and this mfiano a comparatively large ratio of stock per per- 

 son Kountain at oak, small and vfiry, not Valley stock unused 

 to steep climbing and rarefied air. However, here's hoping 

 that a a toady eontinuous appropriation will be forthcoming 

 from the State Legislature for the construction and maintenance 

 of this won d*rful trail. Some way will be found to get people 

 orer it. 



Th Morning After 



It will be remembered that after the earthquake and fire 

 cf 19C6, an irrepra&sible San Franciscan bragged Joyously in 

 rwrsft of the "damndest, finest ruins "that ever wre. Something 

 the sara* feeling is in the air this noralng of the 19th of Sept- 

 ember at Northfork, now that the five large fires are under con 

 trol leaving some 6000 acres black and sir.oklng, with a coat to 

 the P.?.:?. fund of about $8CC. Por three days we have not seen 

 the sun; every nan and boy and several women have been fifditlng 

 fire, and the rest of the women and children have been doing 

 th*> chores and cocking for fire fighters. Splendid work has 

 been done without complaint. Two I/urge trucks brought fifty 

 nen from Jresno to help, and the local Jitneys have been going 

 day and night. The stores have been bought out of many things 

 and individuals have emptied their store closets. To ap th 

 climax, the pr'fftf Jhipjandrri^i District Fiscal Agent himself has 

 ocoe dc*m from San Francisco with his money-bags to pay off men. 



flow there is no denying that Idaho and Montana, even the 

 Shasta and Angles Forests have had bigger, more costly fires, 

 but as for Sierra, this has been the "damndest biggest fire 

 that ever burned." 



The leasons Everybody le telling everybody else what they 

 are. fbe district ranger vows he will not clve permission to 

 burn again till anow flies; the stockmen swear the settlers did 

 it; the settlers insist that the stockmen shall be followed by 

 volunteer detectives. 



Of course, except where lucky settlers have bands of peats 

 or con afford to complete- 'the 'Clearing begun by fire, and plcw, 

 the brush will some ^zp thicker than ever, for the accumulated 

 aeds are new heatefl to the sprouting point. All the young oal:a 

 trying to force their way through the brush, eventually to shade 

 out, are killed, and many a fine old oak is seriously damaged. 

 Of course, too, this shallow mountain soil that hao bee:: long 

 aocumulai;iri; a little hurras is all burned out, and the now un- 

 protected steeper slopes will vraah down to the granite. jj u t no 

 lives were lost nor hcr.^s bumei and it was a fjlorious fire, 



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