376 Topographical Phenomena in Indiana. [April 
are constantly repaired the passer-by cannot see the natural efied, 
but section men say that the ditch on the north side of the cut 
fills much oftener than the other. Why does a railroad embank- 
ment slide one way, while the cut out of which it was taken slides 
the other? Because they were built by different processes. 
Farmers in this country know that when they thresh their grain 
and stack the straw by carrying it forward from the thresher and 
throwing it over the forward or outer end of the stack, it will 
continue for months to slide in that direction, though it would be 
hard to detect the oblique stratification in the build of the stack. 
If a railroad embankment should be built across a valley, wit 
excavations from the adjacent hill carried and poured over the 
forward end of the embankment till completed, it would be in fact 
as it appears in Fig. 7, except that the eye could not detect the 
oblique stratification unless it was due to a change in the color of 
quality of the earth. 
If, after this bank had become well settled, a “ was 
occur, carrying away the culvert, ¿c Fig. 7, it woul 
walls standing, as shown in Fig. 8. 
The earth is obtained from an excavation at t 
to the right, so that the oblique stratification will dip to 
as shown in Figs. 7 and 8. The bank on the right side of 
“washout” would have to break across the line of the Dr : 
stratification, hence it would project, or “ overhang,” pak | 
pice, while the opposite side ‘vould break more with these | 
would be inclined to slope, as illustrated in Fig. 8. T 
I Id break at 
n the course of a year or so the right bank woul reeptl 
drop down in falls, and the left would gradually and 1mpe ; 
slide like soft putty, and form a slope as shown in Fig. 9 ond of 
Where a bank is built by pouring the earth ovef i 
side, it will continue to slide in that direction long < Thi 
think every engineer of much experience will agree to a the 
bank, as shown in Fig. 9, shows the same condition We © de repre” 
north and south-facing hills in the drift region, the lets 
. senting the south-facing hill. 
Flood plains, or bottoms of streams are de . : 
The bars at their up-stream ends are level with lo "own st 
even extend up stream under the water, while at ne nd, 3 pate 
end they are elevated as high as the older bottom BET 
. 
which they ultimately become. The swiftest curt 
hout” should 
d leave tW? 
he left and carried 
p to the right | 
