The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1900-04-25

| ~ 'e'os soes so0y oN'uesUy CUOoPO
detection. As the river shifted south.
ward it cut deeper and deeper 80
that the floor of the old valley slopes
to the southwark
The bills we're seen to be duo to
email branches from The river, like
bssoches from q tree. growing back.
ward into the country, forming the
valley walls By guswiog away up at
their heads and thus lengthsniug them.
selves just as q hillside grows up bill.
10 this way they have grown bsokw ward
from tho river number of miles and
have eaten out valleys for themselves
as we'll % put out their Own little side
streams. thus outing up the oouo,ry
along the vSlley wall ioto q series OF
bills. By eo;og back some miles from
the river the head waters of the side
streams are reached. snd the surface,
90 longer deeply treooGed By these side
stream valleys. becomes muob more
level.
% their way back to the train the
party searched for bnt we're uu able to
6od 10 the few minutes left them q
natural break koown ss the DEVILS
footprint, 40 impression 10 . stone 90
the bluff said to resemble tbe print Of q
club foot and to have been made By bis
majesty 10 stepping from the Orange.
burg side of tho vallsv wall 10 the
eastern wall Of the Wateree valley 10
the high hills of Sumter
= The trsio was taken for Sumter
Junction 10 the eastern edge Of the
Wa'eree swamp. A few minutes walk
took the party to high bluff where the
railroad. in leaving the Wateree swamp,
cuts slightly into the eastern valley
wall Hero the Potomac formation was
sgsio seen maguifcentIy exposed, aud
90 it rested few feet Of red Lafayette
sands. 10 the Potomac at this po,n.
are found beautifully preserved plant
leaves. 1t is noted as the only locality
60 far ss is known from which coilec.
tioos VI plant fossils have been made
10 South Carolina They were disoov.
cred some years ago and o collection
has since been made for The national
museum 10 Washington. They tell of
a time 10 the distant past when the
streams carried into the lsgooos or
shallow fresh or brsokish waters then
covering this region the leaves of the
trees and plants that grew along their
banks, where they settled to the bottom.
were buried 10 the 6ne mud and have
left the impress Of even their most
delicate markings a, the mud hardened
into stone. From their study one looks
far back into the geologic past aud Joins
q knowledge of the fora Of The Posc ma
time aud OF the climate that then pre.
vailed {; both are thus shown TO be
different from what We have here tcdav.
After lunch and a tramp of about
four miles the class reached the deem
out just west of Wedge6eld. At tho
base the Potomac was again found. and
90 the surfacs the Lafayette, but
between them we've found some other
formations that bad not been seen pre.
viously. The Potomac il the oldest of
the formations Of the coastal plain the |
Lafayette ie among the youngest
These other formations arc of in.erme.
diste age and 90 we're laid dowu cn tho
Potomac aod before the Lafayette, bot
It they bad ever existed at the other
places examined by the class they bad
been entirely worn swSy. The Two
lowest OF them we're dark oolored. ono
OF dos black clay. the other partly Of
green sand.
They probably belong to the marine
orstscious, while the next bed resting
on them 10 peculiarly light Dream
oolored clay containing aumerous casts
Of shells that show it to be probably Of
Eoceos age. Both tho dark aud tho
light maserisls prove that 10 the long
ego. when they we're formed. old ocean
rolled it waves where they now rest
snd 6sh and other marine enims!s
sported 10 its waters and, dying. left
their shells as mem orials of their
existence.
Ooly . bssty exsmiustion vas made
bsre before the party had to begin the
tramp back to Camden Junction. where
the afternoon train vas taken for Co.
lumb;a The State. April l9
The Atlantic Coast Line.