1 HEREWITH report tile results or my investigations in the valie

of the Delaware, made witl) reference to the occurrence of supposed

paleolithic implements ill the gravel beds facing that stream, based
upon a series of careful examinations of the deposits, in question,
made at different points, together with a study of the surfaee soils,
so far as these, of themselves, and by their contained. relics, bear
upon the qnestion of the origin and clmracter of the specimens of
stone implements taken from tlte nnderlying gT:wels,
The chunce OCCUl1'ence of single specimens of the ordinary
forms of Indian relics, at depths somewhat greater than they have
usually reached, even, in constantly cultivated soils, inducecl me,
several years since, to carefnlly examine the underlying gravels,
to determine if the common surface-found stone-implements of
Indian origin, were ever found therein; except, in such munnet'
us might easily be explained, as in the case of deep burials, by
the uprooting of large trees, whereby an implement lying on the
surface or immediately below it, might fall into the gravel beneath
and subsequently become bnried several feet in depth; and lastly,
by the action of water, as where a stream, swollen by spring
freshets, cuts for itself a new channel, and carrying away f, large
body of earth, leaves its larger pebbles and possibly stone imple­
ments of late origin upon the gravel of the new beel of' the stream.
By all such means, I have found that the most elaborately
wrought Indian relics htwe occasionally been buried at consider­
able depths, I also found, however, that there did occur in these
underlying gravels, certain rudely shaped specimens of chipped
stone, which !lave all the appearmiees of the stone implements of
paleolithic times,
Nearly the entire series of the specimens referred to have been
forwarded to you, and very mallY of them pronounced by com­
(30)
petent judges to be unquestionably" chipped implements." I u
this opinion, I concur. I find, on comparing a specimen of these
chipped stones with an aecidenta.lly fractured pebble, that the
chipped surfaces of' the former ·all tend towards producing It
cutliug edge, and there is no portion of the stone detached which
does not add to the availability of the suppoSGd implement as
such i while in the caSG of a pebble that has bGen accidentally
broken, there is necessarily all absence of design in the fracturing.
Although the portions detached from a supposed stone implement
are chipped with refcrence to tlw natmal cleavage of the stone-­
with some few exceptions, an indnrated clay-slate', the bther'sp~ci­
mellS being of phonolitc, and other· trap'pean ·rocl(, both of' 'Yhich
occur in place, hi the valley of the Delaware, some thirty miles
north of where these specirilens were found---these llirgei' sur­
faces, the rcsults of, single cleavages, are supplemented by'minoi'
~hippings along the edgcs, thus giving eyery indication of the
original zigzag edge having' been made comparatively straight by
more careful work subsequently put upon it. This, of course,
does not api)eat on a: naturally fractured pebble. These llhai·acter.
istic cLippings obtain in the large jaspel" hoes and hatchets of the
Indians, and a comparison of these with the. TIldeI" forms fouriq
in the gravel, 'shows that identical means have produ'ced the two
forms; the variance being only that which want of skill in flint.
chipping will explain.
TlJere exists, also,· asiinilarity in the series of tbese SilppOSect
in1plements which wou1c1 scarcely: OCCur in the' case of naturally
brokeil pebbles, ;whatever' the force brought· to bea'r upon' them.
They admit of classification 'into a' primitive' form,which I have
elsewhere ("American Ntlturalist,'? vol. x, p. 331) designated as ~
u turtle back" celt; and modifications of this form, into hatcliet;
spellr~and scraper. Now whilenatnrally broken peb]j]es may often
approach in shape any of these fOl;ms' of stcirie-implements; itniay
at ouc'e be seen that it is, in every case, ·but an accidental resem,
blance. The outline is obtained, but not that subsequent chipping
that gives the 'implement such fiuish as wonld make it desirable
fOi' usc. The gravel bed, in which these "tilI'iJe back" celts and
their modifications have been fonnd, cOlitains a small 'pei'centage of
angular pebbles, that have not lost all trace of the peculiat" sur.
fnee a f' a recen tfractll1'e, .~irid therefore are' not as smooth and uni.
formly polished as a.n ordinary pebble. Such speCimens, when
bea.ring.murked resemblance to' those clearly of artificial origin,
may in fat::t have been fllsllioned by mall, nnc1 only jJartially lost,
by the poJishiugaction of' water and sand, those indica~ions of
urtificia!1y:prodm:ed fnlCtures, such as <;llaracterize the specim:m~
here figurec\; but as a rule, the angular pebbles are of .natlll'al for..
mation, and thGir imperfectly ground and polished surfaces give
evidence of' the possibility, thr.t, under favorable circilll1stilllees, lli
cllipped implement might be associated with s;lCh gravel, from the
t.ime of its deposition, and yet escape the obliteration of thos6
features that demonstrate its artificial origin. The deposit may
be described as largely made lip of ordinary smooth, water-wol'll
pebbles varying in size from hldt an inch in diameter, to boulders
estimated to weigh from one to twenty tons.
Convinccd that the so·called "turtle back" celts, wlJich are the
most primitive form of the chipped implements of the gravels,
really are of' artificial origin, m!tny ot' which aTe identical in shape
with the ordinary forms of Enropean drift implements, and fur­
thermore that among the specimens fOllnd, is oue unquestionable
spearhead-like implement, there can, I think, be little doubt but
\ that these specimens, unassociated as they are with the common
forms of surface-found relics of the Indians, are in reality traces
of an earlier llnd a ruder people, who occnpieq tbe eastern shores
of tbis continent priOl' to the advent of the latter race.
Figure 1, a, b, represents it specimen of these rmle implements,
which, unlike the so··called." turtle-buck" celts, is distinctly
chipped upon both sides, and has but a slight amount of se.cond..
Ul'y chipping. The cutting edges, however, are comparatively
straight. This and other examples of the snppos.ed stone imple.
ments have been submitted to Prof. 1'1. E. Wadsworth of Cam­
bridge, to cletennine their mineralogical clmracter, as this bas an'
important bearing on the question of the fracturing being of nat­
ural or artificial origin. 1\'11'. "radsworth remarks of this speci­
men, "It is an Argillite.' It is highly indurated, with a conchoidal
fractnre, without cleavage, and fuses to a yelJowis~ greeri 01' white­
glass which is feebly magnGtic. 'The weatbering wbich it shows
could' hardly have taken' place except before it was covered with
soil; it might possibly, but I think not probably, in a loose, open
gravel. 1t is not at all likely to be of natmal formation." the
specimen: is fignred of natural sizG, and requires no further de­
scription, other than to remark that i.t was found in the WlCi'iS­
 33
34
t!woecl grave] of the blnfl' facing the Delaware, ,It a depth 0[' sis:
feet from the surface. the Instance of the specimen lJc;'e J]gnred, 01' in that of many
I have purposely ernphasi~ed the word" undisturbed," inasmnc!i ot!.Jers found by me, lJotlJbcfol'G and since. Specimens, identical
as in all c[lsesof the findirlg of t!.Jese c.hipped implements, on the ill every clUll'UctCrlsti.c fcatl1l'c with fig. 1, have !Joell frequently
face of a bluff', it is necessary, as Prof. PUtDpelly !.Jas kindly
l'j:5. 2·,
(I,
"D.
