The daily Alaskan., 1909-03-17
TREE
The Cause of Several Hard
 Fought Legal Battles.
ITS SITE WORTH MILLIONS.

But the Lawyers Never Have Been
 Able to Break Through the PhalaHx
 of Legal Enaetments That Preserve
 the old Landmark In Cheapside,
 There is tree in CheapsIde, Lon don, that may be described as the most expensive of it's kind on earth. If five dollar gold pieces filled the entire trunk and five dollar bills nuttcrcd in place of every one of the leaves it would not buy thc terra drma it occu- pies, for the land on which 1t stands, the northwest corner of Wood street md Chcapsidc. is worth Si50OOOo an acre. The tree has stood on the spot for more than 200 years, while it's site has augmented In value to almost fab uIous proportions.
 There have been several hard fought lawsuits over this plot of ground, the fight having been carried even Co the house of lords, But so far the lawyers never have been able Co break through the phalanx of legal cnactmcntS which preserve the tree. In the first place, there is a law in England which pro- hibits builders from putting up a structure which shall keep out the light from windows which bear the mystcrious words ancient lights " This tree in Chcapsidc literally is sur rounded by a number of ancient lights" proprictors whose consent ncy- pr has been obtained when lt came Co cutting down the tree and putting n modern structure on its site. For the same reason the storckccpcr who rents the tiny two story structure on .hc corner just in front of the tree never has been able to put his build Ing up beyond its present height.
 Some wears ago one builder, who Thought himself more "cutc" than the others. started to take the law into his own hands and put mp building, thinking to "urraugc' with the owners If the ancient lights" uCtcrward. But ac was met with a perfect shower 1r iuiuncious. proceedings, writs and indictments. more than would have covered the tree in its full spring bloom. and it is said he never has been able to pay the thousands of dollars of law costs which his little experiment resulted in.
 A few years ago some gardeners were ordered to lop orr certain limbs of The tree which hung over Chcapsidc. It was done really Co save the life of The tree and with the consent of the parish clerk and churcuwardcus of Sr Peters. Chcansfdc. the ancient little Norman church In Foster lane, near by, who guard this tree from the yaudals' clutches. When the men began to work on the tree however it created ! biz sensation In ChraHsldc They are choppmg down our trcc," went up from a thousand angry throats in the district Policemen were called, and doubtless there would have been ou- other shower of wrlrs. iniunctions and proceedings had not the minister of the parish explained the real reason for the looping operations.
 Another almost impossible barrier which protects the tree in it's position Is the fact that it grows in sacred ground. There is a law in London that no building can be erected on sacred ground without special act of parlia- mcnt and woe bcridc the unhappy man who darcs to put up even a shan ,y within the sacred precincts of a graveyard in England
 This particular corner of Cheapside has been immortaIized by Words worth.
 At the cornc: of Wood street when day
 light appears
 There's @ thrush that sings aloud; it has
 sung for three years.
 This bird was wont to perch in the now famous tree. and it attracted the attention of Wordsworth, who used to breakfast in a little shop near by. As far back as the year 1892 just a hun lrcd years before Mir. Columbus dis covered Amrriru-auothcr tree stood In this graveyard and is spoken of by Chauccr:
 That wnogooycr ployncs It away,
 He shall have Chrysus' curse for aye.
 The tree is therefore a direct de- sccndant or perhaps the oldest tree on record in England. and it may almost be described as am English institution.
 This particular portion of CheapSide is back of the general poStoficc and is one of the finest pieces of real es- tatc in the world. With the tremcn- dous difficulties that stand in the way of its being built ovcr-the sanctlty Of the land itself and the power of the ancient lights" staUte-it is prob able that this piece or ground will re- main .unimproved" for another cen mrv or two. In recent interview the manager of the real estate agents who control nearly all the land in the dis trint declared that "thc old tree In Chcapside occupies a position which is likely never be built upon" There wnuId Inc Dprfpct howl of cNCCration