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Show Gavel Constructed of Wood Oddly Preserved A gavel made from what is believed be-lieved to be the oldest living unpetri-fied unpetri-fied wood on the American continent has been sent to Dr. Walter Williams, Wil-liams, president of the University of Missouri. The history of the gavel goes back to a time some thousands of years ago when a volcano burst forth at a place about 100 miles east of Eugene, Ore., and in the high Cascades. Cas-cades. A lava stream gradually built up a dam at one end of a deep canyon, in the bottom of which grew tali Douglas firs. As the canyon filled with the cold mountain water a lake was formed, and the trees were surrounded sur-rounded and covered by this water of unchanging temperature. When the wood was cut from one of the trees for the gavel it was found to contain all its natural juices and had the pungent odor of freshly cut timber. tim-ber. Montreal Herald. |