Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1842-10-15
BEN BL.oxnk,s STORY.
Or How TO Relish a Juiep.
BY G. r. HOFFMAN,

BY c. F. HOFFMAN.
Are you sure that's Tue FLAME over by the
shore =
'Certing, nanny could tell her pipes a
cross the Mazoura'*
'And you will overhaul her,
Wont we though tell yc, Stranger, 50
sure as my names Ben Blower, that last
tar bari have in the furnace has jist the smart
chance of go-ahead into us TO cut offThe Flame
from yonder pint, or send our boat to kingdom
come
The devil y exclaimed bystander who,
intensely interested in the race, was leaning
the while against the partitions of the boiler
room, I've chosen nice place to see the fun
near this internal powder barrel. =
Not so bad as if you were in it ! cody OBJ
served Ben, as the other walked rapidly away.
AS if he were in it what in the boiler
Certing Don't folks sometimes 90 into BIZ
lers, mannyv
Il shonld think thered be other parts of the
boat more comfortable
That's right; poking fun at me at onc't;
but wait till We get through with this brush
with the Flame and I'll tell ye a regular fixin
scrape that a man may get into. It's true, too,
every word of it-as sure as my names Ben
Blower
You have seen the Flame then afore, Strang-
er! Six years ago. when new upon the river,
she was raal out and outer, | was at that
time hand aboard other. Yes, | belonged to
her at the time ofher great race with the Go
liar You've heern mayhap, of the blow-up
by which we lost it They made great fuss
about 1t but it was nothing but a mere fix of
hot water after all, Only the springing of a
few rivets, which loosend a biler plate or two,
and letting out thin spirting upon some mig
gers that hadn't sense enough to get out of the
way. Well, the Collar took off our passen-
gers, and we ran into Smashcrs Landing to re.
pair damages, and bury the poor fools that were
Killed. Here we land for matter of thirty
hours or so, nj cot things to right on board for
bran new start. There was some carpenters
work yet to be done, bat the captain said that
that might, be fixed off jist as well when we
were under wayne had worked hard-the
weather was sour, and we needn't do anything
more iiSt now-we might take that afternoon
10 ourselves, but the next morning he'd get ND
steam bright and airly, and we'd all come out
ncu.-There was no temperance society at
Smashers Landing and went ashore upon
lark with some of the hands
omit the worthy Benlamin's adventures
upon land, and, despairng of fully conveying
his language in its original Doric force, will
not hesitate to give the rest OF his singular mar
rative in my own words save where, in few
instances, lean recall his precise phraseology,
whlch the reader will easily recognize
The night was raw and sleety when regain
ed the deck of our boat. The officers, instead
of leaving watch above, had closed up every
thing, and shut themselves iu the cabin. The
fire-room only was open. The boards dashed
from the outside by the explosion had not vet
beea replaced. The floor ofthe room was wet
and there was scarcely corner which afforded
n shelter from the driving storm, | was about
leaving the room, resigned to sleep in the open
air, and now bent only upon getting under the
lee of some bulkhead that would protect me a.
gainst the wind. In passing out | kept my
arms stretched forward to feel my way in the
dark, but my feet came in contact with heavy
iron lid | stumbled, and, as fell, struck one
my hands into the 'manhole,' q think this
was the name he ave to the oval shaped o.
penine in the head OF the boiler through which
the smith had entered to make his repairs.
fell with my arm thrust so far into the aper'
ture that received pretty smart blow in the
face as it came in contact with the head of the
boiler, and did not hesitate TO drag my body
after il, the moment | recovered from this
stunning effect and ascertained my wherea'
bouts. Ina word, crept into the boiler re.
solved to pass the rest ofthe night there. The
place vac dry and sheltered. Had my bed
been SOFTER | would have had all that mar
could desire as ii was, slept and slept sound
ly.
Il should mention, though, that, before
closing my eyes, several times shifted my 10
sition. had gone first to the farther end o
the boiler, then again | had crawled back tt
the manhole, to put my hand out and feel tha
it was really still opel. The warmest plac'
was at the farther end where finally establish
ed myself, and that knew from the first,
was foolish in me to think that the openin!
through which had Just entered could be clos