Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Mass.) 1828-1830, 1830-04-13

water; mud, second, milk, either pure as
obtained from the COW, or diluted with
water, or its component parts separated
as in bntter-milk or whey. Copions pota.
tons Of water, at this season, will be found
the very best purifier Of the blood and
remove all peccant matter; while milk
as an article of diet, with good light bread.
baked the preceding day, or vegetables
may be regarded as a grand cordial and
true tonic. This is, in many countries.
the food of the robust p!oughman and
hardy mountaineer, whose spirits are
strung in a very different key to what the
slipper Of wine and cordi%, the bibber of
beer and porter, or the tippler of ardent
spirits, can boast of. Let us hone. in
conclusion, that the eulogist of panaceas.
and balms, and baIsams, of patent pills
and powders, theIovers of wonderful cures.
and searchers ofthe incredible, will have
patience with US, this once, for proffering
the language of nature and common sense.
even though SO sadly at variance with
their prejudices and interests. The peo-
pie al large are still crednlous enough for
all their purposes Of deception and, in
despite of our poor eff6rts, will furnish
them, we greatly fear, with rich harvest
IN time to come, as they have always done
in times past.
STEAMBOAT EXPLOSION. \
We have already published several mott
ces relative to the late dreadful disaster
occasioned by the explosion of the boiler of
the steamboat Helen McGregor, on the
Mississippi. The following narrative ofthis
truly distressing event furnishes more de
tailed and connected account of it than we
have yet seen. 1t is published in the Wash
ington Telegraph. by gentleman who was
"a passenger on board of the steamboat at
the time of the explosion.
Onthe morning of the 24th of Feb. the
Helen McGregor stopped at Memphis to
deliver freight and deliver number of pas
sengers, who resided in that section of Ten
nessee. The time occupied in so doing
could not have exceeded three quarters Of
an hour. When the boat landed, | went
ashore to see gentleman with whom had
some business. found him on the beach
and, after short conversation, returned to
the boat. recollect looking at my watch
as passed the gang way. 1t was half-pasr
eight O'Clock. A great number of persons
were standing on what is called the boiler
deck, being that part of the upper deck
situated Immediately over the boilers Ii
was crowded to excess, and presented one
dense mass of human bodies. in few
minutes we sat down to breakfast in the
cabin. The table, although extending the
whole length of the cabin, was completely
filled, there being upwards of sixty cabin
passengers, among whom were several ladies
and children. The number of passengers
on board, deck and cabin united, was between
four and five hundred. had almost finish
ed my breakfast when the pilot rung his
bell for the engineer TO put the machinery
III iIiuttuI. Tiiv bort having sfzoveU on,
was in the act of raising my cup to my lip
the tinkling of the pilot bell yet on my ear,
when heard an explosion, resembling the
discharge af a small piece of artillery-the
report was perhaps louder than usual in such
cases-for an exclamation was half uttered
by me to the effect that the gun was we'll
loaded, when the rushing sound of steam
and the rafting of glass in some of the cabin
windows checked my speech, and told too
well what had occurred. almost involun-
tar;ly bent my head and body down to the
fioor-a vague idea seemed to shoot across
my mind that more than one boiler might
burst, and bv assuming this posture, the
destroying matter, would pass over without
touching me.
The general cry of ga boiler burst" re-
sounded from one end of the table to the
other and, as if by simultaneous move
ment, all started on their feet. Then com
menced genaral race to the ladies' cabin,
which lay more towards the stern of the
boat. All regard to order or Difference to
sex seemed to be lost in the struggle for
which should be first and fartherest removed
from the dreaded boilers. The danger had
already passed away! I remained standing
by the char on which had been previously
sitting. Only one person or two staid in
the cabin with me. As yet not more than
halfa minute had elapsed since the explosion.
but IN that brief space how had the scene
changed! In that "drop of time" what
confusion, distress, and dismay! An instant
before, and all were in the quiet repose of
securlty-another, and they were over
whelmed with alarm and CONSERVATION. 1t
is but justice to say that in this scene of
terrour the ladies exhibited degree of firm
ness worthy of all praise. No screaming,
no fainting; their fears, when uttered, were
for their husbands and children, not for
advanced from my position to one of the
cabin doors for the purpose of inquiring who
were injured, when, just as I reached it,
man entered at the opposite one, both his
hands covering his face. and exclaiming
!" Oh God. oh God (! lam lost I am ruined y
he Immediately began to tear off his
clothes. When stripped, he presented
most shocking and affecting spectacle: his
lace was entirely black-his body without a
particle of skin. He had been Aayed alive.
He gave me his name and place of abode
hen sunk in state of exhaustion and agony
On the floor. assisted in placing him on
mattress taken from one of the births and
covered him with blankets. He complained
u neat and cold as at once oppressino him.