The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-11-01

With reference 70 the past history Of the
Sound. a. vel IS the gathering OF mate
rial fer an accurate map of the various
deposits which make up the soils and the
resources in sands. clsys. building stone
ara coal
WOW. + donx think the people want .
lecture on reoso4y." SAID Mr. Wills. paus-
snx. s.er susxay say ssomefh.ng Of the his
sorsear deduc-sons 20 be drawn from the
dndinxs Of the survey Being urged 70
continue. he said.
.-The reo:ogscal history OF Puget sound,
% far as IL is represented In the rocks of
the region may be summed up somewhae
a. follows. In one OF the more recent
geo2oxscaI periods known TO biologists IS
TIE Eccene period. this region was an ex-
feneiye plain which from age to age sank
slightly below sea level and again rose
slixhtly above SEA level. Upon the land
areas grew rich forests. whose dense foil
age II now represented N the fossil leaves
contained In many beds Of sandstone and
ciay-snale- Many Of these leaves have
been studied and are known TO represent
sub-sropscaI plants. indicating somewhat
warm and moist climate. Where the plain
extended beneath the waters OF the shall
low sea- deposits OF sand and mud gath
cred. and around the chores extended 1t
different epocas wide marshes. in which
decaying vegetation accumulated 70 form
coal beds. The total thickness OF strata
Is probably about 11.e0e feet, or nearly two
miles. and the greater proportion Of valu-
able coal Is apparently contained In the
lower third OF this great thickness II IL
therefore possible to have extensive areas
of sandstone similar TO that In which the
valuable coal mines are developed and
yet have no workable coal beds During
the period of deposition of the coal-bear-
ing rocks there was no Cascade range and
of ma v<<xf<~ ay,f. nil
Mount Rainier. But during long ages fol-
lowing there was a gradual upheaval OF
the Cascade range. which was accompa-
MED by volcanic activity. The ultimate
result after very long sequence of
events. covering Q time that must be
measured not only by hundreds of thou
sands. but by millions OF years, was the
elevation OF the former plain TO about 100
feet and the building OF such stupendous
monuments as the great volcanic peaks
that dominate all the mountain views
about the Sound"
In giving this account of history he
remarked that he had taken from the
summit OF the Cascades the impression
OF f!g leaf which must have grown In
the warm. moist climate already referred
TO.
THE basin Of Puget Sound" he con-
tinued. was thus formed by the eleva-
ton Of the Cascade range on the east and
the similar uplifting Of the Olympic range
on the west. II was a wide valley with
low ranges Of hills dividing II into several
water sheds. Luxuriant forests grew upon
its slopes. and the creatures which were
the ancestors OF more modern forms
roamed over its hills and swan in the
waters of its streams. BY degrees the
climate changed. From the north the
area OF cold winters expanded. the sum-
mers grew shorter and shorter glaciers
spread downward from the mountains on
the east and west. and the great glacier
extended southwark from northern re-
gions- The Sound was a cul-de-sac into
which from three sides great ice rivers
flowed. submerging the former sunny
landscape and expelsing all the forms OF
life. which either became extinct or sought
refuge in more southern chimes. That was
the first invasion OF the glacial period. In
time IL somewhat retreated in consequence
of longer summers and shorter winters
and then again. the climate becoming
treats and such advances of the vast ice
mass that filled the Puget Sound basin
REQUIRED a number Of times. AS yet we
do not know how often. In each advance
the ice carried In its lower layers guam
titles OF gravel and blue clay. which il
deposited in extensive sheets now COM
monty known as cement gravel and hard
pan In retreating the Ice left between
its southern face and the hills 10 the south
and east. areas which were siied with
water. since the ice formed a dam across
the northern outlet In these temporary
lakes there were deposited extensive deltas
of sand and gravel and beds OF fine clay
which are often entirely free from peb-