The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-12-16
DAMON'S MOUND.

DAMON'S MOUND.
The following paper. relating to one of th
| most remarkable and at the same time com
paratively unknown. geological features o
| Texas, is from the pen Of a gentleman Ion,
familiar with the facts he describes. Git is al
most subject for regret, even in theses mes o
| verbose writings, that Mr.. Huff has, In hi
| anxiety to abrdge his descriptions, given III
| scarcely more than glimpse at the stores o
his recorded observations upon the geolog,
and paleontology of Southern Texas. 1t il
| earnestly hoped that he will make further con
| tributions to the scientific knowledge of tn,
| great State in which he has been. for half
century. SO careful and intelligent an observer
This paper was read before the New Orleans
Academy of Sciences, referred to its standing
committee of publication and leave granted tt
publish id our city papers.
Prof Joseph Henry, writing to DR.. Copes
| says: We shall be glad to have the report O
| Mr.. Huff to which you refer, and shall expec
| to find in it matter of interest in reference tc
| the archaeology of the Southwest
RICHMOND, Fort Bend CO.. Tex. /
tOctober 2s, 1877.
Hon = J. Calder. Attorney at Law, Richmond
Esteemed SU-The letter addressed to you by
Dr. J. 8. Copes. one of the members of the
American Association Of Science and one of a de-
tachment from that body which recently visited
Texas for scientific purposes, handed to me by
you. has been carefully perused. hasten with
pleasure to give any and al such information
The description given In a note of Hon. Guy
Bryan to Pr. J. :. Copes, of Damon's Mound. sit
and rn IN pase Win an9 eT na a
Fort Bend county, Is very good, but does not
reach the geological facts which the mound
Damons. Mound runs almost due east and
west, and is about three miles in length. It's
greatest altitude Is nearer the western than the
half of its length, slopes or falls off gradually
down to the level prairie The width is from a
mile to q mile and half, and it is entirely sur
IS about 10 or 80 feet 70 the casual ' OBJ
server. placed three or four miles distant on the
north side. the mound presents a uniform
ing anywhere within stones throw of the
hole in the mound, the close observer will see
that he IS occupying higher ground than any
ering, or soil, on he top and sides Of the mound,
is of the same Identical character as that of
the surrounding level prairie, lying at its base
The same form. substance and character of the
surface SOIL OH thestop and sides of the mound.
is , easily Identified al over the State
This being one Of the geological features which
the top and sides Of the mound present, it is but
reasonable to conclude that at the time the sedi-
mentary deposit was precipitated the mound
great inland lake. The hole in the mound is
simply volcanic aperture or crater. from
whence escaped the pent I'D gases and steam.
L have never been so fortunate as to find any
volcanic tufa. pumice Or Stag. indicative of its
origin at the mound, but have discovered many
facts, both at the mound and in the bed Of the
The limestone quarried from the mound is of
the very best quality.
| saw many very fine specimens of pure crys-
ljT1n q 70 hnfr lrnaC
clear as the finest glass, which had been blasted
from near the original cone or crater. Some of
the broken boulders or pieces of limestone bore
traces of the red and black oxide Of iron.
The black oxide was the result of atmospheric
%a o vs Te Or aqd e nhe an ndd cea
showed the extinct fire. The bouiders had BEEN
originally solid masses or strata, and In the vol
various sized fragments by the escape Of the
volcanic steam through assures made by its ex-
pan sa1 force On my first visit to the mound
the hole OF. crater, aud could hear each
one lleaping from rock to rock .downwards.
ing i of :" water at The Bottom II The water
from well dug on the western spur of the
mound was 50 impregnated with minerals as to
heard of the water having been analysed: Upon
a close examination with view to strict appli-
cation OF analogy of the water worn gullies
| found that each stratum in the gullies or dry
rayines of the mound correspondent exactly
with those OF the banks Of the Brazos, Colorado,
lupe rivers. In places where lateral section
posed and had not been disturbed BY the slid;
had been freely acted upon by running water
during heavy rains, I found iron pyrites and
Jumps of sulphuric nodules. Their external
long and often acted upon by water as we'll
as by fire. I also, found some Jumps of
phosphate of lime and superphosphate of lime. |
water made a beautiful and durable whitewash.
The same kind of Jumps of lime and super !.
phosphate of lime are found in the correspond |
Ing strata in the bank of the Brazos river and |
these Jumps varying. in size and weight from |
one to one hundred pounds. As a fertilizer |
es Of The to mound ouh ha tive
specimens of shells. but so much worn as to |
render them impossible Of classification. I
ina AZ ehe same knd q shells IN petrfied state
he Brazos river. but so worn as to be beyond |
ny power of Identification. The difference in
Brazos and those in correspondng stratum in in
he gullies Of the mound being about ITO feet |
The. shells are of marine or
as water origin and must have lived In very
hem in any other stratum nor upon the beach |
# the Gulf of Mexico
The deposits or strata in the north side Of the
Mound as seen in the dry rayines Or gullies,
ire horizontal, and do not show any warped or
,roken appearance, clearly indicating. that the
lifferen gla layers Or strata had been deposited
volcanic action.
At the base OF the sand stratum the FOSSILS
we're deposited at the time Of the depositbf the T
imple. fact presenting ITSELF that In many
,laces In the sand stratum petrifact i0ue nnL-
les and fragments IF petrifled bond are