The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-04-29
CHANGES IN THE OHIO VALLEY.
A Retaliation of RatcIiffe's Absurd Theory
that the Land Is Sinking.

| Philadelphia Times
John F. Radcliffe propounds the STARTLING
| theory that the Ohio valley is sinking and one
| hundred years hence will be vast lake He
prophesies that the child is living who will see
| one hundred-foot rise in the Ohio at Cincinnati
| This paragraph, which has been going the rounds
OF the newspapers for some time was shown to
Professor Lesley
Radcliffe, he said, SIS absolutely unknown to
! biologists If there be such man at all he is a
humor1st or crank, and no geologist is either.
The theory mentioned in the paragraph is with
out any foundation whatever. No fact to sug-
| gest 1t has ever been noted. The Ohio valley is
one of the most solid pieces of territory on this
globe, and North America, taken as whole, is
| peculiarly free from changes of elevation At
| the same time the whole surface of the earth is
undergoing changes constantly but they are so
SLOW that what seems to us an infinite length of
Tune is required for an appreciable alteration of
| level, We know that during the tertiary pc
| riod of geology the western part of
South America rose thousands of
feet The character and positions of
the formations show this fact but it puts
ones mind to a useless strain to try to conceive
! how many millions or billions of years this lift
ing process was going on. The Rocky mount
aims of this country have risen 1000 feet in the
same way. On the other hand in many regions
| of the earth there has been a sinking since the
| tertiary period began. Of the coast of Florida
the coast survey operations have brought up
| from the bottom of the deep sea the remains of
animals that lived ages upon ages ago in the bot
| toms of rivers or upon land. The evidence that
| they were not washed out to sea was abundant
In the English channel hundreds of feet deep,
were found rich stores of mammoth ivory. TIE
animals had died where the remains were found
long before there was any water there OF
course there are changes, but no human being
need fear that he will see them in operation"
Have there not been sudden changes in the
Ohio valley27
eyes. Not great many years ago there was
n Of unit Ion fas1si
both sides of the Mississippi, below the mouth
of the Ohio. Lakes were formed in which trees
are standing to this day But all such local
sinkings ara due to volcanic disturbances or the
crushing in of the roofs of caves The whole
blue grass region of Kentucky rests upon lime
stone foundation that is honey-eombed with
caves and cayerns. These fall in every now and
then, just as coal mines cave in. In one case
the supports are torn away by men and in the
other they are worn away by nature. In the
region of the Mammoth Cave, in Kentucky sink
holes or places where caves have fallen in, are
to be seen everywhere and underground streams
are numerous. In this State the Reading val
ley was formed by the breaking down of caves
The Natural Bridge of Virginia is a part of the
roof of what was formerly a cave and have
seen streams in this State that run alternately
above and below ground. Now, the blue grass
region of kentucky crosses the Ohio river at
Cincinnati; and if there were to be any sinking
there it would probably be the result of caving
In but no sinking has occurred
AS to Mr.. Ratciiffes lake theory, secretary
Ashburner, of the geological survey, said: 1T
is absurd, of course. For thirty-f years the
various railroad companies in the Ohio valley
have been taking the elevations of the points
along their lines and not single change has
been noted. In order to form a lake
Pittsburg, which is 745 feet above the sea
level, would have to sink nearly to the level of
Cairo which is 322 feet above the sea. At the
present rate of changes in the crust of the earth
this would require an infinite number of mill
80. n l.. 4
point along the river would cause it to spread
over more ground there and make it deeper, but
shsre is no fact to show there is any such local
movement even y
=, AS to the recent great floods in the Ohio val
icy Mr Ashourner was Inclined to accept the
seory that the cutting away of the forests was
on'ncipal cause A long series of observations
that cSliine, IN Europe, had shown conclusvely
porportlonods on that stream have increased in
| Jonn ". h+he destruction of the trees
| Is stopping al tEson, of Portsmouth Ohio who
had heard anythIisard House was asked if he
Ohio valley: Not bout the settling in the
my reasons 1of coming h." he said lone of
have been very slow this white. NV customers
fears--oh. you want to know and / have great
settling OF the surface If the vanoa general
haven't heard any theorle on that sSSbisNo,
it don't stand to reason. d. the Saolecs but
valley along the river is filing - oJIi4iIrry me
over two feet this season AMI 1T W.. ~ mas risen
two feet last. You see thes foodsiH leu nearly
| started DOWN lie mountains ana nils or 'iOy
| vania. West Virginia and kentucky, loadlnsyl-
with mud and they dumped iton the valley, up
my store in Portsmouth, when the WATER
went away | could have used "a subsoil,
plow, and still would not have scrap the floor
| My cellar was half filed with yellow Ooze and it
is not all out yet. AS for the farmers along the
river they nave all got brand new land, but this
is an advantage for the mud was gathered from
the surface and is rich. Many of the country
turnpikes ire now dirt roads, and it will be time
for anothe food before they are cleaned"
GLOW ajout this prophecy Of Mr.. Radcliffe,
that the eiild is living who will see 100-foot
rise in tn, Ohiol"
oh that's sound sense. After what we saw
last February 100 feet is too modest I'm no
child bu L expect to see it rise $50 feet 1t
wouldn tsurprse me to sec it done next year;
but I'll b on a hilltop when it comes. No more
island lie for me- You can say for me that Mr.
Ratcliff. whoever he is, is a crank on the sub
iect of mixing, but he touches high-water mark
in the cher direction"