Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1906-02-23
Panama Rocks.

mo Rocks. Their deep crevices
make of the rocks rock city, with
streets, alleys and beautiful shady
retreats. Situated pear Cbatauqua
lake in the hills of Southwestern
New York, these giant rocks have
been viewed by tourists from many
lands. The assures between them
reach from top to BOTTOM general
lv giving room for narrow path,
way. In several instances the sum-
m;ts are in contact while the bases
snread apart. thus forming caverns
e considerable size, and so deep
and dark that in midsummer snow
and ice can De found. The wind.
ing paths and roads among s'rana.
cd monarchs of another age afford
a study for geologists and lovers
of nature.
This City of Rocks, silent, inn
pressiye and eloquent in its mas
siyeness, gives evidence of a remote
among the elements of
nature; the powerful acii"" of wa
ter at some carly period IS sern at
every hand. and shows that either
in some great ronyu'sion of the
elements the rocks were hurled
from their original resting places
to finl lr1g. nent 10 la Instant
field. or t! hat icy are the rrSl'i 81
upI,eayeI or subsistence in lie early
stages Of the carths formation
Here they stand, co,eringan area
of about six acres, the primeval for
est protecting them and covered,
owing to the shade, with the most
beautiful yelvity moss and differ
ent yarit es Of fragrant ferns. One
cannot explain such il luxurl"nt
growth Of forest trees with so little
SOIL Large pines and bircres cover
the SUBMITS of i:olatrd masses of
rocks, whose surfaces are nearly
bare, and with perpenlicuar sides
fully 40 feet high. One mighty
sentil.l ctIl.l ArA'at hi: finty
perpendicular sides 60 feet nigh.
Panama rocks CONVEYS no signif-
icance to the reader, perhaps. but
it is one of tie unique. awe.ihspir-
luz and beautiful bits of nature
work on this broad continent.
There even in July or August,
one may spend time in the strange
summer recreation of snow balling,
But 40 feet below the ground, the
vegetation of which was burned tC
a dull brisk red BY the searching
heat, banks of snow, some fully
four feet in depth, have been en-
countered.
Some of the rocks are as large as
modern four story brick block.
Through and under aud abou;
these vast masses winding walks
and dismal passages lead to dark
and forbidding caverns which bear
the cognomens Devils Kitchen and
Devils Bedroom. On every side
hang wonderful ferns Of surprising
heautv. and from the sides and
hepths Of beautiful but forbdding
recesses in the wierd stone forma.
ton, giant trees shoot in all direc-
tions. Panama rocks they are cal.
led, but as one decends deeper and
deeper into the chilling depths, it
is seen that the formation is not
that of a solid. close grained stone
1t strengthens the opinion Of some
learned men who clam that when
countless ages ago, the ocean re.
treated from the land, it's retreat
/ was followed Immediately by an
earthquake which tossed up in fan.
tastic shape the bottom of the
ocean aid left it in this spot TO sol.
i dlf,. The solid formation, when
the moss and ferns are scraped
away. is seen to be white sand, as
seen on the seashore, hardened and
held together by countless millions
| Of the smoth. white, round and
nearly transpar' mt pebbles which
are il.varibly found on the shore:
of oceans and other large bodies OF
water and rarely any where else.
These stones have been, by flow.
ing tides, washed to their SIN ootl
symmetrical proportions ard all Of
the countless millions of tons
which compoe Panama rocks art
held together and beau,ified BY
these nebblps Tn the dark danths