Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-04-21
|FFIClALs SNAPPED STORIES
ghiling Away the Time Before Alder
 men Met Last Night.

aAAAAhS <lW1y tAAG A4AAS D0AO10 AR0CA-
 men Met Last Night.
 Collector Thoms, City Sheriff Me
 Donald and few of the aldermen
 ere swapping stories in the alder
 anic chamber last night, before the
 eeting was called to order, and after biting off one or two whoppers about hgling the subject drifted onto big lees. MT Thoms is a good deal of a hmbler and thinks nothing of packing
 Is trunk and starting off unannounced
 nd keeping right on until he reaches he end of the world. The other day
 dropped out of town and never Topped until he found himself up
 gainst the golden gate of California. Fhile meandering about there he came cross the biggest tree he ever saw or eard of. The nearest branch to the cound was 150 feet up the trunk, and le height of the tree from that point B the top was 400 feet. In making 8 bur around the trunk he lost his way Ind was thinking of shouting for help Then he noticed the mark that he had Atarted from. 1t took him the greater art of the forenoon to make the trip.
 
 big tree on the summit you struck thimed in Alderman Gates, who 'eemed to be little put out at the idea lf the collector thinking such yarn as hat would go with such wise heads as hembers of the city government of Waterbury. T sa wa tree out west" |ontinued the alderman from Water lille. "but it was so large never cared 10 talk about it because always bought people would think took them Tor jays if I told the size of it. It was |awed off close to the ground and the lump used as dancing pavilion. The lay I was there 1 don't suppose there EOuld have been less than a thousand EeAlows and girls whirling about on it. md there was room for as many more.
 While MT Gates was talking, Sheriff Mcdonald was biting his Lips, and as ioon as he got through, and before 1t, perhaps. for the alderman wanted to ell about the size of the band stand in he center of the old trunk, the sheriff ,aid. he hated to tell his friends that .hey were lying, but that he had no hesitation in stating that they were stretching things. adding that if what hey claimed was true the big tree of 3unlahy in the cold country. that spread it's grateful shade over half a dozen townships, was nothing more than a mere sapling. What are you fellows -alking about. anyway?" demanded the sheriff, at the same time Jumping from his chair and walking up and down he chamber The biggest tree you ever saw, don't care how far you Eaveled, is across the street there, op- posite the residence of Henry Scovill, put because 1t is at peoples noses they don't mind it. There's another on Sunnyside avenue, near South Wilson street, and one more on Stone street at the property of F. w. C0nnor. Talk about big trees, but you needn't go out of Waterbury to see them if you had lived here as long as some of us. When was kid we had 3 club room in the trunk of a tree that stood on the spot where Father Cur bain is going to build his church I was member of the club and could tell some interesting anecdotes of feats performed on the horizontal bar. The only thing that grieves me now is to think that l didn't have .the pleasure of being one of those who turned the first sods for. the foundation of that church. which iss to stand where I spent SO many cheerful hours"
 At tilds juncture City Clerk Ryan re- marked that he didn't think there was very wonderful in these stories. He said he remembered read Ing in the school books about trees that were so large stage coaches used to drive through them.
 Mir Thoms was about to tell another which would have put the whole of them in the shade when MT Chesson called the meeting to order, and it was decided to let the matter drop for the present with the understanding that Judge Cowell should be asked to ex. press an opinion upon the question of big trees. The judge was found in the district court this morning and when approached upon the subject he said he would have to think the matter over but in an off-hand way he thought the largest tree that ever grew in Water bury or any place else stood on Wes' Main street, near the residence of Dl Crane. 1t covered the entire street as 1t now exists and a portion of the lots on either side. This was probably 20t years ago, longer than the judge could remember, but he had heard the olt folks talk about 1t.
 SIT ANN'S KIRMESS