22 PROCEEDINGS S. I. ASSN. ARTS AND SCIENCES. [VoL. I 



the occurrence of charred wood * * * evidently produced by the direct 

 effect of fire * * *. As man was not in existence at that period in the 

 earth's history the origin of the fire must have been due to some 

 natural ag-ency, and as there is no indication of volcanic disturbances 

 we may assume, in the absence of any more likely theory, that it was 

 due to lightning." 



This explanation however was recognized as not entirely satisfactory, 

 for the reason that charred wood is known to occur in deposits of 

 approximately the same geologic age at other widely separated locali- 

 ties, and the theory would therefore imply that there was at that 

 period either an unusual number of such fires from this cause, or else a 

 single conflagration extending over an area of many hundreds of square 

 miles. 



The presence of charred wood in connection with the Cretaceous 

 deposits of Maryland was incidentally mentioned by G. Troost in the 

 early part of the last century, in an article entitled "Description of a 

 Variety of Amber and of a Fossil Substance supposed to be the Nest 

 of an Insect, discovered at Cape Sable, Magothy River, Anne Arundel 

 County, Maryland" . {Am. Journ. Sci., vol. iii, 1821, pp. 8-15,) in 

 which he says, on page 9: "This lignite seems to be formed of three 

 varieties of wood, or rather the wood has undergone three different 

 changes, some pieces of it being entirely charred." 



I have here certain specimens collected at Kreischerville, which 

 include large pieces of lignite charred on the outside only and other 

 smaller fragments completely charred throughout. These latter occur 

 in greatest abundance in connection with layers or seams of yellowish 

 sandy clay. The prevailing colors of the Cretaceous sands and clays 

 throughout this locality are white and gray, while the yellow layers are 

 of quite limited extent and appear to have been burned or baked. It 

 seems therefore reasonable to infer, from this association of materials, 

 that the charred wood was not deposited with the clay in the condition 

 of charred wood, but that it was fresh material at the time of deposition 

 and was subsequently burned in place, thus baking* the enclosing clay. 



At the time when the material was discovered, and indeed until only 

 a few days ago, no other probable cause of the fire than lightning had 

 occurred to me; but in a recent article by D. P. Penhallow, entitled 

 "A Blazing Beach" (Science, vol. xxii, Dec. 15, 1905, pp. 794-796), 

 the author describes a phenomenon which supplies an explanation not 

 only reasonable but probable and apparently conclusive. In order to 

 thoroughly appreciate the significance of this article and its application 

 to the Kreischerville material and environment it should be read ver- 



