Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1871-06-13
Caught by the Flames.
A Hunters iSOry-TA COnRagratiOns in
Me NOuntaias


Great flames have been raging lately in the
forests in Sullivan, Ulster and Delaware
counties in New York. The woodlands in
the remote sections of the Shaudaken noun
tains were discovered in flames on MAY 18th.
The underbrush, dry as finder, was like train
of gunpoWder, and the flames were spread
with extraordinary rapidity. The following
homespun narrative is from the lips of an eye
witness:
"You see, we were huntin' for bears, which
you know get off to just such places whar
there amt nobody nor nuthin' to be botherin'
'em. When We found track and were fol.
IerinG on 1t up, Jim says to me, Bob, some
thing burning! We hadn't tramped much
further before the smoke came pretty thick
in puffs, like. There wasn't n breath of air.
All at once there came 4 cloud of smoke, ike
blanket. 1t came right down and made the
whole woods almost as dark as sunset, although
it was only , o'clock. Then came q shower
of cinders, and VIC got choked aud bliuded.
Some of the cinders came on our necks, like
so many needles sticking into us. We we're
nigh to the top of the hills, and in 4 minute
or SO the smoke aud cinders shifted another
way, SO We could see bit. There never was
such 4 sight All about US, except one little
streak along the earst'rd, was in blaze. We
were both as black as Congo niggcrs TWAS
like tho Atlantic ocean chock full of kerosene
aud pine wood, all FIRE at once. Well, ON
the top of this mountain, bit off below US,
was hollow, with steep rocks all around it.
There was spring and a brook there, and
green grass. In that hollow, say about ten
rods long aud five wide, there were more than a
million Of snakes-adders, moccasins. racers.
and black snakes-and woodchucks, 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, aud the rocks around as hot as an oven
They were all walled in by the fire. There
was no gettin' ou'. The bar had laid down
on mis- back and growlcd. His hair was most
burnt off, and his hide was scorched. The
foxes were burnt as bad, and looked wCul Gu
TiOus with their tales all sed The most
amusing thing of all was the snakes. Some
OF them were dead in heaps and all twisted
up and burst open others were burnt to a
crisp, and the rest sIuirmed and wigslcd like
heap of tangled ropes. All this happened
in less than half an hour While we stood
aSSawking at the sight, gust of wind and
hot cindcrs came on US. We choked, and
turned around to get out There was no time
to lose. Only n narrow, dry ravine was uu-
burnt. Down that We went, about two yards
at each straddle, until we got to the bottom.
The whole of the Shaudaken mountains
seemed TO be on fire last Saturday night. In
the vicinity Of Monticello and Liberty VIII
lage the fires extend for miles in several di-
reciions. Tens of thousands of acres of ex-
ceIlent woodland have been burned over, and
thousands of cords of wood and bark have
been destroyed. The Methodist chapel, the
public school house. aud other buildings have
been consumed at Black Lake Wild rumors
prevail Of other extensive losses of property.
and perhaps of human life. The flames have
surrounded several farms and dwellings on the
distant mountain terraces. and fears are en-
tertained to safety of the families.