Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1898-03-24
RELIC OF THE FLOOD.
Petrffied Giant Tree of Supposed An
tedfluvfan Antiquity.

Petrified Giant Tree of Supposed An
tedfluvian Antiquity.
Camden county, n. j., boasts genu'
inc relic of the flood, a petHfied giant
tree, dug up on Farmer Charles Nor
cross land, in Underwood. The theory
of a scientific man who has examined
the relic is that the tree was tossed up
on the waters of the great deluge and
finally struck dry land, when the flood
receded, at the point where 1t has since
been buried, ages and ages ago.
It's gigantic proportions certainly
prove 1t to have been a stranger to this
part of the United States, says the New
York Journal. Its size warrants the
assumption that 1t belongs to the fam
lily of big trees that are so remarkable
a feature of forest growth on the Pa
cific coast. 1t resembles pine tree In
fiber and n California redwood In size.
The petrified remains are those OF a
tree eight feet in diameter, consequent
ly about "a feet in circumference, and
scintists say it's age in life was about
600 years. For 80 years Farmer Nor
cross has titled the soil of his farm, and
has plowed hundreds of times over the
spot where the tree was found.
The farm has always had on one spot
a number of curious stone slabs and
loose chips. The scientific man whose
attention was called to them deter
mined to make an excavation there. His
spade soon struck buried tree he
dug Il trench across its base, and at the
end of an hour laid bare section two
feet wide and five feet across.
Convinced that he had struck really
wonderful relic, he called upon the
state geologist at Trenton, who sent
down a staff of assistants. They began
to dig toward the top Of the trunk.
At a distance of several feet above
the butt the diameter had fallen of TO
about seven feet. At 10 feet it was re-
duced to five feet across its girth. AT
"a feet the diameter of the tree had
shrunk TO two feet Two feet further
along the diggers foundthe snapped-of
top. The rest Of the relic had evidently
disappeared from sight and knowledge
The age of the tree, when 1T was
swept away in the food, according to
the rings in 1t, is computed at 900 years.
The rings and even the tissues are Wis
ible to the naked eye. Sections have
been highly polished and subjected to
a microscopical examination. There
are about 60 rings, having an average
diameter Of two inches, rs rings with
an average thickness Of one inch and
20 smaller rings with small diameters.
In color the tree has dull salmon hue,
which is probably due to its long burial
in the earth. The surrounding soil Is
of 4 coarse sand, mixed clay and gravel
lower down.-St. Louis Republic.
New Process of Diamond Making.
DR.. Quirino Majorana, an italian
chemist, has succeeded in producing
minute artificial diamonds In manner
differing, in one important particular
from the mctho: of NJ. Moissan, the
French chemist. DR.. Majorana heats
piece of carbon with the electric arc,
and then submits 1t to a sudden pres
sure developed by explosion driving
piston, and amounting to 5000 times
TIE ordinary pressure Of the atmos-
phere In the mass of carbon thus
treated he finds microscopic crystals
which answer the tests for diamonds.
Moissan's method Is to first dissolve
carbon in molten iron and then n.
low the iron to cool under great pres
sure, The italian chemists expert
ments indicate that great heat and
great pressure are sufficient to trans
form ordinary carbon into the dia
mond 'orm without metallic solvent
" n -