St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-03
MELODY IN THE ROCKS.
Bncks County Stones That Give
Forth Musical Sounds.

MELODY IN THE ROCKS.
Bncks County Stones That Give
| Forth Musical Sounds.
Kansas City Times.
Buried deep in the heart of the forests
OF the HaycOck mountains, IN the upper
| part OF Bucks county. nature has heaped
up in weird, fantastic forms thousands
of huge rocks which when struck emit
clear, musical and bell-like tone.
There in the solitude of the forest. I'M
disturbed by man, they have lain for I'M
known time, silent testimonials of some
great upheaval of the worlds surface
in its early ages.
Covered by the SHOWS of winter and
bleached by the scOrching suns of sum-
mer, amid the changes which have
taken place all about them, they have
remained always the same. By the
early settlers of the country they were
stunned, for to their superstitiOus
minds there was between them and the
devil close connection.
| Nearly mile and half from Top
| Rock, which is the highest point on the
| HaycOck mountains, and within a mile
of the little hamlet of Danielsville. is
where the Ringing rocks, as they are
called by the Bucks county people, are
found. Years ago some one named this
| place the Garden of Stones, and from
that it has come to be known as Stony
! Garden.
EntNing the woods at Danielsville
and Sinking off towards Top Rock and
clambering over the huge boulderS for
! about half mile, an open clearing is
reached. Crossing it and parting the
tangled underbrush, the Big Stony
Garden lies before the eye. 1t is bar
rem waste of rocks, for all vegetation
ceases abruptly at its edge. Not trace
| OF green is to be seen over the whole eX-
| panSe, for not even moss can exist or
grow on the ringing rocks.
| These rocks are OF all sizes, from
| those weighing less than a hundred
| pounds to those which weigh hundreds
OF tons. They are very evenly spread
| out, and over them one can make his
| way by jumping from one to another.
About half a mile from the Big Stony
Garden is another one known as the Lit
| tie Stony garden, which has all the
| characteristics of the larger one and
| covers about two acres of the mountain
side.
Still further OF and about half mile
below the Top Rock and down by the
TahickOn creek is another assemblage
OF these rocks. Here, however, while
| they have similar appearance to the
| rocks in the Big and Little Gardens,
they do not possess the quality of emit
ting musical tones when struck, but
are in that respect like any ordinary
rock.
These rocks are $40 feet above the
level of the sea and are without doubt
| of Ru Cfc
| they are estimated to be over four thou
sand years old. They are a trapplan
rock of basaltic formation, and those
| possessing the musical qualities are
| formation of feldSpar composition. The
eruption which caused this mighty up
heaval of rocks took place in the meso-
Zoic period triasSic age. This eruption
probably took period of several
months. and the rocks at that time we're
in state of igneous fusion, which ac-
counts for their rounded condition.
Then they were covered by the mud and
| debris of the triassic sea for many
hundred feet. Time and erosive action
washed away the mud and uncovered
the rocks. leaving them as they are now.
During the past half century the
Stony Gardens have been frequently
visited by tourists and scientists, and
their musical qualities were we'll under
| stood. 1t remained, however, for Will
lam j. Buck, the author OF the history
| OF Montgomery county, to suggest their
! possibilities as producers of melody,
| and for DR.. j. j. OFT, of Pleasant Val
| Fey, to carry them out.
Yesterday was the occasion of the
third annual picnic of the Pleasant Val
| ley Literary association, and theoeXer-
cises were held in the forest at the edge
of the Big Stony Garden. DR.. OFT, with
the assistance of the members of the
! Pleasant Valley Brass band, had been
hard at work for number of weeks to
| steal voices, and yesterday was able to
carry out with them novel and inter-
esting musical programme.
A number OF large rocks were select
ed from the many thousands at their
disposal and carried with great labor to
the edge of the SO-called garden, where
it had been decided to held this years
picnic of the association. They were
carefully placed on wood supports and
tested and arranged until DR.. OFT had
at his disposal number of rocks which,
when struck, emitted clear, bell-like
tones running an octave and half.
A rude stand had been constructed
for the speakers and boards LAID from
c.
Pleasant Valley Brass band and the En-
terpriSe orchestra, of the same place,
were present and rendered large num-
Der of selections during the afternoon.
The exercises were opened by G. E.
Hindenach, who presided, with an adj
dress of welcome. At the close of his
address Miss Emily A. Boyer recited a
poem written by William j. Buck for
the occasion, etitled ''Chimes of Stony
Garden" At the end of each stanza
DIR. OFT, armed with two heavy black
smith hammers, rang the chimes on the
rocks.
The tones produced were musical and
| remarkably clear, and the effect upon
| the lofty trees was most pleasing.
During the literary exercises which
followed DR.. OFT and his musical rocks,
accompanied by the band, gave frequent
selections. The first was piece which
had been written by DR.. OFT, entitled
Sounds From the Ringing Rocks and
was very nicely rendered. Then fol-
lowed 'Home, Sweet Home" "Auld
Lang Syne," and selections from "Pin-
afore," including the BELL Trio" But
the browning triumph was when DR..
OFT played Little Annie Rooney on
the rocks. with the band accompani-
ment. This was enthusiastically re-
ceived aud had to be repeated.
Long before the exercises were closed
the picnickers spread themselves over
the rocks of Big Stony Garden, and
with rocks and stones in their hands,
made the forest ring with the melody of
the rocks. Others tried to investigate
the mysterious disappearance of little
stream of water, which is swallowed up
in the rocks only to appear half mile
away.
Next year the picnic will be held in
the same spot, and more elaborate
musical programme will be arranged
and executed in the ringing rocks of
Haycock mountains.
Platt's Cblorides Frequently Used