The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1875-11-02
N Biz saplins.

There arrived in this city this morning
from California a curiosity Tor the Cen
tenial at Philadelphia next year. IT IS
a section of one of the boss trees OF the
Golden State, and is owned by and is in
charge of Mr.. NJ. Vivian and his son, MT.
T. Niyian. from whom we obtained some
interesting particulars concerning 1T.
The common name Of this wonderful
tree growth is the "Big Tree," and the
botanical name is sequoia gigantia. The
Tree from which this SECTION was cut
grew in the Kaweah and Kings River
Grove, near the line OF Fronso and Tu-
lare counties, California, on the west
slope of the Sierre Neyadas, at an eleya-
tion OF 6,500 feet above the level of the
sea, 45 miles from Visalia, the nearest
railroad station.
The age of the tree as indicated by the
yearly rings was about 2, 200 years, the
rings being so close on the outer edge
that it was almost impossible to count
them. The height was 2I6 feet. The di-
ameter at the surface of the ground was
26 feet; 10 feet above the ground the di-
ameter was 20 feet; 10J teet above the
ground, where the first limb projects,
| The diameter was IA feet; aud 2OO feet
laboye the ground the diameter was .
| feet.
Twas perfectly sound and solid. The
bark averaged one foot in thickness, and
| in some places it was IL inches thick.
/ The bark of some OF this species of tree
Is feet thick. The estimated number
of ieet that it would make was I5,o00,
and the number of cubic feet about
81, 600, enough to make lumber and posts
| for l6 miles of ordinary fence. The
weight of the wood when frst cut was ~
mounds per cubic feet,making the weight
of the lumber producing portion 2,232
pounds.
| 1t took two men, splendid aXmen, ten
days' hard work TO fell the tree, and
when IL tell 1T broke in several pieces,
with terrible crash. This section was
taken from the tree 10 feet above the
ground to 6 feet above the ground. The
diameter at the base is 20 feet. 1t was
hollowed out into cylinder, and then
cut into sections, making when put to.
gether the body Of the tree complete, the
wood thus left being from Six to eight
inches thick, exclusive of the bark. 1t
cost 5000 to cut it down and haul it to
Visaiia, and $7o0 from there to Omaha,
two fat ears being used for It's transpor.
tation, 1t leaves this evening for St
Louis, where it will be converted into 9
| circular house, finished off very ele
paptly on the interior, while the outside
will be left in its natural state. IL viii
be on exhibition for time in that city
and then it will be sent TO Philadelphia
Omaha Bee.
The cutting down Of such tree car
scarcely be commended, even for thu
purpose of exhibition at the Centennial
4 1t seems like wantonly taking the life o
la giant, in order to exhibit him dead
1.-THE Arab races have relgiously spared
the "cedars of Lebanon" that have re
mained in growth from the reign OF Solo
mon. Those woodmen of the West hav
sacrilegiously refused to spare that pa
triarchal tree whose gigantic bole wa
already four hundred years old when tn
Babe of Bethlehem was born. Instea
of being destroyed, it should have bee
protected, by civilized hands, as a sti
living witness of the ixedness of M
ture's laws operating unchangeabl
, through more than two. thousand chani
: ing years. We may rest assured tha
man will never see another tree on thi
, continent whose growth can show a
| antiquity of over two thousand years.
! ED. STAR.