238 A. W. G. WILSON — TRENT RIVER SYSTEM 



the south rises 313 feet above its bottom, and the bottom is 225 feet 

 above Black river. This valley passes out toward the lowland to the 

 northeast. Its southwest extension is occupied by Mill creek, and at 

 one time the creek which occupied the Rutland hollow probably flowed 

 outward in this direction. At a later stage in its history the head ward 

 growth of a small lateral affluent of Black river has intercepted the head- 

 waters of the old stream by breaching the valley side. At the present 

 time the drainage of the hollow is carried to Black river by this side 

 stream, entering the river about a mile and a half east of Watertown. 



Just west of Watertown another small stream enters Black river from 

 the northeast. Following up the valley of this we find that it is con- 

 tinuous with the valley of West creek, a northeast-flowing stream. The 

 course of the valley is little obscured by drift, but the cliffed rock scarps 

 a little higher on the west are to be seen near Evans mills. West creek 

 enters Indian river just at the big bend, a mile northeast of Evans mills. 

 The nose of the sharp spur around which Indian river bends is an 

 Archean ridge. The amount of Archean rock now actually exposed is 

 small, and the greater part of the point is underlain by a flat arenaceous 

 limestone, marked as Potsdam on the geological map of New York state. 

 The valley of Indian river, both above and below the bend, is deeply 

 incised and has a broad flat bottom, the basset edges of the incised beds 

 showing on the sides of the valley. A short distance above the bend 

 and also a short distance below it (about a mile and a half), it has cut 

 down to the Archean rocks. There is a strong probability that at one 

 time there were here two streams, each flowing in a southwest direction 

 along the edge between the sediments and the Archean rocks and con- 

 fluent at what is now the bend. From this point the course of the con- 

 fluent stream was southwest along the valley of West creek and thence 

 to Black river. 



South of Black river, Muskalonge creek, Mill creek, and several other 

 streams flow in rock valleys more blocked by drift than are those north 

 of Black river, but showing in general features all the characteristics of 

 the unobstructed valleys to the north. 



The Saint Lawrence Outlet 



The water from lake Ontario passes into the Saint Lawrence by two 

 main channels. One is through the Lower gap, near Kingston, and 

 thence eastward, either to the north or to the south of Howe island. 

 The other is between Wolfe island and the south shore. A section across 

 the river near the west end of Howe island will cross three channels 

 separated from one another by large limestone islands. Following each 

 of these eastward to its lower end, if one considers the direction of water 



