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THE CHANNEL: AT YOU BET AND BED DOCx. 



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or twenty-five feet between Brown's and Niece and "West's. And the high knob of slate to the 

 south shows that the channel must have had a nearly southwest course between the two places. 

 As to the difference of level, however, between Mallory's and Heydliff's our results are not quite 



so Sf 



— the reductions giving 2,641 feet for each place. But the three mines in question 

 have been so far connected underground as to show, from the running of the water, that the grade 

 of the bed-rock is from Mallory's towards Heydliff's. No great difference was expected, owing to 

 the proximity of the two stations ; but the bed-rock at Mallory's is probably live or six feet higher 

 than at Heydliff's. The calculation of the altitude of the bed-rock at the foot of the incline is 

 probably less trustworthy than the others, partly on account of the difficulty of getting an accurate 

 reading underground, and partly from the slight uncertainty resting upon the temperature term. 

 ■For places so close together and so nearly on the same level, some other method of determining tho 

 difference of altitude is to be preferred, when the closest accuracy is desired. In the present case, 

 however, there seems to be evidence enough that the bed-rock slopes at an easy river grade from 

 Mallory's to Waloupa. 



On the opposite side of Wilcox Ravine and a little to the east of Brown's house there is slate- 

 rock decidedly higher than the bed of tho ravine, which may be taken as the east rim of the chan- 

 nel or as a part of an island in the stream. The latter supposition seems preferable, because farther 

 to the east we find other gravel similar in character, to say nothing about the high deposits on 

 Chicken Point. 



So far, then, there seems to be no difficulty in tracing the channel by the grade of its bed. But 

 beyond this point trouble arises. For the next half-mile in a northerly direction there is no 

 deep bed-rock to be seen. In the mine just to the east of where the Bed Dog road crosses the 

 ravine between Savage's and Williams' there is a little bed-rock dipping rapidly to the east. Its 

 altitude we made to be 2,828 feet. How much deeper the rock extends in an easterly direction 

 there is no means of knowing, for it is not seen again until it comes out high up on the Sugar Loaf, 

 three quarters of a mile distant. Somewhere between these points, it is natural to suppose, a deep 

 channel lies. Still farther to the north, at a. point on the south side of Missouri Canon, — opposite 

 the Cozzens and Garber shaft, — bed-rock is seen at the outlet of a mine at an altitude of 

 4762 feet. Its dip is nearly northwest; that is to say, under the canon. But as the canon has 

 be en filled to a considerable depth with tailings, this observation may have been deceptive. The 

 course of the sluice, up which bed-rock could bo followed for a distance of four or live hundred 

 feet, was S. 20° E. (magnetic). Following up the sluice for about 350 feet I found the slate con- 

 tinually and regularly rising. Farther up the mine the rock rose on the west side while it disap- 

 peared from view under the gravel on the east. The highest point of slate-rock seen in this mine 

 Was Where it disappeared under the gravel of the west bank which has not yet been washed away. 

 inis was at least forty feet above tho mouth of the sluice, or, in round numbers, at an altitude of 

 2,800 feet. Farther to the west there was a, still higher slate hill, so that there can be no doubt 

 °f my having been on the west rim again, —as at the rock opposite Savage's. So far it seems that 

 the observations cannot lead to any erroneous conclusions, for we have found two points on tho 

 west rim with plenty of room for tho channel to the east and no chance for it at the west. 



The Cozzens and Garber shaft, mentioned above, is on the north side of Missouri Canon, 

 and was sunk through gravel for about ninety feet before reaching bed-rock. The depth of the 

 s ^aft I cannot give with precision, on account of the diversity of statements made by different per- 

 sons. Ninety feet is not far from correct. The altitude of the top timbers we made to be 2,747 

 feet ; which would give for the bed-rock at the bottom about 2,057 feet. The prevalent idea among 

 those acquainted with the region was that the deepest part of tho channel was found at or near 



6 Dot ^>m of this shaft. If this is so there would seem to be nothing to prevent the original 



Channel's having passed from the Cozzens and Garber shaft to the south and southwest by 



Mallory's and Waloupa. But by going to Red Dog, bed-rock is found exposed in abundance at 



au altitude of only 2,621 feet I only four feet higher than at Niece and West's (though the dis- 



an ce in a straight line is a mile and a half), and actually lower than at Mallory's or Cozzens and 



