Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-07-29
paiIu 3srnnrhfr Juurnal.
TRAVELLING ROCKS IN CANADA.

Lord Dunraven. in an article in the
Nineteenth Century, thus describes
curious phenomenon observed by him in
Canada:
A strange scene, Cor example. which
came within my observation last wear,
completely puzzled me at the time, and
has done so ever since. was in Nova
Scotia in the fall, when one day my Indian
told me that in II lake close by all the rocks
were moving out of the water-a circum-
stance which thought not little strange.
However. went to look at the unheard of
spectacle, and sure enough, there were
the rocks apparently all moving out of the
water on to dry land The lake is of con-
siderable extent. but shallow and full of
great masses of rock. Many of these mas
SEES appear to have travelled right out of
the lake and are now high and dry. some
fifteen yards above the margin of the
water. They have ploughed deep and reg
ularly defined channels for themselves.
You may see them of all sizes, from blocks
of, say. roughly speaking, six or eight
feet in diameter, down TO stones which a
man could lift. Moreover you find them
in various stages in progress, some hun
dred yards or more from shore and appar
emily just beginning to move; others half
way to their destination, and others again,
as have said, high and dry above water.
In all cases there is a distinct groove or
furrow which the rock has clearly ploughed
for itself. | noticed one particularly good
specimen, an enormous block which lay
some yards above high water mark. The
earth stones were heaped up in front of it
to a height of three or four feet. There
was deep furrow, the exact breadth of
the block. leading down directly from it
into the lake, and extending till it was hid
den from my sight by the depth of the
water. Loose stones and pebbles were
piled up on each side of this groove in a
regular, clearly defined line.
| thought at first that from some cause
or other the smaller stones, pebbles and
sand had been dragged down from above,
and consequently had piled themselves up
in front of all the large rocks too heavy
to be removed, and had left vacant
space or furrow behind the rocks. But if
that had been the case the drift of moving
material would of course have joined
together again in the space of a few yards
behind the fixed rocks. On the contrary,
these grooves or burrows remained the
same width throughout their entire length,
and have, | think, undoubtedly been
caused by the rock and stones which com
pose the bed OF the lake. What power
has set these rocks in motion it is difficult
to decide. The action of ice is the only
thing that might explain it; but how ice
could exert itself in that special manner,
and why, If ice is the cause OF it, it does
not manifest that tendency in every lake
in every part of the world, do not pre-
tend to comprehend.
My attention having been once directed
to this, noticed it in various other lakes.
Unfortunately my Indian only mentioned
it to me "A day or two before | left the
woods. | had not time therefore, to make
any investigation into the subject. Posi-
bly, some of my readers may be able to
account for this, to me, extraordinary
phenomenon.