The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1900-03-17
Wonders of Chalcedony Park.
From the Arizona Graphic.

Agate Bridge is the chief wonder of that
marvellous dream known as Chalcedony Park
or the petrifed forest of Arizona. The nor.
ton of the forest where the finest gems are
found is in the Apache county. from seventeen
to twenty miles from Holhrook. on the Santa
Fe Railroad
The bridge Is a tree trunk. transformed
into the finest agate. which spans a chasm
sixty feet vide. This precious gem = ITO
feet long. four feet Ia diameter at the base,
taperiug to three feet at the apex, aud it con
lains enough material to give labor to all the
lapidaries Ia the world for the next generation
THIS log IS one Of the thousands, many Of
them broken into huge fragments. which ST.
ter the ground IN an area Of shove 100 square
miles. The area Of that portion Of the park
containing the agate bridge Is cunhucd 20
few miles. |, IS impossible 20 conceive 81 the
marvellous beauty OF tins section, for the
ground Is covered with amethyst, red and vel
low jasper. topaz, onyx, caTuclian and siEau-
tic specimens Of agate of every variety II
the gems IN Iifanv's could bee increased 90
10 the size Of -four barrels and steam boilers,
multiplied by I,0O0, 600 and scattered over
Manhattan Island, the result would give fair
idea Of ChAlcedoay Park.
The primeval forest has not lost msrh ui
its beauty. although tho human vaudai has
been there. aud with dynamiie has destroyed
logs of priceless value. ia their original fnrm.
to get a pockeIful Of crystals from the be.srt
OF the tree. The beauty and interest Of the
spot will not BE- wholly Destroyed by the pre-
sent generation, and the time Siil come when
the Government will police Chalced"oy Park
and protect is treasures.
The Indians have known the forests slsce
their beginning. and 1t was herr they iuand
material for their precious arrow tips. Thcg
cali the petrihed wood "chinarump. The
white man discovered It when the United
STATES Pacific Railroad WAS surveyed along the
thirty. fifth parallel early ia the SOS. jules
MArceau, the geologiss Of the survey. made a
collection Of specimens. and extensive men.
tiou Is made Of It in the Government reports.
The tourist aud yandal did no, gel ST il until
near 1850. when the Atlantic aud Pacific, or
Sauia F., Railroad, was built. The first
specimens Of the wood seen hy the general
public was az the New Orleans Exposition Ia
1885. A display was made in PARIS IN 1883,
and again ~ Chicago in 1898 The only
place where the stone Is polished and manu-
featured IS at Sioux Falls, ). D.. aud r..
cent newspaper says ihls company Is engaged
in getting out 81 COO, 600 worth Of ornaments
aud jewelry for sale At the Pans Exposition
Of 1900. The cost OF cutting end polishing
the petrifsctiou approaches that Of treating
diamonds, as il is calculated TO be seyen-tenihs
the hardness Of diamond.
The scientific theory concerning the pegri-
faction is 10 the effect that after the forest of
pines ana cedarS was established, the basia
or valley became q lake. This valley has an
area, approximately. OF 100 by 80 miles. aud
IL is surrounded by extinct volcanoes. These
volcanoes empiied themselves into the lake.
and the trees became soaked with the sllici-
fh.a gsfua ~
fibre and atom II wood. The coIors Of red,
brown, yellow and purple came from the iron
aud manganese in solution ia the water. AT
this took place before the existence Of the
Grand Cannon Of the Colorado. When Ha-
ture formed that big ditch the lake wss
drained. and the water, IN rs rush a. ihe
northwest leveied the stone trees. breaking
them of as smooth as If they had been saNeI
This sustains the theory that the frees were
petrified where they grew.
The fact that nearly all o. the fallen trunks
lie ia one direction, and to the northwest,
sustains the theory that the IaAe emptied %
the northwest and into the Grand Canyon
A few ages Of erosion after the draining of the
lake brings the forest down To- the present
day. and has left some strange freaks Que
big tree trunk prOtrudes over the brow Of a
cliff. looking like a cannon on fort. An
other has been left balanced on column Of
stone. presenting a great II.
$. J. Holsinger, special agent of the Gov
ernment Land Office, has recently returned
from the petri6ed forest, where he went TO ia
vestgate the ACCESSIBILITY of forming national
park of the region He will report iavorably
on the project. and will advise that terri
tory eighteen miles by nine miles be ineluded
in the park In this area lie four dliferen;
groups. or forests, of fallen trees, although II
does not include all of the groups of petrl.
factions in the valley. Mr.. Holsinger says
there are millions of tons Of the agatized wood
in the proposed park territory. He measured
many tree trunks, which were 100 feet long
and as large as feet in diameter. He says
that one group of petrfactions, locally known
as Rainbow Park, is the most remarkable
spectacle of color he has ever seen, and so
dazzling was the effect Of the sunshine on the
brilliant confusion of stone fragments that
dizziness of his head compelled him to sit
down. At Carrlzo, the station on the Santa
Fe nearest the petriiactions, he learned that
the Sioux Falls Company had ordered a
carload of the stone to be shipped TO the
factory