Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-05-22
SEAS OF FIRE.
The Mountain Holocaust in New
KOrk-Exciting Passage of N Raii-
road Train--A Family Roasted

! Kork-Excifing Passage of N Rail
road Train-A Family ROaste'
Alive. s-rr,
From the New York World, May IL.
Additional intelligence in regard to tn
great forest confiagrations in Sullivan
Orange, Delaware, Duichess and Madison
counties of this State has been received
Never before have these mountain fires
ragged so furiously or extended over Sc
large an amount of territory. 1t is gener
ally believed by persons living in those
counties, that the cOnflagration was start
ed by the hand of an incendiary. In
those regions where the fires broke out
live many persons who are called Gypsies,
who reside in shanties which have been
erected in remote hooks on the mountain
side and other solitary places that are
seldom reached by the more civilized
world. These Gypsies are described as a
thriftless community, having no regard
for, and, therefore, no love for the in
dustrious farmers and wooesmen who live
near them, and it is believed that they set
fire to the under-brush, well knowing that
the flames would extend to the forest
proper and spread many miles in extent.
THE LOSS.
Usually these fires, which more or less
occur every spring, have been confined to
districts of limited extent and value, but
his spring they have ravaged thousands
If acres of valuable woodland, destroying
Millions of trees and cords of cut wood,
ogs, ship joints and bark The loss, SO
ar as it has been ascertained, is estima-
ed at over $1,000, 900, not one cent of |
which Is covered by insurance. For the |
host part, the fires have been confined to /
ne mountains, but have covered in their /
larch an extent of territory one hundred
lilies in length. The Sullivan county
)rests have been burnt for distance of
yenty miles. The Delaware county
oodlands have been devastated some
fteen miles. In both of these localities
e fires are still raging. In Orange
'unty the flaming tempest has spent its
rength, and the mountain ridges and
llsides are a smouldering waste of land.
A SCENE OF DESoLATIoN.
The Whole country thereabout presents
scene of utter desolation. During the
light of the confagration the country
long stretch of miles was overhung
til dense clouds of smoke. At some
ints cinders and chaff foated about in
e air currents and were scattered in
overs over the villages and farms, in
veral instances kindling into fam
On barns, fields and dwellings. r
pulatiOn was all in cOmmotiOn and ter
r.
BLOC d RED RIVERS AND BROOKS.
The rivers and brooks were blood-red |
I'M the reflected flames. In some places
: water was Steaming hot Thousands |
fishes, snakes, birds and squirrels per-
ed and tloated upon the surface. The
Igs and rocky walls of the mountain
es were baked by the intense heat, and
my of the boulders are cracked and
lmbled. Here and there the bones of 6
Id animals land some cattle tell the I
~ of the holocaust tragedy. The deep |
-ges and ravines seemed like miniature c
les of the bottomless pit, gaping out
zee flames, smoke and heat. Where
trees were Gry and piles of wood and
k had been stored there arose vast .
umes of white and red flame, towering
ward the sky. Such was the terrifying
.uence of the sight that the dumb
ISIS, the horses and cattle, in the
Unity fled in alarm, and the night echoes
re resonant with their bleatings, neighs l
lowings.
FIERY TRAIN.
Along the Erie railway track the rails
one place were twisted out of shape ,
the ties burned. The heat was so in
sc that laborers could not repair the g
mage for hours. The trains, however, &
fered no long detention. The Cincin-
express train eastward, bound from \
nmit rushed through a sea of flame {
smoke for nearly mile. (Thc road s
! previously been tested by an extra c
,ine) Although the train had been
and prepared for the passage, the
wing heat blistered the paint, and the
ldows were stained with smoke. The ,
ginecr and fireman were slightly singed. 7
ROASTED ALIVE.
By far the most awful spectacle and :
amity yet reported occurred on Sunday a
Int near Deposit station. AS darkness c
hered over the dying day, the fire had
ched the base of the West Mountains, '
| before niue o'clock had completely f
;ircled one of the prominent peaks as
il q girdle of fire The flames roared
| cracked with horrible sound as they
ept up the hillside. The glare bril- d
ltly Illuminated the whole adjacent re- I
II. a party of sportsmen, returning Il
Ough a gorge on the opposite side,
Ird shouts and cries of distress, appa-
fly proceeding from the flaming forest.
oking up through the flame and smoke,
y thought they discovered the forms
a man and woman upon rocky height, {
aging their arms to and fro. The cries =
ltiued, and one of the party is sure that T
afterward caught a glimpse Of a child Z
the wOman's arms. Soon after, the
lis Of flame shut out all view, and the
IS ceased. The Mortified witnesses, T.
ven away by the heat to greater dis L
ce, fingered as near as possible, but e
ther saw nor heard any more. 1t is
ieyed that the persons thus seen were
man, wife and child, named Hough, =
o lived in shaaty in remote place ',
the barrens, and in escaping across the
&c were hemmed in upon the rocks 7
ere seen, and so persisted in the con- +
grafton. Search is to be made for their =
aalns.
MARROW ESCAPES.
4 number of instances of narrow es- q
,es and more or less serious injuries are t
,Orted. A large number of poor people
We been thus bercft of home, goods and
, means of a livelihood, and what is {
rise for them, no opportunity for in
notification seems probable, as the
lntry itself is not, in their vicinity,
y productive. Altogether, this is the
'st serious devastation of the kind ever =
own in this State. =
ROMANCE OF REAL LIFE.