The New York herald., 1871-10-15

INTO the mn light OF Tie early morn Words cannot
describe the sceUe. and no one who dia
was mo r.sou1 cass win %s can
anything that Could approach the reality. For .
moment stoVd rooted 10 the ground as IL WERE
MY good rielu who had acted 80 gracious part
towaru metne night before met me at the very
iaSsAclsA but as ] gfasped nun ny he h.lnu
scene % tha. mel a'''u nv ass' gaze I beyond where
We both were striking me with an awe thai was ui,-
speskaple. And how coud it have been otherwise
As Tar as tho eye could reach W az vast cOncouIsc
Y, men, women ana cRndIeH all huddiea together
over the Park AMI IN the lots AMID wagons, herses
sound asleep some with a sort OF wooden shelter
over them, some under tents and yet ethcrs and by
iGr the greater number with NO sireRer ~ Sh ou'
CANOPY OF DARK SMOKE
that came waiting along over head in TRICK rolling
masses that one could almost Imagine TO hear mCv-
Ing IN the air iancled even III the midst OF all the
CONFUSION that I witnessed among those who
nom place 10 place Seeking apparently
for some articles they mad Inslatd the night before
that l could tell one family from another 80
distinct an Inc hnstnc, busiIng crowds that moved
here, there and everywhere was each little group
fiom the o'ner There must nave Deen on an siaes
fully 80 900 persons, and yet one M the most strlk-
ing features about
was the absence OF that very thing which, undcS
almost all circumstances, Is supposed to be In.
seperabe rrom large and mixed gathering OF men,
confusion: there was pushing and there was crowd
ing in places; there was talking and there was
moving OF wagons and carts from one place 10
another. hut Otherwise over the whole scene
SAD ouIsrSEss.
TINT reminded me OF the quiet crowds have OFTEN
seen at a innera in large church. There was not
joyous fGce about me. IL was in vain that tried
70 Imagine heard laugh from some group which
case the laughter / thought heard turned
out 70 be wall OF anguish. NY pen al
evidence Of what the disaster had done IN one OF its
phases OF how !. seemed to have stabbed to the
of tnc hundreds thar were within calling distance OF
my voice, yet every one OF whom seemed as ful OF
physical health as could De- ! wandered about
among the crowds that were walking In little groups
and
TALKING IN Low TONES
together feeling as though were the only person
with life and Thought in me, and that all VINO
passed me, needless how knocked against them
% 1 IN N s wa0a Se
the many little scenes Thar we're 50 IN.
the encampment, and which made 1t sne moUrnrul
gathering II vas TO the right and left-no matter
what way urned or how anxiUnsly tried 70 peer
beyond the groups for vacant space-my searching
eyes were met with little knots OF men, women and
sne sroans sn% standing a even s
q sncn supreme sadness tnat my heart
. strange way by the sorrow ana anguish depicted
upon every coontcnance. DID you ever look upon
the face Of a man who escapes from shpwrccK
and gets to the shore Knowing that his wife ana
little ones had gone down, down
UNDER TEE PfTfLRSS WAVES
never to riser Did you notice how. II he be
man OF will, he says not word: how his face, pale
as as me wnltest marble seems to yop paler every
hon the lips tighter ana the hands ciench, and
he think ali the wnle he is concealng ms great
row within hts own breast? Sucn was the look OF
about every man came across In this
FIELD or WOE
for they had. every Cf them II Is true escaped
danger that was past; but how many on, how
many. AS they wandered about with that agOnizng
look nrcn their 1aces and turned their eyes toward
the black clouds thai hOvered over where their homes
were once, were thinking OF those loved and dear
ones VITO mad tried to escape when they did and who
are n0w--iOd knows whcres What If child was
missing. wlle not found, sister not heard from
since the roof OF
rHg LITTLE HOME
them IN their great desolatons They knew not
where those they sought for were, and the men
thought that the smoudering ruins which lined
the distant roadways Tor miles around had
hid the missing ones forever from their slgnt
itself. When DOW recall the low suppressed
CRIES OF ANGUISH
anbsr as nassea NV f1 mopnu Tne Way a1onr
through crowd after crowd OF these victims
;,, me great disaster; when the scenes
my mind as write; OF the mothers that met,
with their babes closely pressed to their bosoms,
lief OF fooJ that kind hands proGered of tbe little
children found lying
SLEEPING swEErLY
amid the whole confusion as though their mothers
had not been lost TO them aDd other mothers
who ,: nad lost linen sneir own were caring for them
with their heads bowed on their hands and swayed
TO and fro and looked up ut you when you spoke to
The girls Of q tender age, who hid behind one
another In their shelter as you passed, lest yon
would notice that fncy had reached the prairits
with scarce enough covering 10
HIDE THEIR SAKEDTEss:
0f the hundreds upon hundreds that were about me
IN tue lark and out Of IT. all so sad all silent IN
their sadness yet so many crying, strong men, too
CRYING IN stlning way for fear wife or chid would
now. IL IL wonder that ind am.
Guilty to portray that terrible scene on
less Of real agony real suffering about mt il "1n IN
itself tnan any other tnat beIel the unfOr-
IunaIe people o. Chicago during the fatal days Of
last week Yet In II we saw reflected all the suffer
ing. all the losses. all the heartbreakings, all the
trials endured elsewhere and still TO be endured and
have made II seem to any one who beheld II,
THE SADDBST SCENE
desoaton. i mad scarcely the heart as i went
about among the people e. 70 say word to any one
pressions Of sympashy would have Deen
UoRuD hVcKERY,
yet OCCASIONALLY plucked mp courage enough TO
speak 70 few Of the men and women. careful all
the while 10 speak Ieengly Of the great misfortune
that had befalien the people, without a moment
making my sympathy look like pity for their own
particular desoIations; for, strange it may seem
the more J wandered among these unfortunate,
saa nss m e DID
SO deeply that third person WHO dared TO express
sorrow Tor them Ia particular would have been
treated 10 q,uck rebuff | sat down beside one
Young man and his wife III the PARK and
PARIo0K OF TIE FOOD
with sncin which the man mad procured, believe,
from the place where The Relief Committee
had sent food for distribution. ] could not
but pity the poor young wife she sat with
her head upon her husbanc's knees, ard
her lace covered with bcf hands, while
she cried on so bitterly And clinging to her were
three little Chiidren-- girl OF abont seven and
another OF about i've and chubby faccI hOy about
TWO years oil age. They were all three beautiful
children and they seemed 10 know something awful
bad happened without exactly knowing what 20
make ''mamma" cry 80 And they t0yed WIN her
hair with their tiny hands AMI the little hoy would
every now and then pui his little arms ronnd the
mothers neck, place ms lips against her cheek ana
murmur,
"nosT Ki, MAMMA, DON'T 1J."
Do you wonder that the man gulpei down his
ioOd ch0kln2y when ne heheld this | mnra