The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-08-12
IA Colorado Wonder Discovery OF. q
PetrsfieA PaInf Twenty 1.-TWO Feet I'm

Diameter.
From The Denver News. July 81.
Twenty-one miles south of Denver lie the
renlaills Of palm tree preserved in stone.
1t Is upon the hillside, looking down upon
Cherry creek, and q hundred feet or more
above the level of the valley of that stream.
The soil il similar to that OF most Of the up
land plain In Colorado, and covered at pre-
sent with thick crop Of grass and weeds.
Buncllcs Of cHrrant bushes laden with fruit
cluster about the wooden rocks, andabove to
the top OF the ridge and along its crest are
scrubby young pines and Il few large trees.
At The foot oil the hill. three hundred yards
to the westward, passes the old stage road
from Denver to Santa Fe. The traveller,
looking up, could sec lodge or mass OF
rotlcIi-Iooking rocks rising ten or twelve feet
above the surface OF the ground and about
forty feet in length. Camp fires have been
built NJ inst it, aud clmpers have doubtless
sought shelter from storm Or.sun under its
projecting 'front.' little dreaming that they
rcclIned in the shades of Il palm tree. The
pllpls of a School-housc near by have played
about it many a day. Last winter hunter
for curious specimens stumbled upon it and
"llcSSed Hs true character. Specimens were
brought 10 Denver and pronounced by the
best authorities pctrliied palm wood. But
the mass was reported so large That The story
seemed incredible.
\ careful examination reveals the follow
in@ facts: The monster tree evidently grew
where it lies, and there lEs been very little
change in the surface of the ground ut that
point since its fall. lis fall was toward the
north and across Il narrow tongue or spur of
the hill near the crest, on the south side of
which il stood. The tneYcnnesS Of the
ground caused the part Of the trunk now
visible to break in two liieces. The first or
| butt section is thirty-ninc feet long. and 1t
has apparently rolled about half over down
the bill. In the heart was either Il hollow
or Il mass of dccavcd wood from four to
six feet in diameter. The upper side of the
log has been broken up by the action OF the
elements and the frost. destroying between
onC-tEird and onc-hall its circumference, and
the fragments lie scattered about in huge
blocks. The more than half that remains
intact is Il huge trough: the surface of the
earth even with its brim OH the uphill side
and ten feet below it on the down-hii side
As before stated. this section is thirly-ninc
feet long. As near Is can he determined.
without cycavating the adjacent earth. the
diameter of the tree ut tho base is twenty-five
feet. Midway Of its length. or twenty feet
from the base. it is fifteen feet,
hc second Scctiol i '"c!'l!.o,e lec' i'.'S'
and evidently lies where it fell. Striking
,qlarr across the crc.t of the ridge, the inl'
mcn>c weight almost buried il in the earth
Its outlines are hard 10 determine without
| digging. but ut md-len%th. or fifty feet from
the stump, it is certainly nine feet in diane
for hp a = IpSpIII,p1
; ,. tu t coot :, ianath ,hnro tIat nnir,
is' r'1., ,et. u, r.m ,t, rui ia' Wiz,
n H." Laor S,, I, nn,rlt t;,Iod un Inv tLo wash
rr"r, tha hi,Is nhnvc Dimminr wnuld doubt
i 's' ro,,c.I murh,moro If thn twink.
~ oI i'; ;,,,I,,,,. ,,,,,s. ~ wood h,,
., .,,'i ; ~, .t'r, iarInnd ,Int - nnrnhvrv
cnmo ~ # lonl;s i;ltn a%,tn fncIv yciued ant
Ioi;n.tn,,. +;ntnd. nthnr with on,Iine hstre
ul,>" ,,.,;;4o ~ Flo dr;yon .no,,. M with th,