Texas Almanac and State Industrial Guide for 1910 with Map Page: 71
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TH1 TiXAS ALMANAC. n
development. Sulphur is also found beneath many of the oil mounds
in the coastal plain region. A large deposit occurs at Big Hill, in Mata-
gorda County, which will soon be developed.
Rare Earths.--In the Llano country, and notably at Brringer Hill,
'occur considerable quantities of rare earth minerals, among them gadoa-
linite, zircon, thoro-gummite, mackintoshite, fergusonite, etc. The Bar-
ringer Hill Mine is owned and operated by the Nernst Lamp Company.
These minerals are used in the construction of the glowing incandescent
Nernst lamps.
Miseellaneous.-Mineral waters of good quality occur in many por-
tions of the State, and furnish the bases for health resorts at Mineral
Wells, in Palo Pinto County, Marlin, in Falls County, San Antonio,
in Bexar County, and Wootan Wells, in Robertson County,
in addition to numerous other places. The artesian water resources of
the State are discussed in connection with the article on geology itn this
Almanac. The soil resources are there likewise discussed. Graver for
ballast and concrete work occurs at many places along the Colorado,
Brazos and other rivers of Texas, and is worked at many places, notably
in Columbus and Wharton, Tex. Excellent building sand is found in the
flood plain of the Colorado and is worked extensively at Austin and
Smithville. Stone for riprap and jetty work is quarried at numerous
places in the outcrop of the Grand Gulf Rocks of the tertiary, notably
at Rockland, in Tyler County, and Millican, in Brazos County. Crushed
rock for paving purposes and construction work is manufactured in
large quantity at Jacksboro, in Jack County. Fluxing stone for iron
smelting is to be had at many places in the cretaceous, the best known
quarries being located near Leon Junction, in Coryell County. Sand
lime brick is now being extensively manufactured at San Antonio. Road
materials are widely distributed in the State. The gravels along the
Colorado River are well adapted for road surfacing and are extensively
used at Austin.
METALS.
Of the metallic deposits of Texas, iron, quicksilver, silver and lead
are of known commercial importance.
Iron.-There are three iron ore regions in Texas, the Trans-Pecos,
the Llano and the East Texas. The Trans-Pecos deposits have never
been worked, though they are reputed to be excellent magnetites. In
the Llano Country there are good deposits of hematites and magnetites.
Seven bands or belts have been mapped. Analyses show them to be
good Bessemer ores, containing only traces of phosphorus and sulphur.
The metallic iron ranges as high as 60 per cent. The region has been
prospected, but the lack of railroad facilities has prevented systematic
operations. The iron ores of East Texas occur in the Pocene deposits,
and are all limonites. The laminated and the geode forms are the two
characteristic forms of occurrences. The former are found in almost
horizontal beds, varying from one to four feet in thickness. They form
the tops of many hills in the southern portion of the ore region. The
geode forms are found in beds of considerable thickness in the south-
ern portion of the area. These limonites have been worked in times
past. The first furnace was erected in Cass County in the '50s. and
was run successfully for a number of years. During the Civil War a
number of furnaces were put in blast to supply the Confederacy with
Iron, but the output was meager. They were abandoned shortly after
the close of the war. In 1870 the Kellyville Furnace near Jefferson was
put in blast, but it continued only until 1886. It has operated spasmod-
ically during the last few years. The State penitentiary has manufac-
tured iron from these 'eposits during the last two decades. Both the
Jefferson and Rusk plants are now in active operation. These limonite
ores are comparatively free from phosphorus and sulphur, and are easily
reduced, yielding from 48 to 50 per cent metallic iron. The drawbacks
to the development of the industry are the lack of coking coal
close to the fields, the high cost of charcoal, and the absence of lime-
stone suitable for fluxing in proximity, necessitating the hauling of the
stone from a considerable distance in the interior.
Quieksilver.-Valuable deposits of quicksilver occur in the southern
part of Brewster County, Tex., and have been worked since 1897. The
'ore, which is chiefly in the form of cinnabar, is found in calcite veins
penetrating the Edwards limestone and the Eagle Ford shales of the
cretaceous, near Terlingua. The furnace yield of the ores from 0.50 to 2
per cent of quicksilver, and in spite of the disadvantages of location,
this field is now the second important producing field in the United
;States, and promises to attain greater importance in the future.
Silver.-Good silver ore occurs in Trans-Pecos, Texas, in workable
quantities, and especially in the counties of El Paso and Presidio. The
Presidio and the Cibolo Mines at Shafter have been in continuous opera-
tion for twenty years. The silver at present mined is chiefly the oxi-
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Texas Almanac and State Industrial Guide for 1910 with Map, book, January 1910; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth123780/m1/73/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.