The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-11-21
!SIEERENCES FROM KNOWN
FACTS IN GEOLOGY

To the Editor: In arformer article,
under these headlines, which appeared
in The News and Observer. l called
attention to the fact that the sun, dur
ing the millions OF years before the
introduction Of vegetation, eroded the
exposed surfaces of rivers, mountains
and hills, SO that enormous bluffs are
now found on the south sides of rivers
and steep precipiceS OF the north sides
of mountains, all over the United
States.
This interesting discovery led me
TO question some OF the theories of
famous biologists, and to offer eXpla-
ation of some of the interesting
phenomena which have been pulling
students everywhere, cOnfessing, how
ever. that his is a field Of study in
which conflicting theories can be
strongly supported.
J.. In the British islands, as pointed
but before, there is evidence that
when the erosion Of rivers, mountains
and hills was going on, the north pole
vas somewhere in northern Green
land or in Baffin's Bay. There can be
no other reasonable explanation OF
the fact that Snowden is "precipitous
on its west side;' that Ben Lomond
has "a gentle declivity on its south
s~roI - LIiG LIZ tCb11 VI SlooSd
hills in these islands slopes towards
the southeast;" that independent ac-
foundations of gravel, etc, gather
without any order of arrangement.
alonS the eastern TANKS Of those trap
hills, which present a bold front, or
CGa2, to the Westward" that blocks,
evidently derived from the outcrops
OF certain strata, are often found
among the debris a few yards to the
sCutheast;" and that 1.-The tortuous
ridge of table land" which reaches
from Yorkshire to Dorset, rising some
times into hills $500 feet high, pre-
SCENTS generally a bold escarpment to
the vest, and has a gentle slope to the
east
?. The evidence of the enormous
transporting powers Of the snow and
ice, while the earth was approaching
its present stratiied condition, has
been preserved by the boulders or err
rattle blocks Of tor which have been
found in Europe and in the eastern
section Of the United States. In the
latter they We're pushed as far south
ward as the goth degree of north lati-
tude and in the former to the 50th
degree, thus confirming what has al
ready been suggested as to the posi-
uon Of the north pole during those
early times.
). AS the "'erratic bouIderS" have
not been found in the western sections
of the United States, the Inference is
not unreasonable that those sections
were under water in those days; and
this inference is strengthened by the
animal remains which have beer
found in those sections.
/. 1t would be unreasonable to sup
pose that during the inconceivably
long time which we canno
disrupted blocks of stone were repeat
edly transported southwark by the ice
and SHOW which erode the polar, re-
glona; and, if 50, We can understant
the origin OF some of the phenomena
which nave puzzled biologists.
D. AS the polar regions cooled, the
water suspended in the atmoSphert
began to descend as rain or snow, an6
the violence of the storms must nave
been more destructive than anything
civilized man has witnessed, and, co
operating with volcanic forces, the.
threw the fractured and contortet
Shell OF the earth into every magma
Die position, ground many rocks int
sand, clay, etc, and raised man,
ridges and hills far above the snov
line. Then commenced a struggle be
tween the ~eleVating powers OF Vol
canoes and the destructive powers Q
snow and ice, q struggle Whlch de
creased in violence as the fuel Whlcf
fed the volcanoes was converted int
smoke and ashes.
s. AS the poles were II first TO De
come fitted for vegetable life, We mus
suppose that there was a gradual IN