Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-12-01
Mining Column.
The MlneralOgy Of Southeast
Missouri.
BY THOMAS CALLAHAN.

Hitherto the writer has given atten-
tion mainly to the agricultural resources
of this district, because the facts per-
tanning thereto are on the surface Of the
country. When he came to Missouri,
twelve years ago, 1t soon appeared to
him that the sum total of the knowl-
edge that could be impaired from any
other part of the country, consisted Of
the fact that the minsralogy Of q coun-
try grows out Of its geology. He soon
found all his geological attainments ut
fault, and threw them away. They
were but dross and dung. After twelve
years of patient study and observation,
he recently found that he lacked q few
facts to complete q system. and took
his old gun, revolver, and hunting
knife, rs companions, and went out to
examine the deposite OH section 30,
township "a. north, range 2 east. Tie
reason for selecting that point, was that
it Is the highest land in the State of Mis-
souri,, and 70 is the result of the strong
est volcanic force ever exerted in the
State. It's bulk 10 immense, and in ge-
illogical and neurological facts it great
Iy excels Pilot Knob and Shepherd
Mountain taken together. One week
was taken in connection with twelve
years of previous knowledge of the
Location and its surroundings, to collect
and arrange facts; not % much with
view to ascertain what may he in that
particular place. as to complete n sys-
tenn. All the required facts were found
in embarrassing abundance.
Without going into detail, he would
state that the geological system of
Southeast Missouri is the most perfect
in all the details that the writer has
ever seen. Upheavsl and displacement
are governed by laws AZ inmutable a.
Fate. Men talk of the mineral king
dom. \ kingdom implies King and
q Constitution and laws, and all these
are easily found in this case. Anarchy
is q myth, and Chaos q nightmare Of
the imagination. Anarchy IL name
for something which men cannot con-
troll, and Chaos il something which
men do not understand; and. after all,
Anarchy and Chaos are only other
names for development by Transition.
In regard to the deposit referred to
above, it is as sure as sunrise that n
very valuable development will he
made there at some future time; aud 1t
is Just as sure as sunset, that it will
never.be made under the present sys-
tenn Of operations, or rather lack Of
system. The search Is not prosecuted
in the right manner; nor in the right
place; being in defiance Of the immuta-
BILE facts in the case. But In the per-
fection of the system referred to above,
there il more involved than merely ge-
ology and mineralogy. 1t will DO time
enough to tell what is in that place,
and how to find it, when the question
of ownership has been settled beyond n
csvil. The writer has been to the bot
tom Of the records Of Iron county. To
bring out the facts and show how 70
find them at present, would letin del
uge Of litigation and drown the whole
thing. And, to the knowledge Of the
writer, this fact applies in several 9TH
er cases In Iron county, Mo. The quss-
ton Of land titles 10 being very quietly
wrought out to an equitable conclusion,
and ss the present supply Of mineral 10
sufficient for Iron county, the question
nf farther development can be laid on