, 1888-11-08
. NEW JERSEY VOLCANO.
'nw the Trap Rock of Orange MountaIa
Was Formed.

.ow the Trap Rock of Orange MountaIn
Was Formed.
On the summit of Orange Mountain,
i ten minutes walk from the town of
Orange, is an extinct volcano. For
several years past powerful stone break
ers, driven by steam engines. have been
breaking the hard baSaltic rock of this
mountain by the hundreds of tons every
season for the purpose of macadam-
izing public streets and private
drives and walks. The work oi
demolition has advanced so fas
that the scrutinizing eyes of SOM
geoIogists perceived the distinct out
lines of huge crater that was one.
Tiled to overfiowing with melted stone,
similar to an immense caldron fall OF
| ron in a molten condition To ap-
pearance nearly one-half of the rock
that composed the crater has been so
far removed by working toward the
middle from the east side. The outline
| of the rocky crater appears to be several
hundred feet in diameter and of un-
known depth. The very summit of the
crater is said to be about six hundred
feet above tide-water at New York City.
The mind of the geologist runs back
ages upon ages ago, when the believing
of this extinct volcano could be heard
distinctly for many miles around
and when the lurid flames darted hum
dreds of feet in the air like the terrific
flames of Vesuvius; and from this now
cold and silent crater large streams of
lava once flowed in every direction,
which eventually cooled and formed the
immense deposit of trap rock of which
Orange Mountain is chiefly composed.
Then there came a time when this huge
caldron ceased to overflow and the i'm.
mense furnace began to burn with less
and less fervor.
After the internal fire began to burn
out the molten stone began to cool, and
as the cooling process progressed the
liquid and half-plastic mass assumed
regular coiumnal forms, as true and
smooth in many places Us if the huge
blocks had been dressed out and neatly
fitted to each other by planes, rule and
plumb line of master builder. But in
some places the formation is quite ir-
regular and of great variety of curved
and rectangular forms. Thousands of
curiosity seekers and devotaes of pleas
ure have travelled long distance to sec
this wonderful curiosity, and many can
perceive nothing but vast deposit of
dirty rock, like worthless .'ele-
phant," standing in full view be-
fore their enraptured sight The exte-
rior of the columns is of dirty slate
like color, while the surface of any por-
ton newly broken presents a blush
black appearance, somewhat tinged with
green shade. At one time interest
and excitement of certain persons rose
to such pitch that it was proposed to
purchase that portion Of the mountain
embracing the extinct volcano and to
hold it in statu quo for the benefit and
satisfaction of those who might exist in
ages to come. But the mercenary own
er fixed valuation of fifty thousand
dollars on the rare curiosity, which fab
ulous amount will prove to be most
cflectual quietus on all further efforts to
preserve this American causeway.
This trap rock is of igneous origin
One theory of scientists is that when the
volcanic fires were raging in the bowels
of old earth, all the oleaginous material
flowed into immense reservoirs, where
it is now found in the form of petrole-
nm, while the molten residuum
continued to roll slowly over and
over in the crater until all the carbo-
nacCous matter had been driven out
by the intense heat, after which
the material that row forms the
basaltic columns began to cool;
and as the plastic mass began to pass
into a solid state, rectangular and po-
lygonal crystal or blocks were formed
How many long ages upon ages passed
away before the subterranean fires had
gone out, and before this vast mass of
red-hot rock became cool, is quite be-
yond the ken of mortals. Finite crea-
lures, as we are, can grasp q few hum
dred, and even few thousand years;
but when we behold terrestrial phenom-
ena which suggest millions of ages, the
mind is bewildered at the contemplation
of the immeasurable extent of the vast
eternity behind US and the boundless
vista of duration that stretches out before
the most vivid Imagination.
No doubt there are along this noun
tain range other extinct volcan oes, which
in ages to come will be unearthed, and
will present geological phenomena of as
much interest to scientists who may then
be dwelling on the earth as we of the
present age perceive in the formation of
this cold and extinct miniature Vesu-
vius.-ChriStiar at Work.
--SSS----