TN 24 .64 S63 1889 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 with funding from Duke University Libraries https://archive.org/details/economicgeologic01spen ECONOMIC l / Geological Survey, — IN — GEORGIA AND ALABAMA, THROUGHOUT THE BELT TRAVERSED BY THE Macon & Birmingham Railway, EMBRACING A SURVEY OF THE MINERAL-RESOURCES, BUILDING-MATERIALS, TIMBERS, WATER-POWERS, SOILS, ETC, BY J. W. SPENCER, M. A., Ph.D., F. G. S. Professor of Geology, University of Georgia, 1SS9. ATHENS: J. E. GARDNER PRINTER. S7^o t*! °i TABLE OF CONTENTS. INTRODUCTION. 1. GEOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL EEAUliES OP THE BELT EXPLORED. 5 Geological Table 5 Archaean Group or Metamorphic Rocks 7 Cambrian System 10 Acadian or Ocoee Series 10 ; Potsdam Series 11; Knox or Calciferous Series 12. Caaibro-Silurian System 14 Silurian system - 14 Clinton series, 14. Devonian System 15 Carboniferous Systeai 16 Lower or Sub-Carboniferous series 16; Coal Measures 17. Mesozoic Systeai 19 Cenozoic Systeai 19 II. MINERAL RESOURCES. A. — Iron Ores, ( occurrence, quantity, quality) 21 Magnetite 21 ; Hemetite 22 ; Limonite 23 ; Siderite 23. Red Eemititeof the Birmingham District 2 Mode of occurrence 24; Quantity 24; Analyses and quali- ity of Red Ore 26. Brown Ore of the Talladega Valley 27 Occurrence and mining 28 ; Quantity 28 ; Analysis and quantity of Brown Ore 31. Other Brown Ores Adjacent to the Survey 33 West of the Coosa River 33; In Little Cahaba Valley — Leed — 33 ; Analyses 34 ; East of Blue Mountain and in Clay County 34; Summary of Localities of Brown Ores 35. B — Coal 36 Coosa Coal Field 36 Cahaba Coal Field 37 Table of Thickness, 38; Analyses and quality 40; Product 42. Warrior Coal Field 43 Thickness and quantity 43; Analyses and quality 43; Analy- ses of Coke 44 ; Product 45. C — Liaiestone and Marble. • Limestone near Birmingham 45 Quantity 46; Analyses 47. Limestone in Valley of Little Cahaba 47 Limestone near the Coosa Riyer 47 Limestone in the Talladega Valley 47 Marbles 48 Quantity aud Quality 48. Lime 49 D — Notes on Iron Manufacture Iron of the Birmingham District 50 Product, 50; Cost of Iron 57; Use of Brown ore with the Red, 52. Probable Sites for New Furnaces 52 Iron of Talladega 52 Products, 53; Transportations of Coke 53; Cost 53: Qualityof Iron 53. Iron ofIronaton (Charcoal Furnace) 53 Product, Cost of Iron, quality 54. Iron of Jantper 54 Iron of Anniston 55 Product and cost of ore 55. Clay County Ores 55 F — Gold 56 G — Copper and Iron Pyrites 59 H — Graphite 60 I — Barytes, Asbestos, Mica, Corundum, Tin 61 J — Granite 62 Localities and Quality 63. K — Sandstones and Flags 64 Sand for Glass, 64. L — Sands, Gravels, and Clay 65 Building Sand 65 ; Ballast 65 ; Brick and fire clay 65. M — Hoofing Slates 66 III. FOREST TREES. Pines 67 Oaks (and Tan-bark) 6S IV. SOILS. Geological Source, Plant Food 69 Archaean Soils 70 Zone of Archaean lands. Gray Lands 71 Analyses, Fertility 71. Red Lands .72 Analyses, Fertility, 72. Physical Features 73 Distribution 'of the Soils along the Macon and Birmingham Railway 78 Lower Paleozoic Soils 74 Limestone soils in Coosa, Talladega and other valleys, and Cherty ridges 74 and 75. Carboniferous Soils 76 Cretaceous and Southern Drift Soils 76 Cultivation and Price of Land 76 Use of fertilizers, 77. Population 78 Climate and Water 78 Y. WATER-POWERS. Roger’s Shoals on Potato Creek 80 Tobler’s Shoals : 80 Powers near Louina, on the Tallapoosa 81 Powers at Bluff Springs and Hillabee 81 Powers at Craigdale or Taylor’s Mills 81 Powers at Coosa River and at Landrum’s Mills 81 VI. SPRING AND RESORT. Warm Springs 82 Chandler’s Springs 82 Craigdale 83 VII. SUMMARY OF FREIGHT PRODUCED ALONG THE RAIL WAY 84 Length and Grade 84 Tonnage of Iron from Birmingham 84 Tonnage of Iron from Talladega 84 Tonnage of Coke and Ores from Talladega, 85; Room for furnaces, 85. Tonnage from Ironaton, Janiper, Anniston 85 Coal Products 85 Limestones, Marble, etc., 85 Other Minerals 86 Timber 86 Mill Sites near Water-Powers 86 ILLUSTRATIONS, Geological Map. Frontispiece. Fig. 1. Ridges of Ivnox Dolomite 13 Fig. 2, Section of Coal Measures 39 Plate I. Brown ore Mines Opposite page 28 Palte II. Roger’s Shales “ 80 Plate III. Taylor’ sMills “ 83 INTRODUCTION. The following report is the result of a geological recon- naissance of the belt of country between Macon,- Ga., and Birmingham, Ala.; traversed by the line of the proposed Macon and Birmingham Railway, The collected informa- tion of economic importance is given in the following pages. This survey crosses, in part, a rich agricultural country; in part, a mineral belt of wonderful wealth; and in part, a hilly country valuable chiefly for its timber. There are great belts of Iron and Coal, of Granite, Marble, Lime- stone. Sandstone, White-sand and Brick clays — all in un- limited quantities, — besides extensive deposits of Pyrites and Gold, etc. The Agricultural and timber resources are scarcely less varied. The Water-Powers are numerous, and already the sites of many small mills, supplying local demands partly utilize them. In many cases, these sites will form centres for towns when the country is opened up by railway communication. By glancing over the table of contents, the varied resources are seen at a glance. Atten- tion is also called to the Summarv of the freight — producing resources at the end of this report. This report is not only the result of several month’s labor in the field, but also of invaluable assistance rendered by my friend. Prof. E. A. Smith, State Geologist of Alabama, and by Prof. Hen- ry McCalley and Mr. Joseph Squires, of the State Survey; by Mr. G. W. Chambers, of Talladega; by Mr. Jasper Wil- liams of Clay County; by Mr. Brainard, chemist.of Birming- ham, by Dr. William Taylor, of Talladega, and by several otherg en tie men, 1— GEOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL FEATURES OF THE BELT EXPLORED. In order to make intelligible the relationship of the dif- ferent minerals to the various rock formations, a short out- line of the elements of the structural geology will he neces- saiy. Even the effects of the agents, which have been at work in moulding the land surfaces into mountains, plains, and valleys, obliterating valuable minerals in some places, and exposing them in others, depend^ directly upon the constitution of the rocks, and their arrangement, which may be called geological structure. The relative ages of the dif- ferent groups of rocks examined varies from those of the highest antiquity to others of extreme youth, consequently the agents which have caused the rocks to decay have pro- duced, in the physical features, results of great variety. In passing along the line of survey, a glimpse of each of the great geological groups may be seen, and also of many of the systems, although the distance is only 230 miles. The following table gives, the geological formations found along the line of survey, in descending order: Group — Era. System — Period. Series — Epoch. Modern. Alluvial deposits. Cenozoic. Pleistocene. Gravels and loam. Pliocene. Wanting alonglin e Miocene. i( (( Eocene. “ Mesozoic. Cretaceous. Lower (only). Sand & white clay. Jurassic, Wanting. Group — Era. System — Period. Series — Epoch. Triassic. Wanting. Pal.eozoic. Permian. Wanting. Carboniferous. Coal measures. Mill-stone Grit. f Lower or Sub- 1 Carboniferous. Coal beds, shales and sandstone. Sandstones, con- glomerates, .etc. Limestones etc. Devonian. Mostly wanting. 7 ^~ Silurian. Clinton. Other series wanting. Red iron ore bed, sandstones, shales. Cambro— Silurian Trenton. Limestones. Other series not important Cambrian. Caleiferous or Knox. Limestones, shales, brown iron ores. Potsdam. Sandstones and san- dy shales. Acadian or Ocoee. S e m i-metamorphie slates and conglom- erates. AkCHA5AN. Huronian. Hydromica schists, gneisses, iron ore. Laurentian. Gneiss and horn- blende gneiss and mica schists. Granites. Some of the geological systems are wanting in whole or in part, whilst others are represented by great thicknesses of rocks. The mineral wealth of the country is however more widely divided amongst the different systems than might at first sight be supposed. 