The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1873-03-08
From Our Young Folks.
The Fail % = Rocking stone',.

From Our Young Folks.
The f'nli "a a : Roc king stone'.
England i not the only country that
can boast of rocking stones. New
England has several, of winch Maine
has at least two in its settled lands,
with nobody knows how many in its
wild lands Ii the Druids had held
sway here IN olden days, we might,
perhaps, have thought these stones to
have been set up by them. As it is,
We can but term them freaks of Nature
during that bleak old glacial epoch
when Ice and granite fought so many
hard battles with each other.
One of the two mentioned above is in
the town Of Windham, on the southeast
side % Canada Hill, 1t is of granite,
eleven feet high, eighteen feet long,
aud nineteen feet across the middle.
Some of those mighty glaciers which
used to crawl like huge reptiles from
the mountains down to the sea must
nave pushed 1t along and tilted it Up
mere. Its weight has been estimated at
two hundred and twenty tons yet SO
nicely IS it poised that two men can
rock i without difficulty.
Ehe second, which IS not nearly Sc
good a rocker. is situated IN the easter
portion Of the t0wship Of Avon. Frank,
La County This is also OF granite.
thirty feet long, twenty feet wide, and
fifteen feet high. 1t must thus contain
about nine thousand cubic feet, which
viii probably weigh not far from Sly
hundred and thirty tons. 1t is thought
- have come from Mount Abraham,
ten miles to the n0rthward, ali the
DRIFT powders of New England have
been brought iEom some ledge or noun
tain to the northward.
To these I would wish to add another
which WAS thrown down by our = ex.
nloring party, while we were at Mount
hatahdln.
The Northwest side OF katahdin Is
not nearly 50 precipitu0us as the south
side; yet there are many spurs" too
steep even for the black spruce to fino
Eoot-hold.
One glowing September day, Just as
the vast area of forest to the northwarC
had grown glorious with red and COLDER
tlnts, We had climbed to the ladgy
shoulder OF one Of those lofty spurs
and halted for a rest. After lunch, an(
while the rest of US we're stretched OF
the sbodl, messy soil, which here
scarcely made Vretence OF clothing the
gigantic nBkednass OF the mountain
Raad hal wandered off 10 "geologize'
little, as was MS won't Presently h,
came hurry back
/ say fellows. there IS a genuln,
rocking stone cut here.' he excla1m
ed
Thai so a. from Wade, raising him
sell oil one elbow.
Yes; veritable old Druid an,
the best OF 1t Is, its right on the yer,
brink OF the slide. ! DO believe ",
might start it rolling -
We we're up at that, and, followin.
him eff ter twenty or thirty rods along
the slide, rs We termed the steep sid,
OF the spur, We came to large cob
ble-shaped rock, poised lightly on til,
rough ledge. Just see here now,
Haed verified and pushing with hi
hands, he succeeded after a few effort
IN getting 1T to rock several inches, t.
and fro. As ne continued the impulses
the top OF the stone erelong described
an arc of fully foot.
All put your hands on now, ant
lets see whether we cannot toppIe /
over, " he advised.
We all pushed at it; but though W,
s could somewhat accelerate its BOOKINGS
We still found it impossible to throw /
ont of balance.
"Whgt we want IS a lever, sal,
Wash a big heavy pry."
Raed ran back to where we had lef
our lunch bucket for the Ratchet
While he was gone, Wade took out Ii
pocket-rule and made a rough measure
ment of the stone. II was five Zee
three inches in height, its extrem,
length was a trjHe over eleven feet. ant
its width seven feet and an inch. Wasl
hastily computed its weight to be up
wards OF sixty thousand pounds.
Raed came back with the hatchet
and We all four went of tn a hollow
three or four hundred yards to tn
northeast OF the spur, to cut pry. !
poplar about six inches in diameter al
the butt was selected and felled, afte
a vast deal OF hacking. Trimming /
up twenty feet, we cut it off Tn
but-end vas then sharpened to a wedg
shape.
A jolly load it gave us up the steer
side. After getting breath, stone wa
rolled along Tor fulcrum. The uppe
side OF the bowlder offered a goo,
chance to thrust under the pry. Lift
ing hard we raised it over the fulcrun
stone, and showed it under. 1t wa
now in position for prying. Ii "
could tip the rock over, it would strikt
far enough down tbs ledgy side to roll
AMI, once rolling, Is would not sto,
short OF the foot OF the spur.
8 Ready now,' pronounced Raed
but look ont the pry doesn't sle'
round and sling rs off,
Going along to the elevated end, W