The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-12-21
On PehJied FOresJ
aggs -. o0ngs,lss Iata gsauILluI AgaIs.

Results Of Investigations IN the won
defful petrihed forest In the northern
part OF Arizonia have been reported by
Dr. J. n. PulVer and a party Of scien-
lists who have been studying the geologi-
cal formations Of that part Of the ter
ritory for several months. The remains
Of the ancient forest are IN the heart Of
the San Francisco mountains.
Agate Bridge" is the most notable
feature OF this land OF natural wonders.
The portion Of the forest where the finest
Of the gems are found is IN Apache coun-
~, seventeen miles from Holhrook. The
bridge is a tree trunk. transformed in-
TO the finest agate. which spans a chasm
sixty feet wide This precious gem is
l10 feet long and five feet three inches
IN diameter at the base. tapering to three
feet at .se apex. and contains enough
material 10 give labor 10 all the lapidaries
IN the world for the next generation.
This log IS one OF thousands il Is im-
possible to conceive Of the marvellous
beauty Of this regio~, for the ground is
covered with amethyst, red and yellow
jasper, topaz, onyx. carnelian and gigan-
tic specimens Of agate Of every variety
-gems as big as nour barrels and
steamb0ilers
DR.. Pulver reports that there Is a fine
group OF big logs IN the foothills, about
twelve miles east OF Winslow. and prob
ably eorty-hve miles distant from the
agate bridge He was hurting lost horses
when he came uDon sandstone cliffs. no
table because OF their unusual prepen-
dieularity These cliffs have worn away.
leaving exposed huge trees. which may
be observed from a distance Of a mile
or more from the valley standing out in
bold relief Ike the pillars Of some ancient
temple. A closer view shows these trees
TO be from four 10 six feet IN diameter.
and often twenty or thirty feet high.
with their great roots running of into
the solid rock. A great niche IN the
face Of the wall marks the place from
which one Of these trunks has fallen.
Some OF the remaining ones appear just
ready to fall, while others project but
little beyond the face. indicating that
the mountain Is filled with the remains
Of these trees
Several miles westward along the
slope Of the mountains. a small hut re-
markable petrihed forest was found. The
largest tree, which must have been the
very king OF its race. stgnds on the sum
init Of a sunbaked. desolate toothill II
&c tweuty-six and o1e-half feet In cir
cumference and fourteen feet In height.
With roots imbedded in the solid rock. AL
most All Of these trees are perfectly pre-
served, even 70 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 CO.
niferous species They lie prone unon the
ground The section or ends Of the logs
show brilliant reds and yellows and dun
blues. The bark Is not Brilliant but dun,
and wonderfully well preserved. Some
trees show even the knots 70 perfection.
Some Of the netrifed logs are four feet in
thickness and from ten 70 twelve feet
long. They have no branches. bat the
hundreds Of pieces varying from a couple
Of inches 10 one foot IN diameter are
probably the remains of branches.
Here and there are heans Of chips from
the petrhed trees, and their beauty OF
colorinR Is hawiidering There are llterai-
ly thousands Of bushels Of chips that are
red moss arate and may be beautifully
polished. There are many times more
chips 81 amethyst gray topaz and various
hued agates. showing the grain Of the
trees. as they grew millions 81 years ago.
One may obtain cross sections Of fallen
trees showing in completest detail the
annual ring marks and the separation Of
the bark from the trees. The stone is Of
the hardest and takes and keeps an in
comparable polish.
In the rocks an about the trees there
are impgAssions OF branches leaves and
even cones and fruits. that must have
belonged 70 them. The trees with the
thick bark were cdnifers. Ike the
soquoias or "big trees" Of California,
and quite likely were their direct ancas-
tors Others were like our common
trees-that IS. such as oaks. chcstnuts.
heechea. elms marbles. magnolias and
lindens. The only living trees found IN
the vicinity of the fossil forests are pines
and spruces and two kinds Of coiton-
wood
The scientific theory concerning the
petrifaction is TO the effect That after the
forest Of pines and cedars was estab-
hshed the basin or valley became lake.
This valley has an area, approximately
of 100 by 50 miles and it is surrounded
By extinct volcanoes. These volcanoes
emptied themselves into the lake. and the
trees became soaked with the siiiceous
water SILICA took the place OF every
fiber and atom of wood. The colors Of
red. brown, yellow and purple came from
the iron and manganese solution IN the
water All this took place ba fore the
existence Of the Grand canyon Of the
Colorado When nature formed that big
ditch the lake was drained and the
water. in It's rush % the northwest
leveled the stone trees. breaking them off
as smooth as if they had been sawed
This sustains the theory that the trees
were petrided where they grew.
The fact that nearly an the fallen
trunks he in one dire cli0n and 10 the
northwest sustains The theory that the
lake emntiod 20 tho northwest and into
the Grand canyon Flagstaff correspond
ence Of the Chicago Record-IIerald