The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-11-18
Exchange

hibition At the American Museum OF
Natural History, for which institution
no was killed. In addition to being
over $500 years old, mark Twain" was
tribe over 800 feet high, thirty feet in
diameter and some ninety feet in cir
conference.
Tho mark Twain" in question was
one Of tho biggest Of the stupendous
and famous trees OF California, known
under the scientific name of "sequoia
gigantea," and which stood, in life, in
the Kings River grove Of "sequOia,"
$50 miles south ii San Francisco.
Mark 1wain's" dearest neignbors. in
life were the Grizzly Giant" and Ben
franklin" Thousands OF travellers
each year have stood, silent and awe
struck, at the base OF those great, still
living roiics OF a past age, and gased
upward NJ the monarchs Of the centu-
rlea.
Now, "Ben Franklin" and the "Griz-
ely Giant" stand alone, Tor their COM
rade for thousands OF wears has fallen.
and measured his mighty length upon
the mountain side, with q crash and
roar that snook the earth about him.
Science did what the earthquakes.
the avalanches, the hurricanes, and the
lightning had not aCco mpiished. For
tho sake OF science was this monster
dismembored, part OF him brought
across the continent into city built
by race which did not exist when
first he began to stretch upward.
This wonderful and famous tree, but
recently destroyed while still in full
viyor, and Il section OF which will soon
be on exhibition at the American Muse
um OF Natural History, was little over
800 feet in heighth, and its roots eN-
tended for 200 feet each way from its
trunk. The trunk, which was 80 feet
in diameter at the ground, and over so
feet in circumference ut the same point,
tapered to 81 feet in diameter at heighth
OF - feet from the ground, where it
began to taper by very slow degrees to.
ward the top. The trunk was not
marred by any injury or malformation,
and, being pine tree, the monarch
grew straight towards the clouds. Not
a branch married its symmetry for more
than 900 feet, and in the upper thire
OF its heighth it branched into limbs
and foliage.
The section now being placed on ex-
hibition at the Museum Of Natural His
tory was cut from tho trunk at ~ feet
from the ground, is twenty.one feet in
diameter and siSty-three feet in cir
cumference. The section is about Blk
feet thick and weighs thirty-two tons.
or $4,000 pounds. The bark is from
three inchee to one foot thick.
Beginning at the core OF the trunk,
the radius, or one.half the diameter OF
the section, is 10Y feet, or l26 inches.
This radius contains an average of twen-
ty 'ring'," or annual growths, to the
inch, or $3.50 rings altogether, which
indicates pretty closely the age OF the
tree, as tho statement ot the botanist
shows.
Assuming that the tree was $500 years
old when cut down, it was more than
$50 years old when Alexander the Great
was born. 1t was strong and sturdy
when the ancient PhGnicians ruled the
commerce OF the known world from
their cities OF Tyre aud Sidon. II was
perhaps 100 feet high when Babylon
was in her glory. 1t kept on growing
until Julius Cesar was born and died,
and still kept on. II was over 700 years
old when Pompeii was buried in the
ashes OF Vesuvius. 1t was nearly LOO
years old when William the Conquerer
fought and won the battle Of Hastings.
1t was over 2, 100 years old, over seven
teen feet in diameter, and probably. $50
feet high, when Columbus landed on
San Salvador.
The mighty tree has lived while ma
tons were born, waxed great and
persisted. It has lived while great
cities crumbled into dust and became
lost and forgotten in the ages OF
antiquity, only to be finally cut down
BY two men and saw twenty-three
feet long, which went back and forth
through its fibre for three weeks before
it trembled, wayered, toppled and fell,
to join the things of the past itself.
The Museum OF Natural History Sc
cured the "Mark Twain" from which
to obtain its thirty-two-ton specimen,
through tho help OF Coils Z. Hunting
ton, the railway president, who paid al!
the expenses Of cutting down the tree
and of transportat!ng the section to
New York,
The troe was. while standing. the
property of Moore Y Smith, OF the
Kings River Lumber company, who
owned the grove III which tho tree was
located, in tho Sierra Nevada Mountains
of California, 1000 feet above the ssS
level.
The tree was selected for the museum
by S. D. Dill, the botaniat Of the Natur-
| al History Museum, who made o trip to
the groyo OF great trees for the purpose
| OF making the selection. Botanist Dill
also selected another great tree, $50 feet
i.h and fifteen in diameter, which was
cut down, from which another section
was cut, and which is also Going mount
cd on ed9e in tho museum, after the
manner Of the larger specimen. The
smaller OF the two trees selected was a
''Scouoia Sempervireds," aud it camo
from SGata Cruz, sixty miles south OF
Sau Francisco.
Botanist Dil's trip was evcntful in
other respects besides securing tho two
great trees Tor specmc He brought
back with him specimens Of tho wood
Anl leaves Of several hitherto unknown
American species OF troes. Among the
new species discovered is a pine tree.
named the "pinus latiiolia," service
trou, called the "amalanchier alniiolia,"
aud new species OF oak, called the
"quercus MacDonnldia," which was
found on Santa Ca.aIand Island, of tho
coast Of Southern California.
A large force Of wOrkInen is now en-
gagged in the botanical department OF
tho Natural History Museum, which
department is temporarily closed, in