Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1901-09-06
WONDERFUL PETRiF!ED NINE
A Plain. Simple and True Story Of Most Ex
traordinary Discovery Made in Arizona.

"~o'oHo'y OiSeONeIy FtduS III fNiLOud.
The following story of mining life in
Arizona comes from Mr.. ID. d. Melon
aid, a mining man OF that rich Terri
, tory, and is strictly truthful: While
out prospecting for copper properties
on grub stake layout last month,
Jim Plecute wandered into the dark
recesses OF dismal canon, 40 miles
east of Jerome, and pitched camp for
/ the night.
The next morning he went out
prospecting, and, while wandering
around, suddenly came upon log
cabin. Entering it, he found two
miners seated at a table, seemingly in
the act of eating their breakfast. He
addressed them, but received no re.
sponse. Thinking something was
wrong, he walked up to them and was
Mortified to find that they were stone
dead, petrified. The tin plates from
which they ate, the trying pan, coffee
pot and tin cups were also petrified.
Judging from appearances. they had
been transformed from living beings
to the state in which Plecute found
them in a jiffy, for one of the stone
images held a fork in his stony grasp.
nr thu nnI of ha
piece of venison as he had cut it to
put in his mouth. The fork and ven.
ison were turned to stone just as the
man had opened his mouth to receive
the food. Everything within the
cabin was petrified; the flames were
turned to stone as they leaped up in
the old-fashioned fireplace and stood
up red and brilliant, but cold as ice.
A petrified cat lay on the floor, while
every article within the cabin was in
the same condition. Upon closer in
vestigation Plecute discovered the
very logs OF the cabin were also of
stone.
Leaving the house, with his heart
filled with dismal foreboding, the
prospector passed on up an old trail,
which looked as though it had not
been used for thousands of years,
though still dimly visible. He had
gone but short distance when he dis
covered signs OF ore. There was a
huge iron dyke extending up the rug
ged mountain side, and where he
stood was break in the dyke. Cop
per.stained fragments OF rock were
scattered about as though thrown
there by some one, but there was no
sign of tunnel or shaft. Plccute con-
cluded to sink a shaft where the dyke
was broken, so went after his burro
and outfit, and soon had his camp
pitched.
Three weeks Of steady labor had
been put in on the prospect without
striking ore, and Plecute was discour-
aged and on the point OF quitting.
Thinking he would put in one or
more rounds of shots, he did so, fred
them, and made most startling dis
covery; he had shot the bottom from
the shaft. Going down on his rope
he found there was room to stand
on little shelving ledge that had not
been shot away. Holding his candle
80 it threw o faint light down the
dark hole, he discovered ladder sus-
pended down the seemingly bottom
less hole. As the ladder was securely
fastened, he cautiously descended it.
When he had gone down about 100
feet he came to . drift leading to the
north. Following that short dis
tance he came suddenly upon three
miners in the breast Of the drift. AL
though he heard no sound. they
seemed to be intently engaged in drill.
ing. One sat holding the drill, while
the other two were holding their ham,
mers suspended in the air. He ad-
dressed them but received no response.
Then the horrible truth burst upon
him ! they were also petrified. Close
inspection proved that the men were
in the same condition as the occu-
pants OF the cabin.
Plecute examined the surroundings,
and discovered that the hammers and
drills were all turned to stone. A
watch in one Of the miners pockets
was also petrified. The time, as
shown by the watch, was Z is, whether
morning or evening he OF course could
not tell. A tick was petrified in the
watch, while the hands were i'll the
same condition. Every line and fea-
ture of the watch was as natural as
when it was a living and moving
thing.
Thoroughly frightened at the spec
tacle, Plecute hurriedly left the un-
csnny place, and as he climbed the
ladder he heard petrified bird on q
petrified limb Of . petrified tree, sing
ing petrified song. The way Jim
| D1oo,So noco,,ota for tbo eEa e. ba ~; n n
been closed with stone and seemingly
| in its natural condition is that the at
mosphere in the shaft was petrified
down to depth Of 20 feet, where he
struck the shaft. Monuments have
already been erected and the wonder
full mine located by Mr.. Plecute, who
thinks he will make fortune out OF