Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1890-12-12
A FACTORY OF NATURE.


Htl3nNe Chemtcnt frvg~ysscs o. ~"
mantle Irish Lake.
Few freaks OF nature are more strange
than one which is OF constant occurrence
in Tough Neagh. As matter OF fact
not one man In every thousand knows OF
the peculiar chemical properties OF this
lake. The natives along Its borders arc
aware that from tho lakes bottom they
can collect stones OF strange shapes
which bear the resemblance OF trees and
branches But the poor people are too
uneducated to realize that these curious
stones are in reality petrihed branches.
and that the waters OF tho Lake have the
strange power Of petrifying any sub
stance that may BIO put into 1t In ten TO
twenty-one days, according to the mo-
terial.
learned OF 1t in curious manner.
happened to be travelling In Connemara.
and met there an English gentleman
who informed me that he was going TO
Tough Neagh ito visit his mon and to
inspect his petrifying beds" did not
understand this peculiar announcements
and asked for an explanation, which he
gave me most willingly. lie told mo
that he was one OF tho owners OF cele-
brated cutlery house-not far from the
Mansion House In London. Years be-
fore they had learned from an omploye
that petrified trees had been found In
Tough Neagh, and from old Irish books
they discovered that the waters had the
extraordinary property OF petritying
wood within month.
Businessiike, they OF once sent man
over. He selected several pieces OF hard
wood, and, having tied weights to them.
plunged them in the lake and marked
their locality by small buoys and strips
J attached to the test pieces.
\ In two weeks he returned and TOOK up
\ two pieces which no found to be partially
Mortified. Two weeks aftorward the re-
\ mainder wero brought TO terra frma,
\ and each rod OF hardwood was hard as
flint, petrifed through. Then the Arm
tried experiments with tho wood in the
different stages Of petrifaction and dis
/ covered that unusually excellent razor
homo s could DO manufactured from 1t
j and Of different densitios or hardness,
according to the length Of submersion.
Those homes are now famous product
J OF this cutlery Hrm. They havo patented
them, and obtain high prices for them
but the razor Sharpening world little
!, knows that the stone Is wood petrihed IN
q few weeks in the largest OF the Irish
i lakes.
i accompanied the gentleman to the
lake, and myself witnessed the process
] of turning wood to stone, and mus'
/ confess that 1t gave mo cause for refec
| tion. Here was valuable natural TAO
tory at the very doors OF the people, thu
! natives, who were In n semi-starvini
i condition all AZ. nd. And yet Its pro
ducts were ut. " only by an English
] firm-
Ill Possibly tho petri1ed wood In som'
Il Of Its stages OF stone growing could d
y nut TO many uses, and have no doub
NJ but that whom tho fact 10 moro general
II ly known some enterprising freshman
= will utilize the factory nature has giyeI
4 them for the material bcnofit Of thu
country. n
Il When returned to Dublin mado In
4 quires about tho curious phcnomena
j Witnessed ut Tough Neagh, and was 70
n warded by tho courteous librarian o
4 Trinity College, who placed in my hand
y several volumes Of translations OF an
N Client Irish works, and marked for M
Il the parts referring TO the lake. Amoni
y them found several references made u
II tho ''lard, woody stone" which wa
II taken from the bottom OF Tough Neagf
for spear and arrow heads by tho earil
u Irish. SO that although the lrishmer
u OF to-day are 90 in 100 unaware OF th.
II nseful peculiarly Of their big Tough,
4 those OF 10 and 10 centuries ago knew.i
W we'll and utilized Jit-Robert 4. Walsh
] in st Louis Rcp bile.