Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-09-19
THROUGH FIRE AND SMOKE.
Exciting Ride on a Train Amid tho
Kissing and Cracking Of Blazing
Woods.
Portland fOrexon) Letter.

Portland fOrezon) Letter.
Through Idaho and down the mighty Column
bia is a journey worth a pilgrimage around the
world We have seen its wonders, but ran q
gauntlet of fire at its portal, where in an hour,
natures labor of hundred years was being
swallowed up in smoke and roaring flames.
All day yesterday the air was blue with smoke.
The mountains looked dim or drew their
jagged peaks clear out of sight. For day or
two it had been haZy toward the west, and we
had heard stories of the forest fires. Yester-
day, however. the smoke grew thicker and
rolled upon the westerly winds iD dense clouds
Last night we had glimpse of the Inferno
We had left Montana to cross Idaho when
about 9 o'clock the train came to stop
without moments warning in the midst
of a wilderness. We fastened to the plat
form and looked forward. There was spread
out panorama such as seldom greets the eve
OF man. The forest was one mass of seething
flame. The engine painted time or two, and
then, gathering courage. crept nearer. A few
hundred yards. and it again came to a stand
still. 1t was impossible to pass. The heat made
the paint on the cars crack. The glass of the
windows grew feverish under the heated breath
from the fire. There was. amid all the glare
the roar OF an approaching tornado. cracking
and popping like giants whip. This was ac-
companied by Kissing like the sound of frying
salt. as the green foliage of the living pines was
consumed with white flash. This roaring and
cracking and swapping, terrible as it was, only
set off the grand accompaniment of falling
trees. Every five seconds giant with the strength
of a score of centuries. measured his 200 feet
across the fiery bed to which he had been feled.
He stood STILL scared to the core, and his hoary
top was crowned with fire. As he yielded, the
mountains rolled back the booming of cannon
from one height to the other We hold our
breath and gaze at the sky, overcast with leaden
smoke, tinted here AMI there with rosy hue
The crashing of the falling giants is still for
moment The fire breaks through the gloom Of
the forest in a new place. The flames go racing
like demons up tall trees and culver in their
top like ruddy lanterns for moment The fol-
iage melts away with the first hot BREATH and
then the crashing and booming goes on again.
For the moment the rush and crackle is
drowned and the very crags Of the noun
tain side seem to be rolling upon us from their
seats above our heads We ask the conductor
when we can go on. He says two hours. Long
piles of wood stored all about the track have
caught fire. and scores of Cinnamon. with long
poles in their hands, are hurrying up from the
nearest station to save the track from ruin.
Two hours pass. and still the internal pandemo-
mum of kissing. roaring, cracking, booming.
crashing devastation goes on. The conductor
and engineer are afraid to go on. They fear the
heat will fire our train. Should it WELD to the
first spark it would melt away like finder in
furnace. For over four hours we watched the
scourge till it drew away from US and let us 60.