1881.1 Ooi [Ashburner, 



water). This, with a thickness of eight or ten feet gets piled up by the 

 action of waves and wind, and consequently in the bays of the coast of 

 Labrador it polishes rock bottoms to a depth of fifteen feet or more, below 

 the surface of the water, and grinds off rough surfaces. I have frequently 

 seen, myself, in northern regions, high boulders transported by the ice to 

 which they were frozen in the margin of small lakes. 



From what has been written, it seems to the writer that the glacial origin 

 of Lake Ontario does not rest on a single basis further than that ice scratch- 

 ings (producible by either glaciers or icebergs, neither of which need be 

 great erosive agents) are seen at various places about Lake Ontario, both 

 above and below the water-level. The remarks applied to Lake Ontario 

 hold good for the other lakes. The description of their topography 

 strengthens the proofs that their origin cannot be accounted for by glaciers, 

 because we find the islands at the western end of Lake Erie, or northern 

 end of Lake Huron, polished and striated. 



Before closing, permit me to thank those railway companies which have 

 kindly furnished me with many levels. But in doing this, I may state that 

 it is my purpose to make further requests and hope to do for Ontario, what 

 the Pennsylvania Survey has done, in collecting all levels that bear on the 

 topography of my native Province, in order to make a more complete study 

 of the Preglacial drainage of the great lake region. 



Geological Section at St. Mary's, Elk County, Pennsylvania. By Charles 

 A. Ashburner, M. S. 



{Read before the American PJiilosophical Society, March 18, 1881.) 



Introduction. Probably no locality within the Bituminous Coal Fields 

 of Pennsylvania has had so many and such conflicting reports published on 

 its coal geology as the counties of McKean and Elk. Had these reports 

 been made with the desire of merely collecting facts, and of showing their 

 true correlation, we would no doubt long before now have reached the 

 truth in regard to the systematic geology of the coal measures ; unfortu- 

 nately for science, for the geologist and tlie capitalist, most of the indi- 

 vidual investigators have been biassed and prejudiced in their studies, by 

 a natural desire to find favorable facts, from which to deduce conclusions 

 enhancing property values. In many cases true facts have been presented, 

 but as a rule they have not been sufficiently numerous from which to draw 

 conclusions of a correctness beyond question or doubt. 



As we look back over the varied history of this region during the past 

 twenty years, examine the reports which have been made, both privately 

 and publicly, note the mineral development of the region, consider the re- 

 sults attained, estimate the profit and loss in money value, and count the 

 benefits accruing to the land owner, the county and Commonwealth, 

 the picture presented is unsatisfactory. The steadj', permanent develop- 



