USA > Texas > Tarrant County > History of Texas, together with a biographical history of Tarrant and Parker counties; containing a concise history of the state, with portraits and biographies of prominent citizens of the above named counties, and personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families > Part 24
USA > Texas > Parker County > History of Texas, together with a biographical history of Tarrant and Parker counties; containing a concise history of the state, with portraits and biographies of prominent citizens of the above named counties, and personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families > Part 24
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these is a flat iron tool, the other a pair of sharp pointed pliers, both fashioned for the purpose of opening the shells for examina- tion without injury to the animal, which, if no pearl is found, is replaced in the shoal.
Silicified Wood .-- While the greater part of the silicitied wood of the State is not of much value as an ornamental stone, there are certain horizons in the Fayette beds in which the wood has been opalized and presents a pleasant variety of color and banding. These will probably be used quite largely for vari- ous purposes in ornamental work so soon as their beauty is properly shown.
REFRACTORY MATERIALS.
Refractory materials, or those which will stand very high degrees of heat without in- jury, are of the highest importance in manu- facturing. They enter into the construction of all furnaces for iron, or steel, or pottery, or glass, or the various other products of high temperatures, and are an absolute neces- sity in the proper development of such man- ufactures. Of such substances fire clay is doubtless the most important. The essen- tials for a good fire clay are not so much the proportions of siliea and alumina, although the larger the percentage of silica the greater its refractory power seems to be, but its free- dom from materials such as lime, soda, pot- ash, magnesia, or oxide of iron, which could unite with the silica and form a glass, and thus canse fusion.
Fire Clays .-- Of our Texas fire clays only two or three have had any decided or exten- sive trial. These are from the beds found in Henderson, Limestone and Fayette counties. The first two are found in connection with the timber-belt beds, the third in the Fayette beds. In use the brick made at Athens from
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the IIenderson county clay have proved to be of excellent quality. They have stood the severe test of the iron furnace at Rusk and of some of the lime kilns, and are highly recommended for their good qualities. The brick from the beds of Limestone county are also of good quality, and proper care in their manufacture will make them fully equal to any. The Fayette clays which have come under my notice, which are classed as fire clays, seem to be somewhat high in fluxing constituents, but more careful selection of the clays may entirely obviate this difficulty.
The fire clays are found usually in connec- tion with the lignite beds, and in the central coal field directly underlying the coal seams. They are therefore found scattered over a wide area of the State, but only a few of them have been examined by the geological survey. These are nearly all from eastern Texas, and were collected during one field season. While they have not yet been fully studied, numerous analyses have been made, and it is found that many of them are too "fat," or contain too much alumina for use in the state in which they are dug, but require a large mixture of sand to correct the excessive shrinkage that would otherwise take place in drying them, amounting in some specimens to one-fourth of their origi- nal bulk. Others, however, aro of excellent quality, and careful selection of localities for mining will yield very favorable results, and clays be secured suitable for brick for fur- naces, kilns, ovens, fire-boxes, retorts, saggers, and the many other similar articles.
Graphite, or Plumbago .- In the central mineral region are deposits of limited extent of an impure graphite in shales and schists. In view of the larger deposits of pure ma- terial in other localities it is not probable that this will be of much value.
Soapstone .-- This highly infusible stone, which is used as firestone in stoves, hearths aud furnaces, is found in large quantities. One of the best exposures is about two miles south of west from Smoothing-Iron mount- ain, and the most favorable districts for its further occurrence are that between House and Smoothing-Iron mountains and the King mountains, and to the west of that area in Llano and Mason counties; also southeast in Llano, Gillespie and Blanco counties. As a lining for furnaces and other purposes which do not require a very firm texture this ma- terial is fully adequate, and it can be cut or sawed into blocks or masses of any desired shape, with a perfectly smooth surface if desired.
Mica .- While mica is a very abundant mineral in both the central and trans-Pecos regions, it is not commonly of such trans- parency and size as to be commercially valu- able. Specimens are in the museum, how- ever, from both localities which combine these requisites, and it is entirely probable that workable deposits may be found. It is used in stove fronts, lanterns, etc, also in the manufacture of wall paper and as a lubricant.
