Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-07-13

10 season, ana lett where the atmOS-
phere can have free circulation for
months or year, and then it be-
comes solid, and grand for building
purposes. Thousands of perch can
be quarried here, of this rock. We
have not seen any better sandrock
for building material in this part of
the County. In fact it is the nearest
rock OF the kind, quality and guam
tity combined, we have yet found to
Knoxville. This rock is exposed on
its face, 100 feet along the bluff base,
I by measurement. 1t is about of
mile from the line of the A. X. & d.
r. r. A first class sandstone quarry
can be opened here.
Again, the S. e: ] of S. E. | of
Section 10, IS, 10, is underlaid with
heavy deposits of coal. This land
belongs to Henry Mckinnis. On
one end Of this same body of land, in
another Section, the coal has been
proven and worked, being 7 feet in
thickness, which bank we will speak
of hereafter. On the above land the
coal also crops out in the slough,
being about 10 inches thick of solid
coal. The high land above at this
point is some so feet. BY running
an entry here into the bowels of the
ridge bluff, the heavy body of the
coal could be reached and worked to
good advantage, where it would
necessarily make from feet and
upwards in thickness. This is an
excellent quality of coal, and there
must be a heavy body of it. Its
roofing is black soapstone slate and
sandstone. This coal land passes
into Sec. j..
On the S. w. ! of the S. f. of
Sec. 10, ON the south bank of the
English, owned by Mr.. Mckinnis
also, crops out a splendid quality of
a grey and blush rock. This rock is
exposed to view for 60 feet in length
along the face Of the bluff, and is
over feet in thickness as per meas
urement, and from indications must
run thicker as the bluff is penetrated.
This rock is one species or variety of
marble, and if it makes and runs
under the bluff as we are inclined to
think, it will make into marble Of a
good quality. Have seen no rock
exactly like it in the County. The
nearest resembling it, we saw on the
Des Moines, northwest of Knoxville
some II or - miles. This rock has
some calcium in it, also magnesium,
with mica in refined state; is hard
and compact, and susceptible of IA
fine polish, making smooth face
and surface. All marble is a compact
calcareous rock, passing into differ
ent varieties. OF course, in speak
ing Of this marble, we don't say it is
equal to Vermont marble, COnnecti-
cut or Italian marble; but we say it
is good article of Western marble,
and one Of the many varieties. For
building purposes it is excellent,
making beautiful door and window
stills, and for various ornamental
rock connected with building.
Since the above, we have discOv-
cred that this same rock or quality
has been proven on the same tract Of
land in another Section, some J mile
distant, in sinking a well on Henry
Clay Stewards land, where it was
penetrated some 50 feet from the
surface, being 7 feet in thickness.
This atfirms our conclusions, that
there is an extensive deposit Of this
marble underlying this section of
the County. But the only available
point for working it ison Mckinnis's
land, where it crops out.
Directly above this rock is sand
rock, and directly underlying the
marble is blue clay, under which
is a soapstone, under which is black
shay slate, under which is heavy
heavy deposit Of coal, which coneti-
tutes the Sd vein, counting from
the top down, there being . veins
above. THE height of the bluff and
high land at this point is over 100
feet above the low-water mark Of the
English. Al along here on the
English we find the coal cropping out
Of the Sd vein, which we shoVeled
into in several places, which must !
have come from heavy deposits
which underlie this high land. No,
other hypothesis can be given, If it
may be called hypothesis, but we
do not claim Il is. We claim 1t 70