Topographical Features of the New Haven region. 71 



marking the direction of the strongest currents, and these gravel 

 courses should be not far below the surface unless the depth of water 

 in which they were deposited were too great for this. Accordingly, 

 we find that the valley of West River, near West Rock is a pebbly and 

 stony region. 



Another more remarkable gravel course extends from the head of 

 the harbor between Meadow and Franklin streets over State and 

 Orange streets, toward and beyond Whitneyville, and this was evi- 

 dently the course of the Mill Miner channel. It follows (see map) 

 the west side of Mill River from Whitneyville down to Grand street, 

 then diverges a little westward, the I'egion between Mill River and 

 Franklin. Street, as I am informed by Mr. Chatfield, being less stoney 

 than that to the west. Franklin street is about 500 yards from the 

 river. At N'eck Bridge, below the East Rock range, the " alluvium " 

 on the west side of 3Iill River is four-fifths stones ; and on the east it 

 is very pebbly, but the proportion of stones to sand is not more than 

 1^ to 5 ; and farther east the proportion of pebbles becomes quite 

 small. The gi'avel is in all parts exceedingly coarse, and consists 

 largely of cobble stones. This gravel course extends far up Mill Riv- 

 er, and is as coarse in its stones n6ar Ives' Station 4^ miles to the 

 north, as it is over the New Haven region. Just south of the Mt. 

 Carmel gap, the stoney character is still more remarkable. 



Another gravel course, but coalescent with the preceding as it 

 approaches the bay, passes northward along the Canal railroad to the 

 west of Sachem's ridge [Sni]^ instead of to the east of it. It has the 

 course of the East Greek valley. The pebbley deposits or gravel 

 underlie the surface from the head of the bay, northward across State 

 street; its western border follows approximately (as I learn from 

 Messrs. Perkins & Chatfield) a line along State street to Crown, across 

 from this point to the corner of Chapel and Church ; along Church 

 from the corner of Church and Wall to the corner of Grove and 

 Temple ; and thence along the east side of the cemetery. 



The extent of the region shows that the flow producing it had the 

 breadth and character of a tidal flow. This East Creek tidal channel 

 was connected directly with the central interior basin of the harbor, 

 the Beaver Pond depression, as the channels in the surface along 

 Webster and Munson Streets demonstrate (p. 53, 54). 



The Mill River and East Creek tidal courses were branches of the 

 great central tidal flow up the bay. 



The gravel-course of the Quinnipiac is not in sight. This inner 

 harbor of the bay was deep, and swallowed a vast amount of great 

 stones, gravel and sand, without being filled to the sui-face. 



