Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1885-09-02
FORESTS OF STONE.
Probing for Logs Beneath the Sur
face in New Jersey.
Trying to Chop Tree of EocIs-Trunts,
Boughs and Leaves Turned to Stone
"A Description of Some OF
Natures Wonders.

IF you want to see something
curious" said friend who was men,
Der OF Government survey, Ego down
with me to Woodbine." Four miles be-
yond Woodbine, out on the sandy
stretch of old sea bottom or beach that
is termed the Cape May Peninsula, we
came upon Dennisvillc, where all the
Dennises of all time had evidently
settled. A local Dennis said there were
twenty-five hundred of them and nine
tenths were evidently children. They
lived in scattered shanties or houses on
a long narrow street, on each side of
which malaria stalks abroad from tho
great swamps that constitute their
boundary. The latter, however, that
are perhaps over twelve square miles in
extent, are the means of providing
living to nearly all the inhabitants of
Dennisville, though the nature of their
occupation would never be suspected
from external observation.
We're all in the loggn' business"
said tall, thin Dennis, yet as far as
the eye could reach not tree could be
seen standing that would make even
the ghost of fair log. "They amt
a-growin', continued the man.
They're underground. We dig for
them, or spear them, as you might say.
Here's the tool" and stopping into a
low hut he brought out n crowbar that,
Ike everything else. seemed attenuated
and was stretched out into long,
slender-pointed rod. 1--WE wade along"
continued the man, "and probe with
this feeler, and when we strike a log
we feel around, and if it's good one
we dig her up, and if it amt we let her
soak; that's about the way of it."
$50 down in Jersey you burrow for
your logs?"
That's about it," replied the man.
"You know we're obliged to be whit
odd or so; we've got the name of it,
onnyhow."
1.-The secret of this business" said
my friend, the geologist, lis that ages
ago all this area was covered with
fine growth of large trees. and the same
are found growing in some parts of the
swamp yet, but they have died out and
fallen down and sunk into the soft mud,
and so been covered up by mould and
mud, until many other layers have
grown over them; but in some remark
able way the wood is preserved and
these sunken ancient logs are lust as
good for shingles and other articles rs
they were when alive; hence, for many
years there has been steady hunt for
them, and Dennisville is result of the
industry. To the botanist the tree is
the evergreen white cypress or
cypressus thyoides sempcrvirens, and
the numbers that once grew over this
swamp and that have been entombed
are beyond conception. The trees
upon or near the surface are the only
ones available, and fortunately are the
best, but far below there arc probably
myriads of others turned to stone and
representing the past geological ages
of the earth. The logs were worked
out by the men who are nicknamed
'Swampoodles,' and who live in the
midst of the malarious district all their
lives. When log is found ditch is
made about it, into which the water
soon flows. A great saw is then applied
and the roots removed, and as a rule
the log will rise to the surface and can
be cut up and carried of, though in
many localities the shingles are made
right on the spot and dragged over the
swamp on roads in many cases made of
boughs and twigs. This curious bust
ness is not confined to New Jersey, but
over in Delaware and Maryland there
are similar swamps, where the single
business has been carried on for years
One of the swamps in Delaware extends
over twenty-five square miles, and
hardly house in Sussex County but
what is singled with the ancient de-
post"
81 tell ye," said an old farmer from
this region, THAT we're alvin on a Gu
rious kind o. crust round here. In pint
OF fact my farm might be said to be
perched on a regular wood-pile; there
Ant no end to it. built foundation
to barn some years ago down in Del
aware on the swamp lot, and the furth-
er down l dug the more logs came on
to, and / reckon way down it's clean,
solid wood, and when fire breaks out
In the swamp you want to keep your
eyes peeled, now I'm a-talkin'. How,
SOP Well, I'll jest give you a little of
my experience. When L first married
my old woman / bought patch right
on the edge OF the swamp, and tho land
ran right into it about half mile.
That summer It was monstrous dry, and
after awhile the fires began to break out.
and afore we knew il it had crept up to
within thousand feet Of the house.
But we got at it with brush, and, as we
thought, put it out, and did; but that
night was awokc by hearin' crash so
loud that you'd although the hull house
had gone down, and when / got out
there was blazing fire right over by my
fodder house. got there in about two
minutes, and l tell We / was scared.
There wasn't hide nor hair of the house,
but deep yawnin' hole about fifty feet
across, and the Lord knows how deep,
and burning red hot. lust like volccnv.