The sun., 1880-08-01
THE BIa TREES or CALIFORNIA.


with greater number OF other trees. Tho wood
looks like cedar. The bark is deeply dIC CORFU. T
gated longitudinaly. and so spongy ns to be
below 100 o S ees qo% e
and shoot out In every direction from tho trunk.
yhs Leaves are q tw9 q the
SI lI,Is e, stems and those sfoying on branches
lying close down to the stem. The cones are
remarkable for their diminutiye size being not
much larger than hens egg. while the cones
1t is said that It takes 60 900 Of them to weigh
on the south and North G opks of the Tue Rver
have as yet been but little explored but they
are known to contain many treos scattered over
north. that between Kings and Kaweah Rivers.
70 one OF the most extensive in the State. there
width. but most Of the trees being small. aver
a ssn About tSyyy es % 5 n
by Prof Whitney, are scarcely In size elsewhere
surpassed. and their dimensions are the won
der OF all who have seen them. The one near
T,homas's mill has a height of 27e feet. and q
feet. The tree at the ground is badly burned n a.
and and the circumference originally was over 100
s shs hsr which is
abreast for distance Of 80 feet. the height and
width OF the cavity being about II feet. AT a
still eight feet while 169 feet from the base the
diameter OF the tree is nine. foet.
By fSs99 Ss bes % Se sGs
the Yosemite. and Is said to contain a number
Of trees. not far from 600. The MERGED grove
are from 40 to 80 feet In circumference at the
base, In passing through this grove, only a
snow In some places 10 feet In depth and this,
coupled with the magnificent proportions OF
m or tNt ria ffNg
almost due north Of the Merced. and IS on the
ABOUT 80 trees In the group. and these are ex-
eellent representatives Of the seauoia family.
roo rss and Tw W s s the Sss
circumference at the base. A unique piece
wagons to the Yosemite. the engineers suddenly
%onster ses and not nc ats choosna to sf bnid
ground 4. they cut through 1t. thus forming
tunnel, the Ike OF which can @ scarcely be found
abundance OF material on each side Of the cut
the hole ten feet high BY twelve feet wide. is
suniSiently large 70 allow the passage OF any
miles from the % spot remarksd @ @ hat Ga he hsd hs
noticed. when passing through, the tree with
pair Of horses emerged from the ono side Of
the tree about the same time the rear part OF
the wagon entered the other or. in other words.
length to his four-horse team and wagon.
1T This grove Is about six miles in q northwest
which Is. In turn. the next grove in north
westerly direction from the Tuolumne. The
these. In all sorts OF postures and conditions.
become almost bewildering. One tree here, ITO
ieet from the ground, has diameter OF ~ feet;
forty, persons within its hollow trunk another
has held sixteen horses: a, fourth. named
ameter. 150 feet from the ground, and the cir
cumference Of another. named Adam" is said
to be l93 feet at distance OF three feet from the
ground. An indefinite number of other trees Of
similar proportions, might be named. The
Cnlaveras grove is the most northerly one yet
nated ON the Stockton and Calaveras trail to the
FFosemiite AZ. And Is distant l64 miles from San
and oa from The Sotes IN tSa rS
The number Of trees OF larger size is not far
lrn lr9m 100 w with many smaller ones on the out;
tables have been published giving the exact
lns!; height ns and dmensiols Of each Here are ct
trees over $50 feet in height. The four highest
gan are the State
Webster" The height Q. the first named is 1926
feet feet OF the second sl9 @ feet: Of the third. 3l5
monsters m ,a as :. The Husband and Wife. pair
essh so 9hs
prcporons The sHf 81 sfsss
6 ss h. uGEsmp od s
low. nearly three hundred feet in height; The
fSm. enS ana I'd
the interior OF which rs persons can be seated
comfortaby-yet only brief mention OF two or
ne Fahes Of The be
Frustrated. hollow. limbless. and without bark
the extreme length to where any sign OF top
could be found 70 365 feet Into the tres the
Mher sruDed
OF Its bark to distance OF 116 feet. yet the cir
ccumference at the base Is still "a feet The tree
lumber. II rs cords OF wood will keep the East
ern readers chimney roaring through an en-
S mech se oS as & SSGys would fur
the largest trees in this grove not many years
ago was cut down. Five men were employed 22
been entirely severed from the stump by means
OF pump -angers. three days were required. by
hss been ts
four sets q oo,illons at the same time. The
and six feet from the ground. across the solid
wood Of the stump the distance is 25 feet, and.
grove comprises tract about two miles square
and is the property OF the State OF California. 1t
Is situated six miles distant from the Big Tree
station. on the Mariposa trail to the Yosemite,
and about 10 miles due south Of the hotels in the
valley, The average size OF the trees is greater
than that OF any other grove In the State but the
average height Is inferior to that OF the trees OF
Calaveras. Here are in reality two distinct
groves-the upper one containing 365 big trees
over foot In diameter. and the lower about
one-half as many. In the upper grove are at least
ten trees over 90 feet in circumference. and 1876
over 40 feet in circumference. Several trees
here. badly burned. were originally over 100
feet In circumference. while others. yet In
but title inferior. Most OF the trees have been
numbered instead Of named. like those OF Gala
veras; and a complete description would show
wonders the half OF which has not yet been
told. The principal tree in either grove Is
the one known as the Grizzly Giant" and
the eye and sense Of the spectator are at onoo
bewildered at the size Of its IN lightly proportions.
At the bnse OF this tree the carriage road stops
and the trail for horses begins. "Golly. that'sa
whopper" said one Of our party as we ap-
proached; and soon We all named this mighty
wonder the grandest of the Mariposa grove.
Carefully measuring the circumference with
line carried for that purpose We found 1t TO be
over 93 feet at the base and this not counting
the burnt away portions. which would have
made the total still greater. We measured 81
feet as the diameter. At the base were Ave
openings, any one OF which seemed large
enough for the accommodation Of a camping
was gone; From the ground to height Of