Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1869-09-29

teman who passed along up the Seaboard road
on hand car, witnessed great trees, thirty Or
forty feet, on fire up to the top all their leaves
and branches burning up rapidly, and then
huff Of wind topping them over the same IS
they we're but oat-straw; when, on looking al
their roots, you would find the ground under
meath them completely burned out, anu ho'h-
ing remaining but Goals and ashes, Large
holes ore to be observed all over the swamp
connpletely burned out and nothing REMAINING
in or near them but the charrcd trunks ci
trees. The fire has burnt the earth or peat
m to the ditch bank OF the railroad, and IN
some places as far as the eye could reach 1t
looked like great waterIess lake, where Tor
merly was dry land and vegetation. Great
numbers Of cattle and animals OF all kinds have
been destroyed by the fire, the bones OF many
of which can be seen from the road track.
II is his impression that nearly all the space
bnrned out BY the fire will be lake from three
10 len feet deep, as she earth or vegetable
mould which formed terra Hrnd in the swamp
| is ali burnt to ashes. a singular feature was
! mentioned by him in regard TO farms along the
Dismal Swamp Smoke could be seen issuing
from underneath the corn fields OF the iaImS
which led him to believe that their whole
foundation would burn out unless heavy rain
interered to prevent it.
This matter of the charred trees falling,
owing to the earth icing burned from undcr
them, will account for fact that there has
| always been moro or less theOrlzlng about. IL
! has long been a matter ut surmlSe win many
| how it was that there were 50 many trees Iylne
PROSTATE in the swamp, many OF them eight
and ten feet below the surface, apparently un
Injured 1t has been business with lumber
getters to dig these trees up heretofore. his
| fire explains fully how they came in that con
dltion. Long continued droughts heretofore
have enabled the yearly recurring fires to burn
their soil from under them and lay them pros
trate. 1t is said the bottom Of the great lake
itself is covered by trees in the same way, aud
1t is the theory of some that the basin OF the
lake was caused by being burnt out. Ii so, It
appears it must have been from greater and
| longer continued drought than this gene ration
has witnessed. -NOrtoM Day Book.
ACCIDENT ON Va. AND TENNESSEE K. R.
| Saturday night an accident occurred on the
| Tennessee Railroad, five miles west Of Salem,
of a serious character. Two freight trains
going west were running near each other, the
| one in the rear going down heavy grade and
| the train front going up grade, when three cars
OF the front train became detached and started
| back down the grade at rapid speed. Inc
conductor, Capt. billiard. who was on top Of
one of the detached cars, put down the brake
in order to stop them, but the brake chain
gave away, and Captain ID. was hurled with
great violence to the ground, most fortunately
escaping with only few slight bruises. The
detached cars being now unchecked, continued
down the grade, and just where the grade
changes came in collision with the locomotive
OF the advancing train, lady ipjurlng it, and
smashing the three cars into atoms, scattering
the goods contained in them, and ipjuriDg q
Coored man aud woman very SERIOUSLY, but
rot fatally. An infant child Of the woman wa;
so badly hurt that it died. Il Is stated alsi
that colofod brakeman on the rear train wa;
seriously Injured.
The goods contained in the broken cars be,
enged TO merchants in different places, and
are said to have been very valuable. 1t being
ia the night, many Of these goods were stolen
BY negroes in the ncighborhood, who soon
gathered from all quarters. Besides the dam
age 70 the cars and locomotive the loss by IN
jury to freight is estimated at between $1,000
and $1,000 The track was so blockaded by
the broken cars that the eastern bound mai
train was unable to pass on schedule time, and
was delayed ae0ut eight hours - LyachJW9
NacS