Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1842-10-15
BEN BLOWERS STORY.
OR now TO RELISH A JULEp.

Afe You sure mars Inc fiame over by th
shore"
'Cstting, mannyi I could tell her pipes serOs
the Nszowar
"And you will overhaul her1"
"Wol'g we though. tell, ye, Stranger, 80 sur
rs my names Ben Blower, that that last tar bar
hove IN the fdsnaes has put ilst a smart chance
20 ahead into Us to cut of The Flame from yende
pint. oc send our boat to kingdom come"
"rhe devil," exelsimed bystander, who, in
tenssy interested in the race, was leaning the viii
ssaiost the partitions OF tbs boiler room, NV
;hosen nice place TO see the iun near this infer
mi pnwder b,rrel"
"No, % bad as IL you were in tip coolly 90,
ssrve Ban. as the other walked rapidly away.
As II we vere in 1t in what' in the boiler
"C,r,ins Doa't folks sometimes GO into biers
nnnnS1" PEA f.It
II should think ,here'd be other parts of the boat
ml.e comfortable"
That's right; Pokins fun at me at onceti but
wei, It'll We get through with this brush with the
OIL Flame and I'll tell We regular kin serepe tha,
man may got into. lrs true, too, every word OF
n-as sure as my names Ben Blower!
.You have seen the Flame then nfore, Stranger
SIX years ago, when new upon the river, she was a
real out and outer, tell We. was then h nd
aboard OF her, Yes. belonged TO h, a, the time
o' her greatracs with the "Go.liar. You've heern,
m,yhap, OF the bow up by which we los, III They
miie a great fuss about it; but it nothing but
NJ Of hot watos after all. Ony the spfing-
ing Ut few riveis, which ioosencd bler plate or
two. and letting out thin spirting upon some mig
gers that hadnt sense enough 10 get out OF the way
We'll, the go liar" took of our passengers, and
ran into Smashcr's Landing TO repair damages,
md bury the poor fools that were killed. Here
laid for a matter of thirty hours so, and got
thing. 90 rights on board for bran new s,srt.-
rhete was some carpenters work yet TO he done,
hut the captain said that thlt might be liked ON
list as well when we were under way-we bad
wo kei hnrd-;he weather was sour, and we needn't
do any thing more jSt now-we might take that
afternoon TO ourselves. but the next morning he'd get
up steam bright and airly, and we'd all come out
new. There was no tenn pernnce society q, Smash
er's L,nding, and | went ashore upon lark with
some OF the hands"
| omit the worthy Benjan,in's adventures upon
land and jespairns offully conveying his language
in its original Dorc force, will not hesitate 10 We
the ie' Of his singular narrative in my own words,
where, in few Instances, can recall bis pre-
else phraseoogy which the reader will easily recos
nize.
the deck OF our boat. The office 3, IRIS cad OF eav
ing watch above, had closed up every thing, and
shrt themselves in the cabinet. The fire Ioom ONLY
was open. the boards dashed from the outside by
the explosion had not yet been replaced The a 1or
OF the room was we; and there was scarcely a cor
net which aft irded shelter from the driving storm.
| WAS about leaving the room, resigned to sleep in
the open air, and bent only upon getting under
the lee Of some bu khead that would protect me a.
goinst the wind. In passing out | kept my arms
stretched toward to feel my way in the dark, bu, my
feet cime IN contact with teivy iron lid | STUN
bed, and ns fell struck OF my hands into The
'm1nho e. ii think this was the name he gave 10 the
oal 81 eI opening in the head o. the boer) through
wa ch he smith had entered 10 m Ike his repairs
fell with my arm thurst so far into the aperture
that | received pretty smart blow in the iace,
~ came 10 contact with the head of the boiler, and
lid not hesitate to drag my body after it, the mo-
ment recovered from this stunning effect and as
certainCd my Whereabouts. In word, crep. i0tl
the boiler resolved pass the of the night hese
The place was dry and sheltered. Had my bed
been softer, would have had all tina, man could
desire; ms It was, slept and sept soundly.
81 ShOulI mention, though, that, before closing
my eyes, several times shifted my position. |
had gone first 10 the farther end of the boiler, then
again had crawef back TO the manhole, TO pat
my hand out and feel that it was really still open.
