Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-06-25
PENINsULAR BURIED TIMBERs
Whole Forests Under GrOund-A
farmers story.

Ages ago all the lower end of this
Peninsula was covered with fine growth
of fine cypress trees. The same are
found growing in some parts of the
swamp yet, but they have died out and
fallen down and sunk into soft mud, and
so been covered up by mould and mud,
until many other layers have grown over
them. But in some remarkable way the
wood is preserved and these sunken
ancient logs are Just as good for shingles
and other articles as they we're when alive.
The numbers that once grew over this
portion and have been entombed are
beyond conception. The trees upon or
near the surface are the only ones avail
able and fortunately are the best, but fur
below there are probably myriads of
others representing the past geolog-
ical ages of the earth. The
logs were worked out by the
men who are nicknamed "Swampoodles,"
and who live in the midst of the nalarions
district all their lives. When a log is
found ditch is made about it, into which
the water soon flows. A great saw is then
applied and the roots removed, and rs II
rule the log will rise TO the surface and
can be cut up and carried off, though in
many localities the shingles are made
right on the spot and dragged over the
swamp on roads in many cases made of
boughs and twigs.
One of the swamps in Delaware extends
over 25 square miles, and hardly house
in Sussex county but what is shingled
from the ancient deposit.
II tell ye," said an old farmer from this
region, ''that we're alvin on curious
kind o'crust round here, In pint of fact,
my farm might be said to be perched on
reg'lar woodpile; there amt no end TO
it. / built n foundation to barn some
years ago down in Delaware ON the
swamp lot, and the further down / dug
the more logs came on to, and reckon
way down it's clean, solid wood, and
when fire breaks out in the swamp you
want to keep your eyes peeled now I'm
a-talkin.' How SO ? Well, I'll jest give
you little of my experience. When
first married my old woman l bought
patch right on the edge of the
swamp, and the land ran right into
it about half mile. That summer it was
monstrous dry, and after while the fires
began to break out, and afore we knew it
it had crept up within thousand feet of
the house. But we got at it with brush,
and, as we thought, put it out, and did;
but that night l was awoke by hearin'
crash so loud that you'd a thought the
hull house had gone down, and when /
got out there was blazing fire right over
my fodder house. 1 got there in about
two minutes, and l tell ye was scared.
There wasn't hide nor hare of the house,
but deep yawnin' hole about so
foot across, and the Lord knows how
deep, and burning red hot just like q
volcany. 1 tell ye 1 got my folks
out of that diggin's for n while now.
Fortunately it come on to rain the next
day and soaked it out, and amt
a-drawin' the long bow when l tell you
that that hull kentry had been tunneled
by the fire. You see, it had crept along
under ground for nigh thousand feet,
eating away the wood, and finally, when
got under the fodder, the weight of the
stuff broke the crust in and down it went
into a regular pit of fire. tell you 1t was
an unsartin place to live on and was
thankful enough that it didn't under the
house. We'd never have known what
| hurt us we'd jest melted down quick.
| Yes, there's heaps of places in the swamp
| districts that's eaten out jest the same
way. The fire will run along for miles
| sometimes, and then crop out where it's
least expected. knew of one case where
party of shinglers left their hut one
morning and when they came back it was
| gone and fourth of an acre with it. If
it had happened II hours later they'd
have gone in. In Delaware swamp you
will find heaps of such places and green
hands when they gone down there always
think there has been volcany, and so
| there has after n fashion,