Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1830-11-10
WEDNESDAY. NOVEMBER 10, IS;
THE PErRIFIED FOREST.

There can be no section Of The country so in
,erestin@ 10 the geologist as our own. As yet but
little attention has been given to the subject by
our Western scholars, but its Importance and IN
terest will soon demand its investigation. The
hills of our beautiful river, its rocky bed, the in
Vulnerable petrifactions and singular formations,
will amply repay any researches. Shells may
be found in state of petrIaction on almost any
Of our streams in the interior. Biz Bone, Ken
lucky, should be visited by every traveller. The
banks of the Kentucky river are beautiful beyond
description, and present fine field for geologi-
cal researches. Indeed person could not we'll
70 arniss in any section Of the West.
Ii was our intention, At first, merely to have
alluded to the subject at the head of this article.
The letter which is annexed. was communicated
for TN Illinois Magazine, aud furnishes the only
account we have seen Of this most singular curl
osity. The predatory remarks are from the pen
of the editor
1.-The existence OF petritactions, at point in
accessible to inuudation, il. far as we are adj
vised, phenomenon in scientific history. The
agency of water and of mineral substances is sup
posed to be necessary to the production of these
formations. We know Of no instance in winch
they have been produced by the action of the at
mosphere, nor can We imagine any rational grounds
upon which such al hypothesis could be sustain
ed. Ii we right IN cur con jecture, ;he cOun-
try i'll which these petrifactions exist, must have
been, at some period, submersed in water. But
when: Are these the remains OF the antediluyi-
an trees: Did Noah's Hood cover this portion
of the earth long enough TO produce such an eff
feet: Or have these high grounds been covered
with water at period subsequent to the general
deluge:"
"JEFFERsoN BARRAcEs, May l, 1880.
y. DEAR sIR:--lt affords ne pleasure to comply
with your request, with regard to the ''Petrihed
Forest"
..You asked for meoaosr on the subject, but
YOU must be satisfied with the following attempt
to 1--WE YOU merely the factS as they came within
nv own observations; without venturing
single speculation beyond the effects produced.
| wish rather to leave the subject in ADLER hands
than nine; and if can aid, In any way, to solve
the problem, by statement of simple facts, well
known, however. to most of the officers attached
To the Yellow Stone expedtion,) | shall feel
more than compensated for any time | shall de-
vote 10 the subject.
s.The enclosed specimen was broken off from
one of the many large stumps and limbs u! trees
found near yellow Stone river, and brought
away bv some one of The officers attached to the
Yellow Stone expedition, in 1915.
The most remarkable facts, perhaps, with re-
card to these petrIactons, OF what was once
forest OF thick timber, are their location ana
abundance. For distance of twenty OF thirty
miles. over an open high prairie, upon the west
bank of the Missouri river, and a few miles be-
low its junction with the Yellow Stone. near
latitude forty eight degrees, these remains are
more abundant.
The Topography of this section of the coun-
TRY is hilly, and much broken into deep ravines
and bollows On the sides and SUBMITS Of the
hills. al an elevation of several hundred feet tcs
timated three buudredj above the present level Of
the river. and an estimated height for we have
no Instruments of some thousand feet above ihc
ocean; the earth's surface is literally covered
with stumps. roots and limbs Of petriiied trees;
presenting the appearance of . Petnied For
est, broken aud thrown down by some powerful
convulsion of nature. and scattered IN all dlrec-
tons i'm innumerable fragments.
s.Some of the trees appear to have broken of
in falling close to their roots: while Others stand
at an elevation of some feet above the surface
Many of the stumps are of a large size; | mea-
sured oae ofthem in company with Surgeon Gale
L.. s. army, and found it to be upwards of fifteen
feet in circumference.
.'Yours, with esteem,
sc. IL. CROSSMAN,
Lieut. d. WALKER, Z. S. .4rmy.
~. S. Army, Jefferson Barracks.