure can not reach the welfare Of the I
itate in a better way than by TrOvid-
ng for a geological survey by compe-
ent hands; and let 10 be accompanied I
y a provision for ascertaining the ex-
ct topography of the State. The debt g
nd the expenses of the State are now I
much diminished, and we can afford to /
10 little for practical and Useful sol {
noe. E. ID. NJ. :
YAGoYDEN, February 20, 1863.
A NasbvytUa rrauw Ntwnotcl, ~ UoH, 2