Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1870-06-01
FORESTS ON FIRE.
4 Vivid Scene OF the Burning Country.
Loss OF Life and Immense Destruction OF Prop
erty---PrOgress OF the CONFEDERATION.
[FrOm the New York standard.I

From the New York Standard
Every day brings additional news t.
previous reports of the extensive con.
flagrations in the forests and on the
mountain woodlands in Sullivan
Orange, Delaware and Madison coun.
ties, in this State. These fires have
ragged with greater violence and in
fiicted a larger amount of damage,
over a greater extent OF territory, than
has ever before been known in this
country. The general supposition is
that they were of incendiary origin,
probably kindled by irresponsible
parties of gipsey proclivities, who live
in shanties or huts in remote hooks
on the hillsides, or distant and soli-
tary places on the barren plains.-
These Arabs are an idle, lazy, thought
less set, living miserably off the lily
cultivated garden patches about their
houses, wood-chopping, root and bark
collecting, hunting, and berry-pick-
ing. Every year they are in the hab-
it of burning over the almost barren
woodlands to destroy the choking
growth of stunted underbrush, and
free the space for the growth of huck-
| leberry bushes, which are greatly
benefited by this charring. The
amount of berries annually gathered
by these people is enormous, and the
profit proportionately large.
Usually these fires in the spring.
time have been guarded and confined
to districts of limited extent and val
ue. The present season, however,
these fires have been wantOnly and
recklessly allowed to ravage thous-
ands of acres of valuable wood land,
causing destruction to millions of
trees, cords of cut wood, logs, ship
joints, bark, etc.; also, several dwell
ings, barns, and many fences. The
estimated amount of loss in Dutchess,
Orange, Sullivan, Delaware, and
Madison counties, is set down at five
millions of dollars-a loss that is unin-
surable, and for time, irredeemable
The fires have. for the most part, been
confined to the mountains, in differ
ent places, extending over a belt of
country about one hundred miles in
length.
The Sullivan county forests have
been burnt for a distance of twenty
miles. The Delaware county wood
lands have been devastated some fif-
teen miles. In botho of these localities
the fires are still raging. In Orange
county, the flaming tempest has spent
its strength, and the mountain ridges
and hill sides are smouldering waste
of land, in hideous contrast to the
smiling valleys and beautiful verdant
fields on either side.
The whole country theTeabouts pre-
r,f In,A1nNsAv, -
the height of the confiagratiOn the
spectacle was most sublime and ap-
palling. For long stretch of miles
the country was overhung with huge
masses of smoke. At some points,
cinders and chaff hoated about in the
air currents, and were scattered in
showers over the villages and farms,
| in several instances kindling into
flames upon barns, fields, and dwell
lings. The population was all in COM
motion and terror, not knowing what
manner of developments, or what
new disasters were in store for them.
| The sight reminded one of the ancient
Israelites experience, "apillar of cloud
by day, and pillar of fire by night, +"
canopied them. The night scenes in
the burning districts were terribly
grand and awful. The rivers and
brooks were blood-red from the re-
fiected flames.
In some places the water was steam
ing hot. Thousands of fishes, snakes,
birds and squirrels perished and float
upon the surface. The crags and
rocky walls of the mountain sides
were baked with the intense heat T;
many of the boulders are cracked and
crumbled. Here and there the bones
of wild animals land some cattle) tell
the mute story of the holocaust TRACE
! dy. The deep gorges and ravines
seemed like miniature gates of the
bottomless pit, gaping out fierce
flames, smoke and heat. Where the
trees were dry and piles Of wood and
bark had been stored there arose vast
volumes of white and red flames, tow
ering toward the sky, now swaying
/ to and fro like some GOrgeOn fire
dragon, darting out thousand flash
ing tongues; then again spreading out
into long line offire, like turrets and
minarets of some internal castle, gla-
ring its lurid reflections up through
the night shadows, and spreading out
appalling CLEANS of light over the sur.
rounding country, far and wide
Such was the terrifying influence of
the sight that the dumb beasts, and
horses and cattle, in the vicinity fed
in alarm, and the night echoes were
resonant with their bleatings, neighs
and lOwings.
Along the Erie Railway track at
one place the rails were twisted out
of shape, and the ties burned. The
Iaborers could not repair the damages
| for hours. There was but slight de-
! tention 20 the trains. The Cincinnati
express train, eastward bound from
Summit, rushed through n sea Off1ame
and smoke for nearly a mile (The
road had previously been tested by an
extra engine.) Although the train
bad been wet and prepared for the
passage, the glowing heat blistered the
paint, and the windows were stained
with smoke. The engineer and fire.
man were slightly singed.
So far the most awful spectacle and
calamity yet reported occurred on
| Sunday night, near Deposit Station.
As darkness gathered over the dying
day, the fire had progressed to the
base of the West Mountains, and be-
fore 8 o'clock had completely encir-
cled one of the prominent peaks as
with a girdle of fire. The flames roar
ed and cracked with horrible sound
as they swept up the hillside with
strong air currents. The Tuddy glare
lit up the whole adjacent region with
brilliant power. A party of sports
men returning through a gorge on the
opposite side, heard shouts and cries
of distress, apparently proceeding from
the flaming forest. Looking up thrO'
the flame of smoke, they thought they
discovered the form of man and a
woman upon rocky height, swaying
their arms to and fro. The cries con-
tinued, and one of the party is sure
that he afterward caught a glimpse of
child in the wOman's arms. Soon
after the walls of flame shut out all
view, and the cries ceased The hor-
lifted witnesses, driven away by the
heat to a greater distance, fingered as
near as possible, but neither saw nor
heard any more.
1t is believed that the persons thus
seen were a man, wife and child,
named Hugh, who lived in a shanty
in remote place on the barrens, and
in escaping across the ridge, were
hemmed in upon the rocks where seen
and so perished in the eOnfiagration.
Search is to be made for their remains.
A number of instances of narrow
| escapes, and of more or less serious in
iuries are reported. A large number
of poor people have been thus bereft
of home, goods, and the means OF