The times., 1901-05-05

| $500 feet above sea level. II lies in lit
| tie valley occupying depression on th'
back OF a ridge which runs along In al
| easterly direction between Big Creek and
| the South Mefcrd. The grant made by
Congress is two miles square and EN-.
| braces in reality. two distinct groves ol
two collections of Big Trees between which
| there is an intervening space without any
| The upper grove is In pretty compact
| body. containing I'm an area of 3700 20 80
| feet in dimensions Just Sbo trees OF the
Sequoia gigantea. of a diameter of on,
| foot and over. besides n great number oi
small ones. The lower grove. which is
smaller in size and more scattered. lies
I'm "a southweSterlv direction from the
other, some Of the trees growing quite
high up IN the gulches on the south side
OF the ridge which separates the two
groves.
There ar, bat very few of the young Big
Trees growing within the grove. Around
the base OF several Of the large trees on
the outskirts OF the grove there are several
natural plantations OF the young sequoias
of all sizes up TO six or eight inches III
diameter. but only a few are as large as
this. Those trees which are about ten
feet in diameter and entirely uninJureu
by fire. in the full symmetry of a vigorous
growth OF say SEQ years, are, although
not so stuoendous as the older giants of
the forest. still exceedingly beautiful and
impressive. The southern division of the
Mariposa Grove contains about 1S3 trees.
They are much scattered among other
trees and do not therefore. present as i'm
DOSlllE an appearance as lUOSe III NIlS OlI-
er grove, where quite large number can
often be seen from one point The larg-
est tree in the lower grove is the one
known as the Grizzly Giant, which is
ninety-three feet seven inches in circum-
ference at the ground and SiXty-four feet
three inches at eleven feet above. The
tree is very much injured and decreased
in size by burning. Some of the branches
of this tree are six feet in diameter. This
tree. however, has long since passed it's
prime and has the battered and war-worn
appearance conveyed by its name.
The next grove south of the Mariposa is
one in Fresno county, extending two and
a half miles in length by from one to two
in breadth. There are above 600 trees in
it. the largest of which measures feet
from the ground eiEhty-one feet. No 9TH
er grove of big trees has been discovered
to the southeast of this along the slope
of the Sierra, until point is reached
more than fifty miles distant from the
Fresno Grove. Here, between the Kings
and Kaweah rivers. is by far the most eX-
tensiye collection of trees of this species
which has yet been discovered IN the
State. This belt Of trees occurs thlrty
miles north-northeast of Visalia, on the
tributaries of the Kings and kaweah nv
ers and on the divide between them
They are scattered over the slopes and
on the valleys. but are larger in the de-
pressions. where the soil is more moist
This belt comprises an area four to FIVE
miles wide by eight to ten miles long.
The trees are not collected together IN
forests and associated with other spe-
cies usually occurring at this altitude In
the Sierra. They are most abundant
at from 5000 TO 1000 feet elevation above
sea level Their number is great, prob
q bly thousands might be counted Ihelr
size however, is not great, the average
being from ten TO twelve teet IN ulame-
ter and but few exceeding twenty teet
one tree which had been cut had diam
eter Of eight feet. exclusive of the bark
and was 3I7 years old. The longest one
seen had circumference OF 100 feet near
the ground, no allowance OelnS made Tor
a portion which was burned away at the
base When entire the tree may have
been ten or twelve feet more in circum-
ference. Twelve feet from the ground ITS
was seventy-five feet Its
height was 276 feet. The top was dead,
however. and, although the tree was SYM
metrical and in good growth. II had
passed its prime. Another tree which
had fallen and had been burned hollow
was so large that three horsemen could
ride abreast into the cavity for DIS
tance of thirty feet, its height and width
being about eleven feet. At a distance of
seventy feet the diameter OF the cavity
was eight feet.
The only other groves yet discovered
are those on the Tule River, OF which
there are two, one on the north and the
other on the south bank of the river.
They are fifteen miles apart, and the most
northerly of the two is about thirty
miles from the Kings and kaweah River River
has been but little explored. it is not at
all unlikely that more of the Big Trees
may be found along the fork of the ka-
Weah which interSectS this region with
its numerous branches. The number of
trees in this grove Is quite large and
they are scattered over several, square
miles of area. The largest of them are
about the size OF the largest In the other
groves.
In 1853 one OF the largest trees was cut
down 1t was the tree, already referred TO,
which had been denuded of a large sec
tion Of its bark for exhibition purposes.
This was one Of the CalaVeraS collection.
This tree was actually girdled and, of
died. II was 302 feet in height
and 90 feet In circumference at its base.
II was finally decided to cut down the
dead tree. the next act in this botanical
tragedy. This was for the purpose of
supplying those who wished to carry
home specimens OF its wood souvenirs
Of their visit. But how to fell this huge
tree was d puzzIing question. If one
could fttingly imagine so ludicrous
sight as a few Liliputian men attempting
10 chop down this Brobdingnagian giant,
his contempt would reach its becoming
climax. This, therefore, was given up as
altogether TOO chimerical and impracti-
cable. Finally the plan was adopted of
employed five men twenty-five days to
accomplish, and after the stem was sew
.red from the stump the uprightness of
its position and the breadth of its base
prevented It's overthrow so lIlat TWO ana
4 half Of the twenty-five days were spent
IN inserting wedges and driving them in
10 the butt of the tree, 10y logs suspended
)n ropes. thereby compelling its down
fall. While these slow and apparently
hopeless attempts were going on, the
retired TO dinner and gust of
wind took hold of it's top and hurled il
over without the least seeming effort. Its
-afl caused the earth to tTemble as by
an earthquake Thus this noble monu-
nent Of the forest was dethroned after
having braved the battle and the breeze
-or 200 years. Verify how little real
does the average man pos
sess.
In this grove (Calaveras) once stood q
most beautiful tree, graceful in form and
lneXcelled in proportions, hence Gas in
lumaHt experienced those very qualities n L
)nce Became the most attractive-to the
eyes Of the unfeeling spoliator. This tree
bore the queenly name or Mother or the
Forest. In the summer Of 1884 he bark
was stripped from its trunk by a Mr.
George Gales for purposes CT exhibition
n the East, to the height of JIG rect. 1t
now measurN in circumference at the
base. without the bark, 81 feet; 20 feet
rom it's base, - feet inches. The full
circumference AT it's base, including bark
vas 80 feet Its height was 81 feet The
average thickness of the bark was II inch
-. although in places IL was about feet.
This tree IL estimated to contain 531. 900 feet
)f sound rich lumber. To the first branch
I is l37 feet The small black marks upon
he tree indicate points where two and
,ne-half inch auger holes were bored, and
ntO these were inserted rounds, by which
o ascend and descend while removing the
Dark il is contemplated TO build cir
.nlar stairway around this tree.
But short distance from this Mother Of
he Forest lies the PROSTATE form OF one
hat was probably the tailest sequoia that
.ver grew, the Father Of the Forest This
rec. when standing IN its primitive ma
esty is credited with exceeding 400 feet
n height, with a circumference at its base
u 10 feet, and, although limbess, without
lark. and even much of its sapWood de-
--.aL .-Ll --ana n has ..iilI nrnnnrlinns ]