THE WESTFIELU PLAIN. 651 



and yet, iminediatel}- after passing the two obstruetino- liills, the waters 

 have tilled the broad valley (which is over 3^ miles across at its narrowest 

 point) well-nig-h to the height of the highest terrace, everywhere from side 

 to side, and for 10 miles south. Where the waters swejjt around tlic two 

 hills mentioned above, broad grooves appear in the ])lain, hugging the sides 

 of each hill (If), and joining and running out southward on the plain for a 

 long distance, with a tail of higher sands between them; and from the south- 

 east corner of White Loaf a heavy bar of coarse gravel (1 s h) runs out 

 southeast, and east of this was left the great depression of the Hampden 

 ponds. 



White Loaf ends near the north line of Westiield, but the East Farms 

 Hill is continued in a low, broad reach of till down halfway to Westiield 

 village, dividing the plain, but in all its southern portion hardly rising 

 above the surface of the highest waters, and bounded by a marked bow Ider 

 beach. 



On the w-est side was the real thread of the current of the broad river, 

 and this was early utilized for the Farmington Canal. Just on the north 

 line of Westfield the main stream received the waters of the Manhan, and 

 the increased eroding power derived from their junction is seen in the lower- 

 ing of the ])lain for a mile south of the town line. This was aided, also, by 

 the narrowing of the channel through this distance. Then the valley quite 

 suddenly doubles in width and the low thread continues along its eastern 

 side, hugging the East Farms Hill, and the plain is gradually built up to a 

 much greater height along its western half, and for a long distance south 

 the height of its western edge is 300 feet, and it slopes east very gradually 

 40 feet and then quite rapidly 25 feet more to the bottom of the deep-water 

 channel. Southward, the highest point in this channel is a mile south of 

 East Farms, where the south end of the East Farms Hill drops down and 

 the two valleys come together. North of this all the brooks which come 

 from the hills of West Farms and East Farms gather in this deep-water cur- 

 rent bed and run north. 



The terracelike slope which borders this deep-water channel on the west 

 bends round (north of F. W. Griswold's) to the west and runs west to the 

 slope of Pochassic Mountain. The corresponding slope which bounds the 

 channel on the east bends east at the same point, and the westward-running 

 last-mentioned slope, if prolonged eastward, would just meet and be continued 



