The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1854-09-19

dragoon as he went by nearly severed his
head from;his body,.and he fell dead, covered
with bayonet wounds, sabre gashes, and mark
ed with lance thrusts and bullet holes. The
sapper, who was with Mr.: Burke stood BY him
to the last but could not save him. He is
now only recovering from his wounds and the
effect of his exertions." s =
=. Loss. OF LIFE BY sSTEAMBoATs.-A report
has recently been made to. the Secretary of the
Treasury, showing the number Of steamboats,
destroyed, and the causes of their destruction
during the first half of the present year. It's
setforth in the report that no additional legis-
lation is necessary on the part of the govern
ment, to the act passed by Congress III 1852,
to provide for the better security of the lives
of passengers on board of. vessels propelled
in whole or in part by steam" except to ex.
tend it, So as to include ferry boats. and toI,
boats propelled by steam. -.
The report states that from January to lst
June l7th, 1854, there were sixty-four steam.
boat disasters, involving loss of S2,274, ,442,
and 54S lives. Of this number, 10 have been
from collisions, with loss Of $l04, 600 and
20 lives; of these were fitted up according
to the law of 1852, and 2 of them not under
the law. These cases are all supposed to have
been from negligence and inattention. Is
boats have been destroyed by fire with a loss
of 81 ,4S0, 500 and al lives; these are all sup.
posed to have been accidental except two.
Much the larger number of accidents were pro!
duced by snags, there having been % boats
a. Ia ofso ,ofp RI fhp
amount of s370,O0O. The San Francisco was
foundered at sea, with loss of 200 lives, and
property to the amount of s300,000. Of ex.
plosions there haye been eight: Two Of the
boats had been inspected according to the law
of 1852; the loss of property was $67, 1000, and
in lives IL. ,2.--,.zz. :, Ef - :
The writer of the report urges an improve
ment in the wording of the present Steamboat
Law, so as to bring together those sections
embracing the same object, aud making the
law more concise, and explicit and condensed.
The law thus modified, without any alteration
in its exactions, would no require more than
one half the printed matter it now does.
The Bill speaks Of the necessity Of the fusi.
bic metal used for boilers being made. under
the supervision ofthe government, and proper
ly tested before it is given to the local inspec.
tors; and that they also, should be furnished
with instruments to test the accuracy of the
alloys after it comes into their hands. The
present plan, now about being adopted, of fur
nishng the alloy from the Mint, is the only
true one. The Mint is the only Government
Institution properly mounted for preparing and
testing the alloy, which should, in every in
stance, after made, be tested by lit compost
ton, on which head we are sufficiently furnish
ed with tables, especially since the recent ex-
pertinent of Professor Booth, undertaken at
the instcnce Of the Treasury Department.
A BErRorHED You've WOMAN Shot by HER
LovER.-We are called upon to record another
deplorabe accident, resulting from criminal
ly careless use of firearms. On Sunday night,
Daniel NJ. Arthur was sitting in the same
room, No. 3l4 Seventh-street, with Catharine
Desmond, young lady to whom he was en-.
gagged. Catharine was sitting alta small table,
reading book, and her lover was teasing her,
and trying to transfer her attention from the
book to himself, by extinguishing the candle
Finally, all of his fond efforts having failed, he
took q double barreled shot gun which stood
in the corner, put on cap, and pulled the trig
ger, intending to blow ont the candle with the
air forced out Of the gun by its explosion of
the cap. Unfortunately, the gun was loaded.
and the horror stricken man heard a loud re.
port, and saw his betrothed sink to the floor,
bleeding and dying A full charge Of shot en-
tered her right breast, and, in spite of the eff
forts of the physicians who were called, she
died yesterday morning about two o'clock
The unhappy young man is, of course, almost
distracted. He surrendered himself, and was
yesterday morning examined in the Police
Court The testimony showing no; criminal
intention, he was discharged. The dead and
the living were to have been married in about,
two months Cincinnati Gazette.
The multitude of readers, (sensibly remarks
the Richmond Penny Post take but little in
terest in the ordinations and recriminations
which fill column after column of newspaper
day after day. Avast variety of subjects, the
growing demands Of this progressive age and
,rapidity of operation rendered necessary have
saddled upon the editors back duties of higher
nobler, calling, more responsiblesmore impera:
tive than waging newspaper wars. Personal
alterations may interest many Of the readers
of a paper but they do not interest the major
,ity andsthey are fast becoming more honored
in the breach than in the observance. The
public have not time nor taste for them, the
editorials no time if he is faithful to his edito
rial calling.
: JOHN CLERK OF EIDrN.-One evening Clerk
had been dipping rather too deeply in the con.
viyial bowl with friend in Queen street. and
on emerging into the open air his intelects be-