﻿144 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  great 
  sponge 
  of 
  sand 
  plain, 
  on 
  which 
  is 
  located 
  the 
  military 
  

   camp, 
  is 
  not 
  into 
  the 
  Black 
  river 
  but 
  north 
  into 
  the 
  Indian 
  river.^ 
  

   Along 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  sand 
  plain 
  huge 
  springs 
  gush 
  out 
  along 
  

   the 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  imperAdous 
  drift, 
  while 
  such 
  are 
  entirely 
  want- 
  

   ing 
  on 
  the 
  Black 
  river 
  side. 
  It 
  is 
  certain, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  if 
  the 
  

   delta 
  at 
  Felts 
  Mills 
  and 
  Black 
  River 
  were 
  not 
  there 
  the 
  river 
  would 
  

   plunge 
  northward. 
  It 
  is 
  equally 
  certain 
  that 
  before 
  the 
  ice 
  invasion, 
  

   and 
  the 
  deposition 
  of 
  the 
  delta 
  and 
  moraine 
  barrier, 
  the 
  river 
  did 
  

   flow 
  northward. 
  The 
  only 
  condition 
  which 
  could 
  produce 
  south- 
  

   ward 
  flow 
  would 
  be 
  a 
  northward 
  uplift 
  20 
  or 
  30 
  feet 
  per 
  mile 
  

   greater 
  than 
  we 
  have 
  today, 
  Avhich 
  is 
  extremely 
  unlikely 
  for 
  this 
  

   district. 
  As 
  long 
  as 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  St 
  Lawrence 
  valley 
  drainage 
  passed 
  

   north 
  the 
  Black 
  river 
  went 
  with 
  it. 
  

  

  The 
  Avestward 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  Black 
  river 
  from 
  Great 
  Bend 
  is 
  due 
  

   to 
  glacial 
  diversion. 
  The 
  river 
  is 
  on 
  rock 
  and 
  with 
  no 
  proper 
  valley. 
  

   It 
  is 
  in 
  a 
  postglacial 
  channel. 
  Moreover, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  south 
  leading 
  

   valley 
  in 
  the 
  Watertown 
  district 
  suflicient 
  for 
  a 
  large 
  river. 
  If 
  

   there 
  Avere 
  the 
  Black 
  Avould 
  be 
  in 
  it 
  today 
  as 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  heaAW 
  drift 
  

   barrier 
  to 
  block 
  drainage 
  in 
  the 
  district 
  south 
  of 
  Watertown. 
  

  

  The 
  later 
  history 
  is 
  quite 
  clear. 
  During 
  not 
  only 
  the 
  advance 
  and 
  

   retreat 
  of 
  the 
  latest 
  ice 
  sheet 
  but 
  probably 
  that 
  of 
  earlier 
  ice 
  sheets 
  

   the 
  Black 
  valley 
  high-level 
  Avaters 
  Avere 
  forced 
  AvestAvard 
  and 
  south- 
  

   Avard 
  around 
  the 
  Rutland 
  promontory. 
  High 
  on 
  the 
  slopes 
  at 
  Copen- 
  

  

  1 
  Extracted 
  from 
  report 
  of 
  Frank 
  A. 
  Hinds 
  to 
  the 
  Water 
  Board 
  of 
  the 
  

   City 
  of 
  Watertown, 
  June 
  29, 
  1908. 
  

  

  . 
  . 
  the 
  entire 
  countr}' 
  slopes 
  tOAvard 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  west 
  and 
  away 
  

   from 
  the 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  Avhich 
  is 
  the 
  highest 
  part. 
  

  

  The 
  Pine 
  Plains 
  is 
  a 
  sheet 
  of 
  very 
  clean 
  sand 
  from 
  50 
  to 
  7p 
  feet 
  thick 
  

   and 
  covering 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  from 
  25 
  to 
  40 
  square 
  miles. 
  The 
  sand 
  is 
  so 
  porous 
  

   that 
  all 
  the 
  rainfall 
  sinks 
  directly 
  into 
  it 
  and 
  forms 
  a 
  natural 
  reservoir 
  at 
  

   the 
  bottom. 
  This 
  ground 
  water 
  has 
  a 
  slow 
  movement 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  

   slope 
  but 
  does 
  not 
  become 
  exhausted 
  during 
  the 
  dry 
  season 
  as 
  the 
  constant 
  

   character 
  of 
  the 
  springs 
  at 
  its 
  edge 
  proves. 
  

  

  While 
  the 
  water 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  opposite 
  the 
  (U. 
  S. 
  military) 
  camp 
  is 
  100 
  

   feet 
  beloAv 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  plains, 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  impervious 
  bed 
  of 
  clay 
  

   and 
  rock 
  underlying 
  the 
  sand 
  which 
  is 
  from 
  30 
  to 
  50 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  ri\-er. 
  

   This 
  clay 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  many 
  places 
  along 
  the 
  bank, 
  though 
  in 
  others 
  the 
  

   sand 
  has 
  run 
  down 
  and 
  covered 
  it 
  over. 
  Five 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  Avest 
  the 
  sand 
  

   plateau 
  stops 
  and 
  the 
  clay 
  substratum 
  continues 
  as 
  the 
  surface 
  soil 
  of 
  the 
  

   country: 
  but 
  here 
  it 
  is 
  100 
  feet 
  lower 
  than 
  Avhere 
  it 
  commences 
  at 
  the 
  

   river 
  brink 
  under 
  the 
  camp. 
  

  

  This 
  northwesterly 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  subsoil 
  determines 
  the 
  direction 
  or 
  flow 
  

   of 
  the 
  underground 
  water 
  and 
  accounts 
  for 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  but 
  few 
  

   and 
  comparativelv 
  small 
  springs 
  floAving 
  into 
  the 
  Black 
  river 
  from 
  under 
  

   the 
  plains, 
  while" 
  those 
  along 
  the 
  western 
  border 
  of 
  the 
  sand 
  are 
  more 
  

   copious 
  and 
  gather 
  into 
  several 
  creeks 
  or 
  brooks 
  of 
  noticeable 
  magnitude 
  

   Avhich 
  flow 
  westerly 
  into 
  the 
  Indian 
  river. 
  The 
  few 
  springs 
  along 
  the 
  

   Black 
  river 
  bank 
  are 
  Avhere 
  the 
  underground 
  water 
  spills 
  over 
  the 
  easter 
  y 
  

   upper 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  clay 
  stratum, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  comparatively 
  few 
  and 
  small 
  

   ... 
  the 
  Avater 
  Avhich 
  emanates 
  from 
  under 
  the 
  Pine 
  Plains 
  does 
  not 
  

   get 
  into 
  the 
  Black 
  river 
  to 
  any 
  extent 
  worthy 
  of 
  attention. 
  

  

  