Rensselaer Union, Volume 1, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 July 1869 — A Pillar of Fire. [ARTICLE]

A Pillar of Fire.

- Tan most carious phenomenon which we have ever heard of occurred out in Cheatham County, on Wednesday last. The day, it will be remembered, was remarkably hot, so that most people in the county had to seek the shade at noon. At this hour, cm the farm of Ed. Sharp, five milea from Ashland, a sort of whirlwind eame along over the neighboring wood*, taking up small branches ana leave* of trees and burning them in a sort of flaming cylinder that travelled at the rate of about five miles an hour, and developing size aa it travelled. It pesMd directly over the spot why# a tym of hones were feeding and tinged their manes and tails up to the roots; it then swept towards the house, taking a stack of hay in iu course. It seemed to increase in heat as it went, and by the time It reached the house, it immediately fired the shingle* from end to end of the building, so that In ten minutes the whole dwelling was wrapped in flames. The tail column of traveling caiorlc then con*

tinued its eourse over a wheat that had been recently cradled, setting fin to all the stacks that happened to be in Ms course. Passing from the field, its path lay over a stretch of woods Which reached the river. Thegreen leaves oa the trees were crisped to a cinder for a breadth of twenty yards, in a straight line to tbs Cumberland. When the “ pillar of fin " reached the water, H suddenly changed its route down the river, raising a column of steam which went np to the clouds lor about half a mile, when It finally died out Not less than two hundred people witnessed this strangest of strange phenomena, aftd all of them tell substantially the same story about it. The finer, Sharp, was left houseless by the devouring element, and his two horses were SO affected that no good is expected to be got out of them in future. Several withered trees in the woods through which it paerad were set on fire, and continue burning still— KathnUe (Tenn.) Prtu, July 17.