Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1895-06-01
TREES FROM THE NORTH POLE.
CALIFORNIA; Rcdwoods and Cedars Grow 4
the Arctic I'm pre-t;lncInI Times

CALIFORNIA; Rcdwoods md Cedars Grew In
the Arctic In Pre-UlacIal Times.
Countless ages ago" says Prof. lie
Conte, during the pre-glacial period,
what is now the frigid zone was u
vcritable paradise of vegetation. The
climate was humid, very much like our
own, which resulted in an almost trop-
Teal vcrdure. The redwoods and cedars
OF the Sierra Ncvadas grew in great
abundance in 81 degrees north lati.
tude. The swamp cypress of the Caro-
linas grew in the same place.
"lf the surface of the earth were
covered with water we might have
sailed right straight to the north pole
At that time. II IL were land we could
have constructed n railroad, and il we
got there first, and who doubts we
would have got there first, we could
have set up liberty pole right on that
spot, and, raising the stars and stripes,
watched the earth turning ON the pole
of liberty.
I'VE could have raised the stars and
stripes to the top Of that pole and seen
the sun and stars sweeping around us
On level with the horizon and doing
obei>ancc to the emblem of liberty;
but alas. like the foolish virgin, too
late, too late: the ice gates closed and
we can't get there. But man himself,
much less the advanced type we sup
pose ourselves to be, did not exist then.
The cause of the change, so far as we
can explain II, Is found in that phe-
nomenon which causes the earth to
rise in some places and sink in others
phenomenon that has remained I'M
solved thus far But II is certain the
altitude of the continent at the poles
became higher and higher. consequent
Is the temperature cooler and cooler,
until ice was formed and the glacial
epoch followed. At that time the
North American continent stood Mt
least 5000 feet above its present posi-
ton, and the coast limits extended
farther east and west than they do
now.
The thickness of the ice cap ut its
height is supposed to have been from
lO.0lO to l2,O0O feet, and IL COW
cred an area of 4,0Oo.O0o square
miles. or nearly one-half OF the North
American continent. 1T extended as
far south rs PENNSYLVANIA. the Ohio
and Missouri rivers, and then in a di-
rect line westward. On its outer edges
the thickness varied from 1000 feet up
ward. while over Greenland IL was
from 1000 TO 1000 feet in thickness |
1t seemed 10 rLdiate in all directions,
but kept uniform motion mainly |
southwark, and we can trace II with
reasona Die degree of certainty.
''Tic evidence Of its presence is
found in glacated bedrock, that Is,
rock worn smooth and even by the gla-
cicr The next evidence is seen in inn |
mense bowl,iers that have lecn found |
in New YORK AMI Onio directly in the
course marked out by the glacier and
which have been traced directly TO
their original positions in Canada. In
the southern or tropical countries you
can't draw any distinction between
SOL and bedrock; there is no uniform
stratum; while all over the ground
married 10y the course OF the glacier IN
the north the bedrock is worn smooth
and the stratum of soil is clearly de-
fined
1.-The glacier formed in the north,
and as it grew in proportion to the ele-
walton OF the pole and the depression
Of the temperature and began its
southern descent. it pushed before II
the Arctic vegetation until 40 degrees
north latitude was reached. When the
came and the glacier receded
Il left the trees stranded high up in the
and in consequence we
have the big trees-the sequoias, the
and the celars of the Sierra
Nevada; precisely the same species
that grew ut the north pole in the
pre-glacial mes."-San Francisco E1