The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1905-12-22
ArIzona's Petrified Forest
Special Correspondence,

A petrified forest covering nearly
five Thousand acres of desert lal il
one Of the unique attractions Of
Arizona, The trees uf this forest d.
not stand upright as in an ordinary
living grove but instead all lie pros
Lrated upon the barren soil, The seen,
10 one entirely of death and desola-
tion. the area, With the exception
Of few spectrel like messas is almosI
as level as a floor and as far as the ey'
scaD reach only these fallen monuments
TO past ages vegetation dot thi.
rid expaLs. The sizes OF the petriti
cations range from pebbles as small
COY marbles tc logs six and seven fee
diameter and a hundred feet lon-
and all are as hard as adamant.
have just visited the forest ADD 10
Interest 1T surpassed all previous e. =
,ectations. 1t is located 10 the east
rn part of the territory scarcely GU
,lde the borders of the Painted DeseT
and is diyided into two sections. Th
asLern division containing abou
two Thousand acres, is reached 0y
rive by carriage Of nine miles frou
Adamana, a small station on tilt
Santa Fee railroad; and the startlnt
.uiut for Lhe western section Is HUl-
look from which place drive o..
iaarly fifteen miles Is necessary. 1
he traveller has only time to visit ont
ectiOn of the forest the one reached
rom Adamana should be given tht
preference. The other, 1t is true, !.
ne larger and contains the largest
.rees but 1t is the eastern section tina
possesses the famous natural bridge
Ind other formations not found In til,
western portion.
Reaching Adamana which by INT
way, lisa station comprising only b
depot and ranch house or hotel ano
livery stable II one cares to 30 de-
,ignate the latter-at about 8 o'cl0ch
ia the morning, secured carriage
iud was soon on my way to the petrl
lied forest. The drive for nearly eight
miles was undressing for there wa
iaught to view save mitless plain II
dry, sandy and almost entirely barren
,oll. Presently however, stray DTS
of petrlfied wood, glistening like rare
tems under the seldom clouded SUI,
oegan to attract our attention. Next
came larger ones and then in shor
while we were In the midst OF hug -
oetrified trees. There were logs
scattered abont In profussion, blocks
II all sizes and lengths, shattered
limbs and slivers OF varied hues. Ali
are as dense as hint but their resem'
olauce to wood is 40 perfect that until
, close examination Is made one can
zee no reason why match should moi
ignite them into fame. There are
sections that appear as If decayed and
aud others that seem, to the eye, tt
till possess the sap of life. When one
Dicks up small segment, however, he
inds that 1t 10 denser than any Ordi-
nary stone aud almost as heavy as
cad. a.
1t is the inclination Of these petri-
tacatiens to break up by transverse
racture and often one find 10y
nearly hundred feet In length broker
~ into blocks with ends almost al
nooth as II sawed. And, although
.nese segments are petrifications OF
,ly one kind Of timber. pine, thes'
are representations OF nearly every
conceivable color. Among them are
black. red, white. yellow, blue, purple
md lavender; and the mineralogist
lualyzlng these fragments find
;ndlcedOny. topaz, carnelian, onyx
gate and amethst. That these ar,
representations Of 50 many different
substances 10 thought to be due t.
5ne state of the trees preservation a,
1he time of its petrifactiOn and to tht
.Lage OF compactness it reached PRO
t. being uncovered from It's bed Il
,nale.
The natural bridge OF this forest Ia
formed by a huge petrified tree trunA
banning a canyOn-like ravine lift
| teet wide-a bridge of agate and jaspei
Jverhanging the only clump of LYING
.rees within the forests borders
each end Of this log Is still embedde,
u shale and limestone leaving one
hundred feet ofitexposed. How mucl
II its length still remains buried ii
unknown but each year nature
erosion brings, more Of IL into view
10 lar time has graclously spared tn,
laLegrity OF this curiosity but recent,
transverse cracks have appeared ano
Gearing that the bridge might tumble
W destruction the government ha.
aad TIVE stone abutments erected
uuder IL makingit a bridge OF three
Q Jans.
To what age these petrified trees