}'lG. 1.
«.
b.

Velt fl"om the g'r:wel; lZ. f;1CC; U, eide view. Nat. sb:e. uius. No. JlY.>OO.

pointed ont to me, to determine that such specimcns Occur in tile

gmvel as it exists when first exposed, lIud not in a ialns tbat may

}lave f'otluell at t!.Je oase of the blnff, and ill some cases extended

upwards, llenl'iy to the top j for in a talliS, it will be rendily seen,

that a chipped implement mig-lIt lune very recently fallen from the

'surface, and be now bnried several fect ii'om the face of the blnf[ Oelt from thu gravel; c; tace; b. sillc View. NuL, size. !\fns. ~o. 10D~5.
This possible OCcurrence has b:=cn dn]y cOllsidered in evcry in­
stance, and 110 such displacement e1'jdently Iw.d tul,eu place, in fOCind ill the extcusi ve talus at. tile foot of the blufl', and have
REPORT PEAl.lOJ)Y Ml!~:~m!, II. 3, been labelled as t1ms found, wheD. forwarded to .yOll, and the pos.,
 35 36
stbilityof their not·. having been originally associatecl with. the. 'Lhitth hact·not gottC'n in its ,position, where founCI, subsequ8ntly
gravel. noted... But. a .talns, if carefully examined, will Sh01\; to thedeposition of tlJe containing layer' of pebbles.
whether. it islil~ely to contain 111UCh.of thc soil proper. In the. These three specimens clearly show thc general character of'
casc of the bluff facing thc Delaware, there is a shallow deposit the entire series of these g,'uvel bed implements; and tlJe carofut
of light salldy soil, of about fifteen inches in depth, and then the drawing'J£. the artist renders further referenoe to them unneces"
gravel in a slightly stratified condition in some limited spots, bu'r, sary.
usuaJly iu the unassorted condition characteristic of glacial drift. Fig. o.
a. b,
In the talus which now Covers much of this bluff, there is nothing
but the uniform mass of rounded and p-ngular pebbleSl, and with
thcm such chipped implements as the specimens here figured. As
already pointed out, why shou1d this rccently displaced material
only yield the rndest forms of chipped. stDne implements, when
the surface is literally covered, in somc places, with ordinary
Indian relies; not a specimen of w_hich has, as yet, occulTed in
thi8 gravel? But the fact remains that in gravel, where no dis"
placement has oecnrrec1, many of the well marked forms of un~
questiouable stone implements have been fonnd.
Figure 2, a, b, represents a more carefully ,Yronght specimen of
thesc rude implements, measuring nearly five. inches in length, by
II
two and one-lJalf inchcs in average breadth; and less than two i,.
inches in greatest thickness. It is an excellent examl?le of that 'J"
form that I lJave previously referred, to, as a "turtle-bfl,ck" celt.
Of this specimen Mr. IVadsworth relllarks,"as far as can be told
from examining its external snrface, without any fl'esh ·fracture, I
should consider it to be made of very compact argillite. It ;:;howa
weathering, and also a more recent fracture, which has weathered ... speatpolntl'rom ihe·,;ravel; ",face; b, side view; Nat. size, j\fU8, No. 10036,
to ~Ome extent. .I should consider it yery doubtful if this could
be formed naturally." This specimen, like the precec1ing, came If the· conelusions"ut which· J. have 'alTi-ved,concerning ihe
from the bluff facing tl1e river. It was taken out from a newly opecimens· themselves, be correct, we· are brought at once to the
exposed surface, after making an excllYl\tionof fully three feet more· difficult question; in. what manner· andwlJen came· these
from the exposed face of the bluff; whic.hwas itself evidently the atone-implements in this gravel? Are the,)' as old as tile contain­
undisturbed gravel. . ing bed,and.therefol'e·fashioned ata time preceding and during
Figure 3, IT, b, represents the spearbead-like implement.preYiously its deposition?
referred to. The illustration shows at a glance, the artificial ori. Convincecl :that the specimens are all of' Ilrtificial origin, I have
gin of the specimen. It is made of flint, and is the only instance, endeavored to determine, if possible, how they came to be associ"
as yGt, of the occurrence of a drift implement of this minel'a!. ated with the gravel at such great depths; varying from five to
This speCimen was taken from the gravel, at a depth of six feet over tw-enty feet below tlJe oycrlying soi!. Illy first impression
from the surfilce, On the site of the Lutheran Church, Broad was t!:lllt they must have woi'ked ~lown. gradually from abOVe, yet I
street, Trenton, N. J. It was found lying in situ,in a shallow !loulcl.not .See ho\;this could take place, a~d there was 110t a truce
8~l'atllm of coal'sepebhles, ancl clearly showed by its surroundings of indication that the gravel had been at all disturbed sinco its
 37
cleposilioo. Also, if lhl\se rune foru)s wero of identical origin
with' camw"l1 llJrlillu l'elics, thell l'I1de (l.l1tl ell~bol'ate allite ; jfisper,
(J1l!ll't~1 lJnl'ph,Y~Y nnd slatl! togeth0r; axes, spears, pottory nnd
l'Ilntl18nts, all 01' which ill'Cl fotllld upon the surface, s!lould have
grn<lllully gottcn to t1l0!'C depths. Any disturbtmco thut would
OIll'Y (jnp, would inlJllmo f1.like the YtLl"iOUIO forms of uoolithic im­
plcments, :)uc.;h, hC)WeV(H', is not the cnse; llnd this Olle fM't is, I
1hillk, of itself sufficient 10 show that lhare is fI. distinction to he
drawn beLween tll,,~l' rouglJly chipped implements and tue sldllJil1ly
wrought (lroclllutions or tile Indians,
It' r lJaY~ uow succeeded ill setting nsiLle the sevora] ohjections
thll.t mlty 1Jc: lIL'gC'd in adVtUlCc, of these sllpposed implements 1101,
being such, '"l\d, also, ot' there beiilg I\' CompUl"Il.tively recllnt atldi­
liotl to the coutninilJg bed; it is obvious I,hal, the same forces I hat
slJrcllcl "be gmvel (iVel' the wide arelL thaL it !lOW covcr8, carried
alRO these proc1ucLiolJ5 ot' an eurly rfice, ollce inhaLiting this oonLi.
