Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1874-04-04
BALD MOUNTAIN VOLCANO.
Startling Sounds Heard Issuing From
The Mountain

The Mountain
D4iGrm Of the Pccpic Lir:rg IN The Neigh
: borbcod-ihe SrdHce MOI 6 fhoHghf 10 FIRE
bodc tie cad Of lie Umid-juN"sss neg
iectcd-the people gaLoiag 10 prepare for
Geafht
Knoxville. Tenn. March 2O-iur the
twenty days the greatest excitement hi> pre-
vailed for distance Of twenty-five miles
around and in the vicinity OF Bald Mountain
Th, mountain i situated between Crooked
Greek. in Mcdowell County. and Ernai Riv
er. the mountain also extending INTO Rather
ford County That portion of the range with.
in Mcdowell County is generally called
Stone Mountain The first sign Of alarm in
this locality were witues, on the 10th OF Feb
ruary. TIN, consisted in what the people
call a terrible ,uuhcring,' the earth seeming
To culver to ffi.hiiusSxtent. Some parties
describe il a. terrible thunder gradually dying
away in the distance Others as the roaring Of
heavy artillery III the distance. On the l2ih
of February two gentlemen on the highest
point of Ball Mountain.known as Harris View,
which is said to be next To Mount Mitchell in
height, heard this strange noise. One of
them says it at first reminded him of the fall
ing of heavy timber and presented a combina-
ton of sounds aud Impressions Parties liv-
ing on the mountain sides and al the base
heard the same noise A. think that the
noise was in the mountain. One man says
when he saw on one side ofthe mountain the
terrible noise was III the direction of the
mountain, and when on the opposite side the
same indications were observed. All feel
satisfied that the noise proceeded alone from
this mountain But on the 22d February the
noise had reached such a point as to be per
iectly terrible.
Among the per-ons living on this mountain
are Mr.. Camp, Johnston Elliot Noah Elliot,
Widow Nancy, George Morgan, James Gil
bert. and others. From the statements of all
these parties and Of perhaps fifty others the
mountain was actually shaking. The NOV
ing was as if the entire mountain was giving
away. The table ware and the furniture in
the house all rocked aud jolted with frighifuI
force. 1t is said that the cattle have become
alarmed, and have wandered from their usu-
al range. Such was the alarm that al about
twelve o'clock on the night Of the 22d utimo,
the people for miles around began TO assem-
BILE at the house of a DIR. Camp having gone
to the wood pile for wool became so alarmed
that he fell upon his knees and began to pray
| aloud Very soon the terrible quaking of the
mountain was such that the great crowd as
sembled engaged in prayer AT daybreak on
Monday morning, George Logan, a negro
Baptist preacher, was sent for in great haste.
and 80 impatient were they for his arrival tina
a portion of the crowd met him on the road.
beseeching him to come and pray and preach.
The people thus asscmbl d remained IN these
devotions three days, when they moved n
short distance 10 vacant house. the property
of Harris Elliott. On tue third day Billy Lo-
gan white man Baptist preacher. was sent
for, and came Immediately. On March J.
VI. Lumby,a Methodist minister in charge
of Broad River Mission, was impOrtuned to at.
tend and preach, and promptly complied with
the request From an eyewitness the scenes
are described as most strange and extraortlI
nary. The people came iocking in crowds OF
| fifteen and twenty including men, women.
and children, all in the most state of fear. DIES
pair and pentence. On the day Mr.. .Lnmby
preached the house was literally packed
the preacher barely having room to stand
So great was the rush TO hear that many
rushed up the side of the walls ano crowded
on the joists above. Oaly a portion of the
upper story having n,oy and many not be.
:
their heads in the .oor and all around the
house manifesting the most intense interest.
When the call was made for mourners the
people rushed from all parts of the honse and
from the outside, with almost frantic yeils and
/ fell upon the floor aud upon each other all
| paying and suppicaing in the most heartfelt
and agoniZing manner. These exercises con-
timed necessarily for sixteen days and nights
with but little in;ermssion. During this time
/ the people all lived in uncommon No at.
teuiion was given to labor or property. Cat
| tie, horses. and hogs were turned to the
woods, and the entire people within the
| range of this aw ful excitement have conclud.
ed that they have but few more DAYS 10
| live. About one hundred have made profes.
/ sion of religion. The closing scenes of this
strange meeting are represented as most pecu.
/ liar and wonderful. During most of this pc
Rod of sixteen days the mountain had con.
tinued at intervals to present the same alarm
ing impressions. Having prayed, shouted
and sung forthls long period, the people sep
arated with the promise that all would re.
main and die if necessary. 1t is said that the
awe-strlcken cogHenances the melancholy
demeanor of this vast crowd on the breaking
up of the devotions are beyond all descrip.
I ton.
A letter was received in this city today
/ by a gentleman .ehose mother resides near
Bald Mountain, stating that near the SUNNI,
of that peak an area of nearly an acre was
agitated by subterrancan upheaval and then
sinking from which smoke and vapor issued