Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1890-10-23
THE END OF THE WORLD.


stood on a high cliff. Twenty feet
before me perpendicular wall of rock
went down, down, a veritable jumping
off place." till it seemed one would have
to look twice to see the bottom, where
the waters of the harbor splashed against
\ the powders.
Today the bay wasNn.ooth us polished
glass, save where the Vessels coming in
from the sea through the strait opposite
the point where Istood left ripple and
a line Of foam behind, like flaw in the
crystal.
The great city lay to the left of tho
strait. The burning midsummer sun,
shining from cloudless sky, was reflect
ed by hundred thousand chimneys and
roof tops, and the images of the high
buildings and the myriad vessels an
chored in the harbor made the scene
more like mirage than reality.
I So far above the city was my point of
observation that not sound, not even
murmur of the hustle and noise attend
ant upon its activity, reached my ears,
though through the clear atmosphere |
could distinguish moving objects as in a
camera obscura.
From the bay, too, although many
yessels-huge ocean steamers. ferryboats
and ya,ehts-were moving about, heard
only one sound, the interminable ''puf-
puf-pufs of little tugboat which rapid
1y threaded its airnless way among the
other craft. So monotonous indeed did
this sound become that turned my eyes
from the water and looked around at
nearer objects.
To my right was a grove of naples.
In a clear space in the midst of the trees
stood white building, its gable toward
me, which reminded me at first glance
Of nothing else so much as Of the Par
thenon as it used to be represented in the
classical dictionary. had not noticed
this building before. and as / stood and
wondered a troop of gayly dressed young
people came rushing out Of the door and
arranged themselves in groups on the
mossy circles surrounding the trees.
At this moment my companion, who
had Jagged behind me, came up, and to-
gether we went toward the gay throng
Our approach seemed unnoticed.
Scarcely had we joined the group,
when, raising my eyes, | saw to right and
left dark thunder clouds rolling rapidly
toward the zenith. Broad flashes Of
lightning played about the horizon,
while in sharper, zigzag streaks the
electric spark cut its path through the
azure directly above our heads. From
the right low mutterings of distant
thunder were heard, and chilling wind
rising suddenly moaned among the pines
in the distance, and rustled the leaves Of
the indens under which we sat. !
glanced toward the building, and on the
steps of the door which looked out upon
the city there stood an old man, wrinkled
and bent. A faded dressing gown was
corded about his waist, his feet were en-
cased in embroidered slippers, and his
right hand, which bore long oaken
staff, gnarled and twisted, trembled as
the fierce blast struck him and tossed his
thin gray locks. In shrill voice he
cried: "Come in. Come in! We are
going to have terrible storm"
Even as he spoke, and as if in corrob-
Grafton of his words, the force Of the
wind increased almost to a gale, and
large drops Of rain began to fall, slowly
and gently at first, but with increasing
vigor till the patter on the leaves was
lost in one long drawn sound, almost
roar, as the wind drove the water
through the trees.
Meanwhile the rest Of the party had
sought shelter in the building, but as /
started to follow them my eyes rested on
q sight which compelled me involun-
tarily to pause. Ahead of me, beyond
the bay, beyond the city, beyond even
the waters of the ocean itself, a veil, or
shutter, Of more than inky blackness
rose perpendicularly from the horizon.
Up to the very heavens it seemed to
stretch, and to both sides as far as the
eye could reach.
A sudden, undeinable fear came over
me and held me rooted to the earth
My horror increased as l saw that this
horrible veil was moving toward me,
how rapidly could not guess, but it
seemed to cover the thousand miles be-
tween the horizon and the straits in
to me saw that it had also another mo-
ton, like that of band saw or an end
less chain, as if a huge jack towel Of
flexible blaclness had been swung over
two rollers on the nethermost bounds of
the universe, and rapidly revolving was
eating its way deep into the very bowels
Of the earth, for as this horrible engine
Of destruction approached l perceived
that it was cutting away the sea and
the solid land, leaving a smooth, clean
cut edge where these before had been.
s'It will stop" thought |, "before it
reaches the city"
But no; the dreadful Thing, like an
insatiate monster, never paused or
sweryed for an instant, and chill shock
coursed through my veins as watched
first the points Of land on either side Of
the strait, then the furtherrnost houses
Of the city, and then nearer objects fade
into absolute nothingness.
The huge machine kept steadily press
ing forward.
AS street after street Of the city melted
away the Thing approached nearer and
uCdIcI bllc WdttIo VI tit0 1ifti DDl. 1rtll
spires fell and mighty buildings were
swallowed up, but until touched by the
Thing itself the remainder of the city
was as firm and unchanged as ever The
cries of the dying at intervals reached
my ears, but SO far distant was | that
the noise sounded more like the squeak
of dying mouse than as if it came from
the throats Of multitude of human be-
ings.
Now the bay began to melt away.
Ship after ship, moment ago riding
peacefully at anchor. was swallowed up,
and left not even ripple, for the water
and the bottom Of the sea were likewise
annihilated.
And now, above the ever increasing
roar Of the vast black body, | heard
again the 'spuf-puf-puf' of the little
steam tug. and looked and saw it
coming at full speed directly toward the
precipice on which | stood. In an in
slant the Thing had ove1talen it, and as
it disappeared, with one last hopeless
scream from its whistle, like the de-
anairinR wall of a lost soul. 1t flashed