300 - STUDER'S COLUMBUS OHIO and load our own table with garden vegetables of the finest quality; with both tree and small fruits in abundance, and with butter, milk, and cheese to our heart's content, We can furnish all the hay and other provender our animals can consume, and from our own products. make all the whisky. beer, and wine we need. In meats. we can furnish our own beef, pork, and mutton, while the products of our poultry-yards keep pace with the demand, and can be increased indefinitely. Our climate is a peculiarly fortunate one; exempt alike from the rigors of the northern winters and burning sun of' the southern summers, we seldom have but a few days at a time of extremely cold or hot weather. From our elevation, we enjoy a very salubrious atmosphere. We have the advantage of a hilly or almost mountainous region, the bed of the Scioto river at this point being 776 feet above fide-water. The State-house site being about 60 feet higher, Columbus stands 836 feet above tide-water, and 624 feet above the waters of Lake Erie. It is situated 101 feet higher than Zanesville, Muskingum county. This is about one-third as high as the highest peaks of the Alleghany mountains. So we have the advantages of a level country for our agriculture, with the salubrious air of the hilly counties of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. This region is well adapted to the rearing of domestic animals. Here the horse, cow, sheep, and swine are healthy and vigorous, producing as perfect and hardy animals as any portion of America. COAL RESOURCES GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF COAL. "Coal," says Professor Newberry, " is entitled to be considered the mainspring of our civilization. By the power developed in its combustion, all the wheels of industry are kept in motion; commerce is carried on with rapidity and certainly over all portions of the earth's surface; the useful metals are brought from the deep caves in which they have hidden themselves and are purified and wrought to serve the purposes of man. By coal, night is in one sense converted into day, and the life of man, measured by its fruits, is greatly prolonged. Wealth, with all COAL RESOURCES -301 the comforts, the luxuries, and the triumphs it brings, is its gift. Though black, sooty, and often repulsive in its aspects, it is the embodiment of a power more potent than that attributed to the genii in oriental tales. Its possession is, therefore, the highest material boon that can be craved by a community or nation. Coal is also not without its poetry. It has been formed under the stimulus of the sunshine of long past ages, and the light and power it holds are nothing else than such sunshine stored in this black casket, to wait the coming and serve the purposes of man. In the processes of formation it composed the tissues of those strange trees that lifted their scaled trunks and waved their Leathery foliage over the murky shores of the carboniferous continent, when not only no man was, but gigantic salamanders and mail-clad fishes were the monarchs of the animated world." COAL-PRODUCING COUNTRIES. Coal has been aptly termed the real stable wealth of all manufacturing and commercial countries. It is the great agent in the reduction of valuable ores to the various forms and conditions needed for the uses of civilized life. According to official reports published in England, the following are the proportions of the area covered with coal to the whole area in the countries named. British Island, 1-10; Belgium, 1-32; France, 1-100; United States, 2-9; Prussia, 1-90 ; British North America, 1-20; Bohemia, 1-20; Spain, 1-52. Since the publication of these reports, discoveries have been made, especially in our Western States, proving that more than one-fourth of the whole area of the United States is covered with coal. The total annual production of coal in the United States is about twenty-five million tons, more than six times that of Austria, twice the amount produced in France, and a third more than the annual product of Prussia. England's annual product is given at one hundred million tons. But she is rapidly using up her mineral treasure, while we have scarcely begun to develop ours. THE SOURCE OF ENGLAND'S WEALTH. Of all the nations of Europe, England is the most powerful, because she is the richest. The source of' her wealth has been 302 - STUDER'S COLUMBUS, OHIO. her manufacturing industry, and the mainspring of this industry has been her stores of coal. The power developed by the combustion of a pound of coal, is reckoned by engineers as equivalent to 1,500,000 foot pounds. The power eXerted by a man of ordinary strength, during a day's labor, is about the same; so that a pound of coal may be regarded as equivalent to a day's labor of a man. Three hundred pounds will thus represent the labor of a man fora year. It is estimated that twenty million tons of the annual coal product of Great Britain are used to develop motive power. This is equivalent to the labor of one hundred and thirty-three millions of men ; so that the contribution made to the wealth of Great Britain, by her annual coal product, may be safely estimated as equal to the labor of one hundred and thirty-three million skilled operatives. OHIO HAS A LIKE SOURCE OF WEALTH Such is the economic value of coal. Now, how stands Ohio in regard to this combustible? Our state geologist, Professor Newberry, states that the productive coal area of Ohio. is not less than ten thousand square miles, and is probably nearly one-third of her whole area. It far exceeds the coal-fields possessed by any European nation, except Great Britain, and is quite equal to hers. We have seen the source of England's immense wealth and overshadowing power. We have in Ohio the same source of wealth and power; all that is required is to put forth the willing handand develop it. As has been said, the annual coal product, of Great Britain is one hundred million tons, while that of Ohio, with as large a coal area, is only about four million tons. The people of Ohio have thus an inexhaustible treasure upon which they have scarcely begun to draw. Let it be at least uncovered. LOCATION OF OHIO'S GREAT COAL-FIELD. But in what portion of the State does this great treasure lie ? By an examination of the map appended to the first report of the Geological Survey of Ohio, it will be seen that the entire coal-field of Ohio lies in the eastern and southeastern part of the state, beginning at the north with Mahoning county, and criminating with Lawrence county at the south having the COAL RESOURCES - 303 counties of Stark, Holmes, Coshocton, Muskingum, Perry, Hocking, Vinton, and Jackson, on its western and southwestern boundary, and the Ohio river for its opposite limit. Here is the coal-field of Ohio. equal in extent to that of Great Britain, while from the former is drawn annually only one twenty-fifth part of the amount drawn from the latter. COLUMBUS AND THE CENTRAL COAL-FIELD. The geological map also discloses the fact that, viewing this great coal-field in its length from north to south, Columbus is situated directly opposite the center and within two or three hours by rail, not only of that center, but of the best and most productive portion of the entire field. There is no other city so situated that can be at all compared with it in population, in wealth, enterprise, or resources, and none within a hundred and fifty miles of this great coal center, that has, or is likely to have, leaving out of view the disadvantage of a distant location, the ability to compete with the capital and central city of Ohio. COAL AND IRON. In our advanced state of civilization, coal is essential, nay, indispensable for use as fuel for the production of steam and the manufacture of iron. Through its agency, as applied to these uses, cities in recent times have sprung up, in a day as it were, and become wise and enlightened, rich and powerful. There is nothing to hinder Columbus from becoming one of the greatest of' such cities but her neglect or inability to grasp and wield the mighty engine of' progress lying at her very door. It is one of the wise provisions of it bountiful Providence that, in this central mining region of which Columbus is the natural outlet and focal point, both coal and iron are found in great and, for aught that is known, in inexhaustible abundance. Thus we have within easy access, and as near as could be wished in order to approach the mineral