St. Landry democrat., 1893-09-23

from boulders, etc, deposited on gres1
heights. The cold proceeding from this
immense ice-sheet made itself felt as ia,
as the Mexican Gulf.
The great pressure made BY the i'm.
mense amount of glacial ice on the crust
of the earth gradually caused the same
to sink from 800 to 1000 feet below its
present level, thus bringing the ice sheet
beneath the ranges of the snow line.
Now the glacial ice began to gradually
melt away from its southern terminus
towards the north, and to deposit all
along the lines of its retreat the bouldcrs,
stones, sand, wood, copper, etc, which
it had carried along from the north
Hence, for instance, granite boulders,
red sandstoncs, pieces of copper, etc,
from the Lake Superior reg 'ons may be
found scattered over Minnesota and Wis
consin and as far soutE as Ohio and
Indiana.
The ice having melted away and the
vast amount of water having been to a
great extent carried off into the ocean by
rivers, then of great extent, the crust of
the earth, being relieved of its depress-
ing load, gradually began to elevate it.
self to its present level, and the physical
geography of our continent with its eli.
mate attained its present state
Thousands of little lakes, scattered
throughout Wisconsin, Minnesota and
other States, as also countless hills Gle.
vatlons, rolling prairies and hill ranges
were formed during this geological pc
Rod. Besides, the glacial ice contributed
III scattering seeds, collected on its way
over the vast area which it had covered.
Hence one may often notice that on the
soil thrown out from digging or eScava-
tons species Of plants begin to grow
i'll the neabborhood. For thousands of
years these seeds have preserved their
vitality, which they began to exhibit
when brought within the reach of solar
action. Illinois, after the melting of the
ice, remained yet for a long time part of
the immense sheet of water formed by
the union OF the lakes Superior, Huron
and Michigan. During this time deep
beds Of mud were formed over the pres
ent area of Illinois and the pre-glaci Il
and glacial seeds were covered to a depth
bic. After rising out of the water the
muddy service of Illinois was gradually
covered with seeds of grasses, which
the winds carried there from various di-
rectiOns. But as some seeds of trees, as
acorns, nuts and the like, could not be
so easily transported, Illinois remained
nearly a trceless prairie land up to the
present century,
Of the animals which lived in North
America when the glacial ice sheet began
to encroach on their domains the follow
ing may be mentioned The mammoth,
about twice as large as any elephant now
existing; the mastodon, which seems to
have been the largest quadruped ever |
known; it was over twelve feet high |
and, with its tusks, about twenty-five |
feet long. Besides, there was yet a kind |
Of elephant, two species of enormous
bisons, gigantic horses, stays, magazine
ria. and beavers five feet long. Finally,
bears, lions, armadiilos and tapirs The
greater part of the animals of the glacia
period has since then gradually died out
Some retreated before the advancing ice
sheet toward the tropics to find more
~ctif7 thi1ll lloilltS, Nucic tIlcS sui CAiSt.
Ard few continued to survive up to
modern or recent and present times
Since the glacial ice sheet began to
melt away in the ncighborhool of St.
Paul, Mimi, aud of Buffalo, n. y,
'bont 5000 or 10, 900 years have passed,
is is inferred from the known rates of
he annual recessions of the Falls of St.
Anthony and Niagara.
As far as apparently reliable paleonto-
ogical discoveries indicate, it was
owards the close of the glacial epoch,
when the great ice sheet which had
covered large portions of North America
nd Europe began to retreat, that man
began to wander in various directions
'ver the earth from his original home.
With his appearance this terrestrial
world received its last and best addition,
IS crown and lord under God, and hui
nan history began - Rev. John Gmei-
Ter, in Philadelphia Catholic Times.