Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1847-06-25

I dt tiiC SAINT tiiiG tiItiilSlfiHg illGlT eA-
hausted funds. This proved TO be a very
unfortunate speculation. The capital of
| the company gave out before they were
able TO complete their plans, and they left
port with their boat in an unfinished con.
dition. calculating TO finish it with their
first proceeds, they having invested their
last !e" dimes in supply OF bacon, corn
meal and potatoes; but fate conspired "a
gainst them The river was low, and
none Of them had ever descended The Wa.
bash; consequently they were ignorant of
! the channel, lodged on the sand bars, and
hung on the snags until they exhausted
their scanly supply of provisions. They
a! length found themselves fast on sand
bar, and down to their las! peck of pota-
toes a, the same time. They Iaboreh hard
all day 10 get out of this predicamenr, but
without success !; and having roasted their
! last potatoes. they went TO bed, CT rather
TO bench, for their money gave out before
they procured bedding. and they had to
content themselves with the soflest plank
| of their seats for their. slumbers. Next
morning they were up before the sun,
wiki their spirits refreshed by nights
repose but without any breakfast, they
/ Jumped into The water, and with their rails
went stnutly to work again TO force their
boat over the bar. Over exerlion, toge,h.
er with being in the water too long with,
cut food, brought a severe fiji of ague upon
Barnard. The bar upon which they
were las, was called the " Bone Bank"
bar, as, Immediately opposite on the shore
the bank of the river was foil Of organic
remains. Some of the large bones were
then proruding out Of the side Of The bank
in fall view. As Barnard lay on the soft
sand Of The bar, (it was more comfortable
than the hard plank of the boat) his head
burning with the fever and his limbs
scorched with pain, he looked at these
gloomy relies Of an antediluyian race, and
felt as though his bones would soon be
laid with them. But at sunset the res; of
the company go, tie boat over the bal,
took Barnard aboard, and landed in the
woods, all nearly exhausted. Food was
as scarce here as il was upon the har ana
ali hands veut supper!ess to bed =
morning they started early, not intent On
exhibiting specimens of Me fine arts, but
on obtaining something 10 eat, as by lis
time they were nearly half starved. @lt
The contrary winds lalded their luck'ass
craft on Wabash Island, which was unin-
habIcd. Here, fortunately, they found
some pawpaws. ana they all fea8ted vera
c!ously On them except Barnard, VINO
vas TOO sick TO ca! anything, and who lay
upon one Of HE benches burning with :.
violent fever Next day they sent their
hand bills down 10 he village of Shaw
neelown, which was in sight, about seven
miles ahead. informing the inhabitants
tina, something would be done up brown
in the dioramc line that evening. at Their
wharf; and so there" was; for as the con
pany approached the wharf with Their
beat, no doubt viii! high expectations OF a
COED supper, they observed a large audi
ence awaiting their arrival But the eX-
Eibition turned out different from what
was expected The boat lodged on u
ledge Of rocks about half a c.b!e's length
from the shore. The men from the boat
got gu, line to the people on the wharf,
who pulled with the same eagernesS that
The half starved company on board pnshed
and pricd with their poles. But fate. re,
gardess of the philosophy OF action am
reaction, as well as Of the interests OF III
fine arts al ShaWneeiown, held the boa
, fast, and The audience went away wlhouI
sight Of the paintings, and the ARTISTS iC
: sleep again w!thou, a supper. iha
night the swelIs from passing steamer
lifted the boat from The rocks. and set il .
f float down the river; and when those or
r board awoke in the morning they tounl
: themselves hard aground on HE Cincinnati
a bar, about eight miles below Shawnee
E town. The beat was got off with but III
tic trouble, and they landed in a settle
l ment. Here they wrfo >efy liberal il
= their terms, as money was scarce, ans
! thev wanted 10 make sure OF something Il
eat A bushe Of potatoes, a fowl, or
E dozen Of eggs, were good for an admlssio'
+ to their interesting exhibition. Tha: nigh'
. after they got through they had nxnri
K Gus supper. Fasting so long appeared t.
e have done Barnard some good, for
q starved The fever on, of him, and IN les
: DAYS he was entirely well.
K The alvenlufers continued on vii
S their boat, stopping a, the settlements d
Q long The shore, and 8 astonishing The ma
e lives" with their dioramaS. he boat wa
!. not very large, and if the audience colec
i. ed TOO much on one side, the water woul
Il intrude over their low gunwales into III
exhibition room. This keptthe com7an
n by turns in the unarlis-like employme'
i Of pun ping. to keep the boa. from sink
e inc. Sometimes the swells from pass
> ing steamer would cause The water 10 rus
10 1hrnnGh lie cracks Of The " ealherbOardin!