USA > Missouri > Greene County > Past and present of Greene County Missouri, early and recent history and genealogical records of many of the representative citizens, Volume I > Part 9
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Same, with 80% light brown granular silicious limestone.
I335-1340
Same as above, but finer-grained.
I340-1350
Same as above, but coarser-grained.
I350-1356
Dark brown silicious limestone, composed of a few very dark particles scattered through the lighter brown material.
1356-1360
Very dark silicious magnesian limestone, with a few red par- ticles and 10% black granules-probably chert.
I 360-1365
Dark brown silicious magnesian limestone, crystalline, with some darker particles.
1365-1370
Same as above.
I370-1376
Same as above, except darker.
1376-1380
Same as above, except coarser and darker, with more dark particles.
1390-1395
Coarser, pitted impure magnesian limestone, with a mixture of irregularly disseminated darker or lighter particles, a structure producing the differential weathering of honey- comb structure seen wherever this rock appears on the sur- face.
I393-14041/2
The same as above, but with more black particles.
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GREENE COUNTY, MISSOURI.
It is noticed that the Gunter sandstone, the Decaturville, or Proctor, limestone and the Bonne Terre formations were not described in the enum- eration of the geological formations of Greene county. This is because they are nowhere exposed at the surface within the limits of the county, and they have been reached, in drilling, for the first time in this well. The Gunter sandstone is a white saccharoidal sandstone, with grains that are somewhat coarse, angular to rounded in shape, loosely coherent, and translucent to transparent in color. The Decaturville, or Proctor, limestone varies in the state from 60 to 100 feet in thickness, and is the highest non-cherty forma- tion of the Cambro-Ordovician series of rocks. It is composed, largely, of a granular, bluish-gray, translucent, silicious dolomite .*
The beds from 1114 feet to the bottom of the well, 14041/2, the writer has doubtfully correlated as belonging to the Bonne Terre formation. They are largely made up of soft, white "cotton-rock," merging into a darker gray, silicious dolomitic limestone. The very small amount of chert or flint would seem to indicate the Bonne Terre, rather than the Potosi formation, which has a larger quantity of chert.
It is very difficult to accurately differentiate these lowest beds, with only the drillings as a guide, since they are so far removed from any surface ex- posures.
*For fuller description of these formations, see "Underground Waters of Missouri." Edward M. Shepard. U. S. Geological Survey, Water Supply Bulletin No. 195.
CHAPTER III.
ECONOMIC GEOLOGY.
By Edward M. Shepard.
Water-Springfield Water Supply-Mineral Waters-Building Stones- Sandstones-Limestone-Ornamental Stones-Lime-Soil-
Road Material-Coal-Iron-Lead-Zinc-Copper -Silver-Gold-Petroleum.
Next to an equitable climate and pure air, the possession for which southwestern Missouri is most grateful is her abundant supply of cold and sparkling waters, which, for the most part, come to the surface in large springs generously scattered throughout the whole district.
Surface water supply .- The surface waters of the area under consid- eration are exceptionally pure. All have their origin in large springs, so that even in the most protracted drought they are never-failing. Few parts of the country are better watered or possess better facilities for the utiliza- tion of water-power than this part of the state. The growing demand for water-power, due to the progress in electrical science, greatly enhances the importance of a proper knowledge of our water-supply. The James river and Wilson creek, with their spring branch tributaries in the southern half of the county, and the various branches of the Sac and Pomme de Terre rivers with their tributaries on the north, afford numerous mill sites with practically inexhaustible reservoirs. The temperature of the various springs, in the hottest weather, runs from 44 to 58 degrees F., and that of the streams from 60 to 70 degrees. The extent and character of the water-supply of this county can be better appreciated after a brief consideration of some of the principal springs which gush forth on all sides to form the surface streams.
Springs .- This region is truly a country of springs, and there are few areas which have such an abundance of fine, pure, cold water as abounds in this portion of the state. The majority of the farms possess one or more of these adjuncts to health and comfort. The largest and finest springs are located at or near the base of the Upper Burlington limestone. The porous, cavernous nature of this rock, together with its great uniformity and thick- ness, and the hard Lower Burlington forming a compact under layer, pre- sents the most favorable conditions for the accumulation, filtration and dis- tribution of surface waters. Spread out over the western flank of the Ozark
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GREENE COUNTY, MISSOURI.
uplift, fissured by flexing, and cut into by erosion from the drainage system, it would be natural to expect large and fine springs along the lower slopes.
