﻿FOURTH 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  DIRECTOR 
  igC? 
  2$ 
  

  

  Distribution 
  of 
  the 
  drift. 
  Some 
  facts 
  have 
  already 
  , 
  been 
  given 
  

   in 
  the 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  glacial 
  lobes. 
  No 
  general 
  estimates 
  of 
  the 
  

   thickness 
  of 
  the 
  drifts 
  are 
  offered. 
  These 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  are 
  sure 
  

   to 
  be 
  delusive. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  in 
  a 
  general 
  way 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  Adiron- 
  

   dack 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  area 
  the 
  drift 
  is 
  apt 
  to 
  be 
  thick 
  in 
  the 
  valleys 
  

   and 
  it 
  is 
  generally 
  thin 
  on 
  the 
  slopes 
  and 
  summits 
  as 
  would 
  be 
  ex- 
  

   pected. 
  In 
  the 
  Sacandaga 
  basin 
  south 
  of 
  Northville 
  and 
  over 
  the 
  

   region 
  of 
  the 
  Great 
  Vly 
  the 
  drift 
  is 
  of 
  unknown 
  thickness 
  and 
  out- 
  

   crops 
  are 
  rare. 
  Naturally 
  the 
  drift 
  is 
  very 
  massive 
  along 
  the 
  belt 
  

   of 
  the 
  interlobate 
  moraine, 
  and 
  south 
  of 
  this 
  moraine 
  extending 
  

   from 
  about 
  West 
  Perth 
  eastward 
  for 
  7 
  or 
  8 
  miles 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  broad 
  

   flat 
  topped 
  plateaulike 
  mass 
  of 
  till 
  sometimes 
  showing 
  sandy 
  phases. 
  

   The 
  north 
  edge 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  is 
  near 
  Broadalbin 
  and 
  the 
  south 
  near 
  

   Perth, 
  the 
  ridge 
  averaging 
  perhaps 
  3 
  to 
  4 
  miles 
  in 
  width. 
  It 
  is 
  on 
  

   the 
  high 
  ground 
  between 
  the 
  Mohawk 
  and 
  Sacandaga 
  basins 
  and 
  it 
  

   is 
  seen 
  as 
  a 
  conspicuous 
  profile 
  from 
  all 
  high 
  points 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  

   Mohawk 
  river. 
  It 
  is 
  historic 
  in 
  the 
  sense 
  of 
  having 
  carried 
  the 
  

   ancient 
  highway 
  of 
  Johnstown 
  to 
  Saratoga. 
  It 
  is 
  conjectured 
  that 
  

   it 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  great 
  overridden 
  moraine 
  of 
  an 
  earlier 
  age 
  but 
  this 
  

   suggestion 
  is 
  offered 
  doubtfully 
  and 
  with 
  hesitation. 
  South 
  of 
  this 
  

   region 
  toward 
  the 
  Mohawk 
  river, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  between 
  

   Galway 
  2nd 
  Amsterdam 
  the 
  drift 
  is 
  thin. 
  Around 
  Johnstown 
  east- 
  

   ward 
  and 
  westward 
  it 
  is 
  comparatively 
  massive. 
  So 
  is 
  it 
  also 
  at 
  

   many 
  points 
  in 
  the 
  Mohawk 
  valley. 
  South 
  of 
  the 
  Mohawk 
  it 
  inclines 
  

   to 
  be 
  thick 
  near 
  the 
  river 
  but 
  averages 
  thin 
  wherever 
  the 
  glacier 
  

   overrode 
  the 
  higher 
  sandstones 
  which 
  lie 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  black 
  shales. 
  

   An 
  exception, 
  however, 
  appears 
  several 
  miles 
  about 
  Charleston 
  Four- 
  

   corners 
  where 
  the 
  geological 
  map 
  shows 
  almost 
  no 
  outcrops 
  and 
  

   where 
  the 
  drift 
  must 
  be 
  comparatively 
  massive. 
  An 
  interesting 
  belt 
  

   of 
  drumlins 
  exists 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Gloversville 
  and 
  Johnstown. 
  

   At 
  Johnstown 
  these 
  drumlins 
  make 
  up 
  a 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  territory, 
  

   show 
  altitudes 
  of 
  from 
  50 
  to 
  150 
  feet 
  and 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  conspicuous 
  

   elements 
  in 
  the 
  topography. 
  The 
  same 
  is 
  true 
  northward 
  and 
  north- 
  

   westward 
  of 
  Gloversville 
  to 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Adirondacks. 
  A 
  few 
  

   of 
  these 
  drumlins 
  are 
  peculiarly 
  massive 
  and 
  noble 
  in 
  proportion, 
  

   making 
  an 
  aggregate 
  of 
  great 
  ellipsoid 
  swells 
  which 
  command 
  the 
  

   attention 
  of 
  the 
  observer. 
  The 
  same 
  forms 
  are 
  found 
  eastward 
  

   of 
  Gloversville 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  road 
  from 
  Gloversville 
  to 
  Mayfield 
  and 
  

   curiously 
  these 
  forms 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  emerge 
  among 
  the 
  sands 
  of 
  the 
  

   interlobate 
  moraine. 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  are 
  seen 
  between 
  Gloversville 
  

   and 
  Broadalbin, 
  the 
  sands 
  sweeping 
  around 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  drumlins 
  

   and 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  partly 
  up 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  or 
  one 
  end. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  