Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1886-11-27
rs IT HE'LL

here. Nothing is talked of but Ma
lures great convulsion last night. At
a point seven miles southeast Of this
little place, occurred last night. one
of the strangest freaks Of nature ever
recorded. At the above mentioned
point is the confluence of two creeks
Post Oak and Chambers--th lat
ter quite an unimportant stream, land
what would be called river in the
New England states. Here is locat-
ed the cause of the terror and excite
ment that has gotten hold of the peo-
pie. An immense upheaval has oc-
Cured at that point, causing rent
in the earth that is horrifying to look
upon. The topography of the coun-
try before this agonizing kick OF old
Mother Earth was almost as level as
plane. 1t was one vast creek bot
tom. To-day a yawning chasm, 10
miles long and more than fifteen
hundred feet broad, stares one inthe
face who has the courage TO look at
it. A dense cloud of black, sulphu-
ric smoke rises slowly from its rum
bling mouth. Intense heat prevails
at distance of half a mile on either
side of this vast and terrible crater,
and, to add to its awful grandeur, it
intersects Chambers creek just be-
low its union with Post Oak, form
ing quite large body of water, that
plunges into this bottomless chasm
with a jar and laundering that can
he felt and heard for twenty-five
miles. A portion of the time to day
a strong east wind has been blowing,
driving the heat to the west side of
the opening, so that the correspond
ent could approach sufficiently close
to examine partially the inward ap
pearance of the jaws of hell. No Ian
guage, however awful or eloquent,
could approach even faint picture
Of SO grand, yet so fearful, scene.
"Imagine fiery opening in the
earth, fifteen miles long and fifteen
hundred feet wide, belching forth
great clouds of black, sulphurous
smoke, from beneath which come the
deep mutterings Of subterraneous
thunders, whose voices speak only
through the open mouth Of hell, then
may you form but slight idea Of
this scene. AS the wind moves the
huge volume of smoke aside, 1t re.
veals huge monsters of every hide.
Gus and conceivable shape, writing
and twisting in the molten mass be-
meath. Sounds and murmurs, like
human voices in the awfulest ago.
ME, seem to come from right under
your feet as you stand ON the brink
of this horrible chasm. Various
theories have been advanced by ex-
perts and old women as to the mean
ing of all this unrest of old Mother
Earth. There is no doubt in the
mind of your correspondent that it
is associated with the recent earth
quake at Charleston, S. G..
"What the result may be before
nature resumes her equilibrium in
this section is hard to tell. 1t has
already resulted in the destruction
oftwenty-five fine ranches, seven hun
bred head of stock, thirteen dwelling
houses, and about three thousand
acres of fine timber has been swal-
lowed up. The loss of human life
amid the present excitement is i'm
possible to ascertain, but is suppos
ed to be frightful. People are gath
ering up their effects and fleeing
from the country in wagons or on
horseback, in wheelbarrows ana OH
foot. Great suffering and destitu-
ton must follow in the wake of such
wholesale destruction of life and
property. The atmosphere for TWEEN.
ty miles around has an intense sui
phurous smell. Unless to-morrow's
sun has tendency to purify the at
mosphere or lift this sulphurous
odor, your correspondent will be
compelled to take up his retreat with
the break of day.
Animals, birds and insects, even
to the vivacious Texas mosquito,
are leaving the neighborhood ofthis
awful display of natures fireworks.
Horses, cattle, hogs and dogs are ly-
ing through the timber, suffocated
with the sulphurous gases that seem
to be oozing from the ground. The
gound is so intensely heated that for
ten miles around every living
spear of grass and all the timber is
dying. The picture of desolation
and woe is frightful even to contem-
plate, but imagine what it is to one
in the midst Of this loneliness. Aside
from the rumbling noise beneath
your feet, the silence is painful.
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