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pg 028: Second annual report of the Geological and Agricultural Survey of Texas Publication 25425061.

 
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space, which occasionally happen to light upon the earth.

One thing is certain, they come from the space beyond the earth. This we know, because they have been seen to fall. Meteoric iron usually has a small per cent of nickel, cobalt, manganese, copper and tin. It is malleable, exceedingly tough, and may be used like manufactured iron. Our meteorite has a strong resemblance to one in Yale College cabinet, weighing 1635 pounds, which also came from the Red River of Texas.

MINING RIGHTS.

I have been asked what is the law in regard to mining tunnels.

The law confers a right to the owners of the tunnel to all ores on the line of the tunnel and of the width of the tunnel within three hundred feet of its face; provided there are no veins or indications of ore belonging to other parties above the line of said tunnel, which did belong to said parties before the commencement of the tunnel.

Such seems to be the meaning of the "Tunnel Act" of Congress, 1872.

HOT SPRINGS.

These are in Presidio county, about a quarter of a mile from the Rio Grande, about thirty miles below Fort Quitman, amid rugged mountains. To get there, we went on horseback by a dim path, up and down mountains, guided by a Mexican.

The springs seem to have originally been a pond or lake of an area of about twelve acres, which has been gradually filled up by depositions of siliceous matter, strongly impregnated with soda, magnesia, etc., of a granular texture, so hard as to be broken with difficulty. It has a mottled color of dark gray and bluish black. The rocks of the outer rim of the area are similar to those now being made by depositions from the springs.

There are two springs, about one hundred and thirty feet apart, each about ten feet in diameter, inclosed in a circular rim about three feet high; water clear and of an unknown depth, attempts to sound them with a line nearly one hundred feet long have failed. Gasses are continually ascending to the surface, which keep the water in continual agitation; water strongly impregnated

 

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