ILLINOIS
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
Production Note
Project Unica
Rare Book & Manuscript Library University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign 2016ON THEJS
GEOLOGICAL LETTER
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ORIGIN OF THE “ DRIFT.”
When I wrote my essay, I was not aware that there is a drift material extending northwardly from the South Pole, corresponding with the drift which extends from the North Pole, southwardly. The north drift as thou knowest, extending to about the 40th degree north latitude, the southern drift extending to about the 50th degree south latitude.
2. This remarkable coincidence shows that the same great crushing force which brought or thrusted the drift from the north towards the south, did also force the drift from the extreme south towards the north ; and this crushing force could only be exercised by the power of gravitation.
extreme north and south portions of it, must have been in the shape of a cone, and the gravitational efforts of these two opposite ends of the cone, to attain to a posi tion nearer to the centre of gravity of the earth, would cause both extreme ends to move at one time and with one force, and tc about the same extent towards the equator.
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3. The earth, previous to the moving of these two
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARYa*
ORIGIN OF THE “ DRIFT.7


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4.	It would appear that most geological writers have not been aware of the fact of the remarkable precision of the extreme edges of the two drifts all around the globe ; so that if a person living in any portion of the earth should tell me how many miles he lives north or south of the edge of the drift, I could inform him the latitude of his residence with reasonable accuracy.
5.	I have not read H. Miller within several years and I do not remember distinctly his theory of the origin of the drift, and therefore I cannot comment upon it definitely. It was, however, not satisfactory, or I would not have rejected it. In regard to the glacial theory, and that of floating icebergs as agents in moving the vast drift material from both northern and southern hemispheres toward the equator, I have seen no statement of geological facts that sustain those views of the subject.
6.	I would not thus boldly call in question Agassiz’s glacial theory, but for the fact that the commission, sent by Cornell University to the Southern hemisphere, reported, as I have seen stated, a condition of geological phenomenon subversive of the glacial theory of Agassiz.
7.	I would moreover inquire if the present geological teaching can explain, upon the glacial tneory, how it was that our present arctic regions were changed from a tropical to a frigid zone in the course of one or two days, or, rather instantly. The present geological theories, so far from explaining this great geological phenomenon, that it does not appear that the fact was known to the authors and advocates of the glacial and kindred theories.
8- To return to my “ cone ’’ similitude, it is known that our present arctic regions were, in some geological era, inhabited by vast numbers of herbaceous animals, and necessarily those animals could subsist only in a temperate or torrid zone; and that, condition of climate could only exist when the periods of the sun’s presence and absence every twenty-four hours were nearly equally divided. And this sentiment would lead to the conclusion that there was an, epoch in the earth’s existence when there was no declination of the sun either northern or southern.5
ORIGIN OF THE “ DRIFT.”
9.	The question may present, why should the earth ever have had an elongated or cone-like form ? I answer, that my exposition of the process of the earth s creation implies the necessary consequence of its assuming an elongated or cone like form. Just as a ball of yarn, held by one hand and kept revolving while the other hand winds on the thread, will form an elongated or cone-like shape.
10.	Now, to continue the comparison, place the thumb upon one end of this elongated ball and one or more fingers on the opposite end, and give a crushing pressure and the elongated form will be reduced to a shape nearly globular.
11.	Now, in order to show by what cause the crust of the earth, over nearly its entire surface, is found broken up, disjointed, depressed in some portions, thrust upward in other places, like a woman’s fan, (not literally, but comparatively), let us suppose that the ball of yarn, when about seven eights of its full size, be g azed over with a brittle covering similar to the rocky crust which covers the globe a little below its surface ; then resume the winding of the ball until its full size is attained ; then, with the thumb at one end of the cone and the fingers at the other, give the ball a crush as previously described. Then unwind, or otherwise remove the outer covering until the glazed brittle crust is revealed and we will find this brittle crust or covering broken up, disjointed ; its horizontal position changed to all forms of inequality ; some portions thrust edge upwards, others thrust downward, and finally we will find it very nearly representing the present broken up, disjointed, elevated or depressed condition of the crust of the earth in all the explored regions of the globe.
12.	The vast numbers of herbaceous animals now found imbedded in the ice, snow and frozen ground in the condition of actual flesh (not mere fossil remains), and which at the present time are fed upon by carniverous animals, as in Alaska where great numbers of polar bears resort for that purpose ; the fact that the flesh of these herbaceous animals is being now found in a preserved condition demonstrates beyond controversy that the change of the climate from a tropical to and arctic condition was6
ORIGIN OF THE “DRIFT.”
effected almost instantly. If the change had been otherwise than instantaneous the flesh would have become putrescent, and would now be in a state unsuitable for carniverous animals to subsist upon.
13.	When the gravitational crushing of the northern and southern hemispheres toward the equator occurred, the material (of the northern for instance), constituting the extreme northern portions of our earth spread like a deluge of stones and earthy matter over all our northern hemisphere, to about 40 degrees of north latitude, burying and destroying all animal life then existing upon the earth, as far as the drift extended.
14.	The condition of the animal fossils found in the drift shows that the creatures did not die a natural death, but were destroyed by the overflowing deluge of the drift to which they fell victims.
io. Examination of the materials composing the drift shows that it is made up of every possible variety. My farm is situated a few miles north of the edge of the drift, and from one field in particular I have gathered probably thirty wagon loads of stones from the size of a hen’s egg to that of a man’s head. An examination of thousands of these would not probably discover any two indicating that they ever existed in companionship in their original place of deposit, but generally, evidencing the effect of the attrition to which they have been subjected on their passage to their present location.
16.	As already stated ample evidence is afforded that our present arctic regions, during some epoch of the earth’s existence, were the abodes of numerous herbaceous animals, and by following the train of thought suggested by that fact we arrive at the conclusion that a tropical, or semi-tropical climate must have prevailed there at that time. The question then presents as to the possibility of such a climate, if the earth then possessed the globular form it now does.
17.	In the preceeding paragraph is suggested the query as to the possibility of the existence of a tropical climate in co-existence with the earth’s globular form.
18.	To which I answer that a tropical climate can exist only in a region visited by a vertical orORIGIN OF THE “ DRIFT.”
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nearly vertical sun during1 the entire year. Now it is impossible to conceive that our northern hemisphere, from the poles to latitudes 70, 60 or 50, ever received the rays of a vertical sun while our planet was existing in its present globular form.
19. But as the fact of the former existence of tropical animals and tropical plants in our now arctic regions is incontrovertible, we are impelled to the conclusion that the earth at that time was not globular as it now is, but that its poles were elongated somewhat in the form of a cone, that it revolved in its orbit without declination to the north or smth, by which every portion of our planet, including the arctic regions, would receive an equal proportion of sunlight and shade during the year.
20- Then when the extreme northern and southern portions of our planet, impelled by the force of gravitation sought to attain to a position near to the centre of gravity, the whole mass of stones and earth, now called the “ drift,” spread like a deluge over all the northern and southern hemispheres destroying, and to a great extent burying every form of animal and vegetable life in its devastating course.
21. The foregoing exposition assigns the origin of the “ drift,” and explains the otherwise unsolved problem why our present arctic regions where at some epoch of our world’s existence enjoying the verdure of a genial climate.
Glen Head, L. I., 6th month, 12tli, 1879.