Imperial Valley press., 1914-06-17
POINTS MISSED BY
CAPITAL VISITORS
(BY BURTON X. STANDISH)
written for the United Press)

Washington, June 17,-Few persons
realize that American history is linked
as mach with old trees as with his
toric buildings and spots. Few visitors
to the National Capital ever look at
the famous trees-and there are thou
sands of visitors here every week who
believe after their tour that they have
seen everything of Importance.
MOI one in a thousand Washington
visitors-or residents-know that the
beautiful Summer Elm" in front of
the Capitol was planted by Abraham
Lincoln. Few know that nearly every
other President of the United States
has planted trees in Washington which
still stand. Nearly every famous
American statesman can be linked with
one or more of the sturdy old trees
here. A big cypress near the Capitol
was brought here by Mrs. Jefferson
Davis and just across the street from
it is a tree Charles Sumner planted.
The "tree man" of Washington is
Bristow Adams, forest examiner of the
Bureau of Forests, United States De-
partment of Agriculture. Speaking of
trees closely associated with Ameri-
can history Adams said: "There is the
famous elm under which William Penn
made his treaty with the Indians. That
tree was so esteemed that the Eng
lish soldiers placed a special guard
around it during the Revolution, and
after it was blown down by a gale in
1910 its trunk was sent to the old
Penn family seat, near Windsor, Eng
land. There it still is preserved"
On Georgia avenue in Washington,
according to Adams, on the grounds of
the Walter Reed Hospital is the trunk
of an American poplar which was oc-
cupied by both Confederate and Fed
eral lookouts and shaHpshooters dur
ing the Civil War y1en the Southern
forces made theft nearest approach
to Washington. The tree was the
lookout poiN from Fort Stevens.
Scattered throughout the United
Stat9s, especially in New England are
many other famous trees. If one elm
on Boston Common could tell its his
tory, tragic tales of suffering would
be llnfolded, for on it were hanged
two witches and Mary Dyer, the Quak-
eress.
At Hartford, Conn.,, is the famous
Charter Oak where the charter of Con-
necticut was hidden when King
James sent Governor Andres across
the ocean to usurp the powers in the
original land grant.
Adams said he believed the old APP
pomattox Oak is still standing. Under
it Generals Grant and Lee met on
the occasion which marked the close
of Civil War hostilities.
At one battle of the Revolution the
American forces were saved from q
terrible defeat by the tough spongy
wood of the palmetto tree. That was
at Chan lesion, S. c. during the battle
of Fort Moultrie. Then the British
vollevs feel harmless against the trees
which sheltered the Continental army.
The fiji st Protestant church services in
the United States were held under
trees at Jamestown, Va. The most re-
cent Of historic trees in Washington
are the Japanese cherries, the gift of
the late Emperor of China. They were
set out along the Potomac Drive.
1t seems known to few Washington
visitors that the huge bronze statue
of Liberty which tops the Capitol dome
faces away from the White House and
Washington monument. Few seem to
know that the original plans of the
city were for the building where the
nations laws are made, to face east
and lot west.
When the Capitol plans were drawn
the government expected the city to
spread to the east and the building
was faced in that direction. Trades
however drifted West and before many
years it was necessary to make the
western approach as dignified ano
/ beautiful as the real front. And now
when strangers come few notice that
they look ct the original rear of the