Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-11-07
PEsHTrGo's ASHES.
The Phenomena Of It's Horrible %BIsttIng.0ut
Explalnsa-Huge Balls Of Fire Raining
upon a Doomed Settlement.
A Tornado Loaded with Blazing Missiles
from the Adjacent Burning Forests.

from the Adjacent Burning Forests.
A correspondent Of the New York Sun
who seems to have made q careful stud
into the causes of the phenomenal de
struction ofPeshtigo, writes the following
graphic and thrilling account of the ori
gin and progress OF the horrible destruc
ton:
Sunday In Peshtigo-the Sunday of tn
fre-was noticed as q chilly day, though
the atmosphere was remarkably still AMI
filed with q dense, binding smoke. TIT
smoke created no alarm, as the shoulder
ing fires in the pineries about sufficiently
accounted for 1t. Toward evening tn
smoke increased in density, while tn,
chilliness Of the atmosphere perceptibly
sbsted, end early in the evening gave wa
to occasional hot puts from the burnt dis
tricts. Soon after eight O'Clock in thu
evening, the warmth of the atmosphere
still increasing, and the smoke almost suf
locating in its density, q low, sullel
rumbling began to be heard far away il
the southwest, while g painfully ominoui
stiffness pervsded the immediate vicinity
Of the town. People asked each othel
what was the matter, and tried to appssI
unconcerned, while trembling with unde.
fined ap-prehensisOns. At hslf-psst eight
the fsI-1f rumbling had increased to q
steady roar like distant thunder, or the
coming Of heavy freight trains at full
speed.
Men felt their say through the smoky
streets and c~ongregated at the hotels, in
front Of the stores, and at other places OF
resort, and discussed the strange sounds.
Anxious mothers nervOusly and hesitat-
ingly put their little one in bed, and then
peered out through the dismal streets 70
see what they could see.
Nine o'clock came, and with 1t an
alarming increase of the unknown sound.
which now resembled the roar of a dozen
freight trains, racing at full speed. the To-
cation Of the sound being sensibly nearer
the town.
Suddenly there WIS q cry of fire sound
ing through the smoke bselouded streets.
and men rushed hither and thither, in the
impenetrsble blsckness, rubbing their
eyes for sight, and stumbling against each
ether as they ran.
But no fire was found, though the
search extended out OF the village, and
into the edge Of tho woods, and the excited
people hurried back TO their houses,
laughing at each others sp~prehensions,
n trying to feel secure. Scarcely, how
evar, had the confusion Of the first alarm
subsidized, when the appalling cry was
gi1 raised In anothsr quarter, n the
bi9di running and colliding, and
tuInbling was renewed as the terror
strcken citizens sought q second time for
the flames ths were not TO be found.
Hut while this confusion was at its
height, and while the majority OF men
were away from their houses, Rroping
through clouds of smoke and blaekness:
and with q roar that was almost deafeuine
filling their ears, a change began TO mani
fest Itself in the atmosphere. The whole
air seemed sensihly sgitated, and angry
Of almost hnrning heat came sweep
through the town. while at quick Ia
tervals 3 fhghtful glare penetrated the
from the southwest, and ct times
playing high up in the heavens
above. Even the very earth seemed 10
quake and tTemble.
Mother caught their childreD from
their beds and hastily dressed them, A
cry OF terror filled the town. Men has
Tened TO their homes and collected their
families about them. Many holder ones /
csught mp their yaluables and buried
Even the dumb beasts were seizsd
with fright and ran believing through
streets. Tnen came, ''nearer, clearer, |
o deadly than before" tAst hor- ]
Idle roar, now resembling the din of 2 |
battle, and with it the more &C. /
centric and violent agitation OF atmos- /
)here, a more continuous show of the 4
urid glare overkesd and In the south
rest; while TO sid to the horror of the
light, great balls of fire, like flaming mis- I
lies shot from unseen artillery. 6egaD
aAtng on the hOusstops, in the stree "a
all through the doomed village, The |
cones that followed were an aggravs. tion |
I possible, of Dsnte's wonderful descrip-
iOno OF hell. Mep, women and children |
iorses, oxen, COWS, dogs, swine. fowls
verything that has hfe-were Sc lied with
'snic, and ran wildly and with equal I'm
ertsintya 10 escape the Impending de-
truction- The smoke was ~suffocatinR
binding, the roar of the tempest
-eafening, the atmosphere scorchiuR.
got separated nom their psreuts
were trsmpled upon by the crazed
rutes; husbands and wives were calling
Oudly for each other and rushing In wild
ismay, they knew not where,
But while the community were tina
rantieslly seeking shelter anywhere and
rather than where thev
HANGED 70 be, the awful scene changed.
nd, with the bowling Of atOrnsdo against
hitch seemingly nothing could stand,
a torrent of fire, which an Y wit
ess likens to the hesviest snowfall of
inter, with each fske of snow a coal of
re. The heavens rained fire on every
and, as IL 70 consume the whole earth.
In an instant every building in the
wss in a blszs. And then the fury
I the tempest received additional
and burst in one mighty effort,
II determined that the flames should
OF rob IL Of Its prey. Houses crumbled
Ike paper structures, and their flaming
Dofs and sides were blown away like
sparks upon the gale, to spread
10 consuming elements over the earth, I
A continuous blszslicked up everything
18th which it came in contact. Tive IN
le water only saved themselves by keep
g their bodies subm erged, only ventur-
& to raise their heads at intervals for a
Ioment TO gssp for breath. May wer.
In the effort to Escape burning
lille others, who sought to catch b.eath
lhaled only h7me and perished. Even
le very fishes in the stream were reached
= some mysterious agency and killed. 40
lat b ext day hundreds Of them were
'und floating, dead.
The storm that burst on PeshtiRo with
lch terribly destructive force was but al
birlwind Of great power, which, had IL
,curred on b ocean, would have pro-
q Water-spout. The whirlWind
ok its rise in the boundless pine forest
lck Of the village. Here were on eyefv
the smoldeTing embers of fire that 1
I'd been raging for weeks, md that only
b breath of wind to fan them
to living flames. These were caught uD
? the circling wind, as the dust in
% GNAOONa ~ AANAAChhAl bcCu CdLIItu
in well defined COL
ms when subjected to the In
fences Of b little htful squalls that .
ay through our streets In summer time. |.
ID 30 frequently take his form. But Il J
As no mere summer sqpall in this par :
,ulsr instance. On the contrary, il wss
. OF the fercest and grsndest tornadoes
which we have sny account. Its revo- -
lions were of incaleulsble speed, Great I
z q force that uprooted the Esnt forest "a
YES and twisted of the younger and
IRE firmly rooted with the ease thst one =
,uld break pipe-ste ten Whatever fell :
the trSck Of this msjestic whirlwind
. caught up with irresistible force and
ried with almost lightning speed high
heayenward. Thus, as the storm
over Che burnt district, Il not only -
ked up the smouldering embens from .
|, ground, but caught up Is well great
of combustible material to feed
|, strange fire it was creating In the
uds. Great trunks Of trees were lifted
and carried away like feathers on the
Q. The little pine cones, filed with 4
" matter, were rolled up with leaves !
1 tw1gs into round balls by the rapidly =
Tolv1ng currents n carried aloft to be p
iited and hurltd down again a. great as
is of fire. K
a the settlements, houses. barns. fancas II
hsrdF, h~ay.stacks, all Disappeared in n,
"a - Il nN