The sink-holes, so abundant in the upper beds of the Upper Burlington, form, undoubtedly, great reservoirs for the accumulation of surface waters, which are carried by underground channels to, or near, the impervious Lower Burlington below, a fact sufficient to explain the existence of the largest and coldest springs near the base of the upper division of the Bur- lington. In sinking wells in this formation, water is almost invariably ob- tained at shallow depths, and large underground streams are frequently tapped, giving conclusive evidence of the cavernous nature of the limestone, and the source of supply of the great springs. It has always been a difficult problem to account for the steady supply of water furnished by the springs which encircle the base of this formation on either side of the uplift; but this question is now solved by the knowledge that the whole formation forms one vast, cavernous reservoir into which the numerous sink-holes and porous strata convey to the underground recesses the surface drainage of the arca occupied by the Upper Burlington formation.
MANY GREAT SPRINGS.
Only the most important of the immense number of springs that issue from the Upper Burlington can here be mentioned. First, and most note- worthy, because of its utilization, is the Fulbright spring, situated near Springfield in the northwest quarter of section 2, township 29, range 22. It emerges from a small cave in a bluff on the west side of the Doling Park branch of the Sac. The water is wonderfully pure and clear, and has a flow, in ordinary seasons, of eight million gallons in twenty-four hours.
One mile to the southwest, on the Ritter farm, a large lake has been formed by damming the mouth of a narrow valley, into which three great springs empty, making one of the most picturesque points in the vicinity.
Another important spring is the one in Doling Park, the waters from which have been collected into a basin, forming a lake which greatly beautifies that pleasure resort.
The Woolen Mill spring, in the northwestern part of the city of Spring- field, occupies a site that has been selected for a public park, and in the im- mediate vicinity are, also, the Dingeldein spring in the western part of the city, the Jones spring, on the east, the Lyman spring, on Water street, just north of the Public Square, and the Frisco spring, north of the St. Louis and San Francisco railroad car shops. The last mentioned springs, owing to their situation in a thickly-settled region, are all more or less contaminated with sewage, and Jones spring, especially, is unfit for domestic purposes.
The Sander spring, just south of the McCracken mill on the South Dry
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GREENE COUNTY, MISSOURI.
Sac, is another good example of a spring issuing from the base of the Upper Burlington. It flows from the foot of a low bluff into a large basin, dis- charging. probably, eight million gallons in twenty-four hours. Since the dam was built at this spring it has been shown that its waters are the chief source of supply for Fulbright spring. The reservoir formed by this dam furnishes a valuable addition to the water supply of the city of Springfield in times of drought.
Jones spring, situated about a quarter of a mile from Pierson creek, on the Henderson road, must not be confused with one of the same name al- ready mentioned. It issues from a small cave near the base of a hill, and has a discharge of about eight million gallons of water in twenty-four hours.
Sequiota spring, on the old Fisher farm, issues from a cave of the same name, forming a stream of pure, cold water six inches deep, and from four to five feet wide.
Of the numerous springs that help to add volume to the James river, that on the Gates farm, now the property of the James River Club, issues from the base of a high bluff and discharges immediately into the river. At Camp Cora, on the bank of the river, is another spring that undoubtedly has its source in a spring branch which rises several miles to the east and flows past the Mentor cemetery, from which it unfortunately receives the drainage. Continuing its course, sometimes above ground and often sinking to reappear several hundred feet farther on, it finally emerges at Camp Cora, a favorite resort for fishing and camping parties.
Blue spring, having a flow of about six million gallons in twenty-four hours is also the outlet of an underground stream, the course of which is outlined by a series of caves and sinks trending south thirty degrees east. A strong current of air issuing from one of these caves is probably set in circu- lation by the movements of the under-ground current.
