Page 732 - calmining1890

682 REPORT OF THE STATE MINERALOGIST.

Stanislaus River; upon the south side it has been mined to some exten
upon the ranch of H. B. Pentland; and, as upon the opposite side of th«
river, the ochre is capped with oxide of iron, above which is a light
colored metamorphosed sandstone, which might be valuable as building
material.
BRICKS.
In 1889 a brick yard was started on the west bank of the San Joaquhi
River, about four miles northwest of Grayson. The material is obtained
from a yellow clayey formation. The bricks are burned in open-field
kilns. The best assorted bricks are supplied from the kilns at $9 per
thousand, and find a ready market in Stockton.
A fine quality of brick is also manufactured for local use in the'
vicinity of Modesto, also a short distance from the town of Newman.

FLOWING WELLS.

The area throughout which flowing wells can be obtained in Stanis
laus County, as far as present development has determined, appears to-
be restricted to the vicinity of the San Joaquin River, upon the south-
eastern margin of the county, except where springs have been struck
by comparatively shallow borings near the foothills. Commencing at
Crow's Landing, the area of flowing wells follows the river to Hill's
Ferry; but close to the San Joaquin the water from the flowing wells is]
said not to be very good.
From Hill's Ferry the area throughout which flowing wells have been
obtained extends westward for about five miles, and then toward New-
man and Crow's Landing. Upon the eastern side of the San Joaquin the
area appears to commence on the Mitchell Ranch, near Crow's Landing,
whence it stretches along the river towards the southeastern edge of the
county, but the water is said to be saline. Farther down the river than
Crow's Landing no flowing wells have yet been obtained; indeed, there
is reason to believe that flowing water could only be obtained toward'
the northwest edge of the county by boring to a great depth, for across
the county line, in the vicinity of Banta, a well is said to have been bored
to a depth of seven hundred feet without obtaining flowing water.
The seven-inch well at Hill's Ferry, bored about ten years ago, pene-
trated the following formations:
Thickness
of
Character of Strata. Strata, in feet.
Soil . 8
Sand and yellow clay, mixed with iron-stained cobblestones and drift 100
Blue clav . __ . 65
Sand and flowing water, which flowed a quarter of an inch above the sur-
face ... 5
Blue clav 20'

Sand with more water; flow increased to an inch above the surface of
the ground.
There is also a seven-inch well on the Winters Ranch, three hundred
and twenty-five feet deep, which flows three quarters of an inch above
the surface of the ground; and there is an eight-inch well on the Wilson
Ranch, about one and a half miles north of Newman, four hundred and