New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-08-26

I %
BERG GROUPS OR ROCKS AND THEIR GEOGRAPHICAL
Distribution THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
PROF. JAMES HUI.
The speaker before proceeding to the discussion Of
the subject. cited paper read by Mr. A. w. Wortheu
the Troy meeting of the Association, entitled Remark
en- the relative age OF the Niagara and the so-caet
Lower Helderberg Groups in which that writer pro
posed to drop the name OF the latter group tn,
ground OF It's equivalence with the Niagara. Ine result
OF careful field and fhe ANDY of fossils
over wide for 80 years undertakes to ret aside
without Offering the evidence OF any new lnVertgs-
tOns OF arguments which could be admitted ~ proof
Coming from a gentleman holding the position OF state
GeoOvist OF Illinois, the matter worthy OF INC care
ful attention OF the Association. the speaker rateu
that this view not original with Mt Worthen but
vas the prevalent opinion among BIOLOGISTS previou ~
! authors, giving details In regard 10 pne
causes Of the Misunderstanding Of the geoloG1-
q the United States re colored which indicated
the formations referred he first traced the Niagara
group from It's typical Locality at Niagara ras wneas
the formation and limestone has thickness OF
30 feet TO the eastern portion or the state Wnet
gradual thinning sometimes has thickness OF
not than feet, and 10 Known as tine eoIalne ne
aeteriste FOSSILS, ana us pace 10 inc oeres Soy
served. Returning 70 the NIAGARA River the speaker
through Ontario TO Cabots Head thence by islands
of Lake Huron and the peninsula between Green bay
1 20 ~ M Snd nort westerly di-
rectiOn through Illinois aud Wisconsin, and thence INTO
! Iowa -,
Niagara formation found composing some islands
and extending sOuthwestery into the state OF ONO anu
into Kentucky over all tins area the formation is well
defined and no had Questioned IFS character. In
formation also known 10 southern lllhols Anu
Missouri aud likewise Tennessee, where IT'S integrity
has been called In question. In Illinois and Tennessee
1t clam med that she fossils OF the Niagara IOrtton
min gled with those of the Lower Helderoerg eOhp
proceeded speak OF the rocks OF this group as
known in its best developments IN the heiag ve
Mountains and on the banks or the schohaIe anu
sh The members OF the formation are Tue
limestone the Lower Pentamerus limestone, the shAlV
limestone and the Upper Pentanerns i'm hestone, LIES
together constituting group Glte unlike the Nsna
group while of The hundreds u fossils wnch they con-
tain none are Identical with those OF the Niagara Fnese
beds the SohOnarie Valley lie above the coralhhe
limestone which has been shown 20 be continuation OF
the Niagara and 10 Oe separated from that by
| a distinct formation known a. the waIerlme. -,
On tracing this Lower HederDerg formation on me
map II shown u thin Out III ia westerly ex enslon
until it recognized only as simple Dand OF ne-
berg Mountains the formation could be traced to the
Hudson River Valley and along TINS valley 70 the South
ern part OF State, thence through erey Penn
sylvsnia Maryland, Virginia. aud thence into Tennessee
Throughout the greater part of TINS extent tine Tor
is uBderaid by the wlterme formation, and the purity
and identity OF the formation has not been Questioned
Looking 10 the northeast, the formation u known as
wing uncOniOrm iDy lower ROCKS, ana II ha1 been
| traced far as Gaspe on the ST Lawrence, anu
was En1"p co1d be repd from the 4sd para
| lei to the 35th parallel, aud this extent,
erosion OF anrcIirals wnere the rocks folded will
give more than 1000 miles OF onterop where the
characterized by fossils often III great mum
bers and where the mnglng with other fossils was
| unknown. After having thus hastily sketehed the
ground occupied by these groups OF strata the speaker
went consider their relations 10 each other snow
ing sections at different points from the SchOnare Val
ley to Central NewYOrk, and by diagram tracing the
lines OF OutcrOp and comparative thickness OF the sew
eral formations this area. Then calling attention
In Illinois ana Tennessee. claimed by Mr.. Worthen. he
asserted that from his own experience ON the MISSISSIPPI
| River no such mingng or fossils Is known, except
the debris of the formation; mat the Niagara Ioiia-
zion, greatly thlnned OUT lies DeieW me Deas oI W
! lower Helderherg Deds, anu tne IOsas are uu ny.
