Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1857-08-13
I'll isttlIautous,
THE WONDERS OF CALIFORNIA.
THE BIG TREE GROVE.

\ correspondent of the San Francisco Bulle-
4 In the celebrated Big Tree Grove, in Calaye-
rs county, California
We arrived at the hotel about sunset, and
alnd large company already collected, ca
ger 10 engage in the dance of the evening"
livery preparation had been made by the pro-
Y-;c,or. Nr. Haynes, for grand time Be
tween the hotel and the base of the Big Tree,
, fine spring floor had been laid to dance upon /;
(Which with the stump was covered with large
7a:JOr of evergreenS, beautifully Illuminated
sEith many candles among the boughS. The
.Eteae was romantic and beautiful beyond de-
Fcrption. Here, fifteen miles from any habi-
Patton, where but few years ago nothing but
tae bowl of the wolf and panther, or the still
lo?e fierce whoop of the Indian ever disturb
81 the long silence Of nature, the wilderness
pow echoed with the sweet note Of merry mu-
PC. All seemed to enjoy the novelty of the
Cclas,on, free and uureStrained from the cold
fo.maltieS of fashionable life We were some
4" -a wearied with the fatigues of our journey
D: there was
81 NJ sleep till morn when youth and pleasure meet
: chase the glowing hours with flying feet"
The surface Of the stump of the big tree is
floo,h solid timber, and affords space for
4 li'iy-two persons TO dance upon, being seven
SIX feet in circumference. Theatrical per-
II FINANCES have been given upon it by the
! apman Family in May. 1855 also by the
El'ao!aSon family in the same year 1t was
p; discovered by some hunters in 1850. whose
fAOuntS were considered fabulous until con-
f'Icd by actual measurement This proud
= monarch Of the forest was DESTROYED bv
-gI Hantord, who has since taken q section
Y 1.ty feet of the bark to New York and
: ans. Ae has met Just reward for his van
t4~>m by losing n fortune in the enterprise
4 required the labor of five men for twenty
F. days to cut the the tree down. This was
2le by boring it with augerS and then saw.
Tie spaces between. 1t stood so perpen-
-1.AT that it required wedge and batterin-
an 10 cause it to fall, after it was cut entire
II. Upon its trunk. about one hundred
q. from lis base, is situated barroom and
S1'Fn alleys, extending along its upper sur
L" esAty-one feet affording ample room for
70 or more alley beds, side by side
Alter short rest, We FASTENED, the next
u 2.2S, with much anxiety, to visit all the
.ee'S Of Interest in the Grove. As nearly
'ae trees have already been described by
'eTs, | shall not consume time in noticing
IL, but only few incidents connected with
IS greatest vegetable productions of the
~ A. first sight the stranger can hardly
54.e their massive grandeur-with trunks
-e'I-siz feet circumference, lifting their huge
4l,aeS three hundred feet towards the
4'saS 1t is only by comparing them with
surrounding pines, which are ten feet in
.li4etF, and then with those half that sixe,
s.'ca' IN the eastern forest, would be consid-
y very large trees. that. any just concep-
r. r eae pe formed of their real magnitude
faiher Of the Forest :" who has long
- ooSed his head to the DUST" is still
-! N his ruins. His trunk is over thirty
.ee' IN diameter. and can be traced near
'a'ee hundred feet, where it was broken in
II s2sais, by falling on another tree. Ac-
.s.' s@l.as to the general taper of other trees.
- great PTosenitor must have been over four
-'1 ieet in length At the distance of
-. -aldFed and fifty feet from the roots, we
-s'i! descended through knot hole in 8 car
M, a 'eaS' eight feet in diameter. The view
=. Ssa'ed upon the moss covered trunk Of
= 'e0eraoe Father. surrounded by group
-''l' tWeaty gian, sons and daughters,