center in all desirable directions, from this city as a focal point, the two great agencies of modern wealth and progress—coal and iron. Of the latter and its connection with the interests of our city, we shall speak hereafter, For the present we will present a few facts bearing on it min- 304 - STUDER'S COLUMBUS, OHIO. oral, whose development must precede and accompany that of iron. The great deposit of coal in the immediate vicinity of Columbus, as it were, and easily accessible for mining and transportation, and known by various local names, as the "Nelsonville coal," the "Straitsville coal," the " Sunday Creek coal," the "Upper New Lexington coal," the Great Vein coal," the Haydenville coal," the "Lick Bun coal," etc., is described in the Geological Report, as the NELSONVILLE OF STRAITSVILLE COAL. This seam of coal is spoken by Professor P. B. Andrews, of the Ohio geological corps, as one which will doubtless prove to be the richest in the State. At the time his first report was made, in 1870, of the geological survey of the second district, comprising the coal-field in Southeastern Ohio, south of the line of the Central Ohio railroad, he had not found the limits of the horizontal range of that coal-seam, either in Muskingum county to the north, or in Athens county to the south, It was everywhere of good working thickness, and over a large area it measured from six to eleven feet. It was found to be thinner in the north, but on Sunday and Monday creeks, in Perry county, it was eleven feet, and on the. Hocking, in the vicinity of Nelsonville, it was seldom less than six feet. The professor had no doubt that it was one continuous seam, as it not only held uniform relations to the lower rocks, from the Logan sandstone up, but it had, moreover, been traced from hill to hill throughout nearly the whole distance. The professor had yet to trace the seam south of the Hocking hills, between them and the Cincinnati and Marietta railroad, but knew it to extend to a considerable distance south of Nelsonville. It dips below the Hocking river, not far from the month of Monday creek, but is reached by shafts at various points as far down the Hocking as Salina and Chauncey. THICKNESS OF THE SEAM. Professor Andrews, in his first report, gives some measurements of the seam which are interesting. At Nelsonville and vicinity, the coal measured from six feet to six feet four inches. COAL RESOURCES - 305 In Green township, Hocking county, near the northwestern outcrop of the seam, the coal was a trifle thinner, measuring in total thickness five feet seven inches. The seam, in its northern and northeastern extension, grew thicker. At Straitsville, Salt Lick township, Perry county, the seam measured eleven feet. In the same township, the following measurements were found on different farms: nine feet ten inches, eight feet four, and nine feet four inches. South of Straitsville, on the Snow fork of Monday creek and its tributaries, the coal was everywhere largely developed. The measurements on the lower part of Snow fork showed six feet of coal. Near the head of the east branch, in Salt Lick township, Perry county, the "big scam" was seen largely developed. No measurement was taken, but the coal was claimed to be eleven feet thick. From this point, crossing the high ridge to the northeast, the geologists came down into the west branch of Sunday creek and found coal in the low valley. There it ranged from six to eleven feet in thickness. At Gaver's mill, and on adjacent land, near Coal Dale post-office, Salt Lick township, the seam measured six feet two inches; half a mile above, the coal was seven feet thick and of an excellent quality. In Monroe township, Perry county, on the west branch of Sunday creek, the coal measured eleven feet. The exposure showed a magnificent body of very superior coal. The coal in this valley generally lies low, but in mining it to the north and northwest, every advantage can be taken of the dip for easy mining and drainage. On the branch of Sunday creek, running through the southeast section of Pleasant township, Perry county, the coal was found in full thickness, measuring at one bank eleven feet two inches, with several clay partings. In this neighborhood the coal lies too low for easy drainage, but the difculty can be obviated. A vast body of coal in the hills to the north can be mined up the dip from this valley. There is scarcely any limit to the coal, which is rendered accessible by the various branches of Sunday creek in Pleasant, Monroe, and Salt Lick townships. The great body of high lands which constitute the divide between the waters flowing south and those flowing north through 306 - STUDER'S COLUMBUS, OHIO Jonathan's creek into the Moxahala. and Muskingum, and west through Rush creek into the upper Hoching. is doubtless underlaid with this coal. The coal-seam constitutes a vast sheet of eleven feet in maximum thickness in the south. but gradually growing thinner, to four and five feet. in its northern outcrop along the Zanesville and Cincinnati railroad. Professor Andrews says the value of the upper Sunday Creek valley, as a coal-field, can not be overestimated. North of Straitsville, the higher grounds take the coal. Two and it half miles east of Maxville, in Monday Creek township, Perry county, the coal measured, to the roof of the entry, seven feet eight inches. To the northeast, the coal extended through the hills, and was seen not far from Bristol in Pike township, Perry county. There the thickness was four feet two inches, with the usual partings. The Nelsonville scam of coal, which has been traced into Muskingum county, has a very extensive range. It had been traced, at the time Professor Andrews' first report was made, over a belt of country forty miles long and averaging twelve miles wide. To the northwest. the coal rises in the hills and disappears. To the east and southeast, it dips below the valleys. The deeper the valleys the greater the southeastern extension of the coal. Speaking of this seam of coal. which he says has the open burning character. Professor New berry, chief geologist speaks of it as the Hocking Valley Coal," found fifty or sixty miles southeast of Columbus, and over an area estimated by 'Professor Andrews, who had carefully studied that district, of not less than six hundred square miles, maintaining a thickness of' from six to eleven feet. with a remarkable uniformity and purity of composition. QUALITY OF THE COAL Professor Andrews, as well as Professo Newberry, classes this coal among the dry open-burning or furnace coals that do not coke and adhere in the furance, and can be used in the raw state for the manufacture of iron. The small percentage of ash ; the unusually complete combustion. giving a fine blaze and little smoke ; the large percentage COAL RESOURCES - 307 of fixed carbon giving great heating power, and the small amount of sulphur to create in combustion unpleasant sulphurous fumes, all combine to render the coal of this great seam one of the very best known coals for household use. For the generation of steam it is highly esteemed. It has been used in rolling mills at Columbus and Marietta with strong approval. One of the most important practical questions connected with this coal is its adaptation to the smelting of iron. It has been seen that the percentage of sulphur is relatively small; that the ash is small, and that the amount of fixed carbon is large. It is also it dry-burning coal, and can be used in the furnace in the raw state. Where the seam is thickest, six or seven feet of the coal can be obtained, which, in all the qualifications named, would be remarkably adapted to be used in furnaces in the raw state. After a careful examination and comparison of' the analyses made by Professor Wormley, chemist to the Ohio geological corps, of numerous specimens of this coal from the leading mines in Perry, Hocking, and Athens counties, Professor Andrews states his conclusion, in an emphatic sentence, which he italicizes, thus "That the time is not far distant when the coal of this greatest of Ohio coal-seams will be largely used in the manufacture of iron; there can be little doubt." The New Straitsville coal has been introduced into the Columbus gas-works as it gas-coal. At first thought, the fact that the sulphur in the coal passes off with the gas, it fact which fits the coal admirably for furnace use, would seem to militate against the idea of using the coal for gas-making. it is