The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-09-02
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE u. S.
On cr-L-. No A III. 0k 1G-
STATE GEOLOGY,

PROF. COX IN HAMILTON CoUNTY-NATURAL
AND ARTIFICIAL FEATURES OF INTEREST.
Hamilton county is one of the many coun-
ties in the northern part of the state in
which the sedementary rocks are, with rare
exceptions, covered TO great depth with
glacial drift. In Hamilton there are few
exposures of limestone belonging to the up
per part of the Niagara group. AT Corners
mill on White river, in section is, township
10, range 5, east, the Niagara rocks are ex-
posed in the banks of the river and may be
traced for few hundred yards up and down
the stream. On the right bank they extend
six feet above the bed of the stream
and dip little south of east at an
angle of 239: this dip is, however, only local,
as Mr.. Clark, the present owner o the mill
informed me that the beds are apparently
level where they form the foundation OF the
mill. The color of the stone varies from
dolomitic and filled with fragments
encrinite stems and corals. The
most abundant coral forms are Fa-
vosites niagarensis and H9lysites
catenulata. 1t burns into dark colored
lime which is strong and well suited for
masonry. Several lime kilns that have
gone into disuse are seen close by and
was told that that the manufac-
ture could not, at this locality, compete
with the line made at Peru and Huntington.
A similar stone Is seen one mile southeast
of Noblesville on Stony Creek at J. E. Boy
er's place, and again further up on White
river in section 81. Small pieces of bitumin-
Gus coal, have, from time to time, been
found in the drift in this county, which has
led many to believe that it indicates the pos
sibil1ty of finding workable seams of COAL
But when it is known that these pieces o
coal, as well as the material in which they
are found, sand, gravel, powders and clay
no i,fo "a
beds that lie to the northward OF the state,
and were brought here by the
agency of gleciers, there can De no grounds
| tor such an opinion. The Niagara beds
above mentioned are the only rocks in the
county that are in place, and they occupy q
geological position in the earth's crust many
hundred feet below the horizon OF the coal
bearing strata.
THE GLACIAL DRIFT
is from so to 100 feet thick in Hamilton
county, and is admirably exposed near No.
blesville, at the Indianapolis, Peru and Chi.
csgo railway gravel pit, where it is mined fol
ballast. The excavation has a face several
hundred yards long, and at the deep
est part, where it reaches the
crown of the bill, forty-fiye
feet thick.S The other day, while the work.
men were engaged in removing gravel, the
skull and other bones of human skeleton
were undermined by the cavine
in of the bank near the top, and
came rolling down TO the bottom
The skull is OF medium size, well preserved
and probably belonged to more modern
race than the Mound Builders. With ths
bones there was found two highly finished
| ornaments made OF mussel shell, probably
unio heros, on account of it's great size
These pearl ornaments are sp0on-shapeC
and nearly of the same size
| They are little over elgh
inches long by two and a quarte
to two and a half inches wide near the larg,
] end, and about one-eighth of an inch thick