The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1889-01-24
Chatoedony, or Ara,tzed wood.

:. DR.. o. r. BAKER, of Sioux Falls, OAK, fol
merly of n Y. City, temporarily residing in th
- city for some months past has in his possessio
!, some rare specimens of agatized wood, or chal
cedony which he kindly brought to the PRES
office for inspection, and from him we learn III
Q following facts concerning the discovery an'
Q subsequent utilization of this wonderful forma
Y ton:
Some years ago a Cowboy, while crossing
v sandy desert in Arizona, came to an elevation
= whose protruding sides of jagged rock presented
anything but an inviting appearance, and hi
was Fastening by when his eye detected the
glitter of some object at its summit sparkling
; with dazzling brightness So brilliant were it:
r reflections, that he climbed to the top of the
4 prominence and discovered that they emanated
l from a beautiful quartz. On looking further, he
beheld. in astonishment, great logs of pctri6ed
wood, aboundng in every variety of color, and
covering hundreds of acres.
Scarcely crediung his own vision, he took
some choice specimens to the Governor OF Ari-
zona, TO whom he related his experience. The
Governor listened to him with a skeptical ear,
but was finally induced to take a journey to'the
place of the discovery. and there sight met his
eyes that language cannot describe. Before him
lay what was once a tropical wood transformed
in prehistoric era from living growing forest
to recumbent sections of interblended Agate,
Jasper. Jade, Cacide, Amethyst, &c.
These perfectly preserved silicifed sections
were found projecting from volcanic ash and
lava, which was covered with sandstone to the
| Lii,
exposed in the gulches and basins where the
water had worn away the sandstone.
Sections, two 10 ten feet in diameter were ,ly-
ing around in profusion containing all the col
ors of the rainbow. some of whose hearts were
solid crystals of Amethyst and Topaz, and only
slight degree from the diamond in hardness.
The following is abridged from tine pen of
Prof. King, of New York. the Jewel expert of
| Tiffany & Co.:
Undoubtedly one of the greatest of American
wonders is the silicified forest in Arizona known
as Chalcedony Park-a park only in name, how
| ever. for the giant trees which once grew there
have long since fallen and silicIfed into Agate
and Jasper.
This marvellous deposit of probably million
tons Of silicified trees covers thousand acres.
The silicifcation probably took place in the |
following manner: The trees were overihrown
and covered with volcanic ashes and tufa the |
heated scihcd waters. either gushing from |
springs forced up by the violent volcanic ac- |
ton which felled the trees. pereolated through |
the ashes, cooled on reaching the tree level, and |
this produced conditions favorable to silicitica- |
ton. The moisture in the tufa may have ef- !
fected partial alteration, also any waters !
that may have filtrated through it from rain or !
springs either hot or cold. Under these circum- /
stances decomposition would be assisted and |
much silica set free. Rae waters would become !
charged with this, the silica being held partly in
solution similar that in liquid glass the slicate
of soda in commerce. The sllicious waters them
slowly penetrated the wood buried in the tufa.
and slowly deposited in the cells of the
wood. In this manner the fibres of the wood
were replaced by thc-silica.
The process was ev IDENTITY a slow one. and |
the trees. { ON all appears ices, were partly de-
cayed and waterlogged Wen the silicltcation
took place. The Jasper and Agate generally
replaced the cells and fibers and the transpa-
rent quartz filled the cells and interstices, espe
ciay where the structure was broken down by
decay. These cell centcrs and cavities produced
conditions favorable not only for the deposition
of the silica quartz, but also for the formation
of the drusy chrystlline cavities of quartz and
amethyst, that enhance the beauty of the mate
rial SO much 1t is evident from the rich variety
Of colors, that the waters held oxides of iron,
and perhaps manganese, as well as silica. the
red color being caused by hematte the yellow
and brown by limonite, and the black by oxides
OF magaIeSe'
The most interesting points in the park have
been suggestively named the Agate or Natural
Bridge Agate Gulch, Amethyst Point, Port Jas
per, etc. The most remarkable feature of the
park, and a pheno memo re haps unparalleled,
is the natural bridge of agatized wood. formed
by tree spanning a canon As feet in depth and
As feet in width. "
Although sill Gifted wood is found in many 10.
calities throughout the world, nowhere is 1t so
beautifully c6lored rs at this place. Here we
have every imaginable shade of red yellow,
brown, and green. Sometimes the colors ap-
pear in distinct spots forming motted appear
ance, then again, all blended SO imperceptibly
as to make much more pleasing and harmo-
NOUS effect than the decided banding of the
agate, where the lines of demarcaton between
the colors are distinct as to be 20 he obtrusive
the colors above mentioned are often relieved
by white, black and gray, and by transparent
spaces of brilliant quartz crystals. or. as some
times occurs, of amethyst. Broken sections of
the hollow trunks often lined with amethyst
quartz and c. cite, which add their brlliancy to
the endless variety of color.
Beautiful as the wood is to the naked eye a
microscope is needed to reveal its true beauty.
The specimens shown by DR.. Baker are
wonderful tn their multiplicity of beautiful COL
ors, charming the eye with their exquisite blend
ings and rich. delicate shadings.
So intense is its hardness, that it was a matter
of grave doubt whether any machinery in exist
ence was powerful enough to convert the pre-
cious material into the necessary forms to utilize
it in service and ornamentation. in edifice con-
struction and artistic handicraft and embeIiist-
ment
specimen was shown to Tiffany, the great
Jeweler, of New York, who said that if any
company could work it, the Drake Co., OF Sioux
Falls, Dak whose great Polished Jasper Granite
Works contains the most powerful machinery
known in the world, for such purposes, could.
Col. J. H, Drake, manager of the Co., was
then consulted with, who, on seeing specimens
of the petrifaction, realized at its true val
ue in the world of art. and through his instru-
mentality the Co. took hold of the matter and
by an immense outlay of money, succeeded,
after numerous experiments, in acquiring requi-
site facilities for cutting and polishing the pre-
cious material,
The Company at that time was composed of
Coils. c. F. & ]. H. Drake, who being interested 1
in numerous large establishments, invited Chas.
E. Baker, nephew of DR.. o. R. Baker, men-
lioned above, 10 take an interest in the consoli-
dated Jasper and Chalcedony Works. which he
did, assuming their management, at Sioux Falls. .
Thus was it reserved for Dakota to possess {
the only establishment in the world capable of
handling this wonderful formation.
Chalcedony Park is Is miles from any rail-
road. in the midst of arid waste, aboundil g :
in the twin evils of rattlesnakes and Indians,
and the logs have to be transported through the
deep sand by wagons.
The Drake Co. at Sioux Falls have for several {
years past been experimenting, endeavorng to
cheaper the cost of manufacture of Sioux Fal S
Jasper, deposit of red and chocolate coloIed
quartzyte, and but for their success in the un-
it is probable that the silicfed wood
of Arizona would have remained for years moth