The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1912-09-06

is p blished by Federal Geo
logical Survey with
Maps and Data

MAPS dMQ lldld. r.
WAS Eli NGroN. y. G. Sept. g.
The great 10 tonlae gorge was mo-
ai9ays Is today. one 81 tn
lmost beautiful and lieture one Q.
river The United state.
illogical s. aryey has recently pub;
Ifished geologic folio Describing
ABOUT so Sd aare miles, ine1uding
portton OF the Potomae valley
the areas known as tIle ~ and
Hancock quadrangfes. IN PennsyI !
yania land ana est Virgin g.
This folio faSo 1799 which was
item ~ George w stose, CON
tains most i1lterest ing account q
the radual cutting down BY the rfy-
ler Of this deep gorge during hous-
allds OF years.
The area 81 located 81 part q the
Potomac valley where the river
Wiinds IL great eur through g
deep gorge with dense1y wooded
SOP the raflroad Traveller
these great bends
svlch nlest nfeet before they re-
! verse, ana realizes that st takes
tAFqe lesf a4 long 20 ride Between
ttEpt points as st. would to go in q
strafght line. he may wonder why
tine river acquired such q course.
sa. Once. sIpggIsll. -
In q view from the top OF the
ridges. It can be seen that many Of
Tie hilIfops are! flat and of about
tie same altitude, and that &c the
valleys. were filled up they would
form nearly level plain. This
Feature issalse sexcellently shown BY
the. topographic map which forms q
part of the folio. Mr.. stose says
that many thousand years ago the
Potomac f9o@ad toward the. sea up
on this plain, which at, that time was
much lower in altftude=-in fact 50
near the level OF the sea that the
stream was very sluggish and wan
dered about in its valley as - the
custom of streams with low grade,
such; as the mississippi. Later.
when the interior Of the continent
was som hat elevated. the streams
becatne 4Hre1uvenated'' and cut
down their channels, first into the
soft ydetrItns which had accumiuat
ed IN the valley and eventually into 70
the hard rocks beneath. AS the COM
tineng rose still higher. they cut
deeper into the rocks and, as q re-
suit the Potomac Is now deeply en-
ttreneiied In these #ndfng gorges.
zone stream IN the area, however
II making d chAnael BY cutting on 2
n lander and taking q short cut
through hill. producing beautt-
Rui -cataract This stream shown
in the Photographic illustrations 81
1.-THE folio. as are also the remnants lll
Tor the elevated plain on the hilitops'
once the valleyvof the Potomac.
Crushed Under Great 1sEesstIre 3,
other marvellous features which
the traveller may observe from the
4 ear window Ia passing through this
AREA are the great rock folds. One
! arch Of rock that has been truncated
I Iby the river and Is visible from the
train and canal Is OF such Interest
TO ge6Iogists that It has attracted
visitors from all parts Pof the world
land is Illustrated In some text books
u on geology. OCnefa 1O1nSS t&AVS N494ye s
lfrom the train but read ~ aceessfble
to those interested have the form
OF great saw teeth rising above the
crest OF a hill. An; these folds are
well Illustrated in the fold. These
sEFock folds Are the record OF the
great mountain 8 maAing forces
(which crushed and folded the rocks
i as they were raised out Of the sea
Mango the rocks are full Of well
praserves fossil shells Some that
.thave long. banded, futed wings are
called butterflies blythe natives. How
Edid they get INTO the rocks and what
do they .meane TT, s q.
Shells From an Ancient Sea.
These f6ssfle were shells OF diving
lcreatures that inhabited the sands
4 and :muds Of q sea that covered this
region long ages ago. All the rocks
Enow at the surface OF this area are
A hardened sediments that were de-
tposited on the shore ana on the
I bottom Of the sea, and the shells
lot the animals that lived in these
= aters were buried i'm these sedi-
fments and were hardened with
them. ytNlow we find them beatftiful-
by preserved in stone.
II. =.