7 THE ARCHAEAN GROUP The word Archaean, meaning “ancient” is the name given to the oldest known rocks. It is from these rocks decayed that many of the soils along the country traversed have been formed. Some of the rocks have been molten, as the granites, others have been deposited in the state of muds in very ancient seas, hardened into rocks, and subsequently ‘metamorphosed’ or turned into masses with a crystalline tex- ture. This metaniorphism passes through all stages from that of a highly crystalline texture to a structure almost without crystalline appearance. Except along the western margin of the crystalline belt, all such rocks belong to the Archaean group, which extend from near Macon to the wes- tern margin of Clay County Alabama. The lowest rocks of the Archaean group, which I have seen along the line of survey, are represented by several belts of granites, or granitoid gneisses. The difference be- tween the granite and the gneiss is that the latter has an in- ternal bedded structure, whilst the granite has not, or only a slight foliation, in which case it becomes a granitoid gneiss. Both rocks are made up of quartz, feldspar (composed of the elements of clay and of potash), and mica (composed of the elements of clay with iron and potash or magnesia). In many cases the mica of the granite or gneiss is wholy or in part replaced by hornblende (composed of silica, magnesia, lime and iron with alumina), in which case the rock is called hornblendic granite, and is usually of a somewhat dark color, and when decayed becomes red. The belts of granite crossed have the form of rounded knobs or hummocks, or chains of hummocks, rising through disturbed beds of gneisses, which are deeply decayed. Many of these knobs are of value in that they form good building stones, which is not the case with the overlying gneisses, as these last are too rotten for use. There, are 8 several belts of granite in Georgia, but the most western is just beyond the Tallapoosa River, near Louina. Under the head Granites for building purposes, the localities will be designated. It is sufficient here to say that these granite knobs probably constitute the lower part of the Laurentain system. Overlying the rocky backbones of the continent, which are only here and there exposed in the granites, there are other rocks which are of a highly crystalline texture. These consists mainly of gneisses and mica schists. This last rock differs from the gneiss in that the mica largely predomin- ates, producing a foliated irregular texture with the omis- sion of the feldspar, which gives the former rock a distinc- tive character. Many of the gneisses are hornblendic and thus in weathering give red soils. The beds of these rocks generally dip to the south-east, at angles occasionally quite low to the horizon, but in some places they are found rest- ing upon their edges in vertical positions. Again, they are often folded, bent, and even overthrown, showing the tre- mendeous strains and pressures they have been subjected to. These are the rocks which everywhere overlie the gran- ite masses which here and there peep up through them. The rocks are everywhere deeply decayed and from them the surface soils are derived. Occasional masses of iron are found, and gold has been reported; the soil often contains iron-sand derived from their decay, still these rocks are of little mineral value. Geolo- gically, they may be considered as the representative of an upper part of the Laurentain system. The physical features into which these last rocks weather is a succession of low hills and valleys, all with a very much rounded outline, and no bold points. Where the rocks are hornblendic, the decay seems to have gone deeper, and there we find that the streams are liable to cut the land into 9 deep gulleys-. In this country there are many valuable shoals and water-powers. Beyond the formation just described, as in Clay County, the character of the rocks changes. There, the rocks are of much less crystalline texture, and consists of dull fissile layers or slates which belong to what are called hydro- mica and chlorite schists. Whether elevated or low, these rocks form a Hatter surface than the Laurentian rocks. But rising above these slates, there are numerous narrow ridges, having: sometimes a height of 300 or 350 feet. Whilst some of them are composed of hydromica or other schists, other ridges are made up of graphitic gneisses — that is gneisses in which the mica is replaced by graphite or plumbago, in the form of scales. The ridges may also contain iron ores, copper, pyrites or sulphide of iron, and workable deposites of gold. The slates are sometimes fine enough to be worked for domestic purposes. The rocks dip at angles from almost horizontal to angles approaching the vertical, The direction of the dip varies from north of east to nearly south. The physical features are boulder than in the Laurentian country. The narrow ridges often extend many miles, in a north-east and south-west direction broken only here and there by an occasional stream. Their surfaces are decayed, and are often covered with the iron ore or with quartz blocks, derived from the veins of these materials, upon the decay of the rock masses themselves. Some of these ridges belong to the Huronian system. In passing over the various rocks of the Archaean group, the general altitude of the country rises from about 500 feet on the hills about Macon, to from S00 to 1,000 feet above the sea, throughout a considerable portion of the belt. How- ever, there are ridges considerable higher, whilst the alti- tude diminishes to somewhat ‘below 600 feet in crossing the Chattahoochee and Tallapoosa Rivers, the most important 10 waters flowing through the belt. THE CAMBRIAN SYSTEM. In this geological system there are included three great series of rock formations — in descending order; Calciferous or Knox. Potsdam, and Acadian or Ocoee. THE ACADIAN OR OCOEE SERIES. On approaching the eastern side of Talladega County, along the line of the survey, the highest hills in this part of Alabama are encountered. These hills form the Blue Mountains, rising 600 or TOO feet above the country and 1,600 feet above the sea. It is through Porter’s Gap (Sec. 4; T. 30; R. VI E.), in this ridge, which trends northeast- ward that the survey is made, crossing it at a little over nine hundred feet above the sea. This ridge forms the south- east portion of a belt of country of six or seven miles in width, consisting of hydromica schists, in the main, together with a conglomerate made up of pebbles of quartz cemented together. This belt extends to the south-eastern side of the valley of Talladega, and the rocks are well exposed along Talladega creek, which emerges into the valley at Craig- dale or Taylor’s Mills. The slates are often of a dull ap- pearance, but again, where moderately exposed to the weath- er, they have a shining, greenish or greyish lustre, with a greasy feel. The beds of this series dip towards the south- east, at angles from of 20° to 30° in the region of Porter’s Gap, but at only from 7° to 10° at Craigdale, consequently these newer semi-metamoapliic rocks^ appear to pass under the older Huronian series to the southeastward. This in- verted order is appearant and not real, for in the movement which made the mountains there were some overthrows and gigantic slippings of the earth’s crust which overturned some of the older strata and brought together rocks of very different ages. The group of rocks just described has been classed by Prof. E. A. Smith, State Geologist of Ala- 11 bama, as being the Alabama equivalent of the Ocoee (and possibly of the Acadian) series of Geology, although in a semi-metamorphic condition. The ridges composed of these slates are usually covered with scant}' soil, as they do not decompose into deep earth. In the region of the conglom- erate beds, the surfaces are covered with quartz fragments or blocks. Whilst these slates usually break with an uneven surface, upon their north-western flank there are several layers which break with a smooth surface into thin plates, fit for roofing and other purposes. Upon the north-western edge of this bed of Acadian rocks there is also a very large develop- ment of white and blue marbles. These underlie hydrom- ica slates; but they were probably brought beneath older rocks by a geological overthrow, (see beyond). A portion of this zone of hydromica slates is traversed with quartz veins, which are gold bearing, as well as some of the adja- cent, slate rock. Upon the southeastern flank of the Blue Ridge, facing the Huronian country, there is a heavy bed of brown iron ore. This bed, trending from the northeast to the southwest, passes close to Porter’s Gap. As already in- dicated the belt of rocks belonging to the Acadian series is one of considerable mineral wealth. Each mineral will be considered in its proper place. POTSDAM SERIES. This is the next great series in the geological scale, but the rocks belonging to it do not appear in contact with those of the Acadian group on the southeastern side of the valley of Talladega, but occur upon the northwestern side of the valley, six or seven miles distant. They form a chain of mountains, rising to about 1,000 feet above the valley or 1,600 feet above the sea. Through this interrupted chain, at Ren- froe Gap, the railway survey passes. The backbone of this narrow ridge is made up of sandstone, dipping at high an- 12 gles to the southeast. It is flanked by the formatians of the next, or Knox series, which underlie the more level coun- try on both sides. I pon the flanks of the hills on both sides of the chain there are deposits of brown iron ore. THE KNOX OR CALCIFEROUS SERIES. Geologically, this series is divided into three formations, in ascending order; sandstones, shales and dolomites: From the mineral stand point, this is one of the most im- portant formations crossed by th‘e survey, as it contains the wonderfully rich and commonly pure brown iron ores. These rocks are named the Knox series in Tennessee, which local- ity is a part of the great series of geology, known as the Calciferous, whose position is somewhat that of passage beds between the Cambrian and Silurian systems. Along the line of survey the sandstones form no impor- tant. feature. The