St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-08-15
WONDERFUL WATER.
Or a Wonderful Liar, We Don't
Know Which.

Or a Wonderful Liar, We Don't
Know Which.
Newcastle (Pa.) Guardian.
North Beaver township, this county,
is the possessor of wonderful phenom-
enon, which heretofore has never been
chronicIed in the newspapers. This is
no less than veritable growing rock.
Not bowlder with roots deep in the
ground and branches that reach out
into the air. but one which has in half
century sprung from dlminutlve la
pideous substance that patent bucket
could cover to one that would weigh
fifty tons or more. This remarkable
curiosity is in deep ravine
through which ripping cascade,
known as Leonard's run, gurgles
its winding way through precipitous
country to the Beaver river. The rock
is about one mile and a quarter from
the little hamlet of struggling houses
known as West Moravia on the Erie &
Pittsburg railroad. about six miles south
of New Castle, and is situated on the
farm of w. S. McGinnis. 1t presents to
the view of the curiosity seeker strong
precipice about ten feet in height and
some seventeen feet in circumference,
cropping out of the high bank of the
ravine. 1t is covered in places to
depth of two or three inches with de-
posit of dense moss at this time of the
year, and dripping wet from the con-
tents of spring at the summit which
trickles down over it. At the
first view no one would take
it for any thing but a forma-
limestone; but once apply a chisel to its
orrit fu rfo of hn iS
and a strange metamorphoSiS reveals
itself. Under the outer layer, which
has been hardened by contact with the
air. it is discovered that the limestone is
honeycOmbed like mammoth sponge,
the cells being surrounded by stone as
hard as adamant. Dig further in and
this cellular substance continues. but 1t
seems to have been calcined into a
translucent flint, There are tons of
this, and it is as heavy as granite, yet
every ounce of it is undoubtedly petri-
fed moss and other vegetable matter
The explanation of this wonderful
petrifcation is found in the spring
which saturates it. The spring, which
at this season of the year would be
drained dry if couple of pals of
singular property of turning every
vegetable-and for all that is known to
the contrary, fish or animal-that it
constantly acts upon into stone. This
lapidescent quality of the water has
year after year operated upon the lay
erS of moss which have accumulated on
what was once a small bowlder until
the present condemnation of rock is
the result. The moss grows very
rapidly and profusely in the dark hol
low where the curiosity is located, and
the rock has added to itself, month
after month, and year after year, like
rolling SNOWFALL, until 1t Is now one
huge mass of petrifed vegetation.
The water which produced this has a
slightly acid taste, not unlike that of
spring. Its action is remarkably quick,
considering what it accomplsheS.
In but few days after the moss be-
gins to grow it begins to solidify at
the roots and the peGrificatlon follows
Immediately in the track of the growth,
changing the dark green of the herb in
its progress to color resembling brown
sugar. Not only is the moss embalmed
in this manner, but plants, leaves,
twigs and other vegetable matter are
impregnated with the memorable fluid,
converted into stone, and strata upon
strata placed over them until they are
Theoretically sealed up in the interior.
When the geological explorer, with his
| hammer and chiSel, delves into this
| rock, he comes upon these strong twigs,
leaves, etc., and thus is his heart re-
| joiced by adding many fine specimens
| to his collection. The persons living in
the vicinity have such confidence in the
petrifying qualities of the spring
that, by way of experiment. some
of them are going to fasten frogs
in such way that the water will
| drip over them and turn them into
stone. The first to discover the spring
and it's singular properties was William
AllSwOrth, who saw it fifty-three years
| ago. AT that time Mr.. Allsworth AYERS
| the rock to which such accumulations
| have been made since by petrificatiOn
was only a couple of feet high, and with
a width of about the same. Then it was
ten or more feet Immediately below the
spring; now 1t has climbed up the en-
bankment until it is above it couple of
feet and has turned the waters course.
| Biologists who have visited it say that
such another curiosity can not be found
| in the country. Although many speci-
mems of the curious formation may have
| been carried off, it shows but little
| diminution. 1t is saved. no doubt, from
| the hands of relic hunters by its COM
parative inaccessibility, and the fact
| that its existence is put little known
| outside of the rural neighbOrhOod in
which it is situated.