282 H. B. B ashore — Glacial Gravels. 



the mouth of that river. On the left side where it skirts hills 

 several hundred feet high, we found water- worn bowlders 

 about 125 feet above the stream, but no higher. 



At the mouth of Losch's run there were gravels and some 

 bowlders on all the adjoining hills up to the height of 125 or 

 130 feet, but on the land above this altitude there was no trace 

 of flood action. North of this point Dicks Hill — a mountain 

 ridge, 1000 feet high— crosses the valley of the Juniatta and 

 thence continues over the country to the Susquehanna : conse- 

 quently on this triangular tongue of land extending downward 

 from the mountain, between, and to the j.unction of the two 

 rivers, we would most readily find the highest flood limit — 

 however high it might be — provided the flood left any record, 

 which it was very likely to do in the still water formed behind 

 the intersection of two such streams. In descending from the 

 mountain, where, it is almost needless to say, we found no 

 "shore lines," we came upon a broad plateau some 250 feet 

 above the river, upon which we found one small bowlder at 

 exactly 200 feet, but it was probably carried there by other 

 means than the action of a flooded river, for nothing more 

 came into sight until we reached a somewhat lower point, where 

 we found a line of bowlders, mostly of Pococo sandstone and 

 conglomerates, stretching from river to river — just about 130 

 feet above the present channel (341 + 130 = 471 A. T.) : here 

 then, most likely, in this ancient " shore line," was left the 

 highest record of the great glacial floods : and a very distinct 

 and remarkable record it is.* 



On the Susquehanna, observation was made at the mouth of 

 Clarks Creek and adjoining country — about 30 miles above 

 Harrisburg — but nothing was found above 140 feet, which cor- 

 roborates the observations which Prof. Wright made several 

 years ago. Investigation has been made concerning all reports 

 of any higher gravels and in every case the gravels were found 

 to be due to other than glacial floods. 



The following case is interesting : I was told of presumably 

 high gravels on certain hills west of Harrisburg, in York 

 County, some six miles back of the river. 



I visited the place and there, true enough, were the gravels 

 covering almost every field, and the barometer registered 400 

 feet above the river : but these were not glacial gravels. 



The bed rock in this locality is a red Trias sandstone, which 

 in some places is literally filled with gravel and small bowlders : 

 to the disintegration of this stone, these gravels were due, 

 although just at that exact locality there was no surface exposure. 



One important fact which I have noted in tramping over 

 many miles in this locality is the abrupt termination of all dis- 

 tinct evidence of flooded-river action, at a point about 130 or 

 140 feet above the present channel. 



* In all the high gravel deposits in this locality there occurs some granite — 

 showing glacial origin. 