The Haseltine spring forms the headwaters of Clear creek and has a flow of about six million gallons a day. It issues from a large cave filled with tumbled debris, in the crevices of which considerable saltpeter has ac- cumulated. The Amphitheater spring, on Sac river, near Percy cave, issues from the center of the base of a beautiful curved mural bluff, which forms a natural amphitheater of considerable size. A quarter of a mile to the east of this, on the south bank of the Sac, is the Owen spring, now a part of the Springfield city waterworks system. The head of Asher creek has its source in the small Watson spring in the upper beds of the Upper Burlington, and the town of Cave Spring receives its name from the large stream that flows from the cavern sink within the limits of the village. The Hale and Nelson springs, in sections nine and four, respectively, have about the same value as Cave spring. Rocky Point spring, in West Center township, is a popular place of resort, and Shaking Mound spring, near the town of Ash Grove, has
SS
GREENE COUNTY, MISSOURI.
long created considerable interest from the fact that the mound, from the summit of which the spring rises, shakes all over when walked upon. Poles are easily sunk in it through the tenacious turf and down to a distance of from six to ten feet, into the black muck that makes up the bulk of the mound. The dense mat of grass and sedges which cover the mound remains green the whole year. Cattle are frequently mired in the bog. This would, undoubtedly, be a good locality in which to search for the remains of extinct animals, and it is a rare example in the south of the peat bog which is not uncommon in the more northern regions.
Of the Lower Burlington limestone springs, several large ones may be noted. One of these, the Big Boiling spring, on the property of the Winoka Lodge Club, S. E. 1/4 section 16, township 28, range 21, is probably the largest spring in the county. It flows directly from a flat orifice extending irregularly for nearly one hundred feet along the bank of the river. This spring formerly had its outlet from the cave about eight hundred feet to the northeast, and now, after heavy rains, quite a stream flows from the cave along the surface of the ground to the present outlet of the spring.
A few hundred feet south of the cave opening above mentioned are the Cotton Gin, or Roaring springs, a group of ten beautiful cold springs which occupy a small, narrow canyon, all on the Winoka lodge property. The Ingram springs, a few miles north of Winoka club house, the Spout spring, on the Dillard farm on the west side of Pierson creek, and the McKerrell spring at the head of Wilson creek, are all noted in this region. The Little Yosemite, otherwise known as Cunningham spring, in the N. E. 1/4 of sec- tion 28, township 27, range 22, is also a Lower Burlington spring. All the springs of this geological formation are noted for the beauty of their sur- roundings and the purity and coldness of their waters.
The springs issuing from the Chouteau limestone are not very large. but they are usually connected with picturesque scenery and are almost al- ways points near which good geological sections are shown. Those of the Hannibal sandstones and shales are very small, frequently mere seepage springs, forming wet, clayey slopes. The water is almost invariably impure and unwholesome, due, no doubt, to the decomposition of the pyrites con- tained in the shales. Wells sunk in this formation almost always contain purgative salts. The springs of the Devonian are small, and almost always seepage springs, frequently contaminated from the Hannibal shales above. The springs of the Silurian limestones are also small and the water is rather warm. Their size is probably due to the fact that these beds are rarely thick enough in Greene county for any great accumulation of water.
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GREENE COUNTY, MISSOURI.
SPRINGFIELD CITY WATER SUPPLY.
The water supply of Springfield was first derived from Fulbright spring situated some three miles north of the city, and noted for the abund- ance and purity of its water. It was early known that a subterranean con- nection existed between this spring and Sander spring, or Valley Water Mill, as it is now called. As the city increased in population, it became necessary, in times of drought, to add to the original water supply, and a dam was built at Valley Water Mill, forming a large reservoir which could be drawn upon in times of special need. The rapid increase in demand for water necessitated other sources of supply. The Ritter spring branch was next piped to the Fulbright reservoir. Later, the water from the Dry Sac was added, and still later, that from the large Owen spring near Percy cave. The severe droughts of the summer and fall of the years 1911, 1912, 1913 and 1914, and the strong opposition of the city to the use of the Sac and Ritter spring waters (though these were rendered perfectly safe by the large filtration plant installed at great expense by the Springfield City Water Com- pany), and the fact that even all these sources together did not furnish a sufficient water supply, caused the company to consider the problem of deep wells. The first well was sunk near the power house at Fulbright spring, to a depth of one thousand four hundred four and one-half feet. The sec- tion of this well has been given in the preceding chapter. It proved to be a strong artesian well, having a flow of over two hundred thousand gallons in twenty-four hours, and the company is pumping from it a large supply of remarkably pure water, of medium hardness. Another well has been drilled about one-third of a mile north of the first, and plans are considered for the sinking of one or two more.
