24 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



nearly coincides with the main axis of elevation already described, 

 though at two places it lies notably farther to the west. 



Fully one-third of the Adirondack area, comprising all the south- 

 eastern portion except that around Lake George, passes either 

 directly into the Hudson river or indirectly by the way of the 

 Mohawk river. The Hudson river, with its two large tributaries, 

 the Schroon and the Sacandaga, catches by far most of this water, 

 while East and West Canada creeks, tributaries of the Mohawk, 

 catch most of the remainder. The Hudson proper follows a remark- 

 able course. With sources on the southwestern slope of Mount 

 Marcy, the river, after flowing south for about 15 miles, turns 

 abruptly westward for several miles where it takes the drainage 

 from the chain of lakes in the vicinity of Newcomb. Thence the 

 river turns sharply to the south-southwest for 10 miles along a 

 remarkably straight channel whose position has been determined 

 by a prominent zone of fracture in the earth. Then, after the 

 junction with Indian river, there is a very sharp swing to the east 

 for 8 miles ; thence south for 4 miles ; and thence in a general south- 

 eastward direction for 25 miles to near Warrensburg. From the 

 mouth of Indian river to near Warrensburg, the course is largely 

 determined by belts of weak rock (limestone) and earth fractures. 

 Instead of passing southeast into the Lake George depression 

 through one of the two low valleys near Warrensburg, both the 

 Hudson and Schroon rivers keep to the west and, after their junc- 

 tion, flow south to Corinth (Saratoga county) on the way passing 

 through a gorge a thousand feet deep, cut in hard rock near Stony 

 Creek station. From Corinth' instead of flowing south through a 

 broad, low valley, the Hudson turns abruptly through a deep gorge 

 in hard rock across a mountain ridge finally to emerge upon the 

 sandy plain near Glens Falls. 



Though shorter, the course of the Sacandaga river is no less 

 remarkable. Beginning at the source of the West branch in the 

 southern part of the Lake Pleasant quadrangle, the water flows 

 southwest, west, north, northeast and east where, after making an 

 almost complete circuit of 28 miles, the river is less than 4 miles 

 from its starting point (see map figure 3). This peculiar course 

 is largely due to the arrangement of fracture zones of weakness in 

 the rocks. A few miles more to the east, the East and West 

 branches are confluent. Thence for 18 miles southeast to Northamp- 

 ton in the Broadalbin quadrangle, the direction of the main river 

 is quite normal for this part of the Adirondacks. At Northampton 

 the river shows a remarkable tendency to double back on its course, 



