Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1866-09-04

low. Stale 0cOiogist OF missouri, 1.-THE blum |
deposit" which term will also be used in
these communications from the Geld 1. is
composed Of very finely conminuted sand,
with much clayey ,Dl iimv material, a
part Of the latter having formed into stony
concretions, from the size Of nut 10 .or,y
pound shot. With the exception Of these
concretions. which form very inconsider-
able part Of il, the whole mass is very UNI
form in It's color and conIos ton from top
to bottom, even where it is more than t"o
hundrcd feet thick. II is 0. slightly yel-
low Oh aah color where it has not been r,n-
dorcd daskss y dsso0possd vegetable mat
Ter re~ultine from the profusion Of grasses
and plants, which grow upon II in every To-
vosable situsti0o.
Resting upen she dsift, which il viz bs
remembered contains the water Uesn psb.
bles, holders and sand, Il has 81 course bee"
formed ct subsequent period. 10 the drift
70 have evidence Of glacial and diluvial 90
ton; such - The presence Of tie transport
81 boulden, often with one or moro sldes
eroosed end stsiatsd The water worn pee-
blso and oecasional beds Of send, and The
vide and Uniform distribution Of oil the ms.
tsrial composing il. The bluff deposit con-
taims noee Of these, but bears within itself
the evidsucs Of its origin in . fresh water
lake; some Of which are, il limited area
compared with the dsift, ssd ether marine
deposits; the presence within It Of frssh ~
ter, and land shell belonging ~ speciss nov
living in the ponds, and along the margins
| Of the Missouri rivsr bostom ~ abse0ce
Of any beds Of Sand 10 il, which river With
| IL current would esrtainly have formed ,s0d
the fact that the whole 10 composed Of
finely comninutcd material, such only ~
ssuld have been Deposited Wita - much nm
| ieosuity and in still water. What the 6ounds
ariea Of THE lake were. has not yet been NC
cusately asssstssnsd. Il 10 knovs, bowsvef.
70 have extended 70 the northwsrd, fer TO-
ward The mouth Of The Big Sioux river in
eur Stats, - fas - ~ mouth Of the Little
Takes 10 Missouri. end also into Kansas
and Nebeasks. Its existsnee was doubtless
cauoed b an aacisat obstruction 70 the
Missouri river. which 10 lhs lapse Of unnun-
bssed ysass gradually gave way 10 the i'm
0easlne 0ew q 10 Weaees, until the LIKE
Whieh 4 ~ fmn ~ desioed. whicA
was possibly accelerated ~ Ne fusthss
eight elevatioo Of The sootinent, Of por-
tioa Of it.
There 10 reason 10 believe that THE de-
post does not extend eastward Of the
Nishnabctanv in Fremont c0usty, but IL
exact llmit ID THE direction 10 not clearly de-
0nsd FROM he face that the fins matssial Of
The upo,ee p0stioa Of The driit Dos,us coil
sloess idcoeisal 10 appearance in most pieces
With that termed By The b,uf deposit, supp
peseiog Tie same prOfusi0n o( grasses aDd
plsnte, cad psssestiag but little " The eye
Of the casval Oh. esvei 70 indicate . change
Of ce0pesitioa in The cod material II 10
along the border Of The Missouri river bot
tom, and in excavations such - cellars and
wells, that The strange peculisrities Of this
depeoit are seeo. Excavations see made Ia
il with lsss labor than 10 the drift, and when
moist stSsee man en- thrust spade into
Il without difaeulty. Yet wells dug 10 10
and walled oaiy just esoss ~ wssse linz
seuain unchanged f0s pears, the sides show
ing The spade marks upon them - when
they we're 6rst lug Very good cellars srs
also made IN IL ths psspendicslas basks u
which remain without wsll OF ether s1p.
poss, end sometime. even the steps are CIR.