shales constitute the floor on the north- western side of the Talladega valley. But the dolomite for- mation, with its surface decomposed, forms the floor of a great part of the valley, and also the surface of the hilly country, extending to the Carboniferous ridges half a dozen miles beyond the Coosa River. Indeed, owing to some re- markable faultings, the survey crosses another strip of the Calciferous series, between the Coosa and the Cahaba coal fields, in the valley of the Little Cahaba River, at Leeds. The Knox dolomite formation is composed commonly of bluish compact magnesian limestone with some shales. Certain portions of this limestone is filled with great quan- tities of irregular nodules of chert or flint. This chert was originally in the form of sand or silica, enclosed in the limestone mud, long ago, before it was hardened into rock. Limestones usually contain as impurities a little clay and sand other than that in the form of concretions or nodules. In addition, some of the beds of the limestones of the Knox series, in Alabama, and elsewhere, were richly charged with 13 iron ores. During the long ages that the rocks of the Knox series have heen exposed to the weather, the action of the atmosphere, the rains, and the rivers have washed out much of the lime, leaving irregular beds of brown iron ore-now of great value-an earthy soil derived from the sand and clay im- purities with more or less iron, and great sheets of chert nodules, loosely deposited on some of the hills, as these stones are scarcely affected by the weather. This weathering may ex- tend to a depth of sixty or eighty feet o more. Thus we see what is now a great deposit of loose, earthy soil, was once a more or less impure limestone, g The country underlaid by this series 3 of rocks is characterized by a succes- usually less than 200 with intervening valleys. Whilst the valleys are fertile, the ridges are often densely covered with the loose chert, and are only cultivat- ed to a limited extent. Still the chert is usually superficial, although it may form a dense cap. The beds of this series all dip to the southeast, to the extent of sometimes 20° or more, and as the belt of country is wide, the thickness of the formation might be supposed to be very great, but the whole region is faulted, thus the same beds are repeated to form a se- ries of parallel ridges, like the teeth of a saw. separated by . R., on the property of Mr. Jasper Williams, about five miles northwest of Iiillabee. It occurs associated along with decayed gneissoid rocks, but in hardly sufficient quantities to be worked. It is here a compact dark bluish mineral, and of good quality. Everywhere it occurs in a pocket form, and may yet be found in laige quantities, along our road. 1’ — GOLD. The great gold belt of Georgia passes in a southwestward direction into Alabama, and in the vacinity of the Macon and Birmingham Railway, it is broken up into three zones, several miles apart, and in different* kinds of rocks. Since the first excitement, about 1836, there have been various periods of activity down to the present time. The most eastern of these zones, approached, is that about Goldville, now only a post office, with a few old buildings. During the height of the gold fever, it was a village boasting of seven saloons, and that here upon certain days as many as a' thousand men, engaged or enterested in mining .were some- times congregated. To the south and west of this village there were a number of workings, at some of which, such as at the old Log Cabin mine a considerable quantity of gold, paying handsomely, was obtained. I visited the ITog Moun- tain mine, which has been worked during the present year. Here, there is an opening on a quartz vein to a depth of twenty or thirty feet. The vein is from four to tgn feet wide traversing a very rotten micaceous rock — probably a mica schist. The vein has also been worked underground by means of a adit in the hill-side. If this gold bearing rock is not in the Huronian system of geology, it is near the wes- tern margin of tlie Laurentian system, for just northwest- ward of this locality there are some hydromica schists, typi- cal of what may be, provisionally regarded as the Huronian system of the south. In the region of the gold mine, all of the rocks are thoroughly decayed to a great depth. At this mine there are two batteries of modern stamps, and a suffi- cent quantity of water, for the gold-bearing quartz is crush- ed in presence of running water, which carries the gold in contact with the analygamating plates. The second belt crosses the survey a few miles west of Hillabee. One of the mines in this belt is the ITarall, (on section 3d, T. 20, R. A" I E.). There are two mines in operation this year adjacent to Enitachopco post office, That of Mr. Harallson has only recently been re'-opened, with use of modern stamps. It is in decayed gneiss, and the vein is also of decayed rock about six feet wide. It con- tains from three to four dollar worth of gold per ton. It is stamped with water and the gold amalgamated in the usual way. The gold can be extracted at a profit when the rock contains even less than a dollar’s worth, of the metal in a ton of rock. Mr. Harallson informs me that the whole mass of the decayed rock could probably be worked as a placer mine if the water were at hand, and that with some outlay it could be obtained. With a sufficient amount of capital invested, it appears as if this ought to be a good property, when it is a paying investment upon the small scale. ♦ A mile or two away from the Harallson mine is the Sliinker mine. The foreman informed me that it was his duty to weight the gold and that the product ranged from three pounds of gold to over seven per week. The cash receipts had reached over $1400, as the result of the labor of twelve men for eight days each. These mines are situated in or near the borders of the Laurentian and Iluron- ian systems, as in the case of the Goldville mines. It seems 58 that in this region we have a field of profitable gold mining, if modern methods are adopted. Of the numerous mines which were opened up years ago. no doubt the failure of a portion of them was due to the lack of water and to the older and more primitive methods of working. There were places where men were able to make wages by crush ing the rock in mortars and washing; out the gold in pans. Another cause of the failure of some of the old workings was the presence of pyrites which prevented the amalgamation of the gold. The third belt of gold bearing rocks is on the western • side of the Blue Mountains, in a belt between Biddle’s Mills and Taylor’s Mills. The gold occurs in quartz veins traversing the hydromica schists of the Ocoee series, before described, and consequently belonging to rocks of consider- ably younger period than those deposits in the more eastern belts. There were three principal mines in this belt. The Storry Mines (sec. 17, T. 19, B. A r I E.) has yielded 8100,000 worth of gold, one company having made a profit of about $16,000. At the Bobb mine, (sec. 19, T. 19, B. AM Ed by the pan and mortar process men have made from $2.50 to $5,00 a day. The third mine in this belt was the Biddle, (sec. 16, T. 19, B. AM E.) Mone of these mines have been worked since 1887. These data were given to me by Dr. Wm. Taylor, of Craigdale. There* seem to be good reasons for believing that the gold mining will revive from the sporadic attempts that have been made, since the crude mining of the earlier days of the gold fever. And whilst the rapid fortunes of gold seekers may not be realized, yet an important industry is likely to be developed at future times, for good profits have been realized in many of the regions worked, not only those ad- jacent to our survey, but in various localities throughout the whole great gold belt in Alabama and in Georgia. 