found, however, that the gas possesses such remarkable illuminating power as to more than compensate for the extra expense and trouble of purifying it. The illuminating power of the gas, according to the photometric tests of Professor Wormley, the state inspector of gas, ranges from seventeen to nineteen sperm candles, with an average of eighteen candles. The power of the gas from the Youghiogheny coal, the standard gas-coal of the Western States, is, by the same tests, from thirteen to fifteen candles. Mr. G. Douty, the superintendent of the Columbus gas-works, states 308 - STUDER'S COLUMBUS, OHIO. that by his photometer he also finds the illuminating power of the New Straitsville gas to be on an average of eighteen candies, while the average of that of the Youghiogheny coal is but fourteen candles, The great advantage in brilliancy, added to the comparative cheapness of the coal, will more than counterbalance the other defects of the coal as a gas-coal. This, in regard to the coal of the great seam as a gas-making coal, is the result of new investigations briefly referred to in the second geological report, published in 1871. These investigations were made in the Now Straitsville region, and were called for by the building of a branch railroad from Logan to that district, and the opening of several extensive mines, where the seam of coal is from ten to eleven feet thick. The coal from this now mining district had been considerably used in the blast-furnace and in gas-works. Professors Andrews and Wormley visited the mines, and together selected samples of coal to represent the different portions of the seam from roof to floor. The result of the analysis of these samples, as to the illuminating power of the gas, has been already stated. From the same analysis, and a comparison with the furnace coals of England, it was seen that the Straitsville and Nelsonville coals do not contain sulphur enough to injure them for use in the blast-furnace, Professor Andrews states in his second report, as the result of his reexamination, that there are doubtless areas in the coal-field where more sulphur will be found, for no seam of coal is everywhere free from visible sulphur; but it can not be doubted that, as a rule, the coal-seam, where it is best developed, in the Hocking, Monday Creek, and Sunday Creek valleys, will serve an admirable purpose for iron-making. The fact that the finest No. 1 foundry iron has been made from this coal, proves conclusively the capabilities of the coal in this respect. CONCLUSION. We may here fitly conclude this branch of our subject in the language of Professor Andrews, slightly- modified. The geographical situation of Columbus, with a vast coalless district extending north and northwest of it for hundreds of miles, its accessibility to this great coal-seam of enormous quantity and COAL RESOURCES. - 309 superior quality, and with rare advantages for mining and draining, make our city, as a point for profitable enterprise and investment, worthy the attention of the people of the State, and of iron-masters and capitalists everywhere. COLUMBUS COAL-MINING COMPANIES. The several coal-mining firms of this city employ 1,145 miners, and have invested in the coal business a capital of $1,466,000. The number of tons of coal mined in 1872, amounted to about one million. This large amount was brought to this city, and a greater portion distributed to different points in this State and the West, and also to Canada. PETER HAYDEN.—The mines of Peter Hayden, of this city, are located at Haydenville, Hocking county, fifty-four and a half' miles distant from this city. Mr. Hayden's coal-vein is six feet thick. He is represented here by Charles H. Hayden, at the Post-office Arcade, and at Nos. 8 and 10 East Broad street. W. B. & F. S. BROOKS.—The mines of W. B. & F. S. Brooks, of this city, are situated at Nelsonville, on the Hocking Valley railroad, distant from this city sixty-two miles. The coal-vein is six feet and three inches in thickness. Mr. Brooks & Son are represented here by themselves in person. Office, corner High and Rich streets. T. LONGSTRETH.—The mines of T. Longstreth, of this city, are located at Nelsonville, on the Hocking Valley railroad. His business is represented here by himself, at his office, No. 106 North High street. Mr. Longstreth's coal-vein is six feet thick. THE STRAITSVILLE MINING COMPANY.—This company is represented in this city by D. F. Suydam, No. 2 East Town street.. Their mines are located at New Straitsville, Perry county, on the Hocking Valley Branch road, about sixty-seven miles distant from this city. The thickness of the, coal-vein is ten fret and four inches. The lands of the company are said to be also rich in iron ore. 310 - STUDER'S COLUMBUS, OHIO. E. A. FITCH & Co.—The mines of this firm are situated at Nelsonville, Straitsville, and Lick Run. Their vein of coal is from seven feet to eleven and a half feet in thickness. The firm is represented here by E. A. Fitch and Wm. McCrory, at No. 3 North High street. THE STRAITSVILLE COAL AND IRON COMPANY—This Company was incorporated May 1, 1869, with a capital stock of $250,000, divided into shares of 8100 each. The incorporators were: M. G. Mitchell, W. B. McClung, S. Baird, A. G. Conover, B. E. Neil, J. C. Knight, Wm. F. Staunton. Officers were elected May 3, 1872, as follows: Directors—William Dennison, B. F. Smith, W. B. McClung, A. G. Conover, James H. Kinkaid ; president, W. B. McClung; secretary and treasurer, Gordon Moodie. The company's mines are situated at New Straitsville, Perry county, distant from this city sixty-two miles. Their coal vein is eleven feet and a half thick. Their business office in tins city is located at 221 North High street. Their representative here is James Patterson, at the Columbus and Cleveland Railroad freight office. IRON RESOURCES. If coal lies at the base of modern civilization and progress, it is iron that rears the superstructure. We have read of the iron age in Roman literature, but ours is justly styled the iron age, because that metal has come into such universal use among civilized men and contributes in so many ways to human advancement. The extent of its manufacture and the uses to which it is applied, make iron symbolize in the present, as it has in the past, the stage to which a nation or community has attained in subduing the elements of' nature, and making them minister to the purposes the convenience, and the happiness of man. The increased and increasing manufacture of iron, and the manifold uses to which it has been and is likely to be applied, farm the great distinctive feature oft his latter part of' the nineteenth century. In some of its innumerable forms, it helps, gratifies, and blesses all. As it lends a bright color to the blood COAL RESOURCES - 311 and imparts vigor to the body and mind of man, so it enters into all the departments of our material life, strengthening, supporting, and embellishing all. INCREASE IN IRON MANUFACTURE. It has been clearly established that the development of the iron manufacture is dependent upon the growth of population and the spread of civilization. In 1855, to go no further back, the annual production of iron in the world had reached about seven million tons, of which Great Britain produced one-half, and the United States one-seventh. The average consamption of Great Britain was one hundred and forty-four pounds; of time United States, eighty-four pounds, and of the whole world only seventeen pounds per head of the population. The estimate, by A. S. Hewitt, a competent authority, for the present year (1872), is that the annual production of tile world will be double that of 1855, or reach fourteen million tons, to which Great Britain will contribute one-half, and the United States one-seventh as before. In the meantime the consumption it England has risen to two hundred pounds; in the United States to one hundred and fifty pounds, and in the whole world, to thirty pounds per head. As the last seventeen years have doubled, it is safe to estimate that the next seventeen will double the world's annual production of iron, so that in 1889 it will amount to twenty-eight million tons. Should Great Britain continue, as heretofore, to supply one-half of the annual product, there will remain fourteen million tons to be made by the rest of the world. The bulk of this additional product can only be supplied by the United States. As the resources of this country for the manufacture of