nent wbeu its pbysical geogt"Lplij' diffcl'cd mllterhlly fn)uL tile
]Jl"esellt.f IJ tlila Cilsa, iL may be '1S1,ed, ungilL not these implements
tu be distribnte(l cqunlly tbrollgllOLlL thc 1l1'Ca. of the doposiL. 1
huvc (·!wefllll.y considercd LLis, and hoped 1,0 givo n tlt1.tisfactory
reply llj'iindillg tucse SltlLlC forms ill widely Sejllll"lted locAlities:
bll L in this 1 hl1.Ve t'u.ik,l, ullle~s the exception or' a Hingle rll'lc
ponrhend he /l.ccepte<l as iJHlioll.Live of a l:Cl1Dparat,i vo1y wille Ilis­
lribtlti01J or Lhl:SC paleolithic relics; tllis single specimen being
takclJ from grllvel, some di~tance from the l'I"e.r shore: '11ld IL mile
f\'om lite blurt' where thc: bulk or the collection was discovcrocl.l
110 mllst, be !'cmembered, howevor, th:lt tile gmvel l£el1erallj',I.IlLs
not lleen systematicll.lly exnJllined, allrt We do not knoll' Ulat Lhesa
sallie implements arc not nbUlHllUlt even mllcwhcl'e i although this
[ COllSidel' doubtful, inilSmueh as they were prol.llLbly not ItS llll­
nllll'OUS originHlly as tht: stono implemeuts of tha Im1ians suGse­
<jlH"Utly 'Werc: i and llle 1OI1JorHy would, 1 suppose, he broken Imcl
WOI1I to ol'rlinl1l'y 0'11\1 pebbles, in tile l'n1.JLiJJg uUl1 grlnclillg together
of these uucl other fragments of rocks, while being l,l'an5pol'ted
Huel' by icc or wuter. TInt mn.v not the fact tllllt thll lndiau I'eliol:!
of tllo sm'faoe arC) Jl0t aLuHdllut cverywhere be adduccd Ill) purt.illlly
J $)l1ra Lho /1111jVe wn~ In t'Y1'li, r Iwve been 6ueces.I'Hl tu t1JaoDve,. iD S saycraJ w"U
ruul'k(Hl aI",ci!1l0US, in mAny Hull whlc,ly eCllIl11ltusl10Cl.l.liUUA, anrt IUn n{JW lut.! to h~JI(y,ro
t1ln~ lhu}' wIll be mel1\lLh lu the Slllvel bO'\II who, O\'or ~1:otu"l:lnS' lu Soulliuru unJll:~o­
~rnt New JUrwy.
38
e,:plal1t1tol'Y ot' the i1'l ~glllil" oe"urrOliCC of the [lll.leolit.l..Ih.: impte.
mcnls or the grllvel? 'We Jmow that Ji'cquontly mrmy ltlUldrt:(l:;
of acr<,.$ ill extent may be cnrcfnlly ElCllrclrlld [1.11(\ 1Iot " fragmauL
even of 11 relic 1m discovered i while neal' by, lL BClU1ty fll'iln of lrllll
"Jl acre nJllj' yield lmndr<;us or specimel'~. In Liul\:s prenetling
the formaLion of thit; gt'lI.'V(Jl iJed, lJOW, in part, faciug ~he Ddawal'i~
TIiver; t,lIllre lI'c:re doubtless, in Lho S::11110 way, Joc~Jlties OIl,:C the
village sHes uf prc-glucifll mn.n, whel"~ tllesl'l rude str,ne lJl1[Jlolrll'lnls
'Would necessurily lio IIbuudll11t, May [JOt, Ule ice, in irs onward
murch, glLtllering in bulk every loose fl'!lgwent of rock Rnd [llLrtLcle
of soil, have helc.l them l()osely togethel', nod, hunch'cels of lIlil",,,
from their originnl sito, left, tlleIU In some ono kJc,\lILy, slich us
this we h:.we beOJl considerlug; whore tbe rivol' hilS again lwuugLL
to Iigllt, 111de ilnpllJ10ents thaL Ollnl'flcterille nil almost, l'rllllmve
people~
But tlSsum\ng thnt tue vlll'ious "toue implamenta fMuiolled by a
stric:L1y pre-gllloil,1 people !In,,e heen totally deat.l·oywl uy the crnsll­
ing torces of the glaCier, lloel lhat til.:: spec:imens forwardeu to you
were uot brongLt from a distance, may they noL bn l'et'el'l'ol"l to
an el\d~'rn.ce, Utllt,driven soutbWlIrrl by the eucl"Otl¢hil,g iCC, uwelL
at, the fooi. of the gln.oiel·, :mcl dmiog their sojourn bere these
iWl)lemcnts wo're lost~
YOLl will havc noLicccl that; I wLve nnll'ol'wl)" spoken of tltis
gravel hed % on0 of glacial origill. I will 110'o',l'lIport to yOll, ill
detail, t!J.e mOl'e mm'ked Chll.l'llctotis\.ics or the deposit, upon wllich
I have based my C:O::IIlelllsloll thn.t such is its uge Hurl ol'igin, iLt
tile p<lint Jllost cUl'cfulIy examined, Ute cascol'll luwk 01" the DeIa­
wure RiVQI', at the heml of Wle watcr Ol' Lhat st1'e:un, t.llis lleposit
forms 11. bank VArying from lllirty to eighty r'ceL ill thickness, meM­
Ul'lng fmm low-wnter rnn.rk upwllrd. To wllal, lldclltiolll11 distllOce
beneath 1.llu beel of the river tile gravel rnu.y reucb,- I have not.
determined; that it mny La mnny Limes this nepth in places is
"ery probable. Pro1', Cook melltioJJs, ill the" Geology or New
Jersey," page 341, that" in the Azoio /l.ud -Paleozoic regions of
the state, the deOlldiLtioD has b<llili 1'Ol'Y ~xtcnsi 'Ie; bll ( iL is U0t so
ellSY to measure its amount, as it is nOL at nil IJrobllble lhut tue
surface IVns smooth when the delllldl\tioll, whose IlllHks \\'0 no\'{
see, was ill progress, ThaL it nltlst have helm very gl'Ol1.t we ullLy
stlfely inf~r Crom the immenso quuuli.Ly of material whielJ Wt: (;ll..!l
iueutily froIU tlJo gneiss, the POtSUiL1!1 sundstoll(;, the i\fllguesiw
 [Hl
tflO 1,'oSRilif"rl)T1s limestones, tue Onoida conglomerate, I\lHl the
',\'hole series ur Upper Sill1l'inn rocks, wh.iclJ are now scatter'H.1 all
ovc)' tlltl stille t:j\lite to CIlPO May." Jtl.sawherc, ~peukiug" or this
'\Yeltr nne! 1Il0vement or elu'LlI: grtlvol and iJolllclers," the slune
wriLm' rllmurks, "in SOllie loci\.lities, Ils niong the highlnJl(ls frOIll
Boonton tl) POlllpton, eyer)' 1101"(:1.1 in the !tl<.\lJotllin ha,s a llill of
drift opp"r;itc [(J it, Lm thll open pbLll t,o tlte ,,()HllI-oust," al1<1 ngllill,
n the: rOll mice! sllI'f:l.l:\ol or (,he l·oeLe. ill t he lliglh~ll(l, Uw P,lleozoic
"lld Lue Trap ridgl:s, t.he .reguhr iLllct ]Jnnillal SCl'atr;l)es llJl(ll\ tllese
surfaces, and 1 he .Jeep ful'rows worn in thc softer rOl~ks, all Pl'OYf~
ILlat SOl11U more dgill t'ol'ee I'hal] tllftt of witteI' hIlS l)l"~ll in npemLioll
till over the OOllllll',)'. These cD'l)ets, as ,,,dIllS the
rnH,\;i ug (Ii' LUlll,lel's j1Lli!Il, to i(:8 as tlJl' ell',:et.i V~ agel,t in prod Llcing
tllEjm. 'J".,;\) Sklll1S or tbe wfllnl;:;, an ItUilTllll living llnly ill p.-,lar
erls: ltiwe be('ll f\)linL1 in tl1(; gnwd neal' Long TJrallell.:' '1'liey
illllicll.t\) n period at' c(,ld wore se"er~ th".n Iluy that now prev:lils."
