﻿156 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STx\TE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  A 
  PECULIAR 
  LANDSLIP 
  IN 
  THE 
  HUDSON 
  RIVER 
  

  

  CLAYS 
  

  

  BY 
  D. 
  H. 
  NEWLAND 
  

  

  The 
  glacial 
  and 
  postglacial 
  clays 
  of 
  the 
  Hudson 
  valley 
  when 
  

   occurring 
  in 
  large 
  bodies 
  on 
  slopes 
  are 
  very 
  prone 
  to 
  subsidence 
  

   or 
  iiowage 
  and 
  occasionally 
  are 
  precipitated 
  en 
  masse 
  as 
  landslides 
  

   of 
  notable 
  magnitude. 
  There 
  is 
  record 
  of 
  frequent 
  damage 
  by 
  

   such 
  disturbances 
  to 
  the 
  cities 
  and 
  towns 
  that 
  occupy 
  the 
  terraces 
  

   along 
  either 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  Hudson; 
  Albany 
  and 
  Troy, 
  for 
  example, 
  

   have 
  suffered 
  repeated 
  loss 
  by 
  the 
  disruption 
  of 
  buildings 
  and 
  en- 
  

   gineering 
  works 
  founded 
  upon 
  the 
  clays. 
  ^ 
  

  

  The 
  landslip 
  illustrated 
  herewith 
  took 
  place 
  March 
  26, 
  1908, 
  at 
  

   Stockport, 
  Columbia 
  co., 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Hudson 
  river. 
  

   It 
  involved 
  a 
  relatively 
  small 
  area, 
  and 
  the 
  main 
  interest 
  centers 
  

   around 
  the 
  peculiar 
  form 
  which 
  it 
  exhibited 
  and 
  the 
  explanation 
  

   of 
  its 
  origin 
  in 
  the 
  light 
  of 
  surrounding 
  conditions. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  area 
  south 
  of 
  Stockport 
  creek, 
  below 
  its 
  junction 
  with 
  

   Claverack 
  creek, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  terrace 
  lying 
  at 
  about 
  the 
  100-foot 
  

   contour, 
  or 
  at 
  a 
  like 
  elevation 
  above 
  the 
  Hudson 
  of 
  which 
  it 
  forms 
  

   the 
  bank 
  for 
  some 
  distance. 
  The 
  terrace 
  has 
  been 
  dissected 
  by 
  

   small 
  streams 
  that 
  in 
  places 
  have 
  cut 
  deeply 
  into 
  the 
  clays, 
  though 
  

   it 
  still 
  presents 
  a 
  fairly 
  uniform 
  surface 
  with 
  an 
  abrupt 
  descent 
  to 
  

   the 
  valley 
  bottoms 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  west. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  streams 
  

   on 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  leads 
  through 
  a 
  ravine 
  past 
  Stockport 
  ceme- 
  

   tery 
  to 
  enter 
  Stockport 
  creek 
  opposite 
  Columbiaville. 
  The 
  northern 
  

   bank 
  of 
  this 
  ravine, 
  which 
  was 
  involved 
  in 
  the 
  slip, 
  rises 
  from 
  60 
  

   to 
  75 
  feet 
  and 
  is 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  well 
  stratified 
  clays 
  resting 
  upon 
  the 
  

   Hudson 
  River 
  shale. 
  The 
  s'hale, 
  however, 
  is 
  not 
  exposed 
  within 
  

   the 
  ravine, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  whole 
  thickness 
  of 
  the 
  clays 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  stated. 
  

  

  The 
  subsidence, 
  as 
  appears 
  from 
  the 
  accompanying 
  illustrations, 
  

   assumed 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  block 
  fault. 
  A 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  bank 
  250 
  

  

  ^ 
  Several 
  landslides 
  are 
  mentioned 
  in 
  Mather's 
  report 
  on 
  the 
  first 
  district 
  

   (1843). 
  The 
  most 
  notable 
  one 
  occurred 
  at 
  Troy 
  on 
  January 
  i, 
  1837, 
  and 
  

   involved 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  clay 
  estimated 
  at 
  200,000 
  tons 
  which 
  was 
  loosened 
  from 
  

   the 
  face 
  of 
  a 
  terrace 
  and 
  was 
  precipitated 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  800 
  feet 
  toward 
  the 
  

   river, 
  sweeping 
  away 
  houses 
  in 
  its 
  course 
  and 
  destroying 
  several 
  lives. 
  

   By 
  another 
  landslip 
  on 
  March 
  17, 
  1859, 
  a 
  building 
  in 
  course 
  of 
  erection 
  for 
  

   St 
  Peter's 
  College 
  at 
  Troy 
  was 
  demolished. 
  In 
  Albany 
  many 
  small 
  slips 
  

   and 
  subsidences 
  have 
  occurred, 
  as 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  displaced 
  or 
  cracked 
  walls 
  

   of 
  buildings. 
  A 
  recent 
  example 
  was 
  the 
  subsidence 
  of 
  a 
  bank 
  of 
  clay 
  on 
  

   the 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  Elk 
  street, 
  whereby 
  a 
  whole 
  row 
  of 
  houses 
  was 
  displaced 
  

   and 
  rendered 
  uninhabitable. 
  

  

  