The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1851-02-19
The o rigin Of Iron.

The o rigin of Iron.
"The venerable Wainamonen made answer:
l can tell thee the origin Of iron; | know the
origin of steel. Three children derive their origin
from common source-water the elder born, fire
the younger, and iron which is aged between.
Fire displayed its fury the imperious flames
shot forth, spreading terror through the world. In
that year of desolation, the lands all burned
up the marshes all consumed in that fearful sum-
mer which devoured with fire whose traces are in
delible, all created things in nature fire sought
refuge wherein to hide.
Then the old man roared out from the depths
OF his smithy, and said
Where did iron hide-where did it find re-
fuge in that year of desoaton-in that fearful sum
mer which devoured all created things in nature "
Walnamoinen having shown the numerous
places in which the iron found refuge, amongst
which he cloud, the summit Of an oak and
lastly marsh, in which it found by the Fin
nish Vulcan, continues
" 1t was taken into the workshop of the great
artisan, OF llmarinen the eternal blacksmith, who
said If put thee into the fre-into the furnace
OF my forge, thou wilt become arrogant,
more great thou wilt spread abroad terror, thou
wilt kill thy brother, thou wilt shed the blood of
the eon of thy mother p"
Then the iron in the furnace of the forge beneath
the blows Of the hammer, follows:
81 have trees to split have the heart of rocks
to hew no, will not kill my brother, | will not
shed the blood of my mothers son.
And the workman lllmarnen the eternal forger
OF iron threw the iron into the hottest part of the
furnace, he fashioned it when soft upon his anvil
but before he dipped it into the water to temper it,
he tasted with his tongue the creative Juices of the
steel-the water hardening the iron, and said
This water is impotent to create steel, or
harden iron. Oh MehiLatnen--friendly bird fy
hence on thy light wings traverse all the nine
seas which divide us, and half the tenth fly over
the lands, the marshes and the ocean-strats bring
back in thy bill, and thy feathers the honey
distilled from seven blades of grass, from the
petals of six flowers, that may Herewith make
the steel and give the iron hardness. Blu. the bird
OF His tthe hell-blrd) took wing, and lingering
round the dwelling. and beneath the caves, watched
whilst the steel was being made-the iron harden
ing.
1T brought the poison of blood--it brought the
black juices of the worm which its lzard-like eyes
had seen crawling, and the hidden venom of the
snake, for the steel which being made, and for
the iron which hardening.
Then the artisan lllmarnen, the eternal black
smith, thought that the bird had brought the honey
and the sweet juices he had asked for and he said
This is good for the preparation of STEEL for the
hardening OF iron.
But after moment-a brief moment the iron
quivers with anger-it roars--it writhes and for
getful of its oaths, devours like dog its plghted
faith. 1t kills its brother-it destroys its mothers
son-it plunges into palpitating flesh and de-
itself so furiously that blood overhows in
torrents.
The old man out from the depths of his
smithy his beard bristes up with rustlng
sound, and he shakes his head, saying:
Now now | know the origin of iron, and its
fatal destiny. Woe to thee, wretched iron woe to
thee, vile Scoria Art thou so naughty that thou
hast outraged nature and destroyed?
"Ihou vert not SO mghty-thou vert nothing,
when thou vert stagnant water-when thou vert
reposng in the mud OF the boundless marsh or on
the summit of the rock.
g Thou vert not so mighty-thou vert nothing,
when drawn from the morass, sfted from the clay
Of the earth, and dried from the dampness of the
waters; thou vert not so mighty-thou vert moth
ing, vile Scora, when bubblng in the furnace, or
when beneath the hammers blows thou didst swear
thy oath. Thy heart has become bad-suffer-
ing hath corrupted thee. Wretch that thou
art, thou hast violated thy oath and devoured like
dog thy plighted faith !! Who prompted thee to
an act SO fearful Was it thy father, was it thy
youngest of thy sisters!
"No, thou alone hast done the evil-thou alone
committed the crime of Kalnea," (carnage).
Having discovered the origin of iron, knowl-
edge which a necessary ingredient of his
charm, the old sorcerer proceeds to stop the
hemorrhage of the god -heros wound.
He calls on Lempo to place his broad finger on
the opening to place door the fearful door
way; and he says,
thy rapid current-coagulate into wall"
If thou art irresstibly hurried forward, then
dash through the flesh and bones; it is more
meet and fitting to flow through the flesh, to fiji
the swelling veins, and to bubble in the bones
than to the ground and be in the dust de
filed.
"Thy place is in the heart--thy seat beneath tn,
lungs. Oh blood without delay turn back tn,
current thither-cease, oh my beloved Il
waste abroad thy purple.
IF nevertheless thou wilt not tarry, then re
member that the falls of Tyrian paused-that th
torrent Juartunam said its rushing waters-tha
sea and skies dried in the great year of desc
late sterhty, that year of inextingushable fire.
If all this will not persuade thee, then | know
another charm. | will take Of Hisii, tn
cauldron of Helvetti, in which blood is boiled an
made solid, that it may not flow upon the cart
or escape in streams.
"Then the old man seized the extremities of tn
veins and counted them" Fourth Rune.
There are two things remarkable in this traditio
of the origin of IRON firstly the proof it Affords tn;
the volcanic formations of the earth had NJ
escaped the notice of the Firms, though most 9th,
people appear in their traditions only to have oil
served the Neptunian and secondly, the progres
they had made in surgery, evinced by binding u
the arteries, and the conjecture of the circulating
the blood.
THE SHIP NoNANTUM.-A letter dated Ea
Falkland Island, Nov, 8, from Capt. Bates, OF sh
Nonantum, (before reported lost on the voyaf
from Baltimore to California; states that the fire {
board was discovered October %, when smol
from the after hatch, and came into Il
cabin, the other matches being caulked tight. I
the day BEFORE in severe gale, the ship had roll
very heavily Water and provisions were imm
dlaley got up sufficient to last the to i
Falkland Islands, in doing which the men el
p'oyed were AT last brought up senseless from Il
gas and smoke. Every vent was closed as tight
aspossible, to smother The fire, but when she n
on shore and scutlled, her lower deck beams HI
been burnt off amidships, and that part of the low
deck had fallen in.
Every exertion was made by Capt. Bates to ?
out the fire, with the assistance of the crews of {,
British ships in port, and fire engine, but in va
and after survey, she ordered to be scuttle
Capt. b. was saving what he could of the cars
sails and rigging. After the fire was dscovert
Capt. Bates had an opportunity 10 abandon ,
ship, and go on board a brig which had pass
near, but Iesolutely determined not to leave