Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-06-23
A wHIRLWIND OF FIRE.
Horrible Battue Of Snakes, Squirrels,
Foxes and Bears-.Roast Rattle
Snake and Ericaseed Fox,
From the New York Tribune, oath.

and Delaware counties, in this State.
The woodland in the remote sec
tions of the Shandake Mountains
were discovered in flames on May
Is. The underbrush, dry as a tin
der, was like train of gunpowder,
and the flames spread with extraor-
dinary rapidity. The following
homespun description is from the
lips OF an eyewitness:
You see, we were huntin' for
bars, which you know get off to
just such places, where there amt
nobody nor nothing to be a bothcr'n
on 'em. When we found track,
and were follerin' ont up, Jim says
to me, Bob, something's burning!
We hadn't tramp'd much further,
before the smoke came pretty thick
in pufs, like. There wasn't a
breath 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.
"Then came a shower of cindcrs.
We got choked and blinded. Some
of the cinders came on our necks
like so many needles stickin' into
us. We were nigh to the top of the
hills, and in a minute the smoke
and cinders shifted another way, so
we could see bit. There never
was such sight! All about us,
except one little streak along the
BASTARD was in a blaze. We were
both as black as Congo niggers.
1t was like the Atlantic Ocean chuck
full of kerosene and pine wood, all
afire at once. Well, on the top of
this mountain, a bit off below us,
was a hollow, with steep rocks all
around it. There was spring and
brook there, and green grass. In
that hollow, say about ten rods
long and five wide, there were MOI
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 how the fire was nearly
all dried up, the ground baked, and
the rocks around as hot as an 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 and his
hide was scorchcd. The foxes were
burnt as bad, and looked awful Gu
rious with their tails all roasted.
The most amusing 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 squirmed and wriggled
like heap of tangled ropes. All
this happened in less than half an
hour. While we stood gawking
at the sight gust Of wind and hot
cinders came on us. We chobed
and turned round to get out. There
was no time to lose. Only a mar
row, dry ravine was unburnt. Down
that we went, about two yards at
a straddle, until we got to the boz
tom. Well never forget that,
stranger; and if hell is any hotter'n
that, well .jine the meetin' next Sun
day, sure"
The whole of the Shandaken
MnnnfaInS cnnr,nl 10 I, I,,n L.
Saturday night. In the vicinity of
Monticello and Liberty Village the
fires extended for miles in sew
eral directions. Tens of thousands
of acres Of excellent woodland have
been burned over, and thousands of
cords of wood and bark have been
destroyed. The Methodist chapel,
the public school house and other
buildings have been consumed at
Black Lake. Wild rumors prevail
ed Of other extensive losses of
property, and, perhaps, Of human
life. The flames have surrounded
several farm dwellings, on the dis
tant mountain terraces, and fears
are entertained as to the safety of
the families The forests on the
Orange county mountains have also
been on fire. The most extensive
of these contlagrations was along
the Hudson highlands, westward
of Iona Island. Showers arrested
the flames on Monday, and the fires
are now smouldering. Extensive
forest fires are said to be raging in
the New Jersey pine barrens and on
Long Island.