The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-05-05

\ grove until 1862, then being 525 in height
| by Is feet in circumference at the ground.
| This tree was blown down that year our,
Ing a heavy storm. The Miners Cabin,
| another giant 31e feet by p feet in dame
4 ter. was blown down in a gale In 1860, and
| the Fallen Monarch" which has prob
| ably been down for centuries. This trunk
| is still is feet in diameter, and was prop.
| ably over 900 feet high and rs or more feet
| in diameter.
| The extreme old age attained by the
| Big Trees is still unsettled question
| One great difficulty in settling the ques-
ton of age, at least for existing trees, is
| the lack of proper number OF trunk
! sections d1 which to count the rings OF
! annual growth, thus giving unquestion-
able data for age.
Ring countings from PROSTATE or decay
eo trunks and sections of trees felled for
other purposes than ring countings have
largely furnished the basis of the age es-
Inmates so far. and from these countings
age estimates have been made for trees of
other sizes which could not of course be
cut down. These can be only, therefore,
approximate estimates. 1t is estimated
that the average rate of growth is one
inch of diameter for every twelve years,
which would make tree twenty-five feet
through $500 years old. An authority on
the sequoia writes: Under the most IA
vorable conditions these giants probably
live 5000 years or more, though few of
even the larger trees are more than half
old. | never saw Big Tree that had
died a natural death. Barring accidents.
they seem to be immortal, being exempt
from all the diseases that affiict and XIII
other trees. Unless destroyed by man
they live on indefinitely un$il burned,
smashed by lightning, or cast down by
on which they stand. The age of one that
was felled in the Calaveras Grove, for
the sake of having its stump for dane
ing floor, was about 1900 years old, and
its diameter measured across the stump
was twenty-four feet inside the bark.
Another that was cut down in the Kings
River forest was about the same size, but
nearly a thousand years older 200 years.,
though not a very old-looking tree. This
colossal Scared monument was cut down
to secure section for exhibition pur-
poses. 1t had been burnt half through.
and by clearing away the charred surface
"a careful counting of the annual rings
was made with the aid of a pocket lens.
The wood rings in the section examined
were so involved and contorted in some
places that 1t was not possible to deter
mine its age exactly, but over 1900 rings
We're counted. which showed tina: this
tree was in its prime, swaying in the ST.
ezra winds when Christ walked the earth.
No other tree in the world so Ear as is
known, has looked down on so many CEN
turtles as the sequoia, or opens such i'm
pressive and suggestive views into his
tory.
THE numbering of the Big Trees Is de-
structfve TO most unusual degree. III
the hrst place the enormous size and
weight of the trees necessarily entails
very considerable breakage when one of
them falls. Such tree strikes the ground
with force of many hundreds, or even
thousands. of tons, so that even slight in
euualitieS are sufficient to smash the
brittle trunk at its upper extremity Into
almost useless fragments. The loss from
this cause is great, but ii is only one of
the sources of waste. The great diameter
of the logs and, in spite of the lightness
of the wood, their enormous weight make
it impossible to handle many of them
without breaking them up. For this pur-
pose gunpowder is the most available
means. The fragments of logs blown
apart in this way are not only often of
wasteful shapes, but unless very nice
judgment is exercised in preparing the
blast great deal of the wood Itself is
scattered and useless. The Big Trees
stand as a rule in mixed forest COM
posed Of many species. The destruction
caused by the fall of the enormous trees
is in itself great, but the principal dam
age is the immense amount of debris left
on the Eround-the certain source of flu
ture fires. This mass of broken branches
trunks, and bark is often five or six or
even more feet in thickness, and necessa-
rily gives rise to fires of great destructive
power even though the Big Tree wood is
not especially infiammable. The deyasta-
ton which follows such numbering is as
complete and deplorable as the untouched
forest is unparalleled. beautiful. and
worthy of preservation. AS a rule II has
not even had the advantage of being prof
table. Very much of this appalling de-
struction has been done without leaving
the owners of the Big Trees as well of
as they were before 1t began"