﻿104 
  TWENTY-FIRST 
  REPORT 
  ON 
  THE 
  STATE 
  CABINET. 
  

  

  lar 
  swampy 
  depressions, 
  while 
  the 
  shale 
  rock 
  underlaid 
  the 
  general 
  

   surface, 
  often 
  appearing 
  above 
  it, 
  and 
  for 
  long 
  distances 
  only 
  cov- 
  

   ered 
  with 
  a 
  shallow 
  deposit 
  of 
  soil. 
  These 
  depressions 
  were 
  

   sounded 
  with 
  steel 
  rods 
  and 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  filled 
  with 
  peaty 
  matter, 
  

   having 
  all 
  the 
  characteristics 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  pot-holes 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  

   side 
  of 
  the 
  stream. 
  In 
  comparing 
  the 
  observations 
  made 
  upon 
  

   the 
  two 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  it 
  was 
  found, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  our 
  observations 
  

   extended, 
  that 
  the 
  ancient 
  pot-holes 
  are 
  distributed 
  in 
  a 
  general 
  

   north 
  and 
  south 
  direction. 
  It 
  is 
  true 
  that 
  others 
  were 
  observed 
  on 
  

   both 
  sides 
  of 
  those 
  shown 
  upon 
  the 
  map, 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  

   farther 
  to 
  the 
  south, 
  but 
  in 
  their 
  general 
  direction 
  they 
  cross 
  

   the 
  valley 
  instead 
  of 
  being 
  parallel 
  with 
  it. 
  From 
  the 
  careful 
  

   examinations 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  broad 
  river-bed 
  above 
  the 
  falls, 
  during 
  

   the 
  low 
  water 
  of 
  summer, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  possible 
  that 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  

   and 
  deep 
  pot-holes 
  could 
  have 
  escaped 
  our 
  notice 
  had 
  they 
  

   existed. 
  

  

  We 
  have, 
  therefore, 
  by 
  these 
  observations 
  determined 
  that 
  the 
  

   water 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  river, 
  neither 
  above, 
  below, 
  or 
  at 
  the 
  falls, 
  

   produces 
  pot-holes 
  of 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  those 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  Masto- 
  

   don 
  bones 
  were 
  found. 
  We 
  find 
  that 
  the 
  pot-holes 
  termed 
  ancient 
  

   do 
  not 
  follow 
  the 
  present 
  river 
  course, 
  and 
  we 
  infer 
  that 
  they 
  

   have 
  had 
  a 
  different 
  origin, 
  since 
  the 
  present 
  river 
  produces 
  nothing 
  

   of 
  similar 
  character. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  all 
  these 
  ancient 
  pot-holes, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  space 
  occupied 
  by 
  gravel 
  and 
  pebbles, 
  which 
  are 
  

   chiefly 
  or 
  almost 
  wholly 
  of 
  hard 
  quartzite, 
  a 
  partially 
  meta- 
  

   morphic 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  Potsdam 
  sandstone. 
  Had 
  these 
  pot- 
  

   holes 
  been 
  made 
  by 
  an 
  ancient 
  river 
  flowing 
  in 
  the 
  old 
  Mohawk 
  

   valley, 
  we 
  should 
  expect 
  to 
  find 
  the 
  pebbles 
  occupying 
  them 
  

   to 
  be 
  of 
  rocks 
  brought 
  down 
  by 
  the 
  river 
  from 
  the 
  west. 
  

   Looking 
  along 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  valley 
  westward, 
  we 
  find 
  

   no 
  rock 
  in 
  place 
  that 
  would 
  have 
  produced 
  such 
  pebbles, 
  though 
  

   similar 
  pebbles 
  occur 
  abundantly 
  among 
  the 
  gravel 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  Mohawk 
  valley. 
  Turning 
  to 
  the 
  northward 
  we 
  find 
  

   large 
  exposures 
  of 
  the 
  sandstone 
  or 
  quartzite, 
  from 
  which 
  these 
  

   pebbles 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  derived, 
  had 
  there 
  been 
  the 
  means 
  of 
  

   transporting 
  them. 
  

  

  The 
  breaking 
  down 
  of 
  these 
  rocks 
  and 
  the 
  transport 
  of 
  

   fragments 
  is 
  usually 
  attributed 
  to 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  ice, 
  and 
  the 
  

   rounding 
  of 
  these 
  into 
  pebbles 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  subsequent 
  action 
  

  

  