Observations on the South Side of Ontario Valley. 55 



"Art. VIII. Observations on the Geological Features vf the South 

 Side of the Ontario Valley, in a letter to T. Romeyn Beck, 

 M. D. By James Geddes, Civil Engineer. 



Read, February 15, 1826. 



Albany, Feb. 1st, 1826. 



Dear Sir, 



I had heard from geologists so much about the formation 

 of every valley, by the action of waters flowing in vast torrents in 

 times long past, that 1 was much pleased to find in the Geological 

 and Agricultural survey of the district adjoining the Eric Canal, 

 the following admission :— " We are compelled to admit that hills 

 44 and valleys were formed first, and that afterwards, water began 

 44 to descend the inclining sides of the hills and to collect, or march 

 44 onward through the valleys." Page 153. 



In the year 1810, from examinations of the country at, and east 

 of the Niagara Falls, I was led to doubt the reasonableness of the 

 conjecture, that had been so often hazarded ; that the cataract of 

 Niagara had in time travelled from near Lewiston to its present 



Lake Erie is held to its present level by the stratum called Black 



Rock, a lime rock in which horn-stone abounds, the endings of 

 which can be traced west and east to a great extent. North of, 

 and below the termination of the stratum, the Chippewa runs to the 

 cast and the Tonawanta to the west, both streams emptying into 

 Niagara between Black Rock rapid and the Niagara Falls. These 

 streams are deep for many miles from their mouths, and the Nia- 

 gara river from Schlosscr to Black Rock, may be considered as a 

 lake, nearly. At the north of Navy Island the water is from 40 

 to 50 feet deep, and at the place where the Welland Canal is pro- 

 posed to leave the Chippewa, the depth is 40 feet, which shews 

 the stratum from which the great cataract is precipitated, dipping 

 rapidly to the south, and giving depth to this piece of water, as the 

 stratum at Black Rock dips southerly and gives depth to Lake Erie. 



The vast bed of clay in which these deep creeks flow, is of con- 

 siderable depth, and great extent, particularly eastward. It may be 

 considered as beginning on the Genessee river, at the mouth of 

 Black creek, and following up the valley of that sluggish stream 

 through the great Tonawauta or Oak Orchard bwamp, and down 



