Show gavel constructed of wood oddly preserved A gavel made from what Is be lieveld to be the oldest living fled wood on the american continent has been sent to dr walter wll wil hams 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 miles east of eugene ore and in tl e high oas cas cades A lava stream gradually built up a dam at one end of a deep canyon in the bottom of which grew tall douglas firs As the canyon filled filed with tle tt e cold water a lake was formed and the trees were sur rounded and covered by this water nater of unchanging temperature when the wood was inas cut from one of the trees for the gavel it was mas found to contain all its natural juices and had the pungent odor of freshly cut tim ber montreal herald |