distinct. In Tennessee, Sah0rd mas shown that the
formations are quite distinct eaca ehare oy s
FOSSILS 1t was true that Prot > mad sald hat aong
the line junction the fossils were sometimes mlngel
but IN the speakers mind, tie fact did not prove them
c0tempOrdneous, for the Lower heiderDerR Deus Win
their living shells and other fossils might have been de-
posted directly upon the dead fauna OF the preceding
groups, aud mus an apparent mhEllng prolceu In.
| tlese formations nowhere cOtempOfaheous was
proved by the great thickness OF intervening beds IN
New-YOrk ana Canada Where soAe lllhe5 lhese ihtet
vening rocks over loo teet thicA he conc uuri
by saying that in reversing the facts and considering
lie known range and extent OF the Niagara and Lower
Heidelberg groups their close approximation OF actual
where that there groups Of similar compost
ton in paleozUic series 50 clearly distinct ana
logical character well as In their contained osss
| ARTIFICIAL SKULL HEAPS OF FRESH WATER AoLLUsAs-
| by PROF. c. A. WHITE.
/ The characters OF the h JOckenm0eddngs or skull
heaps OF marine coasts, both Of Europe and America,
are TOO well 10 need any explanation but the
fact that similar accumuatiOns common upon the
shores OF interior is not 50 well known The
heaps are composed principally Of Unos or fresh-water
| CLAIMS. In general character these Unio shell heaps
resemble those OF the sea coast. they usually
extensive, the larger obts Dciu. VI bnt
banks Of the rapids in the Mississippi and Cedar rivers
They range in extent from few hectOters or skulls 10
heaps 80 100 meters long, four or I'VE meters broad
and from decmeter meter or more In thickness.
They located upon the immediate bank OF the river
sometimes little below and sometimes ABOVE the nigh
est floods. Although ne had visited between 20 ana 80 OF
these heaps he had examined but IOur OF I'VE carefully
OF the three most interesting one was on the Des
MONIES River, IN Iowa qua me other Two on .le
sisspp Iowa IL first rests on the ordinary soil
Of the rver bank, and consists OF the shells OF II or
more species lntermlAed Win SIT, Al ths specles
found living in the water close by as they were
living when the heap was formed In me heaps pieces
OF limestone. with evident traces OF IRE and pieces OF
pottery, were found. Sharp flint, flint heads and a
greensboro found also. Tue pottery was rudey
Ornamented by interrupted parallel lines, made with
pointed instrument, impressed with small cord 10
The bones 81 Cervus Yrgniaua and Chey srpeuera
were found the the long bones OF the Ceryus
At LaUula the species Of the Unto were found, and
beside the bones mentioned there were also those OF
the Bernicla Canadens IriOners ferOs PmelOdus and
also the remnants OF pottery mixed With cOmininuted
shells The same species Of Unios, in the same abund-
ance are found living in the Mississippi close BY The
Cervus Is still occasionally mel and The ponds and
Dayou st afford the species OF aquatic birds,
AT Bellevue eleven species found, Of the same
kind as living Fiints. heads burnt
CLAW and homes OF the Cervus Vrginanus ana Bias Ameri-
canus are found The skulls at the last two places
were smaller than others examined, and here 1e also
made some interesting examinations OF the rude way
IN which the Unios were cooked. little pit was dug
and heated by hre then the mOlss other materials
were put in, then covered with earth aud allowed u
by the retained heat TINS view IS sustained by
the small size Of vessels which have been found.
All OF the species OF the verteDrates, the remains Of
which have been found IN fresh water shell heaps are
occasionally or habituay used for food by civilized
man so, however, with the fresh water mollusks.
The evidently the chosen food Of these tribes
at certain times, from the fact that they not
tanabe when other food scarce but were most
peutlful when other food abundant Other excel
lent food was always found with the UniOs Neither
did they choose between the different species
the mOllusks.
1t IL very important 70 know what people collected
these heaps and what their Everything indicates
that they we're cotempOraneods with those OF the sea
coast, and everything connected with both IN
dictates that they collected by people
who we're advanced in civilization further
than those Of the stone age in Europe. We
know also that this the condition Of the American
tribes at the time Cuumbuss discovery. Especially