The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1866-07-27
Misfellauenas.
CONCENTRATIONS OF THE FIRE.

writer INDUCES IN inc toioWinS eoo"P'"
tons, appropriate to the sad scene OF the
Aih and 9Th Of July:
STANDING upon these northern heights,
upon which some patriotic being, years
ago, erected an observatory which CON-
mands noble view Of the city and harbor.
the stranger, three days ago, would have
gazed down upon one Of the prctiiest pic
lures Of what may be called rural urbanity
which our country had to show, since the
red hand Of War did for Columbia and
Charleston what the white hand Of Peace
has now emulated here. Many Of the
houses Of Portland were Of the type which
Hawthorne has immortalized in his pictures
Of that quaint and quiet old ely Of Salem
largo square houses ofwood set in frame
works Of verdurc, ample, with modest
dignity, and an air Of substantial comfort
which il rejoiced the heart to see. Others,
rs have said, were Of a more modern and
artistic fashion. In amphitheatric masses
you saw them fringed, Swallowed, embow.
cred with their multitudinous and we'll
grown trees On either hand the clear
blue waters shone, and from them came up
the indcscribablc soothing hum Of busy
and prosperous human hive.
To-day rs you look down from these
same hills, what change! The burnt dis
trict stands out sharply defined against the
flourishing beauty Of the rest Of the city, n
waste a. Of burning sand, bcs,ridden by
the ghastly monuments Of the ruin which
has come upon IL Nothing is moro s,rik-
ing, nothing is more pathetic in the terrible
contrast, than the aspect Of the hundreds Of
scathcd, and Drowned, and blackened trees,
which rise up throughout the whole dis
irict. and seem gazing hopelessly at the
happy beauty Of their forest fellows which
escaped their own fate, rs damned souls on
the hither side Of Styx might gaze on the
bles, shades in the Elysian meadows be.
You'd. Yes one thing more pathetic there
is to be seen in this dismal panorama. To
your left, as you stand on these northern
heights facing the city, you see the white
tents Of little army. These are the homes
Of several thousand people, most Of whom,
three days ago, had hospitable welcome
to offer to their friends, rs well as an ample
board spread for those Of their own house,
hold. To-day, the thoughtfhlncss Of Capt.
Inman, Of the United States Army, station.
cd here, and the energetic action Of their
fellow citizens, offers them, rs their refuge
from an absolute biyouac under the stars,
this encampment Of an hour. Hawthorne
somewhere protests that Americans ought
to live in tents, and that j, is weakness to
build and care for any home more pcrman-
ent than our own changefhl hearts, our own
transitory lives The sad souled poet Of
New England would scarcely look with
eyes undimmed, were he living now, upon
the grim realization Of this extruvagant
within. For two days and nights the ma
jority Of those who arc sheltered here had
literally no shelter at all. Whole families
lay in the church yards huddled under the
porches Of houses, or bivouacked in the
open air. Children wandering from their
parents were lost, and have never since been
found. The poor little heap of household
goods. snatched from tho flames and piled
ON the sidewalk, became, in many cases, the
prey Of wandering bands Of thieves. Now,
with shelter at least above their heads, but
hurled in moment from the sanctities OF
home into this strange gypscy life, these
unhappy people would be suffering not on
~ from the agony Of their losses and the
uncertainty Of the future, but for the down.
right necessities Of life, were il not for the
prompt charity Of the other cities and towns
Of Maine and Of New England. Il is
strange to SEQ, as one sees in this catastrophe,
how unsupported arc tho dependencies in
which We all live and move and have our
being. Tho sea around Portland was rs
full Of fish, the land around II as rich in all
things meet for human food ON the 9Th, Ms
they had been ON the 9TH Of July. But tho
distributors had been burnt out Of their
iaunts and ways, and between the produce
crs and the consumers great gap yawned
that could not DO filed. Tho city was
blockaded-is blockaded still by fire. Here
nrc $4,000 people in the heart Of our Amer
lean civilization, and yet see what arc their
dcprivations at this moment! have no
wish to invite upon Portland an invasion
from Chatham street. but think Of a city,
unbcset by foreign foes, in which you can
not print full newspaper, nor buy your
self suit Of clothes, nor sue your dearest
enemy, nor give gold ring to your dearest
friend. There is no place in Portland to-
day where one may get pair Of shoes or
a lady's slippers; and there are no legal
blanks to be had, nor can Bible be bought,
nor n monthly magazine, nor razor to
shave yourself wi,hal, nor a tumbler to
break the Maine Law with, nor so much rs
a row Of pins. Can you buy me some
pins?' asked Of the bright little waiter at
tho Prcblo House to-day. No, sir" he re-
piled, but guess SEQ morc'n thousand
dollars worth Of pins on the street, day be-
fore yesterday l'ell YOU he added PEN
sivcly, "a fellow could have made his riches
if he only didn't mind being theft
A good many fellows didn't mind being
thieves. One may likcn the doomed city
after the rage Of tho fro was spent to bat.
,lc.field after the battle, and tho analogy
holds good, even to the ghouls Of plumber