Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1851-07-10


Petrowsky. nearly three miles distant: Nor.
tier, relieved Of his anxiety for the Empe-
ror, redoubled his efforts 10 arrest the con.
hagralion. His men cheerfully rushed into
every danger Breathing nothing but smoke
and ashes-canoped by flame, smoke. and
|cinders- surrounded by walls Of FIRE lha,
rocked 10 and fro, and isIl with crash a.
mid The blazing ruins, carrying down with
them red ho, roofs OF, ,iron-he struggled a
Hgaipst an enemy that no boldness could awe
on courage overcome These brave troops
had heard the tramp 6f.housandsof cavalry
fVespiflR % bnsile, withou, fear; bu, now
hey siood ! 10 stiII terror, bofore The narch
OF the conaagration, under whose burning
footsteps was heard the incessan. crash Of
falling houses, and palaces, and churches
The continuous roar of the flames was
more terrible than the roar Of the artillery,
and before this new foe, in the midst OF the
elements, the awe.siruck army stood power
less and afffighsed. '4
When nigh, again descended on the city,
il presented a spectacle the like Of which
was never seen before, and which battles all
description. The streets were streets OF
fire, the heavens canopy Of fire, and the
entire body ofihe city mass of FIRE, fed by
the hurricane that whirled the blazing frag-
ments in a consian. stream through the air.
IncessanI explosions, from the blowing up
OF stores Of oil, and spirits, shook The very
foundation Of the city, and sent vast vol.
umes Of smoke rolling furiousIy towards the
sky. Huge sheets Of canvass on fire came
floating like messengers Of death through
the fames-ihe, towers and ,domes Of lhe
churches and palaces glowed with red .ho,
heat over the wild sea below-lhen, iotter.
ing a moment on their bases, were hurled
by the tempest into the common ruin
Thousands Of wre,ches before unseen were
driven by The heat from The cellars and
novels, and sireamed in an incessan, ,hrong
in the streets. Children were seen carrying
their paren.s-,he strong ihe weak; while
thousands more were staggering under the
loads Of plunder they had snalched from the
flames. This, TOO, would frequently take
fire in the falling shower, and The miserable
creatures would be compelled 10 drop it, and
fee for their lives. Oh, il was scene Of
fear and wo, inconceivablo and indescriba'
BILE! A mighty and closed-packed city oI
houses, and churches, and palaces, wrapped
from limi. 10 limi, in flames, which are led
by whirling hurricane, is a sigh, this woric
will seldom see. la e'gl a9 10
But this was all within the city. Tc
| Napoleon, without, the spectacle was sill
moro sublime and terrific. When the
flames had overcome all obstacles, and hai
wrapped everything in their red man,le,,ha
great city looked like sea rolling file
swep, by tempes, lha. drove i, into vas
pillows. Huge domes and towers, throwing
off sparks like blazing 6rebrands, now tow
cred above the waves, and now disappeared
in their maddening flow, as they broke high
over the tops, scattering their spray of fire
against the clouds. The heavens them
selves seemed to have caught the conaagra
lion, and the angry masses that swept !
rolled over a bosom of fire. Columns o
fame would rise and sink along the surface
of this sea, and huge volumes Of blacl
smoke suddenly shoe, into the air, as i
volcanoes were working below. The blacl
form Of the Kremlin alone lowered above
the chaos, now wrapped IN flame and smoke
and then began merging into view--s'andint
amid The scene Of desolalion and terror like
virtue in the mids. of burning world, en-
veIoped bu. unsca,hed by the devouriRg ele
ments. Napoleon stood and gazed on lh
scene in silent awe. Though nearly three
miles distant, the windows and walls Of hi
apartment were so hot that he could scarce
lily bear his hand agains. them. Said he
years afterwards:
81, was the spectacle Of the sea and bill
lows Of FIRE, sky Of clouds and flame
mountains Of red rolling fame, like immens'
waves Of the sea, alternately bursting lorlh
and elevating themselves TO skies Of fire
and then sinking into The ocean below Oh
It was the most naked, the most sublime,ant
the mos, terrific sigh, the world ever behedl
--Headley.