The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1895-06-01
r>RoNsrER REDWOOD TREES.
aAsy Compose q Most Remarkable Timbef
Belt

1hey Compose q Most Remarkable Timbee
Belt
One of the most remarkable timber
belts in the world stands in Humboldt
and Mendocino counties, California. IL
embraces <,le5 square miles, contain
ing 1872, 900, 900, 600 feet of timber. With
:ehe aid of the microscope scientists have
found the age Of some of these treesto
he nearly 5000 years. Some OF the
fallen trees have remained where they
fell for 500 to 1000 years, so it is est.
mated, with scarcely any deterioration
Of the wood.
Eastern tourists in California know
but little of these redwoods (Sequoia
sempervirens). They usually see the
few mammoth redwoods of Calaveras
ISequoia ~gigantea) and go home andten
their friends about this disappearing
tl!be of giants. The lumber redwoods
of Humboldt are less talked about, yet
one of its trees will yield 1901 900 feet Of
boards, and fill a freight train with
aogs.
Telling these trees, which are $50 to
$50 feet high, is a fine art acquired only
by the most expert chopper. He must
have excellent judgment as to the
'slean'' of the tree, and other pe%culiari-
ties which may affect the direction Of
It's fall. He drives a stake 100 or $50 feet
from the base of the tree, and prepares
a level bed in a direct line from base
to stake. and on that line the tre>
must fall. An AK kerr is then made OF
the side where the tree is to fall. The
apex of the obtuse triangle made by
this kerr points exactly to the distant
stake.
The tree is cut one-third through
with the AK. On the other side of this
tree, opposite the AK kerr, a saw kerf 10
started. This is done by boring two
holes horizontally and driving in wood
en- pins on which the IL to 2O-foot paw
rests until the kerr is sufficiently deep
to steady the saw. Broad, thin iroa
wedges are driven in after the saw to
prevent the doomed tree from pinching
1T. At each end of this saw ears are
bolted on, which can be removed and
the saw withdrawn in case of trouble.
Wedges are made to follow the saw
until the wood dividing the saw kerr
from the X kerf isnarrowed toa width
where wedges can be made to force tia
tree. with all its great weight, to lean
IN the direction in which it is to fall
The tree is toppled over, and so exact
as the choppers work and CALCULATION
that almost invariably the falling
trunk drives the stake aimed at when
operations were begun. ANY error IN
the fall of the tree is likely to cause
the tree to break and cost the lumber
man more than the choppers wages
for the month-S125. These virgin for
ests are SO densely timbered that, II
cleared at once, there would not be
room enough on the ground for the
trunks. "Peelers' follow the choppers.
With long steel bars, fiattened at ono
end, they pry off the thick bark and
burn it. Then comes the crosS-cut saw
man, who cuts the tree into logs
These are transported to the saw mills
by rail, cut into boards and shipped to
market.
Redwood is so free from resinous
matter that it will not burn readily.
When fired it chars. The immunity
from fire of towns built of redwood
humber is remarkable. Large confia-
grations are unknown. This lumber
shrinks SC very little that it is used by
builders in a green state. The beauty
of the wood for finishing work is
marked. as it frequently has a curly
face and also a bird's-eye grain. This
redwood promises to be a popular wood
in the eastern StateS.-Boston Trav IL
aer.