Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-07-27
Report Of Geological Survey Of
Marion COumty.-COntlnued.
DY W. p. FOX, GEOLOGIsT.

DY W. p. FOX, GEoLoGIsT.
EDITOR VOTER:
Northwest of Knoxville is very
interesting range Of country for geo.
logical exploration. A portion of
our time has been spent in this part
of the country; and our reports Of
the different portions Of the County
will have to be in piecemeal, so to
speak, as We cannot give full report
of any one Section at time. After
striking the Whitebreast and it's
breaks, and Butcher creek and Its
breaks, we find considerable quanti-
ties of iron ore scattered here and
there, of . superb quality, being from
30 to Is per cent. of excellent iron.
1t is our firm belief that this ore will
pay to work. We think that the
quantity and the quality will justify
this conclusion. Therefore iron
works could be started right here in
Knoxville, aud made to pay hand
somely, as the production Of the
County would furnish the raw mate
rial and also the best quality Of gas
coal for its manufacture.
We also find very fine article OF
mineral paint along the banks Of the
Whitebreast. This paint is an ochre,
assuming different shades or varie.
ties. We find the yellow ochre prop.
er, red ochre, cream ochre, and the
blue ochre. Ochre is q variety Of
fine clay, deeply colored By the ses-
quioxyd of iron. 1t Is Of various
colors. It Is very valuable, as the
most of our ochres are procured from
France-known AS French ochres.
We think that this ochre can be
found in sufficient quantities to pay
on the Whitebreast. or course we
have not penetrated the natural beds
of 1t as yet, but have seen it In large
enough amounts to satisfy us that II
doss exist In natural deposits sufii-
cisnt ~ pay. If ferreted out. We
also And heavy coal lands along the
| Whitebreast and the Butcher creek
region. In many places along these
J creeks aud their breaks, coal hanks
:, have besn opened, some. OF which
are now in operation, while other'
have been abandoned, not, however
because the coal ran out, but for Other
reasons, not known to us--the Goa
all along here being Of q splendid
quality.
In following up this region o
country we strike Section s, 75, 20
On the y. l.. of the n. w. / Of this
Section, which belongs to j. 6. Dot
son, we find upon the side hill Of one
portion of il the lead rock cropping
out very abundantly, which IL the
magnetism limerick with TIT I'M.
pregnated all through 1t. This same
quality Of rock is the kind that bears
our heavy lead ore, or "galena," in
what Is called the galena lead fields
which include a corner Of Illinois,
Iowa, Wisconsin and the same chain
extending through Missouri, Tennes-
see aud Kentucky. There seems to
be quite an extensive ledge Of this
rock on this side hill Of the 40 acres.
We do not think this rock belongs
to the drift; we claim II is natural, az
far as the drift Is concerned. Whether
there Is lead ore or "galena" here In
sufficiently large quantities to pay or
not, there il ut least an excellent
"showing" to warrant this belief.
We find that these peculiar patches OF
land including deposits OF "gaiena"
do exist in Iowa outside Of the great
galena lead fields. We found one OF
these patches in one portion of Jeffer-
son County, on the "pole cat" or
more properly speaking the Skunk
river, while making a survey last
winter in that County. They are GER
tainly peculiar freaks in nature.
For lead ore to exist within the midst
OF a vast coal region, is indeed SIN
gular break in nature. Nevertheless
we cannot kick against facts. Here
the side hill seems to be filed with
this rock for quite distance, crop
ping on the surface or ut the depth
of the plOwshare. This Is on Butch
er creek, A miles northwest from
Knoxville. Some Of the lead BIOS
SONS or indications are as follows in
fact, are the strongest symptoms, to
wit: "Black jack" pyrites Of iron,
yellow ochre and red ochre, tiff, "dry
bOne," trap rock, Magnetism lime