BEA.CHES OF LAKE WHITTLESEY. 751 



Lake Whittlesey lies only 1 to 1^- miles north of it, and sandy ridges fill 

 in part of the interval between the two beaches. In the part north of 

 Ayersville the lake seems to have washed the eastern face, while the bay 

 washed the western face of the ridge. But the lake subsequently built up 

 a beach farther east, leaving the western ridge to be washed by the bay 

 alone. This interpretation is based upon the bedding of the gravel as well 

 as the form of the ridge, large gravel pits in the western ridge north of 

 Ayersville showing' clearly that the waves came in from the east. The east 

 and west ridges became united at the north near the Baltimore and Ohio 

 Railroad, and from the north end a hook curves around to the west and 

 south in such manner as to suggest that a current passed into the bay from 

 the lake. Sand dunes are not confined to the interval between the two 

 ridges, there being a prominent range west of the west ridge 1 to 2 miles 

 west of Ayersville. The complexity of the shore features will be seen by 

 reference to the map (PL XXIV). 



The altitude of the beach of Defiance Bay at Pleasant Bend is shown 

 by the profile of the Toledo, St. Louis and Kansas City Railroad to be 742 

 feet, while the beach of Lake Whittlesey at New Bavaria is shown by the 

 same railroad to be about 5 feet lower. This slight difference may prevail 

 for some distance southeast from Pleasant Bend, for the bay beach stands 

 very near the water parting on the uioraine while the lake beach is 2 or 3 

 miles north of the water parting. The surface for some distance north from 

 the crest or water parting is, however, so flat that ditching is necessary to 

 obtain adequate drainage, and the fall can be but a very few feet between 

 these beaches. At Archbold the Defiance Bay beach has nearly the same 

 altitude as the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway station, or about 

 735 feet. It is as low as the neighboring part of the lake beach. The ridge 

 crossed by the same railway on the west side of the bay is shown by the 

 profile to be 173 feet above Lake Erie, or very nearly 735 feet above tide. 



THE SOUTH SHORE OF r,AKE WHITTEESEX. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



From the south bluff of the Maumee River, about 3 miles east of 

 Defiance, a well-defined beach similar to that north of the river leads 

 southeastward to New Bavaria, thence eastward to Ridgeland, thence south 

 of east through Belmore and Deweyville into northwestern Hancock 



