The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-23
MUCH TIMBER BURNED.
A Path Ten Miles Long Swept
by the Destroying
Element.
BIG TREE DRIVE IMPAssABLE
Hundreds of Men Fighting the Fire
but 1t Is Still Beyond Their
Control.

SANTA CRUZ, CAL. Sept. 22.-The i'm
mense forest fire near this city is still
raging, and is the largest that ever oc-
Cured in this county. Hundreds of men
are fighting it, but with little indication of
being able to stay the flames, which have
swept over a path OF at least ten miles,
most of it being valuable timber land.
The Big Tree drive, one of the most
noted and beautiful in the State, is impas-
sable the fire being on both sides of the
road. The bed of the road is also COM
pietely covered with burning logs and large
powders.
The Boulder Creek stage started for this
city on the Big Tree road, but had to
return to FELTON, and come to this city by
way of the Graham Hill road.
There was a large excursion at the Big
Tree grove to-day from San Francisco, and
many Santa Cruzans, taking advantage of
the beautiful day for driving, started for
the grove, only to be blockaded and COM
PEELED to return home on account of the
condition of the road.
The afternoon train for San Francisco
started on its regular trip this afternoon,
but just beyond Rincon it stopped on ac
count of logs rolling on the track from the
fire. A train was backed from FELTON, and
the passengers transferred.
The fire in this vicinity is still raging
and every available man is at work fight
ing it.
The roads are streaming with rats, rab-
bits, etc., which are driven from the forest
by the fire.
The fire is also raging in the vicinity of
the city reservoir and is spreading down
Cave Gulch into the lands of D. D. Wilder
and the Moore estate toward the coast. 1t
is near the CowelTs lime kiln. The En-
pire grade road is impossible and the fire
has burned some orchards and fencing on
this road.
Thousands of cords of wood have been
destroyed and many of the woodchoppers
will be the losers on account of the wood
not having been measured. One man had
over 900 cords cut for which he will not re-
ceive a cent on account of it not having
been measured.
The fire has extended to Laguna Creek,
which is nine miles from this city, and is
in densely timbered region, which also
contains some of.atthe finest timber in the
State. The g or a grand one. the
flames leaping arb n eds of feet in the air
and then leapinn I'm one tree to another.
In the pathway or the fire are three fine
ranches, which are in danger.
The fine orchards on the Stribbling
ranch and of a. G. Rose were swept by the
fire.
The giant pine trees as they fall send
forth reverberations like the roaring of
cannons and the sounds echo and re-echo
through the canyons.
Growers mill, near Laguna Creek, is in
danger 1t is good-sized mill and en-
ploys large mum Der of men.
The wind is blowin1 and tanning the
flames and the fire is burning toward Old
FELTON, and also down the canyon toward
the powder works.
A large number of men are on duty and
working hard telling trees and using giant
powder in blasting the larger trees.
large number of men in town are ready to
go to work at a moments notice. 1t is
thought that the fire will not reach the
powder works. At that place there is
stored 500 tons OF powder in the magazines.
The Southern Pacific has construction
train constantly at work, as the powders
and fallen trees have covered the track.
There is possibility that no trains will
be able to leave this city over the narrow
gauge tomorrow morning.
The fire now covers at least an area of
eighty or ninety square miles and the loss
cannot be estimated as the finest timber
in the State has been burned.
Mr.. Cowell loses at least 5000 cords of cut
wood which was to be used by him at the
limekiln for the burning of lime.
The fire is also raging in Meaders gulch
and in Wilders Gulch, and if ii. is not
checked it will reach the dairy on the
coast.
But one of the greatest losses to this
county is the damage that has beSn done
to the world-renowned and celebrated Big
Tree drive, which is the pride of all our
citizens. People from all over the world
have visited the Big Tree grove, driving
through the beautiful San Lorenzo Can
Won, which is now impossible. In fact the
beautiful scenery along the road has been
stripped of its beauty for years to come.
The scene tonight from the town was
beautiful one as the sun set in the vest be-
hind the dense clouds of smoke. This
evening from all parts of the town the fire
could be seen, and the sight vas a grand
one. The flames, as they climbed the i'm
mense trees, could be plainly seen, and the
tongues of fire as they leaped hundreds Of
feet in the air were sight long to be re-
membered.
Large crowds of people went out to-day
TO the scene of the confagration and wit
messed the grand and awful sight. Two
special trains were dispatched on the mar
row-gauge to the scene.
F4T4L ADVENTURE.