Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1908-07-16
HUGE BowLpERs SCATTERED
OVER NORTHERN STATES BY
WIDE SWEEP or GLACIER.
ICE DECLARED MILES DEEP
CONCEALED Liquid In Vast Quantities
Flowed Far Down Mississippi Val
lsy-underlyina Strata High
Iy Polished by Motion.
BY q. FREDERICK WRIGHT, A. NJ

L.. D.
tAuthor OF THE Ice Age in North Amer
ica." Man and the Glacial Pc
Rod" Etc)
Copyright. Joseph b. Bowles)
The story OF the glacial period has
not been half told. Its wonders are
increasing every day. 1t is the last OF
the great geological epochs. and has
not yet passed away. Greenland 10
still shivering under the rigors OF
glacial conditions. With the excep,
ton OF a narrow belt OF mountains
around the southern end, the whole
continent, some 100000 square miles
In extent, is still buried beneath Ice
from one mile to two miles deep.
while the antarctic continent, with O
still greater area. Is 80 completely en-
veloped In ice that explorers have yet
been able to penetrate only the
merest fringe at two or three points.
But during the glacial period prop
or the ice to a depth OF more than
mile covered 100000 square miles
Of North America and 100000 square
miles in Europe. In North America
the southern border Of this ice field
extended into the ocean of the New
England coast, rising like a great Ice
wall out OF the water. and westward
to line running through Long Island,
across New Jersey and Pennsylvania,
TO Salamanca, N. Y. where II turned
southwestward and, with many minor
variations, reached the Ohio river 6O
or 60 miles above Cincinnati. crossed
Kentucky and southern Indiana, reach
Ing its farthest extent at Carbonate,
H.: thence northwest, II crossed the
Mississippi river at st. Louis, and fol-
lowed the Missouri and Kansas rivers
10 Topeka. where It swung northward
across the eastern parts Of Kansas
and Nebraska, and through central
Dakota to near the Canada line;
thence proceeding with a long loop
where II crossed the Rocky mountains
and the Sierras) to Puget sound and
the Pacific ocean. II one had ap'
preached this line during the glacial
period anywhere from the south. he
would have Immediately struck the
conditions OF Greenland. and found
them continuous for thousands OF
miles. Alaska still retains the stumps
Of this great glacier, several hundred
square miles being covered by the
Muir glacier alone, and a still larger
area by the Malaspina glacier. which
comes down from Mount st. Elias.
IN Europe the ice fields radiated from
the Scandinavian peninsula. extending
across the North sea to southern Eng
land. and across the Baltic to central
Germany and southeastern Russia.
In thinking OF the glacial period It
should be kept clearly In mind that
glacial ice Is simply compressed snow.
Glaciers are formed wherever there Is
, snowfall which exceeds the melting
power of the warm season. Everyone
Ia familiar with the fact that Q snow.
hall may be made as hard as Ice by
sufficient pressure in the hands.
That ice in great masses could flow
like cold tar or molasses or any other
vemi-huid seemed, until a short time
ago, impossible, and did not enter Into
the thought Of mankind. But about
70 years ago It was demonstrated In
Switzerland that the ice was actually
moving down the valleys, proceeding,
not like an avalanche, but creeping
with q true flow, and carrying on Its
back and frozen into its mass frag-
ments of rock of varying sizes, some
II them being as large as a small
house. Under the lee Of one OF these
rock masses on top Of the Aar glacier