Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-01-05

Twelve acres, &s spacious anu couNenkeu
building, affording accommodations fo
fifty or sixty persons, and is under tn
general management of lessee.
Leaving the hotel we turn to the lei
into the woods, the course of observation
being aided by foot path of perhap
three fourths of a mile in extent, YER
nearly describing a seTni-oircle, an
coming out near the 1.-TWO Santinels
before mentioned, at the entrance to tn
grounds These trees are called tn
Sequoia and number over ninety, not in
cluding those of recent growth. Fifty o
sixty of the number are very large, beinl
from ten to twenty-four feet in diamete
respectively. They have cones and ex
hibit foliage resembling the cedar
though heavier and more diffuse. Upor
entering the foot path from the hotel, VI
find the trees on either hand scattered
along the route. They are variously
named as q. s. Grant. W. T. Sherman
Pride of the Forest, Phil Sheridan, Geo
Washington, Gen Jackson, Old Dominion
Empire State, and even our own Yer
mont is honored by representative
They are labeled by small slab of mar
BILE bearing the name, set in horizontal
groove cut in the barck, some ten feet from
the ground. Standing at considerable
distance from these trees a person would
quite likely be deceived in an estimate o.
their magnitude, and it is only upon neal
approach thet the beholder is fully i'm
pressed with the immonsity Of their pre-,
portions.
| Passing several, whose names We have
already given, we come to the "Mother Of
the Forest" which several years since
was denuded of its bark from the ground
l2O feet upward, it is consequently dead
and the topmost limbs are beginning tc
fall This tree is represented as the
largest now standing, it is three hundred
aud twenty feet high and seventy feet in
circumference. Around it we noticed the
the remains of the old stagings used
in removing the bark. A little farther
on, we find the Father of the
Forest" lying PROSTATE. 1t is said
to be 112 feet in circumference aud to
have been 450 feet in height while stand
ing, which we believe to be an over esti-
mate. The guide papers are gotten up
for the benefit of interested parties, and
their authors aIe much prone to exagger-
alton. From careful survey of this tree
We judge that it might have been ninety
feet IN oirournforence and $50 feet in
height. Ii was undoubtedly tho largest
tree of the group. A burnt cavity exa
tends through the trunk for more than
$50 feet, shroug (which it is said men
have rode On horseback Within this
cavity thare Hn&4seo1st never falling
spriuE of wster. The trunk Of this tree
is gained by ascending long ladder, and
it is only from this point that the visitor
has the fullest appreciation of its enor-
nous dimensions.
In near proximity to this tree we count
ed eight Sequoias measuring, by estimate,
rum AStt ~ AihGeL ltcl III uidblCttis OC-
sides several lofty Sugar and Pitch Pines.
Being impressed by witnessing the enor-
nous growth occupying so small por-
tion OF ground, we were induced to cal
culate its area and found it to contain
but little more than half an acre. The
next tree we notice is Hercules" which
was standing until 1862, when it was
prostrated by violent storm. 1t is claim
ed that this tree was 1876 feet in height,
and 81 feet in circumference, Idoubted).
1t was, however, monster of the forest,
and leaned so feet from perpendicular
while standing The Geo. Washington"
is first class tree of symmetrical proper
tions. This was measured by one of our
party and found to be sixty-three feet in
circumference, and is one of the finest in
the group. Two other trees of the second
class were also measured by our party,
whose girth were found to be A. and 46R
feet respectively. 1t is claimed that this
grove contains ten trees that measure 30I
feet in diameter each We regard this as
a gross overstatemant, ana c,lculated to
commit the public to false impressions.
Many of the trees expand rapidly from
height of 18 feet downward, and ia some
cases, undoubtedly, add one fourth to
their circumference in that distance, if
measured at the ground.
In June 1858, one of the largest of the
group was cut down, which required the |
united labor of five men twenty-three !
days and was severed chiefly by boring
with pump augers; when resting secure
ly on its stump it refused to fall, but was
finally sent over by the use of wedges af-
ter labor of two days more. This tree
was estimated to have been 5000 years
old, and was over 800 feet in height. A
section of the same, 90 or 30 feet in
length, yet lies PROSTATE reaching to the
southeast from the stump, from which it
was severed, and measured twentv-one
feet in diameter at the extreme end. At
the time Of our visit man was at work
upon panel taken from this mighty tree,
showing its size, and which he was pre-
pairing for transportation TO San Francisco.
He is also soon TO engage in the manufae-
sure of the timber into various articles of
cooper work for general distribution. The
stump has been smoothed off, and ro-
:unda erected over the same "a feet in
diameter, well furnished with seats and
'ther convenienoes for the accommodation
If visitors.
Many more of these trees with appella-
ions known to fame might be described,
out we deem what has been said suffi-
'ient tax upon the reader, and forbear to
'xtend our remarks farther in this direo-
ion. Besides the Sequoias of which we
lave given partial description in this
article, there is a large number of Pitch