59 G— COPPER AND IRON PYRITES. Copper pyrites is a compound of sulphur, iron and cop- per, and is of a bronze yellow color. When pure it contains 34 per cent of copper. Iron pyrites is a compound of sulphur and iron, and when pure contains 53 per cent of sulphur. It is of a bright yellow color. These mineral's even when tarnished can readily be distinguished apart by their hard- ness — the copper compound not scratching glass, whilst the iron scratches it easily. In Clay County Ala., there was a copper fever in the ear- ly fifties. Several mines were opened for copper, some of which proved to be iron pyrites. Other mines were opened in iron pyrites with which was mixed some copper pyrites. One of the copper mines — that on the farm of Mr. ¥m. McGee (Sec. 3, T. 21, R. VI Eh — I visited. The mineral was mostly pyrites but with some copper. These sulphides are scattered through vessicular quartz of six or eight feet thickness, but that rich in pyrites is about three feet thick. The vein dips at angles from f> 0° to 75° For copper alone, it is not worth working, but for the sulphur in the pyrites, it may yet be valuable. On section 30, T. 20, R. VII E., there was another mine opened for copper, but it turned out to be only pyrites. The pyrites occurs also upon the adjacent property of Mr. Jasper Williams (about six miles northwest of Hillabee). The vein or bed occurs associated with decayed gneissoid rocks. As the pyrites decomposes so easily, the surface rocks do not show the extent of the deposit. This zone of pyrites extends into Georgia, where the beds are more than fourteen feet thick. At the surface, the pyrites is often converted into brown or red hematite, and it is quite possi- ble that some of the iron ores on the ridges in Clay County will be found to pass into beds of purcj pyrites, as they do in some other places when shafts are sunk below the depth of 60 decayed rock. The value of pyrites arrises from its use iu the manufacture of sulphuric acid, which is so largely con- sumed in the production of super-phosphates. Whilst a few percent of copper alone would not pay for the extraction, yet when the mineral is used for the manufacture of acid, the residue may he worth something for the contained cop- per. At the present time pyrites is not the common source of sulphur in the South, as special furnaces are required. The sulphuric acid is made from imported Sicilian brimstone or sulphur, the price of which is now about $25,00 a ton. At Savannah, Spanish pyrites is imported and used for the acid manufacture. But although not used at present, it is more than probable that our pyrites will come to replace the imported sulphur to a greater or less extent. H— GRAPHITE. Graphite, plumbago or black lead is a soft mineral of a dark leaden or blackish color. It occurs in scales with a bright shining lustre, or in masses which are less brilliant. It is a mineral extensively used in the manufacture of crucibles for melting metals in, for polishing iron, in mak- ing certain lubricators; it is also used in electrotyping, and is largely consumed in the manufacture of lead pencils. E- ven the scales are easily recognized by their softness, greasy feel and soiling paper or the fingers as does a lead pencil. Graphite is abuntantly distributed along the M. & B. Railway. It occurs as bright scales in decayed gneiss, where it takes the place of the mica. Northwest of Hallibee I saw several beds of this graphitic gneiss. On section 20. T. 20, R. VII E., a graphite mine has been recently opened. The bed is over 20 feet thick, and dips at an angle between 60° and 75° to the southeast. The rock is very 61 rotten and does not contain over five or six per cent of the mineral. The rock is crushed in presence of running water, and by a system of separating troughs, the light scales arefloated into settling basins, and are finally separated from the stone powder. A fine quality of graphite is here obtained. Hence this graphite vein extends southwestward, and I have seen it at several places. On the property of Mr. Jasper Williams, the bed appears somewhat richer, and has a thickness of about 75 feet. Graphite is also found southwest of Hillabee; near Louina, on the Tallapoosa River ; and elsewhere, but some of the samples are more massive than those described, and although richer in the mineral, they would probably yield an inferior quality- With the opening up of railway facilties, the graphite promises to be an important industry. The value in Hew York is about $20.00 a ton, but much higher for that fine enough for the manufacture of pencils. 1— BARYTES, ASBESTOS. MICA, CORUNDUM, AND TIN. Barytes or Sulphate of Barium. This is a mineral commonly white, and softer than mar- ble, which it somewhat resembles, but it is a very heavy mineral, hence its name of Heavy Spar. When of a white color, it is extensively used for mixing, with white lead in making paint. In fact, very little white paint is now made which does not contain more or less barytes. The principal localities, which I visited were about three miles south of Leeds, occurring in limestones of the Knox series. On section 31 T. 17, R. I E., there is a bed about five feet wide. Hpon an ad jacent ridge there is another deposit, and still others are reported. Much of the mineral is white or blu- ish white, and would make a fine white powder. The quantity appears to be sufficient for working. Barytes was originally used for adulterating the lead. When simply ground, it appears to he of no service to the paint, but a manufacturer informed me that, when by flotation process the powder could he rendered fine enough, there are advant- ages in its use. At any rate the demand is considerable. Asbestos or Mineral Wool. This mineral is used largely in the manufacture of fire- proof safes, fire-proof roofing, packing for steam pipes etc. It is reported as occurring Alabama, but I have seen none along the line of our survey. Mica. Whilst mica is a common constituent of many of the rocks passed over, yet its occurence in sheets large enough for use is more rare. Mica is reported to have been found some three miles northeast of Porter’s Gap. I did not find the locality, but several men had seen large sheets that had been obtained there. Corundum. This mineral is extensively used for the manufacture of grinding-wlieels and powder, etc. The less pure variety, of a dark color, is known as emery. West of the Tallapoo- sa River, I picked up some specimens in the field, but did not find the position of the beds. Tin. Tin ore is reported as occurring near Ashland. But I did not visit the locality. J— GRANITE. Granite is composed of quartz feldspar and mica, or hornblende. The constituents vary so as to sometimes give 63 the rock a fine grained, at other times a coarse, texture. There are several localities along the Macon and Birming- ham Railway where excellent granites occur. The granite deposits usually rise up as more or less rounded hummocks through decayed gneisses. These hummocks are sometimes of small area, but again they are of some acres in extent. The value of these deposits depends upon the absence of earth covering, and upon the soundness of the surface of the rock. However, in all cases the quality of the rock will improve in the deeper parts of the quarries. The localities of the granites. The most western locality of granite is a mile or two west of the Tallapoosa River, adjacent to the survey. Here, there is a chain of granite hummocks trending from northeast to southwest. The quantity is practically unlimited. It forms the sur- faces of low ridges, and some of the exposed surfaces are of acres extent. It is a good stone of a texture somewhat coarser than that of Stone Mountain, Ga. From this locality, the supply for Birmingham and the southwest would be most naturally derived. At the time of my last visit to Birmingham, I found the streets of the city being paved with Stone Mountain granite. This latter locality is about twice the distance from Birmingham of the Tal- lapoosa granites, which last are somewhat less than ahun- dred miles away. This stone is also favorably situated for supplying any town that may grow up about the cross- ing of the river, as at Louina. Between Roanoke and Rock Mill, there are again hum- mocks of good granite, as also near the mill. In Georgia, about three miles east of Greenville, there is granite fit for building. The rock, which I saw west of Greenville, is very much decayed upon the surface. At two or three places between the Greenville and Woodbury, there are granite exposures. Farther eastward, near Warm 64 Springs, there are mica schists breaking up into good flag- stones. At Potato Creek, there is a very fine exposure of dark granite, from which the decayed rock has been washed off, by the waters of the river. Exposed, there is an abundance of good rock for the factories that may be built here. (See plate of the rapids beyond). East of Thomaston, there are other deposits of gran- ite. At Toblers, there are some good building stones at the rapids; and also along Rocky Creek, a few miles west of Macon, there was seen good building stone exposed in limi- ted quantities. K— SANDSTONES AND FLAGS. For building purposes, the sandstones along the line of the survey are mostly confined to the rocks of the Carboni- ferous system, and except in the Millstone grit, east of Leeds, they are not easily available, as they are all dipping at con- siderable angles, beneath a thick covering. On the eastern side of Oak Mountain, as near the tunnel at Thompson’s Gap, there are some fine sandstones in smooth thin layers, which would make excellent flagstones for sidewalks. It is proposed to utilized them for the streets of Birmingham. They are also fit for furnace hearths. Just east of Red Mountain, there are some Lower Carbon- iferous sandstones. In some places, these are so friable as to crumble between the fingers. They are composed of the purest quartz sand. This is the sand that is used at the Gate City Glass Works. It is also crushed, at a nominal ex- pense, and used largely at the iron furnaces of Birming- ham, and for mortar. Beneath the ore beds in Red Mountain, belonging to the Clinton series, there is a very beautiful brown sandstone. Where the streams have cut into the mountain, this is often laid bare, as (at Gate City, on the property of Messrs Sloss. 