The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, September 12, 1897, Page 18

18 THE SA LL, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1897. The Wonders That Are Done THIS FOR (‘Kh‘b“fl FETIHEEOS88 0 mnrwmmmmwmnmg ALY, THE MATERIAE THIS MAGNIFICENT CHURCH 2 wwmmmuwwmnmumfi ith California Redwood Trees Monster Structures Erected That Defy Both Fire and Flood and Stand for Years. One of the largesc churches in Santa Rosa, a city in Sonoma County of about 7000 inhabitants, was entirely built, including inside finish in wood instead of piaster, from a single redwood tree; and in addi- tion to building the church over 60,000 shingles were taken from the same tree. This seems =n almost incredible statement, but it is nevertbeless a fact, and can be vouched for by hundreds of people. The church referred to is the First Baptist Church, and it is 8 most imposing-looking structure. There | is not a piece of wood used in it a root square that came from any but the one tree. This even includes the seats, chancel, pulpit and all other furniture. The accompanying picture gives an idea of what tueevolue tion was, or what the hand of min can do with the material furnished by God. It has also been stated that a Mendocino County red wood tree bas kept three men busy two whole years cutting it up into shingles, and when one takes into consideration that the yield of certain redwood trees has been known to excsed 300,000 feet of merchantable lumber, which is larger than the yield of twenty pine trees, the above assertion does not seem at all misconstrued. Californians have always pointed with pride 1o our gigantic redwood trees, Tourists irom all parts of the world have come here and had their eyes onened in wonder at these giants of the arborous kingdom. The sight of a tree rising to a height of over 3C0 feet, almost free from limbs, and a six-horse stage coach loaded with passengers driving through an aperture cut in the base of a tree, are reminiscences that will live long in the memory of ail who witnessea them. Yet, our wenderful redwood trees, that nature has endowed with such notsble features, whose fame bas extended around the universe, whose praise has been sung in every language, are, sad to relate, des- tined to a speedy extinction. Itisnot the withering hand of decay that has attacked the timber, for a red- wood tree will never decay. At least botanists tell us that trees now living been in existence for fifty But man has devised ways to apply steam and electricity to ao the work formerly performed by | centuries. brute strength. Railroads through the forests and steam donkeys have driven the horse and ox teams nto uselessn Improved saws have supplanted the ax. Within the next thirly years, unless the waste is checked, our redwood forests will be practically ex- Lausted. One prominent lumberman has made the assertion, that if aready market could be found for our red wood the forests wouldn’t last ten years. Already over half our timber has been cut. The redwood forests of Sonoma, Santa Cruz and San Ma- teo counties are gone, practically speaking, and the timber in Marin County is almost all gone, leaving Mon- docino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties to supply our future redwood lumber. The closest estimate puts the lumber yet standing untouched at 17,000,000,000 feet. The valtures of our timber lands are the railroads of the couniry. The United States now contains about 170,000 miies of railroads, to build which it required about 520,000,000 railroad ties, and it is estimated that about 70,000,000 ties are requirod to replace decayed ones and for new work annually. According to statistics this is equi.valent to annually stripping 700,000 acres of averaze Eastern pine | forests, and when one considers the amount of lumber used to build towns, stations and villages along the | route, to say nothing of timber destroyed by fire and decay, it is no wonder that our forests are being <o | rapidly exhausted. It has been said that the railroads of this country have used up in the matter of ties alone 126 000,C00 acres of timber, including pine and redwood, the latter being the favorite for railroad ties. | Ties only last one-fourth of the time it requires to grow them, and unless their future output is prepared with a preservative to prevent decay the day will yet arrive when a substitute will have to be used for this branch of raiiroad building. With only a limited tract left California still hasa magnificent inheritance in her timber land. Tt is the only Inumber that can take the place of pine, answer as a substitute for mahogany and black walnut, prove feit to Spanish cedar, displace cypress and cedar for shingles and exceed all otLer wood in with- nding fire and for durability. Redwood is without a doubt the greatest wood in the world to-day. There may be other timber that | will exceed it for tenacity, such as oak, ash, hickory, etc.; but for builaing purposes generally it