9Q7 



1879.] nu * [Stevenson. 



Thence to within a mile of Brownsville, the country is so disfigured by- 

 erosion that nothing can be determined ; but at that distance from Browns- 

 ville one comes within sight of the Monongahela river and the road soon falls 

 to the eighth bench, which has an absolute altitude of 1185 feet, if the en- 

 gineers' station at West Brownsville was correctly identified. This is ten 

 feet less than at the mouth of Cheat river and 5 feet less than on the Con- 

 ncllsville road near Uniontown. The other benches below this are 

 sufficiently distinct along the river above Brownsville. 



Between the Monongahela River and Washington. On the west side of 

 the river, the eighth bench is reached within a mile and it is the im- 

 portant one north and south as far as the eye can reach, until one comes to 

 a station, known as Kreppsville, say three miles west from the river 

 as measured along the road. But there, at a short distance north from 

 the road, a higher bench is seen at 1225 feet, which seems to be the ninth of 

 the series and is persistent northward. The road reaches this bench at a little 

 way further west and follows it to near the village of Centreville, where, 

 while crossing a stream, it comes down to the eighth bench. At Centre- 

 ville, it returns to the ninth, while both north and south from the village a 

 higher bench is seen in fragments, with an elevation of 1245 feet. Still 

 further north, the tenth bench is shown in the crowns of several flat-topped 

 hills, which have an elevation of 1285 feet. 



Between Centreville and a mile and a half east from the village of 

 Beallsville, the road runs alternately on the 1225 and the 1245 feet bench, 

 but at the latter place it falls to the eighth as it crosses the valley of a 

 stream emptying into the Monongahela river. It quickly rises again to 

 1225 and then to 1245 feet, both distinct benches, and within a short dis- 

 tance it comes up to the tenth. The last is the great bench north and south, 

 and apparently it is the most important bench thus far on this side of the 

 river. 



West from Beallsville is a high hill, which seems to mark the dividing 

 line between the benches of the Monongahela Valley and those belonging 

 to the valley of Chartiers creek and the Ohio river at the west, though it 

 is broken by Pike run at a little way north from the National road. On 

 this hill, one rises to 1420 and 1445 feet above tide, two splendid benches, 

 and the summit of the hill is little less than 1500 feet. 



Descending the west side of this hill, one comes to the 1420 feet bench 

 and goes below it ; but in ascending the first summit east from Hillsbor- 

 ough, he crosses benches at 1420, 1445 and 1475 feet, all of them perfectly 

 distinct, the first two quite as much so as on the east side of the Beallsville 

 Ridge. Descending from this, one soon comes to the tenth bench at 1295 

 feet, but in ascending to Hillsborough he again crosses benches at 1420, 

 1445 and 1475 feet and reaches 1505 feet at the hill-top, the three benches be- 

 ing very distinct. Hillsborough is at 12 miles east from Washington. 



At eleven miles east from Washington, the road crosses the 1445 fe?t 

 bench ; at ten miles, the bench at 1380 feet ; and at 9| miles, the tenth at 

 1295 feet. At nine miles, one reaches the head of Pike run, and in the 



