The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-10-08
rhe law Country Of the Southern States,


mained in its present form and situation ever
since the food or, whether it has been made
nv the. particles Of earth which have been
washed down from the adjacent mountains,
and by the accumulation of soil from the de-
cayaof vegetable substances; or, by earth
washed out of the Gulf of Mexico by the Gulf
stream and lodged on the coast; or, by the
recess of the ocean, occasioned by change
in some other parts of the earth; or, from
other causes unknown to us. Several phenom-
eia deserve consideration in forming an opln-
ion on this question.
;. IF is q fact well known to person of obser-
walton who has lived or travelled IN the eoutn-
.ern States that shells and other substances
(which are peculiar to the sea shore, are almost
Invariably found by digging eighteen or twent-
ty feet below the surface of the earth. Many
miles from the sea, where wells are sunk at
depth of twenty or more feet, it frequently
transpires that something having the appear
apce of a salt marsh is encountered, that is,
you find marsh grass marsh mud, and brack-
ish water. In all this fiat country, until you
come to the hilly land, wherever you dig
well, you find the water at certain depth
fresh and tolerably good, but if you exceed
that depth two or three feet, you find saltlsh
or brackish water that is scarcely drinkaole |;
and the earth dug up resembles, in appearance
-
the salt marshes.
On and near the margin of the rivers are
frequently found sand hills, which appear to
have drifted into ridges by the force of water
AT the bottom of some of the banks IN the
rivers fifteen or twenty feet below the surface
of, the earth, are washed out from the solid
ground logs, branches and leaves of trees, and
the, whole bank, from bottom to top appears
streaked with layers of logs, leaves, and SAND,
These appearances are seen tar up the rivers,
, from eighty to one hundred miles from the sea,
where, when the rivers are low, the banks are
from fifteen to twenty feet high. AS you pro-
decrease in height, but still are formed OF layers
of sand, leaves and logs, some of which are
entirely sound, and appear to have been sud
denly covered to considerable depth. 1t has
been observed that the rivers in the Southern
States frequently vary their channels; that
the sWamps and lowlands are constantly fllllng
np. and the land in many places annually in
finges upon the ocean. 1t is an authenticated
fact that no longer ago than l77l, at Cape
Lookout, on the coast of North Carolina, t1ere
was an excellent harbor, capacious enough TO
receive one hundred large vessels at time, IN
a good depth of water 1t is now entirely
filed up and is solid ground. Instances of
this kind are frequent along the coast 1t IS
observable, likewise, that there is gradual
descent of about eight hundred feet, by meas
urnmerit from the foot of the mountains to the
sea hoard. This descent continues as is DEM
onstrated by soundings, far into the sea.
II is worthy of observation that the soil on
the banks of the rivers is proportiona6ly coarse
or fine according to its distance from the noun
tains. When you first leave the mountains
and for considerable distance, 1t IS ooserVa-
ble that the soil is coarse with large mixture
j IL
nroceed toward the sea, the soil is less coarse,
and so on, in proportion as you advance, the
soil is finer and finer until, finally, is deposited
a soil so fine, that it consolidates into perfect
CLAW, but clay of peculiar quality, for great
mart of it has intermixed with it reddish streaks
and veins. like species of ochre, brought, prob.
ably. from the red lands which lie up toward
the mountains This clay, when dug up and
exposed to the weather, will dissolve into q
fine mould, without the least mixture OF SAND
or any gritty substance whatever. NOW, we we
know that running waters when turold VIII
deposit first the cearsest and heaviest particles,
mediately. those of the several intermediate
degrees of fineness, and ultimately, those which
are the most subtle; and such, in fact, is the
GENERAL ouality of the soil on the banks of the
Southern rivers.
Il is,a well,known fact, that on the banks OF
fhe Savannah river, about ninety miles from
Che sea. in direct line, and one hundred and
ffty or two hundred miles as the river runs,
there is a very remarkable collection of oyster
shells of an uncommon size, running IN north,
east and southwest direction, nearly parallel
with the sea coast, in three distinct rloges'
which together occupy space OF seven miles
in breadth. These ridges of fossil oyster shells
ara perhaps seventy feet higher than the sur
face Of the river, and from three feet to thirty
feet below the common vegetation surface.
The shells are from fifteen to twenty inches In
length and from six to eight inches wide, and
from two to four inches in thickness, and thin
hollows sufficient to receive an ordinary mans
foot. The question is how came they here :?
It cannot be supposed they were carried by
land; neither is it probable they were carried
in canoes or boats to such distance from the
place where oysters are now found. Ihe un-
civilized natives, agreeably to their rowing
manner of living. would rather have removed
to the sea shore than have been to such I'M
mense trouble in procuring oysters. Besides,
the difficulty in conveying them would have
heen insurmountable. They would not only
have had strong current in the river against
them an obstacle which would not have been
eesiIv overcome by Indians, who ever had an
aversion to labor but could they have sur
mounted this difficulty, oysters conveyed such
a distance either by land or water, in SO warm
climate, wonld have spoiled on the passage
and have become useless. The circumstance
of Oft these s shells being found in such quantities,
at 20 great distance from the sea, can be ra-
tionallv accounted for in no other way than by
supposing sva that the sea shore was formerly near
this bed Of shells, and that the ocean has since,
by the operation of certain causes not yet fully
investigated, receded. These phenomena, as
they cannot be otherwise accounted for, prove
as far as it can be proved thata great part OF tne
leghany mountains, had, in some past period,
s,iperincumbent sea or water; but it is be-
vond the abilities of man to account for the
Change in satisfactory manner.-The South.
"A Chicago clergyman relates the follow