is without | an equal. Every portion of the tres is serviceable, the only waste being caused by the machinery in | working it. The root or stump of the tree, that peculiarly gnarled and twisted part, with its wonderful intricacies curly mottled bird's eye, tha: is now being used for fancy cabinet work, paneling and orna- 1l work in penera!, was but a short time ago classed as refuse. The day is not far off when the curly redwooa veneers Will supersede the walnut veneers. Already the artisansof interlor decorations bave awak- ened to their beauty for veneering, cab- inet work and paneling and are to-day using them in preference to walnut or rosewood. A redwood stump will produce twice asmany veneers as a walnut sturop. ac SINGLE TREE FURNISHED Here in its own home the future possi- bilities of this wonderful wood have never been fully appreciated, but the Eastern capitalist, surprised by the enormous yieid of our trees and the prcbable vaiue of the wood, when it becomes betier known, has by a quiet movement been buying up timber claims wherever purchasable, until to-day they nave prover. a healtby rival to our local millmen, who, when they have exhausted tLeir own supply of tim ber, will bave to fall back on these specu- lators to supply their future demand, and a princely price will be asked accordingly. The peop'e of South America, a country #s dense in its for- ests of different species of woods as the Klondike is reported 1o be with gold, have become great admirers of the California redwood. The insects of that country, that eat away dwellings ccoustructed of native woods, have an utter disrepard for our redw ; in fact, no insect has been known to prey on the wood excepting the marine teredo, which will tackie anything; con- quently the timber 13 in a biz demand in tropical countries, and almost every steamer that leaves this port for South Amer- ica hes a large cargo of redwood aboard. Whole houses of the knock-down-and-put-tozether patiern are frequently sent to that country from here, and of laie the trade has gained such enormous proportions that the local lumber flrms have become the strongest rivals for the business. Large prices are pa:d by the southern countries for the timber. In shipping lumber to South America a great deal of care is used, as the journey it has to undergo before it reaches its destination is a remarkably rough one. The wood is packed in boxes, which are beld together by stout iron bands. Each box weighs about 200 pounds, and at South America two of th se boxes are strapped, one on each side of 2 mule, who packs the lumber across the steep Andes Mountains to the settle- ments. Sometimes as many as a hundred mules can be seen i line p.cking their way up the steep ravines and mountain passes with their heavy lozds of lumber. o WiLrram A, McGRiLL. Il S\ L il il hid “““"‘“JL“L"JJ““‘“' NIUIE UL Ui %zgfie;— Shey THIS IS THE BELL OF TRINITY CENTER The above drawing is a life-like picture of the Belle of Trinity Center, in the new California gold- This young woman is most decidedly a new woman. fields. ing a sensible dress. things that are commonly supposed to belong to the achievements of the sterner sex. to ride in the mule-race during the Fourth of July festivities. Her old white mule, who carried her to victory, is now her greatest tre in first under the wire. Long ago she distinguished herself by adopt« Later she became the champion rifle shot of the section and did numerous other Her latest feat was And she not only rode in the race but came Words and Music by ESTELLE BAKER. MA IL.EAF (A COON SONG.) Written for THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL a blue-blood nigger; Anyway, that cuts no figure. She 1s coffze-colored, but she's fair, £he belongs to the snobocracy, A branch of the aristocracy, Because she wears a uet upon her hair. She works for Johnnie Hogan’s, Making Klondiks brogans, She's making me a pair so I can go; She 1ives down on the Battery, Next door to Widow Slattery, She's not Irish, nor English, don’t yo’ know Her eyes like huckleverries, And her lips are red as cherries, Her ivory teeth are snowy ss blanc mange, Her phiz is 1'ke & melon, Just how, there is no telling, Dat Mamie Buuker said *twas & mirage. Her feet, they are so sweet, You can tell them down the street, T.ey areco big acd shiny and so gay: And I listen for ma Leah’s hobbles, Softly tinkling on the cobbles, And when ghe passes give a “shake-g-day.” CHORUS. Leah, she’s ma lady, sSne’s ma great big baby, Dere ain’tno oder niggers like ma Le; She is ma banana, Born in Lou siana, She’s ma lady nirger upin ¢ Dere ain’t no use of talkin’, When we are out c-walkin’, Ma Leeh takes d2 2axe and takes me, too} And if the preacher don’t get ‘free,” He'll have to wed ma gal an’ me; And Leah—1I call her my Lu-lu— T'm not building an air cistle, But I will be her vassal, Ma Leeh is engaged ma wife to be; 1 pawned ma yeller kaiser, And dat money buys her A ring—so I must get & move on me, S <