St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-01-11
lumber enough to build the five largest


tree" The base of this tree is hollow /;
and it is claimed that Fremont camped
in. the hollow trunk until he built a
cabin, in the vicinity, the remains of
which are still visible. This occurred
in 1916, when Fremont was overturning
the Spanish government in the ''bear
flag rebellion"
The hills and mountains of this cOun-
ty are largely covered with redwood
timber. 1t is used for nearly every
purpose for which soft wood is suitable.
Houses are built of it from sill to ridge
pole; redwood piles are put into
wharves; redwood ties are used for
railroads, and redwood fences are the
most economical. In fact redwood is
the "panacea" for all the ills which a
lack of timber subjects men TO. 1t is
to certain parts of California what the
blood is to the body. This county has
furnished great quantity of lumber to
the timberless southern counties. A
large share of the ties for the Southern
Pacific Railroad which now extends to
the Colorado river, were shipped from
this port. A visit to the lumber regions
is by no means uninteresting. The hills
and mountains of California, are very
rugged and abrupt. 1t is something
unheaId of here, to build road direct
ly over Il high elevation, as is often the
case in New England. All the roads
that pass over heights ale grades; or
in other words they "slab the hills"
1t is amazing to see what immense loads
of lumber are brought down the noun
tain sides by ten and twelve mule
teams, where the variation of two or
three feet from the wheel track would
cause the whole team to be precipitated,
in some places, hundreds of feet into
the gulch below. Our first experience
on one of these roads was not unattend-
ed by nervous excitement, bordering
upon fear. We do not say fear without
qualification, because Il due concern for
ones personal safety is not necessarily
fear. We thought that we could ap-
preciate Mr.. Greeley's situation when
he advised "Hank" that he might spare
his horses, us the matter of half All hour
would not materially interfere with his
lecture engagement. But, after meet
ing several ''big teams" which were
calmly vending their way over the
sinuous course, seemingly as Indifferent
to height or depth as if the excrescences
of mother earth were all above them,
we concluded that habit had its effect
upon both man and beast, and caution
had become habitual with them. I'm
| mense quantities of this fine redwood
timber are consumed in the manufac-
ture of lime, which constitutes one of
the leading industries in this vicinity.
We made journey to Vine bill this
fall during grape season. Here on top
of one of the foot hills, well up toward
the base of the mountain, we found
flourishing vineyard of one hundred
acres. The ripe grapes were being
gathered by John Chinaman and de
posted in great heaps, which might be
drawn away by cart-loads to the press.
The ripe and ripening clusters as they
hung upon the vines, presenting rich
and luscious scene, extending over acre
upon acre, melted in the mind of one
whose temperance principles are by no
means lax, several considerations us to
the fate of those gIdpes and the ulti-
mate quality of the production there
from. This is the largest vineyard III
the county; and Judging from the size
of the watts and the various receptacles
at the press, we should Judge that the
annual vintage is by no means small
1t would seem that the wine put into
the market here, where it is manufac-
| tured, ought to be pure and wholesome !;
the fact is, the taste of the bibulOus
portion of the people of the United
States has become 50 depraved that
pure liquors are not in demand. 1t
makes little difference how the ''drink"
is favored, provided it relieves men of
their reason with celebrity. An Indian
who had earned dollar by hard labor
on the wharf, entered saloon, deposit
ed his money on the bar and called for
"rum." He was asked what kind he
would have. ''Me no care" was the
reply, 'me want rum make drunk come
quick" Unconsciously the Indian ex-
pressed the sentiments of the great
majority of those who drink the vile
decoction of the present day, called
wine and liquors. AS we rode through
a region well adapted to the cultivation
of the grape, but, as yet only slightly
developed, we could but picture to our
selves the hill sides of this broken sec
tion under such state of cultivation
as characterizes the valley of the Rhine
and the fair fields of Burgundy. And
we could but reflect, whether, after all,
if good wines could be substituted for
the poisonous liquors which are making
beasts and lunatics of our sons, hus-
bands and fathers, it would not be a
good cause to espouse. 1t is the shame
and disgrace of the United States that
she cOndescends to raise revenue from
such villanous whiskey as that which is
killing her people and filling her aims
houses, prisons and insane asylums with
the victims of a worse. calamity than
civil war. Well, it is only just that
these wretches should be supported at