~ out Of il, which when dry. = Il usually
becomes, remain 0ssviesab;e ies long tinl
Win lisels care.
bssdsriae the Missouri river botteo-
which. with The exception Of marrow belt
Of litnber alorg Ne river, 10 in ibis county
. nearly level prairie. from three 10 III
miles w,ds-ths bluG deposit ends - sb
ruptly - the rocky cli6s u the Mississippi
end viewing the fantastic shapes into whisl
i has bern carved by fluvatilc and meteoso
logic erosion, one cen hardly lid himself o
the idsa that these too. ars supported by ,
frame Wovk VI rock. But tAis 10 not tn,
caae, for MT stone Of any kind Is 70 b,
fouad IN the whole mass save the limy con
cre,ion. before referred to. Along the has
Of these bluffa bstween the northern IN.
southern line Of the county, lodges Of tn
coal measure limestone and sand stone ar
found, resting upon which . comparatively
h,gn deposit VI drift 10 seen With lts bould
era, gavel and sand. which ia turn bear
upon itself The bluG dsp0sit. Thu tower
up above the drift in some places more thai
two hundred feet, and upvards Of two hun
bred aud any feet above the general level Q
tho river b0tt0n.
Frequent springs Of pure cold water is
sue from the drift 1t the usse Of the blul
deposit, and there ara also evidences Of mani
which have ceased TO flow or have sough
other channels. These have doubtless la,
l SVWsC VANSt ~ RaouuNUk tuS RSNuuos WI
line which the face Of the bluff presents
particularly the beautiful little natural am
pithsatsss, containing fsOn . few squar
rods to IN acre, covered with boz elder ans
other trcse, opening toward The river, bu
nearly surrounded By high buttr,sSss ann
unsiuiating PERCEPTIONS slopes which ~
| covssed spsrs~ly w,ta prairis grass 10 thei
tops. From some Of those. springs still il
sue. making them delightful hooks in uhicl
10 hold v,c-nic-, or for the matter of>lae
farmer to shelter his stock. In many pla
Gee the bllGa are ., prsespitous shss the
: appear almost perpendicular, but this 10 "a
, issa bsing thu case. appsasancsa u shi
. kisa alwsys being decsp,ivs. The stsspes
. fssots wil avssaes lee lhoa IN snels Z
essty>ave degrees with shs hns,san, and III
boldest end most preeipitous enc upoI
which the grass was growing, whom teste'
, with the cliro0sess proved to be only dft]
I degrees There ere occasional places Il
some Of the more prominent fronts whss
the material hes aallea down, which prsssn
bass fAeeD fos sheet dlstamss, which ore !,
! ssolitv ssaeiy psspsndiculars and Ties
0tasd there pear aiees year. vilh little q
; - GAaags. bessoiag - ~ that - gras
ca grow upoa them end giving the appear
ance In the distance Of rocky ciiG 1hcr
10 peculiar rounding TO The summits q
thses bluGs many Of which resemble the d
ti6cis1 oOand raised BY departed race q
ladiaas uPea tbsss vAisA besds he Nh
sissippi, 1T thee greet nsabes wsuld IN
deceive enc in shis respect II thsir shop
we're not more varied, eaa their ridges en-
slopes cleo did not pertahs Of he 80,
characss. Being destitute Of tssss upo,
ebeir sa0alee. and stsseehiag nesthwor,
ed sosthwasd - fas - ths eye ca reach
ny prsseass strange aad Impressive q
/ ~ @u)oo d0leeat Gu0 ohel psoduced ,,
any oebee Josmaaioo i IL Stale.
Preceding inlaad ftun Tie greet river
- 0ut1oo 61ouuno uaeA 49, beok0 q
theugA ~ matesial . H. sa0e, and . psal
pestioa Of that which i nol occupied BY
fertile Asne u covered With : thsihy
grsvth Of timber; end approaching this
soueoy iF0o he psaisiss which IL % The
ea9svAsd Of Il, one 49, 6or ihs area tinl
since leaviag Oscaeae cosnay, ~ hssissn
ssssatsd wie6 sssse tsses gsewiae spea ~
high lands ard oDopeE
The Aisoovr river bottom 10, in III
county 1t least, somswhat diossenl frou
that Of he nississippi. Here AZ more d
The dsoaiee tsssaees which ars ollen seer
thsss. I'D ~ WhsIe b asss nearly leve