La Junta tribune., 1908-12-05
FROM FOREIGN CLIMEs
BY r. ". PATTERSON
OUR SPECIAL EUROPEAN coRREsPonpEHT

Causeway and came on to this pace
which / reached 1t half PAST six this
evening would say hothing about
the Giants Causeway at this place
or even, perhaps, at any other time
were It not that people are inter
ested in this celebrated place. Tut II
Is somewhat disappointing. II is not
of sufficient interest to the ordinary
tourist or traveller 10 reward him for
a tourney OF any considerable dis
tance 1t Is a most interesting place
to the scientist, the geoiogist and
the archaeologist: for there is grea
problem, an unsolved problem. in the
nature OF the formation of the Giants
Causeway. AS pictured in books and
as described by writer's. one expects
TO see great natural columns of stone
a sort of classical architecture from
the chisel OF Nature. porticoes. cor
ridors and columned halls. tenn
ple on the seashore, fretted with the
foam OF the waves and resonant with
the organ music of the udes-the
softness and sweetness OF the ze-
phyr and the swell and roar OF the
storm q temple where the nymphs,
worshiped at the altar OF Neptune.
the god OF the ocean. But there Is
nought Of the kind. In the remote
and unknown ages of the past, when
the world was on fire. telched forth
great volumes OF lava from thunder
n unknown
manner, through causes yet unknown
to sayant or scientist. here In this
particular place. this mass of lava
hundreds Of feet in depth. crystalized
in such q manner as to convert It.
self into . great field Of parallal-opi-
pedons of various fashions and an
sled forms, quadrilateral. pentagons.
hexaxons, heptagons and octagons
These angled columns did not separ'
ate and do not stand out free IN
space-only, looking at this mass
from above. there appear the ends
OF these crystaAzed forms just as ap-
pear the cells Of comb OF honey,
the caps still unbroken; and the for
nation may be seen looking horizon
tally as appear the cells OF the comb
seen from the edge OF the comp.
I took q boat with two oarsmen. row
ed into a great cave tunneled into
this bssaltia rock, then out into the
open sea around sharp point to the
Giants Causeway. The Giants Cause
way was pointed out to us as we
approached, but there was nothing to
be seen from the sea. save mass
OF rock. We landed upon this mass
and 1 walked over 1t, finding 1t as
have attempted to describe. l wake
over this basaltic mass. the sur
face consisting Of the ends OF these
fictitious columns, filed with wonder
at the manner In which this great
mass had crystalized. The question
came again and again. Whatever the
conditions, whatever the forces. what
were the laws that played this geo.
metrical phenomenon, with sucn
lawless, incongruous mass as tasait
universally Is? Why did 1t crystalize
at all! Why did 1t not crystalize
uniformal y-all pentasons. or as the
bee makes its cells. all hexagons, or
all octagons-why this lawless varie-
ty? Let the scientist theorize; for
that Is all he can do. He cannot ans
wer. He can only guess.
Near Iverness Is Cullodon Moor.
where the battle of Culloden was fou-
ght, remember at q country school
exhibition, many years ago when
vas Q boy, my brother and myself
spoke" the dialogue beginning with
! (-"Lochiel, Lochiel. Beware OF the
day, when the lowIands shall meet
thee in battle array. or ETC." in which
we made dramatic hit.by mybroth-
er firing a pistol over his head. when
1, the seer fell dead upon the stage!
This battle field is marked by mon
uments, to preserve the memory OF
that great battle.
took the Highland railroad from
Inverness to Perth, which passes
through the Highlands OF Scotland.
The scenery is very beautiful and
in places, enchanting. The valleys OF
the Highlands are lovely. The high
er mountain tops are bare, covered
With grass and heather. the sides
lower are clothed In woods and for
ests, while in the winding, receding.
changing valleys are farms. pastures.
fields, farm houses. clear streams OF
water and, here and there. lock
or chain Of locks, setting of the land
scape that invites to cottage at
the lock side stroll a'ong the rip
pling streamlet. climb up the noun