The sun., 1881-10-02
EkLLING THE sAQUOIA oIGAN1EA.
From The san Frlnciscp Chron,els.

When the woodman pointed out the tree
he was about to fell. our party looked about in
vain ior some place where its 800 feet OF trunk
ceasty forced upon the man in the story.
Whose feet were too long. aud the bed WAS too
short" II could no, be done without first clear
ing path for 1t. we all agreed. but the wood-
man smilsd knowing. superior smile. We
hnd named " Park avenue"
But can yoa alrer' The fall Of that mighty
crush other trees in its fall ?" we asked. won-
dsrinry. The three VIII fall between these
tho woohmun said. driving two stakes Is feet
nnart and 90 feet from tho butt Of the tres
scaffolding around tho buttress OF thu stately
pin, pit.ar, 81 unit ienple. npon which they STOOD
pethcr sent thnir knen. .edgei axes into the
rough. spongy bark In the shade OF that grand
grove they l,okei like pigmies, and their in.
in few houtsthcy would prostrate what nature
had taken thousand years to raise. No ardent
his m ost admired marble. no heathan ever saw
his Idols shattered by invading Christian. with
more poignant grici than ours when tue wood.
all our noble Seuuoia u Ei.antsa.
Tho adie, insisted upon returning to camp.
ami said some unkind things about the wool
men. ana were savnsely severe upon the un-
reasonabl 10 railroad contractor who had depre-
Gated their suggestion TO run tho track around
the tree instead OF over It's roots. However, Rs
the tree was doomed whether they pouted in
their tents or not. their grief subsidized suf-
ciently In nm hour to allow them to 10 taken TO
point where the overthrow OF the mounrch
could be safely witnessed. We climbed up
tho Intervening branches too closely woven 10
allow OF more than doubtful view. ignoring
the ira.l. We dsseended. and IL view Of your
mastery descent. How a lady who in the
CITY reauires to be helped in and out OF a car
matted uuderbrush. swing down by tho hanging
oonshs. roll over laiien trees, side grace
and finally land at the bottom Of hill. cool and
collected. though flushed. is problem shY
probably VIII never explain. she can. When
wetooR our station, only n little way from tte
wooduien. Wa found that they hai finished the
work their axes Ind 10 do by cutting nearly half
way through the tree on the side toward which
II was 10 fail. and were then driving a long
double. handled saw into the tree on the pppo-
site side. Although tho owar portion OF the
tree s,lll stood firm ana motion !ess. the grace
ful. lofty top was already swHyiug, rs though
conscious OF and silently protesting agnnst lis
lhst approaching prostitution, 1T was u beauti-
ful picture before ia. stretched in n 'rane of
circ!ing forest. The fern brakes hourishinr in
ago, some blarkeued by lire. the decay oi others
hidden: the vivid green OF tho baby srquoias.
, ha.t score OF our party. scattered about In
their pi,tnresIuA camp costumes aud all fecs-
ed with the light quivsrin. down through the
interstlces OF the lraiy dome far above US. the
Mars. IN" sky's deep azure. and the oceans
emerald Bnt sud !enly all eyes were directed
toward the doomed tree. Its protest was no
longer silent \ rattl.ng report. as II 1. rl.
volley had been fired. gave warning that tho
woodman's work WAS nearly Done Ii sounded
ike desperate anguish cry. which changed
again u helpless groan. We held our breAths.
The towering mead no longer swayei in slow.
scafInId. Thu steel lad entered the giants
out through the cruel cut. The treS tor
moment stood moJionless 10 its light
@ hsn a5"oIi the 'ranG wao 'nn rnnk s9T e9Tst
then with an awtul crunchiug. crushing noise
thai h'.rt the wo"d with Ilsu4al echoes-walls
ot the dying monirca,s mourning conraIes-it
plunged forward. The very echoes were
drowned then. Tn' re was a terrific crasn OF
wrrsl"i limbs Hs u ragged rent was torn through
the woven braucn"s o: tae trees, "A xhirIng.
shriek ~ rush oi mr., thuutrrlng drairnIug
earthquake. aui uieie-s. b.reiInE. and Scared
the giant 'ay sIw. II was some tine ue!or- any
OF Us moved, or scarcely brcain"d. aud when
shilp"r- drawing Ei-HVi.e slupgilrrlng ruins
81 n devastated t"gu.r. Me found tue end ol the
trunk thlrtT isHf tru!n the stump. This was
eNplauei - III" wooinan. who pointed out
that the bark Underneath :hotreS had lmhel he'd
It's rough surface IN thc ground and broken OF
The inside of the bark. when freshly cut is
as sllpp"ry n schCuibaY's iayorite Tee side
hui tho tree. WIKI as terri tli forward notion
nud slid h.nug on It's own bark. As we stG>l li
hy Tho stump. showers Of l..nt green hranra.s
continued TO IalI from the tree on either > de
Of the fallen trunk uutil is uake,iu~ss WIS
covered with the SOFT green snroud. trniery
la'd on Uy plying hands. We climbed up IA
the back Ot the prp-trat- scQUOia and ow.y
paced lts entlro length. Our progress Was not
impaded by limbs. OF when THIS mighty reI-
Wood WAS tree three fourths of ia length and
thos" that had grown near its top had h ru
whipped OF aud sp,lntsr-i into fragments ty
lis ttrrlLc meeting with the earth. Nnru va
f"achei the enl g. IL untroken nud sytniurtri-
cal length ws turned aui lOoked back rrn.ctlnr
th'.i on tue morrow the wopimun would cut the !
trunk into fouTtern-.ott sections on the nrxt
dAy oA leans, Win tuelr shouting drivers. would
drlV- lhesa sections, stripped ut their bark. To-
thr nearest saw mil; On tua morrow after that |
Erlny u4rn wpu!G Iay lruu traces where tua
L iant hai ialrH, ami tLeH. greasy. smoking, |
and sEriskiuE. tho locomotive would come. |
desecratIng Inc spot.