The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-04-16
FOSSIL FORESTS of ARIZONA.
Thousands of Huge Trees Have Been
Converted Into Agate.

Converted Into Agate.
Flagstaff (Arizona) Letter to Chicago Re-
cord.
Results of Investigations, in the Won
derful petrified forest in the northern
mart of Arizona have been reported by
DR.. ]. N. Pulver and party of scien-
lists who have been studying the geolog-
ical formations of that part of the Terri
tory for several months. The remains or
the ancient forest are in the heart or the
San Francisco Mountains.
"Agate Bridge is the most notable fea-
ture in this land of natural wonders. Inc
norton of the forest where the finest OF
the gems are found is in Apache county,
seventeen miles from Holbrook. Inc
''bridge" is a tree trunk, Transformed
into the finest agate, which spans
chasm sixty feet wide. This precious gem
is ITO feet long and 5 feet inches in diam
eter at the base, tapering to 3 feet at
the apex( and contains enough material
10 give labor to all the lapidaries in the
world for a generation. This log is one
of thousands. many of them broken into
huge fragments. 1t is impossible to con-
ceive of the marvellous beauty or TINS
region for the ground is covered with
AMETHYST, red and yellow jasper, topaz,
ONYX. carnelian, and gigantic specimens
of agate of every variety-gems as big
as -four barrels and steam boilers.
DR.. Pulver reports that there is a. ilne
group of big logs in the foothills, ABOUT
twelve miles east of Winslow, and prob
ablv forty-five miles distant from the
agate bridge. He was hunting lost horses
when he came upon sandstone cliffs, not
able because of their unusual perpendic-
ularitv These cliffs have worn away
leaving exposed huge trees, which may
be observed from distance OF a mile or
more. from the valley, standing out IN
hold relief, like the pillars of some an
cielt temple. A closer view shows these
trees to be from four to thirty rect hlgn'
with their great roots running on into
the solid rock. A great niche in the race
of the wall marks the place from winch
one of these trunks has fallen. Some or
the remaining ones appear just ready to
fall, while Others project but little beyond
the face, indicating that the mountain
is filed with the remains of these trees
Several miles westward along the slope
of the mountains, a small but remarka-
bic petrified forest was found. The larg-
esq tree, which must have been the very
king of It's race. stands on the summit
of a sun-baked, desolate foothill. II is
twenty-six and one-half feet in circum-
ference and fourteen feet in hight, with
roots Undecided in the solid rock. Almost
all of these trees are perfectly preserved
even to the bark, which in some cases is
FIVE inches thick.
With the exception of a single cotton
wood trunk the trees are of an extinct
coniferous species. They lie prone upon
the ground. The sections or ends OF the
logs show brilliant reds and yellows ana
dull blues. The bark is not brilliant, put
dull. and wonderfully we'll preserved. Some
trees show even the knots to perfection
Some of the petrlhed logs are four feet
in thickness and from ten to twelve feet
long. They have no branches, but the
hundreds of pieces varying from couple
OF inches to one foot in diameter are
probably the remains of branches.
Here and there are heaps of chips from
the petriled trees. and their beauty OF
coloring Is bewiledring. There are literal
~ thousands Of bushels of chips that are
red moss agate and may be beautifully
polished. There are many times more
chips OF amethyst, gray topaz, and va
rious hued agates, showing the grain OF
the trees. as they grew millions OF years
ago. One may obtain cross-sections OF
fallen trees. showing IN completest detail
the annual ring marks ana the separu-
ton OF the bark from the trees. The stone
II OF the hardest and takes and keeps an
incompatible polish.
In the rocks oil about the trees there
are impressions Of branches. leaves, ana
even cones and fruits, thar must have
belonged 20 them. Tho trees with the
thick bark were ooniiera Ike the sequel
De-. or "hiE trees" Of California, and
quite ligoiy were iheir direct ancestor
Others were iikt orr common trfes-ihai
is ouch AZ oaki. cherfnuif, becchef. eiinf.
mapiot. maen9llaa, and linqcna The only