Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-09
LOGGING IN CALIFORNIA
The Interesting Operation of Cutting Down
a Redwood Tree.
How the Forest Giant IL Brought to
Transportation to the MIL.

From the San Francisco Call.
Shall point out to you the largest tree
in the world? 1t was discovered recently
by a party OF loggers in the County of Tu-
lare, far up among the headwaters of the
kaweah river. Its situation is inaccessible
to the despoiling axman. and it will stand
there eternally, the preudese king of the
vegetable kingdom. Vast glacier-ribbed
peaks surround 1t, and by its roots foam
the rushing waters Of the Alpine SHOWS.
The tree is over 400 feet in height, and up
on its trunk as high as man can reach it
measures 100 feet in circumference. 1t is
sequoia gigantea, or one of the Sierra
redwoods.
There are two species of the redwood and
two forests of them in California-hence on
the globe. The gigantea lives among the
majestic sugar and yellow pines which
clothe with their coniferous foliage the
sleeps of the Sierra Nevadas. while the
sempervirens laves in the salty fogs which
sweep along the north coast of California
and upon the west slope of the coast range.
or these forests, originally 3O.WO,O0O Of
acres in extent. but 15,OO0,OO0 remain in
their vii gin state after thirty years OF cut
ting. About 800 600 acres a year. there
fore, seem to have disappeared under the
combined aggressfons of the woodlands ak
and the devouring fire.
OF the sempervirenS only about 1 400. 600
acres now exist and this, 1t is estimated,
contains not more than Al 600 900 600 feet of
lumber. Not all of the timber in the above
estimate stands in accessible situations.
One acre of redwood will cut from 10000 to
$4,000 feet. Single trees have cut as much
as 10000 feet of first-class lumber, and on
Russian river one operator cut "A 100000
feet from 100 acres of land. This, however,
was undoubtedly one of the best quarter
sections in the entire forest.
Care must be exercised in the selection of
a 70 70 oil co hoc off
occurred. when 1t is upon the ground 1t
may be found so defective that it will not
make even second-class lumber. Certain
trees. for unexplained reasons, have a
creased fashion of growing. Instead of the
trunk being sound, uniform body, it will
be found to have great longitudinal assures
in it, extending nearly through to the heart.
These may number a dozen or more, break
ing into the rings with crevasses two
three inches apart, the space being filled
with bark. So thick is the coating of bark
upon the tree that until it is cut down this
defect though it may be suspected. is not
discernlble. These trees are also often rot
ten at the core which, of course, increases
their unavailability, so it may occur that
one walking over an area from which the
woodmen have taken all they desire may
find standing trees of large size. which, it
would seem, would make excellent lumber
And surprise may be expressed that the
cutters passed them by. They have all
been examined and condemned, however,
and condemnation in the forest is to allow
tree to remain standing. 1t is the work
OF two men for from six hours to two days
to cut down redwood tree, and the cost is
from IS to sl2. So mistakes in judging the
quality of timber in a standing tree are to
be avoided.
1t is a most interesting sight to behold
one Of these forest giants fall. The pro-
cess of cutting is effected both through
the use Of the ak and the saw. All axes
are double-faced. through which much
time Is saved in sharpening. Sometimes
the axes start the cut on both sides of the
trunk and at places about opposite each
other through the thickness of the tree.
After the chopping has penetrated to
depth of about two feet on each side the
saw is then started in the line of the in
ctsion and the job completed with that in
strument Generally, however the direc-
ton upon which the tree is to fall is de-
termined and the cut Is made in that side
to the depth Of from one to three feet
Then the choppers pass to the opposite side
ana begin saving at a point several feet
h1gher than the place of the incsion. AS
the saw moves through the heart of the
giant he begins to sag down on the side
he lifts apart the cut and opens the sec:
ton which the saw is making, thereby keep
ing free play for the saw. This is aided at
times by driving wedges at the place where
the saw entered. Presently it Is apparent
that the section is opening wider and wider
and that the tree is beginning to lean aWay
from the cutters. They continue with their
work moment longer then is heard the
cracking of the wood fbers in front of the
saw teeth. Another swish of the saw and
thos" increase. They give report like fir
ing pistols and the rapidly of detonation
OF Calling gun. The sounds, getting ever
rapid, presently merge into a continuous
roar. Then. If you are standing nearby
and the tree Is large. you will get the i'm
preston that everything above is coming
TO earth; that the whole forest is falling
The great mast starts slowly to topple,
cracking and exploding ever louder at its
base. until with a fearful momentum it
comes sprawling down, cracking and crash
ing and rearing and hitting the earth with
clump and thump as If who,e broadside
of 13-inch bombs had simultaneously struck
bast!on.
PROSTATE, then, lies the forest giant, A
kind Of plying sense comes over you as
though you had been witness to a tragedy
Inc prone monster seems to be some vast
animal, which, after a stout resistance
had succumbed, and whose body Is now
stretched before you for its final spoliation
This sense is all the more pronounced as
you observe the choppers quickly run. over
the trunk with their axes and cut away
all the branches, each limb going like a
veritable amputation. The great torso
which emitted such sound and displayed
SUCH motion moment ago is now low and
helpless, giving scarcely a whimper as its
parts are struck from it. Almost before YOU
can recover yourself the long stalk is bare
OF limbs and then the men begin cross-cut-
ting it into logs or sections of from twenty
four to thirty feet, as long as it is desired
that the boards into which it is to be re-
duced at the mill shall be. This done the
logs are peeled Of their bark. the crowbar
being used to pry off the thick integllment.
which is sometimes foot in depth, the log
being turned with jackscrews, when such
is practicable, to get at the under side.
DEATH OF HERCULES.