Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1871-06-15
Caught BY The Flames.

0y u sAC - A&AAACSs
Great fires have been raging lately 10
the forests ia Sullivan, Ulster and Dela-
ware Counties, in New York State. Tho
woodlands in the remote sections Of tho
Shandaken Mountains wero discovered in
flames on May Is. The undcrbrush. dry
as tinder. was like train of gunpowder.
and the flames spread with extraordinary
rapidity. The following homespun de.
scription is from the lips of an eye-wit-
ness: y
"You see, VIC were huntin' for bars,
which, you know, get of to just such
places, where there aint nobody nor nuth-
in TO be a bother'n on'em. When we
found track and were follcrin' ont up.
Jim says to me, Bob, something's burn
ingl We hadn't traniped much further
before the smoke came pretty thick--in
puffs, like. There wasn't breath Of air
All at once there came cloud of smoke,
like ablanket. 1t came right down and
made the woods almost as dark as sunset.
although it was only about two O'clock
Then came shower Of cinders " got
choked and blinded. Some of the cinders
came on our nccks like SO many needles
stickin' into us. We were nigh to the top
of the hills, and in minute or so tho
smoke and cinders shifted another way. ~
we could see bit. There never was
such sight. All about us. except ono
little streak along the cast'ard was in Il
blaze. We were both as black as Cougo
nggers. 1t WAS like the Atlantic Ocean
chock full of kerosene and pinc-wood. all
Gre at once. Well, on top of tIiis
mountain. n bit of below us, was hollow
with steep rocks all around it. There
was a spring and brook there, and green
grass In that hollow. say about ten rods
long and five wide, there were more than
a million of snakes-adders moccasins, ra-
GERS and black suakes-and wood-chucks,
squirrels, foxes, and one bar. They had
all come there to get to the water away
from the fire, but now the water was
nearly all dried up. the ground baked,
and the rocks around as hot as an oyen.---
They were all walled ir by the fire
There was no gittin' out. The bar laid
down on his back and growled. His hair
was most burnt off, and his hide was
scorched. the foxes were burnt as bad.
and looked awful curious with thir tails
all roasted The most amusing thing of
all was the snakes. Some Of them were
dead in heaps, all twisted up and burst
open; others were burnt into a crisp; aud
the rest squirmod aud wriggled like
heap Of tangled ropes. All this happened
in less than half an hour. While We
stood a gawking ut the sight gust of
wind and hot cinders came on us Wu
clicked and turned around to got out
There was no time to lose. Only mar
row, dry ravinc was uuburnt. Down that
we went, about two yalds ut each straddle
until we got to the bottom. We'll never
forget that. stranger and if hell is any
hotter'n that, we'll jino the mectill' next
Sunday, sure -
The whole of the Shandakcn Mountains
seemed to be on fire last Saturday night.
In the vicinity of Monticello and Liberty
Village the fires extend for miles in sever
al directions. Tens of thousands of acres
of excellent woodland have been burued
over, and thousands of cords Of wood aud
bark have been destroyed. Tho Metho-
dist Chapel the public school-house and
other buildings have been consumed ut
Black Lake. Wild rumors prevail Of
other extensive losses of property, aud
perhaps, of human life. The flames have
surrounded several farms and dwellings
on the distant mountain terraces, aud
fears arc entertained as to tho safety of
the families.
The forests on the Orange County
Mountains have also been on fire. Tho
most extcnsiv; Of these confagrations was
along the HUDSON Highlands, westward vf
Iona Island. Showers arrested the flames
on Monday, and the fires are now s;nold-
ering. Extensive forest fires are said To
be raging in the New Jersey pine bar
rens and on Ioup Island