58 THE PREGLACIAL DRAINAGE OF OHIO.. 



the new channel of the united Black and Clear Forks, 5 miles: 

 below Loudonville, and create the Big Mohecan. 



We now come to the mysterious Killbuck, the preglaciali 

 heralds of which entered the axial channel at Wooster, but its. 

 mystery is explained by the lately discovered fact, that it was not 

 through its entire course that it so entered pre-glacial times — 

 even from the north, — and its channel from the south will be 

 discussed later. 



Late investigation has developed a new feature in the Kill- 

 buck and Black river valleys, one that throws much light on the 

 enigma of pre-glacial drainage in this region, and these newly 

 observed facts make it necessary that I repeat a few salient points, 

 of my paper, and introduce additional detail. 



I must especially recall to your mind the picture of an 

 island in a Devonian sea; and this island made up of a fold of 

 Silurian and Devonian rock, capped with deeply eroded Waverly. 

 The head of this island was near the mouth of the Black river 

 trough that drained this face of the Waverly; and its sides are 

 now practically bounded by an imaginary line running through 

 Norwalk, New Haven, Galion and Mt. Gilead — on the west, and', 

 on the southeast and northeast, by the Coal Measure conglom- 

 erate from Independence, by Loudonville, Wooster, Orrville 

 and Rocky river from head to mouth. 



It must be remembered that this island has never been en- 

 tirely submerged since the elevation of the Waverly. Its surface' 

 constituted a plateau with only rounded and eroded edges, as 

 determined by the strike of the strata, while the waters drained 

 from it — owing to difference in temperature and quality — assisted' 

 greatly in developing into permanancy a current along its sides. 

 — from south to north — and around its head. This current was 

 maintained during the putting down of the Coals and instituted' 

 the axial channel for all pre-glacial drainage in this region. On: 

 the west and north we had the progenitors of the Huron, Vermil- 

 lion, Black and Rocky rivers; on the southeast and east we had" 

 the initial channels of the Clear, Rocky, Black, Jerome and 

 Muddy Forks of the Mohecan river, and a portion of Killbuck: 

 channel, pouring their floods into this common current ; and this,, 

 through all Carboniferous and subsequent time, until the gla- 