The cachement basin for the Fulbright spring, the main source of water supply for the city, lies to the northeast and owing to an east and west fault- line, and the fact that the strata on the north side of the fault-line have been elevated so that they dip naturally to the southwest, the purer and softer waters of the St. Peter and Roubidoux sandstones are brought nearer to the surface and form the main sources of supply for the spring. These waters are mingled in the reservoir with the harder water coming , from the Sander or Valley Water Mill spring. During heavy rains, all the springs of the Ozarks become surcharged with earthy matter. Most of them have large subterranean cave-channels wherein is deposited the clay which mainly forms the cementing material of the limestones, and which is left in the bot- tom of the channels after the soluble lime has been dissolved and carried away in the water.
The muddy waters following heavy rains caused the company to erect
90
GREENE COUNTY, MISSOURI.
at Fulbright spring, one of the finest and most complete filtration plants in the country. In this plant, by a simple process, the earthy materials are pre- cipitated and filtered out through sand; and by the agency of minute quan- tities of chloride of lime, any bacteria remaining are absolutely destroyed, making the water wonderfully clear and potable.
The installation of the filter-plant and the supplementing of the Ful- bright supply with the deep wells is the solution of a problem of quantity and quality that has been a serious one for a number of years.
MINERAL WATERS.
There are but few mineral springs in Greene county, three small chaly- beate springs being the only ones known in this area. One of them is just under the dam at the pond at the Ritter mill, township 29, range 22 west and section 4. This can only be utilized at low water, as the stream overflows it at other times, but its waters are strongly impregnated with iron, and its accessibility to Springfield would make it well worth walling up. There is another on the east bank of the James river, just north of the boat-landing, between the east bank and the island, on the Winoka lodge property, near Galloway. This is covered by the river except in very low water. Another small chalybeate spring is found at the foot of the ferruginous sandstone bluff in the bed of Pomme de Terre, at its head, township 30, range 20 west, and section 25 northeast quarter. A few miles northwest of Springfield, township 30, range 22 west, section 20 southwest quarter, are Bethesda springs which have had a local reputation in the past, several houses and cabins hav- ing been built in the vicinity. They are situated in the lower bed of the Upper Burlington, and, like many others in this region, can hardly be re- garded as mineral springs.
BUILDING STONES.
The sandstones and limestones of Greene county furnish an abundant supply of building stones, some of them being of the highest grade.
SANDSTONES.
Coal Measures Sandstones .- As these beds usually have a very uneven texture, and very thin bedding planes, they are little used for any purpose except foundations, chimneys, fence-walls and hearthstones.
Hannibal Sandstones .- One of the building materials most extensively used in this region is the Hannibal sandstone or "worm-eaten" rock, which is of wide-spread occurrence and easily quarried because of its even bedding.
9I
GREENE COUNTY, MISSOURI.
Its durability is also very great. Broken and tumbled blocks of this forma- tion are so abundant along the slopes of its outcrops that farmers, who are among its chief users, do not find it necessary to establish quarries for the purpose of obtaining it.
. The sandstones of the Silurian include the St. Peter and Roubidoux sandstones. As a rule, they are too soft and friable for utilization in build- ing, and as they are usually in close proximity to the Hannibal, the latter are naturally chosen.
LIMESTONES.
Upper Burlington Limestone .- This is the most beautiful as well as the most valuable of all the building stones of this region. It is a very thick and widely distributed formation which adds to its other advantages the fact that it is most easily worked. When free from chert, the beds are massive, and blocks of unlimited size can be quarried. Coarsely sub-crystalline in structure, with marked purity of composition and homogeneity of texture, the middle beds of this rock make an unusually fine stone for all construction purposes, needing ordinarily, only a bush-hammer dressing. It has been used, with fine effect, in Drury College chapel, St. John's Episcopal church, many private residences, the foundation walls of the local government build- ing and the wall of the Confederate cemetery near Springfield. There are several large quarries in and near Springfield, as well as numerous places where small amounts of the rock are taken out for local purposes. While there are many small quarries throughout the county which are but roughly worked for lime or foundation rock, it is only at Phoenix that a systematic development of these beds has been undertaken.
Phoenix Quarries .- These quarries are located near the town of Phoenix, in the northwestern part of the county, and were opened in 1888. They are in the middle beds of the Upper Burlington limestone, and the plant is equipped for working, handling and sawing blocks of all sizes, with a quarrying capacity of eight hundred cubic feet a day.
