The Dickinson press., 1889-03-23
FACES In STONE.
STRANGE REsEMBLANcEs SEEN IN
NATURAL FORMATION.

A Monster Hump Backed Whale In the
Rocky NIountains-Tho Head of the Iron
Duke In Brazilian Stone Washington
and Garfield by the Great Artist.
Among the wonders of nature none are of
greater interest than those strange rcsem-
blances in natural formations to human faces
and figures, as well as to other forms, which
are found in various parts of the world.
One of tho most beautiful of these curiosi.
ties is found i'll the Mammoth cave of Ken,
tucky. which contains many others which
have been more frequently described
This is the Last Rose of Summer" mag
nifcent formation in the center ceiling of
one of the largest chambers, which is abso
lutely perfect in its shape In size it is about
eight feet in diameter. of pure white, with
bud, flower and leaf, and. in the glare of
torches, sparkling like countless diamonds
Many similar stalactites are found in other
parts of the cave In one room the entire
ceiling is thickly studded with the most
graceful formations of flowers. all of the
most dazzling white.
THE MONSTER OF BEAR LAKE.
Although not, strictly speaking, a natural
formation, the wonderful "mollstcr of Bear
lake." in the Rocky mountains. may bc
spoken of in this connection This is the pet
ritied form of what was evidently once an
immense sea monster 1t died on high
plateau, in position giving rise to theory
among antiquareS that its resting place was
once great shoal, and that the antr,lluvian
leviathan flourished and persisted on the sur
face as the water rcccded The petriiaction
is perfect. and it is estimated to weigh about
ten tons A geologst says
ut presents dull appearance, tho head
and body of hump backed whale. and the
extremities extend into fcccrs and antcnn;r
like tho polypus or devil fish, with the OK
ccption that evidently, during life they were
lined with u hard and bony substance The
eyes arc set i'll each side of tho head which is
fiat and obong. and are twenty four inches
apart. The mouth isnrmed with triple rows
OF teeth, sharp in front. but underneath and
well in the jaw are turned into grinders,
cupped by u solid osseous formation. running
back from the widest portion of tho head
The length of this singular relic of an un
known ago has not been determined, but us
tho body blends into the tail it tapcrs to IA
small size, so that making due allowances,
tho entire weight would not be far from lhu,
stated This monster is. beyond doubt, the
descendant of tho denizens of tho mighty
ocean that once submerged this region
Few natural curiosities are moro remark
ablc than those in which rocks or mountains
have through the action of the elements and
similar causes, assumed most striking re-
scmblanccs to tho features of historical char
actcrs
Tho range of mountain situated near RI
Janeiro, IN Brazil. displays to the gaze of ap
preaching voyagcrs a complete head of Well
ington apparently rising out of tho sea around.
AS it raises its majestic form high above the
Lowell of tho ocean no one who has ever seen
portrait of tho famous duko can but think
:kat nature must have had him in view when
it constructed this addition to her great gal
ery of curiositlcs.
AT lleumi. in the far away regions of Ice
land, the high bluff there overlooking val
ley is surmountcd by colossal head. with u
high cap covering it,
Ono of tho countless rocks which stud the
northwest coast of Norway forms tho exact
likeness of u gigantic horse and rider, ,5Ou
feet high, pungins hcadlong with fury into
the sea. In this figure the poetic fancy of u
native bard has seen tho form of Odin retreat,
ing before the advance of Christianity
In tho Island Of ST. Vincent, ono of tho
Cape Verde group, situated Off tho coast of
Africa, there is huge volcanic rock, which
forms complete bust of George Washing
ton, i'll recumbent position, with the face
upward Tho halr. tho profile tho chin and
even the very collar frll, is reproduced Will,
singular exactncss though ON a gigantic
scale
GARFIELD AND THE "oLD MAN"
Another presidential portrait is found in
the irregularly undulating boundary of the
Catskill mountains, near the HUDSON river
New York. The "ltccininS Giunt, or MAN
III tho Mountains" near tho southern begin
ming of tho highest SUBMITS. las long been
noted, but it may not be generally known
That this rcculnbent form is an excellent like
ness Of the late President Garfield Tbr
features are sharp. the body stretching down
ward, is somewhat angular, but on tracing
tho limo backward to the north one is startled
with the sudden recognition of tho grave face
Of Cen Garfield reclining precisely us the
illustrated papers represented him in his last
days His broad and high forehead is shown
us in the best photographs, although, of
course the details are not SO well preserved
This is, however, forgotten IN the surprising
proportion Of each part lo the whole, the
splendid physique and egraveand thought
full expression Of tho lamented statesman,
being faithfully preserved US an enduring
memorial in tho everlasting hills ="
Any mention OF great stone faces would
be incomplete without some reference to the
famous odd Man OF the Mountain of the
White Mountains, New Hampshire, which is
unqucstionably tho greatest curiosity Of the
kind in existence. No finer description has
been given of this natural sculpture than
that by Samuel Adams Drake. the distln
guished author, who writes
ut is difficult to believe the evidence of the
senses Upon the high cliffs ot the mountain
is the remarkable and celebrated rock sculp
ture of a human head, which from n
height of ,2UO feet above tho lake has for ,ln
counted ages looked with the same stony
stare down the pass upon the wlndlnSs OF the
river through It's Incompatible valley The
profile itself measures about forty feet from
the tip OF tho chin to the Ca,tened crown.
which imparts to it such q peculiarly antique
appearance 1t is perfect. except that the
forehead is concealed by something like TIL.
visor of helmet And all this illusion is
produced by several projecting crays
ut Is the most extraordinary sight of u
lifetime A slight change of position varies
more or less the character OF the expression,
which is. after ALL the marked peculiarly of
this monstrous alto relieve. for let the spec
tator turn his gaze vacantly upon the more
familiar objects at hand, as he invariably
will to assure himself that he is not the vic.
tim of some hallucination. u strange fasciua
ton draws him rreslstibly back to the Dan
tesque head on the highest battlcnents of the
pass, a face too majestic, too nobly grand for
anything Of mortal mold. "-St Louis Globe
Democrat