The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-08-12
Especial Corrcspondonce.J


mogony. The way it carved and channeled
its course down the great western slope and
directly across the lines of the geologic
strata, making about once in 80 miles
scene of grandeur and for the rest of its
course broad and fertile valley, furnishes
to the scientific mind Il study in river max
ing equaled in few places in the world and
nowhere eXcelled.
After passing the geologic island on
which Cincinnati stands and that great
anteclinal arch Of Niagara limestone which
runs from central Kentucky north and n
little east to and through Clarke county,
w., one passes In eastern Indiana out upon
the eastern edge of region where all the
strata incline to the west with an average
dip of about Is feet to the mile. The result
Is that the rock which Crops out' in one
county is some 300 feet deep in the next
county to the west, and new strata are per-
petually coming in. Thus one going west
Oh the parallel of Cincinnati comes first
upon the upper Silurian, then passes in
succession the outcrop of each epoch in the
Devonian age, then Tin Lawrence county,
Ind strikes the outcrop of the subcar-
bonircrous-the famous Indiana limestone
and west of that is i'll the great Indiana
and Illinois coalfeld.
Now, the line of outcrop of these strata is
VI.
and so the primeval Ohio had to find II way
or make II way directly across and ut right
angles to them. ltdid both. Having broken
through the rocky reef, it rolled in placid
beauty across the 20 or 80 miles of easy slopc
To the next. There it turned, rs if with the
instinct of II great reptile, far to the north
or south till it found u low gap or weak
place i'll the next, and breaking way
through that rolled on as before. At .Au-
rora, Ind, it encountered so tough Il reef
that it had to make II flank movement of
30 miles due south. Just below Madison
this movement had to be repeated and on n
much grandcr scale, but ut Louisville it
reached point where the Devonian shore
began To turn to the south and west, and so
the forming stream, turned back from the
Kentucky highlands, was compelled to
wear channel square across the barrier
reef. The result WIS the so called falls of
the Ohio" Again the Ranking movement
was repeated, and yet again, until on the
borders of Spencer county the mighty cur
rent broke through the last formidable bar-
ricr and thenceforth flowed comparatively
unveNed across the middle lowland of the
great coal basin.
How little did the pioneers appreciate the
lesson i'll cosmog0ny. And still more, how
little did they realize the marvellous wealth
find i'll the observation-disclosures limestone and
the coal measures along the eastern edge of
the great basin. But they did appreciate
the beauty. How could even the most nm
tutored fail 10 see itg The Ohio is and nj
ways will be beautiful The original Mi
ami word. of which Ohio is IL poor trans
iteration, seems 10 have meant '.Oh. look
at it" and with more refinement, and pcr-
haps higher appreciation, the French of the
seventeenth century named it La Belle
Rivierc. The English retained the French
names for the few posts, but wherever pos
siblc restored the Indian names of the
streams, and so we have the musical title
OF Ohio. Civilization has in no degree
lessened its beauty, and as | lately fioated
down the stream, and from the steamer
deck viewed the ever varying panorama of
bold bluff, valley farm and rocky cliff. il
seemed far more lovely than it did 80 years
ago.
The pioneers, rs | said did not realize
the natural wealth of southern Indiana
AS the country was, so were the people.
On the level uplnnds II sturdy race founded
good communities; i'll the rocky hollows the
outcast poor whites of the south, the M
riaiis OF the westward moving swarm,
found IL congcniai home Across central
Indiana from east to west extends n toler-
perhaps 40 miles wide The southern border
OF this wonderfully fertile belt of land is
also the southern line of that glacial drift
which covered all the rugged and rocky
skc!ceon of nature with an immense denost
OF gravel and yellow clay. deeply overlad
with rich alluyial soil South of this the
streams nave to descend with torrential
precipitation to reach the low level OF the
Ohio. Along the banks of these wild
streams settled the coon hunters and
sang diggers, the foam of All advancing
civilization, most OF which foam has since
rolled on to Illinois and Missouri and the
great plains.
The small remnant remaining was of the
least cnterprising sort, and when their
ways OF life became intolcrable To their
ncighhors the natural result was white
Caps In the oldcn time when local pride
was strong, we of the level section used TO
speak of these knobs as the land of rocks,
fist fights and ignorance, and our humor-
lists told with ELUSIVE mirth OF districts
where they run the children down with
dogs once month To put clean clothes Oh
Them They can afford to laugh ut lis
now for their hard woods have brought
great gain, their fruit farms are more prof
table than our grain, and in the westerly
sections the rock and minerals are teaching
again the old, old lesson that the most sol
III and enduring civilization often arises
where at first the struggle with nature
seems hardest. j. II. BEApLE.
During the football season of 1929 in
Great Britain there were ri deaths on the
field or result ING from foot hall ogriIputa