Wichita eagle., 1889-08-15
TREES OF CALIFORNIA.
THE WONDERS OF NATURE IN THE
GREAT YOSEMITE PARK.

GREAT YOSEMITE PARK.
Giants of the Forest Measuring Thirty Feet
in Diameter-A Coach and Four Driven
Into a Hollow Los-Each State IN the
Union Represented by a Tree.
The story of the 'FaIlen Pinen doubtless
comes from suggestion made by one Of the
"big trees" in the Yosemite region Of Cali
fornia. Those "big trees" are among the
most sublime Of the natural wonders of the
world One who has never seen them can
have no conception of their immensely. The
largest of them are over 80 feet in diameter
10 feet from the ground, and the tallest are
over 800 feet high. The principal ones in the
Yosemite park have distinctive titles or
names. Each state of the Union has its tree
specially designated; and many of the his
toric characters of the nation are honored
with the tree. The name in each instance is
handsomely painted on a broad board and
nailed fast to the tree.
The tree | have referred to specially above
is known now as 1.-THE Fallen Monarch" 1t
was at one time called, in deriion, THE An
drew johnson" tree, after the rupture be-
tween the late president and his party But
the title ''Fallen Monarch" is so appropriate
that by an universal sense the name lives,
and will live as long as the language lives,
or until the tree has passed away into dust or
ashes.
CONTEMPORARIES OF NOAH
This tree was one Of the grandest in the
grove. As it now lies PROSTATE upon the
earth, its diameter averages over twenty
angth. The top and part of the butt end
have been destroyed by fire How long the
tree has lain there is unknown; it may have
been there for more than thousand years.
The wood of the ''big trees" is a species of
CEDAR and it is well nigh irnperishable in at
mospheric influences. Fire, however, has
been the great destroying element in those
wonderful relics Of the past.
say relics Of the past, for these big trees
appear to belong to a very remote age The
commonly accepted evidences show that they
are, or at least many of them are, over LOCO
years old Indeed they are supposed to be
contemporaries of Noah, having survived the
deluge, it being believed also that the ark it
self was bnift Of the same species of wood.
You climb to the crest of the Fallen Mon
arch" by the aid Of ladder of some ten
rungs. You can have no just conception of
the immensely of the tree until you walk
along its mighty back for over hundred
feet
Near by are some more wonders. 1 give
your readers some idea of some of them.
1.-The General Grant" tree is not far off,
huge and grim specimen, looking as stern as
the great warrior ever appeared There is
one known as "The Grizzly Giant" a mon
ster q feet in diameter, 9 feet from the
ground At the height Of just 100 feet the
first limb comes out; that limb is 6 feet in
diameter. This tree gives you deep sense Of
awe as you gaze on its sublime yet grizzly
aspect.
Within close walking distance is t'Tbe Tele-
scope Tree" This is about 100 feet high, the
top of 1t above that height having been de-
stroyed by fire. This tree is hollow tube.
From the base you look up through this tube
into the deep skies above. You can ride on
horseback into the opening below
THROUGH A KNOT HOLE
Not far away is another hollow monster
PROSTATE on the earth. You can ride in at
the lower entrance, and go 100 feet, and out
at knot hole.
The most conspicuous and most celebrated
of the trees is one that stands directly astride
of the broad avenue made for driving through
the park. The avenue, a highway, makes
directly toward this tree, and an opening for
the road betis cut directly through the heart
of the very tree itself You drive right in
under the archway Of solid wood, and the
driver stops, the great stage and four horses
all covered by the sheltering tree; and there
is, furthermore, ten feet of solid wall on
,.cisl n<,fft ,,yl1x1 3 IL
tree Is about thirty feet in diameter at the
height Of the stage top.
On the occasion of my visit there we had
the coach stopped, and were allowed several
minstes' time to comprehend this sublime
work Of nature, turned to such an abiding
interest to the tourist. In our party were
several Australian and English gentlemen,
and they said that-in all their travels around
the world there was nothing SO grand as
these wonders of the Yosemite.
These California parks are owned by the
general government, but are held in trust by
the state Of California, which has expended
immense sums Of money! making roads and
other improvements in these wild pictur-
esdue regions.
The state Also keeps a strong guard of po-
licemen in all the parks, and 10 one IS allowed
to cut even cane or twig, or pluck bunch
of leaves from one Of the trees. The largest
of the parks contains about {, 800 acres; it Is
one OF the high plateaUs that run out west
wardiy from the summit of the Sierra Ne
vada mountains The soil Is exceedingly
rich, though the attitude is SC high that there
is but little vegetation except the big trees
and cedar growth. / saw one tree there $50
feet high and feet in diameter 1t stands
in the center Of q room in one of the Yose-
mite hotels, and the room is known as 1.-The
big tree room Cor, Atlanta American.