The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1885-09-04
COAL AND IRON OF THE YAou1NA.
The following communication written for the
Yaquina Mail.

[ mentioned, with the improvements
going on in Benton county and more
Especially the Yaquina portion of the
same, some of the resources which
might be looked to as foreshadowing she
great industrial future Of this portion
oe the state. Nor do l know of any,
thing which can be of deeper moment
to all having interests here, now that
the KEY to this new era has been fur
nished by the completion of the va
|quina railroad, than by endeavoring to
point, through suggestions, what may
lead to the opening of the resources we
have, and which must give material
support to the great enterprise which
will soon seek more substantial pat
renage from our people than it does 1T
this time.
Hitherto but little has been publish
ed about the resources of this county,
and what little we have is of the
vaguest pattern. Two or three lines
here and there may be gathered, but
those are mostly misleading. This is
Il good theme for lecture just now,
but as it would de no good we. let it
pass.
In my letter mentioned particular
ly coal and IRON | wish nov. to speak
further of those two most important
articles. After giving in my letter a
description Of the position and manner
in which the coal lay, together With ac-
companying strata, I mentioned gath
ering few fossils which L could not at
the time place satisfactorily: Since
then, I have with careful Study of the
Lignitic formation and fossils OF the
Laramie Group compared the fossils
from the Yaquina coal field; and, while
l have but few varieties, what few |
have point Enthusiastically to the coal
fields of that age. Not only in fossils,
but also in the sandstone and clays,
both in depth of strata and in color do
they correspond. In order to give
weight to this statement l mention the
fossils by name and the place they are
given by the most eminent geologists in
the service of the government. No. l,
size 81 p inches, only part of one
shell, the rim ON one side and end, and
thickness of shell and manner Of break
ing, indicates "Ostrea. No. 2, "Cor-
bicula." No. 3, "Goniobasis. No. 4,
d fragment of "Valvata or ''Planorbis.
The above with many others were
found crowded together in blackish
grey grit, or fine conglomerate.
On the top of the hill from where
those fossils were obtained 1 got fine
'Corbicula," differing from first, almost
perfect. This was free from stone.
On Corbicula DR.: White says, 1.-THE
Laramie strata east of the Rocky
in Colorado which DIR. Hay
len designated as the Lignitic Group
lave been found in several localities to
,e especially rich in Corbicula." On
''This is referred to the
Fort Union beds and is reported as
ound in the coal bearing strata at the
own of Wales, Utah. AS to the first
nd last fossils which I cannot deter
nine, they are not far from the name,
nd no doubt as to their belonging to
he same period,
The coal fields of the Lignitic in the
Group are exceedingly exten-
i've, running from Mexico on the south
o Canada OH the north, and, while
hey are thus extensive, many of those
pOACu elC IiCH LII ucptl, Fuuui1S9 lFOLl
O to 60 feet in ALL Beds of s and 10
eet and upwards are quite common,
nd much of it is of excellent Quality. Is
low, what is the lesson2 Coal has, as
have before said, been found in sew
raj localities in the Yaquina country, {
nd the coalfeld in question being of
ne trde Lignitic, can we form any l
ther conclusion than they are all of &
ne same field or basin? If we are cor d
,ct, and coal can be obtained In rea- q
,nable amounts, without too much t
'st in mining and moving, who can f
leasure the resulta :
As to the iron ore / brought from
lere, it is Limonitie. Mr.. Dana says,
This is one of the most valuable ores
iron." It is plentiful too down there