TnH~lnudl as tile lh'iit dPJlosits tllrollghout N,:\\' .Tersey, lire LIme
a~,cri!Jed to ~h<: :1l;tiol1 of iee, find a~ this I.Lai, I IH\\'(~ clc:.,crihed, il1
IIll respect;; (l(;(;oru:l with tlt'3 11escriplioIJ or ~ll():;e above Ilh.mtioncd,
he rAmUl'ks or 1'l'Of. Cook are eqll~,jly appliCllli]e to it. Lei 11\0
herE: liJention, ill passing, thut the bltllk litiS dil'cetly south-east 01'
tJ1C I'oehs iLL sit.u: and highlands r>r thll Delll '.\':Ire 'lalle)'1 down
whith :~ glacier (\QtlbtlllSS woyecl; if indc\;d it W:l,S 110t II pOrU(lL1
ilnp1.v of that grld!lG !,J"lacicr t,hat cxtenllc(\ ., from Scw England to
tbe Hocky llf01l11taiJls j" Hnd 11l::re, or vcr.\' flCRr thi" point: tel'llli­
lI1\ted ill the .J..tl:llltltl. If .so, ,~c have in this c:,:t\olnsive tleposit, of
J'Ta n~l, sallll, tlnd lJOIlILiers, fl te\'ll1ilH~1 1l1(,r[Line.
Since the yl'igillal c\rafL ()I' my I'eport was wl'ittell, T have l'rof~
iLed liy the ,~xperjellcc of l"'rofessol's SIIl~I~l' l\ull I'llmpelly, who
LavQ Iiimlly vislLe\l Llli~ prinnij)lll localities: alla (lx:wuned thom
l:al'efull,y. Ro~b ri;ml1r!r(;rl OJI t.lte !J,b:;ence of icc scratches on the
Pehbles ll.ud bon1c1cl's JOl'Tulng the deposit, and cOIlsider it liS one
ol'iginu.Uy of glacial ol'igill) bllt silb:;cquentJ.I' lll11 r liii8J by ","ler
ctiulI, wlJel'llhy morc or less stratification llu..'l tllken place. ltl/ls­
mll(:!l as Iluch !luQileql1lmt nction ma,)' have o(:J;urred long after the
tlnnl c1cpo$itiol\ or tile gmvel, us tnte ghwial ddft, the ILDtklUibj
Pro!. Smock .-\.8slatant SlJIl ~ 1O",ol06;~I, 11l(lJrm8 Ille lhl\\ tho j;ra I'el ..( r.OllK Drl\ncb
L or the snmo ag" lUI (hal M 'l"'vulon, 8lJ r<n° n. On<) clln rtOu.rmillc. .'oltllhlng tLB y.t I:00S
\u h'lllest<: thOll, Ie "f l~ter "I' o(ullor orlgh\. It mny IJc UlOJltiollOd, too, In tul•. c(>unoa­
tlOll, th"l rollod !l:u"llleut" or relnde,," hO!"llll hnve ocotlblOMUy b~eu met wltlt In LbOBO
.,une gruvelJs.
,·0
of the conl.llined stone illlplemcnts is proportiOIlitldy lessencll,
and may he wholly llJ1COnllentell ",iUI tbe glacial y113I'iorl, alLbough
the In,1"cs\. pus.silJle dnte that ('.1\11 he nsSigJ1Cd to tll" 11cl,osiUon of
the grin'al in its present l;ol\llition, gi I'CS lm flnti'l'lil.y to tbe im­
plenumt" t'oll1td IhoI1~in, fHI' grClbter tlmn call ]JC asscrted ot any
pl'c'~iollsly )'ollll(l Lnw()S of mlill in North Auwriclb, otbur Ulflll l;be
dbeovcl'ie,g of I'm!". 'fI,i! ney lIt ClilifnrJUll.
r am 1I0t" however, disposed to entirely di.%ociflte the gmvel
beda more plll'ticlllnrly dt:scribcd iIt tid::. report frOlll til<, cra of ilie
close M iJltl gl!lci:l1 (:poeh j1l'UjiCr, for the following reLlSons. 1J:
as the gOlleral Lopogrnphy or the Cliulll]'y ~Ollt!J aml south-casu
of this hlllll' indicates, this gl!lnil~1 d~)Jris w~s Llepo.sitNl in upon
"'.>I("l', on I he be(l of n shallow, SOli. Tbe entire :dJSl111CC of clay
ill the IJlllf[' sbow" (kl( it. hns blJen wflshed out" as the IllllSS bO(;fIlne
freed I'rom the ic(~, lUl,] fioale,l off; tile gi'nvel :111(1 s:lI\d LuWll;cli..
Iltely sl;Jldng. \Yili!,: it Ctltlllot be showll 1,lmL t.he gr:\ve't fend
boulders might lose tLeil' ;;Cl'3lcllCil Lefore IH'ing fn,c,l from tbe
iw: lila)' it not be that tile Ol'dinnl')' agitfltion ot' L1le wal.'1rs of ll.
shallow sea woul,1 polish the pebbles sll:cwn over its Led, aucl Ihlls
the connedion of t!te gl'fLvel in its present condition wilh the gl.l­
cier be necessarily dose? There (JIlU 1110 no Lloub!, tltat the loculity
ben:: trclbte(l of, i. c., SuuLh nn,l C<:11Lr,,1 Nel',' Jersey, marks t.b
terminal ion of the gln.cier on the A lJant:ic Ul:,sL The Jebris
brought from the '1101't.h :Hlli uorth-we:;t was 'not, a" fOll' 8{)lltll tu;
Trenton, cangitt hy the iu(,C!ualilies of lhe sllri:\Ce: ami ndll3Ys
thel'Qby fille,l up widl llcclUJllIlal ion" or t.ypicaL glncial cldft. Til
suell easeB, t.be lJ1f1.teriflL torLlJillg the deposit, bears I,ho marl,s ur
the (;rHs!ling, 8cmtching null polislJillg aullvn of (,lIe ice. rrhis is
a OIHIH\eteristil; fl:ttttll'e of tlin drift liS seon ill tlHJ Ilorthern hi!J~.
