Canadian Forestry Journal. March, ig20 



115 



A Canadian Flag Staff's Strange Journey 



For more than fifty years, that is 

 to say, from 1861 to 1913. the flag 

 stafif of Douglas fir standing on a 

 mound in the Berberis Dell, constitut- 

 ed a conspicuous landmark in the 

 Royal Gardens, Kew. It was a pres- 

 ent to Kew from Mr. Edward Stamp. 

 The original staft was 159 feet high, 

 and calculated to be about two hun- 

 dred and fifty years old. It was re- 

 paired and rehoisted in 1896, but in 

 1913, when it was being varnished, it 

 was found to be afTected with dry rot. 

 and consequently it had to be taken 

 down and, as further repair was out 

 of the question, there came an end to 

 the finest flag staff of its kind in 

 Europe. 



The Search in B.C. 



The provision of a new staff creat- 

 ed a great deal of interest, not only 

 at Kew, but throughout this country 

 and in British Coumbia, whence the 

 I iriginal flag staff came. An interest- 

 ing account of the history of the new 

 flag staff", finally erected on October 

 iS, 1919, is given in the Kew Bulle- 

 tin. From this we gather that the 

 I'rovincial Government of British 

 Columbia off'ered to present a new 

 -])ar of Douglas fir to the Royal Gar- 

 dens, Kew, to replace the old one, 

 and on February 25, 1914. this off'er 

 was accepted. As a result, the forests 

 iif British Coumbia were searched by 

 -killed woodmen until a tree was 

 hiund that fulfilled the exacting ideal 

 III' the searchers; yet it was not until 

 eleven trees had been felled that the 

 requirements were met. The tree se- 

 Kn-ted was found some thirty miles 

 imrth of the city of \''ancouver. .\fter 

 It had been felled, its leni-lli was re- 

 ihiced to aliont _'_'0 feet, i)Ut its hei<^ht 

 as it stood in the forest was i)robably 

 lietween J-So and 300 feet. The tree 

 was conveyed l)y rail and wati'r to 

 Vancouver, and there sha|)ed to its 

 l)resent form by expert axemen. It 

 i^ sc|uare at the base for 15 feel up, 

 then octagonal up to 157 feet, thence 

 to the summit (214 feet) it is rcHuid. 

 its diameter at various heights, is as 



follows: Base, 2)?) inches; 15 feet, 33 

 inches : 52 feet, 29^ inches ; 89 feet. 

 25^ inches; 115 feet, 22^ inches; 190 

 feet, 19 inches; 214 feet, 12 inches 

 (summit). The pith is not in the 

 centre, but five and a half inches from 

 one side at the butt end ; from the pith 

 to the other side of the margin there 

 are 360 annual rings. The first 100 

 rings occupy 17^ inches, the next 100 

 rings, 7 inches, and the third hundred 

 are compressed into 3^2 inches. The 

 tree was 6 feet in diameter at the 

 base when felled, and practically all 

 the sap wood was taken off in shap- 

 ing it. It is estimated to be about 

 400 years old, and the weight, roughly 

 18 tons, is about four times that of 

 the old flag staff. 



The Flag Pole's Travels. 



The directors of the Shire Line of 

 steamers undertook to convey the 

 flag staff from A^ancouver to the 

 River Thames, and on December 29, 

 1915, the S.S. "Merionethshire" ar- 

 rived safely at the London Docks and 

 dropped the spar into the Thames. 

 It was towed up the river to Kew. 

 and finally conveyed through the 

 gardeiTS to the base of the flag staff" 

 mound, where it remained for a 

 period of 23/2 years, and was a source 

 of \)V\(\q to the many Canadians who 

 saw it. It was hoped at one time 

 that the Canadian Forestry Corps 

 would undertake the task of erecting 

 the staff", but they were unable to do 

 so, alth(nigh the concrete blocks form- 

 ing the base were set in the nunuul 

 under the direction of engineers of 

 the Canadian .Forestry Corps. ]\ressrs. 

 Ci^ubro and Scrutton eventually rais- 

 e dthe flag staff", under the direction 

 of M.M. Office of Works, by means 

 of a derrick 100 feet high. .\ square 

 block of steel, 7 inches in diameter, is 

 fitted int(^ a groove at the base of the 

 staff and thus suppt^rts it. The new 

 flag staff, which towers far above the 

 sm-rounding trees, is a magnificent 

 exhibit for Kew, a testimony to the 

 generosity and hnperial spirit (^f the 



