The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1872-06-20
THE MOUNTAIN FIRES.
A Visit to the Burning Mountains of
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES and Incidents
How the Fire Travelled,
[ From the New York World.1

PoRT JERvIs, May 23.-Strange, very
strange, and most unsightly is the ghast-
ly appearance heareabouts of blackened
fields, charred and ruined homesteads. aud
withered brooks, all showing where he
scorching tornado of fame has eaten its
blasted track. | feel myself at loss for
proper words in which to adequately give
an idea of the horribly bare, black desola
tion stretching for miles into the sur
rounding country Fertile fields, CLEAN.
ing with the vividly glinting green of
growing oats or wheat, giving promise Of
iull, abundant crops stately trees, rejoic.
ing in the unhampered development of
years, and shining in the adorning bravery
of many leaved spring and even the
numerous lntersecting fences which bore
token to the farmers care and skill, have
all vanished from the surface of earth
leaving no trace save the melancholy Gin.
dery fragments which strew the ground
far and wide
For over four weeks not drop of rain
fell upon the parched and thirsty soil !;
the earth was dry aud crumbling, and
every breeze, however gentle, foated away
thick, powdery pufs of dust, the streams
sank daily lower and lower, leaving ex
posed deuse banks of oozing mud from
which arose the wan shapes of malaria
many OF the mountain brooks were dried
entirely springs ceased to flow, aud well
buckets came In contact with the bottom,
and the Delaware river could be waded
at this spot, for the water was lower than
nna'c EpoaS A 70 rf,l Iron-l. Lal
tied upon everything with a universal, all
absorbing blight. Overhead, thick, dense,
and impalpable hung the cloud of smoke
curling ever upward from the burning
woods. Dimly shone the hazy sun, its
beams obscured and looking like
dull ball of clouded light, the darkly op
pressive glare experienced in the heat
seeming to portend some great destruc-
ton, vague aud vast. Fitfui showers OF
charred twigs and bits of burned leaves
still glowing with evanesceut sparks pat
tered down in weary sequence, and from
the distance, faint and dim, came the
muffied roar of the fiery tempest.
In Pike county, Pennsylvania, just
across the river, the fire swept with its
bosom of destruction, covering as it weui
more than seven miles, large extent OF
much OF the best land in the vicinity
| Looking hence, the progress Of the storm
could be nla ked By an appearance like
that given 10 the Israeites ui old-a cloud
of smoke by day, aud at night glowing
mass, ausfgured aud shot through by
arrow fires. Futile efforts were made to
stay its advance, but vainly. Like au
inevitable torrent, it flowed steadily on
ward, with the might and calm impres-
siveness of fate. 1t seemed some horrible
monster, conscious of its work and glory
in its power Unsuitable, and demanding
glutted. Old landmarks vanished in its
glowing embrace. \ thin stream of fire
would run 10 advance of the coming wall
of fame, leap upon the side of barn,
and fit over the cracking, gum-exudiDg
boards in impish gee, then dive sudden
ly into the Interior. Faint blue smoke
would arise tremblingly and drift away
into lazy motion then a quick jumping
stream of fire would follow, light issue
from all parts at once, and almost instan
taneously the barn would become the vor
tex of the flaming whirlpool that roared
and raved around it as the centre. By
this time the wall of FIRE would have ap-
preached and all would be engulled with
in the larger food, and barns, houses, and
cattle-sheds be whirlcd away in ashes and
smoke Ahead, but all too short way,
the frightened family would be fleeing
along the road, often times saving only
the clothing they wore, carrying the little
ones, whose tagging feet would have cost
their lives, and followed by what domestic
auimals they could have persuaded to come
dogs, horses, sheep, COWS, oxen, hens,
and even geese pressing forward in a con
fusedly mingled mass, flying with common
accord from the huge, wide stretching wall
of fire that ran after them with such terri,
bic rapidity, tbrusting out long arms, eager
to clutch, and roaring like the wind.
Many were the instances where the
fire hurried on SO swiftly that it seemed
as though it but designed to plant the
seed, leaving that to develop as best it
might. The flaming wall would in some
case rush past with the whirl and dash
of plugging cataract, and in its track
would be seen the parched fields family
aickerng, and houses and trees fercerly
burning, while the main body OF fame be
tens Of rods away. At the lumber vii
lagos Of Carter and Gould, Pa.-the two
separated only by stream, named Lar
rvs Creck-the fire came upon the in
habitants SO very quickly that scarcely
anything was saved. Terrified, hemmed
in, surrounded by blazing wall, they
sought refuge upon the thousands Of logs
lying 10 the mill-pond near one of the
villages. And here occurred one Of the
most curious incidents of the fire As
though determined not to reliuquish any
substance whicu could be made to burn,
thn Gnmns carne dnMn To the Mater ed oe