The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1922-09-07
N. ID. Ignite BED ONCE A.
SWAMP

North Dakota's great Ignite coal
bedsS whose possibilities as a source
of fuel have taken especial signifi-
canoe with the prospect of fuel
shortage due to both the coal miners'
and shopmen's strikes, were formed
ages ago when most of this state was
a vast swamp, according to DR.. NJ. A.
Gilmore, curator of the State Histori-
cal Society. Discussing early geo.
graphical changes and plant life, DR..
Gilmore says:
"The vast region of the Great
Plains was formerly great sea. Into
this sea flowed rivers from the lands
on the east and the west carrying
their loads of sand and silt. This de-
post of silt and sand was built into
the sedimentary rock of the sea bot
tom. BY successive emerg renee
and submergence the region was al
ternated land and sea.
Finally the land rose and was
submerged no more. 1t was now q
vast expanse of swampy land and
of lakes. Into this region vegetation
came, such as was suited to the ma
tural conditions. So for long ages
the vegetation fourished. In the
great marshes the vegetation year
after year fell and was covered by the
water of the marsh, which prevented
it's decay. In this way the great lig-
mite beds were formed.
But in time strange age LONG
winter came over all the land. Arctic
conditions PREVAILED; snow did not
melt from year to year, but continued
to accumulate. Finally slowly mov-
ing mass of ice, continental glacier,
advanced from the north, coming az
far as some distance beyond the pres
ent course of the Missouri river.
CAS- gradually as this glacation
had come on, so gradually it receded.
just as autumn, winter and spring
come now each year. But the COM
ing, the continuance, and the recess
sion of the ice Of the age long winter
occupied many thousands or hundreds
of thousands of years. And there
was not only one but several of these
age long winters with consequent ad-
vance and intermittent recession Of
the great icecap over the land.
"Most of what is now North Dakota
was thus covered in those times with
mass of ice many thousands of feet
in thickness. The slowly moving mass
by its great weight crushed and broke
away masses of rock which were Left
in the form of boulders strewn over
the land when the ice finally retreatea
for the last time.
GAS the great cold season drew to
an end the icecap gradually melted
away along it's front and so recedet1
towards the north. After the ice
thus receded vegetation began to
move in and take possession of the
land once more, just as we may see
vegetation now taking possession of
the land close up to the edges of the
continental glacier in Greenland and
of the mountain glaciers in the Rocky
Mountains of America and the Alps of
Switzerland"
Ward Co. Fair-sept. 12-15-
CRUX OF THE ELECTION FIGHT
Kansas City Star:-The ponderous
McCumber permanent tariff bill got
thru the senate last week. The bill
ultimately will throw the highest pro-
tective tariff wall in history around
every agricultural and industrial in
terest in the United States. Political
leaders of both parties are preparing,
to hurl it into the maelstrom of the
November elections as the technical
national issue.
Its supporters declare the bill will
protect American enterprise against
invasion by cheap foreign competition.
give the American farmer living re-
turn for his fields and produce 400
million dollars annually in revenues.
Its opponents charge the measure
will tax the American cons inning pub
lie two billion dollars annually for the
benefit CT a comparatively few, Will
increase the cost of existence, and de-
stroy Americas foreign markets.
The bill now goes back to the house,
and the differences between the two
horses will he threshed out in confer