iron have hardly begun to be developed, and as Great Britain can not possibly ]maintain her rate of' increase, owing to the limits of labor and raw material that she must soon reach, it is argued by Mr. Hewitt. who has devoted both time and ability to the careful study of the subject, that such will be the increased demand for iron, and such the development, of the means for its cheap and rapid production in this country, that 312 - STUDER'S COLUMBUS, OHIO we shall annually produce ten million, and probably fifteen million tons before the close of the present century. "This means," says Mr. Hewitt. that twenty-five million to forty million tons of iron ore shall be annually extracted from our mines, and that our coal production will reach one hundred million tons per annum, required for iron and other branches of industry. It means that an investment of capital to the amount of five hundred million dollars at least, and probably one thousand million, shall be made in opening mines, erecting works, and supplying the requisite machinery of production." SHALL OHIO SHARE IN THE IRON MANUFACTURE? The question presents itself: Shall Ohio, already rivaling, or about soon to rival the most advanced of her sister States in many other productions, take her share in this great iron interest? She may not be so richly endowed as some other parts of our common country in iron ores, but she has a fair portion of these, and has the means in her hands to supply any deficiency. She has an inexhaustible coal-field, so easily worked and so situated that the richer crystalline ores found in other States must inevitably be brought within her borders to be smelted and manufactured. " It is certain," says our state geologist, that nowhere can an abundant supply of mineral fuel suitable for smelting the Lake Superior ores be so cheaply obtained as in Ohio." But we are told by the authority ,just quoted that in the varieties of iron ore usually found associated with coal, Ohio is richer than any of those States that share with her the great Alleghany coal-basin. Her iron district is in the main identical with her great coal-field, and, like the latter, includes the eastern and southeastern part of the State. COLUMBUS AS AN IRON CITY. Columbus is situated, in regard to the iron territory of Ohio, precisely as she is in respect to the coal-field. For both, she is the natural outlet and point of concentration. 'There is no other city in the State possessing such unequaled facilities and such natural advantages for becoming the great iron-producing and IRON RESOURCES - 313 commercial city of the West. The rich agricultural territory that surrounds her, the manufactures of textiles and fabrics that will inevitably spring up when required, and her capacity for expanding her limits, and for building houses and other structures to any extent desired, will enable her to sustain a population equal to that of any city in the Union, and afford ample room for all the processes of manufacturing industry, and the enterprises of trade and commerce. Already the iron manufacture has opened up in our city with the fairest prospects of success. Capital will flow in, and the infant manufacture will soon be increased a hundred-fold; our population will be doubled, trebled, and quadrupled, and our prosperity be placed on a secure and immovable basis, as soon as our advantages, present and prospective, in respect to coal and iron, are understood. Once fairly started in the iron manufacture and trade, success is certain. From Columbus, as a center, railroads now radiate and others will soon radiate, penetrating the great mining region at all desirable points, and affording for its rich products cheap and quick transportation. Besides, railroads are in operation, and others will be shortly, that will bring to our city such iron ores from the West and Northwest as may be desired to use with the native ores of Ohio for the manufacture of the finer grades of malleable iron and steel. Such are some of the advantages for the transportation of ores and fuel that Columbus offers to the iron-master and the capitalist. We have already spoken of the rich and apparently inexhaustible coal strata lying at the very threshold of Columbus. It is now in order to detail briefly the iron ores lying in similar close proximity to a city destined to be the greatest iron mart west of the Alleghanies. THE VARIETIES OF IRON. In the great coal and iron district of Ohio, according to Professor Newberry, are found all the varieties of iron that are ever associated with coal—blackband, kidney ore, stratified ore, or, as it is termed, black ore, and, in less abundance, brown hematite, the hydrated peroxide of iron. Blackband is a bituminous 314 - STUDER'S COLUMBUS, OHIO. shale, taking its name from its stratification and black color, In its natural condition it contains from twenty to thirty per cent. of iron, but, by burning off the carbon, it becomes much richer. It smelts with great facility, making very fusible iron, and such as is especially adapted to foundry purposes. The kidney ore—an earthy carbonate of iron—generally forms balls or excretions, lying in the shales of the coal formation. When these shales have been extensively eroded, the ore is cheaply mined by "stripping," and was the main dependence of most of our furnaces previous to the introduction of the crystalline ores. The yield of the kidney ore in the furnace averages about thirty-three per cent., or three tons of ore will make one of iron. This ore is found in greater or less abundance in every county included within the coal area. The “black " ores of the coal-measures vary very much in purity and abundance in different localities, They are generally strata of limestone charged with iron, In the southern portion of the State, ore of this character forms a large number of distinct beds, from two to six feet in thickness, and constitutes the principal source of supply to some fifty furnaces now in blast in that district. In certain localities some of these stratified iron ores, near their outcrops, are changed from their original condition, have lost their carbonic acid, and have been converted into brown hematites. The average richness of the stratified ores may be said to be about the same as that of the kidney ores—thirty-five per cent, of metallic iron. The iron furnished by some of them is of very superior quality, as is proved by the reputation of the celebrated Hanging Hock iron made from these ores. Probably nowhere in the world are the ores of the coal-measures so rich and excellent as in the iron district of Southern Ohio. Such is substantially the general view of the field presented by the chief of our geological corps. We will now look at some of the leading facts detailed by the geologist of the second district, embracing the mineral region south of the line of the Central Ohio railroad. IRON RESOURCES - 315 IRON ORE ABOVE THE NELSONVILLE COAL. According to Professor Andrews, it is impossible to make a, section of the lower strata of the productive coal-measures, at any place in the field named above, without disclosing more or less iron ore. There are a few distinct and well-defined horizons in which the ore is almost always seen. Beginning at the base of the coal-measures, ore was found at a few points below the Maxville limestone. The best development was seen in section sixteen, Madison township, Perry county, where, upon the top of the Logan sandstone group, were seen nodules of siderite iron (carbonate of iron) in clay, measuring from four to eight inches thick, and overlaid by sandy shale. On the top of the Maxville limestone, iron ore was seen at several points. In the locality just named, this ore was found from four to eight inches thick. A sample of this ore, analyzed by Professor Wormley, gives interesting results. It contains 4.30 per cent. of manganese. No alumine was found, which is remarkable for a coal-measure ore, and one overlaid by shale containing much clay. Of sulphur and phosphorus it contains only a trace. The percentage of metallic iron, 38.87, added to the unusual purity, makes this a desirable ore for iron-making. The lower ores were found sweeping through the northern half of Perry county; but there was great difficulty in finding such exposures of' the rocks as would enable the geologists to determine their exact stratigraphical position. Near Wolfe station, on the Zanesville and Cincinnati railroad, one of' these layers of ore was somewhat largely mined and sent to a furnace in Zanesville. North of this, in the Somerset region, excellent ores were found. The report adds, that should a railroad be built through that part of the county, these ores could be profitably mined and sent to furnaces. Between forty and fifty feet above the level of the Maxville limestone is a well-marked horizon of' ore. The ore is seen directly behind the old Hocking furnace, at Haydenville, Green township, Hocking county, where the quality is good, but it adheres firmly to the sandstone below it. Where it could be removed from the stone it has been used in the furnace. 