Evening star., 1911-06-02
GREAT NATIONAL FOREST
Enactment for Its Preservation De.
clared to Be Defective.
KNOWN AS CALAvARAS TRACT
Other Areas Containing Trees Of
Magnificent OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
ment Guarding Against Fire.
BY WILLIAM Z. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.
MONTERREY, May 81. 1911.
In 1906 Congress passed an act Great
| ing the Calavaras Big Tree National
Forest. California. The bill was intro
duced by Senator Perkins, 1t was favor
ably reported from the committee on
public lands by Senator Flint, and was
passed without objection. but. after three
years Of negotiations. the law has been
| found to be imperative and impracticable
and must be amended in order to acquire
and preserve what is considered to be
the finest assemblage of big trees As
Senator Flint said in his report: I'm view
Of the fact that 1t has taken thousands
OF years to produce many of these trees,
and II they were once destroyed no skill
or expense could bring similar wonders
of creation into existence within a time
represented by the known history Of the
world. it Is strongly recommended that
the act be changed SO that the purpose
of Congress may be carried out.
The Calavaras forest consists of 1900
acres on the north fork of the Stanislaus
river, near the town of Angels, which
has been made famous by Mark Twain
and Bret Harte. and fifty or sixty miles
n.
1t occupies belt 800 feet long by 700
feet wide. in a depression between two
slopes through which meanders a small
brook that dries UP in summer. There
are two groves about six miles apart and
they are 1.-The grandest. the largest. the
oldest and the most majestically graceful
OF all the trees in the world"
Fred G. Plummer of the forest service
made an investigation under the direction
of the Secretary of Agriculture to OBJ
tain information for Congress- and in his
report says that the Calavaras groves
contain the very finest collection OF all.
with the biggest and the tallest trees,
the most uncontaminated surroundings
and practically all the literary and scien-
tiic association Of the species connected
with it,
Of Huge Dimensions.
Mr.. P1ummer counted the large trees
and found s62 standing and in good con-
dition, with thirty-six that are dead and
down and worthless. Each Of the trees
would yield more than 10000 board feet
Of merchantable timber and twenty Of
them will each yield more than $4,000.
The ten largest trees in the south grove
will yield 946.046 board feet of timber, an
average of 94,605. The largest trees in
the north grove will yield 6S1 ,6S5 board
feet. an average Of 6S,16S board feet per
tree.
lHe IaTScSI Idl0n tree III IHc SOutH
grove is ''Old Goliath" which had
gross volume of 1882 board feet. The
largest in the north grove Is THE Father
Of the Forest" which was probably the
tallest sequoia that ever grew. This tree
when standing in its primitive majesty was
more than 400 feet high and 10 feet in
circumference. From the roots to the
center of the trunk. through which one
may ride on horseback, is 80 feet. The
entrance to this tunnel is 8 feet inches.
highest
10 feet 8 inches, and as 1t now lies pros
trate, with portion Of the top destroyed,
1t is 36o feet long.
At the butt Of the tree is a group of
giants. the largest. called Massachusetts,.
is 325 feet high, Is feet in diameter and
is estimated to contain 1924 board feet
of timber
The largest standing tree in the south
grove. named Louis Agassiz, is $40 feet
high. and before being followed by fires
probably had gross volume OF 124, ,163
board feet.
In the north grove "The Mother Of the
Forest" which is dead. but standing.
and entirely stripped OF bark, is 315 feet
II the bark had remained 1t would add at
least four feet to the diameter.
All of the S82 trees are over $50 feet
in height and feet in diameter.
In addition to these are 3.463 smaller
trees-sugar pines, yellow pines. white fir.
feet of merchantable timber. They are
worth on the ground. according to local
prices, upward of $211 .166 merely for cut
ting. without considering their unique
size and scientific value.
Owned by Robert Whiteside.
All Of these wonderful trees which are
and the rest Of the forest, comprising
rhn hall Dab