Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-08-09
THE ANCIENT BED OF THE JAMES.
Geological CuriositIes on the Banks Of
Our River.

To the Editor Of he Dispatch:
Apropos Of the late freshet in the James
river, / wish 10 SAY that perhaps the water
rose higher than at any previous recorded
time. When | refer TO the late freshets
include those Of 1S70'77.
Ny reasons for this belief is that in for
mer times, on account of imperfect drain
age. there were vast areas Of lowlands or
swamps that always contained water that
could not find an outlet 10 the river, and
thus the water remained in SidfU quo.
The better drainage Of our day keeps
these places dry and clear. consequently
when the freshets occur these reservoirs
have to be filed instead of being found
already full as in former years. and then
formerly the river contained an immense
amount of drift stuff and hammocks, all OF
which prevented free passage of the water
thus damming it, as it WERE
The rise of the water at Richmond below
the Richmond and Danyille railroad should
never be measured at thispOint, as the con-
dition of the river, whether it was low or
high tide, when the greatest quantity of
the food would reach it, would be effected
by the state of the tide at the time of the
meeting. The rise and fall of the river
should always be taken above tide water.
and this would indicate the true rise or fall
of it.
The narrowing of the river by encroach.
ing upon il for the reclamation of land
and the scoriac and cindars thrown into
it by the various manufactures situated
upon it are having a visible effect in aiding
to fill up the channel, while by narrow.
ing the channel greater force and rapid
ty is given TO the current, and offset %
this apparent beneficial effect is the fact
that all the silt and sedimentary deposits
6 fpgtaoG Of hafnn uaqt taral
over a great area, are necessarily carried "a
one point. which in the course of short
time will make bars wherever il may stop,
thus causing distractions that will in the
course Of time seriously interfere with the
river navigation.
The recent rains have completely
knocked ont certain accepted theories as
TO the causes or Interruptions of the ram
tall-viZ., that the rainfall has been ef-
fected by the denudation Of the forests.
This has been a popular theory and
cause. the belief in which gave great I'M
petus 10 the subject Of forestry and caused
thousands of trees 10 be planted.
In regard to this possible change of the
channel of the river the writer. who has
made a superficial study OF the river in
this vicinity, will venture the statement
that at time not very remote from the
present period the channel of tho river
was formerly on a line with the Peters
burg turnpike. near where 1t intersects
Hull street, and afterwards the bed Of the
James was the lower portion OF Marks IA
nous farm. The powders now appearing
and the underlying granite stratum all in-
dicate this A few wears ago Mr.. George
Z. Redford, who bought portion Of the
Marx farm for the purpose OF using the
clay found upon IL in tho manufacture Of
brick, in making the excavation necessary
to secure the clay discovered, about five
feet below the present surface Of the
ground. a buried forest. The trees were
of the coniferOus kind and have be-
come oxvdzed. Their concentric rings
had become almost pure iron. and so
strong were they that large sections of the
trees could be dug out of the ground and
would hold together in spite of the action
Of the weather. The limbs of these trees
cOuld be seen rGdiating in every direction.
The trunks of these mOnarchs of the
forest were many of them five or six feet
in diameter, and were lying IN every con-
ceivable position sometimes lying across
each other. The surface of the earth upon
which they lay was clearly defined and
WAS indicated by a long, irregular line III
the face of the bank, which was dug to a
depth Of twelve feet This buried forest
feet higher. The bank had been dug lower
than tho recumbent trees IN order TO Sc
cure the clay for use in Mr.. Rodford's busl-
ness Of brick-making.
1t should be remarked that the clay was
Of superior character, and was thought
to be very old formation. The James
River Valley is very fine field for the ge-
ologist, and so far as it has been examined
shows itself 10 be rich in various unusual
deposits as ITS mari formations. a
bed Of which has recently been found at
Malvern Hill to say nothing of the btu
minous and coke Goals found side by side
at the Clayton coal-mines, aud which were
Of enough Importance TO cause Sir Charles
LYLE, the eminent geologist, to make a spe-
cial visit TO this neighborhood and TO ex-
press his wonder at their remarkable pres
ence in a book he afterwards published.
Thus il will be seen. if the writer Is cor
rect in his suggestions. that the James IL
capacious stream aud very changeable IN
its nature, and consequently nothing 1t
should do il the future should be Won
dered At 4. L. ID.