Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1900-05-22
A GEOLOGICAL EXCURSION.
BY Students of the Stevens Point
Normal and the Wausau Train
ing and High Schools.

ing and High Schools.
Friday, Prof. Culver, of the Ste
vens. Point Normal School, made his
annual excursion in the Wisconsin river
valley, accompanied by his class in ge-
ology numbering ten students. At Wau-
san he was joined by Miss Grove and
her class OF ten, and by Mr. Wells with
twenty-six of the pupils of the training
school Several other members of the
| high school joined the procession.
The party left the train at Heights
and visited first the abandoned quarry
! just above the station. Ascending the
cliff they came to dixie of lava thrust
by eruption forces into fissure in the
granite, forming a perpendicular wall
of refractory rock and cutting of quar-
rying in that direction. Further on, the
rock was diked with quartz rendering
it unfit for monuments. Views of the
formations were taken with the kodak,
a striking feature of which was the in
clined position of the strata, showing
that the eastern side had been thrust up
higher than the western.
Passing on to the polishing works
they were interested in seeing the pro-
cesses in their various stages. Granite
shafts were being turned in lathe
after the manner of shafts in a foundry,
or wood in a furniture factory The
first smoothing process is effected by
fine steel shot rubbed over the rough
surface under rapidly revolving disc.
1t is next treated in like manner with
emery and finally with putty powder.
Monuments as beautiful and durable as
can be produced anywhere are turned
out from these works. Its gratifying to
know that the demand for the product
is far in excess of the supply. A very
interesting block was shown, consisting
of granite faced with quartz beautifully
stained with metallic solutions.
Below the sheds is another abandoned
quarry from which was taken the gran
ite which received the first premium at
the Worlds Fair Here, too, eruptiye
workmen, and led to the search for
rock across the river, whence the sup
ply is now obtained A bridge at this
point is now a pressing need, as one
company is now fording the stream and
the other ferrying its material. So inn
portant a product of this valley ought
to be more fully developed.
Proceeding down the track we oh
served the rivers present and past
flood plains and its terraces. Near
Brokaw the river cuts through high
ridge ofquartzite, metamosrphic rock
from which the sedimentation and
qualification have not wholly disap-
peared, and in which pebbles of various
kinds are plainly visible.
Having lunched by the roadside in
Brokaw, the party divided, portion
visiting the paper mill and spending
the remainder of the dayin the vicinity,
and the other pursuing its way down
the track to Wausau.
About half mile below the town the
quartzite abruptly ends and prophyry
begins. Here were gathered numerous
specimens whose weathered surfaces
displayed the characteristic pheno-
crysts.
Farther on many interesting speci-
mems of conglomerates were found,
that is rocks consisting of cemented
pebbles of rounded, water-worn frag.
tments of previously existing rocks.
Continuing, we found other metamor-
phosed sedamentary rocks whose strata
had been bent at right angles, or re-
curved so as to form loops of various
form. 1t is hard to conceive such twist
/ ing of hard and brittle rock 1t would
seem that the mighty forces of upheaval
and displacement must have generated
heat enough to make them plastic, so
that their texture could be transformed
and twisted without shattering.
Farther on, near the long railroad
bridge, the ground is strewn with vol
canic breccia, a eonglomerate whose
| fragments are angular instead of being
rounded or water-worn Looking at
the great spotted boulders one could
easily imagine the rock fragments float
ing in the plastic lava surface. Consol-
idation took place before friction
against each other or the action of run
ming water could round off their cor.
ners Truly, the mighty forces OF
nature have worked on a magnificent
scale in this region.
AT this point your scribe abandoned
the party and returned to Brokaw tc
attend to the transportation of those
left behind, and so can give no further
account of the excursion. The plan
was to visit an interesting formation
east of town before night, lodge at the
i Hotel Northern, visit Rib Hill Satur
day morning, proceed to Mosinee on
the ll10 train, and return to Stevens
Point at night, all of which was doubt
less accomplished The weather was
ideal, the company congenial, the route
interesting, and the professor instruc
tive and inspiring He will be cordially
welcomed whenever he can find it con
yenient to visit Wausau and vicinity.
/ W n