The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1855-10-05
MISCELLANY.
A Family of Big Trees.

| lhe BIg Tree from which the locality Y
takes It's name, and which was cut down ,
few years stree, and whose fame the news.
papers have trumpetcd over the land. was
not the largest OF the trees, though pcrhaps
'ic most perfect among them. According
10 the record above referred to, and which
Is perhaps nearly accurate, this tree is %
tcct III crcuInitrcncc at feet above tn.
ground. estimated by the grains in the wood
10 bc about 5000 years old. It took five
men % days to fall it, which was don. bv
boring, and after it WIS down it took them
three weeks to strip Off the bark. Th.
stump "i thus tree has been planned down to
DC as nearly smooth as practicable, so as to
answer as dancing saloon; a'iranc work
has cnci"scd it, and by the intcrlaciny Of
A'hor 'nn twlg>, quite pleasant summer
room has been fitted up. Just plior to our
visit 4 travelling theatrical corps has per-
formed in it, and | understand tlev had
quite good houm. Where they gathered
them hom cannot tell, though what, with
miners AMI the laborcrs on the water-com
panys works, quite Il crowd can be collected
almost any where in these moru,,ius ,o
attend Il circus or almost any sort of show ::
though a SERMON from The best preacher Of
the land would scarcely rally half the
! EHmh"r. ct Our very accommodating
iandl"rd, who Is ready to become all thiums
To all men, assured III. that he had no douh,
| II had sent on an appointment, they could
have given HE a good crowd. must adJ
that Oh part of tho trunk of the tree, the
upper side having been blasted away, a bow
ling saloon has been fitted up, so that pretty
much the whole Of the tree has been consc-
Grated to the sclvice OF satan PITY that Ia
house Tor Gok's worship had not taken It's
place. on that stump perhaps it may Vet
do SO. God hasten the time.
Ent We proceed to description Of some
others OF this ma jcstic family. The Miners
! Cabin Is so feet in circumference. ncorI,.
800 feet high.-Thc Three Sisters are nj
from the same root, 300 feet hirll-and
! together measure 92 feet in circumference
The Pioneers Cabin is about $50 feet hi.,b
tho circumference not rccollcctcd The
l5achcior 800 feet high, 60 in circumference.
1'oof fellow he stands alone, rough and un.
soc';'bc i'll looks, his outer garments rather
rough and unpublished. Tie Hermit .lau,Is
entirely alone, 800 feet high, l07 in crcum-
terence; Hcrculus 25o feet high, IS feet in
cercumtcrcnce. This is probably, taking it
AL III all, the largest Standing tree in the
grove, and would make, if sawed up, some
$4,000 feet of lumber. The Husband and
VIE stand aiiectionatcly near each other at
the base, and seem to approximate more and
more closely as they ascend hcavcnwurI.
beautiful emblem Of the intimate and
a!lcctlona:c union dcrnandcd in that Lullow
ed and cndearing relation, standing in close
relationship in the beginning of li!c's Jour
ncy together, their branches intcr-lockinp
and blending in beautiful foliage, as they
journey upward to heaven They are each
about 25O feet high and GO feet in c;rcum-
terence
The Family Group consists of twentv-six,
the Father aud Mother and twcntv-four well
grown children. The Father was blown
down many years, possibly some century or
Two ago. LIS circumference, IA nearly as
can DC ascertalncd, was 1lO fectf, and the
height was probably about 40 feet. We.
with some difficulty, and by means of steps
which had been cut i'll its sides, clanbered
to the top side Of this PROSTATE giant, and
walked the greater part of its length and
must confess nothiugin the group Impressed
lie SO torcib!y and soIcmnly as did this
PROSTATE and decaying monarch of the for
est. 1t was hit time and place to indulge |
III the imaginative and sentimental, and ifI
there had been any poetry in my compo-
sltion, l should certainly have indited a po-
elm Oh the occasion. But this was out Of
the question, SO indulgcd in a long train
of prose imaginings. l looked back to the
time when this tree was little sprout, Just
peeping up from the earth. Year after
year, age after age, passed on, and it grew
and enlarged, its branches climbed heaven
ward and its trunk expanded until it stood
in that lone, wild spot the undsputed mon
arch of the forest Perhaps no civilized
age OF man ever gazcd on him in bis glory.
The rowing savage and the grim and fearful
grizzly bear had looked on him and lain
down at his roots, and the birds of lottier
aspiration sought resting place in his
branches. The mighty forests of the east
ern world had fallen in rapid succession be-
fore the advancing march of civilized men,
but no woodman's axe had broken the soil
tude of his peaceful domain. Empires had
sprung; up and fourished, mighty warriors
bad marched their conquering legions o 'er
prostrate nations, but no thunder Of cannon
nor roar of artillery, save that of heaven,
had broken the quiet solitude of bis noun
tain region. Yetat length, the universal
law OF dust 70 dust prevailed, and the tow
ering giant fell from his lofty dignity ana
found resting place in s4he bosom Of the
earth from whence he .sprang. Terible|
must have been the crash when etell,