Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1846-07-15

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flames bursting Though, the houses and
palaces, and the cry Of sire, fire. passed.
through the CITY,, The,dread scene had nowtlII
fairly opened. Fiery balloons were seen
dropping from the air, and lighting upon the4
houses dull explosions were heard ON every
fsisesffom theshut ep dwellings, and the nexfl
moment bright light burst forth, and the
flames were raging through the apartments.
All was uproar and confusion. The serene
air and moonlight of the night before had
given way to driving clouds, and a wild
tempest that swept with the roar of the sea
over the city. Flames arose on every side,
blazing and cracking in the storm, while
clouds of smoke and sparks in an incessant
shower went driving towards the Kremlin.
The clouds themselves seemed turned into
fire, rolling in wrath over devoted Moscow.
Mortier crushed with the responsibility thus
thrown upon his shoulders, moves with his
Young Guard amid this desolation, blowing
up the houses, and facing the tempest and
the flames struggling nohly to arrest the
confagration.
He fastened from place to place amid the
blazing ruins, his face blackened with the
smoke, and his hair and eye brows singed
with the fierce heat. At length the day
dawned, day of tempest and of flame and
AIortier, who had strained every nerve for
thirty-six hours, entered palace, and
dropped down from fatigue. The manly
form and stalwart arm that had so often
carried death into the ranks Of the enemy at
length gave way, and the gloomy Marshal
lay and painted in utter exhaustion. But the
night of tempests had been succeeded by a
day of tempests; and when night again
enveloped the city, it was one broad fame,
wavering to and fro in the blast. The
wind had increased to perfect hurricane,
and shifted from quarter to quarter, as if on
/ purpose to swell the sea Of fire, and extin-
guish the last hope The fire was approach
r ing the Kremlin, and already the roar Of the
f flames and the crash Of falling houses, and
): the cracking of burning timbers were borne
a to the ears of the startled Emperor. HI
j arose and walked to and fro, stepping con
; vulsively and gazing on the terrific scene
!. Murat, Eugene, and Berthier rushed into his
presence, and on their knees besought him
to flee; but he still clung to the naughty
palace, as if it were his empire.
But at length the shout, "the Kremlin is
> on fren' was heard above the roar of the
!. confagration, and Napoleon reluctantly
: consented to leave. He descended into the
i streets with his staff, and looked about for q
u way of egress but the flame blocked every
e passage. At length they discovered u
I postern gate, leading to the Moskwa, and
:, entered it, but they had only entered still
. farther into the danger. As Napoleon cast
4 his eye around the open space, girdled and
- arched with fire, smoke and cinders, he saw
n one single street yet open, but all on fire.
. Into this he rushed, and amid the crash OF
falling houses, and the raging of the flames
. over burning ruins, through clouds oil
= rolling smoke, and between walls of fire. he
y pressed on and at length, half suffoca:ed,
>. emerged in safety from the blazing city, and
:, took up his quarters in the imperial palace
y of Petrowsky, nearly three miles Distant
!, Mortier, relieved from his anxiety for the
y Emperor, redoubled his efforts to arrest the
- conhagration. His men cheerfully rushed
i j. into every danger. Breathing nothing but
- smoke and ashes-canopied by flame, anc
=, ~ smoke, and cinders-surrounded by walls o.
u u fire that rocked to and fro, and fell with G
NJ, NJ crash amid the blazing ruins, carrying down
~ ~ with them red-hot roofs of iron he strugg
~ - led against an enemy that no boldness coulo
y y awe, or courage overcome. Those brave
=. ~ troops had heard the tramp Of thousands o
~ ~ cavalry sweeping to battle without fear
" i" but now they stood in terror before the
- - march of the confagration, under whose
~ ~ burning footsteps was heard the incessant
:. n crash OF falling houses, and palaces ane
- churches The continuous roar Of the
~ -. raging hurricane, mingled with that Of the
Z. Z. flames, was more terrible than the thunde
~ ~ of artillery and before this new foe, in th'
10 midst of this battle of the elements, the awe
=, struck army stood powerless and affrighted
= When night again descended on the city
20 it presented a spectacle the like of whicl
IL was never seen before, and which battles al
!; description, The streets were streets Of fir
u, II the heavens canopy of fre-and tn
~ ~ entire body Of the city one mass of fire, fe
- by hurricane that whirled the blazing
10 10 fragments in constant stream through tn
- air. Incessant explosions from the blowing
J. J. up of stores ofoil, tar and spirits, shook tn
i very foundations of the city, and such vas
y !. volumes Of smoke rolling furiously through
i, II the sky. Huge sheets Of canvass on fir.
~ - came floating like messengers of deatl
u through the fames--the towers and dome'
=, :, of the churches and palaces, glowed witt
- - red-hot heat, over the wild sea below, ther
= tottering a moment on their basis, were
; hurled by the tempest into common rum
:, Thousands of wretches, before unseen, were
~ - driven by the heat from the cellar and hovels
- and streamed in IN incessant throng through