A Petrified Forest

On tho way thither through Arizono, says a Pasaden letter, I stopped at the pelrified forest. I left the Atchteon, Topeka and Santa Fe at Holbroofc, eogaged a cowboy and liorses, and started at 3:30 a. in. After rilling limit thlrtv or thlrty-five miles we reached a eanyon, and followlui; tl] Is H inile or so found ourselves among tbe most wooderful workl (if nature I liave ever sein. At thls pulnt tlic lanyun Is wlile and roeky, yet eViT)1 rock lartre or email. Is h pleee of ajfatl.f'd ur p;-t,rilied woud. Om one side tbe tranaformatiun nenu 1 1 bave been oí tbe ordlnary kind, and we lin I pnrfec.l fpecimens of petrifled ivood, ihowlog the barh and In ome Insi ancos even t Ii r nirs of urowth. In Home placea i rotrüding from Itae earib nuiv be teen tlie trunks of trees, branche mid even rootp, ro complete has Ix'cn thfl cliiiTiiif. In otber places sectlout 'f fostl tri-es uuve froin ezi)OSiirfl at lust in-i-n brokoti np bv Iba actlon oí tbe elemental Oflen tbs frafmenla of etone resembli; p'-rfeetly, bnth n lor and In Iruclure, tbe Datara) nucid. hntnft tbe graln, sup, ind knot of tlie original tree. Al lir-t I pk-ked up tw) splinters h Toot lonj; wnd nol more thunih ree eltrbllisof hu Ineh In tbleknen, and ituck tnem loimlber to Le eure Umi Diev ere not real irood, but tbey flew lo pleeefl tnd I wns convine d. But bv far the iuot InteruthiE flde of tbe ennyon Is the Ride whcrè tbe atrallzed Bood Is f U'iil. or at lenst !s innat iilmndant (il Is fouml for miles In ev ry dlreetiOD, and to llie loutn s far ns the rjro can rench tin; coiintr i Is dotted bere and tllore w III wliat npi-ar to Le sbort fa' loss). On tlis slde Uiü Ircea must bave erovvn c'ocr, for the piouml is covered Itb trmiksof irees rancinglti Iroutb from 3 to 10 fpct anl In illnmi-ter trom 1 to 7 f i-et (motlj bont '!}i to 8 teet in diameter) The acatlsed rood aeemt lv lts proecss of transforniatlon to bove lot I's zr.An as well as natural cul'T and the onlv apparent llkeness whlcb I ilrnK these rock bear to a tree of th s aae (besides t.lieir c.llndrii-iil 1 1 i ■ ■ i Is tlmt In all in ■ a tbe an Is if a darker (Milor, ahowns tïfal dtH-mnt osi tlon Droliably affected It wllllo the b-art ur wood of tbe tree remaim-d pounil. Also ín many Instanees the rinis "f arowtli, lielntc very tblck, are marked bv linea of clenvage. Yoa woul'l tbink it strnnee If at everv step you were treadlngon picees of I eiuitifully colóred gate, but In thls canyon If yon are not êtepplng on pleces t Is because yon are on oneplece; It is all acate I di'i not. to pre j pared to brine bnek ipeclmenn. In fnot I found a Wlncbester rifle and sil-booler wcre enougb to carrv. but t was Impnatlble to j eome nway without brlnginir ometblrg, so we tooU the eack tlmt beid ouls. and t tint nat j ck Is iiow in my Bntclipl hiclnslne almnt flfty pounds of Arzuua I have; plecps "f thi" roots, bark, sap, branches, p tli, Hlid bet nt all a cone, to prove that thege trece ure I ly alllecJ to If not. the Identical eiicalvp(u tree of the day. In one place a fossll trunk spang a ravine thirty feet above a running stream. The brl'lge thus formo] is twentvflve ffot lone. The tree trunk 1b exposeil nver flfty feet. Ths tree was the lonccst nnbroken scctlon and varled from 3J-Í feot in diameter at the base to 2V feet wbero tlie top dlsappeared In th eround. There was nothine to show that branches had heen broken off and but one knot was visible. The tree was perfectly straight, nnd cnnjpired wlth the rest wns scnrcely as Ihijíc as au verattcnized tree. Would not thls have been a yariuilsc fnr a ïumber camp b-fore nature got a clirm on Uifl limiti But I suppose come enteri rtsliig felow-cltlzen of oure w III ere Ioiil' Uke n . this tract and begin mmiufncturln!; even tlilmc from a tablc-top toa cutí button. In f et, before reachinz Holb'Ook I was Informeri tuut a flrm of New Yiirk Jcwulcrs had liciuiiht up the fiitlre tract (ihus pettltiK a corner on nïatizcd wood) and were i.bout to develop it