, 1870-05-16
TIE MOUNTAINS OF FIRE.

Fighting the Bcsxroycr-'Thc Elfxfl
OF tho Nltt{eAnnlkcA-Splcu Spec
tnclc Mt Night.
From The iHs.o IorE Suta 1Eay1s.
representative Of tho Sun having risite
the sccne Of the recent condag1ation in til
mountains which grid the beautiful ralle
reaching from tho Hudson to the Delaware
returned last night and gaze tho following dc
ecription:
The first evidences OF fro we're seen q
approaching Wawaraing, little village On til
stage-road from Rondout and Kingston t
Elcnyl11e. The mountains In tic re1r Of th
town had been thoroughly swept by th
flames.
At this point I encountered hale oil
| gentleman. WHO told me- that never since h&
was boy had such a Gro occurred in the
valley or IN the mountains bordering it.
fre;"
Well my son, there Tas somewhat of a
fire in tho Shawngum Mountains about ter
years ago, rs near as I ca11 remember. II
broke out ono Sunday night in March, OF
April, o. MAY, don't Eecol1ect which. It was
| nny how, aud It played the deTil among the
| young timber"
| On tho ruadto El1enville, few miles further
On, had Eetter opportunities for witnessing
the cffecte of tho tire- The mountain sides
were BLACK. as II 4 demon had hurled upon
I
| What wers uuco bright groru foresta of thrifty
Young maple, henlock, birch, beech, and oak.
| Tcro now great wastes OF gcarred and naked
! poles.
On both sides Of the lovely valley were au,-
pie prooft that . cruel foo hsd boon working
mischief here, where the wild Indian u "
gone daya had mado the woods reBound with
Els ycl1s where, even within tho memory Of
Old men, he had shot and burned
and ecalped the fathers Of tho present gen.
cratioa, there had been m enemy far more
1ncrcllea., one against whom a1l mans courage
aud forttzde wero unavailing. Luckily, there
we're Wid{ clea1ingH between the dry under
growth o. tho mountains and the happy farm
houaeS lntho valley. Otherwise the destruc-
ton Of pnpe1ty would have boon tar greatar
than It Wsa.
AZ Eaefslfla, pretty little town at the base
o. the SH"angunk Mountains, II had the good
fortune Y meet Mr. Taylor, Of tho Ellenville
Journal, From whnm gained much informs
ton conE.rning the Topography of the country
and the terrible fire which came 10 near laying
1t n zuiS. ..,
H. Ihe Slawansunk Or as tho people call them,
history IheE Werethe home OF the red man,
and in tie dirk ttays OF the Rorolution were
made Tue scene OF many wild and narrowing
tragedy. Here the great Indian leader
.ahapks Zen" made himself known aud
Iearea, aad nj mere, t many ta1ne and OFT. tho
en- By the dreadful war whoop, and tho llappi-
nesa oi sane turned at minutes warning in
to the lo5ror Of unequal strife md most bar-
bafoea death 1ima and tl1no again wore maa-
sscres Of tho inhabitants from the Hudson to
tho Dela7are, committed; and for long yoars
the he, nslaTgam" Valley was the theatre Of
untold Voc .
Many times N the past hundred years fires
hare 9roken ont in the mountains, and haye
caused much damage but never until few |
dayH ago. when the last firr occurred, has there |
been anything TO equal the extent Of the fire |
or tho msehlef it has caused
Tn the last night OF last month it Was dis
covered IN tho valley that the woods on both
@ades @ Of Honk tails we're On ire. This is a
Splendid cataract, three quarters OF mile
6om Napanoch, on the crock Of the sano
DANG The water comes dorm descent of
about y 10 teet, and on clear d7y, with the sun
7hining upon the puro white volunae As it rolls
oyer the Irecipicc, throwing up. its clouds Of
nilky spray, tho scene Is really beautiful
The scenery about the falls il grand. Crag-
3 rocks extend to great height nboFs, and
'!ong the bed Of the stream heavy boulders in
1aye been uo1n By the water into such forms
ss arc Hnowu only in dreams. When the fro
rad gained headway the spectacle WAS ono
hat can naEer be erased from tho memory of
hose who Witnessed it. Flames 1eapcd wildly
rom crag to czag, acizing upon every tuft Of
'A1sn "AAln 4oaIA ~ seeA tAelI tAsAt1ad6 ap-
'eete, and filing tho air with tho light Of
lay. The water, never ceasing IN its down
Fard flow, reflected the glare Of the flames, and
rom q distance the whole scone was like that
PRESENTED at grest exhibition Of fireworks.
'ho fire csept slowly up tho cliff, and, upon
ug heulock or m oak in its cruel embrace,
nd in second would send out its hundred
nngues to lick the quiyeing branches and
last tho fresh leaTes just putting on their
olorinE OF green
About the falls aro, numerous cavea and
right Light Of tie fire NOW playing around tho
orge, through which tho waters come down
their never ending roll, the entrances
these Hubte1anean crypts were plainly
sible- Each had its tradition, and many
pt gazer, as he watched the unWonted gam
me The portals Of these Wild dcns Illuminated, |
called Witha shudder the storieshis grantlam
ID told him in years gone by, aud would not
I'VE. wonder, perhaps, If ghost or goblin had
EN- and thcros.emafged to bear witnesa to the
nth Of ancient legends, and to acknowledge
All that day the fro PLAYED about tho falls. ! {
10 wind was then in the north-a itful. 1
lirnsical wind, thatIneither knew whence it | :
mo nor cared whittier it vent. On Saturday
increased in strength and drove tie ire to
ID Hill, Mutton Ridge, South Mountain, and
0 Cane. The latter peak iB near Ellonyille.
little to the west. During tho iay the flaruea 8
re not Visible from the town. but the smoke
se m in nd dense clouds and fioated down nj fho raj.
, for miles, almost hiding the sun
i'm view, AT night. with a dozen neaks
ahlaze at once, tho eceno was
* the flames ran along tho mountain sides, =
vcloping the young trees in a winding sheet
1urid death, Icking up the dry grass and
.yes, cracking the undergrowth to cinders, I u