62 
IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 
However, I am not yet fully convinced. Of the somewhat 
numerous discoveries of glacial scorings in this region, nearly 
all are on the very brow of the west bluff bordering the Mis- 
sissippi flood plain, where they wcuid offer the best possible 
opportunity for erosion. It would therefore seem that they 
onght to be the records of the very latest invasion. And all 
these, without a single exception, show southwestward move- 
ment. 
SOME FACTS BROUGHT TO LIGHT BY DEEP WELLS 
IN DES MOINES COUNTY, IOWA. 
BY FRANCIS M. FULTZ. 
During the past year a number of deep wells were sunk in 
Des Moines county. Some of them reached such extraordinary 
depths before touching rock, or without touching rock at all, 
as would clearly show the presence of buried river channels. 
In a paper presented before this society a year ago I stated 
that the preglacial and present drainage systems in this region 
were practically the same. Prom facts recently brought to 
light I must necessarily change that opinion. To what extent 
remains yet to be seen. 
My attention was first called to the presence of buried water 
courses in this locality by Mr. Prank Leverett, of the United 
States Geological Survey, who has collected a large mass of 
data on the glacial phenomena of this region. He has already 
given us a general discussion of the preglacial conditions of the 
Mississippi basin^; and in the course of time we may hope for 
further and more detailed contributions along the same line. 
The deep wells in question are located some eight or nine 
miles north of Burlington. One is on the farm of L. Aspel- 
meier, near Latty station. It is 233 feet deep, and penetrates 
the rock but two feet. Unfortunately there was no record kept 
of the character of the deposits passed through, which is also 
true of the other wells to be mentioned further on. Therefore 
the details are somewhat meager. As nearly as could be deter- 
mined the till continued to a depth of 188 feet, where a gravel 
1 Journal of Geology, p. 740, Vol. Ill, No. 7, 1895. 
