Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-01-08


The physical conformation of Ireland is
very peculiar. 1t is mountainous on the
coast, and comparatively level in the inte-
rior. The mountains, which form natu-
raj barrier around the coast are not con-
tinuous chain Of mountains, but rather
groups of what, in some parts of America,
would be called high hills. These groups
are often pierced by narrow plains which
seem to extend from the centre of the
island to the coast. There are no long
mountain ranges in Ireland. There are no
ters of mountains. Neither are there any
high mountains in Ireland. The highest
is Carrantuohill in Kerry county. 1t is
3.414 feet high. Some of our peaks are
nearly $4,000 feet high.
A great plain, elevated above the sea,
from two to three hundred feet, and about
one hundred and fifty miles wide, extends
from east to west across Ireland. This
plain rests on u limestone substratum and
embraces the finest portion Of the island.
Ireland is remarkable for the great num-
ber and large extent of its bogs. These
bogs arouse the curiosity Of strangers in
no small degree. Every Individual who
visits Ireland has numerous questions to
ask about the bogs, and is never satisfied
until he puts his hand on the peat or turf,
and sees it burn.
There are two kinds of bogs in Ireland.
One is called the fiat bogs and the other the
mountain bogs. The fiat bogs cover an area
of about a million and a half acres, and the
mountain bogs about a million and quar-
ter. The two cover two and three-quar-
ter millions of acres, or nearly one-seventh
part of the whole surface of Ireland. The
fiat bogs are chiefly in the interior, while
the mountain bogs are confined principally
TO the coast highlands The fiat bOgs are
also called red bogs, because they are gen.
orally of a redish or broWnish color. l have
no means of ascertaining the exact number
of these flat bogs, but feel safe in saying
there are more than thousand, varying in
size from few rods to near forty thousand
acres. Sometimes these bogs are separated
by large tracts of cultivated land, while
others are disjoined by only narrow ridges
of dry ground. The largest bog in Ireland,
and so far as 1 know in the world, is the
Bog of Allen. This occupies portions OF
kildare, Kings, Queens, Meath and West
meath counties. The principal part, how
ever, is in Kildare county, and covers about
thirty-six thousand acres of ground.
The mountain bogs cover the flat tops and
sides of the mountains, and differ, chiefly,
so far as I could see, from the fiat bogs, in
that they are smaller and are dryer. The
American meaning of the word bog will
give US but vague and incorrect idea of an
Irish bog. A bog means, in our country,
generally, a spot of wet ground into which
those who attempt to pass over it are liable
to sink, or as is usually said, 'mire down"
A bog in America is a small swamp. The
only thing peculiar about either an Ameri-
can bog or swamp is that it is dangerous to
travel over it. All Irish bogs are not
sWampy. Some Of them are wet and splashy,
while others are dry. 1t is dangerous to
walk over some of the bogs of Ireland, but
over others an individual may walk with
impunity, and, in fact, the greatest comfort.
The sensation experienced is the same as If
he were walking on carpet spread on a
thick layer of straw, and the sound pro-
duced by the tread of his feet is the same.
The peculiar thing about an Irish bog is
the peat or turf which it contains. 1t is
this peat or turf which makes the bog.
This peat consists OF several moses Whlch
grow in these bog localities. The principal
moss is called sphGgu,na, or bog moss. 1t is
curious looking thing, resembling nothing
that ever saw, except an artlhclai moss
that is some times grown IN jars 1Or the
purpose of making peculiar kind of beer.
Wherever, in the bog region, there is any
stagnant water this sphagn,on grows rapidly
and dies in a short time. This is followed
by successive crops which soon die. The
dead sphaqnun accumulates, and it is this
that makes the peat or turf which the Irish
use extensively for fuel. Some of the flat
peat beds are very deep or thick. The
layer of peat in the Bog of Allen is, IN some
places, over forty feet thick; it's average
| thickness is twenty-five feet. If the suppl y
of water is sufficient, the bog continues to
increase in depth and extent.
The manner of preparing the peat for use
| is very simple. 1t is cut out with spade,
in blocks about foot long and six inches
thick. These peat blocks have the general
appearance of large bricks. After being
cut, the peat blocks are stacked up to dry,
very much as brick makers stack up bricks
to dry. So soon as the blocks are dry they
are hauled home and again stacked up under
shelter.
/ cannot say that the Irish peat makes a
good fire. 1t is too light or porous, but 1T
does much better than those who have nev- n
er seen it burning would suppose. !he
time for cutting the peat is in the spring
and early summer.
1t is difficnt to imagine more intensely
gloomy and desolate appearance than that
presented by a large Irish flat bog:
In these bogs are sometimes found the
| trunks of oak, fir and birch trees. Some OF
these trees are very large. The oak is jet
black, very hard, and is capable OF being
polished as smooth as glass. Inc !lr loSs
are SO thoroughly impregnated with resin
that the poor people split them into long
strips and burn them instead of lamps or
candles.
TIE INVENTOR OF NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
ing to German paper, the inventor OF lu-
cifer matches was a political prisoner, who
perfected his idea in 1898, within the walls
of state prison. Krammerer was ma
tive of Ludwigsburg and when sentenced
to six months imprisonment at Hohenas-
perg, he was fortunate enough to attract the
notice and to gain the favor of an old officer
in charge of the prison, who, finding ne was
studying chemistry, allowed him to arrange
a small laboratory in his cell. kammerer
had been engaged in research $ with view
of improving the defective stepping system,
according to which splinters of wood. with
sulpher at the ends, were dipped into a
chemical fluid in order to produce flame.
If the fluid was fresh the result was salts
factory, but as it lost its virtues after a
time, there was no general disposition to
discontinue the old-tashioned system OF