Daily national Democrat., 1860-06-21
Letter from Capt. J. E. Stcvens--Reply TO
the Alta.
MARYsvILLE, June Goth, 1860.

Nut Attas
MARYsvILLE, June 20th 1860.
EprroR DEMocEAr:-In my ramblcs through
the lower country stray numte OF one
horse paper called the Alta Californian, pub
lished in some out-of the-way hacienda that
in former times sported the exceedingly eu-
phonious title of"Yer Buena' sage Brush
fell into my hands, in which, among other
curious things and sayings, occurs this strange
passage'under the heading of "a hard story
"The Marysville DEMOCRAT IN a report of the
adventures of Col J. E. Stevens in an expe-
diton to the Black Rock country in Western
Utah tells the following hard story which We
(the writer of this who Travelled through the
High Rock Canon in ls49 and kno'0s the
country about it to be exceedingly desolatC
and barren) copy merely as an example of {
strange yarn and not because we imagine tha
it has any foundation in truth"
| have ever made it point to refrain from
ungenerous criticisms upon the expressions o
those whose position in life would sugges
literary inferiority, and presuming from th'
style of the alta" man that he is either &
ranchman or milkman Except what little
time he is occupied on his paper) am will
ing to admit for the sake Of the argument
that we k1iocs' is the best kind Of grammar
according to the latest revised edition used
at the Alta office; and, with your indulgence
will devote a small space in your columns, il
not to confute the idea conveyed in the Alta
that IRE lies, at least to show your readers
that ",oe sticks to it"
Our party of thirty-fve men encamred al
the lower end of what we termed the Little
Canon, about three miles from which we
found this famous petrfacti,n, and which is
truly great curiosity and wonder of the
age sufficient to arouse the incredulty Of
those who passed through the High Rock
Canon in lS49." At short distance from
this monster ola former age it seemed to us
to be well defined line of drift wood de
posted along the line of high water marx OF
some ancient river whose bed is now an ele.
waited mountain ridge; but on closer inspec-
tion We unanimously pronounced it one tree
as we found it distinctly marked from the
upturned roots TO its forks, and its two well
defined forks to what was, when standing, an
altitude of six hundred and sixty six (666)
feet, or two hundred and twenty-five such
steps as Western frontier man takes when
stepping of his distance to shoot at a target
or the Alta man would take in pacing off a
turnp patch. At about 400 feet from the
roots the tree is divided into two parts. or
forks about equal in size, and at $40 feet from
the root l took off a specimen from one Of
these forks having on its surface at the time
the outer and inner bark of the tree. Il which
specimen is now in the office of Dr. Thomp-
son, on d street between Third and Fourth
From the curves Of the lines of growth on
this specimen we estimated The diameter Of
the branch from which it was taken to be
from to II feet, and this, bear in mind at a
distance of 500 feet from the root of the tree
and only half the tree at that. This estimate
may be too high or it may be too low, but in
the height of the tree we cannot be far al
fault in saying that it measured when stand
ing some seven or eight hundred feet il
height.
Presuming that the editor Of the DEMocRA,
is sabundantly able to preserve unsuled th'
reputation of his own poetry and transmit i
pure and unimpaired by the Alta to poster-
ty, shall say nothing about your fancy
sketch of vast primeval forest hidden
away among the rubbish Of the crumbling
ages of the past, only that would not en-
gage to dig ii out unless the Alta will under
take to give me the benefit of the proper
credit when find it j. E. STEVENS.
N, B.-If the Ala has no confidence in the
veracity of those living in populous cities, he
can call on j. B. Dorr, lumber dealer, Capt
McKenzia, formerly of the steamer Pealuma,
and several other gentlemen of undoubted
integrity who reside at the San Francisco
Ranch: and who will not only confirm the
truth of the existence of the petlifed tree but
show him specimens thereof J.E.S.