316 - STUDER'S COLUMBUS, OHIO. On the bank of Monday creek, Salt Lick township, Perry county, this ore is well seen. Here there are three or four layers. Of samples analyzed by Professor Wormley, one yielded 41.37 per cent. of metallic iron, and another 37.50 per cent. On land, near Maxville, Monday Creek township, Perry county, a compact iron ore was found in thin layers; the whole measuring sixteen inches. Higher in the series, ore in considerable quantity was found in Salt Lick township, lying in layers of nodules in blue clay. Analysis showed the metallic iron to be 97.04 per cent. Nowhere did the geologists find so persistent a horizon of ore as that found a few feet below the great coal-seam. Scarcely anywhere was a section made of this part of the vertical range of strata without the discovery of this ore. It is in nodules, often small, but sometimes very large and heavy. The ore is siderite or carbonate of iron, and yields 31.50 per cent. of metallic iron. The strata of rocks lying above the horizon of the great Nelsonville coal-seam, though apparently, from the hasty and incomplete explorations yet made, less promising in iron ore than those below it, will doubtless be found upon further and closer research, rich in that metal. We select from the geological report of 1870 a few instances in proof: " On the head-waters of Sunday creek, there were seen at one place, where the shales were not cut away by the heavy sand-rock, two lines of small blue kidneys of blue carbonate or siderite, one three and the other four inches thick. At one place, near Millerstown, Perry county; a. deposit of five inches of blue carbonate of iron was seen, four feet below the middle or Norris coal. Fifteen feet above the same coal was quite a persistent deposit of ore of the limonite (brown hematite) class. This could be traced through all the bills to New Lexington, where it is found in its proper place, above the upper New Lexington coal, which is the equivalent of the great seam of Sunday creek, It measured in one place thirteen inches in thickness. A few kidneys from three to four incites thick were dug out, of the layer. which were rich in iron. One of them, analyzed by Pro- IRON RESOURCES - 317 fessor Wormley, was found to contain 43.06 per cent. of metallic iron. Forty feet above this ore, or about fourteen feet above the upper or Stallsmith " scam of coal, is a deposit, apparently in very large nodules, of an earthy blue carbonate of iron or siderite. On a farm near Millerstown, a nodule measured two feet in thickness. On another farm in the same neighborhood, the same earthy blue carbonate of iron was seen, grouped in three layers of nodules, measuring respectively thirteen, fourteen, and six inches, making in all thirty-three inches. Samples yielded on analysis 26.12 and 23.78 per cent. of metallic iron. QUALITY OF THE ORE. For the purpose of general comparison, Professor Andrews gives, from Bauerman's Metallurgy of Iron, the average richness of the ores used in the famous Cleveland district in England. This average, for four samples from different localities, is 35.79 per cent., while the average for six samples from our coal-field is 36.37 per cent. In this number is included one sample of ore taken from above the great seam of coal on Sunday creek, In freedom from the deleterious element—phosphoric acid—he pronounces the Ohio ores far superior, The Cleveland ores give an average of 1.905 per cent of phosphoric acid, while of the five samples, thoroughly analyzed, from our coal-field, one yielded 0.18 per cent., two gave a more chemical trace, and two contained none whatever. The amount of sulphur in our ores is small, not being found at all in some samples, and in others much of what is found will be moved in roasting the ore. THE HANGING ROCK IRON DISTRICT. That portion of the great iron and coal-field of Ohio, south of the Hocking river, is universally known as the "Hanging Rock Iron District," and has long been celebrated for the remarkably fine iron it produces. It abounds in coal and iron ore of excellent quality. The ores hitherto used have been chiefly the native ores of the hydrated sesquioxide or limonite group. The district is distinguished for its furnaces. The first furnace in the hanging Rock district was erected by Messrs. Sparks, Mears & 318 - STUDER'S COLUMBUS, OHIO Fair, in 1826. It was called the Union Furnace, and was situated about four miles back from the present village of Hanging Rock, in Lawrence county. It is reported that it went into blast. in 1827, and that the first fire in it was kindled by Thomas W. Mears, now the senior partner of the firm of Hears, Kyle & Co., of the Ohio Furnace, Scioto county. That fire was kindled to some purpose, for Mr. Mears has lived to see nearly fifty furnaces in the Hanging Rock iron district. HANGING ROCK FURNACES. The geological report of 1870 contains it list of forty-three furnaces in the district, of which two were in Hocking county, six in Vinton, twelve in Jackson, one in Gallia, fifteen in Lawrence, and seven in Scioto county. Of these furnaces, thirty-eight used charcoal, and five used bituminous coal. The following interesting statistics appear in the same report: Amount of charcoal pig-iron made by 38 furnaces during 1869, about 90 000 tons. Amount of iron made by bituminous coal 16,000 Total 106,000 Amount of native ore used, about 260,000 Missouri and Lake Superior ores 15,000 Total 275, 000 Amount of limestone used, about 15,000 Number of bushels of bituminous coal used in smelting ores for pig-iron 1,400,000 It will be observed that the greater part of the furnaces in the Hanging Rock district are reported as using charcoal in the smelting of iron ores. It is evident that the manufacture of iron in this way must rapidly diminish for the want of timber, while the demand for iron will continue to increase. This will necessitate the use of the coal which underlies the central portion of the Ohio coal and iron region. By the use of that coal, iron is now produced equal to that made with the Brier Hill and other block and splint coals, and both scientific authority and practical experience justify the belief that iron can be smelted IRON RESOURCES - 319 by the use of coal from the great scam pervading the coal-field nearest to Columbus, equal to the metal produced at charcoal furnaces. INCREASING DEMAND FOR IRON. We have shown elsewhere the great increase, within a few Scars, of the manufacture and consumption of iron. But the demand for consumption far outruns the increased manufacture. This is proved by the fact attested by the best current authorities on the subject, in this country and England, that the price of iron has of late enormously increased, and is still rising. This of course enhances, in a corresponding ratio, the prices of the various kinds of hardware, including iron and steel, in all their forms and applications, from a cambric needle to an ironclad man-of-war. Still, so many and varied are the purposes to which iron is applied, and is likely to be applied, in addition to its uses heretofore, that the consumption, instead of diminishing with the increase of prices, is steadily enlarging, and the demand is daily becoming more and more imperative. Iron-masters refuse to fill orders for future delivery, on long time, except at rates that shall be then current. They are said in England, Scotland, and Wales to be absolutely bare of stock, and to have more orders to fill at the highest rates of quotation than can be complied with in six months to come. Buyers from all parts of the world are in the manufacturing districts trying to place orders for immediate delivery, and are often unable to do so at any price. This condition, in it country that manufactures half the iron consumed in the whole world, proves conclusively that the iron supply has failed to