The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1895-03-02

- BGlA~
One Of che msst remarkshls timber
belts In the world stands In Humboldt
and Mendocino counties, California. u
embraces ssiss square miles, contain.
Eng 10, 600, 0oo,o oo feet Of timber. With
che add Of the microscope scientists have
found the age Of some of these trieste
be nearly 5000 yearA Some Of the
fallen trees have remained where they
fell for 800 to 1000 years, 50 It II ssti-
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 Calaverss
(Sequoia gigantea) and 60 home and tell
their friends about this disappearing
tribe of giants The lumber redwoods
of Humboldt are less talked about, yet
one of its trees will yield lOO.0 600 feet Of
boards, and FILL . freight train with
logs
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
'lean" of the tree, and other peculiari-
ties which may affect the direction Of
its fall. He drives q stake 100 or $50 feet
from the base Of the tree, and prepares
. level bed in . direct line from base
to stake, and on that line the tire.
must fall. An Ak kerr Is then made ON
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 h cut one-third through
with the n. On the other side Of the
tree, opposite the az kerr, q saw kerr In
started. This is done by boring two
holes horizontally and driving In wood.
en- pins on which the ID to 20-foot saw
rests until the kerf 10 sufficiently deep
TO steady the saw. Broad, thin iron
wedges are driven In after the saw 70
prevent the doomed tree from pinching
t. At each end of this saw 'ears" are
bolted on, which can be removed and
the saw withdrawn in case Of troub,.
Wedges are made to follow the ssw
until the wood dividing the saw kerr
from the Ak kerr il narrowed to width
where wedges can be made to force the
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
Is 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.
nan 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, hattened at one
end, they pry OF the thick bark and
burn it. Then comes the cross-cut aaw
man, who cuts the tree into logs.
These are transported to the saw mills
by rail, cut into boards and shipped u
market.
Redwood is 50 free from resinous
matter that 1t will not burn readily.
When fired n chars. The immunity
from fire Of towns built Of redwood
lumber is remarkable. Large eonfia-
g~rations are unknown. This lumber
Ahrinks 80 very little that it is used by
builders in a green state. The beauty
Of the wood for finishing work in
marked, as it frequently has a curly
face and also q bird's-eye grain. This
redwood promises to be popular wood
in the eastern states.-Boston Travel.