The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-03-10
The Threatened Des'ruct' ON of the
"gig Trres,"

| stE
To the Editor of the Journal and Courier:
Within the last two or three weeks
numerous inquiries have been made of
me regarding the threatened destruc-
| ton OF the Calaveras grove Of Big
Trees" in California, through their sale
to an eastern lumber company, and ask
ing what can be done to prevent 1t, and
meager information has appeared in the
| Washington dispatches within few
days which tells us that congress has
taken action to prevent this loss to our
| country.
| had purposed to make a communi-
cation on the matter to the Journal and
Courier before this last action, and will
do so now, although the danger seems
to be passed, II may be well to keep
the matter in the public mind until
their safety is sure. The inquiries and
letters of entreaty. some almost pa
thetic in their anxious concern, came to
me- doubtless, because ! was the official
botanist to the State Geological Survey
of California In the early sixties and
then examined the trees In their homes
and had explored groves not before
known to the public and brought them
to the notice of the world. Moreover, I
prepared the accounts. published in
Whitney's Yosemite Guide Book" and
in my Botany of California" which are
the source of much Of the guide-b book
information printed since.
The destruction of these trees began
before 1864, but In those days lumber
men had not learned how to cut the
yrx.,
for it to be commercially profitable
The one very large tree that then had
been cut down had cost over four hun
dred dollars to merely fell it, but the
work Of destruction had begun upon
such trees as were small enough TO be
handled by the means then at hand
Trees up to six or eight feet In diane
ter were made into fence posts, the
wood being the most durable Of the soft
woods known The wood Of fallen
trees has been examined which is still
perfectly sound, although there Is proof
that the tree had fallen more than three
hundred and eighty years ago. Some of
the wood of trees which fell before Co
lumbus was born still lies on the ground
in several of thes groves, practically
suuiu ai'ei eeiieuries VI e"posu'e ~ 'he
uai''phesS Oh tile lores's' as IL put zen
years uo"h' Inc ourapi'ity OF the
Woou - a'so shown Ny the lact 'iae
'i'os' "a INC sreat trees are souho W ,iie
cen,er
lNe NaiaVeras 1foFe 'lie Que
nearest San riahclsco. ~ was the iiise
one uiscoFereu ana mas oeelp 'iiole Nisi
leu IMAM any OIL the ot"er sloVes' ana
al III an, Is tne pest preserVeu ana the
n'oSl Interesting Oh tilose let. lhefe
haS peeh SO lnuch written ABOUT ~ anu
50 many nave seen H. anu ~ mas become
SO wen Known 70 the Wotlu' lhat spec
~ ueseiipt'oH Is UNNECESSARY hefe' ~
peean'e pNlNate property aiiios1 iiiiiie-
uiateiy alter us discovery UTMOST hIty
years ago ana Tor some years mas De-
lonseu' IL IS uhdersteou' 10 Mr' James
H. Sperry' OF STOCKTON. nc mas long
"lsheu that IL might become puphc
property ana several attelnp,s nave
oeeh maze ooth TO the state ana 10 the
general government, 70 nave the prop
cry oecoi'e pupllc pairs
ABOUT elsnt years ago When the Uni
teu states set ASIDE the 1osein'te Fark'