Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-12-01
To Save The Redwoods
BY Frederic !. Hassip

Ban Francisco, Cal, Dec 1s-"Save
the Rcdwoods before IT ~ TOO lafeV ~
now the popular cry in California. The
wiisle State is up IN arms over the whole
sale destruction of these oldest and rsresi
trees which rs now gong on. N you are .
| loyal Californian.-n you were born there,
or II your loyalty is based merely on
| two-weeks' visit which yoti have never
been able to forsct, or let your friend.
| fUgct-ioin this "Save the Redwood"
campaign, and send an angry protest 70
| your Congressman.
Whether you have been 20 Califorris
or not, you have heard u its redwOods, it=
| monster trees which are the oldest living
things in the world. Those Of the Sierras
are already well protected. In the Gala
veras grove at Wawona, m the Sequoia
National Park and General Grant Ne
tinal Park, the giant trees are safe for
generations 70 come. But the beautiful
redwoods Of the Coast, smaller a grth,
but taller even than their Sierra cousins.
arc entirely without protection.
Through the heart Of some Of the finest
groves Of the Coast redwoods, the State
Of California built its coast highway
one of the most glorious highways ever
conceived by man For several miles you
bowl along under giant sequoia arch
way 20 old and stately that It makes the
motor achievements Of the Twentieth
Century appear smart. but Insignificant
Yet the very building Of this road, which
has made it possible for motorists 70 visit
the redwoods has resulted in their de-
struotion For q good road and motor
trucks have made the timber marketable.
and the owners of the trees have lost M
time in converting them into lumber.
Today everyone who travels over this
highway is hesrtgick az the thought a the
certain ruin that awaits the entire STAND
Of rsdwoods unless sufficient funds ere
raised 70 buy the timber lands along the
road and turn them into a State or
National park
ONLY A FEw LEFT
mot such great deal is left 70 be
saved" explained the secretary of the
Redwoods League, in discussing its cam
paign. 1T is not such a crest task that
faces ts, and the mills are reducing II
every day. One mil working within a
hundred feet Of the State highway, n the
very heart of one Of the most beautiful
remaining groves. Signs along tho road
warn the motOrist 70 beware ~ falling
trees
There are only few miles ~ rod
woods al long the State highway. not more
than a dozen st most he continued
| hunting through ais desk for nap that
would show their exact location. You
go along for some distance on A beautiful
road, shaded by oak and pine trees. Then.
all at once, the road dips sharply into the
shade Of tremendous trees that rise IN
straight columns 300 feet or more in the
air. They are not like the ri urnsy giants ~
the Sierras, but graceful and beauti fully
proportioned-
The contrast between one ~ these
groves and the stretches ~ desnlation
where the umber men have been a. work
g terrible The wori must have lumber
no doubt, and the redwoods must furnish
their share, but there are thousands ~
redwoods elsewhere n the state that NAV
be used for this purpose. To destroy the
redwoOds along the highway Is simply a
monstrous piece Of vandalism that u viii
take ten centuries 20 make amends for
Perhaps il Is the ancient tree-w0rshI pper
IN every man that makes him love the
redwoods. There seems 10 be something
kindly as well as awe-inspirinz about
them, as II, having watched man for
centuries, they had nothing but pity left
for him.
The seau0ias at one time covered
almost the entire Northern Hemisphere,
u 1EiGLLASN-s WlD nave ufl-
earthed their fossil remains in Europe.
Siberia. Alaska and Canada. And Of all
this tremendous stretch Of sequoia forest
that once eneircled the world, only the
California redwoods 0f the Coast and the
clerras have survived
Among the latter. protected in the
national forest, are 1900 trees which
exceed 10 feet IN diameter The General.
sherman tree, the most celebrated of sll
IS 219 feet nigh. with a diameter of 30
feet. The Abraham Lincoln Is a close
second, being 270 feet fall with a diameter
Of 81 feet, and the William Alchrleys
29l feet tall, with q ,iam,er Of y feet.
The General Grant National PARK.
which IS sometimes mistaken for ,he
SeQuoia National Park because il 1
separated from it ouly by SIX miles 81
mountain ana forest. was created merely
for the protection of ore giant sequola
the General Grant Tree, 264 feet high and
30 feet III diameter. Next 70 General
Grant Is his distinguished ueighbor
George Washington. who Is Only 3 feet
less in height and feet less in diameter.
II Is matter Of record that 1000 fence
posts, sufficient 70 build Wire fence
around eight or nine thousand acres OF
land, were once made from one 81 thsse
giant trees, and that was merely the first
step in disposing OF It's great carcass.
Next, $4,000 shir enough 70 cover
the roofs Of 20 OF so houses were taken
from its trunk This left hundreds of cords
Of fire wood which had 10 remain where
1t was because il was TOO expressive to haul
1t down from the mountains.
With trees 81 minor but still tremendou
capacity in their possession, the owners
Of the redwood tracts along The Coast
Highway cannot be blamed Tor attempt
ing 20 realize on the value Of their timber
lands At present, accordiug to the score
tary Of the Redwoods League. much Of
the cutting has heen held up ~ options
secured in 1919 for the price of $4,000
This money waS provided 81 Humboldt
county in California, which contributed
S30.0O0 ani by two private citi1euS 5
William Kent and stephen MAther who
gave SIS, 600 each Unfortunately, how
ever, the options VIII soon expire aud the
Coast redwoods Will be wholly unpro-
tected- unless the United States govern
ment or the State of California chooses 70
come 70 their rescue and purchase them