Ypsilanti sentinel. [volume] (Ypsilanti, Washtenaw Co., Mich.) 1843-1900, 1847-08-25

er vas lashed by teflfhc storm the night
was dack the boat broke loose from ITS moor
ings. BY great exertions of all hands OIL board
in pumping and bailing all night, they succeed
ed in keeping the craft afloat, and made safe
landing I
| During this perilous night, our young adven-
turer, at the hazard of his own life, saved that
of one OF his comrades who fell overheard
When day broke they discovered stock boat
but few yards below them, whose proximity
| they had not discovered during the night, from
the noise of the storm. 1t was an Ill faLed night
for the stockboat. 1t was sunk, all the stock
was drowned, and the men were found sitting
OIL the bank nearly frozen, whom the more for
tlhate party generously relieved. A large num-
Der of boats met with a similar fate with the
stock boat, on that fatal night.
The next We find of Barnard, he is in the viii
lage of New Harmony, on the Wabash river,
where in company with three or four others he
q got ups some dioramic paintings, fitted them
for public exhibition in fiat boat which they
built for the purpose, and started off down the
Wabash with the intention OF coasting that rlv-
er into the Ohio, and so down the Mississippi
to New Orleans thus exhibiting to the spars
population of the wilderness, specimens Of the
fine arts, at the same time replenshing their
exhausted funds. This proved to be a very un-
fortunate speculation. The capital of the COM
pany gave out before they were able to complete
their plans, and they left port with their boat in
an unfinished condition, calculating to finish it
with their first proceeds, they having Inv ested
their last few dimps in SIMPLIFY of bacon, corn,
meal, and, pota toes but fate conspired against
them. The river was low, and none of them
had ever descended it; consequently they were
ignorant of the channel, and lodged on the sand
bars, and hung en- the snags until they exhaust
ed their scanty supply of provisions. They at
length found themselves fast on sand bar, and
down to their last peck of potatoes at the same
time. They laborcd hard all DAY to get out of
this predicament. but without success and hav-
ing roasted their last potatoes they went to bed
or rather to bench, for their money gave out be-
fore they had procured bedding, and they had
to content themselves with the softest side Of a
plank, for their slumbers- Next morning they
were up before the sun, with their spirits re-
]freshed by q nights repcse, but without any
breakfast, they Jumped into the water, aud with
their rails went stontly to work again to force
their boat over the bar. Overexertion, togeth-
er with being in the water too long without food
brought severe fit of the ague upon Barnard.
The bar upon which they were fast was called
the Bone-bank bar, as immediately opposite the
on the shore, the bank of the river was full OF
organic remains. Some of the large bones were
then protruding out of the side Of the bank in
| full view AS Barnard lay on the soft sand of
the bar, lit was more comfortable than the hard
plank of the boat his head burning with fever,
and his limbs scorched with pain, he looked al
these gloomy relics of an antediluvian race, and
felt as though his bones would soon be laid with
them. But at sunset the rest of the company
got the boat over the bar, took Banvard aboard,
and landed in the woods, all nearly exhausted.
Food was as scarce here as it was on The bar,
and all went supperless to bed. Next mora
ing they started early, not intent on exhibiting
specimens of tie fine arts, but On obtaining
something to eat. as by this time they were all
nearly starved. But the contrary winds land
ed their luckless craft on Wabash island, which
was uniLhabited. Here, fortunately, they fouad
some paw-paws, and they all Toasted yoracious-
v on them except Barnard, who was too sick to
eat anything, and who lay upon one of the ben
ches burning with violent fever. Next day
they sent their hand-bls down to the village
of Shawneetown, which was In sight about sew
en- miles ahead; Informing the inhabitants that
something would be 'done up brown" in the
dioranc line that evening, at their wharf and
so there was for as the company approached
the wharf with their boat, no doubt with high
expectations of a good supper, they observed
large audience awaiting their arrival. But the
exhibition turned out different from what was
expected. The boat lodged on ledge ofrocks
about half cables length from The shore. The
men from the boat got out line to the people
lon the wharf, who pulled with the same eager
ness that the half starved company on board
pushed and pried with their poles. But fate,
regardless of the laws of action and reaction,
as well as the interests OF the fine arts III Shaw
neetown, held the boat fast, and the audience
went away without sight of the paintings, &
the artists to sleep again without supper
That night the swells of passing steamer
lifted the boat IRON the rocks, and set it afioat
down The river; and when those on board awoke
in the morning they found themselves again
hard aground on the Cincinnati bar, about eight
miles below Shawneetown. The boat was got
off with but little trouble, and they landed in
settlement. Here they were very liberal in
their terms, as money was scarce, and they
wanted to make sure of something to eat. A
bushel of potatoes, fowl, or dozen of eggs,
were good for an admission to their interesting
exhibition. That night, after they got through
they had a luxurious supper. Fasting so long
apbears to have done Banvard some good, for it
starved the fever out of him, and in few DAYS
he was entirely well.
The adrenturers continued on with the boat,
stopping at the settlements along shore, and
M..astonshing the natives with their dioramas
Tie boat was not very large, and if the audi
ence collected too much on one side, the water
would intrude over their low gunwales into the
exhibition room. This kept the company by
turns in the unartist-ke employment of pump
ing, to keep the boat from sinking. Sometimes
the swells from a passing steamer would cause
the water to rush through the cracks of the
weatherboarding, and give the audience bath.
Barnard says they made no extra charge for
this part os the exhibition, although it was not
mentioned in the programme.
Money being scarce, they were compelled to
receive struck and trade for admissions, such
no unusual thing TO see family coming down
to see the show boat" the father with bash
ell of potatoes, the mother with a fowl, and the