The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-06-21
CALIFORNIA BIG TREES.
Something More About the Monsters of the
Forest.


From the San Francisco (CalA Call
Six days delightful though somewhat
fatigring travel found us in board road
leading from Visaia and the adjacent
valleys to the saw mills. These mills
are situated a few miles apart, at an ele-
walton OF between 5000 and 5000 feet
above sea-level, and upon the borders of
one OF the largest and finest groves of
sequolae In California. In this section of
the country, for miles in extent, these
trees form large part of the general
forests. Perhaps atsome remote period
IN the past they were even more numer-
Gus than now, possibly extending over
other portions of this continent. At
least, there are evidences that favor the
supposition that they are degenerating,
and perhaps future ages will simply
know them as relics of the past. About
six miles from Waggy's mill, not far
from the bank Of Kings river. is grove
which contains at least 10000 of these
arborial giants, and it has been estimated
that an area of six square miles contains
about 800, 100000 feet of timber, lumber
measurement. Three miles from Wag-
gy's mill stands noble specimen of the
sequoia, one of the largest of these veg
etable leviathans. It is 24O feet in
height, and measures 81 feet in circum-
ference six feet above the ground. Five
feet higher up it's circumference is Is
feet.
Above this point the tree is untouched
by fire, but the lower part bears traces
Of this destroyer. The symmetry and
beauty of thousands Of these trees have
been marred by it's ruthless hand.
About 800 yards from this point lies a
monstrous trunk, hollow throughout it's
length, which we found, by measure
ment, to be 1875 feet, the limbs and upper
portion Of the tree having long since
been destroyed by fire. So enormous is
this hollow trunk that horseman, en-
tering at one end, can traverse it's whole
length and emerge at the other. The
dimensions of the largest cavity, or main
chamber, of the interior (about the middle
of the log) are 12feet in height and about
the same in width for length of 81 feet
How long this giant monarch of the
woods has lain PROSTATE, with no cpl
taph to mark his history, it is not easy
to determine. Perhaps for centuries his
brethren of the forest have been chant
ing in mournful cadences a requiem for
the departed.
Another tree, standing southwest of
this is Is feet in circumference feet
above the ground, and only s feet less
in girth feet higher up.
One mile from Waggy's mill stands a
charred stump so feet high, which is 81
feet in circumference 6 feet above the
ground. AS the fire has destroyed the
bark and sap, and eaten into the woody
fiber Of the tree, it is difficult to say how
large the tree was originally, but it must
have been enormous. We cut through
the burnt crust to ascertain the tlneness
of the annual rings. We found them to
be exceedingly numerous ana fine, snow
ing that the tree, at the time itTwas
burned, was at least a few thousand
years old. We also counted the rings
on several stumps from which logs had
been sawed, one of them giving 1,130
rings, thus showing the tree to have
been as many years old. We measured
about 80 trees, not one of which was less
than 25 feet in diameter The trunks of
of such trees, converted into rails,
would fence in 4 square miles, or $500
acres of land. r.J