Wilmington daily gazette., 1872-05-28
TIE BURNED DISTRICT.
VISIT Z" the naraing Momr tains OF
Pen"sy'vH"i"-S -Scenes and lncidents-
Now the Fire travelled.

From the World Correspond Mt. of yestsrday.
PoRT JEWS, May 2s.-Strarae. very i
strange, anu most unsightly Is the glastly ap 4
ptarahcc hereabouts of hlackei.d fieids .
charred and ruined honiesteads. and w,her+d
,rooks, al showing whtre the scorchiug tor
,'suo sl.', ., Lame mas eaten Its blssting track.
itti myself ut loss for proper words in
N,lch 70 adequately Civ. All idea Of the
horribly bare. blank d-s0lation stretching for F.
H''es '''.o the ..''rroun..'ns country. i.
Many were the Instances where the ar-
hurried on so swiftly thatit seemed as though
| IL blt designed to plant the seed; leaving til I
10 develop as best It might. The flaming wall
"ouId III sUtne cases rush past will the whir
and dash Of Il piunging cataract, and In IL,
1M,ach M Would De seen the parchrd fields family
nickefillS and houses an1 Trees firrcely burn
lpY' wnc the men body of fame would be
iehs 81 rods away. One such incident saw.
fono"ihg sN~iy after the advancing wall Of
screening earth, caiue upon a pine tree,
'alHt, stately, aud majestic, standing solitary
ana alone In the centre of the wide field
coming nearer, subdued cracking sOuud
the sight of little writhing serpents OF fire
lhat seemed to creep aud crawl in. ceassiess
ACTIVITY, aArttii2 frolh point " pUint IN iIpck
Z leaps over tile corrugated surface Soon tn,
trulik VI tle tree was girded with band uf
nOwihg hre, from which continuous hooking |
, claws shot up amongst the branches. Tie
HFSiu heat caused cVpiOus exudatiOn of sap
lhe magnificent tres seeming to literally
i ,weas ia lts agony, and tlis resinous gum
, gusiitd down and over the ground With a
i slacking, suapping sound, like that Of burn
" fiiH Dru,li Soon the long strraks of fire
= chinning steadily upward had attained tn,
4 summit, ana banner OF faring fam
:. 2trtanied and tlckered far into tile lusky air.
, Every oiu year 5 cone Yet clinging to the tree
was now brightly burning core of the purrst
70 hre ana from these rs centres came the lick
a 'n2' TWISTING snakes that like glittcring rod
ol Aaron, swallowed each otl,rr until they
oecahie blended in one huge column Of fire,
"a shutting, girantng pyramid OF golden
1t glare = The whole tree wa, by this time en-
ts trapped IN Its ROrgeOusly tinted shirt OF
0, DJanlra occasionally some branch would be
No burned OH and tumble to the ground with a
'e sounding crash aud bump that scattered in all
fe directions luyriads Of sLOwery fitting sparks.
- lu comparatively short time the flames di
in minished, dwlndted, peaked and pinrd away
:, until there was lrit no ye,tige OF the once
II superb tree but blackened, charred stump,
scared and scarihtd into uncouth ridges
pointing hraVenward it, sharprned end like
Is an isolated index finger
he Melancholy indeed was the fate of numerOu:
-, anhnaAc Toasted alive, a, wrre ~ many, II
=" some places the sickening effluviun of sipnec
hu nair alu burnt nrslI Is almost overpOwerlng
IN II wa, my fortune to witness one scene which
y Tor grotesnur horror mingled with y certain
sort OF suDlnr!ty, could have hardly been ex
cslled: \ horse, belonging TO a farmer .
Pike County, named CaipbS Thompson, an,
Nv which subsequently ascertanrd to be hal
nr thoroughbred, got by Hamblrtonian colt
IN. badly frightened at the "dvancng fire, brOk
~ loose from his leadership, and while rnnn'n
~. about became badly signed Frantic wit
N pam. totally beyond control, some mlschanc
az led him to the spot where u barrel OF kerosen
la' oil had fallen from wagon, and burstin
IN open, had formed poo by the roadside: u
10 to this pool rushed the poor stallion, and, "
re- ing down, rolled over and over again, u Al
led lay the smart Of his tingling flesh. But II
the sooner ih! he touch the oil than some fire, y
led concealed in his hide, leaped FORTH and in a
instant tlh, shallow pool OF oil was sheet
~ rainbow unted fame. s,Irgina In fanta,,
shapes OF purple and azure gold. Mad vii
INT agony, screaming frighfui, t.. ihlr scream
oo,l which n rings in my ears. the horse boun'
Prs ed high into the air and dashed away in II ola
al. trring gallop, robed In tho clnGina sheet
mt fame, whose fiery hiss could be distinct
) Il heard as it eat into his very bones. Away
to dashed, his glowing garment trailing oehi'
of hin, In iorked tongues Of parti. cOlOred III
He'd paving the ground ia frrnzied fury, jumpil
en- wildly in all directions, every nerve al
ate, muscle quivrrng from. the fearful auntyii
was and continually uttering those screams Who
No. shrill inouriifulness testified " intensity
ting anguish greater than any dreamed Of by Dar
Drk- among the deepest uamned. Hr disappear
ton into the woods a blazing mass Of 6re, aud
most cries came gradually fainter and more la
re- until they utterly ceased. Nor WAS It
,een quarupeds alone which snffersl-hirds oy'
hem taken in their nests by the swift dane VI
rips, burned to ctidrrs In 4 moment. SOMe s
an crclnE h!ghin sky uttrriug strident, rasp
tical cries, wheeling ami Hitting msss Of ham
ect- feathers, and at length dropping exhaus
pted upon the burning bed below.
hour Al the iuuiber villsges Of Carter and Go,
nga4 Pa.-,he twoseparated only by stream nar
WAS Larrys Creek--the ire came upon the inhs
.oa ants SO very quickly that scarcely anything
dent 49, 49,, .s.W. - - s ..ss,,,
dwin VIC o'"AS rsFtSvy 'e1k"s '~s ~
rele- thousahu9 Q, ioxs lying IN tue ruiI to,,u
ming ono ortne vi!lages' ana mere occurreo ou
determined not to relinquish any substi
ten's which could be made 10 burn, the flames G
down 10 the water edge, pounced upon the
Med submerged logs, and drove away the frigh,'
t"nss; r,s. occupan,s in ds,nsy. Dashine on, the
IL, sweh over this large mas OF hoating lin
,in.'S and in short time three thousand logs
1,on, b.aztg at more Than fnrnace-lieas blown
pase. nadG. Think vi l...e si,-t COLLECTION OF
Skin crack 'sng ana roaring in one huge fame, v
ut III around = lower edge was contntio,iy pki
other as IRE cane in coutsct with water. bellowir
irtuss rushing flames n.,yled with sharp hl~ing
tner wss a picture as grand as ii ~as awful
eI nH .Le Finally came the blessed Ssia. Rlg,
trial clouds stru,ted hihk ip.Y the sIV And ,hers
lec,ed l., threatening pottent. They
btacker and olacker; once in while q
young dazzling aash Of igLu,ing sped across
oman ~iui6ie ,ssl,eads, tonowed a, an in,ervs!
1 Pulls hnarse low rumble OF taS-oG hunder. II
~, apds were oolsQavd incl the count'e" scot
- hv the nr.s, with hea,is upturned ana
uos. as,sre, gazing wnaf.llly, painfully Ut the c'
prayiny and hoping vet hardly daring 10