GLACIAL WATERS IN THE LAKE ERIE BASIN 



55 



few roads, but the higher Warren lies about halfway between the 

 lower Warren, on the top of the river bluff, and the Whittlesey a 

 mile south. On the north and south road west of Little Indian 

 creek the altitudes are: Whittlesey 840, upper Warren 790, lower 

 Warren 770 feet. 



The village of Versailles stands on the Warren terraces and the 

 shore line of Lake Warren crosses the Cattaraugus valley a short 

 distance above the village. 



Gowanda to North Collins. The Whittlesey shore line is some- 

 what irregular and broken throughout the rest of its course in New 

 York, and fades out toward Marilla. The lake reached up the old 

 Cattaraugus valley as far as Gowanda, and doubtless some rem- 

 nants of its delta may be found about the village. The Erie Rail- 

 road station is given as 773 feet, or about 60 or 65 feet under the 

 Whittlesey plane. The extensive sublacustrine delta plain, locally 

 known as the "Four Mile level," will be described later under 

 deltas. The super-Whittlesey levels about Gowanda, formed by 

 the third stage of Cattaraugus waters, have been described under 

 local glacial lakes [p. 38]. 



North of Gowanda the Whittlesey shore is a cut cliff along the 

 west side of the State Asylum plateau, facing the Four Mile level 

 which was the lake bottom. The shore line swings around the north 

 point of the plateau and forms a bay north of Collins station. In 

 the return curve it crosses the Collins-Lawtons road about 50 rods 

 north of the residence of Mr B. W. Law, which stands on a broad 

 spit lobe. The altitude here is 839 feet, taking Collins station as 861. 

 After crossing to west of four-corners and then curving sharply up 

 the valley of a branch of Clear creek the beach returns to the east 

 side of the road leading to Lawtons, and for 3 miles it lies along the 

 east side of the road in the form of weak bars and cliffs. At the 

 Shirley road it makes a sharp curve to west of the corners around a 

 point of delta and then runs parallel with the railroad through 

 the east edge of North Collins. 



Lying west of the stretch of Whittlesey shore described above 

 is an outlier of rock 3 miles long and half as wide which formed an 

 island in the lake. At the south end is a strong bar and spit on 

 which stands the Indian Council House and village, 1^ miles west 

 of Lawtons. Strong cliffs or bars lie along the west side of the 

 island, where the full force of the Whittlesey waves was felt. All 

 about the north end of the island, which is 2 miles west of North 

 Collins, the shore features are strong and conspicuous, forming 

 a ridge under the road on the west side, and bars and cliffs just 

 above the highways on the north and east sides. 