65 L — SANDS, GRAVELS AND CLAYS. Adjacent to the creeks, there is generally enough sand for local building purposes, hut inferior to the white sand from the rock at Gate City. Again, for fifteen or twenty miles west of Macon an abundance of clean sand can easily be ob- tained from beds belonging to the Lower Cretaceous series. Small round gravel is abundant on some of the hills about Macon. Again, it is found on the borders of the Chattahoochee and Tallapoosa Rivers, adjacent to Tallade- ga, and on the hills along the Coosa River. It is only on some of the hills that the gravels are at the surface, as they are apt to be covered with red loam. The deposits vary from one to rarely eight or ten feet thick. The greatest height at which I have found them was near Talladega, at about 685 feet above the sea. At Gate City, there is some angular chert used for road making. All these localities would furnish good ballast for the Railway. Brick clays occur in the alluvial bottoms along the streams, and in many clay hills. Amongst, the best brick seen were those made at Leeds and at the Chamber’s brick yard at Talladega. Here, at Talladega the bricks are in part of buff color and others are of chocolate color. Fire clays should be somewhat silicious, of light color, and contain very little iron, lime or alkalis, which ren- ders them fusible. Immediately beneath beds of coal, fire clay is commonly found. Amongst the brown ore depos- its, as at Anniston and near Talladega, there are “horses” of white clay which would make fine fire clay. Mr. Cham- bers of Talladega has had such clay tested for white earth- enware manufacture, with farely good results. Above the sandstones near Thomson’s Gap, there is some tire clay. Hear Taylor’s Mills, in the ‘Talladega valley there is fire clay. These are some of the places where I have seen fire clays along the survey. 66 M— ROOFING SLATES. On the northwestern side of the metamorpliic rocks, there are several places, where highly fissile slates occur, which would make admirable roofing and other slates, as near Tien- dalia, and south of Sycamore. Also on section 23, T. 21. R. VI E., in Cla}^ County, there is good slate. These are of the hydromic type. 67 III— FOREST TREES. Along the line of the Macon and Birmingham Railway survey, the most valuable trees are the pines and the oaks, and of these trees there is an abundance. For timber, the pines are at present the most valuable, and must of necessity furnish a great amount of freight. The Pines. The chief varieties are the long-leaf, the short leaf, and the old field pine. The long-leaf pine is of great value, for it is one of the strongest and most durable of timbers. It furnishes the resin, turpentine, tar and pitch of commerce. The heart wood predominates in this tree. The short-leaf pine has a large proportion of sap wood, but makes good lumber. The old field pine is largely com- posed .of sap wood, but is valuable for inside work. The value of all these pines is on the increase. Along the line of the survey, there is suffiicient old field pine, with some short leaf pine, for local use. Only here and there, is a long-leaf pine to be seen in this part of Georgia. But after crossing the State Line, and on nearing the Talla- poosa River, the long leaf pine is met with, especially a few miles beyond the western side of the river. A great zone of pines composed of narrow belts trending northeast and southwestward, occupy more or less of the country be- tween Hillabee and Taylor's Mills (east of Talladega). This zone is about twenty miles wide, and contains several belts of pines, varying in width from one to three miles. Here we find the long-leaf pine predominating, but there are some belts of short-leaf pine. These pines are mostly upon ridg- es covered with loose cherty stones or upon shaly rocks only thinly covered with light soil. The next pine belt of note is albng the Coosa River. It is most largely develop- ed upon the western side, and is made up of several subor- dinate belts. This zone of pine, in interrupted belts, extends 68 to tlie ridges east of Leeds. Some of the Coosa valley pines are amongst the finest timber trees in Alabama. In many places, the pines have interspersed with the various varieties of oaks. The timber along the line of the survey is mostly in its primitive condition, as far as the pine ridges are concerned, but a small proportion has been removed for local use. Still, where the pines have grown upon the more arable hillsides, they have been clear- ed in order that the land may be cultivated; and in many places I saw large fields of dead trees, which had been killed prior to their clearing of the land — the pines be- ing useless, as there is now no means of shipping the lumber. Oaks. Oaks form the commonest trees along the whole line of the survey. Of these, the most abundant are the black, red, Spanish, black Jack, post, white, and on certain ridges the chestnut or mountain oak. In some localities, the trees are of large size, in others the smaller trees pre- vail. Apart from the abundant supply of timber for the local use, and for railway ties, etc., the most important con- sideration here is tan bark available for shipment. The red and black oaks furnish the ordinary tan bark, but the c-kes- nut or mountain oak is that which is used in the so-called r white oak — tanned leather. The mountain oak has an extra-ordinarily thick bark, so that a very large per centage of the tree can be thus used. The quantity obtainable for the labor expended, and the high price per cord will be sulfieent inducement for the land owners, who are so fortunate as to have the trees, to develope the tan bark industry, especially that of the mountain oak bark. The mountain oak is prin- cipally found on the ridges adjacent to the Tallapoosa, and on various ridges about Hillabee and westward. It also oc- curs on some of the ridges west of the Coosa River. The quantity is sufficient for a comsiderable trade. Hickory and other useful timber trees are seen in smaller quantities than the oaks and pines. 69 IV —SOILS The soils are as varied as tlie geological formations from which they are derived. Along the first few miles of the survey, there are loamy, gravelly and especially sandy soils, derived from the Southern Drift and from the Cretaceous formation. Thence, to the eastern side of the Talladega valley, the soils are derived from metamorphic rocks. West ward of this region, the soils are the results of the decom- position of the various formations of Palaeozoic group. Thus we see that about three-fourths of the length of the railway passes over land derived from metamorphic rocks, but the soils throughout this region vary from good to bad. The purpose of this part of the report is to give informa- tion concerning the soils, in order to call attention to what extent the country is adapted for further development, and to aid those people who wish to find homes in the country along the Macon and Birmingham Railway. When the minerals necessary for the production of plant food are not present, then the natural soils must of necessi- ty be poor. Chemical analyses will show such an absence. But it sometimes happens that analyses show an abundance of all necessary constituents, yet the soil is poor. This con- dition arises from the minerals required for food not being in such forms as plants can absorb. Still, with time and furth- er decay of the rock-dust, the productiveness of the land in- creases. The non-productiveness often arises from the absence of only one or two constituents, and when these are artificially supplied, good crops are obtained. The sub- stances which most affect the fertility of the soil are lime, potash and phosphoric acid. The other ingredients of plant food are apt to be present, if these are in sufficient quanti- 70 ties. In order to estimate the value of the soil from the chemical analyses, Prof. Hillgard does not determine the absolute amount of the materials which afford plant food, but only that portion which is soluble in hydrochloric acid, as those portions which are not thus soluble are not likely to furnish nourishment for years to come. From observa- tion, he has found that the minimum cpiantity, obtainable by solution, in productive soils cannot fall below: — of lime 0.10 per cent, for light sandy land, and 0.25 for clay loam, and double that amount for heavy clay soil; of potash. Q.06 per cent in virgin soils; of phosphoric acid, 0.05 per cent, and double this amount in sandy lands will then hold up the soil for only from eight to fifteen years. Compared with the chemical composition of the soil, the productiveness of land depends equally upon the physical conditions, such as its porosity, capability of retaining moisture, slope of the country, climate etc. As the climate is excellent, it need not be considered; but all the other conditions are constantly varying. ARCHAEAN SOILS. These extend from near Macon to the eastern portion of Talladega County, Alabama. Just beyond that line, for a few miles, there is a belt of metamorphic Lower Paleozoic rocks, which will be treated along with the metamorphic Archaean group. It is from the decay of the surface rocks that the soils are formed. This decay sometimes reaches down to only a few inches, but again the stone are so rotten that wells can be dug to a depth of sixty feet or more, by the use of the pick and shovel in the rocks, which were once hard gneisses, When these Archaean lands