Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1889-05-19
THE GLACIAL EPOCH
EVIDENCES OF GLACIAL EXTENSION IN
THIS SECTION.
Remarkable Collection Of Rock on Knob Near
Portland, Interesting Description Of
the Deposits and Surrounding
Conditions.

SIR-Tne hill DaCk OF fOIllAnui Oa'ie'
Stringer's Knob, is the relic of what one
was a vast terminal moraine of an anclen
glacier: it doubtless extended clear scros
the valley in north and south direction
Int has been eroded since the Cbamplail
eocch until it is barely third ofits forme
size. There are unbeatable evidences of
former lake at this point. high above tn
present level of Short Greek.
Since 80 little is understood by tn,
average reader, of the phenomena connec
ted with the glacial epoch, the present is (
very good opportunity to call attention t.
several striking examples of the times wher
hinge glaciers, /, 500 TO 5000 feet high
nushed their noses for southwark from
Canada. All Alpine travellers have noted
the large masses Of rock and earth lying
ON the ice fields, and there are doubtless
MANY people in this CITY that have also
noticed the great quantities ofdehris which
collects at their lower ends, called ter
minal II oraines." These will serve as q
partial illustration of the manner of rock
transportation and final deposition. Their
maonitude, however, is infinitely less tnan
the same phenomena during the glacial
epoch, probably the only present glaciers
approaching those in size, carrying power
and amount of land passed over, are the
ice fields of Greenland The immense lateral
pressure of these glaciers causes them to
gradually cut into exposed mountain sides
throughout their entire course, slowly but
surely, undermining large masses OF earth
and rock above their level, which sooner
or later falls onto them and are carried
out to sea. When the iceberg by Its own
weight, breaks off from the parent glacier,
a great portion Of this mass falls into the
sea: LIE Conte mentions icebergs whose
contained macs of earth and rocks were
estimated as being over $50, 900 tons. The
onlv difference between the ice fields OF
Greenland, many of which move at the
rate of so feet day, and those of the ela-
cial epoch is that the latter moved en-
tirely or nearly so, on the land and depos-
tied their masses OF rubbish at the various
terminal morsines" along the line Of
their southern limit. There is scarcely 3
limit to be placed on the carrying power
of the glaciers, boulders of $50, 900 cubic
feet being carried with the same ease and
velocity as the finest dust Glaciers re
semble rivers, in that they are subject to
floods and drOughts By toe law OF circu-
latiou, constant downward motion is as
necessary to the idea of glacier as it is to
that of a river, since both carry away the
81 axarnrakfon Ruf "a
glacier, though in constant motion, never
passes beyond a certain point, where the
slow downward motion is exactly counter
balanced by the melting point of the ice by
the sun and air. This point is called the
lower limit Of the glacier.
As long az the conditions remain I'M
changed, the lower end OF the glacier re-
mains at exactly the same point, although
the substance of the glacier moves constant
" downward But, if external conditions
change, the point of the glacier may move
either upward or downward. Thus, dur
ing a succession of cool, damp years,
the melting being less rrpld,
the point of the glacier De YES
slowly downward sometimes, in the ps,
invading cultivated fields and OVERT ling
auts, until it finds new point of gall
brium. During succession of warm, drs
years on the contrary, the melting being
more rapid, the point gradually retreats to
find a new point of equilibrium, higher up
the mountain.
Now q word in regard to the southern
limit If tine ice-felds of the glacial epoch.
1t may be formed on the maps by drawing
an irregularly curved line from Long
Island, through northern New Jersey and
Pennsylvania, curving south toward Pitts
burg, Pa, and Steubedville, Ohio, and
Cincinnati, thence upward following the
great curves of the Ohio river TO Cairo it's
lowest point in this country; from there il
curves easily nortbwsrd through Missouri,
eastern Kansas and Nebraska. southwest
ern Dakota and through Montana to
Canada.
The question, which it is the object Of
this article to bring into prominence and
thereby into discussion, is: How fsr did
the glaciers extend in this vicinity? Are
there anv other moraines southeast
of Portland? Perhaps in this re.
gion the characteristics of the terminal
moraines have been too much obscured by
the Champlain deposits to be easily recOg-
nized. In ridge at Portland the terminal
moraine or only an intermediate one formed
by a temporary cessation in the final reced-
log Of the ice fields? There are many
rounded knobs near Portland that are very
suggestive of the roches mOUtOnnees of an
ancient glacier.
Considerable interest has been manifest
ed of late concerning the extraordinarily
large boulders OF fine sandstone bfing quar-
ried at this point. They are situated in a
ravine about one mile from Portland on
Lsrge's farm. During the last few weeks
many people have visited them and doubt
less wondered, as people have habit of
doing, how they ever got into such queer
positions!
Well, their tickets called for frst-clsss
passages via the glacier line from Canada,
exact destination unknown, bat presum-
ably the terminal moraine at Portland.
Unfortunately for the reputation OF the
glacier line as frst-clsss common carrier,
the rocks tOppled into some huge creUdsse
at some place on the route and gradually
approached the bottom Of the glacier. Here
they were scored numerically. AS the
ice field bore them along, the great press
ure of the enormous superintendent mass
of ice ruthlessly crushed them against the
face of the country rock, forcing them TO
scrape hasty acquaintance with the vari
GUS strata over which they passed; bat they
finally got into a place where the ice field
could not dislodge them, and consequently
we find them in the positions they occupy
at present
The quarry, at present, is being worked
by Messrs. Stanley & Fisher, contractors
on the W. & l. E. railroad, and is under
the immediate supervision of Mr.. E, @.
Dolbee. The stone is to be used in the
bridges along that road. The boulders are
large, irregular masses, weighing from 500
to 1000 tons or more, and are scattered
around in various nositious over an area of