The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-02-26
WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGY.
MoRGASToWS, Feb. p, 1869.
To the Editor OF the IntelIgencer.

To the EultOF OF the 10Lel1IReQCSTs
Leaving the Monongahela Valley
and going to Harper's Ferry, as we
cross the Allegheny upheavals we shall
pass oyer a continuation OF the out
cropping and setting in OF the coal
| measures, ores, and ire clays mentions
ed in my last, with the addition OF sew
eral other lower veins of ore and coal.
| said to have been discovered In the
mountains, bat so far from tho Bali-
more and Ohio Railroad that it has at
tracted but little notice. An agent for
n New York company told me that he
had examined the coal and found 1t six
feet, and of superior quality. He re-
ported to the company, but after max
| ing u calculation of the cost to build
railroad to interest the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad, they declined the enter
prise. Now there is no doubt that this
noted coal seam crosses the railroad,
and can be traced by practical observ-
er to some point on the road where it
may be easy of access. Between the
Monongahela Valley and Cumberland,
| the strata are undulating at very strong
grades, from thirty to forty-five de-
grees, and will require very practical
work to determine the precise points of
the outcropping and setting in OF all
the different layers OF coal, ores, clays
and glass sand rocks, &C., where they
are easy of access. Passing from Cum
berland to Harper's Ferry we shall
cross the OutCrOppinR edge of the mag
netic iron ore alluded to in my last COM
munication; also the line of the Oil City
or Venango county Pennsylvania, oil
bearing strata. There should be great
care taken in examining this import
ant line of oil bearing rocks, rs have
no doubt that it can be traced over one
hundred miles in West Virginia. This
same group has been successfully tap
ped near their southwestern outcrop-
ping on the Cumberland river In the
State of Tennessee, and should we not
reasonably expect to find some favora-
BILE localities for obtaining oil on line
of hundred miles in length? There
is no question about this being a con-
tinuation of the Venango county oil
strata. According to my notes on the
geology OF eastern kentucky, as we
approached the western line OF the
Shenandoah valley we should expect
to find heavy layer of iron ore, lying
nearly on the great limestone forma-
ton which is some five hundred feet
thick in many layera. This formation
Is not exposed in the west end of our
State and does not appear in its west
ern incline descending the Ohio river,
until some thirty or forty miles below
Portsmouth. One OF the layers of
this great lime formation is extensively
worked and Is found to make the
made in the United States. To show
the Importance of this superior water
proof lime, it is only necessary to refer
to the sale of those lime works at Lou
isville, KY, some two years ago for two
hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
This formation passes under our State
as will be seen by our designed chart
at q depth in the centre of the basin of
some four thousand five hundred feet,
but is not exposed until we reach the
Shenandoah valley, when the whole OF
the layer is exposed before we reach
Harpers Ferry, where we find heavy
layers of brown sand rocks in many
different layers, forming in their out
cropping the Blue Ridge.
Special care should be taken to deter
mine whether a portion of those lime
stone layers in the valley may not pro-
duce an equal quantity of water proof
lime TO that found ut Louisville. KY,
being substantially the same forma-
ton.
Much more might be said and also
with respect to other portions of the
State, but enough has been said to show
the great importance of geological
survey, especially to the financial inte-
rests OF the State.
During last winters session motion
was made in the Legislature to carry
out this enterprise, and at my sugges-
ton the small appropriation of three
thousand dollars was thought to be
sufficient to accomplish the work. In
making this estimate reference was
had to the great amount of preliminary
work, the result OF private exploration
already in my hands and placed at the
disposal of fhe State, which doubtless
would diminish the expense of the
survey by more than half This advan-
tage, however, my advanced age will
not rende- available Il few years hence.
We trust that the members of our
Legislature will readily perceive that
this small appropriation expended in
exploring and rendering available the
mineral resources of our State will be
the best Investment possible to make
for the inanciaI interests of the State.
i. MOSES D. WELLS.