respond to the demand. Probably there is not now any business in which capital, industry, and skill would meet with such sure and ample reward as in the manufacture of iron. Beyond a doubt, a careful and candid inquiry into the facts will satisfy any intelligent and unprejudiced business man that no place possesses greater advantages than Columbus, and few can present equal facilities and inducements for the investment of capital and enterprise in the iron manufacture and trade. STATE BUILDINGS AND INSTITUTIONS - 321 CHAPTER XIV STATE BUILDINGS AND INSTITUTIONS. THE OLD STATE-HOUSE. PURSUANT to their contract with the State, the three original proprietors of Columbus—Kerr, McLaughlin, and Starling—under the superintendence of William Ludlow, the director or agent appointed by the legislature for the purpose, erected it State-house on the southwest corner of the Public or State-house Square. The excavation for the foundation was made in 1813, and the building was finished the following year. The free-tone for the foundation and for the window and door-sills were brought on wagons from Black Lick, twelve or fourteen miles east of the city, through swamps and deep mud. The brick were in part made out of the mound that in those early times reared its graceful form on the high ground near the intersection of High and Mound streets. The State-house was built of brick, and extended seventy-five feet north and south along High street, and fifty feet east and west along State street. It was two stories high, with a square roof ascending to a balcony in the center, whence rose a spire one hundred and six feet from the ground. Above the balcony hung a well-toned bell, whose clear ringing sounds were heard in the winter season, calling the people's representatives to their 'duties in the legislative halls. On two sides of the balcony were protected walks, affording a fine view of the young capital and its surroundings. The foundation of the building was of dressed stone raised to the height of two feet, and there also was it belt of dressed stone on the outer side of the walls at the top of the first story. The principal entrance-door was in the center of the south front, facing on State street. Proceeding directly forward through a small entrance-hall, the visitor encountered a door opposite the south front door. The former opened into the hall of the House 322 - STUDER'S COLUMBUS, OHIO. of Representatives, appended to which were two committee-rooms and a gallery. From the entrance-hall there were stairs on the left Ieading to the gallery of the Representatives' Hall, and on the right leading to the Senate chamber in the second story, having two committee-rooms, but no gallery. On the west front there was an entrance-door opening directly- into the hall of the House from High street. A door on the east side of' this hall opened into the wood-yard—for we are speaking of times anterior to the coal-burning epoch. The legislative halls were warmed with great wood-fires built and kept glowing in the spacious fire-places ornamented with huge brass-topped and-irons. There was no marble used in the construction of our primitive capital. The large wooden columns were handsomely turned, and painted in imitation of clouded marble. Over the west door there was built into the wall a neatly dressed stone slab, presenting a surface of five feet by two and a half, and bearing the following inscription : “Equality of right is nature's plan, And following nature is the march of man Based on its rock of right your empire lies, On walls of wisdom let the fabric rise. Preserve your principles, their force unfold. Let nations prove them, and let kings behold. Equality your first firm grounded stand. Then free elections, then your union band This holy triad should forever shine, The great compendium of all rights divine. Creed of all schools, whence youths by millions draw Their theme of right, their decalogue of law, Till man shall wonder (in these schools inured) How wars were made, how tyrants were endured," —Barlow. In connection with this inscription, an amusing anecdote is told relating to Mr. Ludlow, the state superintendent in the construction of the public buildings. He was a staunch Democrat of the old school, with a rooted dislike to the use of the word federal," except as the name of the opposing political party. In the quotation from Barlow occurred the words "federal band." The workmen, following the copy in the book, had STATE BUILDINGS AND INSTITUTIONS - 323 engraved these words before Mr. Ludlow's attention was called to the expression. Though the objectionable phrase in the passage from Barlow could be construed only to signify the union of' the States, Mr. Ludlow could not bear to see it stand so prominently on the front of the new Capitol of Ohio. He caused the letters cut in the stone to spell the word "federal " to be filled up, and the word'' union " to be inserted in its stead. The original phrase, “federal band," then read "union band." In the latter years of the existence of the State-house, the cement or composition covering the obnoxious word crumbled and fell off, and the word “federal " reappeared. There was another stone of about the same size over the south door, with a quotation in verse of similar length and character, from the same author. From some cause there is no record of this inscription, and it can not be given. Mr. Ludlow also caused a smaller stone to be placed over the east door with an inscription of his own. It read thus : “General good, the object of legislation, Perfected by a knowledge of man's wants And nature's abounding means applied, Establishing principles opposed to monopoly." —Ludlow. DESTROYED BY FIRE. The old State-house, after having rendered legislative service for thirty-five years, met an unexpected doom. Early on Sunday morning, February 1, 1852, it was consumed by fire. The fire was first discovered by the watch, on the floor in the center of the Senate chamber. It was nearly extinguished, when it was discovered that the timbers above were on fire. The roof was soon burned through, and the entire belfry was enveloped in flames. The city fire-engineer could not reach the fire with water from his hose. Citizens and strangers, spectators of the scene, came to the conclusion that the venerable edifice, which had in its time been the theater of patriotism and zeal for the public good, as well as of caucusing and " log-rolling," was doomed to inevitable destruction. The belfry, burning brilliantly, cast a lurid light on that Sabbath morning sky. It was said that, as the frame 324 - STUDER'S COLUMBUS, OHIO. of the, belfry swayed to and fro, the clear-toned old boll rang out It brief parting requiem. and the structure fell with a crash upon the floor of the Senate chamber. Then, the roof gradually falling in, the upper story was soon wrapped in wreathing flames. In vain were strenuous efforts made to confine the fire to the Senate chamber and the upper story. The mass of burning matter was too great to be extinguished with the appliances at hand. The flames soon reached the hall of the House of Representatives, and the entire wood-work of the building was soon consumed. Nothing was to be seen that day of the pride of Columbus when she was a little borough," but bare and blackened walls. In a few days after the fire, the following appropriate dirge, composed by John M. Denig, of Columbus, appeared in one of the city papers DIRGE OF THE STATE-HOUSE BELL. Columbus, farewell! no more shall you hear My voice, so familiar for many a year— Those musical sounds which you recognized well, As the clear-sounding tones of your State-house bell. Ere the red man had gone, I was mounted on high, When the wide-spreading forest which greeted mine eye, Gave forth from its thickets the panther's wild yell, As he heard the strange sounds of your State-house bell. Unaccompanied, unanswered, I sounded alone, And mingled my chime with its echo's deep tone; Till spire after spire, rising round me, did swell Their response to the sound of your State-house bell. I called you together to make yourselves laws, And daily my voice was for every good cause; When aught of importance or strange was to tell, You were summoned full soon by your State-house bell. As a sentinel, placed on the watch-tower's height, Columbus, I've watched thee by day and by night— Though slumb'ring unconscious, when danger befell You were roused by the clang of your State-house bell. But