34° 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



REMARKABLE BOWLDERS. 



By DAVID A. WELLS. 



THE calling of attention, in The Popular Science Monthly for 

 June, 1890, to the evidences of glacial action in southeastern 

 Connecticut afforded by the number and great size of the bowl- 

 ders in that section of the country, with accompanying illustra- 

 tions from photographs, has been instrumental in creating no 

 little popular interest on the subject, and in bringing to the atten- 

 tion of the public many other interesting examples of like glacial 

 phenomena that have hitherto almost escaped notice. 



Accepting reported measurements, the largest erratic block, or 

 bowlder, as yet recognized in the United States, and probably in 

 the world, is in the town of Madison, N. H., and, according to 

 Prof. Crosby, of the Boston Institute of Technology, has the fol- 

 lowing maximum dimensions : Length, 83 feet ; width, in excess 

 of 45 feet ; height, 30 to 37 feet ; contents, 90,000 cubic feet ; and 

 probable weight, 15,300,000 pounds, or 7,050 tons. 



Fig. L 



Next to this in size is undoubtedly the great rock in the town 

 of Montville, New London County, Connecticut, generally known 

 by its Indian designation as " Sheegan," and also as " Mohegan " 

 (Fig. 1). In the opinion of some, this rock is an isolated granite 

 protuberance, and not a true " erratic " or bowlder ; but recent ex- 

 aminations have seemed to completely negative the first supposi- 

 tion. Its approximate maximum dimensions are : Length, 75 feet ; 

 width, 58 feet ; height, 60 feet ; contents, 70,000 cubic feet ; weight. 



