The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1848-03-17
Extraordinary Phenomenon.

! We find the following extraordinary re.
/ lation III the Philadelphia "Saturday Cou-
rier," to which paper it is furnished by a
correspondent writing from Forest Hill
| Ark. under date Of December l2,h:
One Of the most extraordinary cirCum-
stances transpired Immediately in this
neighborhood on the 18th inst. perhaps, tina,
/ has ever been witnessed on this side of the
moon, which hasten To communicate 10
you. About quarter past 3 O'Clock, =. NJ,
the sky, which a few minutes before aud
during the whole day had been perfectly
clear. became suddenly overcast with a
most awful darkness; the clouds, Of they
were clouds whirled in the stranreS, con
toriions, and presented the appearance Of n
solid black fleece, lighted from above with
the red glare OF many though this
lurii appearance did not seem to reflect
through nor penetrate the cloud, so as 10
impart any light to the under stratum of the
dark mass rolling above, but seemed TO be
absorbed, aud was only visible through the
semi-tranSparency Of the portions rolling
below. Whilst hundreds Of spectators in
our little village were spell bound in dread
iul suspense, the most tremdous explosion
that ever dea!ened the ear OF mortal, eman-
ated from above, shook the earth upon
which we stood, and caused snch rocking
of the houses, that the new bell on our vii.
lagc church tolled three several times,
which, as may be imagined, contributed TO
the general CONSERVATION. Immediately
following, or rather accompanying the eX-
plosion, n fiery mass, which appeared,
whilst insthe air, TO b. about the size of q
hogshead, decendcd with the rapidity of
lightning, and fell about twenty feet on the
east side Of n cotton Gin, which stands Just
at the outskirts Of the village-and in less
than twenty minutes the clouds had dsap.
pearcd, aud the sky was as serene. and the
sun shonc as brightly as it had done all the
fore part Of the day.
When we repaired TO the spot where the
body had fallen, an excavation, or rather q
hole was discovered, which was exactly
round. and measured 3 feet ~ inches in di-
nmcter, and s feet deep, at the bottom of
which was black mass, which was yet so
hot that when water was thrown on il, it
hlssed like hot iron. After considerable la
Dor. in which all our citizens participated.
we eNhnmed from the place n solid mass of
something which was about rs heavy rs SO
much rock, completely imcruSted with Il
black coat, which smclled like sulphur.
The most astonishing OF all is tina, the mass
presents the exact resemblance of The bust
Of a human being ,--or rather is as would
be supposed TO be a stone idol, executed by
some barbarian sculptor in the early Pagan
ages. Such circumstance is truly aston
ishing to every one who has witnessed it,
and had il decendcd few centuries ago.
or fallen among any portion of the heather
world, il no doubt would have been regard.
ed as the descent Of god; but many Of
our citizens regard II rs a meteoric sub.
stance, aud the only thing which seems to
puzzle the most learned among them, is It's
shape.
As the mail Is waiting, you will excuse
my not revising this statement, but so far
as facts are concerned. you may rest assur.
ed II is. in every particular. tr,lc--as hmm.
dfcds of our citizens are crowding around
DIR. Calling's Office (wherc the Troli,e isl to
see IL. In haste. YOUR ob't scrvt,
HENRY HICKS, p. NJ.