while I watched o'er you, the Fire King came, And enveloped my tower in his mantle of flame; Yet, true to my calling, my funeral knell Was tolled, on that night, by your State-house bell. STATE BUILDINGS AND INSTITUTIONS - 325 Your sons of the engine and hose, ever brave, And prompt at my call, quickly hastened to save; But alas ! their best efforts were fruitless to quell The flame that rose over your State-house bell. When my cupola trembled, I strove but to sound One peal of farewell to your thousands around; But you lost, as 'midst timbers and cinders I fell, The last smothered tone of your State-house bell. It does not appear that the origin of the fire was ever satisfactorily ascertained. After it was discovered, the desks, chairs, and furniture in the hall of the House were removed, but very little property was rescued from the Senate chamber. The papers of the clerks were saved, but a large mass of documents perished with the building. In the ensuing spring, the brick walls and stone foundations of the burnt structure were removed, and the high board-fence was extended so as to fill the space thus made vacant, and completely inclose the square. During the residue of the session, the House of Representatives met in Neil's Odeon Hall, and the Senate in the United States court-house. In the session of 1853, the House again met in the Odeon Hall, and the Senate in Ambos Hall. At the next session, in 1854, the same halls were occupied. In 1855, there was no session of the legislature. It is the only year that has passed since the organization of the State, without a legislative session, although our present state constitution provides for biennial sessions only. In 1856, the Odeon and Ambos Halls were again occupied. In 1857, the Senate and House of Representatives met, for the first time, in their respective halls in the new State-house. THE OLD STATE OFFICES. The original proprietors of Columbus, according to their contract with the State, erected in 1815, under the superintendence of William Ludlow, the state agent, a two-story brick building, twenty-five feet by one hundred and fifty, fronting on High street. It stood on the Public Square, in a direct line with the State-house, and about sixty feet therefrom. It was intended for the State offices. The foundation was of rough stone, and there was a belt of dressed stone around the walls at the top of 326 - STUDER'S COLUMBUS, OHIO. the first story. It had a common comb-roof of jointed shingles. The main entrance-door was in the center of the front on High street. Besides this, there were three other front doors—one toward the north end into the office of the secretary of state, and two toward the south end into the state auditor's office, one of which was, however, kept closed. These two front doors ill the south side injured the appearance of the building when viewed from the street. The center front door opened into an entrance hall, on the left of which was the governor's office, and on the right the office of the state treasurer. From the entrance-hall. and directly opposite the front door, a winding stairway led to the second story. This was appropriated principally to the State library, though it was used in early times for the offices of the quartermaster and adjutant-general, and occasionally for other public offices. The building was taken down and removed in the spring of 1857, preparatory to the grading of the Public Square. THE PUBLIC SQUARE. The ten-acre lot bounded on the north by Broad strcet, on the east by Third, on the south by State, and on the west by High street, and called the Public or State-house Square, and sometimes the State-house yard, was originally inclosed by a rough rail-fence. It was then farmed for somc years by Judge Pike, after which it lay in common until 1844, when it was inclosed by Jonathan Neereamer, by a neat and substantial fence, with cedar posts and handsome palings painted white. This was done under the direction of Alfred Kelley, then agcnt for the Statc. About the same time Mr. Kelley caused elm trees to be removed from their native forest and planted on the north, east, and south of the square. Their trunks were then from four to six inches in diameter. These trees were taken up from the frozen ground, so that large quantities of earth adhered to the roots. These roots with the adhering earth were set in large holes, and the greater portion of the trees lived and grew. Twenty-one of these trees are still standing—seven on the north, eight on the last, and six on the south side of the square. They afford a delightful shade, and are noble mementos of the past. Mr. Neereamer's neat paled fence was removed in the springy: STATE BUILDINGS AND INSTITUTIONS - 327 of 1839. The square was then inclosed by an unsightly rough board-fence, about twelve fect high, erected in order to form a kind of prison for the convicts from the penitentiary, who were employed within in dressing stone for the new State-house. A substantial iron fence, set in heavy freestone base, was completed in 1857, along the west side of' the square, and on the north and south sides, half the distance from the western to the eastern side. The fence inclosing the other half of the square is of wood. In the iron fence, on each side, except the eastern, are iron gates, between massive symmetrical stone pillars, for the entrance of carriages and pedestrians. Frequent attempts were made to induce the legislature to extend the fence so as to inclose the other half of the square, but without success. Among other objections to its extension, it was urged that the fence was not only too heavy and massive, but that it was so high as to obstruct the view and greatly injure the appearance of the capitol as seen from the street. After much discussion and persistent agitation of the subject, the legislature, at the last session (1871), appropriated $18,000 to procure and put up around the State-house grounds a new fence, to be done under the direction of the comptroller of the treasury, with the advice and consent of the governor and treasurer of state. A design for the new fence, made by Fred. Krumm, has been adopted, and a contract entered into with L. Schaeffer & Son, of Springfield, Ohio, to build the same, at $21,119.30, which exceeds the amount appropriated by $3,119.30. In accordance with the new plan for the fence, gates will be placed at all the corners of the square, necessitating additional walks. The Statehouse square comprises ten acres. It has a considerable elevation above the Scioto, and forms a handsome plateau, with a gradual eastern slope. With earth taken chiefly from the canal and river, it has been raised in the center from four to six feet. It has been so graded as to form a gentle descent from that point in all directions. The square has been laid off in plats, graded and rolled, forming beautiful lawns of grass and shrubbery. Broad walks and 328 - STUDER'S COLUMBUS, OHIO. carriage-ways encircle the capital and mark off the different plats. The credit of laying off the walks and carriage-ways, and ornamenting the grounds, belongs to John Clusker, of Cincinnati, whose plan was selected from several others presented for competition. The general idea carried out in the planting of trees and shrubbery, contemplates a pleasing variety of evergreens, deciduous trees, and shrubbery, so arranged in groups as to afford unobstructed views of the capitol, and at the same time gratify the taste for natural order and beauty. THE ARTESIAN WELL. The first boring for an Artesian well in the State-house yard was commenced July 23, 1857, under the direction of John Steel, of Meigs county, who had bored several wells at Pomeroy and in that vicinity. The first boring did not touch the rock, and the quicksand coming in, a boiler-flue, forced down, bent and broke, and a wrought-iron pipe inside of that, forced down the hole, also broke. As the quicksand could not be tubed out, the well after it had reached a depth of 110 feet, with water rising within 22 feet of the surface, was abandoned. We quote from Professor W. W. Mathers' report: "The second well was tubed down with cast-iron piping, 6 inch interior diameter, 54 feet. The boring then continued to the rock, 122 feet. Wrought-iron pipe of smaller size was forced down, but broke at the second joint from the lower end. The pipe was withdrawn, and a pump let down, when the well was found to be clear of obstruction to the rock. The rimmer was then sent