The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1886-12-02
DANTl%S HE'LL IN TEXAS.
HORROR AND DEATH BROADCAST IN
SLEEPY HOLLOW.

Feet Wide-Region Internal Seen by HUI
man Eyes.
SLEEPY HOLLOW. TENA$, NOrem-
Der 29.--The greatest excitement pre-
walls here. Nothing is talked or thought
Of but natures great CONFUSION last
night. At point seven miles South
east of this little country pOstoflicn Oc-
CURED last night one of the ST, st
freaks of nature recorded in the annals
of the worlds history. At the above
mentioned point is the confluence Of
two creeks, Post Oak and Chambers,
the latter quite IN important stream,
and what would be called Il river IN the
New England States. Here is located
the cause for the terror and excite
ment that have got hold Of the people.
! An immense upheaval has occurred at
! that point. causing Il rent III the earth
that is horrifying to look upon. The
topography of the country before this
agoniZing kick Of old mother earth
was almost Il dead level. 1t is one vast
creek bottom. covered with dense tim
her: or was such before this occurrence.
! To-day Il yawning chaSln, fifteen miles
! long and more than fifteen hundred
! feet broad, stares one in the face who
! has the courage to look ut it. y dense
cloud Of black. SulphllrOrS smoke rises
slowly from its rumbl!ng mouth. In
tense heat prevails ut Il distance Of half
a mile on either side Of this vast and
| terrible crater, and, to add to its awful
grandeur, it intrrSects Chambers Creek
| lust below is union with Post Oak,
! thus f,.ming quite Il large body Of
! water that plungcS into this bOttOmle5S
chasm with Il jar and laundering tone
that can hc felt and heard for twenty
two miles. Th" nearest trl"graphic
station tn this point is COrSicana. thirty
five miles away. The people in this
ncighhurhOoi are composed OF Il thrifty
though iIitcratc class of planters. They
are naturally stp"rStitinnS. and this
wonderful phenomenon HAS inst run
them wild. They spend their entire
time PRAYING and singing. They have
abantonipd their fields to prepare for
the awful doom. lis they suppose III
store for them. They neither cat nor
sleep. only .aS they are exhausted. y
norton of tine time to-day Il strong
East wind has hrrn blowing, driving
the heat to the West side of the open
| inr, so that Your correspondent could
approach sufficiently close to examine
partially the inward appearance OF the
| laws of hell. No language, however,
awful or eloquent. cnnld approach even
| the faint picture Of 50 grand yet 50
| fearful Il scene.
Imagine lirery opening in the earth
fifteen miles long and ,ouO feet wide.
belching forth great clouds Of black
suiphurous smoke, from beneath Whlci!
come the deep mutteringS Of slbtcr"
| rancouS thunurrS. whose voices speak
Only through the open mouth OF hell:
then you may form but slight idea or
this scene. AS the wind moves tine
huge volume of smoke aside 1t reveals
huge monsters of every hitlcOuS and
conceivable shape writhing and twist
| inc in the molten mass beneath. Sounds
and murmurs like human voices in the
awlucst agOnirS seem to come from
rivht under YOUR feet. rs you stand OH
the brink of this horrible chaSm. Var
iouS theories have been advanced by
EXPERTS and old women as to the mean
inc of all this unrest Of old mothec
earth There is no doubt in the mini
Of your correspondent that it is lSso-
ciated with the recent earthquake at
| Charleston. ;. {.
What the result may be before nature
resumes her equilibrium in this sec
ton is hard to tell. 1t has already re-
suited in the destruction Of twenty-five
line ranches, 7OO head Of stock, thirteen
dwelling houses and about three thou
sand acres of fine timber have been
| I Of
amid the present excitement is lnpoS-
siblc to ascertain, but it IS supposed TO
he frightful. People are gathering up
their effects and fleeing from the colln-
try in wagons or horseback, in wheel
bHrrOws and on foot. Great suffering
and drstit!ltlun must follow in the
wake of such wholesale destruction OF
life and property. The atmosphere for
twenty miles around has IN intense
sulnhIlrolls smell Unless tn-mlurruw 5
sun has Il tendency to purify thrHt!n"S-
phrrr urlilt this sui phllrouS nr,lur your
correspondent will be- compelled to take
up his retreat with the hrra! of day.
Animals, birds and insects. even to
tine viyarlolIS Texas moSTulto, are l"lV-
in~ the nriyhhnrhoud I'll this AWFUL dis
ulav of natllrr'S fire works. Horses.
cattle. hogs and dogs are lying dead
thronyl! thr timber. Si'!""at"d with the
Sulphuro,lS gases that seem t" hr CHZ-
in:c from thr gruinG. III" |-ruHm" IS
50 intensely heated for ten miles ;IroiinI
that every living spear o. ErIHI ;tiH a.
the timber is dyin.c. The ri"i';r" "l
,,.>ulatlnn and woe is Iri@iiini even to
contemplate. hti imagine what it /" to
nn. liz the ml,l~. uj nli ihiS l"Nri'IirSS.
Aside from lllr runhlln% H"l*c Ar.!t"tth
yuur feet the silence i pHlnI"I.
send this communicating Iy horst
back mail to the nearest r".!lG"u point,
thirly-liyr miles away. an'l will write
Won more fully when iLN brain and
nerves got Str;ulirr#n' %rt ont of this
internal region. LANWELLEH.
4 Maniar'- Hry"liing Criiu".
Sr. Lofts. November 2i. y special!
from Lrayrnwurt!t. Kansas, says: y
dispatch from !I;tVrn>vill". Jackson
County. rightv-ti,r miles West of here.