Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-12-14
Forest Giants Found.

Some lumbermen, searching for new
| timber worlds to conquer and to decl-
mate, have fallen upon a discovery
which W ill kindle the soul OF every one
who loves nature in it's sublime mani
festations To the thousand ana one
| wonders of the state Of California mas
been added new grove or giant tIees'
numbering at least $4,000.
News of this wonderful new forest OF
| Seuuoias giantea recently came to ulil-
| cials of the Southern Pacific road, VINO
| immediately sent men into the Red
wood canyon of Tulare county to as
certain the facts. They have returned
with the information that the great
forests of Redwood Mountain, 5000 feet
high. exceeds in area all other forests
| of big trees rival in size, height, and
beauty even the famous Mariposa
| grove, and that its wonders are intinite
and awe inspiring.
Before the news of this discovery was
made public the officials of the South
er,l Pacific road took immediate steps
| to try to nave the grove set apart as
| national park The facts, 50 far as
| known, have already been placed be-
| fore the President of the United States.
who is said to be in hearty sympathy
with the effort which is being made to
preserve the mammoth trees of Calltor-
MIA from the ak of the Woodman. IL
seems almost incredible that such
forest of trees, averaging almost Zoo
| feet in height, with thousands of trees
more than 300 feet in height, and vary
! ing from 1GU or more feet to 20 to 80
| feet in diameter at the base, could
have remained all these years hidden
anG undiscovered in q civilized State,
but it must be remembered that Cali
fornia has a single county-that Of
Ere sno-whch is so great that it has
never been thoroughly explored.
so recent is the discovery Of the new
grove, which has at least five times
the number of giant trees possessed by
the next largest known grove, that
very few accurate measurements or
comparisons have been made. The
Mariposa grove, so called because it is
situated in Mariposa county and which
is the most famous of all the groves,
contains what are termed the upper
and lower groves. In one there the $50
giant trees and in the other there are
259 Each grove is an imposing and
stupendons spectacle. In the new
grove there are estimated to be at
least $4,000 trees which are Of sufficient
size to Ec termed giant trees.
The wreath of antiquity has been
torn from the "grizzly giant" of the
Mariposa forest, the prestige of the
fallen monarch" of the same grove
has vanished before the new "Hercu-
les" of the new grove. The "grizzly
giant" the oldest living thing in the
world, which has lived and battled with
the elements and fought death for
nearly 5000 years before Cheops and
his army of 100000 began their 80
years task of building the Great Pyri-
mid. the grizzly giant" with its base
girth of 104 feet, with it's remaining
height from the earth and nearly q
feet in circumference, the grizzly giant
with its 1000. 600 feet of lumber. viii
have to take back seat if the report
of the men be true. In the new forest
there is single tree, which, exclusive
of it's limbs alone the experts, containts
nearly 100000 feet of lumber, whose
girth rivals the giants and whose
height towers above the giant more
than 100 feet.
Unlike the trees in the other big tree
groves, those Of the new grove stand
closely together. none having ever been
cut. That such a forest should ever be
despoiled is a thought almost unendu-
rable to those who have had the good
fortune to visit one of the big tree
groves CT this State. These great sem
tinels cf the mountains have been
standing. some of them, probably 5000
or 5000 years defying time itself, prac
tically iEdestructible, many of them
lighting a grim battle with death and
with fire Tor centuries. but refusing to
bow their majestic heads in defeat
Correspondence of the Chicago Tribune.