Arkansas intelligencer., 1849-12-29

scores OF corpses, and many living some slight
~, others serlousy, wounded. A scene ensued
such as to battle ali description. Here was wife
calling lE accents of despair for her husband
there child clasping with wild sobs The mu,ilated
body OF its mother. Now maiden might be
seen covering her pale face with her iewelIed fin.
| gers, exclalming, IS Oh God my eyes p
And anon some strong man breaks into the cabin,
tearing the clothes from his breast frenzied with
excruciating pain.
| Horrible Sill numbers survive unhurt Blu,
worse catastrophe is coming. Sudden as the
knell of death, awful as the trumpet of iudg,
-ment, sounds tho cry Of Fire l'-that most apa
paling word ever spoken on board Of the ship 81
IN cabins of steamboat. :. Fire 2" screarnIrin -
than fifty voices. The boat is on fire Tread>I
ing so swiftly on the heels of the previous calansi3
ty, no wonder That this drives many TO distractioif.
Some leap mady into the stream-sonie rave,
mouhng hideous asphemies-others fall on their
bended knees and breathe hasty prayers. There
is Infinite need Of haste now. In few minutes
the fore part is Id bright blaze and as the wind
blows directly up stream, the flames running
rapidly towards the stern. Somebody shouts to
the pilot. "Steer her ashore!' There is NO
pilot He was hurled on high. forty feet into the
air, with the first explosion. The gamblers pale
clay is now asleep on lis bed of mud in the bot
tom of the Mississippi, and his beautiful wife, with
bursts or maniac laughter, gazes on her afirighod
babe. The ray of reason has forsaken her da ri,
eyes forever.
But why did not the other boat bear down and
afford timely aid to the sufferers part of her
nachIuery had given way, and although there
was no loss of life, she lay powerless rs a log on
the water.
One might almost fear that the ink would freeze
on me point or his pen In tracing farther the hor
rors of that dreadful picture-the result Of law
less gambling. One fact is remarkable at the
earliest instant of alarm. al restraint, being re.
moved by tho irresistible perils of tho moment
traits OF character and Distinguishing passions
were strikingly manifested. Some husbands flew
from their wives and plunged into the river alone.
| Others above all things sought to save their
consorts, regardless of their own safety. Some
ladies clung to the bosoms of their lords forgetting
''elr helpless children, or rudely, unconsciously
casing them down. Others hugged their ba bies
z 10 me- hearts, repulsing their mates intruders
Al IN. first ominous sound-that hiss of infu
: rate sieam-the eyes of William Grey and Helen
aas ais'asss & 81 ,s!#s ssgss
as'no on fsHNsd S ~ Sjd'ns neither, b0t6
gei6ef IL Hdssas sa ss d:SsS y,
thrilled tsouehpdhe sdremtIing sEJsleniwiih tefa
cheek and widfook. she invo1ntariIy oounIei for.
warded into those arms which just then were ex.
panded 10 meet her.
81 will you or share your fatel" said tho
, heroic youth, bearing his seIfcommiited charge
down the steps to the lower deck and then sur
the water.
An exceedingly export swimmer, William Grew
fer while nobly contended with the dangers of
+ the stream. But the waves and sky were bo,l
unfuvorable. II was opposite the mouth of the
+, Missouri, and the river was much swollen by
flood and shot its sweeping mass of water with
cross current reaching quite 10 the other bank
causing numerous small whirlpoos, % boils, "
as the boatmen call them, capable of forcing even
} vessels from their path.
Black columns of cloud, broken and agmen-
tarv, like the scattered troops of defeated army
scudded before the moon, mostly yelling her radI
ant face occasionally, through riffs, letting on,
her magic light, which, however, only served to
, render more deep the succeeding darkness. Anc
so onwards, through darkness and whrl-poos, tn,
youth bore his late found beloved. But whatever
might be his strength or agility as n swimmer
The situation was critical and the chances for hi.
life slender. 1t impossible 10 make land or
8 the Missouri side, so violently rushed the other
current and ftful flashes of moonlight revealed
. on the Illinois shore seemingly perpendicular
: cliffs. William Grey, however, hoped that some
opening might be in these, or at least they ierml-
7 nate short way down the river.
$ At length his strength began to fail as he noared
the precipitous bluff and that variable moon ustre
showed TO his beivilderad gaze place for land
t inc As Helen also discovered the fearful act.
r she spoke for the first time
Dear one, leave me. For Gods sake risk not
YOUR safety TO secure mine -
i Her voice was low, but sweet as the silver
chime of bells. Good Heaven! how could he
think of loosing such music? He could not ar
tlculate-he was choking for breath but he an.
Swerea by putting forth all his power. which bare.
~ sufhced 10 touch the shore--a mura! rock steen
as The side Of house. Nothing could scale that
without wings Then they both gave themselves
up for lost, and caspng each other in loves fond
embrace, sank back into Tho chilling wave
'ust then another gust Of mist moonlight re-
vealed to Grey's eye a log not far off, driring
win the current. By almost superhuman cycr,l
tIons he reached the mercifu agent of Providence
IN. IN The same breath. Then both thanked God. 4
hey felt that lie alone had saved them. AfteIS
floating on this fra support some distance the n
arrived at the love- --'sa.--sSdhe bluF wbera n 81
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