Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-08-24
Gemeral gntelliqenee.

The remains of the Erie.-For thirteen year.
has the engine of this fre-consumed steamer
(Which has just been raised) laid at the bottom o.
Lake Erie. Portions OF the machinery are almost
unaffected by the water. The slarting,bsr, for IN
stance, is as good as new the lower part OF !,
looks fresh The watkins beam is but little touched
by rust; in places the water has not acted on II
AT all. Portions OF the condenser are also quite
fresh. IL will sound strange for US 10 say that
after thirteen years soak some. OF the nuts ofthe
machinery turn freely, the greese having been
preserved in the threads OF the screws. The
water has acted with unequal elect on different
kinds Of IRON A pair of tongs, for example, and
steelyard look only as if exposed 10 a mild
autum's usage. stuband-twist doube-barrel
of German make, is honey -combed and fn.l OF
holes Another double barrel gun, seemingly
English, is not nearly so much injured. Cast-iron
has stood the bath better than wrought, OF course
Some OF the heavy castings could be used again
to-day Had they laid ia salt water thus long, in
stead of fresh they would have been totally de
sroyed Most all Of the engine work and most
of the tools and utensils belonging TO the crowd
of immigrants upon the ill-starred steamer, show
the action OF fire upon them. The frame of the
walking-beam still has The blue scales and blush
tinge given 10 wrought iron by intense heat-by
g burning" so called.
A curious effect of the heat is exhibited by three
watches recovered from the wreck They all
minutes. The crystals melted down and united
with the dias, the cases soldered themselves TO.
gether at the joints. Yet the pressure the water
upon them at the depth Of sixty-nine feet was so
great that they filed with the fluid, and now hold
il tight within them A deposit has taken place
which seems 10 have closed the fine passages
through which the water entered.
Axes, hoes, spades, forks, rakes, cowbells, fiat
irons, knives and forks, scissors, and every con-
ceivable iron article in use in German or Nor
wegian household, came out OF the wreck in pro-
fusion. Fire and wafer have marked them all.
The tone of cow-be now in our office is how
ever, quite good the clearness of its ring though
being somewhat abated by its thirteen years
drowning. The chief injury, after ALL done TO the
ron-work and 10 the iron portion OF the cargo OF
The steamer was by fire, and not by water. Masses
of glove plates are soldered together by intense
heat and bundles of wire and sheet-iron are
welded together.
Much gold and silver coin as we have recently
stated, was found upon The floor Of the steamer
and between her tlmbers on each side of the KEEL
son. She was badly broken forward when raised,
and some thirty feet from the bows aft was taken
ashore at Point Abine and searched. The first
parcel of five franc pieces was there found, and
so close by the fracture 10 induce The belief
more or less of the coin must have fallen out into
deep water and been lost. This part of the wreck
was afterwards towed out into the lake and
dropped. The portion now out near the marine
railway astonishes every body with the spectacle
Of a great steamship actually burnt down in the
water TO within a foot Of the kelson in two or three
places. She is almost as thoroughly burnt down
as she would have been if she had been on
dry land instead of in rolling sea. Even at
the depth Of sixty-nine feet there has been such
an action in this tideless body Of water (Lake
Erie) that the wreck is covered with blue clay in
places over a foot thick As she lies the industry
of the wreckers takes the California shape Hoes
worked between the timbers fetch up a mingled
mass of cinders broken crockery, clay, scraps of
iron, sand, and rubbish of all sorts. 1t is lifted
into a long, many-chambered gold-washer, and
thoroughly washed with water thrown from a
forcing pump. Silver, gold, lead, copper, and iron
shot fall 10 The bottom and are carefully gathered.
How horrible was that calamity, how inexpli-
cable Ii our memory serves us correctly, some
three hundred and forty human beings persisted
tearuy in the alternative of grave in the fire or
in the deep water. How stirred the sympathies
of this city! How wild was the excitement here,
and how for weeks we sckened and shuddered
over the ghasily companies Of swollen, burnt, and
dsigured corpses that were laid in ranks upon
our wharves and upon the beach! May like
disaster never again happen upon this beautiful
water!-Bn6alo Democracy, I'm inst.
Indian Battle.--We learn from Mr., Noyes, of
the steamer Globe, that battle took place about
a week ago, between the Chippewas and the
Sioux, some distance above the Yellow Medicine
river in which twenty eight of the Chippewas
were killed, and some of the Sioux wounded.
Among the killed of the Chppewas were nine
warriors. the rest were women and children.
The Sioux took one captive, prepossesslng
young squaw, TO which some of the vctors took a
fancy. The fight took place on an open prairie,
and in territory belonging to the Sioux. The
Chippewas started on the war path, hoping 10
surprise their enemies, and anticipated returning
in triumph with the scalps of the Sioux dangling
at their belts as trophies of victory. But in this
they reckoned without their host, for they were
themselves taken by surprise, and all save one
met with bloody death. We understand that
Major Murphy starts for the scene of action to-
morrow, aud that he will compel the Sioux TO
liberate their captive.
We heard of an incident connected with the
battle highly illustrative of Indian character. The
Sioux during the fight il appears, were en;renched
behind rsmparts, and from their place of safety
fred upon their enemies doing great execution.
One Sioux warrior, however, disdained the pro-
lection afforded the rest by the defences, and
stood upon the rampant IN fill view, loading and dis
charging his rifle with as much GOODNESS though
he were smoking the calumet of peace. Many
were The attempts made 10 pick him off, but al
each unsuccessful effort his defiant cry rang
over the plain Finally, Hole in-the-day, the chief
of the attacking force, admitting the undaunted
bravery Of the warrior, approached as near him
as he could, and taking the chapet OF eagles
feathers from his great head, tossed 1t TO him.
as much 10 say, that for his heroisn he de-
served 10 DC cLitl.- ~. a kHLi/LJ Il tOHCcTj
dug. III.
Egging n Man by Mlstake.--The Cincin-
natl Commercial says: Some time since an itine-
rant lecturer, who gave his name as Graham,
passed through the interior Of Kentucky, and was
suspected Of having seduced a number of slaves
10 leave their masters and run for Canada. The
masters, if they had caught him, would have in
flicted summary punishment, but he managed TO
escape and has not since been heard from. a few
days since, however, a very honest and worthy
gentleman, who resides in Preble county, Ohio,
and who also glories in the name OF Graham, hear.
ing that court about being held at Cynthana,
Kentucky, concluded TO visit that place, TO intro
dnce among the farmers who would probably be
present new and valuable plough which he had
inverted In pursuance of this resolution, he
went 10 CyntAiana last week and exhibited his
plough, which was generally commended; but
some suspicious fellow having discovered that the
strangers name was Graham, at once concluded
he was the abolition lecturer, and denounced him.
A crowd soon collected, and some one asserted
that the stranger had been seen conversing with
negroes, and tlis settled the case against him All
his protestations and remonstrances were disre-
garded His demands for time 10 produce wit
nesses as 10 his character and business were set
down as attempts at evasion, and his demands for
a Jury trial US subterfuge 10 escape, and, despite