1)(,r(ioll of the stflle. At TI'l"lul.on, :\lid 3('lItbwlll'd to Cap" 1\f:\'y
this sunlCl glncil.ll dr-uris is frce from all sucu iee-s(;l'(lt.clJes j but,
it must he borne i.n miuo.l, it was llot originally l~rL IIpon tbe sur.
face of the ground, hut, (;alTied to the 0PCH wfIters, wa:; gmdnally
deposited by Ute slow lllL3l~lng of tllo ii,e. I [w'e, r~xposed to
;::Lrollg: CUlTeuts l\ncl morc 01' less viC/lent !Jeaell "diol'. allrl iuti­
malcl,\' Mso<.:inted with eORrse sharp sand, wOllhl 110(, tilt' \.llnl1ellt}"
he I() (Jbliler:ltc uneven Slll'f" (:es: tilld [Jolisll eVllr.\' pcb1l1 t,)?
III sneh a t'1\SC, it Kouhi he: rel\soJ1!~ble tv suppose that a l'hipped
stone implement, uecorning :h~()citllell with this ::SIUlll, Hnd gnrvcl,
~\'YIl1l1 likewise jose every (;h!1racterisli~ fea(lll:e that marks it"
 41
:u:titieio.l <lrigiTl, 1 IUlI'e already cal!"tl RtLentiOIl to the possibility
of l;ortain anglJlnT pel.1Jles in the gl'avnl, bearing lDlIch resemblo.nce
llJ IStolle ilnplr.mellt~; lttLvil1g been snch, I\ud C:Vr1 only [odd th:lt
thllre iloes exist in the 'rrenton gravels sn1iiciClIL illsta.nc<:s of
ilTegllll\rlr tUluped pebbles, tha.t are Hot polished or .ronm1ed 11!J(l1l
l!Jeil' edgos, to i llelicaLt: the pos;;iLi Ii t.r of t11l2: prcservDtion of such
sl,ecin"ms, :lS we have sHeu, ao occur in the gnl.vel beds ilJ l1nc~­
lioll,
III this ('ol11lcction, let me call auentioil t\190 to tlre fad, that
tIle glnder wa~ associ:.t."c1 lI'ith 11 I1wrked d"pression of thl;! whole
1iOlltheTJl IudI' or the st<\t.e, The mouth or tlte Debwtlre, if,
indNlll, tile river then e,:isLetl, WlIS hC1'e at Trenton, lind Jlot, ns
1")','1, I'd, Cnpe l\Iay, OlW llllntlrell l\no tll'C:lll,y mil"s distant, bince
the retil'i!lJJCIJt of the inc, :113 a glacier, the l.and 11119 :1~1l.;11 l'(h~l\
clevuted, :ll1U while slowl,v gniuing ils lm:sen!; lleiglil. tile l)l;!fLlYlH'ii\
and 01.11(:1' sontlll'r!l nc,willg rivers of the state htwr: wOrn (\lI'fly the
,\,nJleys Lhey now travc\'se anti uut tue ohaIlnels they now occupy.
Now, the filet thllt, tJJesc supposeu re1iC~ of tl Sheinl plioplc
(1,'(:111' at: different deptlls ill th" gnl'.'t;\ lUust, tou, be <,;ollsiuerc:rl.
This, of it$clf, seems l,;Onnl'IDlltiYll of the opinion Lbn lUnD dwdt
fit ~hc root of t.l1\~ glacier, or nt !cast 1'l11nde.reu OVQl' tile OpeD sea,
clllriug the lwolllmuu(,jon of this ll.l:ls.; of sand mltl gravel. There
i" no cvic1eur:c: or' (luy yic)lclIt oVllr(,lll'lling of t.he entire mfiSS long
11 bseq 1lC:J1L (;0 the ol'igi Illll deposi\.ioll lly the glnviel', :md if the
itnl,lelll<'llts were mnde, nsed and lost :lfler the u~posit, censed
for lJling, lint prior to its e!O\'fltiOIl, thel. thc:.Y would ueces::mrily
oceu,' Ul,])' ill 01' ""1')' neal' the top or 61ll:1'nce of the hell.
At that. puint ~1'1JeI'C ] !lllve fl;ll.thcrell the majoril,y or specimens,
tllvre is a 'W!\IlL of stmlif1t:atioll; but III several point.s, I lul.vCl
r,)ur,d, extending o~'el' Hmited arens, 11 rllarkc:d S~I':ll'''til)l1 l)f ttlll
1lll'lt,o.:l'irll gCller:dly, into nne s!l11d, COIll'sr, gl'avel, 'l11el agldll fille
!Htnd; sel,rnilJg to sholl' 1,1.1 <'It, tho flooils or t,he slH:cccclillg 1.1(lrioll
l'eassl)l'teil ti,e dq),)si(,s, ill some fell' places, I.Hlt tlmt (he c1cj,rJsit,
genr,raJly was protectPli frolll them.
.l have t'l'crjlleutly fl,fcl'!'l)(l to the l,rescTlix, o.!' honlders, I'oth ill
1be g...wl'! beclullcl UpOIl the surl',:ce of the grouml. MAny of LItt:SC:
I'.I'C l"igLl awl tell feet in tlinilloter j f'omo more tlinn twke this sileo
,MiUl'.l'ldogicrcU,Y Ihl'Y "HI'.\' considerably. 1'1'0[', Gcikic has ile­
sc;rihelt :IS (',!Iarl1ni",rh;U(; of all the river valleys in EUgJalHl, t.!JI1.t
IllO upper len,ls COllsist of COHrSt:I' malerial thuu the lowcr, "(Hid
-1.2
frequently contain brgc blocks 01' stOlle which 1'0\11,1 only have
l)eun tmnsp0l'lcd by ri\'tlr-ice;" w!.tile lhe lower l'~I'el gravels ,n'c
usually of 1\1\(11' grainerl ch'tl'aelor, tl\1d thnt lilt',,\) "s(~eiUed to
,I
poiJl.t to R milder t'onclitiou nf t1J..illgS- to tilJ1c whell the riveJ's
~ero less liablo to flood, nnd the ice-ra(L~ ,;,;'el'c n nCommoll"
(" Great Icc Ago," A.nleJ'icl~11 E, I., p, <1M). !"rOlJl lUI c:'>.lll.nillation
of the hed as nnw tsposcd Oil the bank or the Delaware! Hiver, I do
not, find thaL I\US Sl.lclJ distinc1ion can 1.J() hen'! dnnvll, 13y actual
count, in a ~(:cti()n T mensmed Oil', them clid not OCClIII' more large
boultlcl's aLove thc line eqlJ:Llly dividing tho bluft', th:lll bolow it,
bUL on the cOl\t1":11'1' three more benl;l1t.1.J j Jlol, COllUtillg tJlOse LJl1lt
lll1d 1'olle(l tl'om t.hll 11~(l diJW11 to (,llll wnllJr'" edge. This M itself
would lie by no means Cllllelll$j"c; Imt J founol, UpOIl frl'.ljllcnt,
Cn(JLl~I',Y of Inf'l1 '1'110 11:\\1 ~lInk wells and (;,Kc,wal:oll celbrs, (,hat;
tllest: bllllldel':> were l.Islutlly meL with in gl'il.~tcr ItblludLLUCC, at
{'on8idel'nblu depths, than 11Clll' U..·; .'lul'!'a,,\!_ This irregularity of
their (j(:CUl'l'r.lJCO and position is, 1 thirl!" indkath'e or tbe glllL;ial
origin of the deposit. Thesc large lJ()lI1tlel'~ ,m1 Illboml:t with
ll[)lIJl the Sl1l'fHC'll, .1 !la·ye vcry cnrc:flllly CXlllninet.! 1llany or t.hese,
in sit.u, and am c:ol1\'il)ee,1 (.lUlt tllese were not del'0sit.r~d wiLh tLe
gravel beneath thCIlI, UUfI tlll\t t,he luttel' 11:15 ueell subseqllCJntlJ'
removell uy mpidly running water, tor 1 fi1ll1 ill IH::trly cI·cr.!' ill­
otnnee, a fOClt or more or soil hohl't~(:n tIle 10ll'er ~lIrt';Il:e 01' the
Ri.oHe :lud tbo gravel, and this layer tiO extomlel1 beyond the limits
or tlle l'Qulder, (.but it unqucs1ionably wus :>IO\\'ly :l.l'C(ill]u!:Llc,i
prior t.o the Ileposil.ing of tlilJ In,Lter; i\.ud ill ~1Ie11 :l strntulll, imme­
diately beneath l1. stoue t.hat. would 'wEligh nt le:\51: half a ton, I
