Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1908-09-03
BIG
TREES FOOD
FOR FIRE
FLAMES REACH M0NARCHS
OF CALIFORNIA FOREST
Rangers and Settlers Struggle
Desperately to Save Famous
Grove With SCant Prospect Of
Success,


Success,
BY Morning journal Special Leased Wirel
Sonora Cal, Sept 2.-The Gala
veras grove of big trees. one of the
natural wonders of the world is in
| serious danger tonight of destruction
by fire Starting from sparks thrown
off by an engine used to haul logs
on last Monday afternoon, the fire
quickly spread to the heavy timber
! a mile west of the north grove of the
big trees. All the forest rangers in
the district We're quickly gathered, and
they, together with the settlers, many
visitors living in camps around and
in the groves and the employees of the
| Big Trees hotel have fought the
flames ever since. They have thus
far saved the hotel but have been
unable to prevent the FIRE gaining
headway in a direction that tonight
menaces the giant sequoias that have
withstood the elements for thousands
of years and been the wonder of in
Vulnerable travellers who have Jour
neyed far to marvel at their bigness.
Conflicting reports have reached
| here as to the extent of the damage
| done by the fire up to this time. The
/ nearest point of telephone commun-
cation with the grove in Murphys,
some fifteen miles distant and from
this place late today word was sent
that the fire had reached the edges of
the grove of the mammoth trees, and
| driven by strong wind was threat
ening to wipe out everything before it,
There Is little If any underground of
brush among the big trees. However,
1t is hoped and believed by the set
tiers and rangers that the fire will not
readily take hold of the living trees.
The dead giants however, will prob
able be destroyed. Already "the moth
er of the forest" a great dead hulk
lying marvelously big at the edge OF
the grove is aflame and tfke a glowing
torch is threatening its living neigh
bors The mother" lies 327 feet long
with a trunk rs feet in circumference
and IT will take days and perhaps
weeks for the flames to consume its
| great body.
Up in the Bret Harte country" as
this section of Calaveras county Is
called because 1t was in this section
that the famous Californian lived and
where he found many of the charac-
ters he put in his books. the destruc-
tion of the big tree grove would be
| CHI M nf la ~ MI
ing species of the sequoia giagantiea
or big trees. are those found In Call
! fornia and there are but four groups
of these containing many notable
specimens It's destruction would be a
severe shock to the sentiment of the
people of California and particularly
to those who have lived almost In
their shadows in Calaveras county.
It was thought last night that the
fire had been finally brought under
control but this morning a strong wind
came out of the west and quickly
famed the smOuldering embers of
dead trees into live Goals and scat
tered the sparks in every direction.
] The fire on Monday burned up the
south side of Alpine ridge and large
force Of men turned out to fight 1t.
The next morning It broke out in
three places, and famed by the usual
noon wind, again turned toward the
great grove. Soon a blaze was seen
to break from the top of General
Grant, one of the finest OF the giant
trees. The upper branches of Cen
eral Garfield. standing nearby also
caught fire, but for some unexplain-
able reason, the fire did not burn low
er down in either of these trees
The flames rushed through the un-
dergrowth so swiftly that II was i'm
possible to stay their course, though
ali the forest rangers and every avail
able resident Of these sections were al
work
At noon today the fire was burning
all along the south side of the big
tree grove and advancing toward Il
under n strong breeze. The water sup.
ply Is ample, but there Is, of course
no means of using It to any great
height, though men are working will
ladders and buckets some of then
displaying great heroism because o
their love for the old monarchs Of th'
, forest.
The advancing fire. however, Is driv
ing the men from their positions ac
cordng to reports received late to-
day. A. J. Whitesides, owner Of th'
big tree grove and the hotel, wa'
packing HIS belongings preparatory L
! leaving. at last accounts
People in the vinlcinlty are yer!
, much distressed and have turned on
/ for miles around to assist the strang
/ ers. 1t is believed that little stock ha
] perlshed, although deers and all othe
l animals are fleeing from the country
I II is reported that mountain llol
= and a deer were seen running side b!
Q side this morning, paying no attention
T to each other, intent only on savlnI
their lives.
CHANGE OF WIND MAY
SAVE HISTORIC GROVI
ctu,f,tnn Gal Cant FHno a.. ,