are prop- erly cultivated, some of them form the best agricultural counties from Pennsylvania to Alabama. Still the quality is variable, dependent upon the source from which they were 71 derived. The most common materials which have produced the soils are ordinary gneiss, (and sometimes granite), where- in the mica is muscovite; biotite gneiss, wherein the mica is biotite; and hornblende gneiss, in which case the mica is wlioly or mostly replaced by hornblende; mica schist; and hydromica and clay slates. The farmers distinguish the soils of the met amorphic re- gion into red and gray lands. The former are derived from the decay of horf|p)lendie gneiss and have a dark brown or red color. Occasionally the red land arises from the de- composition of other iron bearing schists. The gray lands arise from the disintegration of gneisses or granites contain- ing common mica, and of mica schists. There are both good and poor lands of each kind. The Gkay Lands. When these are derived from gneiss- es, which are rich in fieldspar, the land is apt to be fertile. But the difiierent varieties of gneiss contain variable pro- portions of fieldspar, which ingredient may so diminish, that it may pass into mica schists, composed of quartz and mica. Thus we find the gradation from good to poor land. All of these soils are more or less sandy. Sometimes the rocks from which they have been derived were mostly made up of qitartz; in which case the land becomes very light and sandy. In many localities, the gray lands hold considera- ble quantities of quartz fragments upon the surface, to such an extent as to render the ground very stoney. As an example of a typical fairly good gray soil derived from gneiss, the analysis of samples taken from six miles north of Opelika, at a depth of eight inches, shows according to the analysis of the Geological Survey of Alabama: — potash 0.067; lime 0.167; phosphoric Acid 0.229 per cent. The soils derived from mica schists are inferior. Those derived from hydromica slates are still poorer. The analysis of a sam- ple of this last soil, from north of Roanoke gave: — potash 72 0.536; lime 0.010; phosphoric acid 0.067 per cent. Thus we see that the land is deficient- in both lime and phosphoric acid . The Red Lands. These soils are derived from hornblend- ic gneisses or slates rich in iron-bearing minerals. An or- dinary sample from near Opelika gave: — potash, 0.350; lime, 0.43; phosphoric acid, 0.17 percent. This sample is deficient in potash, but it is found to retain the moisture better than the gray land. The red soils are much more loamy or clayey than the gray As an example of other red lands than those derived from hornblende rocks, the following analysis is that of a garnetiferous mica schist from Clay County, Ala.: — potash, 0.351; lime, 0.03S; phosphoric acid, 0.137 per cent. It is deficient in lime, but in good seasons this soil is fairly productive. * The red lands are considered the best for corn and grains, and formerly were generally regarded as the best soil. Now-a-day, the farmers prefer the gray soil, as it is the more easily worked, the more certain of good crops, and is better cotton land. The micaceous soils require to be ar- tificially fertilized with phosphoric acid (including the con- tained lime) and ammonia. Some of the red soils would be rendered fertile by the application of lime alone. Of lime- stone, there is abundance along the Macon and Birmingham Railway. The trees growing upon the richer red and gray lands are very much alike, consisting of oak and hickory, with a few short-leaf pines. The distribution of the different lands cannot be sharply defined as the red-producing-soil rocks are frequently alterna- ting with those producing gray soils. But the poorest gray *A11 of these analyses are taken from the Report of the Geological Sur- vey of Alabama for 1881. 73 lands are mostly confined to tlie western portion of the meta- morpliic region, where they are derived from the hydro- mica slates. The Physical Features. Throughout the whole meta~ morphic region the country is rolling, and has generally a rounded appearance, with very few abrupt hills or deep water courses. When the slope of the land is less than twenty degrees, it is arable. Hot many of the hills are even as steep as this angle. In fact, the hill tops are flattened rounded surfaces, and the valleys are relatively broad and shallow. Only adjacent to a few of the rivers in Georgia and eastern Alabama is the country so rough as to greatly interfere with agriculture. But from the region of the Tal- lapoosa Elver to the western margin of the metamorphic country, there rises a considerable number of ridges that interrupt farming operations. Distribution of the Soils along the Line of the Eail- road. For the first twenty miles from Macon, the gray land pre- dominates. From the region of Culloden to beyond Thom- aston the red soils are much the commoner. For several miles on either side of Woodbury the land is gray, and about that village it is very sandy and light. Hence, west- ward, the red and gray soils are somewhat more commin- gled. From a few miles east of Lagrange, and thence extend- ing to beyond the State Line, the red soils mostly predominate. These .red earths being richer in clay than the gray are more apt to be cut into deep gullies than the gray lands, by the action of rains. After the first few miles of Alabama are passed, the predominance of wide belts of red land are less frequent than in Georgia. At the same time, the country becomes more rugged, especially through Clay County and in the eastern part of Talladega. There the soils 74 are in part derived from the rocks of the gneiss ridges, but the valleys are in part more or less underlaid by hydromica schists. In the more western portion of the metamorphie region, the hills are of slates or schists, which produce very poor land. But the portion of the county which contains more or less gneissic ridges, is of better quality than at first sight might appear; for most of the surface soils have been shifted somewhat during the long ages of their formation, and thus the poorer hydromica lands have mixed, with them the richer washes of the hill sides, which are productive. The gold belt embraces the rocks beneath the very poor ridges of hydromicas. In some places, these last earths pass into others, derived from a more slaty rock, as on the ridges both east and west of Porter’s Gap, where the soil is scan- ty and is composed of almost undecomposed shale coming to the surface. Bough quartz stones almost completely cov- er the ground in many places, but as these are usually only on the surface, good soil may be found beneath, when it ha^ been derived from the decomposition of gneiss. Except the slaty ridges, there are few that are not fit for fruits, where otherwise too steep for cultivation. Although Clay County is so broken, and at first sight the rocks might seem to in- dicate that the land is poor, yet there are many fine farms. Indeed, I have seen there in the troughs between the ridges, some of the finest farms along the Railway, as in the region of Hillabee. LOWER PALAEOZOIC SOILS. These extend from the margin of the metamorphie rocks, about four miles east of Talladega to about six miles west of the Coosa Biver, where the Carboniferous system begins. This region, as has been noted before, consists of a series of ridges and troughs composed mostly of rocks of the Ivnox series (except a limited development of the Potsdam). As to 75 the ridges, they are usually covered with cherty nodules to such an extent that the land is not used. These are the remnants of the upper silicious dolomite of the Knox series, and the soil is gray. Whilst some of these ridges are al- most barren, others are shown to be fertile, where not thick- ly covered with the chert, or where it has been removed, as it is only superficial. These ridges, in their original con- dition, are often covered with good pines. Some of them have sandy soil. Many of them are excellently adapted to fruit growing. The lands in the valleys are to some extent derived from the Knox shales, in which case they are thin. But much of it is derived from the decay of the impure Knox dolomite. Here then, occupying a large proportion of the valley, are some most fertile parts of Ala- bama. The best of this soil is that derived from the lower portion of the series. It is commonly of a reddish color, from the presence of the iron in the rock. In short, this land is derived from the same rock as that which furnished the brown ore beds. The soils derived from the Knox dol- mite usually contain sufficient potash, lime and phosphoric acid. Thus the lands in the valley of Talladega Creek, and in the valley of the Coosa River, as also in the outlying val- ley of the Little Cahaba River, at Leeds, are very excel- lent. However, some of the soils in the region of Tallade- ga, and along the Coosa River are composed of red loams, and to a small extent of gravel, belonging to the Southern drift, this being derived by washes from the higher dolo- rnitic beds, at a time when the waters were backed to high levels, far up the valleys. The soils derived from the Trenton and Clinton series occupy too narrow an area, a few miles east of Birmingham, to be considered, yet such as are cultivated are fertile. 