Asbestos .- Asbestos has often been re- ported from the central region, and many specimens have been received bearing that name. Upon examination this is found to be fibrolite, and may answer for many pur- poses for which asbestos is used as refractory material, but not for the finer uses in the manufacture of cloth, etc.
ROAD MATERIALS.
Among the various materials suited for road-making are the large gravel deposits which are found in many portions of the State; some of the quartzitie sandstones
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which occur in the Fayette beds (coast re- gion, from the Sabine to the Rio Grande, and from 40 to 150 miles wide); the eroded flints of the Cretaceous; some of the firmer limestones of the lower divisions of the Cre- taceous and the Carboniferous areas; the basalt of such areas as Pilot Knob in Travis county; some of the saudstones or siliceous iron ores of the iron region of east Texas; the granites and other tough rocks of the central region are especially valuable, and similar rocks and the quartzites and por- phyries of west Texas will also prove of value when transportation charges will admit of their use.
The ocenrrence of asphaltum in various portions of the State has already been noticed, and its use as paving material is well known.
For the construction of sidewalks, in ad- dition to the material above mentioned, flag- stones are found in various localities.
MATERIALS FOR PAINTS.
Graphite has already been mentioned under refractory substances.
Ochre is a hydrated oxide of iron, usually containing more or less clay or sand and giving various shades of yellow, red and brown, The most valuable is that which on preparation furnishes the color called Indian red. Ochres are found in connection with the geode and nodular ores of east Texas, forming centers of the geodes, and also de- posits of limited extent. It is reported at many localities in the area covered by the timber-belt beds. In the Cretaceous area good ochres occur in Uvalde and Val Verde counties, in the latter of which one locality has been developed to some extent and the material shipped. Other deposits have been
openel and worked very slightly for local use in different parts of the State.
Barytes is found in Llano county, but has not been put to any use at all as yet.
OTHER ECONOMIC MATERIALS.
Sulphur .- Specimens of native sulphur of a high degree of purity have been received from Edwards county, but up to the present no detailed examination has been made to ascertain its quantity or the condition of its occurrence.
Salt .- Like many of the other valuable de- posits of Texas, the occurrence of common salt is widespread. Along the coast to the south- west are lagoons or salt lakes from which large amounts of salt are taken annually. Besides the lakes along the shore many others occur through western Texas, reaching to the New Mexico line, while northeast of these in the Permian region the constant recurrence of such namnes as Salt fork, Salt creek, etc., tell of the prevalence of similar conditions. In addition to the lakes and creeks from which salt is secured by solar evaporation we have also extensive beds of rock salt.
That which is at present best developed is located in the vicinity of Colorado City, in Mitchell county. The bed of salt was found by boring at 850 feet, and proved to have a thickness of 140 feet. A vein of water was struck below it which rises to within 150 feet of the surface. This is pumped to the surface and evaporated, and the resulting salt purified for commerce.
In eastern Texas there have long been known low pieces of ground called "salines," at which salt has been manufactured by sink- ing shallow wells and evaporating the water taken from them. At one of these, Grand
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Saline, in Van Zant county, a well was sunk, and at 225 feet a bed of rock salt was struck, into which they have now dug 300 feet with- ont getting through it. Many other similar salines are known in eastern Texas and west- ern Louisiana, and the great deposits of rock salt developed at Petit Anse and Van Zandt under practically similar circumstances is certainly warrant enongh for boring at the other salines for similar beds. Some of these localities are in Smith and Anderson counties.
In the Carboniferous area many of the wells yield salt water, sometimes strong enough to render them unfitted for any ordinary purpose, but no attempt has been made at their utilization. There are also brine wells in limited areas in central Texas.
Alkalies .-- The source from which the salts of potash and soda can be obtained in Texas are: The alkali lakes, where there is a large percentage of sulphate of soda (Glauber salts) deposited by the evaporation of the water. Its impurities consist of some sul- phate of lime, or gypsum, and common salt.
Nitre, or saltpeter, was made from bat guano during the late war; but, the necessity for its manufacture ending, it was abandoned.
