GEOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY OF THE SCHOHARIE VALLEY 351 



in hight from 2 to 12 inches above the surface of the water. The 

 obstructions being -passed, he soon reached the extremity of the 

 water, where quit*ting the boat, he entered a low and narrow 

 passage, which soon became connected with a spacious room, at 

 least 50 feet square. The rock is represented as here passing into 

 a kind of greywacke, in consequence of which few incrustations 

 were visible in this apartment. The floor was covered by large 

 masses of rocks, which had been apparently precipitated from the 

 roof; and the sound of a distant waterfall was heard from this 

 place. 



A sectional view [fig. 224] and ground plan [fig, 225] of this 

 cave are herewith given. They are redrawn with some omissions 

 (of designed but never perpetrated 'Mmprovements ") from old 

 woodcuts in KnoepfeFs article already referred to. 



Two other small caves are found in the vicinity of Schoharie; 

 Clark's or Gebhard's cave, on the lower slopes of Dann's 

 hill a short distance north of the bridge across the Schoharie 

 [map : Xg, 25] and Becker's cave under Lasell park behind the 

 Lutheran cemetery in Schoharie. The entrance to Clark's cave 

 is in the Rondout beds, a short distance above the Cobleskill 

 [see section, fig. 199]. A stream issues from it, falling over the 

 Cobleskill and following a ravine of some depth. Becker's cave 

 is in the thin bedded Manlius and opens directly in the face of 

 the cliff [see pi. 23]. Stalagmitic deposits of considerable size 

 and some beauty have been taken from this cave. 



Glacial phenomena. The last of the many pronounced changes 

 which the Schoharie region has suffered was due to the invasion 

 of the ice of the glacial period. Great erosive power is often 

 ascribed to the ice, and it has even been suggested that the 

 Schoharie and Cobleskill valleys were the result of glacial ero- 

 sion. We have seen however that the normal processes of stream 

 erosion are fully capable of accomplishing such results, and there 

 is practically no evidence that ice was the agent which cut these 

 valleys. Some erosion was done by the ice, as is seen by the 

 smooth and striated surfaces of the harder rocks wherever ex- 

 posed. But this erosion was more of the nature of a sand- 

 papering off after the main work of cutting the valley was 



