201 



[Stevenson. 



Ices Ferry. Descending from the State line to Ice's ferry, on Cheat 

 river, at nearly nine miles ahove its mouth, one sees the first, second, third, 

 sixth, seventh and eighth benches of the series just given, but the fourth 

 and fifth have been so disguised by erosion that they cannot be recognized. 

 Above the third, there are no transported fragments, and the higher 

 benches to the sixth are covered by an irregular deposit of sand with more 

 or less clay. But no clay was observed on the eighth bench. Ascending 

 the opposite side of the river and following the road toward Morgantovvn, 

 one finds rolled and polished stones, mostly of small size, occurring in 

 great numbers up to the level of the third bench, where they suddenly dis- 

 appear. The ninth bench is reached on this road at about three miles from 

 the river near the church and school house. The mile-ground, a level 

 stretch about a mile long and nearly the same distance from Morgantown, 

 is on the eighth bench. 



Standing here and casting the glass around the horizon, one finds this 

 bench marked by flat-topped hills far beyond Decker's creek, which enters 

 the Monongahela at Morgantown, while the same bench is distinctly con- 

 tinuous along the face of Chestnut Ridge southward to certainly beyond the 

 gorge of Booth's creek, which enters the Monongahela river at somewhat 

 more than 12 miles south from the State line. As ascertained from the re- 

 cords of wells bored or digged on the mile-ground, the deposit consists of 

 coarse sand, sometimes containing a little blue clay, in all from 4 to 22 

 feet thick. 



The seventh bench of the Stewartstown series is reached further along 

 the road, where the valley of Decker's creek is first reached, and it is con- 

 tinuous thence around the hills to the Monongahela side. The third bench 

 is well marked at Morgantown and, opposite that village, decayed shells of 

 unto have been ploughed up at that level. 



Line Ferry. Here, at three miles from the mouth of the river, the sev- 

 enth, eighth and ninth benches of the Stewartstown series are distinct on 

 the West Virginia side, but the lower ones have been removed or they 

 have been disguised by erosion so as to be unrecognizable. 



In descending from the north towards this ferry, one has difficulty in rec- 

 ognizing any of the benches, as the hill is abrupt and covered with forest ; 

 but rolled stones appear suddenly and in great numbers at 210 feet above 

 the river bed, and increase thence in size as well as in number to the sur- 

 face of the stream ; while on the opposite side, transported fragments are 

 numerous up to the level of the fifth bench. On both sides the higher 

 benches are covered with sand, showing no polished fragments, but con- 

 taining many small pieces of rock belonging to the immediate vicinity, 

 which have been little affected by weathering and evidently have not been 

 subjected to the action of running water. 



Benches along the Monongahela River. 

 Between the State Line and George's Creek. Coming from the south to 

 Point Marion, where the Cheat and Monongahela rivers unite, one finds all 

 the Stewartstown benches distinct except the third, which has been de- 