Alumn .- The best material for the manu- facture of alum is found in the clay of the lignitic portion of the timber belt, or Fayette beds, which contain both pyrites and lignitic matter. Nearly all the material used in the production of alum in this country is im- ported.
Strontia. - Two minerals having this earth as a base (celestite and strontianite) are found in the lower magnesian rocks of the Cretace- ous of central Texas. It is found at Mount Bonnel near Austin, and in the vicinity of Lampasas, and can be expected to ocenr wherever the proper horizon of the Creta- ceous rocks containing it are found at the sur-
face. It is not only used in the form of nitrate for fireworks, but also in the manu- facture of sugar.
Epsomite .- Crystalline masses of Epsom salts are found in the same series of beds that contain the strontianite and celestite. It is extremely doubtful, however, whether it can be made commercially valuable.
THE ARTESIAN WATER CONDITIONS OF TEXAS.
Artesian water is rain water which has fallen on some porous bed or stratum of earth and has followed the sloping course of this bed between other beds, which were sufficiently impervious to confine it until it has found an opening to the surface, either natural or artificial, at a lower level than its original source, through which it rises and flows off. When this opening is a natural one, it is a spring; when artificial, it is an artesian well.
The artesian-water conditions of a region are dependent upon its geology, topography and its rainfall. The geologic conditions are that there shall be a continuous porous stratum enclosed between two strata that are impervious. Topographically it is necessary that the exposed portion of this porous stratum -- the " catchment " basin-be at sufficient elevation above that of the mouth of the wells to force a steady flow of water by hydrostatic pressure; and finally the rain- fall must be sufficient within the area cov- ered by the catchment basin to secure the steady supply of water. Unless all of these conditions be favorable there can be no con- stant supply of flowing water obtained.
For the purpose of this discussion, Texas is readily separable into three divisions, - the Gulf Slope (Cenozoic), the Central Basin (Paleozoic) and the Western Mountain system.
HISTORY OF TEXAS.
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The arca covered by the Gulf Slope in- cludes all the region east and south of the western and northern boundary of the Grand Prairie plateau, which stretches southward from the Red river to the Colorado, and thence westward to the Rio Grande. In area this comprises fully one-half of the State and by far the most thickly settled portion.
The Central Basin includes all that por- tion of the State west and north of the Grand Prairie, extending to the Gandalupe moun- tains on the west.
The Western Mountain System covers the remainder of trans Pecos Texas.
The Gulf Slope is in a certain degree a continuation of the topographic and geologie features of the States eastward which border upon the Gulf, but in some ways its differ- ences are as pronounced as its resemblances. Thus, with the exception of a little marshy ground in the southeastern corner, there is none along the entire coast. Differences in amount and character of rainfall and of tem- perature have also resulted in the production of a somewhat different topography, especial- ly toward the Rio Grande, and the soils of certain formations are of far greater fertility than those derived from rocks of similar age in the other States, owing to peculiar condi- tions of formation.
The different sediments which now appear covering the surface of this area were laid down by the waters of a great sea, which in its present restricted basin we call the Gulf of Mexico.
Beginning at the coast in low and almost level prairies the ascent is gradual toward the interior, in many places not execeding one foot per mile for the first fifty miles. Through this comparatively level plain, which comprises the exposure of the strata em- braced under the general name of "coast
clays, " the streams move sluggishly in tor- thons channels, and for the most part through an open prairie country, the only timber be ing along such water courses and in scattered motts or islands. As we pass inland this is sneceeded by other belts which, having been longer subjected to erosion, show a surface more and more undulating as we recede from the gulf. The ascent is also more rapid, and some elevations of as much as 700 feet are found, as at Ghent mountain, Chero- kee county; but such are unusual south of the Grand prairie. This character of country is continnons from the gulf to the western scarp of the Grand prairie, east of the Brazos river. West of the Colorado river the undu- lating country ends at the foot of the south- ern scarp of the Grand prairie, which is a line of elevations known as the Balcones, from the top of which the Grand prairie stretches away north and west to the Rio Grande. The eastern portion of these belts is heavily timbered, but throughout the greater portion -- west of the ninety-sixth meridian-the quantity of timber rapidly de- ereases and the prairie conditions become almost universal. The general elevation east and sonth of the Grand prairie is less than 500 feet.
