The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-01-24
n HkA 0E FINE,

ever behold. I: was the burning Of
marsh Of tules, from which tho water ha,
been drained of by irrigation canals.
"Tules' pronounced tu.loys) Is an Astc
word, and isapplied to kind OF reed tina
grows in swamps and mrrshy places i,
this part Of California. They grow from
ton to twenty feet high, and 30 thick tina
wild animals have to beat paths through
them before they can nuke their way
They grow during the summer months, ant
die when frost Gomez. Their roots form ar
impenetrable turf, through which the bony
snouts OF wild hogs can't dig. The tops
look like the green tops Of huge onions, bu,
unlike onion topa, the stalk Of the tule Ii
nearly solid, abont like corn stalk.
Near tho top Of the .tule Is u cylinder OIL
cotton, an inch and half in diameter
The stalk grows through the center Of its
lengthwise. The arrangement looks like
TN eat OF corn impaled on Il fsh.potc, the
pole passing through the centor Of the ear
from end 10 end. When this cotton cyliu.
der is green, in July anu August, it il ~
heavy as corn, and when the tule ia cut oil
two feet below the cylinder, 1t forms a club
wlth which an Indian eau knock man
down, II he hits him about tho head.
Tules remain green till about the middle
OF November. BY tbat time the frost BIZ.
Eihs, and the tules wilt aud turn yellow.
The cotton cylinder gets light and loose.
1t unbundles ike syeamore balls, the cot
ion flying in every direction. But unlike
'ycamore balls, the tule cotton is as white
as SNOW and as light as feathers. It might
be Ct some value il ihere WAS nothing
better.
When the cotton is loose enough 10 up-
bundle easily, it is the most difficult time
to Got through the tulee, for 8. such time
the cotton h5efs nearly smother one, and
tie more one tries to keep them out OF his
uoss tie mo-e get in.
Last month I was hunting a. pond
called the Lake OF Darkness, and shot a
crane. It fell III the ,ules on The far side
Of the pond, and sent my dog over to
dreg it out. He disappeared in the dense
forest Of rceds, nearly twenty feet high, and
as thick and tangled as any jungle Of Cen
tral Africa. 1t wus With the greatest diff
Guilty that he could penetrate il at all. But
could toll by the shaking of the reeds
that he was getting near the crane. Pres
entity great Eight took place, and from the
yel!s which my dogmade, l concluded that
he must bet7nglei so that he could not get
away, and that the bird was pecking him
with it's bill. These cranes are i've or six
fest high when they stretch up their necks,
and they can stab with their bills nearly
like dsggera.
hurried across the lake in bost to the
assistance Of my dog, and commenced fore.
lug my way toward him. BY parting the
tuNs with my bands, / proceeded about six
feet into the Jungle, when the reeds became
30 matted that could 60 no farther. the
cotton Tell upon me till was almost
buried. 1t was just damp enough TO stick
wherever it touched. It covered my face
till I could scarcely see or hesr or get nv
breath. I tried 10 pull it out Of my nose
and eyes; but succeeded about es a fly
that tries to buzz cut OF spiders web.
l ksew that / was within six feet Of the
crane, and II it had turned on me, it would
have been blind fight on my part. The
battle between my dog and 1t grew louder
and fercer, and could only Judge how it
was going. Bit l retraced my steps to
the edge Of the thicket, and finally ret my
dog ou,, and vas glad to find that bis eyes
were not pscked.
This tnle marsh was famous rendeyous
for wild hogs; from it they make raids
upon the farmers wheat fields, aud rooted
up the alfalfa lots. It is fine sport hunting
these savage beasts, which are really ten
! times az dangerous as wolves and panthers.
But l am depressing. commenced tell
ing about an immense fire that, few days
ago, swept through this domain OF tules,
and left nothing but the blackencd earth
and amouldesing mounds OF roots to tell
| where the tules stood.
This has been dry winter, and the dead
vegetation has scarcely been dampened.
An irrigation canal has drained the water
from the marsh that connects Mud Lake
and the Lake OF Darkness. This marsh
was ono solid mat Of tules, extending three
thousand feet in length and some hundred
In width. After the water was drained of
the tules had become as dry as powder.
They were on wild prairie, miles from
any house, and took the liberty to hunt
there whenever could find a leisure halt.
day. One morning wont on. with my
gun. The wind was blowing hard from
tho south. Ieet fire to the southern side
Of the marsh, thinking to drive the quaiIs
and rabbits out. The loose down that had
been blown from the cotton cylinders
caught fire and flashed almost like gun
powder. The fire blszad up go suddenly
that it scorched my face before could get
away. In IN Instant the flames were
higher than the trees that grew around the
lakes.
had laid my gun down twenty steps
away. As the flame mounted up ran fer
my gun, and got it Just in time, for it had
gotten 50 hot that l could barely hold it in
my hand. ran as fast as could from the
fire, and the heat increased so rapidly that
it nearly roasted me before l got out Of
rtach. At the distance OF City yards I
looked back, like Lots wife. The heat was
great, but I etood it long enough to see that
the whole southern side OF the marsh was
mountain OF red fire, that sho: upward in
spires, peaks and pinnacles. It seemed to
be hundreds Of feet high; but I presume
the excitement OF the moment over. esti.
mated the volume Of the h'me. But this
overt estimation could not have been great,
| " tuc uehs MSN eO lANSueS lIht OulJ Euu"
ming could cave me from being burnt. The
dry grass within a few feet OF me was
kindling into blaze, and the heat nearly
took my breath. ! wheeledand ran farther
from the fire, As I went l met bunchee
aud whorls Of dry weeds rolling ant
bounding toward the FIRE. The heated air
which the conaagration sent up, generated
la wind stronger than the hard south vino
that was then blowing. This wind, catch
Ing the dead weeds tina. lay about til,
prairie, rolled them into balls and sen
them leaping and bounding into the fame
chaaing each other in dreadful pursuit int,
the fiery furnace whose fury surpassed tina
OF the grass eating acknowledgements.
Not till ! bad run d!ty yards iarthe
could stop to look back. The fame
we're roaring like the torrents Of Niagara
when ! turned, my first sight Of the FIR