found a well clLlppcd, ;;pellJ'-s1.Japcd implement. These ,surface
hOllll.1Cl'S I belir.vc to h::we beeu 11ropped fl'OIll iCe-J'afCs, j.o~etl.ter
witl.i ~fl.ud <l.I1!l g'l'l1.vei; ihe ice tllOlI fiouting over a broad expanse
of cO\1l1tr,)', ill. l:Olllpll.rath·ely quiet waters, [WID wlJich slowly set­
l.led tbe iille sfmd and of,hel' material thai. slIbsccjucntly becll,rne
the sllrfac:e soi 1.
The: preseuee of t,!Jese bOliltlers l1jJ0l1 Lhe sul'iacc heal' npoll the
ffll,;(. of the OCGl1\'l'()nec or rude ]l1\pklOents jclenLiMl IviLlI ll!()sc
found in Llw underlying gravels, inasnmch :IS (lie SH\1H; icc-rrtl"l,
that borl.'l the one, with its aCcompanying slll1d aud gnwc!, migllL
well gather lip also, stray l'cllC5 of this primitive peoplo, lind j'i!­
deposit them, wlll;re they are now founl!'
will llUW, in concLusiou, bl'ieJ1y l:JulJJ.mar~e the several facl:;l to
 43

hicll I have caHall yom attentiou, together with the cleuuctions

1 hflve cl1'llwJl.
H :wilJg shown, ltS T clJink, thut the deposit> examil1ecJ is glaoiul
tlrin j Hnr] Uw.t the: slOTH: implements found therein could lJol; hlLVG
rC:Jc!Jc(1 th,;,ir IJl'cscnL positiolL at; any lime subsequent to the for"
mnLion of tbe deposit; I'.od having p}ucc<l beyond donbt, I tl1i.nk,
the CjuoRtic)]! i1S to whether nlOse rndely olJipped stone:; he of arti.
ficial origin 01' llot, hy the discovery of an llllrjlle"tiolldJ!e 5p"ar­
point fig. (:1,) :1Ssoeiate(J with ilium, I am Jed to conclude ilia.
the l'lllic itnplcwents fOll1l(l in the gra\'cl '"erc fashioned by man
clllrillg Ille glacial period, !lnd were dellos~ted with the ilssociated
gnwels ItS we nOw lintI them.
That lhn similar surface relics mny also be glacial ill agel
Ilnd w()re cJroppc<l fl'Oln melting ice-rllfts (1uring tilt" retirement.
aull Ik~l.mc\.i()1l of Lhe :;ou1.hern liJniL of 1.I1l: ice, unci un ally, that
inasmuoh as it is probnIJl(~ that this early 1'IICe waR driren
sOlll:!,ward by tll(; i(;e, and rcLUI'IlCU nOJ'IIlWfll'd, folloWing the
shrLukirJg of tile gbcif:l', t!tat many Of these SUd:1C8-t'oulJd irnp1e­
manLs were lliflGC !Jy tlils snme people, when l'e,occup:UJts of the
country.
 37
38
deposition. A1so, if these rude forms were of identical origin
with' comJl1on Indian relics, then rude and elaborate alike; jasper,
quartz, porphyry and slate together; axes, spears, pottery and
ornaments, all of which are found upon the snrface, should have
gl'illlmdly gotten to thcse depths. Any disturb,mee that would
bmy one, would inhumc alike the varions forms of neolithic im..
plements. SllCh, however, is not the case j aud this one fact is, I
think, of iLself sulllcient to show that there is a distinction to be
drawn between these roughly elJipped implements and the skillfully
wrought proclnctions of tIle Indians.
If 1 have now sncceeded in setting aside the sevel'lll objections
that may be urgcd in advance, of these snpposed implements not
bcing such, and, also, of there being lL comparatively recent addi..
tion to the containing bed; it is obvious that the same forces that
spread the gravel over the wide area that it now covers, carried
also these productions of an early race, once inhabiting this conti.
nent ·when its physical geogni,phy differed materially from the
present. In this case, it may be askcd, ought not these implements
to be distrihuted equally thronghollt t!Je area of the deposit. I
have carefully considered this, and hoped to give a satisftLctory
reply by finding tuese same forms in widely separated 10clL!ities;
bn 1, in this I have failed, unless the exception of a single rude
spearhead be accepted as indicative of a comparatively wide dis­
tribution of these [Jideolithie Telics; Lhis single specimen being
taken from gravel, SOlDe clis'tance from the river shore, and a mile
from tile bluff where the bulk of t.he collection was discovered. l
It mllst be remembered, however, that the gravel generally, !Jas
not been systematically examined, and we do not know that these
same impleme;nts are not abundant even elsewhere;; although this
I consider douutfnl, inasmuch as they were pl'obiLbly not as nu·,
merons originally ,as the stone implements of the Indians subse­
qnently were; and the majority woulel, I suppose, be broken and
WOl'l1 to ordinary oval pcbbles, in the rubbing and grinding togethel'
of these and other fragments of Tacks, while being transported
either by ice Ol' water. 1311t may not the fact that the Indian relics
of the surface are not abundant cveryw!Jcre be adduced as partially
1 Siu(~C Lbc above \vna in type, I 1:lave lJeen successful in (1iscoVE:l'ing scycral well
marked spcdrnells) in mHny and \vitldyseparalt;d localHlcs, nnc1 am DOW leo ~o helieve
tlJat they will u(: met wUh ill the ~l',Wel bedti v;llcrcvcr occuniug in SOUUlCfll and Cen­
trnl.N(;'l\' ,Jersey,
explanatory of the il'l'egular occurrence of the paleolithic imple­
ments of the gravel? 'iVe know Umt frequently many hundreds
of acres in extent may bc carefnlly searched and Hot a fragment
even of a relic be discovered j while near by, lL scanty area of half
an acre may yield hundreds of specimens. In times preceding
the formation of this gravel bed, now, in part, facing the Delaware
River; there were donbtless, in the same way, 10c,Llities onoe the
village sites of pre-glacial mall, where these rude stone implements
';Vonld necessarily 1;e abundant. :May not the ice, in its onward
march, ga thering in bull, every loose fragment of rook and particle
of soil, have held them loosely together, and, hundreds of miles
fi'om their original site, left them in some one locality, such as
Lhis we have been considering j where the rivel' has again brought
to lighL, rude implements that characterize an almost primitive
people?
