The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-09-26

Inelr huge red trunks. their massiy
q arms (trees in themselves) holdln
aIoIt q tremendous weight of folIagt
NOW, Mr.. Editor, you know no
much dislike giving distances. meas
urements, etc, never getting much salts
Iaction out of them myself. so
snail put you off, by giving only thu
measurements of the two biggest trees
First In place comes the Grizzly Giant
whose glrth Is ninety-nine feet, heigh
over three hundred, and one hundred
feet before throwing out a branch
WaWona, the living tree through
winch stages pass, is put down a
tWenty-eight feet diameter, and q few
feet less IN height than the Giant.
When the first feelings of astonish-
ment at their enormous size has passed
away, and you begin 10 calmly realize
years have gone to their building, then
it is that you begin to appreciate the
sight, There they stood sturdy and
big when Herodotus, Visiting all the
chief places OF Greece and Asia
Minor, travelled in Thrace and
Scythia, explored Egypt, went to Tyre
and through Ph9nlcla and Palestine
and made his way into Babylon. I"
Since their green fronds first peeped
above the ground, what changes have
come to mankind Old faiths have died
out and new ones taken their place.
The worship of Apis has ceased; the
Ibis and croLodiles of Nile are no
longer sacred. The Gods of Olympus
have been dethrOned; Venus, Palas,
even JoYe himself faded away before a
| new dispensauon. Jesus of Nazareth,
born in manger, brought to the world
tldinRs of peace and great Joy. Maho-
met lived his strange life of visions, of
toll and blood, to mould the faith of
millions. For fully
FIVE HUNDRED YEARS, SOME OF THEM
had STOOD
when Aristotle wrote all that
was known of the British Isles:
Beyond the pillars of Hercules are
two islands, which are very large, Albine
and IeTne, called the Britannia, which
lie beyond the Celte," aud there they
have continued to stand, whilst modern
civilization has been evolved, from the
decay OF ancient states and empires.
1t was the hand of George Tirrel, once
scenic artist of our theatre, which was
the frs5 to delineate either of the big
trees; an engraving from his sketch of
the Grizzly Giant adOrns book recently
published by J. N. Hutchings,
pioneer of that region. The Giant is
PERFECT MARVEL OF RUGGED STRENGTH,
And perhaps the most picturesque of
the entire grove. Fire has Scared
the lower portion of this tree, as it
has many others. The Indians years
ago had q practice of building their
camp fires at the trees base, q practice
which destroyed many a noble one.
Dry rot is also working against them.
The trees mOuder away first at their
heart. You must understand that be-
tween the inner and QUITE ring OF wood, |
there may be little matter Of ten GEN.
turtles or so. Thus the outer portion !
once burnt through the inner core be-
comes a ready prey to fire. One of |
them which has been burnt out in this |
way is known as PIuto's Chimney. An
other as the Telescope. Standing inside |
and looking up at the small round spot |
of sky above produced peculiar effect. !
Some of the trees lying PROSTATE, con- /,
vey better idea of their size, than can |
be obtained from those yet standing.
FATHER OF THE FOREST
Is one of those fallen ones; while the
Mother of the Forest still stands hale
and strong. Centuries will pass ere she
falls. Wawona, the pierced tree, is
noted, because the stage road
passes through its trunA. LDe UiuCa
cut out to make the opening Is being |
made into walking canes, foot rules and
small trinkets of various kinds, which
are being offered for sale as curiosities.
The bark of the big trees makes excellent
Not wishing 10 multiply
descriptions will bring this to close.
The Big Trees belong to the species
jailed Sequois Gigantea; the bark has a
'eddish burnt-sienna tinge. The yellow
moss so prevalent in the SierraS in
many instances covers both trunk and :
limb. In the way of comparison, there
8 nothing so like these tree trunks,
10Th in size and shape, as lighthouse
ike Bell Rock or EddystOne, but this is
back-handed com parison, for We know
was q tree trunk which first suggested
he graceful outlines of the last named
The drive is arranged so that
jsitOrs see the greater number of the
rees without leaving the coach. 1 shall Y
lace the number al about sixty or
evenly. Where there are several in a
roup, the effect is magnificent; Il is like
landing in the nave of some majestic
athedral.
As the sun stoops low in the west and
he evening shadows gather through
ne forest,
YOU GROW STRANGELY QUIET,
o not care to talk, or ask questions OF
le driver, do not wish to know the
lme of this tree or that, would
.ther listen to the whispering voices in .
le tree tops far above The solemn y
-esence OF these last of a fading race,
exertlng its influence over you. How
ref the sum Of days allotted 70 human
ie! How like meteor in the night,
lat CLOVIS and is gone, his troubled ex-
tence! Here where we see these long
wing products OF natures fertility lie
,one and moulding, how fOrcibly we
e made to feel the truth OF Lord
acon's couplet:
Who then to frail mortality shall trust,
But limns in water, Or but writes IN dust.
Enough of this. am growing turgid
not tedious. Go 70 the Big Trees; il
the sensation of a life time; enjoy
EN- as my companion aud did; then a.
Iape your course towards the YO- u
q -,