Ash Grove White Lime Association Quarry .- Near the town of Ash Grove, a ledge of Upper Burlington limestone seven hundred feet long, and from twenty-two to twenty-five feet thick has been exposed, and the fact that it has no horizontal, and few vertical seams, makes it one of the finest undeveloped properties in the state. Though used at present, for the manu- facture of lime only, it would be of great value for the production of dimen- sion stone.
Chouteau Limestone .- This is another Greene county stone that de- serves a much wider use than is now accorded it. It is widely distributed in beds of uniform thickness which are easily worked, is durable, has a fine buff color and is most desirable in every way.
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GREENE COUNTY, MISSOURI.
Sac Limestone .- Another evidence of the undeveloped resources in which this county abounds is found in the Sac limestone, a formation that contains enough silica to make it susceptible of a good polish and which, where thick enough and free from pyrites, is a fine stone for architectural purposes.
DOLOMITES.
There are three distinct beds of these rocks, known as the Joachim, Jef- ferson City and Gasconade magnesian limestones, and they are worthy of a more extended knowledge and use. Most of them are of fine structure, with great beauty and durability, the exception being in the beds of the Joachim layers, which, outside of the extreme southeastern portion of the county, are too silicious and unevenly bedded to be of use for building purposes. The middle beds of the Jefferson City limestone, however, possess most desirable qualities, being the compact, fine-grained, white and heavily-bedded stone called "cotton-rock," which, though soft when first quarried, hardens with time and exposure. From a small quarry of Gasconade limestone, situated three miles northeast of Fair Grove, township 31, range 20 west, section 15, on the south side of the Pomme de Terre, an exceptionally beautiful building stone is obtained. A large, two-story house was constructed from it on the Adams place and the rock being white, compact, fine-grained and of homo- geneous texture, might easily be taken for marble at a little distance. The durability of these dolomitic rocks is very great. A number of tombstones in the church yard near Fair Grove date back to 1840, and the inscriptions are as legible as when first carved, showing that time but serves to harden these stones. The total output of limestone in Greene county for 1912 was worth $99,334.00; 1913, $79,701.00. Only six counties exceed Greene in output.
ORNAMENTAL STONES.
It has been said that some of the Greene county stones already described are susceptible of a sufficient amount of polish to give them a value for ornamental purposes. In addition to these, onyx, chiefly a stalagmitic forma- tion occurring in caverns, has been found. As far as exhibited, it contains too many flaws and irregularities of various kinds to make it of any special value, but it is possible that when the deposits are more fully explored more perfect masses may be found. The best specimens exhibited equal the so- called Mexican onyx in richness of color and marking.
93
GREENE COUNTY, MISSOURI.
LIME.
The manufacture of lime has become a large and important industry in Missouri, the state ranking fifth in the United States in 1912, and the pro- duct of Greene county exceeding that of any other county in the state. Up to 1867, all the lime manufactured in southern Missouri was prepared in the rudest manner. Log heaps were built and rough blocks of limestone were thrown upon them to be burned in the simplest way, or rough stone walls sufficient to support and retain the rock were built, and the lime was burned in these temporary kilns. Such structures as these are scattered about the county, notably at the following points : on the bluff at the Pierson creek mines, near Ingram mill; at the ford north of Doling Park, Springfield ; east of Ebenezer; and at the Patterson place north of the public square, in Springfield, near the present intersection of Water and Boonville streets.
The first introduction of modern methods of manufacture was made by the Ash Grove White Lime Association. This company now largely con- trols the trade of the Southwest, shipping to Kansas, Texas, Colorado, and even to the Pacific coast. A history of this company is essentially a history of the lime industry in southwestern Missouri. In 1880, the late Gen. G. H. Nettleton, general manager of the Kansas City, Fort Scott and Gulf railroad, called the attention of Mr. J. H. Barton to the large amount and fine quality of limestone thrown out of the deep cut of the railroad west of Ash Grove, and urged the importance of establishing a lime plant on the line of this road. A car-load of the stone was shipped to the old Burns kiln, at Springfield, and burned into a fine quality of white lime. Mr. Barton immediately erected two kilns at Ash Grove and the following year Mr. W. B. Hill, of Carthage, became associated with him. Two years later Barton and Hill organized a stock company known as the Ash Grove White Lime Association, which, in addition to the nine kilns at Ash Grove, soon built several others at Everton, in an adjacent county and at Galloway, in Greene county.
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