The Grand prairie itself is a great plateau, preserved in its present extent by the resis- tence to erosion afforded by its capping of limestones, and is a marked topographic fea- ture of the State. Beginning at Red river it extends in a gradually widening belt to the south, until its western border meets the Colorado in Lampasas county, from which point it is contracted rapidly until it finds its narrowest exposure in crossing the river in Travis county north of Austin. From this point west it broadens rapidly, until it is merged into the mountainous trans-Pecos
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legion. Its height above the country on either side is variable. On its eastern border, from Red river to the Brazos, there is not that abruptness of separation which distin- guishes it at other places from the upper and lower formations. In the northern por- tion this plateau begins with an elevation of from 600 to 1,200 feet above sea level. West of the Colorado its northern edge reaches a height of 2,300 feet in the ridge which forms the divide between the water flowing into the Colorado and that flowing sonth. The south- ern border is, however, hardly ever more than 700 feet in height, and usually not so high. The western and northern edge of the Grand prairie is, generally speaking, topographically higher than the eastern and southern, and the dip of the beds is very gentle toward the southeast.
The break between the Grand prairie and the Central Basin region is equally as decided as that between the undulating country and " Balcones' country " on the south, and were it not for its intimate relations, geologically, with the "Coastal Slope, " the topographic features of the Grand prairie would entitle it to be considered a division by itself.
Both topographically and geologically this area presents a gradual fall from the interior toward the gulf coast, but the average slope of the surface toward the southeast is less than the dip of the strata in the same direc- tion, and as there has been no disturbances of sufficient magnitude to complicate the geology except the uplift which brought up the Bal- cones (and that of Pilot Knob and similar areas if it be later, as it possibly is), we find the outcropping edges of the beds of earlier and earlier age as we pass from the coast to the interior. These various beds are exposed in bands of less or greater width, which are, in a general way, parallel with the present gulf coast.
The coast clays, which are the most recent of these, and which form a part of the pres- ent floor of the gulf, are very impervious, variously colored, calcareous clays, which often form bluffs along the bay shores and river banks. The level belt of this formation varies from 50 to 100 miles in width.
The Orange sands underlying these are mottled red and white sands which are well exposed below Willis, on the International & Great Northern Railroad, and at other places. The Fayette beds, which underlie these, are made np also of sands and clays, but of entirely different character and structure. The sand greatly predominates, especially in the center, where great beds of sand and sandstone and millstone grit occur.
The clays, instead of being massive, are usually thinly laminated and of very light color wherever exposed to the air, and are found both underlying and overlying the sands, as well as interbedded with them. They extend along the line of the Houston & Texas Central Railway from Waller to near Giddings. A study of these beds in the vicinity of Ledbetter showed nearly 400 feet of sandy strata included between the two series of clays.
The dip of the strata toward the gulf is not much greater than that of the surface of the country. For this reason the exposure of the sand-bed on the surface is very wide- a circumstance of greatest importance, as it gives an immense catchment area for the rain-water.
These Fayette sands form a range of hills and give rise to the most striking topo- graphic feature of the coast region. Every river in its passage to the gulf pays tribute to and is deflected by them. Many smaller streams have their course entirely determined by them, while the coast rivers, of which the
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San Jacinto and Buffalo are types, have their origin on their southern slope. At Rock- land, in Tyler county, and along the various railroads that cross the area of these sands, as shown upon the map, typical sections can be seen. The base of these beds are sandy clays and sands, with some lignite.
The strata often contain carbonate of lime in appreciable quantities, and sulphur and gypsum are of frequent occurrence.
The timber-belt beds are composed of siliceons and glauconitie sands with white, brown and black clays, and have associated with them lignite beds sometimes as much as twelve feet in thickness; iron pyrites, gypsum and various bituminons materials also occur. Carbonate of lime is also widely disseminated throughout the beds, sometimes as limestone, but more often as calcareous concretions or in calcareous sandstones.
The basal clays are, as the name implies, beds of stratified clays and contain masses of concretionary limestone and large quanti- ties of gypsum.
