The Potter journal and news item. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1872-1874, 1873-07-16


Of large branches or trunks Of trees;
and on the flank Of the hill to the
north are hundreds of immense trees,
lying half buried in the sand. some
seventy feet long and in many IN
4 stances with the back still attached.
All Of them are eXogenous trees-no
single instance Of a palm could we
discoyer-and from the absence of
roots it may be presumed have been
drifted here by the sea. The stratum
is apparently sandstone. OVERLAPPING
the limestone Of the Nile valley ;
there are also here and there patches
of dark chocolate-colored friable
mineral with speeks Of green which
looked like copper; but proved on
Z subsequent analysis to be carbonate
of iron; beds Of what the Arabs call
"Gyps" or gypsum, and nodules of
an intensely hard black granulated
looking stonc-not unlike emery
stone; the whole geological charac~
ter suggesting the-possibly delusive
suspicion of the existence Of coal
under the surface.
Having carefully surveyed this
neighborhood we again climbed the
"Komnel el Knashob. taking instru-
ments to measure its height and de
termine its position; the former of
which we found to be 752 feet above
the Nile level at Cairo, 602 feet above
the northeast socket of the Great
Pyramid and consequently about 20
feet higher than its summit.
Having secured one or two sketches
Of the hill and the sun being now
near setting. we ''fold up our tents
like the Arabs and silently steal
away" Mounting our camels again
and taking a slightly different route
on our return, We pass some ancient .
solitary well l-tombs away in the des-
ert. but without mark or hieroglyphic I
inscription on them. All the way /
We notice fragments Of pettified wood (
and near to the pyramids extensive
beds of oyster shells. This forest
may almost be said to be a continual
tion-doubtless going much farther
westward thah'we penetrated-of the
well known petrifed forest in the
AbtasieA Desert to the east Of Cairo. /
which extends a long way in the di-
rection of Sucz, but Is inferior both .
in extent and in the size and perfect |
ness Of the trees to that of the newly ,
discovered forest. The formation of
tie land here would lead to the sup
position that it was the ancient coast +
line and that trees drifted to where !
they are now found and were then I
left in the briny waters Of an eyapo-
rating sea or salt lake: and as the /
fibre Of the wood decayed slowly
away, the space Of each cell has been I
filed up by the crystalizing silica
which was held in solution ii The /
water that surrounded it. /
Since the discovery Of this forest /
it has been visited by many Euro
peans in Cairo and English travellers I
and to geologists especially it is we'll |,
worthy Of visit. 1t may be easily /
reached from the Great Pyramid I
either by donkey. camel or horse, and /
is distant under three hours from it
"a journey which in the winter may I
with comfort be accomplished in one
day from Cairo. Indeed, If His |
Highness, the Khedive, who has done I
50 much for the comfort Of travellers
in making a magnificent road to the /
pyramids. were to extend it for some |
half mile farther through the tract Of
soft sand, carriages could easily drive
all the way to the Komnel el knashob. /
The locality is now well known to
the Pyramid Arabs and most able I.
and intelligent guides will be found /
in Ali Dobree, Omar, or Others Of
this Bedouin tribe.-Nataue.