Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1852-05-28
TO THE PUBLIC.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo-, April %, 1852.


Missouri river trade, travel, &c, drop you a
line with reference TO the same.
left St. Louis, April 10th, on steamer Pom
tiac, Baker, Master, bound for Council Bluffs
After having been out one week, during which
time we laid by two nights on sand bars, and
grounded on fifteen or twenty besides, in addition
to which we ran over about the same number OF
sndgs0 we arrived at Lexington, distance of
about 300 miles above St. Louis. AS we drew
near Lexington experienced some unpleasant
reflections at the sight of the remaining frag-
ments of the Inflated steamer Saluda, which.
about two weeks previous, was torn to atoms by
the bursting of her boilers. She had on board
about 300 passengers, the majority of whom
were Mormons. About one hundred persons.
without moments warning, were launched in
to eternity. The citizens of Lexington imme-
dately raised a subscription for the relief of the
wounded and destitute, of the former of whom
there were about seventeen in the Hospital of
that place.
On Monday last, (our eleventh day out,) as
we proceeded up the river, grounding on sand
bars, and running over snags, we struck one of
the latter with force sufficient to make hole
through our boat, and in less than one hour we
sank in about six feet Of water The freight not
being insured, was nearly total loss. Boat in
sured for more than its value, boilers and en-
! gines excepted. As soon as she began to sink,
the Captain ordered the yawl to convey the pas
sengers ashore, which was safely effected in a.
bout three hours. As soon as the passengers
were landed, some of the boat hands began to
break open trunks for their valuables, securing
first the money. One man was robbed Of S207.
another of $500 in gold Previous to the acc-
dent, one man was robbed of $50 during the
night, in his state room.
1t is my opinion that the Capt, Clerk, and all
the officers, or at least majority of them, are
men of no principle or souls, or if they had any
it was that Of dollars and cents and if thew
possessed a soul, it must have been that of
fend whose sole object is to rob and plumber his
fellow man, as the following instances will fully
confirm.
lcannot particularze infinitely, but will give
few facts on this point. First: The passen-
gers had all, with but two or three exceptions,
paid their passage through to Council Bluffs and
in case the captain should be unable to take
them through according to agreement within a
reasonable length OF time, from accident or 9TH
er cause, be was to refund an equitable proper
ton OF the money. This they advertised to do.
We applied for this; we demanded it, and Justly
too, but 1t was utterly refused. We were most
ly Californians, who had invested our all, or near
Iy, in an outfit for the land OF gold the MAORI
ty of US had not only paid our passage to the
Bluffs, but also for the transportation of our
freight, but in no case would he refund single
dime. 1t was his duty as on honest man to do
so; yea, more, even to transfer our baggage and
freight TO shore free of charge; but he would
not even do that. He exacted an enormous sum
from US for that, even more than the value of the
| "-''olea thamsAlvas in instances One
man who had invested his all, or nearly SO. lost
it, Chat is, his OUTFIT except seven barrels of
crackers, for which he had to pay seven dollars
for bringing them ashore before he could get
them One circumstance which, more than all
others, mortified my feelings, was this: they
charged $40, and were to receive it, q heard the
man who managed the yawl say so myself,) for
bringing the corpse of an old lady ashore who
had died the morning previous to the sad acct
dent. This sum was to be paid by the son of the
deceased, who, out Of parental regard, did not
want the last earthly remains of his beloved pa
rent to be tossed AMI dashed to atoms in the mad
and turbid waters of the Missouri One Young
man passenger on board) who was not actuated
by selhshness, but by nober feelings, volunteer
ed to assist in bringing the corpse on shore but
| owing to mismanagement as they neared the
shore, the yawl upset, and the young man was
drowned; corpse, Of course, lost Strange to
tell, those who were to receive pay for this effort
all came safe to shore. But | envy them not
they came with the disgrace of fionds resting
upon them the young man who died in
this noble and generous effort, will he not shine
as bright sfar in the armament of the spiritual
heavens forever and ever! He is dead, but vet
livcsh in the memory of all good people. wo'd
prefer, by far, to die in noble cause than to live
dsgraced by unprncipled conduct.
All this occurred in civilized land, yea, more,
in Christian land in a land where not only
law prevails, but where the better feelings ofhu.
mainly are also supposed to prevail Although
this affair has no connection with slavery, it was
consoling TO me freeman of the North, to
think that this disgraceful transaction did not &C.
cur in free State, but in State over which
the dark and gloomy cloud of bonds and slavery
hangs portentpus
am now about so miles above St. Joseph on
board the steamer Robb Campbell, bound for |
Council Bluffs. She has board about 100 |
California passengers. The Californians are
camped all around St. Joseph, to the distance
of % miles, at least so was informed by the cit
liens of that place What a vas, army are
bound for the land of gold! Is not this priana
tacia evidence of the growth of the organ of &C.
quisitiveness in the minds of the American peo-
pie ,?