The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1873-04-02
Natural Bridge.
iTs rhoBAn:E DEsrRucTloN-MysrER!
Gus CHANGDS RECENTLY OBSERVED.

| ITS PR0BAB:E E RUCTIoN-MYsTER!.
Gus CHANGES REcENTLY OBSERVED.
Mr.. j. Parry McCiucr, of Rock.
bridge county writes to the C"lleg;au
published at Lexington, Va, an
! organ of Washingtuu-L.e University,
alling attention to s,une recent
striking changes that h,ve taken
place, in the arch Of the Natural
Bridge, Mr.. McCluer says:
| "Last Tuesday evening as I was
returning with Mr.. Foague, Of this
place from visit to friend on the
other side of tho bridge, observed,
upon glaucing over in 0 the ohusm, II
vapor issuing from crtviccs in the
western eide Of the bridge, and dc
tected u peculiar odor in ,He atmos.
phere. Mr. Poague, upon having his
attention directed to tho matter, was
positive that he could detect some
thing of the sort himself. We were
at total loss to conjecture the cause
Of this unwontcd
DISTURBANCE IN THE CHAsH bELot7.
Upon returning home and inform.
ing our friend Of what we had soen,
We were informed that our vap6r was
mere mist and if we had smelt any,
thing unpleasant it must have been II
polecat, for these animals are most
plentiful in that locality. But hav-
ing occasion to ride over to the b,idge
early this morning, [ found things in
m st sadly excited condition for
about mile before arriving at tho
hotel | thought | could discern in
that neighborhood hoavy clouds of
smoke hanging intensely black. all
around that part Of the hori%,n. as
neared the spot the smokc became
denscr and blacEer and when | got to
the hotel | found
EvkR9rilINc IN T1ME wrt.Drsr coSrIu.
The negroes who occupy the desert.
ed premises near the bridge, on the
brow of the hill, had moved down to
the hotel, SO great was their terror,
and every one was making ready to
depart at once. From below the
bridge Yoluu,es of deer black smoke
we're rolling continually, except when
interrupted by jets Of bright 6amc
which occasionally hared up to a
great height: The surfac. Of the
ground is warm for some distance
around, and is >teaming very visibly.
The peculiar smell noticed on Sun
day last is now plainly perceptible to
all. The rock on the western side
of tho bridge has been cracked by
the heat, and large masses have fall
len. into Cedar creek. Hs yet the
arch, as we'll as can be seen in the
intervals between tho volumes of
smoke, is intact. Occasionally, how.
ever, we could distinguish the
CRASHING SOUND OF BOULDER
as it dashcc into the water below.
The negroes say that the first intima.
tion they had of anything of the
kind was last night about or 10
o'clpck. A boy walking across the
bridge was frightened by a bright
light shooting from tho side of the
bridge. Hc fed in terror, and arous-
ed the rest Of the immediate neigh
borhood. Every one was almost pet
rified with terror. have just reach.
ed here from the bridge. I shall re-
turn as soon as can get another
horse. Everything here is about to
start for the bridge. IF you will lay
this tatcmcnt before Professor Camp.
bell of our geological departments, he
can doubtless, from his c2teuded ac-
quaintancc with the geology of our
country, throw light upon the causes
of this extraordinary bhopomcuon.
Can it be due to electricity z" !,
Professor Campbell, Of tho Uni
versity, to whose attention these phc,
nomcnas we're called, does not take
quito SO serious view of them, and
says:
II am inclined to consider tho
cause of this to be great chemical |
action, and do not lean toward0 at
tributing it as suggested by Mr..
McCluer, to the action Of cleclrici-
ty."