16 CARBONIFEROUS SOILS. ihe Lower Carboniferous limestones yield good soils, but the surface distribution is too limited to be of much im- portance. The Carboniferous soils along the Railway are those which cover the Coosa and . Cahaba coal fields, and are derived from the decay of the shales, sandstones and conglomerates. They are generally sandy, although with a clay subsoil. In color, they vary from reddish to gray, the lighter being usually the more productive land. But they are all indifferent soils, being deficient in lime and vegetable matter. Still they are capable of improvement, as they hold the fertilizers. CRETACEOUS AND SOUTHERN DRIFT SOILS- The very light sandy soils, on or along the sides of the hills, for a few miles westward of Macon are the only soils belonging to the Cretaceous series. The sands are often underlaid by whitish clays. The land is very poor. The red loam and the subjacent gravel, on the hills adja-' cent to Macon, belong to the Southern Drift. There are also small developments of this along the Chattahoochee and Tallapoosa Rivers, in the valley of Talladega, and along the Coosa River. These deposits are found on the hills to sixty, and in some cases, to a hundred and twenty feet above the respective streams. These loams are generally fertile and are especially adapted to fruit growing. Simple alluvial lands are developed to only a very small extent along the line of the Macon and Birmingham Rail- way, as the rivers do not overflow broad bottoms. Still along some of the streams the lands are enriched by the overflows. The Cultivation and the Pkice of the Land. But a small proportion of the country along the Macon and Birin- Ingham Railway, east of Clay County, Alabama, is unfit for cultivation. From this county westward, there is a much larger amount of the land which is of little value, yet in the western district, there are to be found some of the most fertile belts of Alabama, in the broad depressions, amongst the ridges, and adjacent to the streams. The price of land is generally very low, as much of the road is far from other railways, and these cross-tile zone, at only a few points, in place of running through it. Perhaps the highest priced land, adjacent to such places as Lagrange and Thomaston, is $20.00 an acre. But a few miles away from the Railway, both in Georgia and in the Talladega and Coosa valleys, the highest price does not exceed twelve dol- lars an acre, and that very soon diminishes to from five to sev- en dollars for the best farms. Fair land, partly in cultivation can be obtained for as low as three dollars. The reason for the low price of land is the want of population. The farms are being held in too large tracts, of which only a small pro- portion is being cultivated. The mode of cultivation is most commonly wasteful, — tak- ing everything from the land and giving nothing back. Everywhere, the value of fertilizers to the land is such that they abundantly repay the outlay. These will come into more extensive use, when the country is made more access- ible by the Railway, and when a denser population resorts to more frugal farming. Indeed, in Georgia, with the mod- ern use of artificial fertilizers, the cotton belt has crept fif- ty miles inland, upon the metamorphic soils. But it is not always the more expensive guano that the soil needs. Often the simple return of the cotton seed, or its meal, to the land is all that is necessary. To this, however, the addi- tion of lime over the metamorphic lands is always desirable. The lime can be obtained from the marls of the southern part of the State or from the limestones of the Talladega val- 78 ley. But throughout many portions of the country, the cotton seed, where not sold, is fed to cattle, and the barn- yard manure is allowed to go to waste. One farmer in- formed me that on some soil that would not yield a half a bale of cotton to the acre, he had obtained by the use of the barn-yard manure two and a quarter bales. This is in keep- ing with the results of experiments quoted by Prof. R'uff- ner, which showed that the manure from the feeding of a ton of cotton-seed cake was found to be worth to the land, $27.80 gold; for with only the removal of the cotton lint, and with the return of the rest of the crop to the land, the soil retains its fertility. Besides cotton, which is the mon- ey crop, corn and other small grain thrive well. On the richer valley lands, ribbon or sugar cane is found to be a most profitablecrop. Fruits grow in abundance, and are of excellent quality. In fact, the country traversed by the Macon and Birmingham Railway produces nearly every- thing that the farmer wants. The Population. Along the line of the Macon and Birmingham Railway, in Georgia, there is a considerable per centage of negro population, yet smaller than in other portions of the State. But as soon as we pass into Alabama, there is a great paucity of the colored race, except adjacent to Talladega town. The people are almost entirely white. The vdiole belt is thinly settled, at least the farms are sev- eral times too large for the labor available. In Alabama, this thinness of population is still more noticeable than in Georgia, but, there, the county has been farther away from railroad facilities. There is plenty of room for thousands of new homes, and even then, the country would not be thickly settled. The Climate is excellent. As the country is high with generally porous land, there is the general absence of mala- rial diseases. Homes scattered over the rolling hills of Geor- 79 gia, and in the valleys of Alabama are amongst the most happily situated in the South. Nor does one feel the heat excessively in this region. Whilst making the survey I did not feel the heat more oppressive than had I been doing the same work in Ohio or New York, the difference being that it was more continuous, but the extremes were not so great, and the nights were cool. Everywhere throughout the region good water is easily obtainable. There is at the present time, few regions that offer such cheap and good farms in a pleasant, healthful climate, with varied surroundings, than the homes available along the Macon and Birmingham Railway. 80 V— WATER-POWERS. The rapid growth of Manufactures in the South ha%, in part, arisen from the occurrence of many water-powers. Along or adjacent to, the Macon and Birmingham Railway, there are numerous water-powers, many of which are now utilized, as the sites of small local mills. These powers are usually from ten to fifteen feet high, but by darning they could often be raised somewhat higher, and the supply of water, during dry seasons, rendered more constant. In Georgia, the two best powers on the Railway, are Roger's Shoals on Potato Creek, two and a half miles west of Thomaston, and at Tobler’s. Roger’s Shoals. This is one of the best powers in Georgia. It consists of a succession of shoals, and within half a mile, the fall exceeds sixty feet, most of which is at three or four points. As the valley is deep and narrow, the waters could be dammed to any desired height. The volume of water is large, and even without being accumulated by a dam, it is capable of supplying power to several large mills. The Engraving facing this page represents the sur- face of one of the main shoals, at a point where there is a fall of about fifteen feet. The photograph was taken from an elevated island in the rapids, and thus does not show the fall of the water. Here also, there is an abundance of gneiss or granite rock (over which the waters rush) for either building, or for dam construction. Tobler’s Rapids are over two excellent shoals, and in situ- ation are not inferior to the Roger’s, but the volume of water is smaller, yet the darning facilities are excellent. In Alabama, there are several good powers along the Railway. At Louina, there is now a dam of six feet, thrown across the Tallapoosa River. The volume of water is very large, and the river is wide. Below the village, near where 81 the Railway crosses, there is a lower dam. But at about two miles above Louiua, the rapids are much greater. In fact, it is the best power along the Railway, in Alabama. The height would be fifteen feet or more. The width of the river is considerable, but it is broken by islands, which would be favorable for the building of factories, and tlms the full extent of the broad water-power could be more easily utilized. There are smaller powers at Bluff Springs, and near Hillabee. Oft' the survey,- a short distance, there is now a large factory at Rock Mills, and there are several other fac- tories only a few miles from the Railway. Craigdale or Taylor’s Mills. West of the Tallapoosa, we find an excellent power at Craigdale, about four miles east of Talladega. Here, there is a stream cutting a canon through slaty rocks. The present dam across the narrow gorge is fifteen feet high. But a dam, or a succesion of dams, could be easily raised to seventy feet. At the head of the present dam, across the Talladega Creek, there is a low wa- ter-fall as shown in the picture opposite page 83. This is by far the best water-power in the vacinity of Talladga, and it would doubtless be used to its full extent, if railroads were passing close to it. It is an excellent site for any of the rising iron or other manufacturing industries of the Tal- ladega valley. W est of Talladega, the mos't important water-power is the dam at the crossing. of the Coosa River. It is now six feet high, but could raised to double that height. The govern- ment is at work in rendering the river navagable. The river is several hundred feet wide, and the volume of water is great. Beyond this point, there are no important powers, although, there are several of small volumes, such as that at Landrum’s Mills. S2 As the whole of the country, traversed by. the Railway, is through a cotton belt, there is every reason that many fac- tories should spring up. There are scores of small mill- sites near the road, some of which are now used for corn or other mills. In fact, with the railway facilities for getting grain, the local millers could afford to grind it in place of importing the flour already made. Many local industries will doubtless spring up as the country is opened to further settlement, and more easy commercial facilities; and these industries will in many cases cause towns to arise adjacent to natural water powers. VI.