The Greenville enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1870-1873, 1871-08-02
[From the New York Tribupe.l
Caught by the Flames.
A HUNTERS sroRY-TuE coNFLAaRA


Caught by the Flames
A HUNTERS sroRY-TuE coNFLAGRA.
TON IN TIE MOUNTAINS.
Great fires have been raging
lately in the forests in Sullivan,
Ulster, Delaware counties in this
State. The woodlands in the re.
mote sections Of the Shandaken
Mountains were discovered in
flames on May 18th. The under.
brush, dry as tinder. was like
train of gunpbwder, and the
flames spread with extraordinary
rapidity. The following home
spun description is from the lips
OF an eye witness:
-, Va" see. we were luntin' for
bars which you know ~. aH to
just such places whar there aint
nobody nor nnthn' to be a bo,her'n
on'em. When found track, and
were follerin ont mp Jim says
to me, Bob, somethin's a burning [!
We hadn't tramped much further,
before the smoke came pretty
thick, in puffs, like. There wasn't
breth Of air.
All at once there came cloud of
smoke, like a blanket. 1t came
right down and made the woods
almost as dark as sunset, although
it was only about two o'clock.
lhen came a shower of cinders.
We got chokcd and blin ed
Some of the cinders came on our
neck like 80 many needles stick
in into us. We were nigh to the
top of the hills, and in a minute
or so the smoke and cinders
shifted another way, so We could
see q bit. There never was such
a sight All about us, except one
little streak along the eastward
was in q blaze. We were both as
black as Congro niggers. 1t was
like the Atlantic Ocean chock
full of kerosene and pinewood, oil
fire at once. Well, on top of
this mountain, bit off below us,
was a hollow, with steep rocks all
around it. There was a spring
and brook there, and green grass.
In that hollow, cay abont ten rods
long and five wide, there were
more than a Million of snakes
adders, moccasins, racers and
and black snakes-and wood
chucks, squirrels, foxes and one
bar.
They had all come there to get
to the water away from the fire,
bnt now the water was nearly all
all dried up, the ground baked,
and the rocks around as hot as All
oven. They were all walled in by
the fire There was no gettin' out.
The bar laid down on his back
and growled. His hair Was most
burnt off aud his hide was scorcl,.
ed. The foxes were burnt as bad
and looked awful curious with
their tails roasted. The most
amnsing thing of all was the
snakes. Some Of them were dead
in heaps, all twisted up and burst
open; others were burnt crisp {;
and the rest sqnirming and wrig.
gled like heap of tangled ropes.
All this happened In less than
halt an hour. Whilo We stood
awakiug at the sight, q gust of
7 wind and hot cinders came on us.
We checked and turned and turn.
ed around to get ont. There was
no time to lose. Only n narrow,
dry raven was unburnt.-Down
that we went, about two yards at
each straddle, until We got to the
bottom. Well never forget that,
stranger and if hell is any hot.
tern that well jine the meetin
next Sunday, sure !" ~
The whole Of the Shandaken
Mountains seemed 10 be on fire
last Saturday night. In the vicin.
/ ity Of Menticcilo and Liberty
! Village, the fires extended Tor
miles in several directions. Tens
of thousands of acres of excellent
woodland have been burned over,
and tho..sands OF cords of wood
| and bark have been destroyed.-
The Methodist Chapel, the public
school house. and other buildin0s