Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-12-04
BATTLE WAGED
TO SAVE KINGS
OF ELDORADO
California in State of Arms
Over Wholesale Destruction
of RedwOOds.

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 4.-"save the
redwoods before it is too late" is now
the popular cry in California. The whole
State is up in arms over the wholesale
destruction OF these oldest and rarest
trees which Is now going on. If you are
a loyal Californian--if you were born
there, or if your loyalty is based merely
on two weeks visit which you have
never been able to forget. or let your
friends forget-jOin this Save the Red
woods campaign, and send an angry
protest to your Congressman.
Whether you have been to California
or not, you have heard OF It's redwoods
Its monster trees, which are the Oldest
living things in the world. Those Of
the Sierras are already we'll protected
In the Calaveras grove at Wawona. in
the SequOia National Park and General
Grant National Park. the giant trees are
SAFE FOR generations to come. But the
beautiful redwoods Of the Coast, smaller
or girth but taller even than their Sierra
cousins, are entirely without protection
through the heart of some of the fin
est groves Of the coast redwoods. the
state Of California built its coast high
"ay-one OF the most glorious highways
ever conceived by man. For several
sequoia archway so old and stately thar
II makes the motor achievements Of the
twentieth century appear sI-art but In
significant Yet the very building of this
road which has made 1t possible for
motorists TO visit the redwoods. has re-
suited in their destruction. For good
road and motor trucks have made the
timber marketable, and the owners of the
trees have lost no time in converting
them into lumber.
Today every one who travels over this
highway is heartsick at the thought Of
the certain ruin that awaits the entire
stand OF redwoods unless sufficient funds
are raised to buy the timber lands along
the road and turn them into a State or
National park
DESOLATION STARES WHERE
LUMBERMEN HAVE WORKED.
Not such great deal is left to ba
saved, explained the secretary Of the
Ke'iwoods League, in discussing its cam
palgn. It is not such a great task that
faces us, and the mills are reducing n
every day One mill is working within
a hundred feet of the State highway. I'm
the very heart Of one OF the most beauti-
ful remaining groves Signs along the
road warn the motorisr 70 beware NJ
falling trees.
There are only a few miles of reds
woods along the State highway. not more
than dozen at most" he continued.
hunting through his desk for a map that
would show their exact location. You
so along for some distance on a beauti
ful 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 800 feet or more
in the air. They are not like the clumsy
giants of the Sierras, but graceful and
beautifully prOportioned
The contrast between one of these
groves and the stretches of desolation
where the lumbermen have been at work
is terrible. The world must have lum-
Der, NO doubt. and the redwoods must
furnish their snare, but there are thou
sands Of redwoods elsewhere in the
State that may be used fer this purpose,
To destroy the redwoOds along the high
way is simply a monstrous piece of van
dalism that 1t will take ten centuries to
make amends for"
Perhaps it is the ancient tree wor-
shipper in every man that Ne kes him
love the redwoods. There seems to be
something kindly as well as awe-inspir-
ing about them. as IL. having watched
for centuries, they had nothing but pity
left Cor him.