But assuming that the varions stOlle implemcnts fas!Jionecl by tt
st,rietly pre-glacial people have been totally destroyed by the cmsh­
illg forces of the glacier, and that the specimens forwarded to yOll
were not brought from a cUstance, may they not be referred to
r; an eady race, th'Lt, driven southward by the encroaching ice, dwelt
at the foot of the glader, and dnring their sojourn here these
implements wei'e lost i'
You >,,'ill have noticed that I han uniformly spoken of this
gravel bed as One of glacial origin. I will now report to you, in
detail, the more mUl'kecl characteristics of the deposit, upon which
I have based my conclusion that snch is its ,~ge and origin. At
tIl() point most carefully examined, the eastern bauk of the Dell'."
ware River, at the head of tiCle water of that stream, this deposit
forms a bank varying from thirty to eigllty feet in thickness, meas·,
ul'ing from low-water mark upwarcl. To what addition,L! distance
beneath the bed of' the river the gmvel may reach,' I have not
determined; that it lUay be many times this depth in places is
very probable. Prof. Cook mcntions, in the" Geology of New
Jersey," page 311, that" in the Azoic and Paleozoic regions of
the state, the denudation has been very extensive; bnt it is not so
easy to measure its amonnt, as i.t is not a.t all probable that the
,3urface was smooth w!Jen the denudation, whose ll1axks we now
see, was in progress. That it mnst h:we bcen "ery great we lJlay
safely infel' from the immense quantity of material which ,,'e can
Identify from thc gneiss, the Potsdam sa.lldstono, t!Je Magllesiml
 39
anel Ii'ossiliferolls limestoues,: tbe Oneida congiomerate, and the
whole. series 01' Upper Silurian rocks, which are now scattered all
over the state quite to Cape niay.". Elsewhere, speaking" ot' this
wear unel movement. of earth, gravel anel boulders," the same
writer remarks, "in some localities, as along the higlJlauds from
Boonton to. Pompton, every nol,eh in the mountain has a hill of
drift opposite to it, on the open plain to the sonth-east," and again,
"the roundecl slll'ffiCe of the l'oc](s,in the highland, tile Paleozoic
and the Trap ridges, the regular and parallel scratches upon these
surfaces, and the deep furrows worn in the softer rocks, all prove
that some more rigill force than that of water hus been in operation
all over the conntry, '. These eflects"ilS well as the
carrying of boulders point to ice as the efl'cetive agent in producing
the.m. Two sknlls of the walrus, an animal living only in polal'
seas, have been fonnel in the gravel neal' I,ong nl'Unch.~ 'they.
indicate a period oj' cold more severe than any that now prevails."
. !nasmuch as the drift deposits throngbout New Jersey, are thus
ascribed to the action of ice, and as Lhis that I have described, in
flll respects accords wiLh the description of those above mentioned,
the remarks of Proi'. Cook are equally !1pplicable to it. Let me
Ilere mention, in passing, that the bank lies directly south-east of
tile rocks in situ, and lJig'hlands of tbe Delaware Valley, down
which a glacier doubtless moved j if indeed it was not a portion
simply of that great glacier Jhat cxtended "ii'om Ncw England to
tbe, Rocky Monutains jn and. here, or vei'y neal' this point, termi.
qated in the Atlantic. If so, we have in this extensive deposit of
gravel, sanJ, ajld bouldel's, a terminal moraine.
,Since the original draft of 111Y report, H1t8 written, I have prot:,
ited by the e::xperience of Professors Sllaler and PUll1pelly, who
bl\ye kindly visited the principal localities, and examined them
c~U'efully. Both rCIl1f1rked on the absene,e of ice scratches on tlJe
Pebbles find boulders forming the deposit, and consider it as one
originally of glacial origin, but subsequently modified by water
fiction, wbercby more. or less strfltiJication lJas taken place. Inas..
m,ucll as such suqseqncnt action 111f1y have occurred long after the,
final (leposition of the gravel, as trl1e glaciaL drift, the antiqUity
:} Prof. Sll1ocli:, Assistant State Geologist, lufol'me rne thut the gravel at Long 131'(1,nch
i;... of the s:tme age na Lhnt llt (11n::nlon, so faJ: 'l8 one can uct,cl'l11ine. Nothing- as yet gOCfJ
to "indicute thut it ls of Ialer or earlier origin. It mllY be mCll~ioncd, too, in thifi.conpoco
tjoD1-that l'ollell fragments of reindeer horne ll~Ye occnsionully lJeen meL with in tbeso
same gravels.
40
of the contained. stOlle implements is 'proportiouatelykssei1l3C1,
and may be wholly unconnected with the glacial period,~lltbongh
the latest possible date that can be assigned to the deposition of
the gravel in its present condition, gives an :mtiquity to the im­
plements found therein, far greater than can be asserted of any
preyiOllsly found traces of Il1lm in North Amcriea, othcr than the
·jiscoveriesof Prof. Whitney in California.
I am not, 110wever, disposed to entirely dissociate the gravel
beds more pUltic:ularly described in'this report from the era of the
dose of the glacial epoch propel', fo!' the:: following reasons. If,
as the general topography 01' . the country south and south-cast
of this bluff' indicates, this glacialdebl'is was deposited'in open
,'vater, ou tbe bcd ot' a slmllow. sea. ' Thc entireabsenc(J of clay
in the bluff' slJows tlJllt it has been washed out, as, the mass became
freed fr~m the icc, and floated ,off; the gravel and sand immedi·
nte::ly sinking. 'While it ellnnot be shown that t.he ,gravel and
boulders might lose their scratches before being. freed from the
ice, may it not be that' the ordinary agitation or the waters of fi
shallow sea would polish the pebbles strewn over, its bed, amlthus
the connection·of·the gravel in its present condition with the gl:1,..
del' be necessarily closc?' There can be nodonbt tlJat the locality
~ere' treated of, l. 'e., South and Central New Jersey, marks :the
termination of thc"glllcier: on the Atlanti0 coast. TlJe debris
brought from the ,north, and north-west was not, as far south 'us
Trenton, caught by .the inequalities of· the slll'J'ace, find valleys
ther~byfilled up with accumulations of typieal glacial drift. III
sucb cases, the material forming the deposit bears the marks of
the crushing, scratching and, polishing action of tho iue.', 'This is
it characteristic feature of. toe drift as seen in thenortlJem hilly
~ortion ot' the state.. At, Trenton, and southward to Cape :i'.iay,
this same glacial debris is frce from all sucll ice-scratches j but,
it must be bome in mind, it was not originally left upon the'sui·.
face of t,he gronnd, but, carried to· the open watcrs, was grudually
deposited by the slow mel Ling of the ice. Here, exposed to
strong CUlTents and more ,or, less violent beach acl:ion, aud, inti­
mately associated with coarse slJarp sand, would' not the tcnllency
be to obliterate uneven surfaces, and polish every pebble?
