Evening journal., 1900-05-30
Section Of Arizona Said to
SuTpaSS Colorado Canyon
Representative Lacey, Of Iowa, Intro
duceS a Bill to Set Aside Region
as National Park


tiY Lacey, OF Iowa, passes, of the pos
session as public park. Of the famous
petrihed forests of Arizona. The vast
track cf interesting country thus set
apart for the people and preserved for
ever from the devastating hand of the
vandal will be known as the Petrifed
Forest National Park. There is no |
doubt that the bill will become a law
and a wonder OF the new world will
thus be added TO the nations pleasure
grounds.
A description of the remarkablel
scenery and objects of interest in the
region where the new national park is /
to be located, will show that the United 1
states government has taken a timely
step in the peoples interests in making
public property of this extremely in f
teresting section Of Uncle Sans do |
minions.
The United States government tar
dily recognized the necessity of pre-
serving as public property some Of the
great wonders of nature. The Yellow
stone National Park was the first one
OF these reservations thus set apart as
a national resort Since then the pub
lie lands around the Yosemite have
been embraced in a national park. Eff
forts are being made to save the big
trees OF California from the saw of
the lumbermen. Mt. Rainier has become |
a park and its natural scenery pre-
served from mUtilation.
REMARKABLE SCENIC WONDERS. |
Arizona, with her pure, healing air
has for many years been the source of
renewed life to the invalids of America.
New Mexico and Arizona will in due
time take the place of Nice and Men
tone as the resort Of the weak-lunged
people of beth hemispheres. Arizona
has, in addition to the beauty of her
climate two of the most remarkable
scenic wonders of the globe. The Grand
Canyon OF the Colorado is, without
question, the most sublime and start
ling of all the works of nature in North
America.
But there is in Arizona a more Won
derful scene than even the Grand Can
yon itself. In a desert region, a few
hours journey by rail east of the Grand
Canyon is the petrifed forest. In
other parts of the United States there
may be found occasional petrihcatiOns
Of remarkable character. but here are
the remains Of a great forest. These
trees are Of a coniferous, extinct spe-
cies, with the exception of a single
cottonwood trunk They lie prone
upon the ground as they drifted in on
a prehistoric sea. Waterlogged and
heavy they sank to the bottom and
were there covered with sand and
changed into chalcedOny. The sand
| hardened and cemented into stone and
] Hr,a obj Nho
stone forest lay hidden from view for
countless ages. BY slow disintegra-
] ton the imbedding rock all washed
away and the pctrifed trees, being
much harder and more durable. We're
] left lying scattered in dense pr0fusiOn
on the surface OF the earth, whore they
4 had so long lain buried.
These trees are Of the most beauti-
ful colors. and the stone takes as high
a polish as granite. Reckless tourists
have long been engaged in carrying
away fragments, even using dynamite
on some of the specimens, and while
! enterprising, money-making men have
planned the removal and grinding Of
II these trees into powder to be used as a
\ substitute for emery. the only
thing that prevented this commercial
N NtnANiAoln Mtt1. NAt uArN0Ntio VI q
ssCne in Canada that would answer the
same purpose.
Over an area several miles in extent
the petrihed logs are countless at all
u horizons and lie in the greatest prOfus-
ion Cn the knOlls. buttes and spurs
and in the ravines and gulches, while
, the ground seems to be everywhere
studded with gems consisting Of the
broken fragments of all shapes and
i sizes and exhibiting all the c0lors OF
the rainbow.
There is no other petrihed forest in
which the wood assumes 50 many var
led and interesting forms and colors
and it is these that present the cAiei
Z attraction to the general public. The
state of naturalization in which much
OF this wood exists almost places them
: among the gems and precious stones
] Not only are chalcedony. opals and
} aga'tes found among them, but many
3 approach the condition Of jasper anc
onyx.
CELEBRATED NATURAL BRIDGE.
> One Of the most celebrated objects in
, the whole region is the Natural Bridge
= consisting of a great pctrilied trunl
. lying across a canyon and forminl
natural foot bridge on which mar
may easily cross. The canyon 1t spans
), is forty-fve feet in width. In addition
10 the span, fully fifty feet Of the trel
lies on one side. making IL visible fo
n length OF over 100 feet. The region
: consists of the ruins Of a former plali
having an altitude above sea level o
800 to 1850 feet This plain has un
derg0ne extensive erosion to tn
, maximum depth Of zoo feet, and is Gu
into innumeIable ridges. buttes an'
/. small mesas. with valleys, gorges ant
gulches between. The strata cOnsis
Of alternating beds Of clay, sandston
4 shales, and massive sandstones. Tn
= clays are purple, white and blue. tn
II purple predominating, and the whit
n and blue forming bands Of differen
It thickness between the others. givin
r. the cliffs a lively and pleasing sffec
l. The sandztcnes are chiefly Oi a red
Isl dish-brown color and closely resembl
k. the brcwnstcnes OF the Portland an
rs Newark quarlies on the Potomac rive
" and al Nanasses, In. Virginia. but som