Show gavel constructed of wood oddly preserved A gavel made from what abat Is believed to be the oldest livin living wood on the american continent has been sent bent to dr walter waller williams 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 the high cascades A lava stream gradually built up a daro dam at one end of a deep canyon in the bottom of which grew tall douglas firs As the canyon filled with the cold mountain water a lake was formed and the alie trees frees were surrounded and covered by this water of unchanging temperature when tile the wood was cut from one of the trees for the gavel it was found to contain all its natural juices and had bad the pungent odor of freshly cut timber Slon treal herald |