down, and went freely till at the depth of 100 feet it began to rub. The pump was then sent clown. The well had become filled with sand and gravel 66 feet, and after prolonged labor, it was ascertained that the sand run into the well as fast as it could be taken out. This was on the 21st of October, 1857. The 6-inch tubing was then drawn up, and they commenced digging a pit and cribbing down with circular cribbing, which was continued 15 feet. A boiler-flue was then forced down on the 29th and 30th of October, and a part of the broken pipe, removed. They continued sinking the boiler-flue, and removing the broken pipe till November 3, when the well again filled up 20 feet with quicksand, and on the 4th of November, as they could not keep out the quicksand, this boring was abandoned. "A contract was made, November 4th, with Mr. Fleming Spangler, to bore a new well, with the understanding that he was to tube it into the rock within eighteen or twenty days, or receive no pay" The third well was commenced by sinking a pit and cribbing STATE BUILDINGS AND INSTITUTIONS - 329 it down with circular cribbing. On the 12th of December, Mr. Spangler had bored to the depth of 141 feet, and sank a four-inch wrought-iron tube inside a six-inch cast-iron one, to the depth of 130 feet, with seven feet of it in the rock, so as effectually to exclude the quicksand. On the 14th, at the depth of 149 feet, he struck a vein of water that washed away all the borings, and continued to do so for nearly 100 feet below. On the 31st of January, 1858, he had penetrated the limestone rock 248 feet, at a depth of 271 feet from the surface. He then contracted to bore to the depth of 1,000 feet from the surface at $1.50 per foot. On December 11, 1858, the well was 1,858 feet deep. Much time was then spent in rimming it out to a larger size, so that it could be bored deeper. On the 11th of April, 1859, at the depth of 1,958 feet, the work was interrupted by slate crumbling from the sides of the well, and collecting at the bottom faster than it could be removed by the pump. To remedy this the bore was enlarged for tubing 76 feet further—to the depth of 1,636 feet. The boring was not resumed until June 11. After it had continued six clays, another interruption occurred from the same cause, showing that the tubing was not deep enough. The bore was enlarged to the depth of 1,696 feet, which was reached on the 5th day of July, when the bit and the sinker became fastened by the falling slate, and a pole broke in two, leaving the sinker, the bit, and two poles 1,600 below the surface. Thirteen days were spent in efforts to remove them, which were crowned with success on the 18th of July. The boring was resumed on the 22d of July, and continued till October 16, when a depth of 2,340 feet was reached. It was then discontinued under the impression that the legislative appropriation was exhausted. The work was resumed on the 7th of May, 1860, and the well, on the 1st of October, was 2,775 feet deep, or 125 feet over half a mile. The appropriation being nearly exhausted, the boring ceased at that point, and no more money being appropriated to dig deeper, it ceased finally. In a brief report, dated November 1, 1860, Professor J. S. Newberry, now chief state geologist, states the result of his examination of' the record kept of the State-house well, and the 330 - STUDER'S COLUMBUS, OHIO. series of borings taken from the different strata passed through. He gives the following geological section of the strata penetrated by the well: Character of rocks: No. 1-123 feet thick; clay, sand, and gravel. No. 2-15 feet; dark, bituminous shale. No. 3-626, drab and gray limestone, with bands of chert; sandy above, darker and argillaceons below. No. 4-162, red, brown, and gray shales and marls. No. 5-1058, greenish calcareous shale. No. 6-475, light-drab, sandy magnesian limestones. No. 7316 feet, "white sand-rock " (calcareous). Their probable geological equivalents: No. 1—Alluvial and drift deposits. No, 2—Base of Hamilton group. No. 3—Cliff limestone of Ohio; upper and lower Helderberg, and Niagara groups of New York, No. 4—Clinton group, Medina sandstone. No. 5—Hudson river group. Trenton bird's-eye, Black river, and Chazy limestone. No. 6—Calciferous sandstone of New York, magnesian limestone group of Missouri. No. 7—Potsdam sandstone. No. 1 is classified with the drift deposits; No. 2, and the upper part of No. 3, with Devonian, and the lower part of No. 3, and all No. 4, with the upper Silurian, and Nos. 5, 6, and 7 with the lower Silurian. To the question whether water would be procured by going to a greater depth, the professor says it is impossible to give a very encouraging answer. In case it should happen that a stratum were penetrated at a greater depth, from which water would flow over the surface, that water would certainly be too highly saline, perhaps possessing valuable medicinal qualities, but probably not good "drinking water." Should water be procured from a point below where the boring ceased, it would be nearly "blood warm," as proved by the experiments of Professor T. G. Wormley, with the following; result given in his own words "A Walderfin's thermometer, placed in a. glass tube filled with water, and this inclosed in a strong iron case, also filled with water, was lowered to the depth of 2,475 feet, where it remained for twenty-five hours. It was then sunk to the bottom of the well, a depth of' 2,575 feet, where it remained for forty STATE BUILDINGS AND INSTITUTIONS - 331 minutes. Upon the withdrawal. of the instruments, it was found to have registered 88̊ F. Assuming this to be the temperature of the bottom of the well, and also assuming as correct data that, the temperature is uniformly 53̊ F. at a depth of ninety feet, we have an increase of 10̊ F. for every seventy-one feet." Professor Newberry adds that the same rate of increase would give for the final depth to which the well was sunk (2,775 feet from the surface) a temperature of about 91̊. THE PRESENT STATE-HOUSE. The capitol of Ohio stands in the center of the public square, dedicated as its site in the original plat of Columbus. It is a grand and attractive edifice, of great solidity and magnitude, and Doric in its style of architecture. It is admitted to be the most imposing State capitol in the Union. It covers about two acres of ground, and is a hold and noble structure, of durable materials and fine proportions. It is built of beautiful gray limestone, obtained from a quarry on the east side of the Scioto river, about three miles from Columbus. The foundation of the building is sunk from six to ten feet below the surface of the ground to a bed of gravel, which is covered with a concrete of broken stone, cement, and mortar. The foundation walls at the angles are fifteen feet thick; the other parts are twelve feet thick. The total cost of the State-house and grounds, up to November 15, 1861, when the structure was considered about complete, was $1,359,121. The time consumed in building it after deducting the intervals during which work upon it was suspended, was about fifteen years. The following are the dimensions of the building DIMENSIONS, ETC. The capitol in its greatest length stands N. 12̊ W. with the streets of Columbus. It presents four fronts, with colonades, and is 184 ft. wide by 304 ft. long. The east and west steps are ...........................20 ½ " 117 “ The north and south steps are ........................20 ½ " 57 “ The broad terrace, from the east portico, is.....73 " 209 ½ “ The terrace on all other sides of the house is 13 feet wide. From the west steps to the front states, the distance is ...................217 feet. From the east steps to the front gates, the distance is...................140 " F rom the N. and S. steps to the front gates, the distance is...........158 " 332 - STUDER'S COLUMBUS, OHIO. The portico on the west front is ..............15 ft. 4 in. deep by 122 feet long. The portico on the east front is ..............15 ft. 4 in. deep by 120 The portico on the N. and S. sides are each..14 ft. 4 in. deep by 57 Eight columns on the E. and W. fronts are each 6 ft. 2 in. base diam. and 36 ft. high. Four columns on the N. and S. fronts are each 6 ft. 2 in. base diem. and 36 ft. high. Area of the building, including terrace and steps, a little over 2 acres. Height of building from ground to top of blocking course, 61 feet.   “ ” “ pinnacle of cupola, 158 feet.    “ ” “ lightning rod, 164 feet. INTERIOR.