The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-01-09
ONCE CYPRESS FOREST
Stumps of Colossal Trees Found
in Washington Excavation.
Preserved Through Period of Time
That Antedates Earliest Historical
Records by at Least $1,000
Years.

washington. OFty centuries LOOK
down upon you," said Napoleon to his
army, drawn up before the pyramids
in Egypt. In Washington today 200,
perhaps 300, centuries look up at you.
They look from the stumps of colossal
cypress trees that grew 30 feet below
the present level of the ground, away
back in the geological past when the
world was still in the making even
before the age of the last advance Of
the ice sheet which once covered the
northern part Of the continent.
When the steam shovelers, who are
Walker hotel on Connecticut avenue,
began to strike stumps and logs OF
trees that were neither decayed nor
fossilized, they thought they were out
Of luck, but when the numerous
biologists and biologists of Washing
ton heard of the discovery they consid-
cred that they were in luck. Groups
of scientific men almost daily watch
the progress of the excavation and
marvel at the manner in which stumps,
knees" trunks, seeds, small branches
and even leaves of the wood eternal
have been preserved throughout
period of time that antedateS the
earliest historical records by at least
10000 years.
The trees themselves may represent
thousand years. Their remains are
found in three more or less distinct
horizontal zones in what was at one
time a swamp. Thus it appears that
perhaps first one, then another and
finally third generation of giant
expresses, probably at least 200 years
old, followed each other as the swamp
gradually filled up.
Scores of stumps were found in the 4
excavation, which covers an area IF
about an acre and half, that were
not less than six feet in diameter
Many were found between six and
fourteen feet and the workmen assert
that some of the fragments Of stumps
indicated that some of the trees grow
ing in this ancient swamp were 25 feet
thick, though these may have been
clumps and not a single stump.
The fiber of the wood is well pre-
served and easily recognizable as that
of cypress. Both sapwood and heart
wood are preserved and in some cases
even the bark When first taken out |
the wood is rather heavy, being COM |
pletely saturated with water. 1t is
firm and compact, although it saws
easily, and splits evenly. After few
days exposure the water evaporates
and the wood becomes very dry and |
light and cracks.
The preservation of hundreds OF
tons of wood through such long
period must be largely attributed 70
the protection afforded by the water
and ooze Of the swamp What happened
was that the trees after dying, de-
cayed to the level Of the water of the
swamp which preserved them from
that point down.
Fossil trees Of much greater an
tiuuity are not uncommon, but the re-
mains Of trees still In the original or
yanic condition, after the lapse of 50
ong a period, are very rare. Sound
wood has been found at Pompeii and
wooden houses and boats up to thou (.
sand years are not uncommon Pious
maintain that pieces of
he Holy Cross are still extant
In the National museum here Is Z
,iece of skin taken from mastodon
whose carcass was refrigerated in the
'emnant of glacier In Siberia. 1t IL
,ointed out that If the scientists who ,
lctually cooked and ate some Of this
<, 900 year-old meat, had been aware
+ the cypress swamp in Washington,
would have been possible to have :
erved the mammoth steaks planked
n equally antique wood.