III such a eaS8, iL woul<'l be reasonable to snppose Lhat a {:hippecl
stone implement, becoming, associated with tbis sand, and gravcl,
Wpuld . likewise lose <;very CIUl)'ilctcristit Jeatme that Plarks its
 41
artificial origin. I Ilave already caneel attention to the possibility
of certain angular pebbles in tlle gravel, bearing much resemblance·
to stone implements, hu.ving bcen such, al1C1 can only add that
there does exist in the Trenton gravels sutnciellt instances of
il'regnhu-ly slwped pebbles, that are not polished or rounded upon
their edges, to indicate the possibility of tIle preservation of such
specimens, as we have seen, do occur in the graVel beds in ques­
tion.
In tJ~is connection, let me can attent.ion also to the fac~, that.
the glacier was associated with a marked dcprcssion of the whole
southern half of the statc. Thc month of the Deluwure, if,
indeed, the ril'er then existed, was here at 'Trenton, and not, as
now, at CalJe nlay, one hundred and twenty miles distant. Since
the retirement 01' the icc, [IS n glacier, tlle land has again been
elevated, and while slowly gaiJJing its present height the .I)elaw:l1'c
and other sont.hern flowing rivers of the stnte have WOl'l1 away the
nllleys thcy now traverse and cut the channels they now occupy.
Now, the fact that thesc supposed relics of Ii glncbl people
occm at different depths in the gravel must, too, be considered.
'Ibis, of itself', seems conlirmative of the opinion that man elwelt
at the foot of the glacier, or at least wandcred ove1' the open sea,
dnring the accnmnlation of this mass or sand and gravel. There
is no evidence of any Yiolent overturning of the entire lllass I011g
llbseqnent to the original deposition by the glacier, :md if the
implements 'were made, used and lost ilf'ler the deposit ceased
forming, but prior to its elevation, then they would necessarilj'
occur only in or vel')' neal' the top or surface of the beet
At that point where I have gathcred the majority of specimens,
there is a want of stratification; bnt at several points, I have'
fouml, extending over limited areas, a marked separation '01' th.e
material generally, into fine sand, coarse gravel, and again fine
sand; sceming to show that the floods of the succeeding period
reassorted thc deposits, in some few plae-cs, but that the deposit.
generally was protected from tlJem.
I have frequently 1'efel'l'ed to the presence of boulders, both in
the gravel bed and l1jJ011 thc surface of the gronnd. Many of these
Hre eight and ten feet in diameter j some more than tll'ice this size.
l\:Iineralogically they vary considerably. Prof. Geikie bas de­
scribed as characteristic of all \'Ile river valleys in England, that
tbe upper levels cOllsist of coarser material thaD. the lower, "aud
42
1j'equel1tly contain large blocks pf stone which could only have
been transported by river-ice j" whilc the lower level gravels are
usually of liner grained clmracter, and that the,w 1\ seemed to
point to n milder condition of things-to a time wlJcn the rivers
were less liable to lIood, and the ice-rafts were uncommon"
Coo Great Ice Age," American Ed., p. 435). From an examination
of the bed as now exposed on the bank of the Delaware River, I do
not find that !Illy snch distiuction can be hcre drawn. By act-llal
count, in a section I mcasured ofl', there did not occur more large
boulders above the line cqllally dividing the bluf!', than below it,
but on the contrary three more bencath; not cOllnting those that
bad rolled from the Led down to the water's edge. This of' itself
would be by no means conclusive; bnt I found, upon f'reCluent
enquiry of lllen who had Slink wells lind excavated cellars, that
these boulders were usually met with in greater nbuudance, at
·considemble depths, tllan near the surface. This irregularity of
their occurrence and position is, I think, indicative of the glncial
origin of tile deposit. These large bonlders are also met with
upon tllc snrJ'ace. I have very carefully examlued many of these,
in situ, and am convinced that these were not deposited with the
gravel beneath them, nnd that tl:\e latter has been subsequently
removed by rapidly running wnter, for I li.nd in nearly every in­
stance, a foot or more of soil between the lower surface of the
stone lmd the gravel, and this layer so extended Leyoncl the limi ts
of the boulder, that it unquestionably WlIS slowly accumulated
prior to the depositing of the latter; and in snch a stratum, imme·
diately beneath a stone that would weigh at least half a ton, I
found a well chipped, spear-shaperl implemeut. These surface
boulc1ers I believe to have heen dropped from ice-rafts, together
with sand lind gravel; the ice then floating over a broad expans&
of couutry, in comparatively quiet waters, from whicll slowly set·
tIed the fine sand and other material that subsequeutly became
the surface soil.
The prcsence of these boulders upon the surface beat upon the
fact of the OCCIUTcnce of I'l1de implements identical with those
found iu the underlying gravels, inasmnch as the same icc-raft
that bore the one, with its accompmlying sand and gravel, might,
well gather up also, stray relics of this primitive people, und reo
deposit them, where they are now found.
I will now, in conclusion, briefly summarize the several facts to
 4

wbieh I hn,ve c'l11ed YOUl' nttention, together with thE: deductions

I have drawn.
Having shown, as I think, that the .deposit ilxamined is glacial
drin; and that the stone imp1ements found thel·eiu could not have
reached their present position at any time sllbsequent to the for..
mation of the deposit; and having placed beyond doubt, I think,
ihe questioll as to whether these rudely chipped stones be of arti.
ucial origin or not, by the discovery of nn unquestionable spear­
point fig. (3,) associated with them, I am led to conclude that
the rude implements found in the gravel were fashioned. by man
dUJ'ing the glacial period, and were deposited with the associated
gravels as we llOW find them.
That~he . similar surface i'elics nuty also be·. glacial in age,
<lnd were dropped from melting ice·.rafts during the retirement
Hud destruction of the southern limit of the ice, and finally, that
inasmuch as it is probable ·that this early Tace was driven
southw~'ll'd by the ice, and returued 11Orthward, following the,
shrinking of the glacier, that many of these surface-found imple­
ments were made by this. same people, ~'hen !'c-·OCCupants.of. tho
\)ountr.y,