The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1874-04-01

upper surfaces but little above the ground
Wills the smaller fragment rest upon the low
err side Of the larger Of the above named base
rocks which slopes toward the south. From
the smaller segment now constituting Fort
Hans, has fallen witlsiu few years, ffag-
ment some twelve feet III length by ten feet in
breadth, nine feet In depth, and according to
computation weighs about nine tons. Now
these ave rocks, as any cne will be convinced
on inspection, have originally Constituted but
one bovlder The FIRST augmentation, no
doubt, was horizontal !; the next WAS the split
ting Of the base rock the third, the dividing
off Of the huge mass that now lies upon the
ground almost contiguous to the base The
exf0liating process ever busy amid tho ex-
posed powders, has caused these several seq
mclfts to assume an individuality peculiar to
themselves, and casual observer would hard
ly recognize their relationship. The lower
fragment resting as 1t does upon slcping tri-
angular base, theiowcr side Of which being
mitch the smaller, and consequently being
much more rapidly corroded by atmospheric
influences, is slowly receding from the larger
by the moro rapid disintegration Of its base,
and in the course of time will loose its bal
ancc, tumble from its upper foundation, aud
win be found at the foot Of the cninence up
ON which it now stands. Then Fort Hans will
consist of but one rock resting upon two 9TH
ers and the visitor will fail to recognize In it
what those of to-day SO much admire. The
writer has been told by an aged man who lives
near by, and has frequented this spot from
childhood, that forty years ago, man with
difficulty could insinuate himself between the
two large rocks which have above described,
but now at one end, the opening is about three
and one-half feet, and at the other one foot,
SO busy is the influence of the atmosphere in
tearing down Fort Hans. The Roaring Rocks,
an assemblage of immense powders in the
gorge of Roaring Brook, as it desccnds from
the plateau of the eastern end of the noun
tain to the plain at It's foot is another example
of these two processes but the present con-
dition and appearance of this celebrated part
of the ridge depends very much upon the adj
ditional influence Of running water. Tho
mountain at this place is about three miles
wide at the top spreading out into plateau
almost level. The southern escarpment, OK
cepting at this creek, for about two miles is
precipitous, formed by the jutting out of the
Bassaltic Trap, which here in some places is
three hundred feet thick and as it is slowly
uncovered by the washing away of the soil by
rains and the like and exposed to the atinos-
phere, it is divided thereby into huge prisms,
which become farther and farther separated
by the processes already described and, in
the course of ages reduced to soil.
In early days, as part Of the water OF this
plateau was poured over the southern edge Of
this mountain where tho brow was lowest, Il
naturally washed out the disintegrated par
ticlcs and the like, from the seam of TIN
rocks over which 1t flowed. This gave the at
mospherc an opportunity to spend its disinte
grating force upon this part of the trap, NOR
powerfully than upon the neighboring SEE
tiops. So, as time marched on, these tissure
grew deeper and wider, actually becoming I'll
multifd channels for the future stream.
these seams or assures grew deeper, they b
came large enough to allow the water of Il
, stream to wholly pass through them, exceptir
during frcshets. And as the constant flow
water continued to wear these channels dec
or and wider at their bottom, at length the
became capacious enough to carry the watt
even during the seasons of abundant flow
which, having fall of one hundred and thirt
feet, in passing through these rocks, dashin
and splashing against the sides of the char
nels, and such pieces of powders as chance
to fall in, produced roaring sound and gave t
this place its significant name.
The horizontal augmentation ever busy
has constantly divided the newly formed
columns into loose powders, cuboidal in form
and huge In size, the uppermost Of which, b.
the exfoliating process having lost their prim
tive shape, and their broad and firm bases
have tumbled together where they now lay
Wondering to particles which by the actor
of the busy stream is constantly carried down
ward and deposited in the plain below to form
new soil. Thus has been formed the Roaring
Rocks, and the gorge in which they lay. And
that rugged and grotesque ledge of powders
about two miles toward the north, in gorge
| OF the upper WdtclS VI 4'o AAnSS ~'i~o'N
known as the Devils Half-Acre, is indebted
to the same influences for its existence. The
soil made by the disintegration of these
powders is generally gravelly and sandy, ant
very productive If well titled. After a heav,
fall of rain, 1t will always do to pillow con
siderable sooner than any neighbcring there
to. In the Spring it is generally the frs
ground to be titled, and the crops growing
thereon are always little in advance o
the rest in the neighborhood. It stands 4 we
season better than the contiguous soils, ant
suffers much less than they do, from DIR,
one. On the nolcs north of Rocktown, wheI
the corn on the clayey and shaley grounds arr
badly rolled by heat and drought, we see it
leaves standing out completely unfurled, as i
here there was no want of moisture. IT.
adaptation to fruit culture is excellent
here we see the vine flourish as no where els
in the country. The Amwell nurseries neal
Rocktown, owned by Lewis G. Dilts, arc upon
this soil and here too, owned by the sam'
man, is the only successful vineyard in THU
part Of the State.