Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1842-10-27

oeauns themselves against the battened hatcl
es-urasged down from the upper worl
shr'ckinS, not Tor life but for death onlv b.
nea'h the eye and amid the breath of HEAVIER
thousands have endured that APPALLING kind O
suhocation. would die only as many be,
'er man died before me. could meet sucb
ueau' ! SAID Sol thought so-feIt so.
"'e"'', ior mnute-Or more ten minutes
may nave Oeen---or but an instant of time.
h"ow ho.-nor does 1t matter if'I could com
Pu'e IT, There was time then when was re-
s!ghed 10 my late. But good God! was re-
s's"eu 10 10 IL IN the shape in which next /,
cahe 10 apPall Stranger, felt that waite,
grow hot about my limbs, though il was wei
mlc-leg deep. felt it, aud, in the same mo
'ncn, heard the roar of the furnance that was
TO turn 1t into steam before i, could grow deem
enough to drown me
You shudder-it was hideous. Rnt b;J !
shrink and shrivol and crunble down nnon
mat iron floor, and lose my senses in Ina,
horrid agony of fear ? No Though NV
brain swan and the life blood that cur1led at
my heart seemed about to stagna,e there for
ever, still knew? was too hoarse-,oo
hopeless from previous efforts, to crv ont
more But struck-feebly at first. and then
strongly-franticaly with my clenched fists
against the sides of the boiler. There were
people moving near who must hear nv blows J
Cou, ,i not i hear the grating of chains, the
stunning OF Feet the very rustic of a rome. hear
thcm all, within few inches of me I did
out the gurgmg water that was GROWING hot
Ter anu hotter around my cxtrcmities. made
more III NOISE WITHIN the steaming caldron than
did my irenzied blows against lis sides.
"Latterly had hardly changed nv position.
but now the growing heat of the wafer m,Ge
me splash to and fro; lifting myself wholly
out OF II was impossible, but could not re-
main quiet stumbled upon something's
was mallet "a chance tool the smith had
left there by accident With what wild low
u'u seize it-with what eager confidence did
now deal my first blows with it AGAINST tho
walls OF my prison! But scarce had inter-
initted Them for moment when | heard the
clang oil the iron door as the fireman Nunp i,
wide, to feed the flames that were TO tor,nre
me. MY Knocking was unhcard, though ]
could hear him toss the sticks into the furnace
beneath me, and drive too the door when his
internal oven was fully crammed.
"flad yet hope? had, but it rose in
my inihd side by side with the fear that | miph,
ND" become the agent of preparing myself a
more lrightiul death. Yes! when | thought
VI 'hat furnace with It's fresh fed flames curling
c y The iron upon which stood-a more
al;yei UaJ ! "' I; han that of being hnii~L
Ia" discovered that mallet but
short time sooner-but no matter. would
by It's aid resort To the only cxpedient left
sit was tbis-i remembered having a mar
iine-spike III my pocket, and in less time than
nave taken in limiting at the consequences of
thus using ii, had made an impression poon
the sides of the boiler. and soon succeeded in
driving 1t through. The water ushcdtbroiieb
the aperture--would they see it? No. the
jet could only play against wooden par,i
uon which must hide the stream from view
II must trlckle down upon the decks before the
leakage would be discovered. Should drive
another hole 10 make the leakage greater ;
Why the water within seemed already to be
sensibly diminished, so hot had become
that which remained and should more escape.
would not hear it bubble and hiss upon the
fiery plates OF iron that were already scorch
ing the soles of my feet? s. =.
"Ah there is a ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS hear
them calling for Il bar-The bulkhead
cracks as they pry off the planking. They
have seen the leak-they are trying to get at
it!-Good God, why do they not first dampen
the fire why do they call for the-the
stranger, look at that finger! it can never
regain Its natural size-but it has already done
all The service that man could expect from,
so humble MEMBERSHIP, that hole would
have been plugged up on the instant, unless
had damned my finger through"
81 heard the cry of horror as they saw il
without--the shout to drown the fire-the
stroke OF the cold water pump. They say,
TOO that was conscious when they took me
out-but II %emember nothing more until
they brought aju!ep TO my bedside afterwards,
| AND that julep!"
"Coolingi was ,"
''STRANGER!n'
Ben turned away his head and wept--He
| could say no more.