Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1908-07-09
TORRENTS FROM MELTING ICE
DRAINED THROUGH GREAT
LAKES TO THE STREAMS.
OLD BOUNDARIES ARE TRACED
Expert Wright Tells Where the Work
OF the Prehistoric Period Orig.
mated and Ended-Bodles
OF Water Enlarged.
~ G. FREDERICK WRIGHT. A.

NJ, Il. D.
tAuthor OF ''The Ice Age In North Amer
ica." MAN and the Glacial Pc
riod." Etc.
Copyright, by Joseph B. Bowlesl
Ice Ia q rock. At any rate. so long
as II lasts II performs all the functions
OF rock. AS one steams up the Yukon
river he will often see ahead OF him Q
forest growing upon a high bank with
precipitous face which at first sight
would seem to be the enduring rock
of the region. But upon near ap.
proach II will turn out to be an Ice
cliff covered with few feet OF soil
which has been washed out upon II In
SUFFICIENT quantity to support vegeta-
ton. Large forests are growing upon
the Malaspina glacier in Alaska. sew.
eral miles back from its front. and
where the Ice il 1000 feet thick under
II. In numerous places In the vicinity
Of existing glaciers large streams OF
water may be found running both upon
the surface Of the Ice and along Q
high elevation between the ice and
the adjoining highland or mountain
chain which hens It In. Large lakes
of water are also found at high eleva.
lions where they are held In by Ice
barriers. Where these barriers sud-
denly burst through. as they some
times do, tremendous floods Of water
devastate the valley below. The Matt
mark See, in Switzerland. and other
bodies OF water held up behind alpine
glaciers have been a menace.
But great as are the direct effects
upon the drainage, Of ice Of existing
glaciers, those brought to light by
study OF the glacial period in North
America surpass them all in wonder
full measure. Naturally the accumula-
ton Of ice during the glacial period
began at the north, and early clogged
up the great lines Of drainage which
lead in that direction, while. after the
Ice had reached its farthest limit and
began to melt back. the northerly d.
rection of the drainage could not be
resumed until the ice had all melted
away. Thus for long periods the drain.
age OF the great lakes. which now
passes down the st. Lawrence river,
was turned over to swell the volume
Of the Susquehanna and the Ohio
rivers, while all the drainage that now
nnters Hudson bay was turned over
nto the valley of the Missouri and the
Mississippi. This, anyone can see
from a slight study Of the map. must
have been the case. 1t hss been a
most interesting work to biologists to
find these actual outlets Of glacial
drainage, and to trace the effects Of
his great addition Of volume to the
south.flowing streams Of the north.
In general the effects of this great
Increase of the volume OF the water
toured into the valleys of the con.
necticut, Hudson, Susquehanna, Allie
Eheny, Ohio. Mississippi and Missouri
rivers are evident in the extensive
gravel terraces which line the banks
Of all these streams and of their
northern tributaries.
The terraces OF the Connecticut
river have long been famous, consist
Ing of deposits of gravel and sand ris'
Ing upon either bank Of the river from
50 to 100 feet or more above present
high water mark. In the Hudson val.
lev they exist as brick clays, extensive
ly worked in various places above
New York city. but spreading out into
extensive gravel deposits where the
Hudson river comes out from the
Adirondack mountains. The sandy
plains Of Saratoga were spread out
during that stage Of the glacial period,