Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-04-02

BURNING or TIE NATURAL BRIDGE I'm
Ger date OF March o.b, Il correspondent Of
the Lexington (Va.) COtieg'au, wiilee as fol
lows:
A phenomenon of the most extraordinary
deer pti0u has just thrown this community
into The widest excitement. Last Tuesday
evening as | was returning rom visit to
friend on the other side OF the ia ural bridge,
observed, upon CHANGING over into the casm,
a vap0r issuing from sJne crevlceS IN the
western si4e 81 the bridge, and detected a
pecui ar odlr IN the atmosphere. Mr. Pea
cue. uuon b vug IS attention dir, cted TO
the matter, was positive that lie could detect
something OF the sort himself. W were at
a total loss to conf ctdre the csuse of this IN
wonted disturbance in the chasm teiJw.
Upon returning home and informing our
friends OF what We had seen, we were In
formed that cur vapJr was mere mist, and
it We had sinelt anything unpleasant, IL
must have been pole cat for these mails
are most plcGtl al in that locality
But having occasion t. ride over the bridge
early this morning, found things N that
quarter in a most sadly excited conditirn
Tor about d mile before arriving at the hltel,
| I Ought could discern IN that reIghblr
hooI neayv clouds OF smoke hanging intense
Iv black all around that part OF the horizon.
As | ncared tie spO:, the smoke became den
ser and blackor, and VIXEN got to the hotel,
found every body excited an everything in
tie widest con uslon. The negroes who &C.
cnpy the d, serted premises near the bridge
on the brow of the nil, had moved down To
the hotel, 80 great was their terror and
every one was making ready 10 depart at
once. From below the bridge volumes Of
1, ",
except when interrupted by jets of bright
flame which occasionally tiared up TO great
height The surface of the ground is warm
tor some distant around, and is steam ~
very visbly. The peculiar smell noticed
on Sunday last IS now plainly perceptible to
all. The rock on the western side Of the
bridge has been cracked by the heat, and
large masses have fallen into Cedar creek.
As vet the arch, as well as can be seen IN the
intervals between the volumes of smoke Is
intact Occasionally, however, We could DIS
tinguish the crashing sound OF a boulter as
it dashed into the water below. The negroes
say thst the first intimatiou they had Of any
thing OF the kind was last night, about or
10 O'clock "a boy walking across the bridgc
was frightened by a bright light shooting
from the side of the bridge he fled in terror,
and aroused the rest OF the Immediate neigh
borhood every one was almost petrifed with
terror.
\ Lexington professor thus explains the
phenomenon The Natural Bridge is COM
posed of mountain lime. with large assures
filled with grahamte which as is well known
is kind of bituminous coal or asphaltum
deposited in seams in formations of this
peculiar kind, At some distance above the
high water mark are sui phur0us deposits and
traces of metallic oxides The action of sul-l
phur on the metallic oxides even in small
quantities in the presence of water will gen
crate heat to degree abundantly sufficient
to ignite a mass Of as combustible a nature
as the grahamite. The water was supplied
by the thawing of the snow and thus this
celebrated natural curiosity is threatened
with destruction
JoHN LOWELL, a Montreal pub lisLe', pro-
poses to erect building at Rouse Point, in
which he will carry on his business. 1t is
said he will invest capital of 500, 900 and
employ five hundred hands. The reason for
coming over the line is that he can here print
books by English authors and pay duties on
them back into Canada, cheaper than be can
put them into market by printing them in
the Dominion and paying for the use OF the
copyright. The proposed arrangement would
be profitable to the government revenues but
rather damaging to the private interests of
English authors