104

of the mapping of the iron ore deposits of Eastern Texas. You will therefore proceed to Cass County, which is now partially finished, and complete it. Then make reconnaissance of Bowie County to determine amount of iron in that county.

"In addition to the mapping of these ores, you will make such observations in the clays and lignites as you are able to do, thus preparing yourself to take up their study in detail as soon as the present work is completed."

With the view of carrying out these instructions, I left Austin on the morning of the 29th March, and on arrival at Queen City began the work of mapping the iron ores of Cass County. The greater part of the month of April was unfit for field work, owing to the flooding of the streams due to an excessive rainfall. Another cause of delay in the finishing of the work of surveying Cass was the failure of my predecessor, Mr. A. G. Taff, on account of his serious illness, to supply me with his note book or a copy of his notes. 1 was not supplied with a copy of Mr. Taff's notes, or other details of the work performed by him, until late in the season, and after I had resurveyed and mapped the greater part of the district over which Mr. Taff had already gone. On receipt of Mr. Taff's notes I did not visit the few remaining points where he had been, but confined my attention to such parts of the county as had not been already visited. In the preparation of the report Mr. Taff's notes were used for the few places not visited by myself.

In addition to the mapping of the iron ores in Cass County, all the known deposits of clay of any known, or which might eventually prove to be of any value were visited and examined, and the same course was also pursued with respect to all known lignite outcroppings. As the geological structure of the county was also under consideration, as many natural sections from stream cuttings and washouts, as well as sections from the cuttings along public roads and railways and from wells, as possible were measured and the general topography of the county ascertained as correctly as possible with the instruments at my command and by the aid of profiles of the railways intersecting the county. Some of these sections and levels are given in my report, and the others are on file pending the complete topographical survey of the whole of that part of the State. A map of the county on a scale of one inch to the mile, containing the meanderings of the streams and bayous corrected, is now in course of construction and will be completed shortly.

From work along the Sulphur River and a few trips made into Bowie, it was seen that the existence of iron ore in that county was at best problematic, and the proposed reconnaissance into Bowie was abandoned.

On the completion of the work in Cass County I proceeded according to your instructions to Harrison County.

No work had been done previously in this county, and, with the exception