The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1900-04-25
ALONG THE BANKS
OF THE CONGAREE,
Student Geologlsts Maks an
Interesting Trip.

The class in geology at the South
Carolina college, under Dr. Glenn,
takes from time to time excursions
into the field to study in q practical
way the geology and physiograghy
Of the region around Columbia
Special rates have been secured from
The railroads for these trips and last
Saturday the class spent the day
studying parts of RlchIsud. Orange
burg and Sumter counties
The early Charleston train was
taken to Oongsree, where the first stop
was made To the right there tow.
wered near by the almost precipitous
yet we'll wooded bluffs that rise near.
ly $50 feet above the river swamp
and overlooked for miles the Conga
rec which 10 numerous places is seen
to be cutting the bluffs away and
carrying the materials down stream
to deposit them 10 the swamp lower
down or carry them to the sea to be
dropped near it's mouth and build
up deposits that may some day be
lifted above the waves and Joined to
the seaward margin of our State 40
new. born laud.
A few hupdred yards up the track
the the railroad cuts across the nose
Of bill and iu this cot the class
found good section for study
Rising into view near one end,
reaching 9 considerable height of
eight toward the other end of the
cut was seen formation to which
geclogists have given the name Po.
tomac. 1t is made up of beds of
coarse ealy.lookiug sand separated
by beds Of tough. compact clays
often times brilliantly colored: Into
these beds of sand abundant water
enters where they are exposed as in
this case at the surface of the
ground. These beds lie Oh the
granite or other ancient rocks and
sink further beneath the surface %
they 60 toward the sea 80 that
while they are found in Orangeburg
at the surface several hundred feet
above the sea, they are reached in
the Charleston artesiau wells
at nearly 1000 feet beneath
sea level Their position and
character are Of great Importance
to the people of all the low country,
since their sandy strata are water
bearing aud when bored into give
artesian wells
In this cut there rested on the Pc.
tomac some feet of red sands to
which the name Lafayette is given.
This usually reddish and Usually
sandy formation forms the surface of
. large part of the low country of
South Carolina and 10 spread over
the underlying formations in q thin
sheet that wraps both bill and valley
II this thin veneer could be stripped
of the low country the surface with
its bills and valleys along and near
the rivers would not be much differ
ont from what il 10 now
Along the line separating the Po.
tomsc and the Lafayette were found
many we'll rouuded quartz pebbles
usually cemented by iron into Q
crust OF ironstone With these peb-
bles were found numerous partly
rounded mssses composed OF innum.
ersble email shells and shell frsg
ments These shells belong to
species that lived only during Eooene
time end show that when the ses
rolled inward over the low country
at the beginning Of Lafayette time.
the wsves along the shore beat
against Eocene she'll limestone some.
where near this spot aud tore off
fragments to roll and round iD the
surf and deposit with the sands form.
ing the Lafayette Thus in imagina.
ton one catches Q glimpse Of the
breakers of the sea of that distant
time and hears them thunder az they
break along the shore
The class climbed from this point
to the top OF the hill to blend the his
toric with the scientific in visiting
the site Of Fl Motto of Revolutionary
fame The mound thrown up by
Marion aud Lee when besieging it,
was seen and on the crest of the bill
q email pile of brick and stone alone
mark the site of the chimney of Mrs
Notes house around which the
British fort was buiIt--a fiji site for .
memorial shaft.
From this point magnificent view
Was had up aud down the Congaree
and across in Sumter. The line Of
bold hills overlooking the Congaree
on the Orangeburg side wero seen to
form q steep valley wall. while the
other side Of the valley is fonnd to
he Ovar in Richland c0unfv ,,Or,h ,,f