Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1850-05-30

BY prairie, lake or hill,
Rolls on, the full sublime response
ssWe never piHr'
From the N. Y. Spirit ofthe Times.
A Steamboat Race, or Love at First Sight.
There is a certain bold bluff in the
State of Illinois, which commands one Of
the most beautiful prospects on the globe.
1t shoots up in the form Of nearly per-
penGicular wall from the waters edge Of
'.the great river" When the stranger,
for the first time, reaches the summit, es-
pecial'y il his heart possesses one spark
Of poetic fire -elec!ric sympathy with the
divine in nature--some minutes must
elapse Of concrete emotion, sublime, in
stinclive dreaminess, during which he
| will be impotent 10 analyze, or grasp,
separate details in the overpowering scene
| before him then, awaking from his efful-
gent revery with start, he can criticize
| at leisure what lie has enjoyed with so
| much rapture, and still enjoys. Broad,
| and booming onward TO the sea, the mon-
arch Of American rivers marches beneath
his feet. Ont opposite side, the mighty
Missouri may be seen, sweeping its dark
and furious mass OF water at right angles
to the Mississippi. The eye traces long
distance Of that famous Missouri valley,
! bounded on either hand by blue and
misty line Of hills. Beyond is the vast
| prairie Of the Mammelles, gemmed with
fairy isles Of emerald, and skirted, at the
remoiest reach Of vision, with mountains
and forests 10 tint so serenely soft and
briifiau, that r..rrs scrrs aessrrii..y fart cs
the sky's azure, which half walls but still
hides not their wavy outlines. Above
you, on the same shore, is the valley OF
the Illinois itself, defined by hoary, mag
nificent cliffs. That river comes creeping
slowly, like some enormous serpent, 10
the bosom OF its father stream, by a led
arrow-l like straight a. the channel of a
canal. You are in the valley whic!,
drains half continent. You see the
mammoth rivers waters, calm as lake
and clear as crystal, above the mouth oi
the Missouri, while below they are
charged and urbid, and roll along between
the deep, inden,ed, and broken banks
with whrlpools which boil and eddy like
so many cauldron>. On the opposite
prairies are even meadows, fields Of wheat
and Iustling corn, smoke wreaihs ascend
ing, and great herds of cattle peacefully
grazing, or ganboling with pure excess
OF life aud joy-signs Of civilization blend
!, ed with the grandeur of primitive nature
! There are columns Of green trees, lakes
which geam in the sun like mirrors o.
silver. and immense focks Of sea fow
, wheeling their flight above them, singing
their songs Of love, or uttering their erie.
Of rage.
The patriotic poet, who gazes on such
landscape, i'll not need 10 brave the per.
lis of the deep TO draw the fires Of inspi
ration from the light of Italian skies or the
entertainments OF any ofthe lovelies, scene
ry of Europe. /, is spo, fitting the
conservation Of some gray legend, tha
should be a bright bit ot romance-not ol
desola,ing war, or wild wicked passion
but Of holy first love, sweet as the odor.
Of the prairie around it, and strong as The
current Of the mighty stream which rolls
along its borders. There is no such le-
gend but fortunately for the poor story
teller, there is stray leaf from the book
Of reality that perhaps will serve his pnr-
pose as well. The reader, however, shall
be the judge in the matter, as we now
| proceed 10 narrate the facts.
On the 18th Of May, ISL, two boats
started from Rock Island. both destined
for the port OF S, Louis. The peals o.
their last bells warning too late passen-
gers-Iningled their clear echoes together
and both at the same time moved out into
the deep channel. Both were noble YES
sells, literally floating palaces" fitted L
accommodate, and then ac'ual' y accommo
dating. at least one hundred passengers
The FAIRY Queen" was new, and 'h''
was her first voyage up the river iron
New Orleans. The Henry Clay" was
good as new, as the captain saw proper t.
express il, and had previously been reck
oned the fastest boat on the Western wa
tiers. sz
Beautifully curled the blue smoke atov'
the tall iron chimneys, and white as snow
hetwixt the eye and sun, arose the fes
toons of steam from their 'scape pipes
1t was charming sight TO see those wil'
fire witches of the wave descending ,h'
steps octheir liquid stairs. Signals wavet
from their decks as they parted, and fut
tering signals answered from the shore
signals Of friends, perhaps final adieus Ill
the great day.
They were both commanded by excel
lent officers, having, as men and captains
but single prominent fault, but unior
tunately, that was an inyincible propensit.
10 gamble.
From the moment the vessels got int
the middle Of the current, and began t
| Ii A.. c.axn f.ann fhnir hnws in th.