﻿432 
  Gould 
  — 
  Phases 
  of 
  the 
  Dakota 
  Cretaceous 
  in 
  Nebraska. 
  

  

  A 
  number 
  of 
  fragments 
  of 
  fossil 
  wood, 
  including 
  a 
  limb 
  

   some 
  three 
  feet 
  in 
  length, 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  quarry, 
  but 
  no 
  

   leaves 
  have 
  so 
  far 
  been 
  discovered. 
  

  

  If 
  our 
  theory 
  that 
  these 
  gravel 
  beds 
  represent 
  an 
  ancient 
  

   river 
  bed 
  be 
  correct, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  difficult 
  to 
  understand 
  that 
  the 
  

   conditions 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  favorable 
  for 
  the 
  preservation 
  of 
  

   wood, 
  and 
  not 
  for 
  that 
  of 
  leaves, 
  the 
  latter 
  requiring 
  still- 
  

   water 
  lakes 
  and 
  lagoons 
  for 
  perfect 
  preservation. 
  Besides, 
  the 
  

   principle 
  first 
  enunciated 
  by 
  Leo 
  Lesquereux, 
  that 
  conditions 
  

   which 
  preserved 
  leaves 
  rarely 
  preserve 
  wood, 
  and 
  vice 
  versa, 
  

   has 
  almost 
  become 
  an 
  axiom 
  in 
  phytopaleontology. 
  

  

  Above 
  the 
  gravel 
  and 
  sand 
  is 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  Drift 
  bowlders 
  sur- 
  

   mounted 
  by 
  the 
  characteristic 
  loess. 
  This 
  gravel 
  bed 
  has 
  been 
  

   described 
  as 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  Glacial 
  age. 
  It 
  is 
  incompre- 
  

   hensible 
  that 
  any 
  one, 
  who 
  knew 
  anything 
  of 
  the 
  geology 
  of 
  

   the 
  State 
  of 
  Nebraska 
  and 
  who 
  had 
  given 
  the 
  locality 
  ilve 
  

   minutes 
  consideration, 
  could 
  place 
  it 
  elsewhere 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  

   Dakota. 
  

  

  Perhaps 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  phase 
  of 
  the 
  Dakota, 
  from 
  an 
  

   economic 
  standpoint, 
  is 
  the 
  water 
  supply. 
  This 
  formation 
  is 
  

   characteristically 
  a 
  water-bearer. 
  From 
  Oklahoma 
  to 
  Minne- 
  

   sota 
  along 
  the 
  entire 
  line 
  of 
  outcrops 
  are 
  thousands 
  of 
  springs 
  

   of 
  soft 
  water. 
  This 
  is 
  especially 
  fortunate 
  in 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  

   that 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  sandstone 
  is 
  particularly 
  adapted 
  to 
  graz- 
  

   ing. 
  It 
  almost 
  never 
  occurs 
  that 
  a 
  pasture 
  in 
  the 
  Dakota 
  

   country 
  is 
  without 
  a 
  spring, 
  and 
  more 
  often 
  half 
  a 
  dozen 
  will 
  

   be 
  found 
  on 
  a 
  quarter 
  section. 
  Often 
  these 
  are 
  of 
  sufficient 
  

   strength 
  to 
  supply 
  running 
  streams. 
  If 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  case, 
  

   the 
  stockmen 
  usually 
  pipe 
  the 
  water 
  into 
  tanks 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  or 
  

   feed 
  lot. 
  In 
  not 
  a 
  few 
  instances 
  the 
  water 
  from 
  a 
  Dakota 
  

   spring 
  is 
  piped 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  or 
  more, 
  through 
  the 
  house, 
  and 
  

   into 
  the 
  barn 
  lot, 
  furnishing 
  an 
  inexhaustible 
  supply 
  for 
  all 
  

   purposes. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  of 
  these 
  springs 
  in 
  

   Nebraska 
  are 
  Case's 
  and 
  Price's 
  springs 
  near 
  Endicott 
  ; 
  Rob- 
  

   inson's 
  spring, 
  four 
  miles 
  southeast 
  of 
  Beatrice, 
  and 
  the 
  hun- 
  

   dreds 
  along 
  the 
  bluffs 
  of 
  the 
  Missouri 
  River 
  from 
  Omaha 
  to 
  

   Ponca. 
  These 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  everywhere 
  along 
  the 
  celebrated 
  

   bench 
  road 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  bluffs. 
  Golden 
  spring, 
  between 
  

   Tekamah 
  and 
  Decatur, 
  runs 
  a 
  stream 
  half 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  a 
  man's 
  

   body, 
  and 
  numerous 
  others 
  are 
  nearly 
  as 
  large. 
  

  

  A 
  formation 
  which 
  yields 
  such 
  springs 
  could 
  scarcely 
  fail 
  to 
  

   furnish 
  good 
  wells, 
  and 
  such 
  is 
  the 
  case 
  with 
  the 
  Dakota. 
  

   Wells 
  begun 
  in 
  the 
  superjacent 
  strata 
  usually 
  find 
  an 
  abundant 
  

   supply 
  of 
  water 
  when 
  they 
  reach 
  the 
  sandstone. 
  The 
  prob- 
  

   lem 
  of 
  water 
  supply 
  of 
  eastern 
  Nebraska 
  is 
  easy 
  of 
  solution, 
  

   if 
  one 
  has 
  as 
  a 
  key, 
  a 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  Dakota 
  sandstone. 
  

  

  