The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1871-10-13
HE SUFFERING AT THE West. Com.
menting on the terrible disasters in the
West, during the. past few weeks. the

Wese,. uHElDG tpe. past lew weeks, the
Augusta Chronicle says: Il
The tslegrams OF yesterday inform us
that ut'Tlength the aevouring element.
whioh at one timo promised to consume
the greatest city Of the West, has been
subdued-not by human effort, but
through the meroiful interposition of the
rain Of Heaven. Tho destruction oof
property has been immense. Repeated
telegraphio messages do not abnte the
estiuidte OF human suffering. 10000
people homeless and honseless! The
great heart of this Western giant Utmost
utterly consumed. Thousands in a day
who we're in affiuence reduced to want,
and many thousands who, in the battle
of life, had stored up for the wants of
old nge their bard-wrought earnings,
have found them all swept from them rs
with the besom Of destruction in night.
The calamity ut Chicago is made more
appalling in the destruction which pre-
ceded it In that area OF country which is
largely tributary to it. A terrible druuth
has prevailed generally throughout the
Northwest, and has been particularly
severe in parts of Indiana, Illinois, Min.
neBota and Wisconsin. Tie d1outh has
been unparalleled. The Green Buy
tWis.) Advocate, in chronicling IN ap-
palling catalogue Of the deeds of tile Are
fiend. says: 1--WE have been for three
months almost without rain. Since the
Sth OF July last, when we had a heavy
shower in the night, rain has fallen but
once (the night of September 5th) in
sufficient quantities to lay the dust"
Did our limits permit, it would be but
repetition without vnriableness or shadow
nf fnrnIDn f., L.. .e
disasters. Mills. houses. barns, fences,
fuel, hay-property OF all kinds
swallowed up by the insatinte element.
Families by the hundreds were driven
from their burning homesteads, to make
their way as bsst they could, with what
ever they could save of thcir stock aud
household goods, to plnces Of refuge
The creeks, wells and springs dried up,
leaving no resource to stay the advancing
flames, save digging ditches::. Tie crops
IN the soil-potatoes, turnips. &c--are
destroyed. The forests are inaccessible
by reason of flame, heat aud smoke; and,
therefore, '''nothing can be estimated ex-
cept from the effects of the fire near the
settlements. where it penetrated the
parohed ground from one to.two feet,
qnd destroyed the life of the trees"
But this picture Of tue country is re-
peated with more Or less severity in the
large parea covered By the parts of the
States enumerated. The suffering which
ensues from these great calamities, ter
minating in the grand catastrophe at
Chicago. is unuttsrable. Language is
beggared by any attempt to hnd express,
sion Tor 1t, or to number it's pulsations.
But there are those among us to whom
this picture will recall terrible memories.
Those who witnessed or endured. in
Sherman's march from the mountains of
Georgia to the sea Southward, aud fro.n
the sen Northward to the plains of North
Caroiina. will recall wildly such plo-
.Grs oe aosolation, and their hearts will
throb in responsive sympathy with the
unfortunate victims. We we'll remember
that memorable night when, upon Boil
lings Island. in the ConHaree, where,
having found concealment from KilpAt-
rick's cavalry. We witnessed. ut tue dis
tance Of fifteen miles, the lambent flames
reaching high up from the horizon, OBJ
securing the stars with lurid glare, and
from their topmost reach blending into
heavy rolling volumes of dark clouds;
the passing away of Columbia, the once
beautiful capital of the Palmetto State;
while, at our feet. seated upon the tat
tered cushion of an ambulance and re-
olining against the trunk of swamp
oak, tender mother and wife of Con-
federate officer. fugitive. watched all
night the last struggles OF her dying in.
fnnt; and we we'll remember that we
journeyed from dawn to midday on the
morning of the next day, through bl 4ok-
ened and burning forests, and by the
trail Of white ashes which marked the
fenceless fields. guided by the tall, red
ohimneys which stood like sentineIs over
the smouldering ruins OF once brightand
happy homes.
We tender to the unfortunate victims
o: this great calamity in the West sor-
rowful sympathy. It is all that we Can
spare to give.
AN IMposToR-HAN HIN AROUND AND
WAroH HIM We copy the following
from the Ohlrlotte Observer:
GREENSBORO, N c., October 4. 1871
To Masters Of Masonic Lodges: A man
by the name of Keele, of medium s,zs,
red face. black hair, wears moustache
and whiskers on chin. about thirty yeurs
old. claiming to hail from Whiteaburg
Lodge, No. 295, Letcher County. Ken.
fuoky hoa visita6 n.nv;lla ord fIra.no