The morning news., 1892-02-06
TEE cAL1FoRN1A BIG TREES.
How They Are Being Destroyed With
Axe, Saw and Blasting Powder.

From the NeI1 York sun.
VIsALIA, CAL. Jan. 26.-f the groves
Of the SequoiG giganted, the famous big
trees Of California, are to be preserved for
another generation to see and wonder at,
the national government will have TO act
very soon. The ruthless destruction Of
these forest kings that is going on through
the entire belt of the groves, wherever the
government has not already thrown its
protecting hand, is beyond appreciation by
any one who has not seen it.
These trees grow nowhere in the world
but along a certain well-defined belt Of the
western slope Of the Sierra Nevsdas, at an
elevation Of about 5000 feet. where they
are scattered in irregular groups, number
ing perhaps score, through a distance Of
about 200 miles. One would think that OBJ
jects so unique, TO say nothing of their
beauty and grandeur ard the marvel
GUS age, would be safe from the
hands of the lumbermau, and particu-
larly since the mountain sides are
covered thicklY with forests that are Just as
valuable, for money making purposes, as
the sequoias. But the lumberman is ALL
devouring. He has attacked these few
groves Of giant trees as if his sole purpose in
life was to exterminate them as quickly as
possible.
North of the Yosemite valley the Calav g.
ras grove is untouched. Thirty-fve miles
south of the valley is the Mariposa grove,
which is included in the Yosemite grant,
and is therefore safe.
But the Fresno Flats grove. the next one
in the belt, is a scene of destruction. It be-
longs to the California Lumber Company
of San Jose. Their policy has been to
slaughter the trees without regard to age
or size, beauty or grandeur. This was once
one of the most beautiful of the groves, but
Tn.da v lc FNnff fVrI Is a..
forest, fifteen, twenty and thirty feet in
diameter, lie on the ground in every direc-
tion. The largest trunks, those that are
too large to be handled easily with the
saw, have been shattered with
blasting powder. Slumps of the
trees, six, ten or a dozen feet high are all
about, an army of witnesses to the malevo-
lent avarice of man. Occasionally there is a
mighty tree still standing, with great
cash, perhaps five feet deep, cut and sa wed
into one side. This grove has been almost
annihiated. When the company cleans up
the trunks and limbs that now cover the
ground its work of destruction will be Just
about completed. 1t has been engaged on
this grove for number of years, and has
turned its attention almost entirely to the
seGuoias.
If the big tree lumber brought higher
prices than any other sort. the zeal which is
shown in the destruction of the groves could
be understood But it rates no higher in the
market than the sugar pine, with which the
mountain slopes are deusely covered. The
lumber companies could have made Just as
much money and eeen at no expense for
blasting powder if they had let the big trees
alone and turned to the sugar pines.
In the groves further south the same scene
is repeated time after time. In that por-
tion of the sequoia belt between tbs north
ard south boundaries OF Tulare county
alone there are at least ten mills, every one
of which is industriously working away at
the big trees. Their owners evidently fear
that the national government will some day
awaken to the wisdom OF throwing protec-
tion around these unique groves, and they
are determined to get just as much money
out Of them as possible before that day
comes.
In the Fresno grove, which is on the line
between Fresno and Tulare counties, the
General Grant National park preserves a
few of the big trees. 1t is only a square
mile in extent, and does not include the
whole Of the grove. The rest of it is rapidly
disappearing.
A little to the southeast the Sequoia Ma
tional park includes the North Kaweah and
South Kaweah groves, which were with
drawn from sale in time to save them from
destruction.
Through the remainder of the groves one
comes upon the same scene again and again.
Everywhere ak, saw, and blasting powder
pre- doing their detestable work with speed
and thorughness.
1t has been proposed to extend the boun-
daries OF the Sequoia park SO that it will
embrace all she Sequoia groves in Tulare
county and cover the mountain slope from
the summit of the Sierras nearly to the
lower timber line. If the proposition in
cluded the whole belt of the sequoins from
the most northern grove to the most south
ern tree it would be still more heartily ap-
proved by all housekeeping always the
mill owners who have visited the groves
and know how hopeless is their preservation
in any other way.