— SPRINGS AND RESORTS, Warm Springs, a few miles westward of Thomaston, is a local resort. The water is only a few degrees above the natural temperature of other springs of the district. Here? there is a very large stream of beautiful water, welling out from the foot of a hill, covered with loose stones, the size of cobble, which is led into some bath houses. With the ex- penditure of some capital in the building of a small ho- tel, the importance of these Springs would increase, for there is no other particularly favored resort in this part of country. Chandler’s Springs. These are situated one mile east of Porter’s Gap, upon the eastern side of the Blue Moun- tains of Talladega, and have an elevation of nearly a thousand feet above the sea. The situation is rather beauti- ful. The springs are chalybiate. Around them, there are twenty cabins or more, and at times as many as two hum 83 dred people have been summering here. But, at present, the Springs are rather inaccessible, requiring the traveller to take a along drive over the mountains from Talladega, When the Railway will pass through Porter’s Gap, there seems to be good reason to suppose a more important resort might be built up. Craigdale. — The canon of Talladega Creek, as it emerges from the mountains at Taylor’s Mills, into the smil- ing valley, is by far the most beautiful situation for a sum- mer resort along the whole line of the Macon and Birming- ham Railway. The gorge is one of the most beautiful and picturesque sites in Alabama or the South, Here, at the lower end of the gorge, there is a dam which backs up the water about half a mile, between bold walls of slaty rock, which often overhang the creek, and give shelter to boats which may rest beneath them. At the head of the dam (which ought to be raised eight feet) there is a pictur- esque fall amongst the rocks as shown on the plate facing this page. Above the falls the rapids may be ascended for miles. The creek is one of the few streams that cut across these mountains, and hence the features are bolder than those of the valleys which run parallel the mountains. The hills about Cragdale are as picturesque as the gorge itself. There are very few resorts which have, in addition to the general attractiveness, such a beautiful lake. The future of Craigdale is perhaps unsettled — whether the wa- ter-power will cause it to become the site of a manufactur- ing suburb of Talladega; or whether, with the Railway a mile or two oft, it becomes a summer resort, remains to be seen. 84 Y1I SUMMARY OF THE FREIGHT-PROD' UCIKG Resources along the Macon and Birmingham Railway. The physical features along belt explored are such that the Railway can.be built with a maximutfgrade of only fifty- three feet per mile, across a comparatively direct course, so as to reduce the distance to about 240 miles. The different geological formations are discribed (p. p. 5-20), so as to show those which contain useful minerals, and those from which the different soils are derived. Of the different minerals, iron, coal and limestone are the most important, as they make this South country amongst the richest regions in America. In the Birmingham district', there are already about twen- ty-five furnaces, and more are in construction. The capacity, in 1890 will reach about 800,000 tons of pig iron, the cost of which can be reduced to between seven and eight dollars a ton. The present freight, by way of Savannah and the sea, to Hew York is about $3.85 a ton (see p. 50 and follow- ing). The route to the sea, by the Macon and Birmingham Railway, will be more direct and of easier grade than any of the existing roads. A large amount of the iron pro- duced now, reaches the northern market by way of longer roads and the sea. Although the production of iron is very large, the manu- ufactures from it are still in their infancy in the South, but they are rapidly growing, The valley, in which Talladega, Anniston, etc., are situ- uated, furnishes an enormous quantity of ore, but the pro- duction is as yet less than a fourth of that in the Birming- ham district — the capacity for 1890 being about 175,000 tons. Much of this is charcoal iron. About Talladega there is room for many new furnaces. And this is the fin- est iron in the South. The first Talladega furnace has a 85 capacity of about 35,000 tons a year, and a second is shortly to be built. The natural outlet for this iron is by the Ma- con and Birmingham Railway; either to the east or west. Besides freight on iron, the furnace consumes about 450 tons of coke a day, which would naturally come over the road from the west. And I think it quite safe to predict that as many as eight or ten furnaces can be de- veloped, in the valley adjacent to the survey. All of the coke, carried to the Talladega region for new furnaces would naturally pass over the Macon and Birmingham road, and this would add enormously to the tonnage. A portion of the iron from Anniston, Janiper and Ironaton would also find its way over this road, as it is now carried by longer routes to the sea. Another large source of tonnage for the road will be the brown ores for Birmingham, as they are sought after for mixing with the local ores, (see p. 27 and following.) A number of other localities (p. p. 33-35) is given, which will yield ores for shipment, if not for local furnaces, at local towns. Some idea of the magnitude of the mineral industries of the Birmingham district may be drawn from the quantity of the coal product, which now reaches about 4,500,000 tons a year (p. 45). Mot only the supply of coke for the furnaces along the Railway, but also the supply of coal for the whole line, and for much of Central Georgia, should be carried over the Macon and Birmingham Railway. This road passes over the Cahaba coal fields (p. 37 and follow- ing). The quantity is practically unlimited, and the quali- ty is amongst the finest in the United States. It is gener- ally better than the more western coals. The marble and the limestones (p. 45 and following) are in large quantities and will furnish considerable freight for the road the largest tonnage being for furnaces, and for the sup- 86 plying lime along the Railway, and to Central Georgia. The land would also be benefitted by the free use of lime. Gold, pyrites and graphite will add to the industries of the country, and thus to the tonnage, (p. p. 56, 59, 60). The line beds of granite and of roofing slate will doubt- less afford freight both ways (p.p. 62, 66) as well as the lime- stone and marble for building purposes. The timbers and the tan-bark will furnish large quanti- fies of freight for some time to come. The water-powers afford excellent sites for mills and factories, several of which already exist (p. 80.) A large proportion of the belt forms an excellent agri- cultural country, much of which is now very distant from railway facilities (p. p. 69-77). As the population is thin, (and mostly of Whites) there is room for the development of thousands of new homes, (p.78). From the agricultural and commercial points of view, the necessity of the road is felt. Add to this, the mineral w T ealtli. The railroad is certain to get a fair share of the 800.000 tons of iron which represent the the capacity of the furnaces of the Birmingham district. Also much of the 175.000 tons of the Talladega and Anniston district, will pass over the road, besides a large amount of the incoming coke. A still larger proportion of the future tonnage of the immediate Talladega region may be looked for, which, from the natural resources, promises to reach in a few years, to three or four hundred thousand tons of iron, and much more than that of coke. THE GEOLOGICAL MAP. The outlines of the Geological formations were determined by the G eological Survey of Alabama, Although a belt of rocks, extending in both directions from Porter's Gap, is crystalline, it is represented as Pakeozoic (and not Archaean) for it is regarded as a metamorphic Cambrian formation. ' . - 1 i