The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1865-08-02

penis struck their heads up above the sill
Of the window and; writhcd about in
strange contortions.
When tho FIRE had eaten its way DOM Ii
third floor and the lurid glare burst throi
the trapsome of doors the panic among
the beasts become positively fearful. -.
They spraDg against their iron bars and
strovc to render them with their teeth,
at the same time sending ferth savage
and frightened cries, which was almost
human 10 their agony. At length when
the flames burst through the top Of the
door and commenced to lick tho tops Of
the cages the tumult reached its hight
Yells roars, howls and screams went up
from the distance Of half mile.
With a simultaneous bound the lion
and his mate sprang against their bars
which gave way and came down with
great crash releasing the beasts which
Tor moment apparently amazed at their
sudden liberty stood in the middle Of the
floor, lashing their sides with their tails
and roaring dolcfully.
Almost at the same moment tho upper
part Of the three storied cage consumed 'by
the flames fell forward letting rods drop
to the floor and many other animals we're
thus set free. Just at this time the door
fell through and the flames and smoke
rolled in like whirlwind from the Had
can River Cocytus.
A horrible howl in the right-hand cor,
ner Of the room, yell Of Undesirable
agony, and crashing; grating sound ina
dicated that the tiger and polar bear were
stirred to the widest pitch Of excitement.
Then there came great crash as Of the
giving way OF the bars of their cage. The
flames and smoke, momentarily rolled
back, and for few seconds the interior
of the room was visible in the lurid light
OF the flames, which revealed tho tieer
and the lion locked together in close COM
bat.
The base Of the rods Of the serpents'
cage had also crumblod, and the large
boa.constrictor-about twenty feet long,
and as thick as mans body-was also
in deadly struggle with the lioness. y g
The polar bear had shrunk to the
coolest corner, with half his fur burnt
from his snowy coat, and there sat won.
deringly gazing upon tho scene before
him. Accustomed, as he had been, To-
deal with only tho ,walrus and the seal ia
the cold blue waters Of the Arctic regions,
he was evidently considerably alarmed at'
the excessively torrid scene, which was
blazing through the room. Under the
circumstances he found it impossible to
take it coolIy. s4t sq ~
The monkeys were pcrched around.tbe'
the windows, shiveriug with dread and
afraid to jump out. The snakes we're
writing about, crippled and blistered by
the heat, darting ont their forkcd tongues
and expressing their rage and fear in the
most sibilant of Kisses. fA''t3 fa'
The "Happy Family" were experien.
cling an amount of beatitude which was
evidently too cordial for philosophical en-
joyment. A long tongue Of dlme bad
crept under the cage, completely singing
every hair from the cats body. The fs.
licitous adder war slowly burning in two,
and busily engaged in impregnatiug bis
agonized system with his own venom =
The joyful rat had loss its tail by fall.
ing bar of iron; and the beatific rabbit.
perforated by a red hot nail, looked as
if nothing would be more grateful than q
cool corner in some esquimaux farm yard.
The members of the delectated conyoca-
ton were all huddled together in the bot
tom OF their cage, which, suddenly gave
way, precipitating them out of view into
the depths below, which, by this time,
were also blazing like the tabled Tophet.
Meanwhile the lion and the tiger were
continuing their contest now with the adj
vantage on one side and now on the 9th.
er; and the boa was slowly tightening
his fatal coils round tho body Of the rant.
ing lioness, which, however, bit and strug-
gled, laCCraiiug the striped skin of its ad-
versary terribly. The floor was already
crimson with their blood, while the CONT
mingling Kisses, howls, yells and roarsi
utterly surpassed all efforts at description.
AT this moment the aames rolled again
into the room, and then again RETIRED
The whale and alliga'ors were by this
time suffering dreadful torments. The
water in which they swarm was Utterly
boiling. The alligatcrs dashed iiercely