The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-09-05
ARIzoNNs PETRlFlED TREES.
Remains Of Extinct Species Of conI.
fers Turned to Stone.

Remains OF Extinct species OF Coni'
fers Turned to Stone.
The passage by the House Of Repre-
sentatiyes of bill seeing aside as
national park the great petrihed for
est OF northern Arizona came just in
time to save from destruction a won
derful natural curiosity which mas
but one equal on this continent-the
Grand Canon of the Colorado In the
Yellowstone National Park in Wyom-
ing, in California and northern Mexico
as well as in other portions Of Arizona,
have been found petrifed trees, but
none of them is to be compared with
the immense fossilized forest which
lies close to Holbrook, where the gov
eminent protectorate is to be estab-
lished
The forest is in the midst Of the
great Desert of Apache. Fifty miles
to the northeast is the great Navajo
Indian reservation, some eighty-fve
miles to the northwest is the Grand
Canon of the Colorado aad Interven-
ing are several ancient Moh DueDlos
perched on their tablelands or mesas
Of stone
Scientists state that the Arizona
forest belongs far back in the Meso-
zoic time, probably to the Triassic
formation, while the smaller forests
found elsewhere are of the Tertiary
age. The difference in their antiquity
is, therefore, probably millions of
years. The forest proper covers some
two square miles, but petrifed trees
are to be seen in an area of fifty
square miles.
With the exception of a single cot
tonwood trunk, the trees are on an
extinct coniferous species. They lie
prone upon the ground. The sections
or ends of the logs show brilliant red
and yellows and dull blues. The bark
is not brilliant, but dull and wonder
fully we'll preserved. Some trees
show even the knots to perfection.
Some of the petrifed logs are four feet
in diameter and from ten to twelve
feet long. They have no branches,
but the hundreds of small pieces, vary
ing from a couple of inches to one foot
in diameter are probably the remains
of branches.
Here and there are heaps of chips
from the petrifed trees and their
beauty of coloring is bewildering.
There are literally thousands Of
bushels of chips that are red mass
agate and may be beautifully polished.
! There are many times more chips of
amethysts, gray topaz and vari-hued
agates, showing the grain of the trees
as they grew millions of years ago.
One may obtain cross sections Of
logs, showing in completest detail the
annual ring marks and separation OF
the bark from the trees. The stone is
of the hardest and takes and keeps
an Incompatible polish.
Thousands of pounds of pieces from
these trees, turned to agate, have
been sent all over America and Europe
to be polished and sold for ornaments.
Indeed so rapid has grown the work
of despoiling the the forest, that in
many places scores OF trees nave DeeH
entirely removed.
The Zuni Indians told the United
States surveyors about the spot where
their polished agates came from and
Col. John w. Stedman was probably
the first white man who ever looked
upon the petrifed forests. That was
in 1851. In July, 1852, Jules Mar
ceau. another United States civil engi-
neer, made a collection of specimens
and extensive mention is made of it
in the government reports The
tourist and vandal did not get at it
until near 1880, when the Sante Fe
railroad was built.-Arizona Republi-
can.