The Aberdeen examiner. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1866-current, 1884-10-23
The IIeidelburg Formations.
HEIDELBURG MISS,
nn+ 1914 1904

Major S. A. JONAS,
U. S. Commissioner for Mississippi.
DEAR SIR: Having completed
hasty exploration of this region, l
cannot abstain from giving you
brief report of some important capa-
bilities.
The station itself, is located on low
wet land-bottom of the small creek
a tributary to the Boquehoma, down
the valley Of which the N. O.&N. E.
rail road pursues its course South of
Vossburg. The "bottom" soil is but
a thin layer Land upon the older cal
careous formation of the tertiary
group, which underlios both the
counties of Jasper and Clarke. But
all around except where excavated
by the water courses, the older i'm
pervious lime strata have been GOV.
cred with 30 to 80 feet of orange
sand. So much of this last has been
removed, that even where present, it
1t is often not more than 10 or 10
feet thick and even less, yet even
this depth is of great importance to
the country as a source of water sup
ply. When the depth amounts to
30 feet, it like sponge holds a per-
petual supply of fresh pure water;
and sends it out at the foot of every
hill, in springs and running brooks.
Where the sand has been removed
by the natural erosion in the geologi-
cal period to which it belongs, and
and the tertiary calcareous deposits
appear, prairie soil, and no WAGER are
coneomitant results.
In the vicinity of Heidelhurg only
a small portion of the tertiary forme-
ton is exposed. But this little is of
great importance. The prairie tracts
are small, yet very fertile; and it is
here the limestones of the Vicksburp
group peep out above the all-cover
ing orange-sand. AS local source
Of wealth, near rail road, and the
nearest stone of the kind to New Or |
leans, these rocks are not over-rated. |
But they vary much in quality, as in |
contlgulty to transportation. Begin
ming at McDonald's, a little East of |
the rail road and mile Southeast of |
Heldelburg, there is an interrupted |
line Of outcrops running a little
Northwest to Talahala Creek some
nine miles, to McCallums' mill, Sec.
% and "A, Township l, Range IL,
East. Thence it turns more north
ward with that creek into Smith
county, not far from Sylvarena and
Raleigh, and thence on westward to
Vicksburg. Eastward from our point
Of departure it extends on into Ala.
oama and shows itself greatest at St.
stephens, on the Tombigbee. No
where however does it produce build
ng materials equal in quality to the
'ocks near Heidelburg, in Jasper
county. 1t may be regarded as com
posed Of three layers: The first or
ippermost, one to ten feet thick, a
lard blush limestone, containing on
y casts of fossils. This layer is the
most dlscontlnuous: That Is, has the
ewest outcrops. IL is equal to
mountain limestone in hardness and
durability, and very much resembles
t. Nothing exactly like it is seen
lsewhere in the group. Underneath
his appears the soft orbltoides lime
tone, characteristic of the group,and
may be divided into two layers:
IN upper harder portion and a lower,
5 soft as chalk, which it very much
ssemblss, and in which the fossils
though the same as in the upper
g very much decomposed. In some
calities only one of these lower
Yers ID found. Both are known ,