Ihe warmcst place was at the farther end, whe e
finally established myself, and that knew from
the first II was foolish for TO think that the
opening through which had just entered could be
closed wiihou: my hearing It, and that too when
nobody was astr but myself; but the blow on the
side OF my face made me little nervous perhaps;
besides, | never could bear TO be shut up IN any
place-t always gives a wild.lke feeling about the
head. You may laugh, Stranger, but believe
should sufocale IN an empty church, If once felt
that was so shut up in il hat could not get out.
have met men afore now Just like me, or worse
rather-much worse. Men that it made sort Of iu .
rIous TO be tied DOWN TO anything, yet SO soft Ike
and contradictory in their natures that you might
icuu bucn anywhere SO long us hey Cll0t Icel the
string Stranger. lakes all sorts OF people M Ike
world and we have good many Of the worst
KIND VI white men here out west. But hav. seen
folks upon the river-quet looking chaps. too, as
ever you see-who were SO tetotaliy euaHkterank
ferrous tina, they'd shoot the doctor who'd tel Them
they couldn't live when nilng and tn Ike a die ou.
oi II, just out of spite, when told they must get
vel. Yes, fellows as ford Of the good things OF
the earth as you or !, YET who'd rush like mad right
over the gaug-plank OF life, If once brought TO be
liege that they had 10 IN xrOrlt
thy wan c to leave il or not. ThunGer and bees
u such fellow es that had heard the cocks crow
as dd-awakened to find darkness about him
darkness so thick you nigh; Gu: 1t with knife
heard other sounds, too TO tell him it mornin,,
and scrambling to tumble for that manhole found
~, too baek-cosej-blaek and even as the re [
OF the iron coffin around him. closed, with a rivet-
hole 10 let GODS light nnd air in-why-why-
he'd'a Siconld>d right down on the spot, as DID,
and aln't ashamed TO own i. TO no white man "
The big drops actually stood upon the poor fe
lows brow, as he now paused for a momeJt in the
recital OF his terrible story. lie pissed his hand
over his rough features, and resumed it with less
agitation Of manner.
How long may have remained there serssle,s
don't know. The doc'ors have since tod me Il
must have been a sor. of6t-more ike an apoplexy
'hdn tNoon, for the attack finally passed of IN a
sesp-Yes slept / know that, Tor dreamed-a
heap u things afore ] dwOke-there is bat one
dream, however, that have ever been able to re
cal distinctly, and that must have come on shortly
before recovered my consciousness. My rssiin,
place through the night had been, as ] have told
you, at the far end Of the boiler. Well | now
drc'msd that the manho'e wss still open-ald whsi
seems cutOus, rather than aughabl,, If you take it
INTO connection with ohor things, fihcied that my
legs had been so stretched in The long walk h1d !
t'ke1 the evening before, tina, they reached the
whole leng,h Of the boiler and extended through the
opening.
AZ first, lin my dreaming reheetions) il was O |
comfortable thought that no ons could now shut ~
the mlnhoc without awakening me. But soon it
seemed as though my feet, which were on the out
tlie were becoming drenched IN tho storm which
md orig Inally driven ms to seek this shelter. fell
the chilling rain upon my extremiiies. They grew
colder and colder and their nun, bae IS gradually x
tended upwards TO other plris ofmy body. II seem
ed, however, that II was only the under side Of nv
person that was thus strangely visited. laid upon
ny b.ck, and II must have been a species Of night
mare that sh'ced me for knew at last that ass
dreaming, yet felt It impossible TO rouse myself
violent ht Of coughing restored, OF last, my rover.
Of vO.iuon. The waite, inch had been slowly
rising around me, had rushed into my mouth ; I
awske to hear the rapid strokes Of the pump which
was driving il into tho boio-.
"My whoe condtion-no, no, oil OF il, not vet
my present condition ished with new horror upon
me. But did not again sWoon. The cnoakihs
sensation which had made me faint, WHEN I FIRST
uhcovsrtd how was entombed, gave way TO the
Ivelier though less ovefpowerDg emotions.
thrieked even az started from my sumber The
previous discovery Of the closed aperture with the
instant oblivion that 70 lowed, seemed only rart
Of my dream, and threw my arms about and
looked eagerly Tor the opening by which had en-