Year: 1872

Tremendous CONFEDERATION I'm New


York State-Ome OF the GrandesI


Sights I'm the world.


| A correspondent writing from Kingston,


New York, says:


A person who mas never seen forest on


fire has missed one of the grandest sights in


the world. By forest l do not mean such
patches Of woodland as one can see any


where By a foriy-mile trip from New York,


nor the miserable cedar marshes which ia


tigue ones visionary organs as he rides


over almost any railroad in the Middle


States. What 1 do mean in speaking


Of forests is whole mountain tract


comprising miles upon miles of timber land,


where hunter may wander about for days


in perfect solitude save when be hears the


stamp of the deer's hoof or the hum Of a


bird as she crosses the zenith in her hasty
fight. 1t is only in certain parts of the


United States that such large forests remain,


and one of these parts lies in the region


comprised by three or four Hudson river


counties, between Poughkeepsie and Al


bany, the largest of which is Ulster. For


the past week these forests in several places


have been on fire. The frosts of last
winter took the life out of an un-


usually large number of trees, leaving


their branches dry and sapless in the
/ spring. A long continued drouth dried up
the leaves and underbrush, and the top


branches Of the tall trees having been ex-


posed for long time to the scorching sun
as well as to the drying effects of the wind,
| became like so much tinder. That con-
| tinued dry weather brings on an increase
| in the number Of fires in the country and
| villages is now being demonstrated, for
| each day we hear Of fires having occurred in
| almost every direction. The houses in
| those places are almost exclusively of wood,


and consequently ignite quickest when dry
| est. The spark from a passing locomotive
has set whole village on fire, and in many
instances the dropping of coal on the car
pet or the careless use of a match has re-


suited in the burning Of large dwelling.
Yesterday morning heard that the for
| ests in the Shawangunk mountains were on


fire. Nothing startles person SO quick as
| that word "hre." was stopping at King
| stOn, and the first heard Of the fire was a


Juan from the back country telling the news


to the livery man, as they stood in the shed


under my window at the hotel. l listened


a moment and then sprang out OF bed,


dressed in haste, swallowed cup Of coffee


and some homemade rolls for breakfast,


''interveWed" the backWOodsman regarding
the best way to get to the fire, and in half
an hour we were on the way together. 1t


was late In the afternoon before we arrived
at a place called Port Ben, where we stopped
a second time for refreshments. Soon after
leaving that place We saw at distance of
several miles and high up among the noun
tains, dense clouds of smoke rising and


floating to the eastward. They carried
with them large quantity Of ashes and
coniders,and occasionally small particles fell
in our clothing. After rounding a long
curve we found that we were passing be-
hind the immense clouds Of smoke, so that
they totally eclipsed the sun, and left us
surrounded by a peculiar purplish light.
Il was not long before we were so near that
we could discern the flames as they leapt
up higher than the trees. At the same
time heard a strange rumbling sound,an
imagined that felt the earth tremble un-
derneath. We stopped and sat still in our
buggy for few minutes, and then we could
distinctly hear the roar Of the great fire,
and occasionally feel the earth tremble.


We left the highway and drove across the
fields to the top of hill where we were
almost on level with the burning forest.
The extent of the burning mass then
appeared to be about two square
miles. That was the crater of
our volcano. From our position it
looked as if the woods must have
been filed with either men or devils, all Of
whom were cutting down the trees and
casting them into the burning mass. The
whole forest within the space have de-
scribed was sWaying to and fro as il twist
ed by Whirlwind. Whenever the wind
shifted, so as to blow directly towards us
from the fire, we could hear the terrible un-
natural roar of the mad flames, and soon
after a perfect shower of ashes would fall
around us, covering the grass with white
poWderish substance. Then more brisk |
wind would sweep over the mountain, and |
instantly the branches Of the trees would |
sway and 90 down into the lake Of fire |
the faster. In some parts the fire /
seemed to work underneath instead 4
burning the branches first, and in such
instances the trees would fall almost whole,
and when one 1uccumbed 1t would carry q /
score of others whose trunks had been
nearly burnt in two, and then q tremendous
crash would ensue. The sky would i'm
mediately be overcast with a thick cloud of
cinders, casting a black shadow beneath.
The fire moved like glacier, slowly but il
resistibly. Its course was so steady that un-
less one took pains to mark it it would
hardly be perceived. By observing any OF
iect between ourselves and the edge of the
fire district, we could see change in its
border in less than five minutes. We saw
dead birds lying on the ground in many
places, and some poor creatures had es-
c Iped the fire with only one wing left.
These were founderfng around in the grass,
gasping out their lives. Now and then q
hare would emerge from the edge of the
forest, run out into the fields a short dis
tance, return to the hedge again, leok all
around as if in terrible quandary, afraid to
stay and afraid to go. Then, after heali G
the roar of the fire little nearer, be would
start off with bound and soon vanish out
of sight. The inhabitants all about were in
constant danger of their lives and proper
ty. Those in line with the fire kept a con-
slant watch over their houses to prevent |
the falling of sparks from igniting them, |
and scarcely any one has taken any sleep
since the first alarm of fire was sounded. J
NV companion and myself passed the night /
at small place called Ellenville, and re-
turned to-day. From o'clock till II
o'clock last night nearly every inhabitant in |
he place was away on the hills, looking at
he really awful sight. The whole region,
which had been ohscured during the day,
vas brilliantly lighted by the same means
which caused darkness in the daytime. It 3
S hoped that the fire cannot spread much
arther, as there is a large body of water
lirectly in its path, which must serve as a I
heck to it.