The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-07-14

lS3SJdN GUTHRIE TALKS or THE
GREAT TNiaND LfhE.
trees of Long go-Petrited wood Dug
Up Within the City Limit--Drii'e"
ON the shorc-whas Was seen.

~rhe article IN Tho inter-cccan this
morning by Charles oils" said the we'll
snown ecoloaist expert Ossian "n'h'le
yesterday. "in which he tells OF lndlah
norrds IN Chicago. notably al Chc'''n-
nam Beach. has interested me very huV"
think he makes ont his point. but sh""
I confess that am still more interested
n these products here thrown up by u''
sxcaVatorsg II dig proves that we
rnouna-buillcrs occupied prehistoric TN
,auo in force these freshly uncoVer''
souvenirs Of a hoary antiquity demon
state anew that in a stih rcmoter past
chicago was a glacial lake ,.,..o..
At this moment the noted ear'h-u'''e
and reporter for The lntcr-Ocean reden-
Al the corner Of Prairie avenue ana
i'h.rty-eighth street, whore there sDie'I i
,ut TO tho northeast great quarri'd -""t
,,oce whore the foundation-builicrs nad
about completed the substructurs ior
n,anv-sforicd aplrtment-hJuse. Inc cut
In a deep one. ana The four perpendicular
walls of earth. especially those 10 'he
north and east. were certainly marked
and stratihed In way 70 compci a''o"-
ti6n even from the chance pass'r-by'
willie TO Professor Guthrie the sisht N~S
an cxhilaration that made bis eyes naah
with a glacial glow.
HIS o. Aff,I rNrnUstAsM.
"r,st look n this" said he. reverentiy
raising a torra-cotta colorcd piece OF
ttore Eight thousand years Old. u
sav." he exclaimed. land more perfect
specimen has never been dug uP even IN
his city. Oh crye the thickness OF me
bark and the still perfectly iehnded h3ic
d The wood. The oak Of Boston common
ras not an acorn TN acons Of time after
hs great ancestor was scpulchercd In
sand upon this spot
The chunk Of ancient wood crrmoled
10 small pieces in his hard.
Here Is q firmor piece" said he as ne
dislodCcd from the west wall OF earih
snothcr fragment Of decay'd wood form
Ing part of a sharply distinct vein or
laycr of the same scrt of subtGnce run
ming clear aroi nd tie excavation at
depth OF perhaps eight f'et from the
top MARK low rubbed down 10 a nat
surface this lower SIDE l.; OF course the
result of action by waves rolling IL along
the sands OF the shore. Yen see the same
thing still plain. IA. that log there. which
] covered over again IN gart yesterday
that the suns action might rot dry 1t
out too suddenly, splitting II open.
AZ AAcHNT INLAND LAKE.
AS YOU see. 1t is really, while decided
ly water-logecd an cXcellently preserved
piece Of timber yet. and hope TO get a
good. serviceable cane out OF IT, TINS
undcfside is so ievelied down hat one
might easily think that the work had
been done by an AK or drawing knife or
plane or other carpenters tool whereas
the only tools were the little sharp teeth
of the sands as the waves OF the glacial
lake pushed the timber up and down the
beach
'"The inner glacial lake. formed az the
end of the glacial period by a sandhar
shutting off the waters Of Lake Michigan
extended from north TO suoth. between
Wimette and Thornton. say twenty-five
miles In length and reached back in the
direction OF the Desplaines river some
six miles in the widest place. This lake
in the rear OF the intcrcopting sandDar
which kept getting higher and higher
was kept supplied with water from the
Moth branch and the pcsplaines river.
J say North Branch. because there was
yd south branch. which was one OF the
last acts I'm the age-long drama Of re-
claiming the dry land The level OF the
glacial lake was at length raised TO an
elevation Of between eleven and twelve
feet above Lake Michigan. The Despiain-
es river. at the close OF the glacial epoch,
empticd into this land-locked bay and was
damned off from the greater lake by
this same drifting sand. and then after
ward the Despiaines river was twelve
miles away from Lake Michigan and fiow-
ed to the Mississippi finally except IN
flood time. when the waters were SUI
iiciently high TO overflow the barriers
formed.
DRIYTwOoD OF THE LONG AGO.
every much OF this wood deposit,
so perfectly disclosed in those layers
there. undoubtedly came down these
streams l have mentioned in the form
of'driftwood, and. becoming water-logged
sank to the bottom and was buried IN
The sand. Where decay Sas more general
The layer was greatly compressed. as
along those finer strcaks.
"And just look at this; isn't It a per-
feet rubber-foot I'm shape with the top
cut off? That is willow root that has
been washed and worn smCC IN on the bot
tom OF the lake described. Yonder is
piece Of white oak. | DO not see any OF
the black walnut timber that hes been
lneartbed elsewhere within the city.
limits. Once. in eXcavating Tor the
Foundation OF the Indiana Club think
81 was at Ihir'y-fourth street ana IN
diana avenue-a white oak leg two feet
~ diameter was taken OFT. That also
was so Hat on one side that some ser
tcdsly maintained IL Vas the work Of man
but those later discoveries Prove it an
TO be only the wearing on the beach. The
original old settlers of Chic9ro, the gen
siHe ahorgines. We're the clams whose
shells are found in such quantities on
the very bottom of The clay surfaces at
The close Of the last glacial epoch-ior
there haze been at least two OF them
which reigned In Chicago. Whether there
VIII be another l cannot say.
SOME FoRMFR Drcovrnrrs.
Another tine-bacl< in lS7l-at the cor
ncr OF Michigan avenue and Thirty
fourth street. q very large white OAK
tree was found. The heart OF that tree
was In a perfect state Of preservation.
and again one side was found SO fiatten-
eli that the stimulation Of excellent car
centry work caused some PEOPLE 10 ac-
tually resort TO a magnifying glass 10 see
II tool marks could not be found on H.
And twenty years later at this same cor
ncr just mentioned a mass of driftwood
was unearthed, among which were founi
all the varieties OF wood uncovered here
and all OF them beach-worn. We nnu
now as then white and black oak. elm
and willow. The elevation Of that dr.t-
wood at Michigan avenue was almost ex-
actly the same as that OF the driftwood
found here between eleven ana twelve
feet above city datum. which OF course
means that there was an inland lake
the bottom OF which WAS some twelve
feet above Lake Michigan. All these
repeated demonstrations make the exist