Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1855-07-11
From the Cincinnati Column bian
GEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES.

From the Cincinnati Columbian.
GEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES.
a gentleman who recently arrived in this
city from Venango county, Pennsylvania, had
in his possession, and has had on exhibition
for several days past, some very curious petri-
fed human bodies, which were found by him
in the bed of stream which is one of the
principal branches of the Allegheny river.
These remains are supposed to be those of
man and woman, who, by the wonderful pet
rifactive powers Of nature. have been turned
into solid stone, which, on being struck, gives
ont clear ring, and is very hard. AS petri-
factions, these stones are objects of great in
terest; but as much of the appearance of hu-
manity has been lost by the attritlon from the
running water of the stream, in which they
had probably lain for ages, they might, after
attracting brief attention, have been classed
with ordinary petrifactions and been forgotten,
had not their close examination by one Of our
savans led TO the discovery that they are ire
fragible proofs of the existence of man upon
this revolving globe long before the period
when corals, crinoidea and tribolites, first
made their appearance.
Heretofore no fossils have been found in
primitive rocks, and hence geoogists have in
ferred that for vast periods in the worlds his
tory, nothing but plants and the lower types
of animal life, were in existence, and that for
ages the earth was inhabited by saurians and
other creatures now found only as fossils.
The petrifactions to which refer above,
and which overturn this theory, may have
been carried a considerable distance by the
stream bat we do not need to know the locali-
ty in which they were originally placed. They
show by their constituent character that they
belong to the very earliest period Of the
worlds history. The remains supposed to be
| female are evidently of the sandstone strata,
and have nothing peculiar about them except
their indefniteness and wanting feet.
| The petrifaction supposed to be that of a
man is the great curiosity. Its feet are now
wanting, its body and legs are composed of
sandstone, and its head of quartz and gneiss.
| From this single fact science has evolved con-
| clusions which oyerturn the speculative hy
pothcsis of Agassiz, Lyell, Dana, and the
whole host of modern geologists. 1t is well
| known that quartz and gneiss are primitive
rocks, which underlie the sandstone rocks
| 1t is assumed that when first found the feet
were on this male petrifaction, but as they
seemed slaty, and of coal-like texture, they
were burned by the women, who prefer utility
to scientific discovery.
If this was so, then probably the body was
| originally SO buried that the feet extended
upwards into the carboniferous strata, and
| 8,
gone, it is, perhaps, improper to speculate
upon their character, but luckily science has
this wonde erful body and head. The body be-
ing a sandstone proves that the petrifaction
must have been done in the sandstone strata
and the head being of gneiss and quartz.
1 proves that it must have been petriied into
gneiss and quartz in the gneiss formation
We may be asked how this could happen, and
the answer is obvious.
1t is certain that the man when alive must
have inhabited the sandstone for period, and
if, as we think is evident, he was buried head
downwards, and at just such depth that his
head came in the gneiss and his body in the
sandstone formation, then it is easy to con
clude that his body petrified into sandstone
and his head into quartz and gneiss. Upor
no other hypothesis can the quartz and gnels;
head of this petrifaction be accounted for
Itis hardly likely that the man was buried II
the sandstone strata, where all but the heaC
petrifed and that then, by some convulsioi
of nature, he was jammed into the lower primi
tive rocks, where he lay for ages, until b.
some other conYulsion of nature, he wa
thrown out into the stream, where found.
Whichever of these theories is adopted, tn
; old theory about man not being found in tn
primitive rocks, is completely overturned, ant
geologists will have to acknowledge that ther
. are more things in heaven and earth tha
= are dreamed of in their philosophy"
1 GyA midshipman asked priest to tell tn
: difference between priest and jackass.-
e The priest gaveitup. 'sOne wears cross o
! his back and the other on his breast;' said tn
e midshipman. Now" said the priest, ''tell N
# the difference between midshipman and
iackass.'' The midshipman gave it up, an
d asked what it was. The priest said he did NJ
d know of any.