Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1909-03-05
BIG TREES SAVED
The National Forest Bill
Signed

BY signing she bill for the ere
alton OF tho CalAyaras National For.
ess, California, President Roosevelt
has completed the legislative act
which sSves for all time She most
famous grove Of trees In the world,
The people Of California, particularly
this 500 women Of the California
Club, have been working 10 Interest
the Government In this wonderful
grove Of big trees for more than nil .
years, bus not until now has IL b., n
possible to arrange a plan satisfao.
tory alike to the owner OF the land
anu 10 Congress
Tho Senate Bill passed by tie
House of Representatives has Just
been signed by tho President. Every
one inserestnd in the great natural
wonders rejoIces that ns . means Of
saving tho Big Trees, the way has
bsen paved for practical exchange
Of tho timber in the groves for
stumpaRe on other forest land owned
by thu Government. Tho arst Cal-
averrs Bill WAS introduced in tie
Senate fonr years ago by senat, r
PEI lSinA Of California. Bills for .lIe
same purpose wero pass0d I'm the up
per house of Congress q nunaber Of
timcs, bur always failed Of ial orahle
consideration in tho House until
Senate Bill 1874, also introduced by
Senator Perkias, was called up by
Congressman s. e. Smith Of Cali
fOrnia, last week.
Robert B Whiteside, Of Duluth,
Minnesota. prominent lumberman
operating in the Lake States aud on
Iie Pacific coast, Is tho owner Of the
Calveras Big Trees. After hts agree
mcnt to the proposals which are
simply q practical exchange OF tim
her for timber, the entire California
delegation gave Its solid and snthus.
iastic support to tho bill. Ne Rppro-
priation Is needed TO carry out the
provisions Of tue act.
Tho land 10 be acquired under the
bill includes about $50 scres IN what
is known as the North Calaveras
Grove in Calaveras County and 3.0l0
acres in the South Grove In Tuo-
lumno County. The North Grove
contains about ninety. three Big
Trees ard In the South Grove there
arc 1850 Of these giant sequoias.
Besides the giant sequoias there nTe
hundreds of sugar pines and yellow
pines of astonishing proportions,
ranging to tho height OF 275 feet and
o ten attaining diameter of eight to
tan feet. There are also many white
q = and Incense oedars In the two
tracts. A government study OF the
land was lnade by fed party under
the direction of Fred q. PIummer,
U ,ittd States Forest Service in 1906.
The Calayeras Big Trees aIs
known the world over. The North
Grove contains ten trees each having
diameter of twenty-five feet or
over, and moro than seventy have .
diameter Of fifteen TO twenty-five
feet. Most Of the trees have been
named, sone for famous generals Of
the United States and others for
statesmen and various states Of the
Union. the Father Of the Forests
now down, Is estimated by Hittel.
in his "ResonrceA OF California" to
have had height Of 450 feet and a
diameter at the ground Of more than
forty feet when it was standing.
Massachusetts," contains 11s, 900
board feet Of lumber; "GoveTnor
Stoneman" contains 10s, 900 board
feet. and the Mother OF the Forests
burned In the terrible forest fire
which licked Its way into part of
the grove last summer, contains I05,
600 board feet. Each OF these trees
named grows ss much lumber as is
grown ordinarily on fifteen or twenty
acres Of timherland. Tho bark runs
from six inches to two feet in thick.
ness. Among the other large named
trees IN the two groves are Waters
loo, Pennsylvania, James King, Old
Bachelor, Pride Of the Forest, Daniel
Webster, Sir john Franklin. Empire
State. U. S. Grant, w. T. Sherman,
]. P. Mcpherson, Abraham Lincoln,
Connecticut. Ohio, Grover Cleveland
Mrs. Grover Cleveland, DR.. Nelson,
General Custer, Or. J. W. Dawson,
General Hancock, knight Of the For.
ests, Two Sentinels, and Old Dowd
II SsVSd Hls leg
"A;l thought I'd lose my leg"
writes ]. A. Swenson, Watertc wn,
0