The Upper Cretaceous is composed in its upper members of great beds of clay some- what similar to the basal clays above, which were doubtless derived from these. This is underlaid by the Austin chalk, below which we find another series of clay shales over- lying the lower cross timbor sands.
The rock formation of the Grand prairie belongs to the Lower Cretaceons series, and consists of a great thickness of limestones and chalks-magnesian, arenaceons and even argillaceous in places-which is underlaid by a great bed of sand and conglomerate, known as the Trinity Sands.
We have in these formations, therefore, well marked and definite sandy or porous beds, which are enelosed by others practically impervions. Some of these are the Orange
sands, the middle portion of the Fayette beds, the lower cross timber sands and the upper cross timber or Trinity sands. On the lower Rio Grande there occurs a rock known as the Carrizo sandstone, the geologic age ot which is not yet exactly determined, but which must be included among the other water- bearing beds.
That these beds are indeed " catchment " basins and fully capable of supplying the belts nearer the gulf with flowing water has been amply verified by actual and successful boring. In the coast-clay belt artesian water has been secured in many places, as at Houston and vicinity, at Galveston, at Ve- lasco, at Corpus Christi, and at various other points. The shallowest of these wells is at Yorktown, De Witt county, where artesian water was secured at a depth of a very few feet. At Houston water is obtained in wells from 150 to 400 feet deep, and the water is practically free from mineral matter. At Galveston, fifty miles southeast, the wells are from 600 to 1,000 feet deep, and yield water carrying salt, etc., in small quantities. The flow at Velasco is reported to be good, but at Corpus Christi it is highly charged with min. eral matter. The quantity of mineral matter contained in the water seems to vary with the depth and distance from the outerop of the " catchment " basin.
It can be stated, therefore, from our pres- ent knowledge that throughout the coast- clay district artesian water can be obtained where the topographic conditions are suit- able, but that it may be more or less impreg- nated with mineral matter leached out of the containing stratum.
While the timber-bett beds are not classed as artesian beds, it is nevertheless the fact that favorable conditions exist in numerons localities, and, although no great flows have
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been secured, still flowing water has been found in several places; for example, various localities in Robertson county and at Liv- ingston, Polk county.
The lower eross timbers form the second "catchment " basin, but from their location have not been found to yield as good a flow as ean be obtained by going deeper, to the Trinity sands.
The Carrizo sandstone outcrops along a line drawn at a point on the Nueces river south of the town of Uvalde to a point ten miles west of Carrizo Springs, and ten miles north of that point, on the ranch of Mr. Vivian, produces a stream of excellent water four inches in diameter from a well 175 feet deep. This stratum of sandstone ought to be reached at Laredo at a depth of from 500 to 600 feet.
The third and possibly best explored col- leeting area is that of the Trinity sands. This bed, the Trinity or upper eross timber sands, is the base of the Lower Cretaceous system, and 'is the great water-bearing bed cast and south of the central basin. In its many exposures and from the material brought up from it in boring, its composi- tion is shown to be clear white grains of quartz, slightly rounded to much worn, con- taining a few grains of red and black chert. It is for the most part practically free of soluble mineral matter, and the water dorived from it is often of excellent quality. From its position, character and extent it forms a most important member in the geology of Texas. The water which falls upon tho ex- posed edge of this belt is carried under the limestone of the Grand prairie plateau, and part of it breaks forth in a system of great springs which extend from Williamson county by Austin, San Marcos and New Braunfels, toward the Pecos. Those springs aro natu-
ral artesian wells, which owe their existence to the fault lines caused by the disturbances, already alluded to, which formed the Bal- cones. The remainder of the water con- tinues its course below the overlying forma- tions, and can be reached at almost any point east and south of the Grand prairie to the border of the basal clays of the Tertiary. Wells are very numerous and vary in depth with distance from catchment area from 100 to 2,000 feet. They can not be named in detail here, but the principal boring has been at Fort Worth, Dallas, Waco, Austin, Taylor, San Antonio, and in Somervell, Coryell, Ilood and Bosque counties. These prove that artesian conditions exist, and there can be no doubt that wells bored in suitable localities will prove successful.
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